#he��s still slated to be at nats

[peachbear88]

So This is Love (Pt 5)

Inspiration: Only Us - Dear Evan Hansen

Throughout the next few months, you. notice a change in Wanda. She trusts you more, trusts everyone more, even if it was only a little change. You're delighted to discover that she's making an effort to bring the walls down and let people in, slowly but surely. Of course she still has boundaries but a lot less now, especially when it comes to you. The two of you became inseparable, wherever she went, you were by her side. When she couldn't sleep, you were there, comforting her. During missions, you were there, protecting her (it was more like her protecting you). Whatever the case, you were there to assist her. However, this all changed on one fateful night.

"Alright, what do you want to watch?" You ask as you pull the blanket down, engulfing the both of you in a fluffy mess. "Have you ever seen 'Dear Evan Hansen'"? She looks up at you with those huge puppy eyes, making your heart melt just a little. "Can't say I have. What's it about?" She lets out a squeal of excitement before snatching the remote control from your hand. "You'll have to wait and see." She grins before settling back down into the couch, unaware of the stupid grin on your face as you watch her bounce up and down with the energy of a thousand suns. "Alright squirt, you better hope for your sake that I like it." You tease, slinging your arm around her and you take note on how she flinches a little but leans into you. The musical sends her through a whirlwind of emotions and you can't deny, you did tear up once in a few minutes.

"The ending is so sad!" Wanda bawls as you pat her reassuringly on the shoulder, passing her a tissue with your other hand which she gratefully accepts, blowing her nose violently. "There there." You coo, checking the time only to realize that it's 2:00 in the morning. "I don't see why you like that musical so much." You get a warning glare to which you raise your hands in surrender. "Alright I better get you to bed before Steve murders me for being such a bad influence." She squints at you, her nose wrinkling which makes your heart flutter. You stand up, offering her a hand. She grabs your hand, pulling herself up, only to falter in her step, falling on top of you. "Ooh..." You groan, the air knocked out from your body. You open your eyes to find Wanda's face only inches from yours. Your brain kicks into high gear at her sudden closeness. You notice the little flecks of blue in her bright green eyes, the way her cheeks are flushed, the light freckles on her face. You're frozen, staring right into her eyes until you chance a look at her soft, pink lips. She notices the shift in your eyes and instantly rolls off of you, jumping to her feet. "I... uh- I'm going to go to bed. See you later." She mutters, a frown pasted on her face. You pull yourself into a seating position, grumbling to yourself. "I didn't even do anything."

Wanda spends the next few days avoiding you at all costs. Of course the team notices. I mean, how can they not notice that the duo were no longer conjoined at the hip but standing at the furthest ends of the room, making it their mission to be as far apart as possible. Nobody bothers you besides the occasional sympathetic glance. Your habits change from laughing and joking with Wanda and the group to opting to sit out on missions and team activities, and stay in your room.

Finally, Nat (being the badass she is) has enough of your mopey, lovesick behavior. You're sitting on your bed, reading a book peacefully when Nat storms into your room, slamming the door with a harsh BANG. It no doubt attracts a lot of attention but Nat couldn't care less right now. "Alright, you're going to tell me why you and your best bud over there are trying to keep 15 miles between the two of you and why you're dragging yourself around like some lovesick puppy that's missing a leg. You gape at her. "Uh, you ever heard of something called privacy?" You exclaim, shutting your book. She glares at you, unamused. "Answer the question Y/N." You sigh, placing your book back on the nightstand. "I don't even know what I did. I gave her a hand up, she tripped and fell, she crushed me, I looked at her lips and-," Nat interrupts, her eyes gleaming. "You kissed?" You wrinkle your nose in disgust, chuckling. "No you weirdo. She just rolled off me and left. And here we are, with her avoiding me like I've got the plague." She flashes you a sympathetic look. "Want me to talk to her?" You look up, giving her a small but grateful smile. "That would be really great." She gives you a gentle pat on the back before swiftly exiting, giving you one last fleeting glance.

Non-Reader POV

Wanda looks up to hear a gentle knock on her door. "Come in." She whispers. The door swings open to reveal Natasha. Wanda's heart falls a little as she hoped it would be you knocking on her door. Nat makes her way over to Wanda's bed, sitting down beside her. The two sit in a comfortable silence before Nat breaks it. "So... You want to tell me why you're avoiding Y/N?" She takes a shaky breath before answering. "Because of this feeling. It's not normal. It's exciting but terrifying at the same time. I guess you could call it love." Wanda appears to be on the verge of tears. Nat schooches closer to her, wrapping a firm arm around the younger girl's shoulders. "She's a good person, I know but I can't help but fear that one day, she'll be gone and I'll be thrown back into the hurricane of regret and remorse." She sobs, burying her head in Nat's shoulder. Nat doesn't reply, choosing to just hold her closer, occasionally muttering words of comfort. Unbeknownst to both of the women, you've been right outside the room, listening to Wanda, your heart cracking with every word that slips from her mouth.

"Nat, I really don't want to go outside." Wanda complains, as Nat hauls ass to drag Wanda to the balcony of the Avengers Compound. "Come on, I swear it'll be worth it." Nat groans, dragging a skeptical Wanda with her. Nat shoves open the balcony door and Wanda steps outside. "Wow..." She breathes, taking in the gentle fairy lights strung around the edge of the balcony, the thin plaid blanket covering the cold concrete floor and you, standing behind a portable piano.

Reader POV

"Thanks Nat." You wave at the ex-assassin, giving her a friendly smile. She winks at the both of you, stifling a laugh when she takes in Wanda's frantic expression. "Nat. Don't. Leave. Me. Here." Wanda whispers through gritted teeth. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Have fun you two!" She smiles before locking the two of you out on the balcony. "Traitor." Wanda sighs, eliciting a giggle from you. She looks over at you and reluctantly sits down on the blanket. "So what's up?" You decide to go straight to the point. "I heard your conversation with Nat the other day." You mumble as you fiddle with the piano. Her eyes widen, a mortified expression plastered on her face. "I uh... I wasn't really sure what to say so... I decided to do this instead." You continue , taking a deep breath and before she can interrupt, you let your hands flow, playing a smooth string of chords.

"I don't need you to sell me on reasons to want you."

"I don't need you to search for the proof that I should."

"You don't have to convince me."

"You don't have to scared you're not enough."

"'Cause what we've got going is good."

"I don't need more reminders of all that's been broken."

"I don't need you to fix what I'd rather forget."

"Clear the slate and start over."

"Try to quiet the noises in your head."

"We can't compete with all that."

"So what if it's us, what if it's us, and only us.

"And what came before won't count anymore, or matter."

"Can we try that?"

"What if it's you, and what if it's me, and what if that's all that we need it to be?"

"And the rest of the world falls away."

"What do you say?"

You stop singing, your throat parched, your eyes watering slightly but all that matters is the chestnut-haired, green eyed girl in front of you. By the looks of it, she's as moved by the song as you are. She stands up, lip trembling before throwing her arms around you in a bone-crushing hug. "Ribs." You squeak, and she laughs through her tears, giving you one last squeeze before releasing you. "You remembered the musical. You said it was boring!" She sniffs. You stare at her adoringly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "So what do you say?" You grin at her cheekily but she beats you to it, leaning in and kissing you. Your eyes widen before you relax, leaning into the kiss, your hands on her waist, hers resting on your shoulders.

Little do you know that Steve and Nat have been watching your little performance and needless to say, it left Steve in tears and Nat with a soaking wet shirt as Steve sobbed into her chest. "They're both growing up s-so fast..." He hiccuped before sobbing uncontrollably again. "There there." Nat sighed, patting him halfheartedly on the back. "They'll be fine." She smiles watching the two of you pull away and watch the stars with the occasional adoring look at each other.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 5! Wow! Damn I'm writing too fast for my own good. I just wanted to know, would you guys like for me to make a sequel series to this series or just write the rest of the story all in this one series? Because I got ANGST and DRAMA planned my dudes. Let me know!

Taglist: @username23345

[medeafive]

Blood and Stone - 27

Masterpost

She feels restless. Bobbi only lets her have the baby under her supervision but of course, Natasha doesn't actually want the baby, the thing she tried to murder- It's best if she stays away, lets Bobbi handle it, Bobbi who cares for the baby because that's just what she does, regardless of any moral considerations. Because it’s her job.

Natasha’s job was always to kill. That’s what she does. Hunt and kill. Clint was right, she’s not built for this. She’s used to weed out what’s bad, or what she sees as bad- well, the vampires. And not killing James comes really easy because he’s hard to kill, and because she loves him, and she just doesn’t love the thing, the baby. It’s just not her baby. She doesn’t have the maternal instincts that are supposed to kick in when seeing something small and vulnerable in need of help. The thing may not be a real baby but it still needs feeding, though that’s about the only thing.

Maria seems to be quite disappointed. That’s what really scares Natasha. If it hadn’t been Bobbi there, if it had been Maria, she wouldn’t have batted an eye. She can’t trust herself. She’s scared of what she’ll do if she’s not stopped. She’s scared of the killer she is and where it’ll take her. Maybe the only thing keeping her from killing her baby is Bobbi watching her. Maybe that’s what she really is, all she really is. A killer who would murder her own baby if the opportunity presents itself.

The baby doesn’t do much. Of course it doesn’t. It eats and it sleeps and it looks around with impassive eyes. Natasha really doesn’t know what she expected. How she deluded herself that it would be anything other than this , when she’s literally a professional monster hunter and killer and James is a fucking vampire and they’re in a collapsed society fighting a neverending bloody war they’ll never win, and she apparently thought that was a fine place to have a baby. She really thought she was going to be able to have this good thing when life hasn’t given her a good thing for at least a decade, if it ever has.

So that’s what she’s stuck with now. A baby that’s not really a baby, that doesn’t do anything, that doesn’t need anything, a thing she might just kill unless there’s literally something thrown into her way. And she’s still exactly who she was before, except now, she has to face it.

She's outside when she hears Bobbi talk, seemingly to no one in particular. Can't be the baby. Bobbi hardly talks to the baby. Still better than Maria who won't even look at it, like some superstition, like it's bad luck. Or the devil. Bobbi seems to trust her not to kill it, though, unlike Natasha.

It's a longer talk, several minutes, and Nat drives the axe through blocks of wood while Maria replaces them without a word. Bobbi must have given her a hefty dose of vampire blood because it still hasn't worn off, the axe blade slicing through the wood easily, she's not even breaking a sweat despite the thick jacket. Still no snow but the air is frisk, biting at her nose and eyes and ears.

When she's done, she goes back inside quickly, excusing herself with the cold. Not that Maria cares. Bobbi looks up when the door opens, the baby on a pillow on the couch table. Natasha clears her throat, closing the wooden door behind her. Bobbi watches her with an alertness in her eyes that always makes her stomach turn, not because it's mean but because she deserves it. "Everything alright?"

Natasha nods, sitting down on the couch, fidgeting so she doesn't have to look at the bundle on the couch table. "Were you- who were you talking to?"

Bobbi nods towards a thick brick of a phone, complete with an antenna and all. Probably the only way to get any connection out here. “Fury called. Wanted to know how you’re doing.”

Natasha bites her lip, unable to stop herself from quickly gazing at the bundle on the table. A blank slate, as always, something to project all her hopes and fears on. “Did you tell him about-”

“No, no,” Bobbi interrupts, picking up the bundle and handing it over. “Just said the whole thing is not easy on you. Here, take it, really. It’s your child.”

This feels like a purposeful approachment, designed to slowly reacquaint her with this thing in a healthier way, safely supervised. Natasha’s pulse jumps as she takes the bundle, careful not because it’s fragile but because she ’s fragile, who knows if her mind will twist again and she’ll try to smash this thing on the floor or strangle it or gouge its empty eyes out, she almost sees it-

“It’s alright,” Bobbi repeats, leaning over the back of the couch in a show of relaxation. “It happens. How are you feeling?”

Like a murderer. “Is that all he wanted? Fury?”

Bobbi sighs, dropping her arm. “No. They’re- they’re going to move on the Castle. Can’t wait any longer or the black cloaks will be here.”

A hot flash explodes in her belly. That should be her. She should be there. She may not be able to hold this thing but she can fight, she can kill. That’s what she’s good at, good for. “How’s it looking? Is James going to be with them?”

“They got a plan.” Bobbi watches the head peeking out of the bundle. “It’ll probably all go well but… well, you never know. Yeah, your friend will be the first to go in. We’ll see.”

“You’re worried,” Natasha states, cradling the tiny head.

“It’s weird not being there,” Bobbi admits. “But someone has to look after the baby.”

Because Natasha can’t. “I should go.”

“You should recover,” Bobbi returns. “Really. It’s only been a few days.”

“I am recovered,” Natasha states. “You gave me so much vampire blood- I have so much unused strength and I’m just sitting around here anxiously- I know I can’t do this here, I can’t look after the baby, but I can fight. I know I can fight.”

Bobbi shifts and gets up. “I should show you something.”

Natasha presses the bundle against her chest, tiny head resting against her shoulder, and follows her outside, around the cabin. The truck is parked behind, partly hidden behind trees and branches, covered with a tarp that Bobbi pulls off now. The baby sniffs the outside air, the forest, the wood, probably the forest animals. Bobbi discards the tarp and yanks the back doors open. “Here. I don���t know where Fury got it.”

Inside is a motorcycle, strong smell of oil, black and sleek and huge, more of a sportbike than a cruiser, looking quite massive with its full fairing. Natasha’s jaw drops. It’s gorgeous . “What’s that for?”

“Fury thought I might want to return to the city on short notice,” Bobbi explains, holding the door open. “If we needed something or whatever. Didn’t come to pass.”

Natasha touches the handlebars reverently. It’s real. She hasn’t seen a bike that wasn’t on the verge of falling apart in years. “Can I have it?”

“You really want to go?” Bobbi asks. “You’ve been through a lot. Just physically.”

It’s definitely better than this. “I can’t stay here.”

  Maria is not keen on going to the city ever again, which she states in no uncertain terms, so Natasha is flying down the bumpy highway alone, in full gear. The sun has set but it’s not dark yet and every meter she gets away from the cabin, she feels lighter, free. The wind cuts against her helmet, her neck guard, her suit, not gaining purchase anywhere. The only other sound is the roaring engine. The air is cutting cold but she’s protected from it, can’t feel it, and so she speeds over the highway to get to Prague before the night falls.

This is what she does, who she is. Not the baby stuff. She failed but she’s not going to fail at this. This is a task that she’s up to. It feels good not to have to be something she’s not, after all, despite whatever she wanted to be. To leave it behind.

It’s already dark when she reaches the outskirts of the city. She hardly even slows, blazing through the empty streets, turning tight corners, rumbling over cobblestone. The castle is not lit up tonight. She likes that. It fills her with adrenaline, blood thrumming as she cuts through the air fast. This is for all the days the castle was lit up like for a ball at a mansion, the vampires having a feast on the people they killed that night. Turning predators into prey.

She hasn’t been close to the castle in a long time, and only during daytime. Going there at night is elating. She weaves her way up the hill, not hearing the fighting over the roaring of her motorcycle until she sees them, Clint dodging attacks from a vampire with a jagged knife while there are three on top of James wrangling him to the ground, trying to get in bites and scratches, no, four, several beheaded corpses around- she gets light, dropping off without steering the motorcycle off course and it crashes into the four while she rolls over the cobblestone. It’s easy to jump up again, with the vampire blood still running through her veins, she draws a silver gun and shoots Clint’s guy, draws the jagged silver knife and rams it through the vampiress that comes at her first, it’s the one with dark curly hair from one of the hunting parties, she howls, sharp teeth, but the stab wasn’t fatal yet, Natasha kicks her legs out before punching the other vampire so hard she hears his ribs crack, she punches again, fist sinking in, fingers closing around his shrivelled heart and she tears it out.

James is taking care of the other two, she notices out of the corner of her eye, before the vampiress sinks her fangs into the biteguard, ugly screeching noise, Natasha throws her off easily, slipping through under her arm with superhuman speed and slitting her throat from behind before she can so much as hiss. Tumbles down lifelessly. Natasha shoots her in the head with a silver bullet, and the other one with the open chest too, for good measure. James is standing amid headless vampire corpses, grinning widely, and intense relief washes over her. She’s glad to see him, she doesn’t care about whatever stupid shit they were fighting about last time, and whatever the baby turns out to be, she still fucking loves him. She holsters the silver gun. “Can’t leave you guys alone for a fucking second, can I.”

He’s still grinning unabashedly, pure joy, adoration, happiness. “I love you.”

She blushes, despite herself, interrupted by a cracking sound she knows to be the breaking of a spine. “Save it, guys,” Clint remarks, tearing the head off his vampire. “Good to see you, Nat, but we need to move, Sam and Pepper need help.”

And she was mildly worried this could turn out emotional and awkward. James looks her up and down while Clint already runs down the street. “Are you good? You look good.”

“I’m good,” she confirms, starting after Clint but slower. “What about you? Everyone alright?”

“Far as I know,” he returns, stopping. “Come on, let’s take the other route.”

