#love and monsters netflix press

[brewed-pangolin]

Soap Cuddling Headcanons

This was an ask I received forever ago, then tumblr decided to eat it because I don't know. Apologies for this taking soooo long.

18+ MDNI Sexual Themes

SFW and NFSW below the cut because why the hell not.

Soap loves to cuddle for one reason and one reason only: touch

He's touch starved. He craves it. Begs for it. Yearns for it when he's half a world away with you always creeping around in the back of his mind

And when he's home, he can barely think of letting you out of arms reach

It was a bit overwhelming st first, to have him always so close and needing so much physical affection

You didn't push him away, but you did have to maintain some personal space at the beginnings of your relationship

But that all changed after his first lengthy deployment

On those long, lonely nights. Reaching out to him and feeling nothing but cold emptiness beside you in the bed

That's where you fell into his spell and began to yearn and ache for his touch just as desperately as he did

SFW

It doesn't matter what you're doing, if you're within arms reach, your going to be wrapped up by him

Cooking? Yup. He'll have his hands on your hips while comfortably resting his chin on your shoulder

He'll whisper soft, culinary praises into your ear while he watches intently, following your fingers as they diligently move across the cutting board

"Smellin' good, hen. Be a shame if ya had t'waste any, yeah?" And you fell for it. Every single time

Don't be surprised if those hands on your hips begin to wander. It's nearly impossible for them to stay in one place for too long

Loves to wrap his arms around you during the weekend late movie nights

Will intentionally put on horror or suspense movies just so you'll scoot closer, and he can hold you tightly against him while you tremble in his arms

But where this cuddle monster truly shines is in bed (and not just after a romp)

He'll cling to you in the morning, arms wrapped around your torso and his face nestled unto the curve of your shoulders

Big spoon. Little spoon. He doesn't care. As long as his skin is touching yours, he's happy

Will prolong mornings the first few days back home, willing to push aside responsibilities and spend the entire day in bed

Netflix and Chill Extraordinaire

But Cuddling isn't only sanctioned for the bedroom

Soap is a romantic at heart, and he'll whisk you away to his favorite outlook up in the mountains in his 4Runner

Just to build a fort of blankets and pillows in the back and watch the sunset like a true Casanova

And movie nights are best under the stars at your local drive-in

Nestled deep within in his arms as you leave the world behind to enjoy each other's comforting embrace (and loads of overly butterd popcorn)

NSFW

Soap MacTavish is the absolute KING of aftercare, especially after your more vigorous and enthusiastic sessions

He'll keep you close, wrapped within his muscular arms, and pressed against his sweat drenched torso as you ride out the last waves of your climax

"So good f'me, lass. Ya did so good." He'll whisper, voice muffled as he buries his face into the crook of your neck

He's in no rush after a lengthy romp. You need 15 minutes? 30 minutes? Two hours? Soap's not going anywhere

Except to get the towels. He knows he makes a mess, and your legs are currently jelly after your umpteenth orgasm

But if you already planned on having an earth-shattering sexcapade, the towels are already on the nightstand because...

Cockwarming

Soap can't help it. He loves being buried to the hilt deep inside you

Especially when he softens and your walls continually pulse and milk every last drop of him

And you pull the most beautifully pornographic whimpers from his lips

"Fuckin' hell, bonnie. You an' that greedy lil cunt a'yers.."

And as previously stated, he's in no rush to pull out.

In fact, he may just fall asleep.

His arms caging you tightly against him as he drifts into a restful slumber with his cock sheathed snuggly within your silkened heat

@deadbranch @sofasoap @d3athtr4psworld @punishmepunisher @homicidal-slvt @glitterypirateduck @obligatoryghoststare @jynxmirage @mykneeshurt @shotmrmiller @astraluminaaa @writeforfandoms @thetrashpossum @simpingoverquestionablemen @kkaaaagt @designateddeadend

[guineverekrumbs]

Favorite part

Summary: Night in with Bucky and you decided to do a cute tiktok trend with him, thinking it would be funny but brought out sweet confessions.

Warning: Stupid in love idiots, Bucky in love, tooth rotting fluff. implied smut.

I snuggled closer into Bucky’s clothe hard stomach, his warmth radiating over my face as I mindlessly scroll down my phone on his lap. As I go through Tiktok I found a cute trend that couples did which made me grin. It was cute and funny.

“Hey, babe?” I began, making him stop going through Netflix. We were having a night in and I just finish wiping off the green clay mask that I managed to convince him to do, though there were still a bit left here and there. Steel blue eyes gazed down at you, still making your stomach flip despite being together for a while now. “Something wrong, doll?”

I immediately straddled him, his hands automatically wrap around my waist. “Nope, I just have a question for you.” I grinned mischievously. he looked at me suspiciously before nodding for me to continue.

“Can you touch your favorite part of me?”

His eyes widened a bit, he looked a bit startled which made me giggle. “Its just a cute trend on Tiktok.” I explained. “You don’t have to do it but I am a little curious on what your favorite part is now. "

“I’ll never understand whats going on in that pretty little head of yours” He said, amusement dancing in his eyes. He let out a dramatic hum as he pretended to think about it, with a hand on his chin. The whole image just made me laugh.

After a few seconds, he began checking me out from head to toe. When he was done, his hands grabbed my cheeks, squishing them. “What are you-” He quickly shushed me as he continued his examination. I stifled a giggle as he turned my head side to side, before sliding his hands down to my shoulder, then to the curve of my waist. His hands roamed up to my ticklish ribs then he gave my boobs a quick squeeze, making me squeal. “Behave!” I glared jokingly, slapping his hands away from my chest.

“What? I’m sorry, but Its hard to choose if I don’t examine you properly.” He defended with raised hands, not looking sorry at all that it made me burst out laughing.

“You are hopeless.” I let out mid laugh as I teasingly push him away. He immediately pulled me back closer to his chest, my laugh vibrating through his body. A stupid grin lit up his face as he tucked a stray hair from my face .

I calmed down as I noticed the look of pure adoration on his face, eyes full of so much love and a tinge of disbelief. It was almost overwhelming. I tilted my head before asking,“What is it?”

Bucky shook his head, resting his hand on my cheek as his thumb stroked it affectionately. The blood rushed to my cheeks, making me a feel a bit light headed. I covered his hand with mine and cuddled closer to his palm.

“You don’t even feel real sometimes, and you want me to decide on a favorite part?” He softly whispered.

His hand began tracing my face. “Maybe, its your eyes that never looked at me with judgment or fear, eyes that never saw a monster, it just saw me.” He tapped my nose before tracing bottom lip with his thumb. “Or your soft lips that kisses every scar and nightmare away.” Lastly, he place his hand over you heart. “Or your big heart, that decided that this undeserving man was worth your love.”

Every admission made my heart ache, it felt so full that it made it a bit difficult to breath. He didn’t deserve me? Its me who doesn’t deserve him. I must have saved a country in my past life.

Blinking away tears that threatened to fall. I quickly pulled him into a hug, tucking my head into his neck. His strong arms wrapped around me tight, as if he never wanted to let go. “Doll, whats-”

“Shush, you’re gonna make me cry.” A stray tear managed to fall down and I felt his laugh reverberate through me as he rubbed my back. “Hey, come on, let me see those pretty eyes.” He tried to gently pry me off, but I stubbornly held on tighter. “No.”

Bucky chuckled and then pressed a kiss on my temple. My body melted into him, making me remember all the times he held me close during a series of meltdowns and breakdowns because life just wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine all the time. I would’ve gone into a downward spiral without him.