She looks after Clint who disappears around the corner, then nods, and James grabs her and before she knows it, they’ve jumped onto the roof, running over tiles trying to keep quiet, jumping from building to building with the vampire strength running through her. She spots Sam and Pepper barricaded behind a stone wall, the vampires somewhere in an arched passage, occasional shooting. She ducks behind the rooftop to avoid getting seen. Clint comes running down the street just then and barely makes it to a house entrance, bullet at least grazing his shoulder, she can’t quite tell. James is cowering next to her, she can see him counting the vampires. Just one jump across the street to the opposite roof and they could drop behind them, take them by surprise. "Is Clint okay?" she whispers, gloved fingers tightening on the tiles.

James sniffs, drawing the night air in sharply. "Bleeding but not a lot. Should be fine. Do you think you can take them?"

She nods. "Yeah, I'm good. Vampire blood doing a fine job. I can jump on my own."

"Okay." He grins, gold-streaked fangs flashing in the moonlight. "Man, I'm glad to see you. You go first, I'll be right behind."

She's glad to be back where everything makes fucking sense, where it's them against the vampires and James is just the exception that proves the rule. She peeks down on the vampires who must also have caught the smell of blood, sneering. Well, it's good if they're distracted. Makes them easier to kill.

She crouches, fixating the opposite roof like a cat about to pounce. For a second, she starts doubting whether she can actually make the jump but she knows how strong she is right now. She's only been this strong when she killed Pierce, the black cloak, or maybe she's even stronger now. Let's find out.

She leaps off the top, sailing through the air, landing hard on the opposite roof and dropping down on the other side right away, James is already there, it's six vampires and she catches two by surprise, the third one kicks her but it doesn't feel too bad, she jumps right back at him, baring her teeth, knocking back every single one of his punches, slamming his head against the wall, slashing his side open so dark blood splatters, he tries to go for her jugular and that's when she snaps his neck, dropping him carelessly. James is just biting the neck of the last vampiress who screeches helplessly, dark blood pouring from the wound, and James doesn't let up until she goes completely slack.

Natasha calmly beheads her vampires. "I thought you don't like vampire blood."

James spits out, mouth and fangs smeared with dark blood. This is not a clean controlled eat, this is a bloody fight. "Still don't. Bah."

Sam is coming out from behind the stone wall, crossing the street. James turns away discreetly. Yeah, she's not sure they could take the sight. She grins and lets Sam hug her tightly. "Wow, didn't think you'd be back! So good to see you alive and healthy."

That she is. She grins, patting his back. "Glad to be back. Now, any more monsters to kill?"

Sam rolls his eyes and lets go. Pepper approaches her more carefully. "Hey Nat. Are you okay?"

Clint comes out from his hiding place and she picks up the smell of blood. Yeah, that would be an issue under other circumstances. "I'm alright. Really."

Clint looks her up and down sceptically. James returns, face now mostly clean. "I'll go and see whether I can find more. Be right back."

Sam nods and James jumps onto a roof, cloak flaring, and then he's out of their sight. "Gotta say," Sam remarks. "Really useful, your friend."

"Yes, he killed twelve before we even engaged," Pepper agrees. "The six here, Clint, you had-"

"Nine," Clint replies briefly. "One got away, though."

"We shot two," Sam adds. "So 28 dead, out of 40."

"Where are the others?" Natasha asks. "Tony and Sharon?"

"East," Pepper replies. "Haven't heard from them. We should go check."

"Yeah, let's go," Sam agrees. "But I think they're fine."

  Tony and Sharon are not where they're supposed to be and Natasha uses her tracker instincts and abilities to find them chasing two vampires. Sam coordinates them around to cut their way off, surrounding the vampires with no way out, and Tony burns one to a crisp while Sharon calmly shoots the other. Plus two they killed before. 32. Eight who got away.

They meet back at the tower and James reports one more that he caught, so it's 33 and seven missing. Fury seems satisfied. Of course, the real challenge is going to be the black cloaks, however many of them. In the meantime, they just have to kill as many as they can.

She meets James on the roof, climbing up with relative ease due to the vampire strength. It'll be hard when that's gone. Maybe she needs another dose before the black cloaks arrive. She'll get all of the side effects anyway. "That's it for your cover, huh?"

James shrugs, pulling her up the last bit. "It's fine. Was always going to happen."

"Not worried that Schmidt will hear?" she asks, settling next to him. "That he'll come here personally to reign you back in?"

James breathes out shakily. "Yes. Very worried. Maybe I can- maybe I can be gone before that."

She hopes he means gone away and not dead. "I don't think he still has control over you."

James laughs drily. "Yeah, thought that before. Turned out to be horseshit."

"Come on," she nudges. "That can't have been as intense as this."

"No," he relents. "Still. I don't know. So, you're really good? All healed?"

"Yeah." Physically at least. "This vampire blood is really crazy. Only took me a few days to recover completely."

He bites his lip, fangs digging in. "And the-"

She tries not to flinch. Nobody else asked about it. "That's complicated."

"So it's not what you wanted," he states, and it sounds genuinely disappointed and not at all told-you-so.

She sighs, dangling her feet. No. It's really not. But she never ever got what she wanted. "That's not your fault."

"It would be different if I wasn't this ," he insists sourly.

"You killed a whole lot of vampires today," she reminds him. "Not fledglings, really dangerous ones. I don't think you could have done that otherwise."

He breathes out in frustration. "Doesn't have to mean I like it."

"No," she agrees, dangling her feet, looking out over the nighttime city. "But you get what you get."

[aspiestvmusings]

WandaVision Thoughts: Ep 8

Warning: Contains SPOILERS up to the end credits scene of ep 1x08. And “speculation” about the Finale.

1. I was wrong about several things in my theories. But I was pretty close with some other things.

2. I still presume the  timestone blast in “inifity war” might have made her even more powerful/unlocked more of her powers, but her backstory revealed that she “absorbed” the energy from the stone during her first contact with it....already, also .She is literally a living infinity stone...in a way. She absorbed the “energy” of the stone & is connected with the stone...as we’ve seen throughout the MCU history. And she’s kinda “absorbed it twice”? (so, in a way, she has been carrying VIsion’s soul inside her for a while... so makes sense she would “create” him, because they are literally of the same mind(stone))

3. All. The. Colours. ... Differen t colours of their powers/magic... coming from all these characters: Blue. Purple. Yellow. Red... The colours of the infinity stones. The colours of “characters powers”.... All the colours of the rainbow/spectrum. I completely see the last shot of the show being a rainbow above WestView (cause the colours of everyones powers are the colours of the rainbow...)

4. My theories were wrong, because I  based them on the hypothesis that she cannot create things from nothing...that she can just change their “dna” & shape. If I had presumed that she can create things from nothing, I might’ve been more accurate about...Vision...and more. She seems to have created vibranium, an infinity stone, and a soul... “out of nothing”... when she/her grief created a vision... UNLESS... that was an incorrect guess by Agatha, and Hex Vision is more like his episode 2 stage name suggested... an Illusion. Though I have a hard time believing/understanding it, I’ve tried to accept that in comics & fiction things that don’t follow laws of physics can be & are true. And she did create Vision from “nothing”..even if in real world that is impossible...

5. In the past few days before ep 8 I had started to believe the theories about “double vision”. And unless there is also a cameo coming with an appearance of some other actor, Paul Bettany’s comment about doing a scene with an actor who he had always wanted to work with was... the best joke ever... cause he was most likely referring to himself. And the way it is similar to the “Luke Skywalker” Mandalorian camero is not because of the actor, but because of the CGI used. I love that this is most likely the answer here. [and in that case I kinda think that the “fireworks” could be a scene similar to when Tony asked Jarvis to activate the Clean Slate Protocol in IM3, cause we are dealing with more than  one “copy” of the same “tech” here... & they can be blown up like that...]

6. We also got a much more clearer look on Hayward’s evil plans. And I'm now seriously starting to suspect the theories that connect WV to AoU...in a meaningful way. I’m not gonna say it, but I think you get my point. We’ve all known all along he’s up to no good. Even if he is “just” another “government baddie” and not Ultron’s puppet/puppeting Ultron. And I'm still unsure if he is aware that he’s essentially waking up Ultron or will that be a surprise to him...

7. Paul Bettany’s journey in MCU is about to become full: he started as the VOICE of JARVIS (AI/machine) that Tony built/created. He then appeared in physical form (body and voice) as The Vision since AoU. And now it seems possible that we’ll see him play Vision, while someone else provides the VOICE over for the character. But we also know, “thanks” to Spiderman 2 (released last year, but taking place several months after WV events in the MCU) that the Vision we have known & loved does not survive this hex reality. I wish there’ll be a surprise twist, but I sadly doubt it. 

Before the show started to air, I had no doubt the character was done... I was 99% sure there is no way he could come back & WV is just a dream or something like that. But as the show has progressed, Ive started to think there are ways it could happen. None of them really fit with the shows theme & point. Just like Tony had to die for the sacrifice to be as impactful Vision has to die/remain dead for Wanda’s grief journey to come to a conclusion. She has to reach the final stage(s) of grief, accept the loss & move on. Though... we can arue that Vision could live & she finally deals with the greif for her parents & brother. And/Or Vision “lives”, but it’s not her Vision...she can’t feel him. So he starts his journey from the start...to learn to be “human”, etc. 

I mean.. I wish we would get the merging of the two (sides) of Vision - the soulless body of whitevision + the “created by Wanda” Vision with soul (even if with no memories of pre-hex). But based on Spiderman 2: FFH “in memoriam” clip Vision is one of the fallen avengers next to Tony & Nat. But then again, Steve/Cap was also in that clip, so perhaps there is still hope... that Wanda/the hex will merge the two & this is how we/Wanda gets her Vision back. And it’s just kept under wraps. And if it’s not Ultron, then the greatest twist would be if RDJ would provide the new Vision’s voice (until he “gets his soul back”). I mean.. Paul Bettany provided the voice for Tony’s AI/suits, so that’d be a huge thing

8. I hope everyone understood that the town was a mess because it’s literally a few weeks after the Blip. 5 years ago Thanos snapped half of life away, and this is the outcome of it...the small town was probably full of life before that, and now its just “in ruins”. When Vision (and Wanda) bought that property/land it/the town did not look so sad. This is all the result of the snap. And this is why, I think, the word “snap” appears several times on the show (cereal box, add on wall)

9. The origins story from the experimentation with the mind stone scene had the same kind of “rewind” stuff as Wanda’s sitcom episodes. The watchers (blinded by the blast) seem to miss a part of the show. And now Darcy & Jimmy & team seem to miss parts of the show. We are shown that this is kind of due to Wanda “rewinding time”. So...she posesses the “power” of several infinity stones, kinda, it seems.

10. I’m starting to think that perhaps one theory that was flooting around is correct. The “Wanda arrives to Westview” scene where she sees several of the residents could imply so. We only see one part of each couple. And within each couple the one who “glitches” (Mr. Hart choking in ep 1, Vision malfunctioning cause of gum in ep 2, etc..) is not seen, only their other half. So is the town “in ruins” not just because of the blip? Maybe it was populated by people who lost their loved ones in the Snap & all moved to this town after that? And hence weren’t at the place their other half was returned to now, 5 years later? Or...the other halves are all dead, and hence everyone looked sad & alone? Maybe it was more thaan just the chaos creted by the snap & blip? 

11. Where were Vision (who was flying back to the house) & Monica + Fietro? during this episode? Well..all of ep 8 happens in just a few moments... simultaneously to what was happening with Vision(/Darcy and Fietro/Monica in the end of ep 7, so...they will arrive..soon.

12. I do not know how it could happen or work (considering what we already know to be true), but since they pointed out in episode 1 that “The death rate of single men is twice that of married men" & Hex Vision is married, while White Vision is not (also...will he remain himself when entering the hex or will he chanage form to fit the year/era that episode 9 is set in...which, I’d say might be a decade before rel time 2023, because the boys are 10... cause this version is essentialy a machine, so if it doesn’t match the era, then the hex changes it), then that would lead me to speculate that Hex Vision defeats White vision.  So now the question remaims if the vibranium/empty shell will remain or will it be vaporized... cause if the materils cotinue existing they can still re-built/re-create Vision in future. Cause unless both die, and unless some otehr surprise (going through the hex changes Hex Vision and/or he has competed his journey & become a separate indivudual, a real  being, then there’s no way he can survive outside/without the hex. But that quote tells us which Vision wins the fight 

xxx

[harveywritings92]

Soulmate au: Jacob Frye x reader 1/3

Soulmate au Chibi clone: basically when you've cross paths with with your soulmate a small chibi of them appears to you, it's about the size of a guinea pig and won't leave your side the longer you're in denial of your feelings or until you've met your soulmate again, after which they disappear. 

Y/n was in a rush trying to get to work she wasn't paying attention to the road to notice the blighter carriage speeding towards her! when she did everything just sort of slowed down for the y/ht woman who thought this was it for her, when suddenly she was suddenly tackled out of the way at the last second.

"Gotta be more careful lad" a playful voice warned as hooded man climbed off her and hopped on to another carriage and chased after the one the one that nearly ran her over. All before Y/n could even thank him or correct him, the day was mostly a blur at the glass smith Y/n had told her mentor what had happened and he asked if she was good to work, the y/nat insisted she was fine and went about her shift.

Later when she got back to her shoddy home and collapsed on her bed, only to jump away suddenly in fright when she heard something squeak in distress under the covers, she grimaced seeing something moving under them Y/n swallowed hard as she reached for the covers praying it wasn't a rat! It definitely wasn't a rat... it was a little man? the two just sat stared at each other.

He had mischievous hazel eyes and slicked back brown hair under a brown flat cap and his attire was very... wild? the tiny man wearing a very unkempt outfit the jacket and pants had patches on them, his shirt was untucked and there appeared to be a hood tucked under the collar of his jacket.  the little man cocked a brow which she noticed the left one had a scar as he started to paced back and forth in thought pausing every now and again to scrutinize her, apparently he was liking what he was seeing, because a few moments later he ran over hugged and snuggle her belly while making this weird humming noises!

Meanwhile Y/n was freaking out trying to understand what the hell was going on?! what-.. why was there a tiny man in her bed? where'd did it come from?! before looking over at her bookcase and saw a book her mother had left her. The Little Soulmates... She got up causing the little man to whine in protest as he clung on to her shirt Y/n calmly placed him back on her bed, and went over to her bookcase only to yelp in surprise when this tiny rope shot out from behind her and the little man came flying passed zipping lining up to the top of her desk!

Y/n blinked and squinted she saw this odd gauntlet on his arm, he saw her staring and immediately started humming all proud of himself and looked at the y/ht woman as if he were asking "Are you impressed?" with his chest puffed out, she chuckled nervously and patted him on the head causing him to blush. before grabbing the worn out storybook.

She started reading, it was about two people from rival families a boy and a girl who were taught to disliked each other. Then one day a tiny fairy appeared to the boy to his surprise the fairy bore a striking resemblance to the girl. Through the years the fairy stayed by his side for years, then one day the man the boy had grow into had heard the girl was to be married to awful old Duke.

Distraught he rushed to the church and confronted the woman the girl had grown into and was stunned to find her running to his house and not only that she had a tiny fairy in her arms! and it looked just like him! the two declared their love for each other then and there! then mysteriously as they appeared the fairies disappeared and the two lovers lived happily ever after...

Y/n's brows furrowed and turned the pages to the author's bio and found out this was actually a true story! it was about her grandparent then went into detail about soulmates and the like, It seemed silly at the time, But Y/n vaguely recalled her mother talking about the tiny fairies too a friend how she met hers and rejected him for Y/n's father because he was rich.

She regretted it when her father left them high and dry for another woman and it was too late to start over, her mother's soulmate had passed away due to fever. Her mother never forgiven herself for that... As she told her daughter on her deathbed.

Y/n frowned at the memory then looked at her 'Fairy' who's distracted himself when he found a bag some of the reject beads she made at work he seemed particularly fixated on this one the size of a chickpea that was black and had a gold and green bird on it...

"So, your supposed to be an avatar of my soulmate, eh?" She rested  chin on her hand still coming to terms with it, He certainly wasn't anyone she recognized her thoughts swam back to when she was almost ran over...To the hooded man her y/ec eyes narrowed at the little hood tucked into the fairy man's collar and without warn gave it a little tug.

the hazel eyed fae squeaked in protest and batted her hand away. "Sorry I was curious..." She mumbled he stared at her inquisitively before taking his cap off and pulling his hood up. "So I was right...Do you have a name?" she asked crossing her arms the fae man looked at her like 'well obviously.' Y/n cocked a brown at him.

"Are you going tell me or do I have to wait for a another carriage to run me down?"  She sassed causing the little man to whistle impressed by her cheekiness before looking around for something to write with, confusing Y/n; before realizing what he was doing and opened a chest under her bed and pulled out a small black make-up box* setting it down next to him, surprising the hazel eyed fae who looked her up and down curiously. before Y/nat woman found her old slate-board* and the smallest piece of chalk and gave it to him. [J-A-C-O-B  F-R-Y-E] he wrote down and looked up at her.

"Jacob Frye...Jacob Fry- where have I heard that name?"  She muttered then heard tapping and saw mini-Frye writing something else down.

[Are you a girl?}

"O-of course I'm girl, what else would I be?!"

[No chest...No dress.. why?}

'You do realize where we are right?" He tilted his head obviously not,Y/n pinched her brow in frustration. "Whitechapel? A lone woman walking by herself especially at night, that be like a mouse walking into a house full of hungry cats!" He looked upset now and wrote something along the lines if anyone had tried grabbing her, she shook her head luckily she's just as good an actress as her mother was, people just think she's silent male. the she looked at the [no chest] again and blushed before unbuttoning her shirt causing Jacob to become flustered and squeaked in and flail his hands in protest!

but she didn't stop and opened her shirt to show him the leather wrap she had around her chest keeping her breasts flat when she's at work, he blinked and stared at it curiously and yelped when she undid the pins loosing it so she could breathe and well her chest kind of expanded to y/chest size before looking at him. "does that answer your question?" before disappearing to a small closet and coming out with her yhl/hc down and just wearing a men's white button up shirt. and got into bed Jacob had zipped lined over to her before settling next to her to sleep, while Y/n stayed up a few minutes wondering how the real Jacob was putting up with this.

[1800's make up was usually associated with The Upper class, Actors or prostitutes, the readers mother was actress so make-up was common thing in her house.}

{A slate was like a mini-chalkboard that often used in schools for writing practice.}

{Excluding her boss everyone at the glass-smith thinks the reader a boy]

[thestuckylibrary]

Group Ask 154

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Please send us an ask stating which group ask and which person you are replying to. Thank you so much in advance!

Anon 1 said:

i’ve combed through every single tag i can think of but still can’t find this fic. steve is a glory hole sex worker and bucky is a veteran and is trying to get better at positive touch but is super quiet at first when he first starts going. steve is determined to get him to make noise and their relationship progresses from there. PLEASE help me out and thank you so much!!!!

Anon sent in  Say it louder for the people in the back by redhook (complete | 14,864 | E)

Anon 2 said:

hi! I’m looking for a fic that I just read but can’t seem to find. Revolves around Steve and Bucky living together, Bucky often cooks or bakes for Steve and doesn’t get out of the house much and they watch TV together every night and when Steve has to leave he always sends Bucky coded text messages to update him? I remember so much from it, like Steve invited Nat and Sam over for lunch, Bucky slept in Steve’s bed for two weeks while he was out. Please help me :(

dolphinqueen10 sent in  Stop and Say You Love Me by eyesofshinigami (complete |  20,082 | E)

herkharvey sent in  all your tenderness by belovedmuerto (oneshot | 22,580 | T)

Anon sent in before we can breathe easy by belovedmuerto (oneshot | 22,052 | T)

Anon 3 said:

Hiiiii, so sorry to bother you but like, I was reading this oneshot fic where Bucky has PTSD and he accidentally triggers it and Steve helps him through it? It was something like that, maybe they were sleeping, or it was night. I had literally just started reading it and then my phone crashed and my internet closed down. I've been looking everywhere and I think the author wasn't very popular, so I can't find it. But if you could please help me? Thank you!

Anon 4 said:

I'm looking for this fic where Steve cross dresses pre-war, and when he comes back after the ice, he tries to dress up again but because he's big now, he doesn't feel pretty anymore and Bucky comes home and says something like "I never thought I'd see my best gal again"

Anon sent in  If Only For One Night by OhCaptainMyCaptain (oneshot | 11,749 | E)

Anon sent in  bodily whole (but my head's in a mess) by wilderswans (oneshot | 4,434 | M)

Anon 5 said:

Hello, I looked all over the soulmate tag and couldn’t find this fic where Steve is at Bucky’s house and then he realized bucky is his soulmate. His soul tries to reach to bucky but he didn’t reach it back. I can’t remember any other details besides this one

dolphinqueen10  sent in True North by leveragehunters (Monkeygreen) (oneshot | 6,693 | T)

crescendohno said:

Wondering if you can help me find a fic. After the serum, steve loses his memory of everything that came before it. He doesn’t remember Bucky or Brooklyn or any of it. I think it’s mostly a re-telling of TFA. I’ve already looked through the amnesiac Steve tag. Anyone remember this one?

Anon sent in  The Gift of a Clean Slate (it's a Trojan horse) by StuckySituation (oneshot | 6,603 | M)

Anon 6 said:

I've been looking for a short smut fic for a while and i can't seem to find it again - it was post winter soldier and bucky had steve pretend to be one of his handlers (as in, d/s scene) and bucky had to take a bunch of buttplugs that increased in size. thanks for any help!

Anon sent in  Forward, Always Forward by BrighteyedJill, helahler (oneshot | 3,736 | E)

Anon 7 said:

Hi! I’m looking for a fic where bucky tells steve he loves him and Steve has a panic attack and CANNOT believe him bc in the 40s steve told bucky he loved him the night he left for the draft, and bucky called him all kinds of awful slurs trying to “save” him from being queer. Post WS bucky doesn’t remember, but after steve panics he finds out. I remember there being a line like “it was still hard for steve to say it and know it was a good thing” but that’s it. Any help would b gr8, thx!

dolphinqueen10 sent in Remember Me by prisma134 (oneshot | 18,040 | M)

Anon 8 said:

The only thing I remember about this fic I'm looking for is that Bucky was slightly feral, and he made up a nest under the armchair in the living room and Steve accidentally scared him and apologized for encroaching on Bucky's space?

lindsey-of-north and time-lord-no-more sent in Here We Mark the Price of Freedom by Diamond_Raven (restricted, complete | 175,595 | E)

stevietomybuck said:

hi! so i remember this fanfic that i read maybe 2015-17. it’s shrinkyclinks/modern au. steve moves into bucky’s apartment building and he has severe ptsd. steve is like a cartoon colorer/cartoonist. it’s like ten chapters long. i would love to reread it thank you!! (if you can’t find it it’s fine sksbsjdnsn)

ajkal2 sent in  To Be Vulnerable Is Needed Most Of All by perfect_plan (complete | 118,363 | M)

Anon 9 said:

Hello! I'm so thankful for all the effort you're doing here. I just wanted to ask if you happen to know of this fic where steve and bucky with the howling comandos are given time off, in a house in the london suburbs. Everyone goes off to the bar except steve and bucky, and they end up doing nsfw things in the kitchen? and they're almost discovered? I've tried searching for it but I'm not sure if it was complete or if it was tagged switching or etc. I'll continue my search but help?

ajkal2 sent in  The Size of Perfection by Phoenike (complete | 31,193 | E)

Anon 10 said:

Hi, im looking for a fic ive read before but forgot the title. Basically, Steve never got the serum and I'm pretty sure Bucky was Cap. Bucky crashes the plane and wakes up in the future where Steve is an old man.

stevesbi sent in  though you're many years away by eyres (complete | 12,588 | T)

Anon 11 said:

I’m looking for this fic where I think steve is small and he’s a comic book artist with sam(?) and he goes to this coffee shop owned by nat and he has a crush on bucky but bucky is really awkward and for some reason can only speak Russian around steve and the agents of shield are in it and buckys Lives with Natasha and Clint??

pendragonstar and Anon sent in to live with thee by aw marvel no (getoffmysheets) (complete | 69,834 | E)

Anon 12 said:

Okay so I'm looking for a fic. Basically Steve starts dating again and The Winter Soldier gets jealous and either severely injures or kills Steve's dates. Steve wants to see Bucky so he starts getting reckless with the dates and that's all I remember. THank you so much

Anon sent in  Warning Shot by togina (oneshot | 5,577 | T) - steve/others

polyglot-night-owl said:

Hii!! So, I'm looking for this fic I read on Ao3 where Bucky couldn't speak or didn't remember how to. Steve tried to make him write stuff but even that, he could barely do. I just remember that Bucky knew like 10 signs (like sign language) and Steve was interrogating him at some point. If that helps, one of the sign meant like 'stop' or 'please no'. Sorry if that's too vague 😅

ajkal2 sent in  despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by praximeter (Zimario) (complete | 71,532 | E)

[the-canary]

Bel Ami - B.B (10)

Summary: You had bigger fish to fry in NYC between your new job, living in a new city and old friend – you were sure in over your head, but who’s that cute stranger that keeps helping you out? (Reader/Bucky Barnes) 

Prompt:  Person A: “Okay, I have something to confess… I like you. I have for the past two years now and it’s been killing me to hold it in this long but I think you deserve to know.” Person B: “You nerd, we’ve been dating for the past two years.

A/N: this is for @sgtjbuccky‘s writing challenge. there is a little mix going around the prompt, but i hope you enjoy it anyways.

Feedback is always welcomed.

Brown eyes watch like a predator would their neck meal. She pretends not to see a she turns to move more towards the Barnes kid. He didn’t think he would be so lucky, he just needs to find the right moment.

Green eyes keep watch from the back, making sure that everything keeps running smoothly and waiting for her own moment as well...should the need arise.

———–

It’s a strange sight, watching you move to and from one office to another as you get the final preparations for the gala ready. However, it isn’t because you are avoiding James now -- it’s quite the opposite actually as you stay as close as possible when a certain man comes into the office now and then. However, Bucky can see that brown eyes do the same thing as well -- they roam you and wherever you are and you keep your head down.

James isn’t sure what to feel about all this, but he is sure that you and Rumlow (new and obnoxious money that his mother had brought in for connections in Upper New York) know each other, he just needs to find out how and what the hell did he do to you because this demure and quiet version of you is something that Bucky can’t stand.

———–

The Maximoffs don’t know that Rumlow has entered your life once more. You have always been quiet and enduring in the things you had suffered under the man and it seemed that he still had that effect on you, as both Wanda and Pietro have their own angry remarks (cursing in a different language and suddenly getting agitated) when Bucky tells them what has been going on at the meetings.

James is silent, but slowly seething is rage as Pietro -who always knows you better-- begins to tell the story.

“They had some classes together back in college,” he states while looking at through the window though his hands constantly keep moving together to keep him busy, “She helped tutor people whenever they needed help. She started helping Rumlow because he was just awful at everything, but throwing his money around.”

Blue meets slate gray eyes as Pietro frowns, “ He was nice one second, but the moment the moment she turned her down -- Rumlow made her life a living hell. He called, harassed her, had other people bully her just because she didn’t want anything to do with him.”  

“She took a whole semester off after a couple of gals almost threw her down the stairs,” Wanda adds, “Rumlow eventually dropped out, but she is still scared to come back.  She shut everyone out and was too scared to move anywhere else, thinking that she--”

“That she would meet Rumlow again,” Pietro finished off, as Bucky claps his hands together, “We told her to come and look what happens.”

The three of them sit there in the restaurant  for a good while, unsure of what the next step could be and what exactly to do about Rumlow, especially if he started actively looking for you once more.    

———–

You, on the other hand, were moving things forward and thinking of ideas that could better serve the charity gala. Deep down, you knew that it was really about the richest women in the city getting to meet James -- Nat had told you so, but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t do some real good as well especially for the causes that were important to him.

Yes, seeing Rumlow again was scary thing but there were bigger fish to fry -- namely, the dark-haired woman sitting across from you in a sunny cafe a few blocks from the Barnes Tower. It had taken you some time to get a meeting with her, but while Winnie thought you were going to declare your unending love for her son, like so many young women had done before -- you were sitting in front of her with a pamphlet and charts in regards to a certain service dog organization.

“What is all this?” she can’t help but ask as you take a quick sip of your cup.

“I know there isn’t one solid foundation that the gala money is going to,” you explain as she fiddles with the pamphlet, “So, I thought to throw in my hat for an organization I have come to love since coming to New York.”

She stays quiet, blue eyes glancing over the piece of paper you had gotten the last time you had visited. You can’t help but wonder if she is thinking about James, but shrug off -- this was something larger that needed all your attention at the moment.

“They help a lot of people, Mrs. Barnes,” you explain before pulling out your laptop, “Especially someone you hold dear. So, don’t you think that you should just look into them, even just a little?”

Winifred Barnes frowns at your declaration, but stays sitting so you proceed with the rest of your presentation with a smile on your face.

———–

You aren’t quite sure what is going on when James tells you that there isn’t going to be a meeting today, that  he had ordered everyone --including Rumlow-- to leave early and take some time from throwing away all his family’s money.

You frown at the joke, as Bucky lets out a nervous chuckle before leading you down to the main entrance and into the back of a black-tinted car. You almost don’t enter the blasted thing, but then he does that thing--

“Just humor me,” James lets out in a stressed chuckle as he pushes a hand through his hair and you can’t help but think that he is slowly starting to read you like an opened book -- the thought scares just a bit. However, at the sight of those sparkling blues, well you really can’t say no.

“The moment I want to go home--”

“I’ll take you right back,” he finishes your sentence, as you just stare at him for a moment before getting inside and  start being driven farther from the heart of Manhattan.

Bucky grins and your heart doesn’t stop thumping the whole way there.

You end up staring at the bright lights from the car window, completely unaware of who was staring at you the entire time. 

Though, he ends up laughing at the sight of your wide eyes at where he has the two of you stop, though completely unsure of how you might take the whole thing, but after everything you had done for him thus far -- he knew you deserve some pampering.

[avengerscompound]

Finding Home - Chapter 10

Finding Home: A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist Previous //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers x OFC (Daisy Adams)

Word Count:  2184

Warnings:  Angst, mentions of torture, violence, major character death, mentions of sexual abuse/rape, pregnancy, smut (vaginal sex, oral sex, pregnancy sex, Bisexual MMF threesome)

Synopsis:  Daisy Adams has abilities. She can read minds. Force her thoughts onto others. As a child, she is taken by Hydra and raised as a weapon. Daisy finds another and speaks to him in his dreams. He has been taken too. He wants to return to the man he loves. Can she get them back together? Will she even want to once she realizes that she’s falling in love?

Chapter 10

We all dressed and I said goodbye to James I reassured him with my mind he was safe and with people who would protect him as Fury took him from me. It felt like my heart was being torn out.

We flew to Korea. Natasha and Clint taking turns flying the jet while the rest of us waited. Even with the speed of the Quinn Jet, it was going to be five hours before we got there. I dozed in Steve’s arms, trying to block out the thoughts he had of me dying in the upcoming fight.

As we approached Korea he woke me up and spoke to me. He wasn’t my boyfriend Steve anymore. He was Captain America, my unit leader. I hated it. It made me think of Hydra. I didn’t want thoughts of Steve to be anywhere near thoughts of my time in Hydra.

“During the battle, you will stay here in the Jet with Clint. You will not leave for any reason other than the jet is incapacitated and you’re directly under attack. You will scan the crowd, find the cradle. You will do your best to take out the female, Wanda. If you can’t you will either protect our minds from her, or you will take out the mind of the male, Pietro. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I said. It came out shaky.

“Please stay safe, Daisy. I love you.” He said, softer this time. Not Captain America, but Steve Rogers my boyfriend.

“You stay safe too,” I said.

He kissed me, and we all waited in silence until we arrived in Korea.

We dropped Steve off at Helen Cho’s medical facility and he went inside to find Ultron. We waited in dead silence for his command.

I scanned the city, looking for people who were seeing things that might lead to Ultron. Trying to pinpoint the twins.

There was talking happening. Clint and Natasha talking with Steve. It was like it was static. All I cared about was the twins.

As I scanned I felt a weird alien mind from just below. I probed it and saw the destruction. The whole human race annihilated. It felt like the stone too. Calling me. Telling me to take it for myself and I could stop all of this.

“Ultron is directly below us,” I said. Even my own voice sounded far away to me. When Clint spoke to Steve it might as well have happened on another planet for all the notice I took.

I was pulled towards something stronger. I scanned everyone, each person one at a time but so quickly it was like data being passed through the Internet.

Our minds locked. She fought me. She was strong. I was stronger.

GET OUT OF ME! Her mind shrieked.

I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS. TIME FOR YOU TO SLEEP. I shot back.

YOUR FRIENDS?

THE AVENGERS. WE WILL STOP YOU AND ULTRON.

WE AREN’T WITH ULTRON ANYMORE. She cried out. Her thoughts were terrified. I scanned them. She had seen the destruction too. She wanted no part of it.

YOU HELPED HIM. NOW HELP US STOP HIM. I pushed.

There was turmoil in her mind. She didn’t know what to do. I pushed again. I knew I couldn’t force her to change her mind. She’s too powerful and she felt like that fucking stone. Still, I convinced her, mostly because she knew it was the right thing to do. I released her and collapsed back against my chair. I wiped my nose and my hand came back bloody. I needed to get something from the medkit but I was too tired and Clint was flying erratically. We were under attack. Somewhere along the line, Natasha left the jet.

I pinched my nose and tilted my head back. “Tell the others the twins are on our side,” I said.

“How can you know that?” Clint asked.

“Clint. Seriously?” I snapped. He passed the information on, and I closed my eyes. I felt weak. This was too much for me, and in the end, I wasn’t really even needed.

“The package is airborne. I have a clean shot.” Clint said.

“Negative. I am still in the truck.” Natasha shot back over comms.

“What are you doing …”

“Just be ready, I’m sending the package to you,” Natasha said, interrupting Clint.

“How do you want me to take it?” Clint asked.

“Eh, you might wish you hadn’t asked that,” Natasha replied.

Clint glanced back at me. “You still buckled in, D?” He asked.

“Yes. Try not to kill me.” I said.

Clint laughed. “I’m not making any promises.”

Steve’s voice crackled over the comms. “I lost him. He’s headed your way.”

“Nat, we gotta go,” Clint said.

The back of the Quinn Jet opened up and I saw Natasha come flying out of the back of the truck, riding the cradle. Just as it landed in the back of the Jet, Ultron appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Nat’s leg and dragging her away.