I grinned into his neck as something dawned on me. “Hey Buck, do you know what my favorite part of me is?” I mumbled.

“Let me guess, you big brain?” He teased.

That made me giggle as I finally raised my head to look at him softly. My hands cradled his face, his lips tipped. I leaned in a pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. His lips followed mine before I pressed a finger on them. I gazed directly into those steel blue eyes before saying, “My favorite part of me is you.”

Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed, obviously confuse by my answer. “Every time the world feels like its against me, you’re the part that reminds me that I’m not alone. When I feel like the stress is about to sweep me off my feet, you’re the part that anchors me to the ground, and when my anxiety makes the world stop, you’re that part that brings the world back to its axis.”

His eyes widened disbelief as his mouth parted like he was going to say something before closing them again. Completely speechless, he let out a chuckle. “You sure know how to make a man speechless, doll.”

“Ditto.”

Steel blue eyes gazed my face before pulling me into a searing kiss. His hands cradled my face and I could lose myself to the sensation of his tongue against mine. The hand on my waist pulled me closer, making me melt into his embrace.

We broke the kiss, breathing heavily. He pressed his forehead against mine. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Suddenly, he stood up, taking me with him. My legs quickly wrapped around his hips, as I clung onto his neck. “Where are we going?”

He smirked. “To do our favorite activity together.”

[arachine]

thinking about lazy blowies with ethan where he's not allowed to touch, or talk, but all the pretty noises are very much welcomed <3

isa!!!! stop!!!! nghhhh ;((

— 18+, established relationship, oral sex (m receiving), lazy mornings, turned out real fluffy

i imagine mornings spent laying in bed with him would be so intimate. just the two of you sprawled out in bed, cozying up together while the buzz of a netflix show drones out in the background. it’s a routine that neither he nor you would exchange for anything else—and he especially wouldn’t give up those mornings where you’d roll over and stuff your mouth full of his cock. he’d rather die than give that up, he thinks.

“‘s not even 9 am yet,” he groans sleepily, though he’s already making an effort—albeit slowly—to meet you halfway by tugging his boxers down the apex of his thighs. he likes to make it easy for you, even if it’s something you probably could’ve done yourself.

“oh, please,” you roll your eyes in faux annoyance, “doesn’t matter what time it is, like you’ll ever turn down a blowie.”

“well, duh? i’m an idiot, not a monster,” the brunet gasps in jest before he starts to smile, something real big and toothy. god, he loved this. loved your fast quips, and your never-changing inclination for pleasuring him.

“oh really?” you query, eyeing him as you begin your descent down the length of his body, planting your head to lay on his thigh. you appreciate the fact that he’s tugged it down for you, as well as the fact that he’s already hard, the bulbous tip a blooming red—practically oozing with pre.

reaching out a lithe hand, you take the leaky appendage into your palm and guide it to your mouth. from this angle, you’re sure you look silly, but the reaction it garners from ethan is a silent assurance that you don’t.

“shittt,” he drawls, “so—fuck—pretty.” ethan goes to smooth a hand over your cheek but is promptly swatted away.

“no talking,” a lick, “no touching,” another. continuing your ministrations, you take his cock back into your mouth, and stroke the rest of him with a loose grip—which is borderline torturous, because he wants you to apply pressure, to rub him like you normally do, but decides against speaking up. instead, he sinks further into the plush of his comforter and offers you grunts and groans. moans and whimpers.

when the pleasure gets too overwhelming, and he bucks up a bit into your mouth, you press him down with a flat—but firm—palm. stay still, you admonish one too many times, though you know his ceaseless writhing and thrashing is a tell-tale that he’s reaching his peak.

he wants to say something, do something. he wants to push your head all the way down until the length of him is buried down your throat—but he doesn’t want to disobey your commands. or disrupt the rhythm you set. so he maintains eye contact. let’s you see how hot and bothered he is from not being able to touch you, or speak, and makes the most pornographic sound he’s ever made when he unloads his seed down your throat.

he’s a panting and blushing mess by the time you finish with him. all warm and dewy, with the front pieces of his hair sticking to the skin of his forehead. you don’t immediately move to sit up, or crawl your way back under the covers and into his arms. no, you stay there, and peer up at him in admiration from where your head rests on his thigh.

the morning rays dance across his aquiline features, and paint him a golden hue. he’s so pretty, you think. in the way that people are post-orgasm.

“something…something on my face?” he pants, still out of breath, but not enough to forego jokes.

you crawl back up to the head of the bed and shimmy under the covers, slotting yourself next to him like a puzzle piece. “yeah, this.” and he laughs as you give him a fat kiss on his cheek.

[raccoonfallsharder]

˚₊‧✶ headcanon 20 ✶‧₊˚

comics-rocket raccoon has eclectic cinematic tastes.

you'd think a guy like that would be all about the action and heist movies, but they actually annoy him to the point of fury. imagine skottie young's rocket waving rageful fists while he screws up his furry face and bellows cursewords at the screen, crimson eyes gleaming and teeth flashing.

they're so flarkin' impractical, he tells you later, mournfully, cradling his second six-pack of acanti blubber ale against his chest. i'd do it so much better.

ewing's rocket is too serious and cynical to allow himself to be seen enjoying movies, but you're suspicious. He always seems to have something to work on in the common room when drax is watching his intergalactic soap operas and his very-earther k-dramas. you're pretty sure you once saw him dismantle and rebuild an ion blaster four times in one sitting just so he wouldn't miss the end of romance is a bonus book.

he never acknowledges the screen and if you'd asked him to tell you about what you'd missed in today's episode of drax's current favorite historical love story, the missing princess of zen-whoberi, rocket would probably just stare at you blankly and tell you he didn't have a frutackin' clue what you were talking about.

but he knows. you know he knows.

mcu rocket? well. like many of his space-faring contemporaries—

he just frickin' hates actors.

they're liars, he reasons. pretending to be something they're not. and worse. kevin bacon's not too bad, but rocket only has a soft spot for him because he met the guy personally, and kb had apologized for the raccoon-comment. you try to repackage the idea to rocket: actors aren't liars, you say to him. they're story-tellers.

but the idea of a fiction that isn't a lie is hard to sell. and games of pretend are dangerous.

you eventually get him to settle into your living room for some reality television, which you remind him is still cut and clipped and manipulated to represent something that is only perhaps marginally-true. he snickers and makes rude comments the whole time, but seems to enjoy it — falling asleep curled around the enormous bowl of popcorn you'd made to sustain him while he binged the latest season of love is blind.

eventually, he shows a willingness to try to watch some other things with you. he's distrustful at first, but after some time, you catch him sniffling during certain scenes, and on the edge of his seat in others. like his skottie young counterpart, he's not a big fan of action and heist movies, always rolling his eyes with annoyance. he finds space-comedy to be boring as hell, staring flat-eyed at the screen — but serious space-dramas are hysterical to him. he cackles through every star wars movie and is literally crying with laughter during jupiter ascending and rebel moon. perhaps unsurprisingly, it's the documentaries he loves: nature and culture and pyramid schemes, though he's always mumbling about how frickin' primitive terrans are. he's also weirdly into slow, pensive coming-of-age dramas, which had surprised you until you'd realized that rocket's transition into adulthood must have been something far more traumatic than you could ever dream.

one more thing you've noticed about his viewing habits — he's got no taste for horror. when you mention it, he tells you that there are too many monsters out there to watch more of them in here.

except for michael flanaghan's fall of the house of usher, which rocket has watched in-full at least three times — possibly more often, because you're pretty sure he's hacked your netflix account and is watching stuff from space when you're not around. and you're not sure why he keeps watching it, when it makes him so damn morose afterward.

wish there was justice like that in the universe, he only mutters when you ask.

it's a haunting little curl of sound, coming from his mouth. so you don't press it — just hand him tonight's bowl of popcorn, studded with m&ms, and wrap the blanket around the both of you together.

find more headcanons & imagines here

i had to take a break from pompt week i'm sorry! the bite prompt is killing me. i rewrote it fifty-seven times (well, five) so i'm just gonna give myself a day or two to come back at it with fresh eyes. in the meantime please have this kinda depressing headcanon as a peace offering

also now i just gave myself the idea for a oneshot of rocket as a - participant? player? - on love is blind sooooo that might happen. eventually. i currently have too many ideas and not enough time.