“Nat!” Clint and I yelled almost in unison.

“What happened?” Clint asked.

I jumped to my feet and staggered to the open cargo bay searching the sky. “Ultron took her,” I yelled back.

“Can you find her?” Clint asked.

I started securing the ark in place so it wouldn’t fly back out of the jet.

“Cap, have you seen Nat?” Clint said over comms. He was panicking. Not that I blamed him.

“If you have the package get it to Stark now.” Steve barked back.

“Do you have eyes on Nat?” Clint asked again.

“Go!” Steve yelled.

I sat back down, and Clint closed the hangar door.

“I’ll scan for her, Clint. I’ll scan for her.” I said buckling myself back in.

I saw him nod. His jaw set. I closed my eyes and scanned.

When we made it back to Avengers Tower Bruce was waiting for me with James. Nick had left him in Bruce’s care so he’d be there when I got back. I took him hugging him close to me and I left them to whatever shit they were going to do. I needed to not be near that stone.

I had felt Natasha, but she was unconscious, so I couldn’t quite pinpoint her. I told Clint she was alive. He didn’t take it as reassuring.

I lay down on my bed and curled myself around James. He placed his tiny little fingers on my face. Not really meaning too, just waving them around in that out of control way babies do when they don’t realize they have hands. When they touched me, calmness passed between us. He was happy I was back. I was happy to be with him. We fell asleep.

When I awoke it felt like I was being overwhelmed by the thoughts of the stone. I got up and sent my mind out. Steve was back. He had the twins with him. He was angry. I scrambled out of bed, picking up James who fussed at being disturbed. It felt like the elevator was going too slow. I was just off the floor with the lab, when there was an almighty crack. The elevator shuddered and came to a stop halfway between floors. I heard an explosion and I sent out a call for help with my mind. James started crying.

I tried budging the doors to the elevator open. Someone pulled them open from the other side and a purple hand was offered to me. I took it and when I did this new … person … and I spoke. Spoke isn’t quite the word. We exchanged ideas. He was good. Safe. He was the missing piece in all of this.

When he helped me out of the lift he floated back to the others, and I went and stood next to Steve.

“I’m sorry. That was odd.” He said. He turned to Thor. “Thank you.” His form changed. He added a cape. I smiled at the sweet bit of hero worship this blank slate just displayed.

“Thor, you helped create this?” Steve asked. He was panicked. He thought it was Ultron.

I put my hand on him.

“I’ve had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that.” Thor explained, pointing to the yellow stone embedded in the new life’s forehead. The same stone from the vision I’d had when I’d died.

“What the gem?” Bruce asked taking a step forward.

“It’s the Mind Stone. It’s one of the six infinity stones. The greatest power in the universe. Unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.” Thor explained.

As he spoke I approached the new life. He turned to face me and I reached up and touched the stone. He placed his hand on James and James stopped crying. I could see how the stone had been wanting so badly to be used, and that this was now the safest place for it. This being would protect it, and us with it. I let my hand drop.

Steve grabbed me and pulled me away. “Then why would you bring it here?” He snapped.

Thor interrupted him. “Stark is right,” Thor said.

Bruce sucked in his breath. “Oh, this is definitely the end times.”

“The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron,” Thor said.

“Not alone.” The new life added.

“Why does your vision sound like JARVIS?” Steve asked circling the new life. He was still so scared of it.

“We configured JARVIS’ MATRIX, to create something new,” Tony answered.

“I think I’ve had my fill of new,” Steve growled.

The new life turned to Steve. “You think I’m a child of Ultron?”

“You’re not?” Steve asked.

“I’m not Ultron. I’m not JARVIS. I am …” It paused. “I am.”

“Steve. He is safe. I felt him. He’s the answer. To all of this.” I said, putting my hand on Steve’s elbow.

Wanda approached the new life. “I looked in your head and saw annihilation.”

“Look again.” The new life said. I was surprised Wanda couldn’t already see. I could see everything. All the potential outcomes to what was being laid out before us. Her mind was much more strongly linked to that stone than mine. How did she not already see? I saw her scan him and relax. She accepted him as I did.

“Her seal of approval means jack to me.” Clint snapped.

“What about mine?” I asked.

Clint glared at me.

“Their powers. The horrors in our heads. Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone and they’re nothing compared to what it can unleash.” Thor interjected. “But with it on our side …”

“Is it?” Steve interrupted. “Are you? On our side?”

There was a pause as the new life thought about its answer. “I don’t think it’s that simple.”

“Well, it better get real simple real soon.” Clint seethed.

“I’m on the side of life. Ultron isn’t.” He came over and placed his hand on James again. “He will end it all.”

“What’s he waiting for?” Tony asked as the new life drifted away from me again.

“You.” It answered.

“Where?” Bruce asked.

“Sokovia. He’s got Nat there too.” Clint answered.

“If we’re wrong about you … If you’re the monster Ultron made you to be …” Bruce said. He approached the new life like he was trying to threaten him with the Hulk.

“What would you do?” It asked. There was a long pause. “I don’t want to kill Ultron. He’s unique. And he’s in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth. So he must be destroyed. Every form he’s built. Every trace of his presence on the Net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others.” It looked down at its hands. “Maybe I am a monster. I don’t think I’d know if I were one. I’m not what you are. And not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go.” He reached down and lifted Mjölnir and offered it to Thor.

We all stared. No one was sure what to do. Thor took his hammer, dumbfounded as the new life walked away.

“Right,” Thor said. “Well done.” He patted Tony’s shoulder and followed his Vision.

Steve turned to the rest of us. “Three minutes. Get what you need.”

Everyone scattered to get what they needed. Steve turned to me. “You’re staying here.” He ordered.

“But …”

“No, buts. You’re staying here. We’re fighting robots. What do you think you will achieve being there? You’ll only distract me. You’re staying here and looking after our son.”

Our son. Not my son. Ours. I swallowed and nodded my head.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Come home to us.” I could feel tears prick my eyes. He took my cheek in his hand and kissed me. When he pulled away he leaned down and kissed James, running his palm over the top of his head. He took one last look at us and strode off.

// NEXT

[drewbarymore]

just us

Summary: Bucky feels good about himself for once, and then he doesn’t.

Word Count: 2.3k+

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warning(s): self-deprecating thoughts

a/n: theres no reason for this. i just love bucky with my whole ass heart so theres that. and lowkey i was listening to If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys while writing this so yeah. just throwing that out there. (and again this is supposed to be just a little something. little. short. and its not that short bc)

—

It’s crazy, because this night started out with him actually feeling great about himself.

He remembers looking at himself in the mirror a hundred times, surprised by the fact that his first instinct wasn’t to avert his eyes or step away from it each time. For the first time in decades, he doesn’t recoil from the monster he sees.

It’s not as if he feels like his old, more bearable self again— god knows that’s probably never going to happen— it’s that he doesn’t feel like the other old self that he abhors. He doesn’t quite see Sergeant James Barnes, but he doesn’t see the Winter Soldier either.

It’s just him—Bucky. And it felt good.

It’s crazy, because even then, as he looked at himself straight in the eyes in that mirror, seeing certainty and confidence for once, there was still a nagging voice at the back of his head that told him this was too good to be true. He ignored it at the time, unwilling to let his demons trample on the ease he was feeling.

He should’ve known not to ignore them, because while his demons are ruthless, they’re realistic. Sometimes he thinks they’re just the rational part of his brain, and that makes it harder to ignore them. His therapist tells him that’s what’s tricky about voices in your head; they make you think they’re right.

But looking all around him right now, it’s easier for him to think that maybe the reason why they want you to think they’re right is because they are.

He watches for another moment as you spin around on the dancefloor in your deep burgundy dress that makes you look like something he doesn’t have words for. Gorgeous, splendid, stunning, breathtaking, and a whole lot more, but nothing will give what he sees justice. You fit so well in this kind of place, reminiscent to the ones built during the Renaissance— royal, ethereal. He watches as people look at you in an almost entranced manner, and he can’t blame them. It’s hard not to love you. He out of all people should know. He watches for another moment as you smile at whatever your dance partner is telling you. Your dance partner, all in an elegant suit that actually fits his persona—luxurious and sophisticated, screaming money and a great and easy life ahead if you choose him.

Greg. Jake. Drake. He’s not really sure what his name is. He avoids anything involving him at all costs. He had to fight the urge to do a full on background check right down to his third cousin’s best friend’s daughter’s dog on more than one occasion, trying to reason with himself every time that that’s just plain intrusive and creepy, and that it doesn’t matter that this guy’s been sending you expensive gifts for the past month after you met at an event much like this a few months back. He told himself every single time, he had no right.

Because while you’re gorgeous and kind and gentle and the only real thing that grounds him, you aren’t his. And he isn’t yours either, no matter how much he wants to be.

Natasha, however, did a background check and assured him discreetly that your suitor has a clean background for the most part. Bless her heart for feeding his curiosity, but honestly, when he found out that he actually is a good man, he didn’t know whether to feel assured or terrible.

(Of course he felt fucking terrible. He felt like you’re being taken away from him, and it’s irrational, but it doesn’t stop the twisting feeling from crawling into his heart and fucking squeezing it.)

“Mission complete,” he hears Sam say from his earpiece, reminding him of what he and Nat are actually here for.

They were given a mission to gather intel on one of the guests. Nothing too risky, but you all have weapons on you just in case. You and him, however, are here to socialize and form alliances as to avoid situations like the Accords all over again. The higher ups figured that it would be wise to send the two of you, given that you’re new, and Bucky’s… well, they figured it would be wise to build a new image for him, somehow get people to see that he’s not what was made of him anymore.

“Party time,” he hears Nat speak into the comms, “looks like Y/N already started without us.”

The teasing lilt in Nat’s voice makes him want to rip the device out of his ear. It’s already bad enough that he can’t seem to tear his eyes away from you dancing with someone else. He knows that the sight makes him feel like he’s caving in on himself, but he can’t look away. As if it’s a need to look at whatever’s hurting him dead on.

A delighted laugh from you is the last thing he hears before subtly taking the device from his ear and turning it off.

He feels silly. So he slips out of your table discreetly, eyes scanning the interior of the venue for the restrooms and practically dashing to it once he sees it.

He feels silly as he looks at himself in the mirror in a stupid tie and a stupid suit that’s meant to make him look like he’s something when he’s not. He feels silly thinking about how good and proud he felt earlier in his bedroom seeing Bucky.

The good thing about being just Bucky is that he’s new. Being just Bucky is a clean slate, a fresh start, which also means he doesn’t really have anything nor is he sure where he stands. He’s something in between; both innocent and guilty. Innocent enough to be considered a part of a team that’s fighting for the good, but far too guilty with too much blood on his hands to ever be considered a hero.

He’s something in between, and there are times where he could trick himself into thinking that being in between is good enough and that he shouldn’t ask for more after all that he did. But there were times where he desperately wished he was more.

He feels silly because now he realizes that no matter how new Bucky is, he’s still nothing.

He goes back outside after a few more minutes, not really wanting to alert anyone by disappearing so suddenly. He keeps his head down as he tries finding his way to the bar, his earlier realization still heavy on his heart.

A hand on his arm stops him and somehow he knows who it is immediately even when he hasn’t looked yet.

“Hey, I-I’ve been looking for you…” you trail off, looking over at his slumped shoulders and hollow eyes that can’t quite meet yours. “Steve said your earpiece turned off. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, that was just me,” he replies quietly. You want to ask so bad, what made him feel like this, but not with other people listening on your side. So you remove your own discreetly, turning it off. To others, it might’ve just looked like you were tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Sorry, you can go back to the dancefloor now.” he says, walking past you, but you stop him again with a hand on his chest.

His heart flutters, and he resists the urge to close his eyes from the feeling of being close to you. He’s trying his best to slow his heartbeat down, fearing that you’ll feel it underneath your fingertips. He swears his heart comes to life whenever you’re near him.

“Are you okay, Buck?” you whisper, trying to get him to look at you by keeping your eyes on him.

You’re so close—body pressed to his, your breaths fanning on the side of his face, and he can hear your heartbeat too, and he tries not to perk up from that alone. Your thumb moves to brush over his chest, and he caves just like that, hand coming up to your back as he turns his head to look at you.

You smile at the warmth of his hand, relishing on the burst of serenity it brings you. Before you could stop yourself, your mouth’s moving.

“I knew the suit would fit you,” you tell him as your other hand moves up to straighten the lapels of his jacket a little bit.

“Y-You chose it?” he asks, and it’s a mystery to him, how he managed to talk given how close you are to him. So close that if he leans in a little more, he could kiss you.

The mere thought of it makes him want to shout in absolute delight.

“Yeah, thought the color would make your eyes pop…” you look back and forth between his eyes, and he feels his heart practically jumping out of his chest. Like it knows it doesn’t really belong to him anymore and wants to go to the one who really owns it. Like it wants to burst out of his chest straight to you.

“I was right.” You smile, brushing your index finger under his chin ever so lightly. It didn’t even last a second, but what small part of him you touched sent his whole body into a state of euphoria he knows he never wants to get out of.

It’s fucking ridiculous, the control you had over him. And it’s supposed to scare him, having someone else have control over him again after decades of that very same thing, but it doesn’t. Maybe it’s because you’re everything good and gentle and kind and—

Maybe just because it’s you.

“You look handsome, Bucky.” you tell him, hand coming up to brush a strand of hair that came lose from his low bun behind his ear.

He could only give you a pained smile. It feels so fucking good hearing that from you, he just wishes he can believe it. He sees it in your eyes, how much you mean it, but he can’t quite convince himself that he deserves that look from you, so he looks away and scans the crowd instead.

Some people are already looking at the two of you, and he doesn’t miss their gazes trailing down to the exposed metal hand by his side, doesn’t miss how they look up at him one more time, only a quick glance screaming discomfort and then to you with pity before going back to their conversations. It makes him feel exposed and judged and wrong, and they all looked like they belong here and he just…doesn’t.

He pulls away slightly, feeling the chill of the air run through him as he loses your warmth. “Where’s…Greg?” he asks apprehensively.

“Craig,” you correct, eyes still set only on him, and it makes him feel incredibly exposed. “Around, I guess. I don’t care.”

He nods, moving to step around you, but for the third time that night, you stop him.

“Will you dance with me?” you ask gently.

His heart halts in his chest, and he wants so badly to say yes because hell, it’s his dream standing right in front of him just waiting for him to take her hand. He wants so badly to say yes and just spin around the marble floors with her in his arms feeling like a million bucks, but he feels the stares around him, poking and prodding, and he knows they’ll just worsen if he says yes.

You see the hesitation in his eyes, see it cloud his mind as he looks up at the people around you. You can hear him almost hear him thinking, and you want to help quiet down the voices in his head.

“Hey, look at me,” you whisper as you hold his face in your hands, willing him to look at you. “Just us, Bucky.”

He finally looks down upon hearing your words, letting out a shaky sigh. You feel his hands come up to your waist, and he nods, murmuring a small ‘okay.’ You smile, leading him to the dance floor.

The lights aren’t dimmed, and you’re in the middle of the venue for everyone to see. Panic starts to rise up in his chest again when the weight of fact that you’re practically the center of attention settles on his shoulders, and he raises his head to look around again.

“Wh-what about… Y/N, he likes you and he’s a nice guy—”

You take his face in your hands again, looking deep into his eyes. “I don’t care, Bucky. It’s just us.”

One of your hands travel to the back of his neck, and the other to the back of his head, gently pressing your forehead against his as you sway to the music. He lets out another shaky breath as his eyes fall closed. His grip around you tightens a hair, growing more certain, more steady and assured.

“Just us.” you repeat, moving your face closer to nuzzle his scruffy cheek and press small kisses on his jaw, praying that these little things will help him realize what you’re trying to get across—something you don’t have the words for right now.

You just know that love comes the closest to it, but still, it isn’t quite enough.

He nods, heart jumping out of his chest. This time, he doesn’t stop himself from pulling you closer by the waist, practically hugging you to him. You relish in the feeling of his warmth and scent surrounding you, knowing right off the bat that this will always be your safe place.

He moves a little bit, and you fear it’s him starting pull away again, but he only moves until the tips of your noses are touching, only enough to look you in the eyes. It’s the clearest you’ve seen them tonight, his blue ones, and you feel like a weight was lifted off of you— as if his pain is yours, and when that pain alleviates, yours does too.

“I-I like how this feels,” he murmurs shyly, making you smile.

“How what feels?”

“Just us.” he answers.

“Well, it can always be like that from now on,” you quip, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Really?” he asks, hope lighting his eyes up even more.

“Depends on you next move, Mr. Barnes.” You smirk.

“Well, I hope this does it.” he says, right before pressing his lips to yours.

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Must-See Movies in 2021

https://ift.tt/2LtrBLV

It’s 2021. Finally. If you’re reading this, it means you’ve hopefully gotten through the wreckage of last year unscathed and are ready for a brighter future. And if you’re also a movie lover, this certainly includes a trip (or 20) back to the cinemas. Although a month into the new year, and our hope for a better tomorrow has faded a bit–especially with new COVID variants spreading. Yet there is reason to remain warily optimistic. Yes, including about theaters

For nearly a year now cinemas have remained largely dormant, and given the already shuffling 2021 film calendar, that will continue for the foreseeable future. However, studios (with one notable exception) remain mostly committed to getting new films to the theater this year, and the current 2021 film slate gives reasons to be hopeful.