[judysxnd]

Hey. You can make a fanfic that Pedro loves watching horror movies, and the female reader, not so much, but do it to please Pedro. She gets scared and Pedro gives her lots of hugs and kisses... cute things.

It was 9pm on a Saturday night, all windows and doors were opened as it was too hot inside and approximately the same temperature outside. You were chilling on the couch with a fan blowing directly to you. Pedro was just getting out of the shower.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Pedro asked you as he sat next to you

“Hm sure, but what?” You sat up, looking at him. He turned the tv on and went on Netflix.

“I’m in a spooky mood, why not a horror movie?” You eyes widened

“Oh, again? Didn’t we like watch one a week ago?”

“Was it last week? Feels longer than that” he wondered “but whatever we can still watch one either way” he joked, you chuckled.

“Yeah! Yeah, yeah..” you said, turning your head to the tv, looking at was he wanted to watch. You’re not really the type to watch horror movies, you’re spooked too easily. It feels too real and it makes you question everything. But you do it for Pedro. He loooves them, and well, you also love how he makes you feel when you’re scared and such.

“Oh this one seems really good” oh shit yeah it seems really really scary. “Are you good to watch that one?” You read the tv “the conjuring” oh shiiiiit

“N- yeah yeah, let’s go for that one” you smiled

So he pressed play, and a knot formed in your stomach, already scared. Coincidentally, the wind outside started to blow. It was good to cool down, but it made noises outside. The way the plot is set and gets forward makes you shiver. This family getting haunted as they move in a new house. Move out!!

The mom is playing hide and seek with her daughter. She follows the claps to a big wardrobe.

“But, she’s not, she isn’t in there” you said, grabbing your knees. “I don’t want to look” you added, turning on the side, looking at Pedro. He laughed, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Come here” he said, opening his arms so you could cuddle with him. You still hid your face.

“Is the monster here?”

“Hm, no”

“You aren’t saying that so I look at the screen and then I get scared?” Pedro chuckled

“No”

“Promise?” You looked at him

“I promise” you slowly looked back at the tv, the mother was confused as her daughter wasn’t in the wardrobe. But she got scared when her daughter scared her. And that’s when you got scared too.

“Pedro!!” You hit him

“What?” He laughed

“You told me I would not be scared!”

“It’s not a real scary moment”

“Don’t care, I got scared!” He laughed, and hugged you.

“Feel better?”

“You think a hug will make me feel better?” You joked. He put his hand on your cheek, making you turn before kissing you passionately. “Now that’s better”

“Why do I feel like I’ll have to kiss you every time you’ll get scared?”

“Because that’s the least you can do for making me watch a horror movie” you said putting your hand on his waist

“That’s fine by me” he laughed, you playfully hit him.

Therefore, at each scary moment, you hid in his arms, and he gave you a kiss. Even when you got scared for a noise that came from outside.

“You know it’s just the wind right?”

“I know, but every windows are opened, it’s completely dark, we can’t see a thing outside, and we’re watching a horror movie. I think my reaction is pretty normal”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere”

“One more reason. We don’t know what’s out there” you both laughed

“It’s too hot to close you know”

“I know. I’m not saying we should close, but I’m saying that don’t leave me alone for even one second”

“Even to the bathroom?”

“Yes” you both laughed

“Oh dear”

“Consequences” you simply said, smiling

“I know I know” he said still holding you tight even if there wasn’t a scary scene, yet.

As the movie went on, obviously there were more scary scenes and it was getting more and more intense. You were barely watching it, even the noise coming from the tv were scaring you. You kept hiding in Pedro’s arms for the rest of the movie. Then you heard nothing.

“Is it over?”

“Yes” you were still too scared to move, anxious to get scared again when you thought you would not be. “It really is over cariño” he kissed your head. So you slowly turned and saw the black screen.

“Thank god” you sighed. “We’re not watching one again any time soon”

“Why not?” You stared at him

“You’re really asking?” He laughed

“It’s funny to see you completely scared”

“That’s mean” you pouted

“I’m joking” he pulled you close to kiss you

“You’ll have to do more than kiss me for that”

“I’m glad to” he said, hovering you, making you lay down, leaving kisses on your face and neck, making you laugh. “Come on, let’s go to bed” he said standing up, offering his hand to help you. You both went to bed.

Much to your surprise you slept well, not even having nightmares. You didn’t say anything to Pedro until he asked you because you knew he would use it as a reason to watch a horror movie again. And you were right, he did.

[miniteezez]

Yoongi x fem reader

Genere: fluff fluffy fluff. Established relationship

Synopsis: your evening with yoongi

No warnings

It was past eleven pm. Rain hammered down on the windscreen as yoongi drove home. His eyes stung from staring at a screen all day. But, he'd finally got the beat figured out. As soon as he heard jimin was doing his own solo work, he jumped on the idea and promised to help in producing. And, even though he loved it, god, he was tired. Of course, jimin held a special place in his heart to everything had to be perfect. After three days, it had all molded together. Pulling into his garage, yoongi locked his car and hastily made his way over to the door. He fumbled a bit, struggling to get his keys straight. All day, just work. No good or water. He winced internally at his stupid actions or lack there of. Once the door was open, he wasted no time in getting it shut and kicking his shoes off. The soft patter of footsteps could be heard and he didn't need to look up to know who was coming. Arms wrapped around his middle, face pressed firmly into his neck. Yoongi felt peace, finally.

"You should be asleep." He muttered, hugging back just as tightly. Slowly, you pulled away and looked up at him with a frown.

"Dont be lecturing me. You've been gone all day. Have you eaten?" When you got no response, you sighed sadly. Taking hold of your hands, he kissed each one lovingly.

"I'm sorry, (y/n)." Not neing able to resist his slightly pouty face, you let out a little laugh before tugging him along.

"Go shower, I'll heat up some food for you okay?" He agreed, slipping off into the bathroom.

After his shower was done, yoongi threw on a sweatshirt and some matching sweats before heading to the kitchen. Expecting to find you there, he was surprised to find it empty. Turning on his heel, he stepped into the living room and instantly smiled upon seeing the room. Everything looked so cosy. With blankets piled up on the cream soft, candles lit and Netflix displayed on the tv. Yoongi also spied the steaming food on the coffee table and almost groaned when it caused his stomach to rumble. A giggle was heard behind him and he smirked, quickly turning round. After a quick check to make sure your hands were free, he grabbed you by the waist and carefully (very, very carefully. Yoongi wasn't a monster.) threw you over his shoulder. Squeaking in surprise, you hammered down on his back jokingly. He dumped you onto the blankets before promptly hovering over her.

"You think my suffering is funny do you?" Hands pinned by you head, you laughed and shook your head.

"No of course not!" Grinning, his hands found your sides and attacked them, bringing you out into a fit of laughs. Through each breath, you tried to apologise but it was just downed out by the man chuckling above you. Deciding to give mercy, yoongi sat back whilst you caught your breath. His eyes never left your form, wallowing in all your details.