Indeed, 2021 promises many of the most anticipated films from last year, plus new surprises. From the superhero variety like Black Widow to the art house with Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, 2021 could be a much needed respite. So below is just a sampling of what to expect from the year to come…

Judas and the Black Messiah

February 12

It’s kind of hard to wrap one’s head around the annual “Oscar race” in a year when little trophies don’t seem so damn important, but Warner Bros. feels strongly enough about this movie that it’s getting it into theaters and on HBO Max right in the thick of the pandemic-delayed awards season. And judging by the marketing, it’s bringing heat with it.

Shaka King directs and co-writes the story of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), who became the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s and was murdered in cold blood by police in 1969. LaKeith Stanfield plays William O’Neal, a petty criminal who agreed to help the FBI take Hampton down. This promises to be incendiary, relevant material — and it’s almost here.

Minari

February 12

Lee Isaac Chung directs Steven Yeun–now fully shaking off his years as Glenn on The Walking Dead–in this semi-autobiographical film about a South Korean family struggling to settle down in rural America in the 1980s. Premiering nearly a year ago at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, Minari had a quick one-week virtual release in December, with a number of critics placing it on their Top 10 lists for 2020.

Its story of immigration and assimilation currently has a perfect 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics lauding its heart, grace, and sensitivity. A few of ours also considered it among 2020’s best.

Nomadland

February 19

Utilizing both actors and real people, director Chloé Zhao (The Rider, Marvel’s upcoming Eternals) chronicles the lives of America’s “forgotten people” as they travel the West searching for work, companionship and community. A brilliant Frances McDormand stars as Fern, a woman in her mid-60s who lost her husband, her house, and her entire previous existence when her town literally vanished following the closure of its sole factory.

Zhao’s film quietly flows from despair to optimism and back to despair again, the hardscrabble lives of its itinerant cast (many of them actual nomads) foregrounded against often stunning–if lonely–vistas of the vast, empty American countryside.

I Care a Lot

February 19

A solid cast, led by Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Chris Messina, and Dianne Wiest, star in this satirical crime drama from director J. Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed). Pike plays Marla, a con artist whose scam is getting herself named legal guardian of her elderly marks and then draining their assets while sticking them in nursing homes. She’s ruthless and efficient at it, until she meets a woman (Wiest) whose ties to a crime boss (Dinklage) may prove too much of a challenge for the wily Marla. It was one of our favorites out of Toronto last year.

The Father

February 26

Anthony Hopkins gives a mesmerizing, and deeply tragic, performance as Anthony, an elderly British man whose descent into dementia is reflected by the film itself, which plays with time, setting, and continuity until both Anthony and the viewer can no longer tell what is real and what is not. Olivia Colman is equally moving as his daughter, who wants to get on with her own life even as she watches her father’s disintegrate in front of her.

We saw The Father last year at the AFI Fest and it ended up being a favorite of 2020; Hopkins is unforgettable in this bracing, heartbreaking work, which is stunningly adapted by first-time director Florian Zeller from his own award-winning play.

Chaos Walking

March 5

This constantly postponed sci-fi project has become one of those “we’ll believe it when we see it” films until it actually comes out. Shot nearly three and a half years ago by director Doug Liman, Chaos Walking has undergone extensive reshoots and was at one point reportedly deemed unreleasable.

Based on the book The Knife of Letting Go, it places Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far From Home) and Daisy Ridley (The Rise of Skywalker) on a distant planet where Ridley, the only woman, can hear the thoughts of all the men due to a mysterious force called the Noise.

Raya and the Last Dragon

March 5

Longtime Walt Disney Animation Studios head of story, Paul Briggs (Frozen), will make his directorial debut on this original Disney animated fantasy, which draws upon Eastern traditions to tell the tale of a young warrior who goes searching for the world’s last dragon in the mysterious land of Kumandra. Cassie Steele will voice Raya while Awkwafina (The Farewell) will portray Sisu the dragon.

Read more

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How Raya and the Last Dragon Became the First Disney Movie Made at Home

By David Crow

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Warner Bros. and HBO Max 2021 Film Slate Destroys Theatrical Window

By David Crow

Disney Animation has been nearly invincible in recent years with other hits like Moana and Zootopia, so watch for this one to be another major hit for the Mouse.

Coming 2 America

March 5

The notion of whether nostalgia-based properties are still viable has cropped up repeatedly in the last few years. However, streaming, which is where Coming 2 America finds itself headed post-COVID, makes golden oldies much safer. This sequel—based on a 32-year-old comedy that was one of Eddie Murphy’s most financially successful hits—sees Murphy back as Prince Akeem, of course, along with Arsenio Hall returning as his loyal friend Semmi.

The plot revolves around Akeem’s discovery, just as he is about to be crowned king, that he has a long-lost son living in the States (we’re not sure how that happened, but let’s just go with it). That, of course, necessitates another visit to our shores—that is, if Akeem and Semmi presumably don’t get stopped at the border. The film reunites Murphy with Dolemite is My Name director Craig Brewer, so perhaps they can make some cutting-edge social comedy out of this?

Godzilla vs. Kong

March 26

Here we are, at last at the big punch up between Godzilla and King Kong. They both wear a crown, but in the film that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have been building toward since 2014, only one can walk away with the title of the king of all the monsters.

Admittedly, not everyone loved the last American Godzilla movie, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but we sure did. Still, Godzilla vs. Kong should be a different animal with Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest) taking over directorial duties. It also has a stacked cast with some familiar faces (Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, and Ziyi Zhang) and plenty of new ones (Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Danai Gurira, Lance Reddick, and more).

It’ll probably be better than the original, right? And hey with its HBO Max rollout, questions of a poor box office run sure are conveniently mooted!

Mortal Kombat

April 16

Not to be deterred by the relative failure of Sony’s Monster Hunter in theaters at the tail end of 2020, Warner Bros. is giving this venerable video game franchise another shot at live-action cinematic glory after two previous tries in the 1990s. Director Simon McQuoid makes his feature debut while the script comes from Dave Callaham (Wonder Woman 1984, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and the cast includes a number of actors you’ve seen in other films but can’t quite place.

The plot? Who knows! But we’re guessing it will feature gods, demons, and warriors battling for control of the 18 realms in various fighting tournaments. What else do you want?

Black Widow

May 7

Some would charitably say it arrives a decade late, but Black Widow is finally getting her own movie. This is fairly remarkable considering she became street pizza in Avengers: Endgame, but this movie fits snugly between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. It also promises to be the most pared down Marvel Studios movie since 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and that’s a good thing.

In the film, Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff is on the run after burning her bridges with the U.S. government and UN. This brings her back to the spy games she thought she’d escaped from her youth, and back in the orbit of her “sister” Yelena (Florence Pugh). Old wounds are ripped open, old Soviet foes, including David Harbour as the Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as Nat and Yelena’s girlhood instructor, are revealed, and many a fight sequence with minimal CGI will be executed.

How’s that for a real start to Phase 4? Of course that’s still assuming this comes out before The Eternals after it was delayed, again, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Those Who Wish Me Dead

May 14

Taylor Sheridan is among the best writers in moviemaking right now. Having all but cornered the niche around modern Westerns, he’s responsible for the scripts for Hell or High Water, both Sicarios, and Wind River, the latter of which he also directed. He’s back in the director’s chair again for Those Who Wish Me Dead, which has been described as a “female-driven neo-Western” set in the Montana wilderness. It is there a teenager witnesses a murder, and he finds himself on the run from twin assassins, and in need of protection from a likely paranoid survivalist. The film stars Angelina Jolie, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Tyler Perry, Aidan Gillen, Jake Weber, and Finn Little.

Spiral

May 21

Chris Rock has co-written the story for a new take on the Saw franchise. Never thought we’d write those words! The fact that it also stars Rock, as well as Samuel L. Jackson, is likewise head-turning. It looks like they’re going for legitimate horror with Darren Lynn Bousman attached to direct after helming three of the Saw sequels, and its grisly pre-COVID trailer from last year.

Hopefully this will be better than most of the franchise that came before, and given the heavily David Fincher-influenced tone of the first trailer, we’re willing to cross our fingers and play this game.

Free Guy

May 21

What would you do if you discovered that you were just a background character in an open world video game—and that the game was soon about to go offline? That’s the premise of this existential sci-fi comedy from director Shawn Levy, best known for the Night at the Museum series and as an executive producer and director on Stranger Things. Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy, a bank teller who discovers that his life is not what he thought it was, and in fact isn’t even real—or is it? We’ve seen a preview of footage, so we’d suggest you think Truman Show, if Truman was trapped in Grand Theft Auto.

F9

May 28

Just when you thought this never-say-die franchise had shown us everything it could possibly dream up, it ups the stakes one more time: the ninth entry in the Fast and Furious saga (excluding 2019’s Hobbs and Shaw) will reportedly take Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his cohorts into space as they battle Dom’s long-lost brother Jakob (John Cena, making a long-overdue debut in this series). Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Helen Mirren, and Charlize Theron all also return, as does director Justin Lin, who took a two-film break from his signature series. Expect to see the required physics-defying stunts, logic-defying action and even more talk about “family” than usual.

Cruella

May 28

Since Disney has already made an animated 101 Dalmatians in 1961 and a live-action remake in 1996, it is apparently time to tell the story again Maleficent-style. Hence we now focus on the viewpoint of iconic villainess Cruella de Vil, played this time by Emma Stone. She’s joined in the movie by Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Mark Strong, with direction handled by Craig Gillespie (sort of a step down from 2017’s I, Tonya, if you ask us).

The story has been updated to the 1970s, but Cruella–now a fashion designer–still covets the fur of dogs for her creations. This is a Mouse House joint, so don’t expect it to get too dark, and don’t be completely surprised if it ends up as a premium on Disney+ in lieu of its already delayed theatrical release.

Infinite

May 28

This sci-fi yarn from director Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer) stars Mark Wahlberg as a man experiencing what he thinks are hallucinations, but which turn out to be memories from past lives. He soon learns that there is a secret society of people just like him, except that they have total recall of their past identities and have acted to change the course of history throughout the centuries.

Based on the novel The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Maikranz, this was originally a post-Marvel vehicle for Chris Evans. He dropped out, and the combination of Fuqua and Wahlberg hints at something more action-oriented than the rather cerebral premise suggests. The film also stars Sophie Cookson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Dylan O’Brien.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

June 4

James Wan is already directing a new horror film this year so he’s stepping away from the directorial duties on the third film based on the paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). That task has fallen to Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona), so expect plenty of the same Wan Universe touches: heavy atmosphere, superb use of sound, and shocking, eerie visuals.

Details are scarce, but the plot—like the other two Conjuring films—is taken from the true-life case of a man who went on trial for murder and said as his defense that he was possessed by a demon when he committed his crimes. That’s all we know for now, except that, intriguingly, Mitchell Hoog and Megan Ashley Brown have been cast as younger versions of the Warrens.

In the Heights

June 18

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway hit musical gets the big screen treatment (by way of HBO Max) from director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). Set in Washington Heights over the course of a three-day heat wave, the plot and ensemble cast carry echoes of both Rent and Do the Right Thing. While a success on the stage—if not quite the cultural phenomenon that Miranda’s next show, Hamilton—it remains to be seen whether In the Heights can strike a chord with streaming audiences.

Luca

June 18

Continuing its current run of all-new, non-sequel original films started in 2020 with Onward and Soul, Pixar will unveil Luca this summer. Directed by Enrico Casarosa–making his feature debut after 18 years with the animation powerhouse–the film tells the story of a friendship between a human being and a sea monster (disguised as another human child) on the Italian Riviera. That’s about all we have on it for now, except that the cast includes Drake Bell and John Ratzenberger.

Pixar’s recent track record has included masterpieces like Inside Out, solid sequels like Toy Story 4, and shakier propositions like The Incredibles 2, but we don’t have any indication yet of what to expect from Luca.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

June 25

Can anyone honestly say that 2018’s Venom was a “good” movie? A batshit insane movie, yes, and perhaps even an entertaining one in its own nutty way, but good or not, it made nearly a billion bucks at the box office so here we are.

Tom Hardy will return to peel more scenery down with his teeth as both Eddie Brock and his fanged, towering alien symbiote while Woody Harrelson will fulfill his destiny and play Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage, the perfected hybrid of psychopathic serial killer and red pile of vicious alien goo. Let the carnage begin!

Top Gun: Maverick

July 2

It’s been 34 years since Tom Cruise first soared through the skies as hotshot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, and he’ll take to the air once more in a sequel that also features Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, and more. The flying and action sequences from director Joseph Kosinski (who worked with Cruise on Oblivion) will undoubtedly be first-rate, but the studio (Paramount) has to be nervous after seeing one nostalgia-based franchise after another (Blade Runner, Charlie’s Angels, Terminator, The Shining) crash and burn recently.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

July 10

With Shang-Chi, Marvel Studios hopes to do for Asian culture what the company did with the groundbreaking Black Panther nearly three years ago: create another superhero epic with a non-white lead and a mythology steeped in a non-Western culture. Simu Liu stars in the title role as the “master of kung fu,” who must do battle with the nefarious Ten Rings organization and its leader, the Mandarin (the “real” one, not the imposter from Iron Man 3, played here by the legendary Tony Leung). Director Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) will open up a whole new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with this story and character, whose origins stretch back to 1973.

The Forever Purge

July 9

One day nearly eight years ago, you went to see a low-budget dystopian sci-fi/horror flick called The Purge, and the next thing you know, it’s 2021 and you’re getting ready to see the fifth and allegedly final entry in the series (which has also spawned a TV show). Written by creator James DeMonaco and directed by Everardo Gout, the film will once again focus on the title event, an annual 12-hour national bacchanal in which all crime, even murder, is legal. How this ends the story, and where and when it falls into the context of the rest of the films, remains a secret for now. Filming was completed back in February 2020, with the film’s release delayed from last summer by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

July 16

There are two types of folks when it comes to the original Space Jam of 1996: those who were between the ages of three and 11 when it came out, and everyone else. In one camp it is an unsightly relic of ‘90s cross-promotional cheese; in the other, it’s a sports movie classic. Luckily for kids today, NBA star LeBron James was 11 for most of ’96, and he’s bringing back the hoops and the Looney Tunes in Space Jam: A New Legacy.

The film will be among the many Warner Bros. pics premieres on HBO Max and in theaters this year, and it will see King James share above-the-title credits with Bugs Bunny. All is as it should be.

The Tomorrow War

July 23

An original IP attempting to be a summer blockbuster? As we live and breathe. The Tomorrow War marks director Chris McKay’s first foray into live-action after helming The Lego Batman Movie. The film stars Chris Pratt as a soldier from the past who’s been “drafted by scientists” to the present in order to fight off an alien invasion overwhelming our future’s military. One might ask why said scientists didn’t use their fancy-schmancy time traveling shenanigans to warn about the impending aliens, but here we are.

Jungle Cruise

July 30

Disney dips into its theme park rides again as a source for a movie, hoping that the Pirates of the Caribbean lightning will strike once more. This time it’s the famous Adventureland riverboat ride, which is free enough of a real narrative that one has to wonder why some five screenwriters (at least) worked on the movie’s script.

Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows) directs stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt down this particular river, as they battle wild animals and a competing expedition in their search for a tree with miraculous healing powers. The comic chemistry between Johnson and Blunt is key here, especially if they really can mimic Bogie and Hepburn in the similarly plotted The African Queen. If they can sell that, Disney might just have a new water-based franchise to replace their sinking Pirates ship.

The Green Knight

July 30

David Lowery, the singular director behind A Ghost Story and The Old Man & the Gun, helmed a fantasy adaptation of the Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. And his take on the material was apparently strong enough to entice A24 to produce it. Not much else is yet known about the film other than its cast, which includes Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Ralph Ineson, and Kate Dickie–and that it’s another casualty of COVID, with its 2020 release date being delayed last year. So this is one we’re definitely going to keep an eye on.

The Suicide Squad

August 6

Arguably the most high-profile of the WB films being transitioned to HBO Max, The Suicide Squad is James Gunn’s soft-reboot of the previous one-film franchise. It’s kind of funny WB went in that direction when the first movie generated more than $740 million, but when the reviews and word of mouth were that toxic… well, you get the guy who did Guardians of the Galaxy to fix things.

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TV

Peacemaker: Suicide Squad Spinoff With John Cena Coming to HBO Max

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

The Suicide Squad Trailer Promises James Gunn’s “1970s War Movie”

By David Crow

Elements from the original movie are still here, most notably Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, but the film promises to be weirder, meaner, and also sillier. The first points are proven by its expected R-rating, and the latter is underscored by its giant talking Great White Shark. Okay, we’ll bite.

Deep Water

August 13

Seedy erotic thrillers and neo noirs bathed in shadows and sex are largely considered a thing of the past—specifically 1980s and ‘90s Hollywood cinema. Maybe that’s why Deep Water hooked Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal) to direct. The throwback is based on a 1957 novel by the legendary Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley), and it pits a disenchanted married couple against each other, with the bored pair playing mind games that leave friends and acquaintances dead. That the couple in question is played by Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, who’ve since become a real life item, will probably get plenty of attention close to release.