"You're staring." You smiled, sitting up so the two of you were closer together. Shrugging, he repositioned yourselves so he was sat with you between his legs. Reaching over, you grabbed the plate and began feeding your boyfriend.

"Just admiring what's mine." He spoke, words muffled by food. It still made you blush however and another smile graced your lips.

"Stop being silly." Once all the food was gone, the plate was put down and you turned to yoongi with an expectant expression. Puzzled, he brushed some hair off of your face.

"Want something darling?" Nodding at him, you tugged on the jumper he was wearing. Of course, he thought but took it off anyway. Happily, you threw it on and immediately lay down onto his chest. Yoongi took a moment to appreciate the situation he was in. You were nestled on his chest, his fingers running through your hair tenderly.

"You're not going to the studio tomorrow." He furrowed his brows ar your words. Seeing this, you leant up and and cupped his cheeks.

"I text joon, we're both staying off tomorrow. We can sleep all day."

"No." He answered sternly making you frown. Did he not want to be with you? He suddenly smiled at you, taking your hands off his fave to hold them.

"If I'm gonna be off we're not sleeping. We can go on a date." He said, hands moving down to your waist. Relaxing, you smiled happily and wrapped your arms around his neck.

"I'd like that." You replied, leaning forward and pressing your lips to his. Reciprocating the kiss, yoongi thumbed at your waist, effectively brining you closer. You smiled into the kiss and pulled away for breath shortly after.

"We can go to your favourite restaurant? I'll book it out." Sometimes you forgot just how influential your boyfriend was. He could book out a whole restaurant just so you had privacy. Nodding, you buried your face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his musky scene. Yoongi pulled the blanket over you both and lay back against the cushions. A movie played on low volume in the background  yet neither of you payed attention. You were half asleep by this point, with his fingers scratching against your scalp so gently. He simpered, feeling his own eyes growing heavy. His free arm held you close, pressing a final kiss against your head.

"Goodnight love." You didn't hear him, but you didn't need to. You already knew, even if he wad never good with words. Sometimes, actions speak a thousand times more. He loved you, that's all that mattered.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

Episode 3

Meghan calls the engagement interview “an orchestrated reality show” during her own orchestrated reality show. Hilarious. These two deserve the Nobel Prize for Lack of Self-Awareness. 

Cringe Diana montage. Royals acting “absolutely thrilled” about the engagement. Lol, Catherine’s face is epic. 

Meghan complains they weren’t allowed to tell “their story” during the engagement interview. I get the feeling she really wanted to tell the world about the Call of Duty costumes and penguin onesies. Well, the world now knows, Meghan. We just wish we didn’t.

BTW, the engagement interview looks a lot less orchestrated than what they are doing now. The cozy space, the comfy sofa, and the sympathetic interviewer nodding along and validating all their bizarro statements (“I didn’t know much about him”) all make a huge difference. 

Weird historical montage. Honestly baffled as to why they are spending time on this and not on Skippy’s wedding or the reaction to the Vanity Fair article. Yes, it’s the race card but you can play that card with the VF interview backlash and it’s a lot more relevant and relatable. The “objective” (not really) historical viewpoints break the rhythm and take the viewer out of the story. I have no idea why they are using them. Maybe they are trying to sell Netflix a historical documentary to follow up this one?

Talking about clothing. Pic of dress from June 2018 but they aren’t even married yet at that point. Dog still had its legs in casts then? Poor puppy.

Different Restoration Hardware showroom in 2021. New York City. Makeup artist dude and Archewell person who just quit. Harry has no idea what a royal correspondent is, which is honestly surprising. I knew he was dumb but I didn’t realize he was this dumb. The only journalist who just called himself a royal expert with no substance was Omid Scobie and that’s the guy they use.

Wait, was this the NY visit when they filmed the fake pap scene? Why didn’t the makeup artist pretend to be a pap? That would have made it more believable. C’mon makeup person. There’s no I in teamwork.

Complaining about the press…with Kate and Camilla’s headlines. Use your own headlines, cowards! Harry’s “their trauma is our narrative” quote is very amusing as he’s using the same strategy to sell his documentary. It reminds me of the old “when you fight the monsters you become a monster” concept. He claims to the the tabloids for exploiting his family, but he has effectively become a little exploitative tabloid, selling his family’s trauma to keep his wife in upscale yoga wear. A childhood friend says Meghan was never obsessed with Princess Diana. Girl, the past two episodes of this documentary strongly disagree with you.

Meghan complains about her mom’s family being quiet and classy and her dad’s family “acting differently.” She doesn’t seem to realize that she is a true Markle in this regard and she’s doing to the royals what her family did to her. The royals are being quiet and classy, and she’s “acting differently.”

Samantha’s daughter shows up. She doesn’t remember Samantha but she has a close relationship with her niece? They are a weird family. I do love the fact that Eugenie and Ashleigh are now token family members.

Princess Michael’s brooch. Racist art that is apparently not in any of the palaces. Unconscious bias. Harry clearly has no idea what the term means. Nazi uniform. 

Sandringham is “like the big family I always wanted… with movement and energy and fun” which is not how anyone has ever described Sandringham. The Carolyn Bessette Kennedy cosplay was because she wanted to blend in. Oooookay. Kate’s Christmas coat was so epic. 

Super awkward military visit they did in November 2021. They sound like entertainers and Harry’s clown act does not fit the US military culture. They get awards “for everything they do” which makes no sense. Royal military promo montage. again, with no acknowledgement that his soldier persona was crafted by the same tabloids he now rails against. The Daily Mail were the ones who created the “hero Harry” image just as they created his “African philanthropist” image when he was a teen. 

Royal Foundation event. Isn’t blue a color? Pretty sure she’s wearing blue, and so is Kate. Lol, first time her divorce is mentioned, I think. Meghan jumps on the #MeToo bandwagon, just like she jumps on every press friendly movement. A journalist notes that Kate didn’t wear black to the Baftas and Camilla never mentioned #MeToo. Interesting that now, five years later, Kate has her big mom-oriented First Years project, Camilla’s charity work with women has grown and grown, and #MeToo has completely fizzled. Who has done more for women in past five years? The woman who jumped on the media bandwagon or the two stalwarts who focused on working with and building organizations?

I’d forgotten how bad she looked in the first engagements. Unkept hair, Ill-fitting clothes…but the tabloids still supported her at that point.  Sandringham…poo emoji hat… She’s complaining that Julie Andrews didn’t tell her her hat looked like the poo emoji? Do you really need a protocol officer for that? 

“Everything is just…smaller.” She clearly didn’t take her job seriously at all. 

Fugly red dress fitting.  Four Carolina Herrera employees helping her and she still looked awful. That takes real talent. Harry ask whether she has ever had four people help her into a dress.

She never wore color? I guess the purple and red monstrosity was just a bad dream. And didn’t she just show pics of the Royal Foundation forum where she and Kate both wore blue?  That was five minutes ago, Meg! We haven’t forgotten it. 

Of course you can wear the same color as the Queen. Lol, she just made up a protocol, right after complaining that the tabloids made up royal protocols. Seriously, who edited this documentary? She’s also wearing muted tones right now. 

“I didn’t want to embarrass the family.” I’m confused. This was Sandringham before the wedding and she had just worn a $75k dress in her engagement pictures, but she claims she didn’t want her clothing to “embarrass the family”? She “didn’t want to stand out,” so she sent out engagement pics in a see-through, $75k dress with feathers?????!!!!! I need to rewatch this because I literally can’t believe this. “There is no version of me joining this family and not trying to do everything I could to fit in.” Girl, you dressed up as a burlesque performer and sent the pics to everyone. What are you talking about?

Samantha’s tweets are shown right after the “I don’t want to embarrass the family” comment. Yes, that. 

BTW, no mention of a stay at Amner Hall or the “Fab Four” show of support. 

She was “turtling”? She was sending out invites to Oprah and the Clooneys. That’s not exactly turtling. Lol, no mention of her “very meaningful” religious conversion she supposedly had during this time. Didn’t Charles supposedly give her a Birk’s bracelet as a present? No mention of that either.

The palace didn’t let invite her niece? Please, they were desperate to have any family at all show up. The niece who was practically a sister attending the wedding would have been a godsend…of course she would have had to be Maid of Honor and Jess couldn’t have that. This girl is pretty and Meg wasn’t going to risk a Pippa Middleton situation. Simple as that.

Serena Williams shows up sounding like a zombie. 

Commonwealth Day. Weird “Commonwealth is evil” montage. Weren’t these two heads of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, and Youth Ambassadors? Didn’t Meghan add all the flowers of the Commonwealth to her veil? The Commonwealth wasn’t so evil then, was it? They don’t dare criticize the Queen directly so they bring in academics. Cowards. LOL, I googled one of the academics criticizing the “imperial” aspects of the nation and he literally has an Order of the British Empire. You can’t make this stuff up.

Stephen Lawrence murder memorial underscores that they abandoned this platform to sell tawdry gossip to Netflix. 

Dad drama. Lol, she used her dad’s texts. Weird to bitch about dad selling pics to improve his public image when they are doing the same in this doc. “It’s amazing what people will do when offered a huge amount of money.” It sure is, Harry.

Dad picture story comes out. Lol, her agent admits he knew it was a set up when the book pic came out. They really should have done a better job briefing these people. They are giving her away right and left. The book pic came out April 4 and Harry and Meghan were pretending the pics weren’t set up and complaining to IPSO through mid-May. I gotta say, Meghan bitching about her father talking to TMZ is hilarious given that she did a two hour Oprah interview and she’s now doing an entire documentary. 

This whole scene explaining why they didn’t confront Thomas feels very fake. I bet they have repeated this song and dance many times in front of the Royal Family. Tom Bower confirmed that they were summoned to Castle Mey to discuss the dad drama so my guess about that was right.

“You’re not picking up my calls and are instead talking to TMZ.” I’m dying. They did the same thing with Oprah. BTW, I’m pretty sure they had to pay TMZ for this footage and TMZ was the outfit that first published Harry’s naked Vegas pics, which have not been mentioned in the documentary yet. If you’d told me ten years ago that someday Harry would be paying royalties to TMZ I wouldn’t have believed you. Yet, here we are.

Very weird episode. They could have focused on their charity work, connecting it to the events they did before the wedding—minority neighborhoods, women’s issues, Stephen Lawrence, Commonwealth meetings etc… and they instead chose to use those events to cast the royal family as racist and imperial. And the supposedly imperial aspects of the family—the Commonwealth, Africa, the Caribbean—were the ones they were going to work in. It’s a very odd position for the heads (or ex-heads) of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust to take.

The new spin on the dad story is also very strange. The fact that they never visited him and broke all contact with him after the pics made a tiny bit of sense when he was portrayed as a greedy asshole, but the new spin is that he was manipulated by the evil tabloids who took his phone, didn’t let him call his family and then texted his daughter pretending to be him. That doesn’t make him a villain. It makes him a victim. She has spent three hours demonizing the tabloids and now she says they basically kidnapped her sick, elderly father….and she just shrugs it off? It’s bizarre.

No comment from husband other than to say the niece was cute and the red dress was ugly. Group chat agrees the dress was ugly and she's doing the same thing her dad was doing. Much typing about whether we are supposed to think the poo emoji article was racist and whether navy blue is a different color than just plain blue.

On to the next episode.

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @brimorganbooks

Who You Are:

Briana || she/her

Hi! I'm a horror author, playwright, and game writer. My books include THE REYES INCIDENT, MOUTH FULL OF ASHES, THE TRICKER-TREATER AND OTHER STORIES, UNBOXED: A PLAY, and more.

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Horror, psychological, and thriller. Adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

Horror. I LOVE safely exploring the darker parts of life and human nature.

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

High fantasy. It's never really interested me.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

I write books for readers who grew up reading Goosebumps, can't get enough of the Scream franchise, and love ghosts, monsters, and true crime. I like to think my work is accessible and easy for almost anyone to pick up, though.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

Found family, lovers to enemies and enemies to lovers, humans are the worst monsters, becoming the thing you strove to destroy, betrayal

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

mental illness as a monster. it's cheap and ableist

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

I'm writing an adult horror novel that will be published by DarkLit Press this fall. Here's the summary: Everyone has heard about Vega and his Vixens. No matter how much Sarah Eaton tried to distance herself from what happened that night, the past is a difficult demon to shake. After living through a public, sensationalized tragedy, Sarah wants to put the past behind her and move on with her life. When a producer and her film crew show up on Sarah’s doorstep, she almost slams the door in their faces. But the ghosts of Sarah’s past can only be exorcized by money, so she consents to answer the film crew’s questions. As Sarah revisits her experience with Vega, the cult, and the tigers, she must decide whether the money is worth retraumatizing herself—and hurting her wife and their child. TIGER CULT is a 80,000-word adult horror novel for fans of Netflix’s TIGER KING, LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE, and the novel THE GIRLS.

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

I write because nothing else makes me feel more "me." I keep writing because I love connecting with fans and readers.

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. As a child, I read a lot, and one day, I realized I could write my own stories. Since then, I've been hooked.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

I get inspired by everyday events, as well as Pinterest. This project was born out of the TIGER KING era of the pandemic.

What work of yours are you most proud of? Why?

So far, I'm the most proud of THE REYES INCIDENT. I worked my ass off on that one. It's also the first thing I've written that includes ownvoices disability representation.

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

Yes and YES.

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you? Why?

I LOVE drafting and editing. Plotting is tough. Outlines aren't second-nature to me yet, although I need them to keep my drafts cohesive. I used to be a die-hard pantser, but I'd have to cut HUGE sections of the book in edits. Never again.

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

Same as above

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

I AM pure chaos. My fiance bought me a Freewrite Traveler, and I use that for drafting now. I also write in Google Docs on my phone a lot. My ideal setup would be a desk solely dedicated for writing, in a space of my own where I could close the door and shut out the world. I don't have that yet. Someday, though.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

3-4 years! I used to run a multifandom blog on tumblr, and I missed the sense of community and connection.

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

Everyone is so nice and shows genuinely interest in each other's work!

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

Snippets and WIP excerpts

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

Twitter, website, Tiktok, and Instagram

Questions For Fun:

Pick one piece of media-any media at all-that had the biggest hand in shaping who you are and what you make. What is it and why do you think it had so much influence?

This is a tough one! Now, I'd say the BIOSHOCK trilogy because I fell head over heels for it. Formatively speaking, probably GOOSEBUMPS because i read SO MANY of them, and they used to give me night terrors. Those books made me realize I wanted to write horror.

What is your favorite horror movie/book/etc? What is your least favorite? Why?

My favorite horror movie is NOROI: THE CURSE. It's Japanese found footage, and it's so scary. My least favorite horror movie is FREDDY VS. JASON because it's the worst film I've ever seen, period. It's just... not good.