Respect

August 13

Respect is the long-awaited biopic of the legendary Aretha Franklin, with the Queen of Soul herself involved in its development for years until her death in August 2018. Authorized biopics always make one wonder how accurate the film will be, but then again, Aretha had nothing to be ashamed of. Hers was a life well-lived, her voice almost beyond human comprehension, and the only thing now is to see whether star Jennifer Hudson (Franklin’s personal choice) and director Liesl Tommy (making her feature debut) can do the Queen justice.

The King’s Man

August 20

This might be a weird thing to say: but has World War I ever seemed so stylish? It is with Matthew Vaughn at the helm.

An origin story of sorts for the organization that gave us Colin Firth and the umbrella, The King’s Man is a father and son yarn where Ralph Fiennes’ Duke of Oxford is reluctant about his son Conrad (Harris Dickinson) joining the war effort. But they’ll both be up to it as the Duke launches an intelligence gathering agency independent from any government. It also includes Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as charter members.

Oh, and did we mention they fight Rasputin?

Candyman

August 27

In some ways it’s surprising that it’s taken this long—28 years, notwithstanding a couple of sequels—to seriously revisit the original Candyman. Director Bernard Rose’s original adaptation of the Clive Baker story, “The Forbidden,” is still relevant and effective today. Back then, the film touched on urban legends, poverty, and segregation: themes that are still ripe for exploration through a genre touchstone today.

After her breathtaking feature directorial debut, Little Woods, Nia DaCosta helmed this bloody reboot while working from a screenplay co-written by Jordan Peele (Get Out). That’s a powerful combination, even before news came down DaCosta was helming Captain Marvel 2. And with an actor on-the-cusp of mega-stardom, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, picking up Tony Todd’s gnarly hook, this is one to watch out for.

The Beatles: Get Back

August 27

Peter Jackson seems to enjoy making films about what inspired him in his youth: The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, his grandfather’s World War I service informing They Shall Not Grow Old. So perhaps it was inevitable he’d make a film about the greatest youth icon of his generation, the Beatles. In truth, The Beatles: Get Back is a challenge to a previous documentary named Let It Be, and the general pop culture image it painted.

That 1970 doc by Michael Lindsay-Hogg zeroed in on the band’s final released album, Let It Be (although it was recorded before Abbey Road). Now, using previously unseen footage, Jackson seeks to challenge the narrative that the album was created entirely from a place of animosity among the bandmates, or that the Beatles had long lost their camaraderie by the end of road. Embracing the original title of the album, “Get Back,” Jackson wants to get back to where he thinks the band’s image once belonged.

Resident Evil

September 3

Let’s try that again. As one of the most popular video game franchises of all-time, the original handful of Resident Evil games appeared ready made for adaptation. Visibly inspired by cult classic zombie movies from George Romero, Resident Evil once even had Romero attached. Instead we got the deafeningly dull Paul W.S. Anderson franchise starring Milla Jovovich. And those decade-spanning monstrosities lacked something any self-respecting zombie film needs: brains.

Now Resident Evil is back in a reboot helmed by writer-director Johannes Roberts. And he’s off to a promising start by apparently focusing on the plots of the first several video games in the series. The cast includes Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield, Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy, and Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker. So far so good. Fingers crossed.

A Quiet Place Part II

September 17

The sequel to one of 2018’s biggest surprises, A Quiet Place Part II comes with major expectations. And few may hold it to a higher standard than writer-director John Krasinski. Despite (spoiler) the death of his character in the first film, Krasinski returns behind the camera for the sequel after saying he wouldn’t. The story he came up with apparently was too good to pass up.

The film again stars Emily Blunt as the often silenced mother of a vulnerable family, which includes son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds). However, now that they know how to kill the eagle-eared alien monsters who’ve taken over their planet, the cast has grown to include Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou. While the film has been delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak, trust us that it’ll be worth the wait. Is it finally time for… resistance?

Death on the Nile

September 17

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) became a surprise hit for director and star Kenneth Branagh. Who knew that audiences would still be interested in an 83-year-old mystery novel about an eccentric Belgian detective with one hell of a mustache? Luckily, Agatha Christie featured Poirot in some 32 other novels, of which Death on the Nile is one of the most famous, so here we are.

Branagh once again directs and stars as Poirot, this time investigating a murder aboard a steamer sailing down Egypt’s famous river. The cast includes Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Tom Bateman, Ali Fazal, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, and Russell Brand. Expect more lavish locales, scandalous revelations, the firing of a pistol or two, and, yes, more shots of that stunning Poirot facial hair.

The Many Saints of Newark

September 24

The idea of a prequel to anything always fills us with trepidation, and re-opening a nearly perfect property like The Sopranos makes the prospect even less appetizing. But Sopranos creator David Chase has apparently wanted to explore the back history of his iconic crime family for some time, and there certainly seems to be a rich tapestry of characters and events that have only been hinted at in the series.

Directed by series veteran Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World), The Many Saints of Newark stars Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti (Christopher’s father), along with Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Corey Stoll, Ray Liotta, and others. But the most fascinating casting is that of Michael Gandolfini—James’ son—as the younger version of the character with which his late dad made pop culture history. For that alone, we’ll be there on opening night… even if that just means HBO Max!

Dune

October 1

Could third time be the charm for Frank Herbert’s complex novel of the far future, long acknowledged as one of the greatest—if most difficult to read—milestones in all of science fiction? David Lynch’s 1984 version was, to be charitable, an honorable mess, while the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries was decent and faithful, but limited in scope. Now director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival) is pulling out all the stops—even breaking the story into two movies to give the proper space.

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Movies

Dune Trailer Breakdown and Analysis

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

What Alejandro Jodorowsky Thinks of the New Dune Trailer

By Mike Cecchini and 1 other

On the surface, the plot is simple: as galactic powers vie for control of the only planet that produces a substance capable of allowing interstellar flight, a young messiah emerges to lead that planet’s people to freedom. But this tale is dense with multiple layers of politics, metaphysics, mysticism, and hard science.

Villeneuve has assembled a jaw-dropping cast, including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem, and if he pulls this off, just hand him every sci-fi novel ever written. Particularly, if relations between the director and WB remain strained…

No Time to Die

October 8

Nothing lasts forever, and the Daniel Craig era of James Bond is coming to an end… hopefully in 2021. In fact, delays notwithstanding, it’s a bit of a surprise Craig is getting an official swan song with this movie after the star said he’d rather “slash his wrists” before doing another one. Well, we’re glad he didn’t, just as we’re hopeful for his final installment in the tuxedo.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga is a newcomer to the franchise, but that might be a good thing after how tired Spectre felt, and Fukunaga has done sterling work in the past on True Detective and Maniac. He also looks to bring the curtain down on the whole Craig oeuvre by picking up on the last movie’s lingering threads, such as 007 driving off into the sunset with Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann, while introducing new ones that include Rami Malek as Bond villain Safin and Ana de Armas as new Bond girl Paloma. Yay for the Knives Out reunion!

Halloween Kills

October 15

2018’s outstanding reboot of the long-running horror franchise—which saw David Gordon Green (Stronger) direct Jamie Lee Curtis in a reprise of her most famous role—was a tremendous hit. So in classic Halloween fashion, two more sequels were put into production (the second, Halloween Ends, will be out in 2022… hopefully).

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Movies

Halloween: A Legacy Unmasked

By David Crow

Movies

How Jason Blum Changed Horror Movies

By Rosie Fletcher

Curtis is back as Laurie Strode, along with Judy Greer as her daughter, Andi Matichak as her granddaughter, and Nick Castle sharing Michael Myers duties with James Jude Courtney. Kyle Richards and Charles Cyphers, meanwhile, will reprise their roles as Lindsey Wallace and former sheriff Leigh Brackett from the original 1978 Halloween (Anthony Michael Hall will play the adult version of Tommy Doyle). The plot remains a mystery, but we’re pretty sure it will involve yet another confrontation between Laurie and a rampaging Myers.

The Last Duel

October 15

What was once among the most anticipated films of 2020, The Last Duel is the historical epic prestige project marked by reunions: Ridley Scott returns to his passion for period drama and violence; Matt Damon and Ben Affleck work together for the first time in ages as both actors and writers; and the film also unites each with themes that were just as potent in the medieval world as today: One knight (Damon) in King Charles VI’s court accuses another who’s his best friend (Adam Driver) of raping his wife (Jodie Comer). Oh, and Affleck plays the King of France.

With obviously harrowing—and uncomfortable—themes that resonate today, The Last Duel is based on an actual trial by combat from the 14th century, and is a film Affleck and Damon co-wrote with Nicole Holofcener (Can You Ever Forgive Me?). It’s strong material, and could prove to be one of the year’s most riveting or misjudged films. Until then, it has our full attention.

Last Night in Soho

October 22

Fresh off the success of 2017’s Baby Driver (his biggest commercial hit to date), iconoclastic British director Edgar Wright returns with what is described as a psychological and possibly time-bending horror thriller set in London. Whether this features Wright’s trademark self-aware humor remains to be seen, but since the film is said to be inspired by dread-inducing genre classics like Repulsion and Don’t Look Now, he might be going for a different effect this time.

The cast, of course, is outstanding: upstarts Anya Taylor-Joy (Queen’s Gambit) and Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) will face off with Matt Smith (Doctor Who), and British legends Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp. And the truth is we’re never going to miss one of Wright’s movies. Taylor-Joy talked to us here about finding her 1960s lounge singer voice for the film.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

October 22

While the idea of a Hasbro Movie Universe seems to be kind of idling at the moment, corners of that hypothetical cinematic empire remain active. One such brand is G.I. Joe, which will launch its first spin-off in this origin story of one of the team’s most popular characters. Much of his early background remains mysterious, so there’s room to create a fairly original story while incorporating lore and characters already established in the G.I. Joe mythos.

Neither of the previous G.I. Joe features (The Rise of Cobra and Retaliation) have been much good, so we can probably expect the same level of quality from this one. Director Robert Schwentke (the last two Divergent movies) doesn’t inspire much excitement either. On the other hand, Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) will star in the title role, and having Iko Uwais (The Raid) and Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) on board isn’t too bad either.

Antlers

October 29

Dramatic director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Hostiles) is doing a horror movie. As we live and breathe. And he’s doing it with a huge boost of confidence from Guillermo del Toro, who has opted to produce the movie. Antlers is the tale of two adult brothers, one a teacher and the other a sheriff, getting wrapped up in a supernatural quagmire that involves a young student and a “dangerous secret.” And with a cast that includes Jesse Plemons, Keri Russell, and Graham Greene, we are very intrigued… even if we must wait once again due to a coronavirus delay.

Eternals

November 5

Based on a Marvel Comics series by the legendary Jack Kirby, the now long-forthcoming Eternals centers around an ancient race of powerful beings who must protect the Earth against their destructive counterparts (and genetic cousins), the Deviants. Director Chloe Zhao (fresh off the awards season buzzy Nomadland) takes her first swing at epic studio filmmaking, working with a cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Brian Tyree Henry, and more.

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Movies

Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details

By Mike Cecchini and 1 other

Movies

The Incredible Hulk’s Diminished Legacy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

By Gavin Jasper

In many ways, Eternals represents another huge creative risk for Marvel Studios: It’s a big, cosmic ensemble film introducing an ensemble that the vast majority of the public has never heard of. But then, it’s sort of in the same position as Guardians of the Galaxy from way back in 2014, and we all know what happened there.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

November 11

With the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot criticized (fairly) for its lack of imagination and castigated (unfairly as hell) for its all-female ghost-hunting crew, director Jason Reitman–finally cashing in on the family name by returning to the brand his dad Ivan directed to glory in 1984–has crafted a direct sequel to the original films.

Set 30 years later, Afterlife follows a family who move to a small town only to discover that they have a long-secret connection to the OG Ghostbusters. Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Paul Rudd (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) star alongside charter cast members Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and, yes, Bill Murray.

King Richard

November 19

Will Smith’s King Richard promises to be a different kind of biographical film coming down the pipe. Rather than being told from the vantage of professional tennis playing stars Venus and Serena Williams, King Richard centers on their father and coach, Richard Williams. It’s an interesting choice to focus on the male father instead of the game-changing Black daughters, but we’ll see if there’s a strong creative reason for the approach soon enough. The film is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men, Joe Bell).

Mission: Impossible 7

November 19

Once upon a time, the appeal of the Mission: Impossible movies was to see different directors offer their own take on Tom Cruise running through death-defying stunts. But then Christopher McQuarrie had to come along and make the best one in franchise history (twice). First there was Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and then Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Now McQuarrie and company have set up their own separate quartet of films with recurring original characters like new franchise MVP Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) across four films.

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Movies

Audio Surfaces of Tom Cruise Raging on the Set of Mission: Impossible 7

By Kirsten Howard

Movies

Mission: Impossible 7 – What’s Next for the Franchise?

By David Crow

Thus enters M:I7, the third McQuarrie joint in the series and first half of a pair of incoming sequels filmed together. The first-half of this two-parter sees the whole crew back together, including Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, Ilsa, Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and CIA Director Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett). They’re also being joined by Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff, but really we’re all just eager to see what kind of insane stunts they can do to top the HALO jump in the last one.

Nightmare Alley

December 3

Director Guillermo del Toro is finally back with a film which was originally intended for release in 2020. But like so many others, Nightmare Alley saw its production frozen due to the coronavirus. Del Toro’s first film since winning the Best Picture Oscar for The Shape of Water, Nightmare adapts William Lindsay Gresham’s novel of the same name. With a script by Kim Morgan and del Toro, it tracks a mid-20th century carny played by Bradley Cooper who is also a silver-tongued grifter. But his con meets its match (and is then outclassed) by his chance encounter with a psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett). They’ll make a hell of a team.

West Side Story

December 10

Steven Spielberg has just two remakes on his directorial resume: Always (1989) and War of the Worlds (2005). While the former is mostly forgotten and the latter was an adaptation of a story that has been filmed many times, his upcoming reimagining of West Side Story will undoubtedly be directly compared to Robert Wise’s iconic 1961 screen version of this classic musical.

A few numbers in previous films aside, Spielberg has never directed a full-blown musical before, let alone one associated with such powerhouse songs and dance numbers. His version, with a script by Tony Kushner, is said to stay closer to the original Broadway show than the 1961 film—but with its themes of love struggling to cross divides created by hate and bigotry, don’t be surprised if it’s just as hard-hitting in 2021. Certainly would’ve devastated last year….

Spider-Man 3

December 17

Sony has finally gotten to a “Spider-Man 3” again in their oft-rebooted franchise crown jewel (technically though this film is still untitled). That proved to be a stumbling block the first time it occurred with Tobey Maguire in the red and blues, but the company seems undaunted since Tom Holland’s third outing is expected to bring Maguire back—him and just about everyone else too.

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Movies

Spider-Man 3: Charlie Cox Daredevil Return Would Redeem the Marvel Netflix Universe

By Joseph Baxter

Movies

Spider-Man 3 Adds Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange

By Joseph Baxter

With a multiverse plot ripped straight from the arguably best Spidey movie ever, 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse, Holland’s third outing is bringing back Maguire, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx as Electro (eh), and probably more. It’s a Spidey crossover extravaganza that’s only missing a Spider-Ham. But just you wait…

The Matrix 4

December 22

Rebooting or continuing The Matrix series has always been a tough proposition. While the original Matrix film is one of the landmark achievements in science fiction and early digital effects filmmaking in the 1990s, its sequels were… less celebrated. In fact, directors Lily and Lana Wachowski were publicly wary about the idea of ever going back to the series. And yet, here we are with Lana (alone) helming a project that’s been a longtime priority for Warner Bros.

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Movies

The Matrix 4: Laurence Fishburne “Wasn’t Invited” to Reprise Morpheus Role

By John Saavedra

Movies

The Matrix 4 Already Happened: Revisiting The Matrix Online

By John Saavedra

The Matrix 4 also brings back Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith. This is curious since Reeves and Moss’ characters died at the end of the Matrix trilogy—and also because Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus did not, yet he wasn’t asked back. We cannot say we’re thrilled about the prospect of more adventures in Zion after the disappointment of the first two sequels, but we’d be lying if we didn’t admit we’re still curious to see the story that brought Lana back to this future.

The French Dispatch

TBA

Wes Anderson has a new film coming out. Better still, it is another live-action film. While Anderson’s use of animation is singular, it’s been seven years since The Grand Budapest Hotel, which we maintain is one of the best movies of the last decade. Anderson  is working with Timothée Chalamet and Cristoph Waltz for the first time with this film, as well as several familiar faces including Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and, of course, Bill Murray.

The French Dispatch is set deep in the 20th century during the peak of modern journalism, it brings to life a series of fictional stories in a fictional magazine, published in a fictional French city. We suspect though, if Anderson’s last two live-action movies are any indication, it’ll have more than fiction on its mind–especially since it’s inspired by actual New Yorker stories, and the journalists who wrote them! We missed it in 2020, so here’s hoping it really does go to print in 2021!

Other interesting movies that may come out in 2021 but do not yet have release dates: Next Goal Wins, Don’t Worry Darling, Blonde, The Northman, Resident Evil, Red Notice, Army of the Dead.