What famous person alive or dead would you most like to have lunch with? Why?

I would LOVE to have lunch with Mary Shelley and tell her how much she's done for the genre and how much I appreciate her.

[theresattrpgforthat]

My family and I have been watching and loving the Lockwood & Co series on Netflix (and have the books coming in soon). My oldest - a Masks veteran, sees a ton of parallels between Mask moves and the action in the show, and longed for a game focused on the sort of eldritch investigation, but with the personal drama that a game like Masks or Monsterhearts or the like can bring. Any suggestions?

THEME: Eldritch Investigative Drama

Hello friend, you’re definitely describing one of the highlights of the Powered by the Apocalypse system. It’s probably not surprising that so many of my recommendations are PbtA!

Sunset Kills, by Hedgemaze Press.

Sunset Kills is a tabletop roleplaying game about a family or group of friends who investigate supernatural mysteries and fight the monsters trying to take over their town. It’s a little bit horror, a little bit drama, and a little bit campy comedy in the vein of shows like Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Sunset Kills uses a simplified version of the Apocalypse World system, perfect for new players or those new to Powered by the Apocalypse-style games.

This may be advertised as a great game for new players, although some prior GM experience with PbtA is probably going to be useful. This game is primarily focused on monster-killing shows like Buffy and (with the inclusion of my Stranger Hills playbooks), Stranger Things. However, if your characters end up getting mixed up in some kind of eldritch conspiracy instead, you might be able to pull upon each character’s Keys to cause all kinds of drama.

UnHaunt This House, by Kristen Chin.

Unhaunt This House is a haunt-busting tabletop game where you play spectre-hunters traversing a distorted nightmare building to find the source of the haunting. 

Snoop around the haunt, dodge shifting architecture or spectral inhabitants and gather clues to make the Final Pronouncement that might dispel the Haunt's ectoplasmic epicentre.

Built on the Down We Go system, Unhaunt this House also takes cues from Brindlewood Bay and Paranormal Inc.This style of game is more on-the-nose in representing ghost hunters, although it’s OSR history means that it doesn’t come with as many mechanics to replicate drama. The closest you might get to drama is the fatal flaw that plagues each hunter: what is it that may be your downfall? You might have to do a bit of home brewing if you want something to replicate the drama that can unfold between a number of hunters exploring a nightmare building. 

Moonlight on Roseville Beach, by R.Rook Studio.

Queer pulp meets cosmic horror! 

It's 1979 and you're spending  the summer working in Roseville Beach, the queerest little town on Rose Island. You might have come here looking for an escape, some fun, a little extra money, or even love, but now people are seeing phantasms, strange animals—and stranger old gods—wander the woods, mysterious monoliths appear randomly, and that strange music is coming from somewhere.

The drama of Moonlight on Roseville Beach is baked into the setting. As outcasts compared to the outside society, the folks of Roseville Beach can’t depend on outside law enforcement to deal with their problems, so when supernatural entities start to trouble your loved ones, you have to spend on yourselves. Your characters will have Troubles - people they’re indebted to, hiding from, trying to impress, or more. They’ll also have NPC allies and each-other to depend on. 

As Roseville Beach expects many interpersonal interactions, it can be easy to dive into uncomfortable territory. The game recommends that players sit down and discuss Lines and Veils before beginning play. 

Gunmetal Sonata, by Ashley “Winged” Moni.

Besides the world we know lie a myriad continuum of others, full of places and creatures that fill the world’s myths and legends. Life has gotten a lot more manageable in the last few millennia, but the occasional intruder still steps across the threshold to do innocents harm. 

You’re one of a long, loose fraternity of people around the world who’re both in-the-know and capable of doing something about it. You wear a lot of hats: you’re a soldier, a hunter, a detective, a scientist, a sheriff. 

You’re a slayer. It’s a living. 

Gunmetal Sonata is an urban fantasy RPG about monster hunting millennials tracking and slaying threats to humanity through a system that splits between noir investigation and highly-stylized anime action. It is inspired by PbtA and FitD games.

When it comes to interpersonal connections, Gunmetal Sonata includes a Trust track for each player, to increase over play. Each player also has a Promise, whether that be a personal goal or a commitment to a power outside themselves. Promises will give you power, but at a cost they can cause Stress, and wear down your emotions. This game is currently still in the design process, but future iterations intend to have Arcs, which will be personal stories that directly tie you into the plot. 

The Between, by The Gauntlet.

The Betweenis a tabletop roleplaying game about a group of mysterious monster hunters in Victorian-era London. They are residents of a place called Hargrave House, and their job is to investigate and neutralize monstrous threats terrorizing the city—threats that Scotland Yard won’t or can’t handle themselves. As the story progresses, they become aware of the plans of a Moriarty-style criminal mastermind they will eventually have to face in order to save Queen and country.

The Betweenis directly inspired by the gothic horror TV show Penny Dreadful, but also takes a lot of inspiration from British horror classics, graphic novels like From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and pulp-era stories. Mechanically, it’s Powered by the Apocalypse but also uses the mystery system from Brindlewood Bay.

This is a great game if you are looking for something to spook you. It’s also set in a Victorian-era setting, so the world feels darker and older. Your characters will depend on their backgrounds and personal struggles to help them navigate through this world of darkness and conspiracy. The Between comes with a number of scenarios to put your characters through, great for GM’s who don’t have time to write up an entire story from scratch or newer GM’s who want a bit of help exploring the possibilities of this game.

Paranormal Inc, by Alicia Furness Productions.

One day, the dead started returning to haunt the living. This was, as you would expect, somewhat disruptive to society. People started looking for ways to get rid of the ghost nuisance in their lives. Requests for paranormal investigators sky-rocketed. 

But times change. People adapt. Now, you are a struggling paranormal investigator with Paranormal Inc. doing your best to keep the equipment working, the lights on, and your belly full.  

Paranormal Inc. is a game about solving mysteries, struggling under capitalism, and making connections with living and dead alike. It's a game about pushing through your own personal hauntings to help others. 

This game most closely aligns with the theme of ghost-hunting, although your investigators aren’t necessarily hunting ghosts so much as solving mysteries. You won’t know what the answer to the mystery is at the beginning of play - you’ll discover it collaboratively, as Paranormal Inc is GM-less. This game is Carved from Brindlewood, but it’s parent game is heavily inspired by PbtA games, so expect character connections that mean something.

Monster of the Week, by Evil Hat.

Most people don’t believe in monsters, but you know the truth. They’re real, and it’s your task to bring them down. Monster of the Week brings that adventure to life.

Monster of the Week is a standalone action-horror RPG for 3-5 people. Hunt high school beasties a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer, travel the country to bring down unnatural creatures like the Winchester brothers of Supernatural, or head up the government investigation like Mulder and Scully. This book contains everything you need to tackle Bigfoot, collar a chupacabra, and drive away demons.

Monster of the Week is a well-loved, well celebrated monster-hunting game about kicking monster butt, taking care of friends, and getting answers to things that want to be hidden. If you want to get a taste of what this game can do, I’d recommend Monster Hour, a Monster-of-the-Week podcast that keeps the players involved and continuously falling into larger and larger problems.

Apocalypse Keys, by Rae Nedjadi.

As an Omen class monster, you are the only thing capable of holding back the apocalypse. Combat occult threats and investigate supernatural phenomena alongside your team of supernatural agents working for the shadowy DIVISION. But in a world that shuns monsters like you, only your deepest, most heartfelt bonds can grant you the power to stop those who seek to unlock Doom’s Door.

The apocalypse draws near. There are Keys to find, Mysteries to solve, Doors to unlock, and ruthless Harbingers to battle. It’s time to face your fears or become fear itself.

This is the game I think of when I think of messy drama. You’re monsters with great responsibility, great power, and a great opportunity to lose everything you care about. The game will push you towards caring about something or someone, while battling a piece of you that threatens to take that away.

Alongside moves such as Unleash the Dark, which encourages manipulation and harm, you can also Reveal Your Heart to someone in a moment of vulnerability. The organization, DIVISION, is a great resource, but it’s also a strict overlord, and its true nature will only be figured out through play, as players answer questions about it. If you want a game that’s full of action and intrigue, while also pulling at your emotional heart-strings, I strongly recommend Apocalypse Keys.

[kittymaine]

If all the fanfic recs I've been posting recently weren't a hint, I finished reading the Delicious In Dungeon manga by Ryoko Kui. I started watching the anime on Netflix and immediately fell in love. I tried buying the manga, but it was all on backorder. So I read it online instead. I'm working on buying all the volumes though! This series was so good! I know this is gonna go down as one of my all-time favorite mangas.

Delicious In Dungeon follows a group of adventurers who make their living dungeon crawling in a high fantasy world (think Dungeons & Dragons or Lord of the Rings). At the very beginning of the story, one of their party is eaten by a dragon on a deep level of the dungeon, right before she manages to teleport them to the surface. They find themselves in such a rush to get back down to the dragon to revive her before she's digested that they have no time to buy provisions before heading back down. They instead need to get creative and source all their food from the plants and monsters that make the dungeon their home as they press deeper and deeper into the dungeon.

There are so many groups of people that I think this manga would appeal to that it's hard to list them all. As someone who runs Dungeons & Dragons games, I think it would appeal to anyone who likes TTRPGs, since it feels so much like a retelling of a fantasy tabletop game. For people who like food and cooking, this is like a funny parody of a cooking show using monster parts. For people who like found family, watching the party get closer and open up to each other under tense circumstances would definitely appeal. And for people who like a tense plot and tight story telling, the finale of the manga absolutely delivers on that.

Basically, if any part of this manga appeals to you at all, I highly recommend it.

[ingek73]

Harry and Meghan are right about racist Britain in their Netflix series

Readers on the uncomfortable truths exposed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix series and media reactions to it

Tue 13 Dec 2022 17.41 GMT

A still from Harry & Meghan on Netflix.

I couldn’t agree more with Prince Harry’s comment in the Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan that unlearning racism is a lifelong journey. As a 50-year-old provincial white man, I only hope I live long enough. Nels Abbey (A white lens sees Harry and Meghan as villains – through a Black one, they’ve done Britain a favour, 9 December) is right that Britain needs the catharsis of a serious discussion about racism and our colonial history.

Just as the US has yet to come to terms with the horrors of native American genocide and slavery, the UK has never addressed its role as a builder of the slave trade and brutal conqueror of a hundred or more nations. I love my country, but that love is tainted with the myth of a noble imperial history taught with equal enthusiasm by family, school and jingoistic media that reflect society only too well.

After the second world war, imperial Japan and Nazi Germany were all but erased from their nations’ iconography. It was expected that past atrocities were acknowledged, and a new identity of self-aware nationalism forged.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that Germany is the only European country to pay reparations to a former colony (though it insisted its €1.1bn agreement with Namibia was a gesture of reconciliation rather than reparations). They tore down the statues of their historical monsters. There will be no sensible discussion on race and colonialism as long as we still venerate ours.

Alex Brown

Muscat, Oman

• Nels Abbey is on point when he says that “as Britons of different ethnicities, we are often viewing the same events very differently”. Living as a black woman in Britain is like living in a parallel world to my white counterparts, who are oblivious to my experience. Watching the bigotry and racism towards Harry and Meghan play out in the media has been soul-destroying. The false narrative constructed by the media, and the relentless attacks on the couple to avoid the elephant in the room of media racism being the main factor in their departure from this country, are particularly vexing.

Harry and Meghan were wise to leave. For many people of colour silently enduring this country, leaving is an unrealised dream.

Name and address supplied

• I have been amazed by the vitriol directed at Harry and Meghan after the release of their Netflix series (TV review, 8 December). It is only when one looks under the surface that it starts to make sense. They have poked at the identity of Britain.

Traditionally, British people saw their country as a robust white democracy, with global influence and a beloved queen at the apex of society. But this myth unravelled for many people in 2022. Our democracy was exposed as flaky and, at the moment of greatest political instability, our queen of 70 years died. Underlying all this is that many people in Britain, including the royal family, don’t seem to have got their heads round the fact that we lost our empire long ago.

Britain has been changing for decades, and those in the establishment who have had most to lose attack the changes and cling to the past. For many, though, change is welcome. I believe most white British people now see black Britons as “us” not “them”, Brexit as a chauvinistic disaster, and doing something about climate change as more important than looking at yet more photos of the Sussexes.

Cath Potter

London

• I was saddened but not surprised when Harry and Meghan fled the UK. Vast swathes of our society follow our tabloid press in blind ignorance. They turned Meghan into a villain and the public, like sheep, followed. My family is multicultural, and I have seen my son tread warily around countless subtle racist comments, as well as overt abuse from strangers. In some areas, the UK’s multiculturalism is a source of great pride to me. But we still have a long way to go.

Michaela Harte

Bromley, London

• The backlash from rightwing politicians and media against Harry and Meghan’s documentary amply proves their point.

Kit Jackson

London

[concerto-roblox]

can i ask what ur favourite dvds are from your collection?

FINALLY someone who appreciates me!! gonna format this as a list bc i was rambling too much and this is neater (also note that some of these are my favourite bc i love the film, and some bc the physical dvd is just so cool):

two-disc edition of maurice (1987) released by the bfi (best film ever btw).

40th anniversary release of the sound of music that came with an 8-page booklet (also the best film ever).

jennifer's body and jawbreaker (both cult classics in the 'teen girls are evil' genre).

all three bill and ted movies (the first of which is a 4k restoration).

every spider-man movie (raimi, webb, watts, spider-verse) including spider-man 2.1 (the extended cut of spider-man 2).

coraline 2-disc collectors edition that came with two pairs of 3D glasses.

the lesser-known shrek 3D (unfortunately not shrek (2001) in 3D, this is a separate short called shrek 3D 😔) that also came with 3D glasses.

the 'far far away' edition of shrek 2, which has a button on the front that makes donkey's mouth light up and speak if you press it, and when you open the case there's a pop-up scene of the characters.

barbie boxset that's designed to look like a jewelry box complete with a mirror that has the first 19(!!) barbie movies (although not technically since it skips the barbie diaries in favour of princess charm school).

the monster-high '6 movie collection' (super lucky find from a charity shop, i barely ever see monster high movies in there).

the special editions of all three high school musical movies.

monster house (2006) which came with an exclusive comic (also found in a charity shop).

stranger things season 1 on dvd and blu-ray in a vhs-style case (this was exclusive to target back in 2017 and i got it for £20 on ebay still sealed!! season 2 is unfortunately much more expensive 😔).

i have yet to watch it, but i have the alien quadrilogy in a green-iridescent sleve which contains 9 discs and a booklet.

also have yet to watch, but my 2-disc edition of fight club in a cardboard sleeve designed to look like a paper package is pretty cool.

i'm very grateful to my parents for not getting rid of my childhood dvds, bc i now have a pretty substantial collection of disney classics, most of them 2-disc special editions (though they're not all in the best condition; my copy of cinderella cracked in the middle of the disc because i watched it so much, but hey, that's just a testament to how much i loved it).

oh, and i also own 65% of andrew garfield's filmography (out of those that can be owned physically that is). it sucks that i can't own tick tick boom since it's a netflix original, but never let me go is one of my favourite films of all time so i'm very happy to have that one!!