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Promising New Rooftop Bar Overlooks the Great Wheel Downtown

In recent restaurant news, Mike Easton is opening a pasta restaurant in West Seattle, Vita Uva’s natural wine shop has closed, and Georgetown’s Deep Sea Sugar and Salt cake bakery has closed its Airstream trailer. As for the updates below, Rhein Haus is open in Leavenworth, Macrina Bakery has expanded to Capitol Hill, and the Charter Hotel’s Fog Room bar is now mixing drinks with a view downtown.

Have intel about a newly opened restaurant, bar, cafe, or other food emporium that’s been overlooked? Tipping is essential: Send Eater the details over the Seattle tipline and we’ll check it out. Meanwhile, check out this other post for more of Seattle’s restaurant openings from earlier in 2018.

September 11, 2018

LEAVENWORTH — The Central District���s hip German beer and bocce hall, Rhein Haus, now sports a huge two-story expansion in the Bavarian-themed mountain town of Leavenworth. The fourth Rhein Haus location — additional locations opened in Denver in 2015 and Tacoma in 2017 — doesn’t have bocce courts, but it does serve the German brews, schnitzels, giant pretzels, and brats familiar to fans of the growing chain. Status: Certified open. 707 Highway 2, Leavenworth.

CAPITOL HILL — Macrina Bakery’s fifth location has arrived, this time on Capitol Hill’s 19th Avenue, in the former Tully’s building. While bread is the local chainlet’s main commercial specialty, the cafes serve an array of pastries, tarts, soups croissants, cakes, coffee, and sandwiches. At this new spot, there’s also brunch on the weekends, along with communal tables, a grab-and-go section, and a true urban unicorn: a parking lot. Status: Certified open. 746 19th Ave.

DOWNTOWN — With indoor seating and a rooftop lounge overlooking the waterfront and the Great Wheel, Fog Room is perched on the 16th floor of Hilton’s new Charter Hotel. There are small bites, like seared scallops with tomatillo and avocado salsa, and original cocktails with local ingredients, including Twisted Bliss, featuring mezcal, peach, and manzanilla sherry. This place has potential, especially as hotel bars go, given that former Rob Roy manager Jesse Cyr is the assistant general manager, and Silas Manlove, formerly of the Nest at the Thompson hotel, is general manager. The bar joins the hotel’s Argentine restaurant, Patagon. Status: Certified open. 1610 2nd Ave., Floor 16.

Correction: September 11, 2018, 9:30 p.m. This article was updated to reflect that Fog Room no longer promises live music, in contrast with information sent in a press release.

August 8, 2018

Bao House specializes in open-faced steam buns in the International District.

Bao House/FB

BELLEVUE — Belltown’s La Parisienne French Bakery has added a Bellevue address, and it’s connected to a wine bar, Cépaé Tasting Room. Cépaé claims to have the largest selection of wines by the glass in the Seattle area, with 120 bottles — a broad mix from Europe, the U.S., and South America — all available as 1⁄2-ounce or 5-ounce pours. The bakery’s selection, meant to complement the wines next door, includes pastries from croissants to Paris-Brest, lunch options like salad nicoise, sandwiches, and quiches, and, in the evening, boards with charcuterie, seafood, cheese, and vegetables. Status: Certified open. 258 106th Ave. NE.

INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT — Newcomer Bao House serves a small menu of open-faced Taiwanese steam buns, a type of bao. The selection of fillings includes 24-hour brined pork and roasted duck. Accompanying dishes range from fried egg rolls to fried fish balls to chicken wings. The restaurant is already open but holding a grand opening celebration on August 12 with two-for-one bao and drinks. Status: Certified open. 514 S. King St.

QUEEN ANNE — Uptown Hophouse’s 24 beer and cider taps are flowing near Key Arena. The sports bar’s current tap list includes names like Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, Georgetown Brewing, Fremont Brewing, and Pfriem Family Brewers. There’s food, too, like fingerling potatoes with curry ketchup, a charcuterie board, spicy coconut curry bowl, and Cubano sandwich. Status: Certified open. 219 1st Ave N #101.

August 2, 2018

Capitol Hill-born Victrola has opened a downtown cafe.

Victrola/FB

DOWNTOWN — Capitol Hill’s respected Victrola Coffee Roasters has opened a downtown cafe at 3rd and Pine, inside the Macy’s building, which now also houses Amazon offices above. It’s only Victrola’s fourth location in its 18-year history. As with the other locations, the new cafe serves espresso drinks, pastries, and sandwiches in a modern space with lounge chairs and window benches. Status: Certified open. 300 Pine St, Suite 100.

SOUTH LAKE UNION — Jeffrey Kessenich, former chef at the late Tanglewood Supreme, has opened airy and ambitious Birch next to White Swan Public House on Lake Union. Diners have two options at Birch: a three-course prix fixe menu for $50 that includes choices for antipasto, primo, and secondo courses, plus a dessert add-on for $11; and a seven-course chef’s tasting menu for $70, which puts diners in the hands of the kitchen. Kessenich promises locally sourced, sustainable ingredients with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options. Status: Certified open. 1001 Fairview Ave. N.

GREEN LAKE — The owners of Capitol Hill’s La Cocina Oaxaqueña have added a sibling in the similarly named Cocina Oaxaca, serving Mexican staples in the former Mio Sushi space. Yelp reviews thus far praise the restaurant’s shrimp tacos and fajitas. Other specialties include tlayudas (thin, crunchy tortillas topped with refried beans, lettuce or cabbage, avocado, and meat) and the Oaxacan stew, pozole. Status: Certified open. 7900 E Green Lake Drive N Suite 107.

July 24, 2018

Heritage Distilling Co. has added a Capitol Hill distillery and tasting room.

Adam H. Callaghan/Eater

BELLTOWN — Renovated Hotel Five has added a dining component called Pineapple Bistro and Bar, a nod to parent company Staypineapple. The restaurant features a slew of pineapple accents, new floors and furniture, and a rebuilt bar with 22 seats, huge TVs, and giant Scrabble. The menu includes themed drinks like the Pineapple Express with bourbon, caramelized pineapple puree, maraschino cherries, and club soda. Food ranges from customizable mac and cheese to sandwiches and snacks like barbecue pork sliders and buffalo chicken wings. Status: Certified open. 2200 5th Ave.

QUEEN ANNE — Matias Tona, who helped open Grappa in the same neighborhood, and his brother Kleon are now serving Mediterranean tapas and cocktails at their new restaurant, Dandylion, which also includes a private events space and “speakeasy bar” called the Den. The Tonas source local produce and plan to change the menu seasonally. Current dishes include meatballs with chimichurri sauce, chorizo with yogurt and potato chips, and squid with potato herb puree and saffron oil. Status: Certified open. 532 Queen Anne Ave. N.

CAPITOL HILL — Gig Harbor-based Heritage Distilling Co. now has a Capitol Hill location in addition to a recently opened Ballard expansion. The Capitol Hill tasting room also includes a distillery, bottling operation, and retail shop. Visitors can try flights of the company’s full lineup here, including its many award-winning flavored vodkas, gins, and whiskeys, as well as buy bottles and merchandise and take classes on cocktail-making. In the coming months, the company will add a private events space and overflow seating, too. Status: Certified open. 1201 10th Ave.

July 23, 2018

eneral Porpoise’s doughnuts overflow with custards, creams, and curds.

Suzi Pratt for Eater

LAURELHURST — Renowned chef Renee Erickson and her Sea Creatures restaurant group have opened their fourth General Porpoise doughnut shop. The new Laurelhurst cafe, near University Village, features a unique selection of coffee roasters and a full slate of sugar-coated doughnuts filled with a seasonal selection of jams, jellies, curds, custards, and creams, from classics like vanilla custard to less-common options like peanut butter and jelly or rose cream. Still to come: a General Porpoise location in Los Angeles. Status: Certified open. 4520 Union Bay Place NE.

CENTRAL DISTRICT — Kin Dee has opened at the corner of 23rd and Madison, serving Thai standards like pad Thai and panang curry along with a handful of street food dishes like steamed chicken with garlic ginger rice and a side of broth (kao mun gai), duck noodle soup, and five-spice pork shank. Yelp reviews so far are largely positive, with diners enjoying the hot basil with chicken, pumpkin curry, and tom yum soup. Status: Certified open. 2301 E Madison St.

CAPITOL HILL — Melrose Market has gained a wine bar and bottle shop called Marseille, near Sitka and Spruce. The focus here is trendy natural wines, made with minimal intervention, like orange wine. Marseille is also open for lunch, brunch, and dinner, serving plates like clams with fennel in leek broth, braised monkfish in an almond saffron sauce, and avocado toast topped with spring onion and pickled shrimp. Status: Certified open. 1531 Melrose Ave.

July 19, 2018

Asadero Mexican steakhouse has moved to a bigger location in Kent.

Asadero/FB

KENT — Popular Mexican steakhouse Asadero, which also has a busy Ballard address, has moved to a bigger location in Kent. Owner David Orozco’s restaurant now has room for 80 diners — twice as many as before. He’s kept the menu mostly the same, with a few enticing additions: prime carnita con chile (braised tenderloin with ranchero salsa), vacio Akaushi (Akaushi bavette steak served on a hot stone), and bone marrow gorditas (bone marrow and chopped steak in thick corn tortillas). Orozco is also opening a Tacoma location in early 2019. Status: Certified open. 310 Washington Ave. N.

SODO — Urban Works, the collection of warehouses in Sodo, has added a Patterson Cellars tasting room. It joins other tenants — mostly wineries — like Kerloo Cellars, Sleight of Hand Cellars, Schooner Brewing Company, and Nine Pies Pizzeria. This is the fourth location for Patterson, which also pours its “approachable New World wines” in Leavenworth and at two Woodinville locations. Status: Certified open. 3861-D 1st Ave. S.

WALLA WALLA — Chef Jason Wilson (Miller’s Guild, the Lakehouse) is giving Seattleites another reason to trek out to Eastern Washington with Eritage luxury resort and restaurant. It’s set on 300 acres surrounded by vineyards in Walla Walla — recently named “Wine Town” of the year by Sunset Magazine. Guests have access to 10 suites and a menu of locally sourced ingredients from the area’s farmers and ranchers, plus a local wine selection, of course. Wilson’s Fire and Vine restaurant group is also working on Walla Walla Steak Co. and Crossbuck Brewing nearby. Status: Certified open. 1319 Bergevin Springs Rd.

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Source: https://seattle.eater.com/2018/7/19/17591028/seattle-restaurant-openings-summer-2018-bars

[spitefulqueenofdemons]

Come back to me

Summary: You are captured by Hydra and they force you to undergo Winter Soldier conditioning that steals your memories and turns you into a mindless Soldier.

Warnings: Cussing, angst, sorta fluff.

Word Count: 2699 (NO REGRETS!!!!)

A/N: Yeah, another bucky story. Sorry not sorry. Bucky is bae af.

Being an avenger has its ups and downs. The ups, Public recognition, hanging out with the coolest people ever, making lifelong friends, saving people. The downs, the occasional near death experiance, bloody lip, broken arm, being kidnapped. Which brings me to my point. I have been kidnapped.

Bucky’s point of view.

Missions are always the same. We get a call about bad guys. We go after the bad guys. The bad guys have some sort of nefarious plan to either capture us or kill us. They underestimate how good we are and then loose.

So of course I thought today would be like every other mission. Steve, Nat, Y/N, and I would go through the front doors. Tony would take sky patrol with Vision and Wanda and Pam would be in the quinjet for backup. Easy peasy.

Steve and Nat went one way while Y/N and I went toward the prize. It was a group of files that was supposed to have all the locations of the last few hydra bases. We get that file we can finally finish hydra off. Finally.

Then the soldiers came. “You take out the soldiers. Ill get the file.” Y/N’s sweet voice called out.

I didn’t want her to go for it alone, but her way seemed to be the only one that made sense. So I let her go while the soldiers surrounded me.

“Capture if possible. Terminate if necissary.” One of them called.

As they advanced with their stun rods I braced myself. One of them got close enough and I swung my metal arm, hitting him across the head and sending him into another one.

Then all hell seemed to break out. People were flying at me, and almost easily I countered every single one of them. A well-placed knee. A punch here or there. It was almost like dancing.

Finally, they were all subdued and I could continue on to where Y/N was hopefully waiting for me. “On my way.” I said into the com on my ear.

“Buck, I have been compromised. Find the file and get the hell out of there.” Her voice broke the calm of my composure.

I broke into a run. “What do you mean compromised. Y/N!” I called into the com, pushing through the doors. There was no answer. “FRIDAY! Open her com. Let me hear her!” He directed the artificial intelligence that had access to all tech Stark could get his hands on. 

“Bucky, what is happening?” Cap flooded my ear.

“Stay off the line, everybody, I need to hear this.” He commanded.

Her faint voice was traceable. “You guys are stupid. Honestly. You think Ill give you anything. Just kill me now and save the trouble.”

It sounded like the com wasn’t on her, but it was close by. I ran into the room the file was supposed to be in and found the back wall had been blown off and in the distance a hydra jet was dissapearing into the horizon.

“Stark, follow that damn jet!” He ordered.

“On it.” Stark said.

“Seriously Bucky. What the hell is going on?” Natasha’s voice found its way to my ear.

I started looking around frantic for the file. It probably had the base that they were taking Y/N to. “They got her. Hydra grabbed her. She hid the file though. We need to find it.”

Y/N’s voice chimed in again, only now it was an exhasperated laughed. “Jesus. You sure know how to use that thing. Hit me again. I dare you.” She was taunting whoever her captor was.

“Dumbass.” I muttered as I found the file. “FRIDAY, track her com and see if it is at any of these bases.” I demanded, putting the contents of the file in a weird electronic doodad that Nat and Y/N insisted on using.

In no time she had the location and we were on our way.

Nat tried to cheer me up but I wasn’t worried. I knew Y/N. She can handle herself.

Y/N’s point of view.

The man who was in charge of my ‘interogation’ landed a punch directly to my jaw. I spit out a puddle of blood and smiled. Sure it hurt, but the look on his face was worth it. “Come on. You hit like a girl. Hit me harder. You know you want to.” I teased.

“I know what you are trying to do agent. Your facade will be short lived. Soon you won’t be able to hold back your screams of pain.” The man had a heavy german accent.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh shut up hitler. Im starting to think you are all bark and no bite.” I teased, ignoring the stinging on my face.

The man was tired of my going on about how I could do this all day and all that. “Fine. No more mr. Nice torture. Now we bring out the big guns.” He said, snapping his fingers.

Two large men wheeled in a machine that looked quite familiar.

“Im sure you recognize this agent.” You said, pulling the chair you were in till it was under the machine. “I assume you have seen the Winter Soldier conditioning footage. You have until the machine warms up to tell me what I want to know.” He threatened, turning on the machine’s program.

Sure I was scared. Hell I was scared shitless, but I would never betray my people. “Hook me up and turn it on full power baby. This is just another weekend for me.” I said, instantly wishing I didn’t.

He shrugged. “As you wish.” He flipped the on switch again and the last thing I saw was the head piece lowering down over my eyes.

Bucky’s point of view.

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Natasha asked, moving up to the cockpit to leave me alone.

The com was stil on. “I assume you have seen the Winter Soldier conditioning footage.” I heard loud and clear. The male’s voice was easier to hear then the Y/N’s. “You have until the machine warms up to tell me what I want to know.”

My eyes glazed over as I remember the pain. If her memory wasn’t of use to them, then they were going to wipe it. We needed to hurry up. “Tony, tell me you are close.” I said into the com.

“No man. No closer then you. I lost the jet a while back.” Tony’s voice said. “Your like five minutes away.”

“Hook me up and turn it on full power baby.” Y/N’s voice reached my ears.

“NO!” I jumped to my feet and looked out the window. “Fucking step on it.” I hissed to Pam, who was flying the jet.

Y/N/s screams were the only thing I could hear. Her cries for help. Pleading to let her die. It killed me.

A hand on my shoulder pulled me away. “We are here.”

Y/N’s point of view.

Pain. It was worse then anything I had ever felt before. Ive been shot, hit, electrocuted, and broken before but nothing like this. This was hell. Everything that ever hurt me before all at once times ten in my head. It was enough to make me crave death. At least if I was dead I couldn’t feel it anymore.

Then it was over. The pain was gone. I wanted to ask why it was gone but I couldn’t. I couldn’t say anything. I could only open my eyes. The room was blotchy and bright.

“Agent Y/L/N?” He asked. I tilted my head in confusion. Who was that. Why was he asking me? Who is this?

His smile was pleased. “Good. A blank slate.” He said to himself. “I am the commander. Your handler. You do exactly as I say. Do you understand?” He asked.

I nodded. If he said that was what was happening, who was I to say different.

“Stand  up and show me what you can do.” He commanded. “Kill these men.”

I looked to the men on either side of me. They were larger then me, but if The Commander said I can do it then I guess I can.

In an instant they were both ready to attack me, but I was quicker. I delivered a knee to the one closest to me’s stomach before I threw my foot back to hit the other man in the nose. My foot finally came down on the first one’s foot, making him lurch forward, right into my waiting hand. I thrusted up as hard as I could, smashing into his nose and shattering it. The shards must have went into his brain, because when he went down he didn’t get back up.

The other man was watching in horror. He fell to his knees. “Please don’t kill me. Please.” He begged, his voice shaking.