[lumosatnight]

My first fanfic not in the HP fandom! I fell in love with this show as soon as I watched binged it on Netflix and COULD NOT get this story idea out of my head. Who doesn't love sexy lesbian vampires? I am ready to riot that Netflix cancelled it before we could even get a season 2 😭, but I guess that just means I'll have to write MORE LESBIAN VAMPIRE FIC.

Thank you @crazybutgood for the beta! You were fantastic as always 😘. Also, thanks @steakandpotatoes for the read-through!

I knew from the very first bite

Rating: M Length: 3.1k Fandom: First Kill (TV 2022) Ship: Calliope Burns/Juliette Fairmont Tags: Fluff and Angst, Monster Hunters, Vampires, Blood Drinking, Kissing, Falling in Love, Canon Divergence, Vampire Calliope

Summary:

What if Calliope was too late? What if the stake was too far out of reach? What if all she could think about was Juliette’s lips, her hands on her waist, her body pressing her into the wall?

What if… Juliette turned her?

[angel-is-not-creative]

Evangelion (part 1)

SUB/DUB

First off all I wanted to say that I have never seen this show but according to my Netflix watch history I got approximately three minutes into the first episode before giving up. Not exactly sure why, maybe the art style or just the fact that the title is so close to my name that it makes me uncomfortable but yeah, this is my first time really watching it.

I can definitely see the similarity of themes between this show and Gundam, I think that there is this same sense of dehumanization through these machines. This is shown prevalently in episode 3 where Shinji is just mindlessly pressing the trigger at command, without putting any thought into what he is doing. Dissociating from the violence he is causing.

His father seems to only want him around to pilot this machine, again similar to Gundam, this pressure that is put on a son from his father to be this strong masculine figure worthy of carrying on his last name is clear.

It is also clear that Shinji does not want to be piloting this Eva either, but he does so in order to seem more manly in the eyes of others, it is a sense of obligation for him to make his father proud. It is also needed to make his peers like him, as none of them show any interest in him until they learn he is a pilot.

It is also interesting to note that they don't seem to have this same respect for Rei, though it is unclear if this is because she is a girl or just socially awkward (I can smell the "autistic or just never interacted with humans" debate from a mile away.

The only people who don't seem to be particularly pleased by hearing that he is a pilot are two boys in his class. One punches him in the ultimate show of masculinity, and in order to prove himself to them, Shinji fights a very... phallic-shaped monster. Another nod to this fight against these masculine things being forced onto him.

Honestly, I don't think I completely understand this anime but we will see more as we go on. I don't think I can really give it a proper rating yet so I will hold off

also i love her please marry me

[huginsmemory]

Rules: tag 9 people (or so) you want to know better and/or catch up with, then answer the questions below! — tagged by the lovely @sakvnosuke

Last Song: literally currently listening to Hey Jude by the Beatles. But before that was Candy by the blasting company.

Three Ships: currently absolutely enamored with Wolfwood and Vash from Trigun since their entwined narratives are killing me. Uh two others... Hmmmm, well I do really like Meryl x Milly from trigun, and previous to trigun I was quite into Kakashi x Iruka and Kisame x Itachi from Naruto, haha. That's four tho, oops.

Currently reading: Uh other than fanfics, today I was rereading parts of Fish Leather Tanning by Lotta Rhame, while I'm also a few chapters into The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate. I've also been meaning to start Earth into Property by Anthony Hall and The Science and Spirit of Algae by Amanda Swininer which are both sitting on my bedside table... I'm also rereading the trigun manga lol.

Last movie: got together with a friend who recently finished watching hxh so we watched the hxh phantom troupe rogue movie. If ur asking non anime then. Yeah idk. Oh! that cute monster hunters one on Netflix which is about freedom of the press.

Craving: Desperately want the time to be able to work on my bookbinding projects, both those already printed and just waiting to be sewn and cased and those on my laptop that are very close to being finished typeset... It's horrible to know that there projects that can be so quickly finished if I have the time and I just don't have it. Also I really want to draw a bunch of art which I don't have time to, and I want to be able to just sit down and hammer out more vashwood analysis that's not me writing in my notes feverishly at 2 am on my phone... There's just so many creative projects I desperately want to be involved in and I have zero time to do. 😭 Also there's a really cool tanto style knife that I really wanna buy but it's now not available...

Tagging! @jaz--hands @garrandia @mothghhost @paiteyy @yowanne @chickenwizards @origami10 @kani-luvspink @smalltownboyprc @frustratedlettuce @petallswildsurge @swirls-of-randomness and really, anyone who sees this and wants to do it if course :)

[tvrundownusa]

tvrundown USA 2022.07.28

Thursday, July 28th:

(exclusive): Another Self (netflix, Turkish drama, all 8 eps), Keep Breathing (netflix, limited series, all 6 eps), Love Monster (HMax, season 3 available, all 26 mini-eps), Three Families (SundanceNow, true stories of illegal abortion in Northern Ireland)

(streaming weekly): The Orville (hulu, penultimate), American Horror Stories (hulu), The Resort (Peacock, dark comedy-mystery-thriller premiere, first 3 eps), Hart to Heart (Peacock, next 2 eps), All the Queen's Men (BET+, next 2 eps), College Hill (BET+, penultimate), Terror Lake Drive (AllBlk, penultimate), Moonhaven (AMC+, penultimate), Players (Para+, season 1 finale), Extraordinary Attorney Woo (netflix), Harley Quinn (HMax, season 3 opener, first 3 eps), Fboy Island (HMax, next 2 eps), Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (HMax, spinoff/reboot premiere, first 3 eps)

(also streaming): "House Party" (HMax, comedy movie remake premiere), "A Cut Above" (netflix, Brazilian movie comedy, ~90mins), "Lollapalooza 2022" (hulu, mid-day special, day 1 of 4), Rap Sh!t (HMax, primetime)

(*~Shark Week~*): Jaws vs Kraken: "Fintacular" (DSC, earlier), Tracy Morgan Presents: "Sharks!" (DSC), Shark House (DSC), Blood on the Water: "Savage Surf" (NGC) /   / Blood on the Water: "Jacksonville Jaws" (NGC), Monster Mako Under the Rig (DSC), Tiger Queen (DSC, latenight),

(also new): "Line Sisters: A Deadly Reunion" (LMN, original movie, 2hrs)

(earlier - hour 0): That Girl Lay Lay (NICK) /   / Young Dylan (NICK)

(hour 1): Press Your Luck (ABC)

(hour 2): Generation Gap (ABC), Big Brother (CBS), Mystic (UPtv), Rap Sh!t (HMax, streaming), "The Captain" (ESPN, Derek Jeter docuseries contd, 2hrs), Impractical Jokers (truTV, "Shark Week Spectacular" reair)

(hour 3): The Con (ABC, true crime season 2 opener), Good Trouble (Freeform), Top Gear (BBCAm), "The Captain" (ESPN, contd, part 4 of 7), Impractical Jokers (truTV) /   / "101 Places To Party Before You Die" (truTV)

(hour 4 - latenight): TallBoyz (Fuse), Hell of a Week (COM, new title, season 2 opener w/ Charlamagne Tha God), Primal ([adultswim])

[notes: The Fatal Flaw (ABC) moved to Fridays starting tomorrow; Full Frontal w/ Samantha Bee (TBS) returns next week.]