I didn’t feel bad for him. I was told to kill him. He deserved to die. I had to kill him. So I walked over, pulled him up by the shirt and grabbed his throat with my hand. It was soft. His own hands clawed at the one that had him by the throat, and his nails tore at my flesh, but I ignored it. I only squeezed until I could feel my fingertips with my palm.

“Good work.” The commander complimented. “You nearly popped his head off. Not only are you agile and resilient, but you are incredibly strong too.”

There was a commotion outside the doors and the commander moved behind me. “I see your old friends have found you. Good. Kill the next person who walks through that door. That is an order.” He hissed.

I nodded. Old friends or not, it was my mission.

Bucky’s point of view.

I threw the guard against the door before tossing him to the side. Y/N was through that door. I had to see her. I kicked open the door and went inside.

She was standing tall, her eyes completly blank. Her right arm was bleeding from several scratches that littered her skin. Against one of the walls was the dreadful machine that had destroyed my life. There were two dead men in the room and hiding behind her was another man.

“Come on baby, Im breaking you out of here.” I said, holding out my flesh hand.

Her eyes didn’t register what I said. “Haha, you fool. You are too late!” The man behind her called. “Complete your mission!”

My heart dropped. Mission? They had used it on her. Before I could say anything to bring her out of it, her hand had grabbed my outstretched hand. Her fingers dug into the flesh with a strength I didn’t think she had.

Gracefully she spun and hit my body with full force, her other elbow dug into my ribs. “Y/N” I gasped as all my air left.

Her leg connected with mine, knocking them out from under me. I hit the ground hard and she was on me, her hands reaching for my throat.

My own arms were up, holding her hands still. “Y/N, stop. This isn’t you. You are not his pawn.” I tried to get through to her.

There was no reaction to her. Only her knees dug into my sides, making my drop my hands from hers and going after her knees. Big mistake. She pinned my arms down with her knees and wrapped her hands around my throat.

“Please.” I gasped with what little air I could.

Y/N’s point of view.

“Come on baby. You can do better then that.” Bucky’s voice taunted from above me. “Hit me. Come on.” He teased.

With determination, I threw my leg out in his direction and sweeped his legs out, making him crash hard beside me. I took that opportunity to roll over and climb on top of him. “I win.” I smiled.

His dark eyebrow arched and he smirked. “Did you?” He asked before throwing all his weight to one side, knocking me off. He put his knees on either side of me and pinned both my hands above my head with one hand. “I kinda feel like I might have won.” He said.

I rolled my eyes. “Sure you did.” I said.

His lips connected with mine and his hand left mine to trail down to the hem of my shirt.

I smirked and slammed my arm against his leg, moving it only a quarter of an inch, but it was enough to slide out from under him. Tackled him and this time wrapped my legs around his, holding his arms under my torso. “Dont get distracted old man.” I teased, letting my lips fall back to his.

My finger’s stretched over my target’s neck. Leaving him without breath. Seeing him like this wasn’t like with the others. I felt something. Something hurt.

“Finish him!” A very ugly voice called.

I looked at the man under me. His handsome face was turning a shade of blue. His eyes were bloodshot and his mouth was gaping, looking for air. My hand was keeping him from that air. All I had to do was move that hand. I could let him live. I could keep him from being in pain. I wanted to.

My hand loosened only slightly, and he took that opportunity. He used his weight to his advantaged and knocked me to the floor. He quickly pinned me and had my hands pinned with his legs like I had done. He was coughing, but all his senses were on keeping me pinned.

“Y/N. Please.” His voice was scratchy. “I know there is something left in you. Please.”

Bucky’s point of view.

She is still in there. I saw it. She let go. I know she did. I could get through to her. I could. “Baby. Don’t let this be you. Don’t be the winter soldier.” I pleaded. She squirmed under me, her eyes glazed over. “Doll, come on. I love you. Please.” I begged.

Y/N’s point of view.

“I love you.” I said, wrapping my arms around Bucky’s shoulders. He was flipping pancakes for us. “Why havent I ever said that before?” I asked, hopping up to the counter in front of him, blocking him from the pancake batter.

He shrugged. “Because you are an insensitive bitch.” He offered, making me laugh even harder. “Nah, I know you love me. You don’t have to say it.”

I shook my head and cupped his cheek with my hand. “But I want to say it. I want to say it all day long every day. I love you James Buchanan Barnes. You are my soldier.” I grinned ear to ear.

“And I love you Y/F/L/N. You are my best girl.” He said, putting the food stuff to the side and scooting up against me. His lips against mine sent chills down my spine.

Him on top of me sent chills down my spine. I hated being pinned, but something about right now, it was almost nice. I stopped fighting. I let him pin me.

“Y/N, baby. Listen to me. Whatever is going on in your head, you can end it.” The man’s voice finally reached me. “Come back to me. I love you. I need you. Come back to me baby.”

What is going on in my head. My target was right on top of me and I was just letting him be. I was just laying there. “Kill him!” My Commander’s voice found my ears.

Only I didn’t want to kill him.

Instead I smiled. My eyes met Bucky’s and I remembered just how much I loved him. “I love you too.” I said.

Bucky’s point of view.

“I love you too.” She recognized me. I let out a shaky breath. “Doll. You came back to me.” He said.

She scoffed. “I couldn’t stay away.” She said, leaning up and putting her lips on mine.

“NO! NO NO NO NO NO!” The german man’s voice pierced our moment.

I stood and glared at him. “You are so fucking dead.”

[placetobenation]

Lovecraft Country Ends with a Bang!

The season finale has found an audience — a very loyal audience. With creative, action-packed storytelling and a fantastic cast, how could it not? The socially-minded sci-fi horror fantasy netted a series high of 1.5 million viewers on Sunday night.

The season finale of the freshman series hit viewership highs on both linear and digital with 881,000 viewers tuning into the 9pm telecast which was 16% up from the series debut. On the digital side, there was almost a 90% increase from the season premiere.

On HBO Max, more subscribers viewed the finale of Lovecraft Country in its first day of availability than any other new episode of an original series on the streaming platform to date. On top of all that, Lovecraft Country has taken the #1 spot on HBO Max when it comes to original series. The first episode is currently approaching a staggering 10 million viewers.

Netflix Falls Short

Netflix fell short of its own guidance for earnings per share and subscriber growth in the third quarter,

Global subscribers totaled 195.15 million by September 30, up from 192.95 million as of June 30. The company had predicted it would add 2.5 million new subscribers, so the growth of 2.2 million was well short and the smallest of any quarter in years after a spectacular surge earlier this year amid COVID-19.

Competition, of course, has ramped up significantly in subscription  streaming with Apple, Disney, WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal having joined the fray over the past year.  Netflix said it was “thrilled” to be competing with so many rivals and noted Disney’s recent corporate reorg as a sign of how central streaming will be in the years to come. Of course, comparisons are very inexact given that Netflix is a pure-play streamer and its rivals have other businesses to look after, including legacy ones that throw off cash but are in decline.

Is it the competition, is it the quality of content, is it the ending of isolation and Covid quarantining? is Netflix headed for a dive now that all networks and stations have caught up with them? What is going to keep them on the monthly billfold? What are they going to do to make their $9.99 or $12.99 monthly charge worth it?  Netflix has been cancelling series left and right maybe trying to lighten the load. Maybe their boat is too heavy – or maybe they are saving up capital for a bigger bolder move to help them compete with Disney+ and Peacock and HBO MAX.  

One thing is for sure – these streaming platforms are a here to stay – and once this pandemic is over – who is going to earn the people’s trust, respect and money? It is great to see what you want, when you want it – and I don’t think in this digital age that streaming services are going to die out at all – but I do know that one service will try and become king and wipe out the rest. 

Question is – who?

Disney is Dealt a Blow

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom teased the release of reopening rules for theme parks in the state, saying cryptically, “We are going to break up the theme parks…Not just one or two brands, it is many different parts of the theme park industry.”

California’s director of Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly said Tuesday that smaller theme parks can resume operations in the state’s Orange Tier. Capacity will be limited to 25% or 500 visitors, whichever is fewer. Only outdoor attractions may reopen and only to guests who are residents of the same county.

All theme parks — which includes Disneyland in Anaheim and Universal Studios Hollywood — may resume operations in Tier 4, Yellow, which is much further down the road. At that point, the guest limit is 25% across the board and indoor dining establishments can only operate at 25% capacity.

The announcement drew a swift, negative reaction from executives at Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Legoland and others.

Masks must be worn in all parks at all times, except when visitors are eating or drinking. Reservations will be required for all parks, with temperature checks at the gate.

Orange County, where Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm are, is currently in the Red Tier. Los Angeles, home to Universal Studios, is in the most restrictive tier, Purple.

Under the Red tier: movie theaters and cultural ceremonies can open to 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer; gyms can open indoors to 10% capacity; childcare, drive-in theaters, family entertainment centers and hotels can open with modifications. Concert venues and live theater and festivals are still prohibited to operate.

Under the Orange tier: movie theaters and restaurants can open to 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer; bars, nail salons, childcare facilities, church services, day camps, doctors, family entertainment centers, gyms can open with modifications. Concert venues and live theater and festivals are still prohibited to operate.

Covid Stops Aretha

Three weeks after resuming production, filming on National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha came to a halt today after a background actor tested positive for COVID-19, sources said. I hear production was suspended for the day. It is unclear at the moment how long the shutdown will last; such decisions are often made day by day. Genius studio Touchstone Television declined comment.

Genius: Aretha, about the legendary singer Aretha Franklin, had filmed 5 1/2 episodes of its eight-episode order when production shut down mid-March amid the escalating coronavirus outbreak. Two weeks later, Nat Geo delayed the premiere of the limited series, originally slated for May 25, for “later this year.” An early 2021 debut is now considered a possibility.

Everyone can’t wait to see a project on Aretha – a feature film is set to come out, this mini series is about to come out – granted the woman was a legendary singer who covered all genres, even operas, with ease, but was her life that interesting? I know I’d love to see it, just to see the changes in the world and in music throughout her legendary career. Much like Ray. 

Everybody Loves Raymond Reunion

The cast of the classic CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond will reunite for the first time since the show ended in 2005 to honor their late costar Peter Boyle and raise money to battle the disease that ended his life.

Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Monica Horan and Raymond creator and Executive Producer Phil Rosenthal will participate in a 90-minute event that will include table readings of popular scenes from the series. (Costar Doris Roberts died in 2016.) Set for this Friday, October 23, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT., the event will benefit the Peter Boyle Research Fund of The International Myeloma Foundation.

No Peter Boyle, no Doris Roberts, this show might not be as joyous as we think. Doing it for a great cause, but without the two parents who basically were the whole show – these table readings could be flat as a pancake. 

Jeff Bridges Has Lymphoma

The sweet and beloved Jeff Bridges has been diagnosed with lymphoma. The Dude himself confirmed his illness on Twitter on Monday afternoon.

“As the Dude would say.. New S**T has come to light. I have been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good,” he shared. “I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.

Bridges, 70, wrote in a follow-up tweet that he’s received support from friends and family. The Big Lebowski star also urged his social media followers to vote in the upcoming election.

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. An estimated 8,480 people are diagnosed annually.

A big week to be sure, kids. You can catch me here every Thursday on PlaceToBeNation.com. Thanks for reading!

[jodyedgarus]

The Nationals, Yankees, Dodgers And Cubs Can’t Possibly Be This Mediocre … Right?

The 2018 MLB season may not even be a month old, but it’s never too early to start overanalyzing how teams have looked so far. That’s especially true this season, when many of the clubs slated to be favorites going into the year have stumbled a bit coming out of the gate. Most of these teams will probably be fine in the end — seriously, it is still very early to know anything about how the season will play out — but just the same, it’s worth checking on which aspects of their struggles should disappear in due time and which might be cause for real anxiety.

Washington Nationals (10-12)

What’s gone wrong: For a team supposedly built around pitching, Washington currently ranks fifth-to-last in the National League in adjusted ERA — though it hasn’t been the fault of the Max Scherzer-led starting rotation. No, the blame rests with a bullpen that collectively boasts a 5.78 ERA and has performed even worse in clutch situations. (Witness the Nats’ epic meltdown against the Mets last Wednesday.) Some bad early-season defense isn’t helping either, and despite Bryce Harper’s raw feats of power, the offense isn’t hitting enough to make up for the 4.6 runs Washington is allowing per game.

Cause for concern? Maybe. The Nats’ bullpen and defense were nothing special last season, either — they ranked 19th and 17th, respectively, in wins above replacement.1 Closer Sean Doolittle has been fine so far, however, and setup men Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler are not as bad as they’ve looked in the early going. This lineup should get on track, too, when Daniel Murphy and Adam Eaton return from injury — or when Michael Taylor and Ryan Zimmerman break out of their April slumps. (We’ve seen Zimmerman hit poorly before, but he rebounded last season and has been hitting the ball hard in 2018, despite his bad results so far.)

New York Yankees (11-9)

What’s gone wrong: For all their immense hype going into the season, the Yankees have been pretty “meh” starting out, scoring only 13 more runs than they’ve allowed (113 vs. 100). Prized new left fielder Giancarlo Stanton is striking out constantly, particularly in front of the home fans at Yankee Stadium, while the team’s pitching has been average at best. They’re wasting a great start to the season by shortstop Didi Gregorius; he’s looked like an MVP over the past three weeks, but the Yankees barely have a .500 record to show for it.

Cause for concern? Probably not. Although Stanton is pressing at the plate like some batters have been known to do in the pressure-packed New York media market, swinging at more pitches overall and whiffing on fastballs over the plate especially, he’s simply too good a hitter to not adjust eventually. (The ball he smoked at home on Friday might be a sign of things to come.) Likewise, scuffling starters Masahiro Tanaka and Sonny Gray should be better than the 7.22 ERA they’ve combined for so far, and a bullpen that ranked second in MLB in WAR last year is due for an improvement. Regression to the mean can work both ways, of course — Gregorius probably hasn’t fully made the leap to MVP level, for instance — but the Yankees should also benefit from better luck going forward: According to BaseRuns, which smooths out differences in the timing of offensive and defensive events, New York has been baseball’s fifth-best team so far, despite its record.

Los Angeles Dodgers (10-10)

What’s gone wrong: For one thing, Los Angeles’s offense is down this year, dropping from second in the NL last year to sixth in 2018, according to adjusted on-base plus slugging percentage. The Dodgers miss the production of third baseman Justin Turner, who fractured his wrist in spring training and has missed the entire season, and many of their other top hitters (Chris Taylor, Corey Seager, Yasiel Puig, the now-injured Logan Forsythe, etc.) are off to subpar starts. But an even bigger problem has been L.A.’s bullpen, which ranks 22nd in WAR a year after finishing fifth. Closer Kenley Jansen, usually the best reliever on the planet, sports a 6.23 ERA, and he’s already blown twice as many saves this year as he did all of last season.2

Cause for concern? Sort of. The Dodgers’ hitting issues should sort themselves out eventually — they’re still projected by FanGraphs to score the fourth-most runs per game in the NL over the entire season, and they ought to be even better than that once Turner comes back in May. The bullpen question may be longer-lasting, however, given Jansen’s struggles. Although he brushed off early concerns about his performance (and he recorded a pair of scoreless innings over the weekend), there were questions about Jansen’s velocity in the spring, which have only amplified a month into the season. According to BrooksBaseball.com, Jansen’s sinker is averaging only 93.6 mph this April, compared with 95.7 mph last April and 94.9 two Aprils ago. We know that unexplained changes in velocity may indicate the kind of injury or mechanical problem that leads to cold streaks or prolonged absences, and we also know how important Jansen was to the Dodgers’ bullpen last year (he accounted for 48 percent of their relief WAR by himself). If Jansen suffers a down season, it would seriously affect L.A.’s chances of returning to the World Series.

Chicago Cubs (10-9)

What’s gone wrong: The Cubs are scoring plenty and they’ve already enjoyed a few memorable moments in 2018 so far, including this ridiculous eighth-inning comeback against the Braves the Saturday before last. But their starting pitching and defense — i.e., the twin cornerstones of Chicago’s 2016 World Series run — have been surprisingly mediocre thus far. Although veteran lefty Jon Lester has basically been his usual solid self, none of the other rotation members have lived up to their previous track records, from club mainstay Kyle Hendricks to newcomers Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood and second-year Cub Jose Quintana. And if Cub pitchers used to generate easily fieldable balls in play, that’s no longer the case: The team is below average in defensive efficiency and ordinary in various other fielding metrics. (When even Jason Heyward is showing up as a negative in the field, your defense has problems.)

Cause for concern? Defensively, not really. Heyward may have lost a step in the field — which is worth keeping an eye on — but Chicago started slow on defense last season, too. They eventually managed to finish near the top of the advanced-metric leaderboards when all was said and done. But there might be real cause for concern in the subpar performance of the Cubs’ rotation, even after taking defense out of the equation. Chicago’s starters rank seventh-worst in fielding-independent pitching so far this season, continuing a three-year slide from fourth-best in 2016 to 10th-best last year, and now 24th-best in 2018. The optimist’s case is that this group is too talented to keep pitching so poorly — and walking so many batters, specifically — but the Cubs will have a hard time fending off the Cardinals and Brewers in the NL Central (much less reclaiming their superteam status) if they don’t start getting a lot more out of their rotation soon.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nationals-yankees-dodgers-and-cubs-cant-possibly-be-this-mediocre-right/