#please marvel release all the footage

[jubshead]

We’ll never know for certain how many times Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza made out

[steelbluehome]

Warning!

Extremely negative take on The Thunderbolts* footage below.

Dead Dove. Do not eat!

Hi sweeties! Just in case you thought you would just peek down here and maybe bring some optimism to the gremlins in cellar, thank you, sweet summer child, but you really should go back up to the rest of the internet where you have lots of beautiful people to play with. Thanks anyway! Bye!

Okay.

First things first, this had to happen on Sebastian's fucking birthday?!?!?!?

I have seen the Thunderbolts* footage. 5 times. Pausing at specific moments.

And, Bucky is not the in the scene where they "all" get trapped in the room, nor in the scene where they are "all" in a vehicle and Red Guardian is driving.

I don't blame the people who described the footage previously. They cannot be expected to look for Bucky like a dying person searches for a drop of water in the vast desert. That is my job.

Nevertheless, this is our first glimpse of Thunderbolts (sick of the fucking asterisk) and there is barely any Bucky in it. So what the fuck am I even waiting for?

I'm sorry if I inferred incorrectly that Thunderbolts would be Bucky's movie, since he is the character that has been in the MCU the longest and most consistently of all the characters in the movie, but what the fuck was I supposed to think?

I'm sorry if I incorrectly assumed from reports that Bucky would be the "leader" of the Thunderbolts, that this would be his time to shine.

And ex-fucking-cuse me if I extrapolated incorrectly that the reason Marvel split up the amazing team of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes was to give them each their own movie, therefore since Sam is absolutely the lead character in Cap4, Bucky would be the lead character in Thunderbolts!

But fuck me, Marvel, what the fuck are you doing?

Yes, looking back, I see that most MCU movies have the superhero name of the lead in the title. Again, I thought they did not do that because Bucky is no longer the Winter Soldier, as emphasized in TFATWS, and has no other code name, and that Bucky Barnes and the Thunderbolts would sounds like a bad name for a band. I thought it would at least be like the Avengers where he would have an equal part.

As far as Sebastian Stan, I think this is fucking disrespectful! He had to clear his schedule for this movie anyway, they could at least give him something to do!

Now, yes, maybe there is more of Bucky in the movie. Maybe these scenes are mostly from the beginning, and Bucky comes into it more in the middle and the end. Well he'd fucking better!

I will watch the next teasers and trailers, and if I see more of Bucky, I will be thrilled and very pleased.

But what is obvious to me is that they have actually made a movie about Yelena Belova, and for some reason stuck Bucky in there as a supporting character. (Or less?)

If I turn out to be wrong I will happily stand corrected.

But whenever this footage is officially released I intend to flood the internet with #Where'sBucky? And I hope anyone who feels the same, will do the same.

Thanks for listening to me rant. If you have a rant that agrees with mine, please add it. If you have read this far and disagree with me as far as how large a part Bucky will have in the movie, please put that in the tags.

Thunderbolts footage more centered

Bit bigger, maybe?

[alicerovai]

Again, I don't want to scare you or ruin your mood, but the Mobius you see in the currently released footage is our Mobius from season 1. He doesn't have his memories erased and he fully remembers Loki and everything that happened in season 1.

I'm saying this now because I don't want you to be disappointed when the show comes out. This very much is the same Mobius and I would tame certain expectations regarding his arc. I know some plot points of the season and I can reveal them in a separate private ask if you want.

Now you're worrying me, but please let me rant a little bit about the "new Mobius" theory (which is just an assumption I made from the recent releases, nothing cerebral).

So, we know that the Mobius Loki meets at the very end of s1 is a Mobius who doesn't know who Loki is ("who are you? What division are you from?" still haunts me).

In the first and never-seen trailer of Loki s2, the one they showed at the Disney Plus day or whatever that was called, we saw an extra scene (not shown in the recent released trailer) where Mobius and Loki are sitting at a table (where, we don't know) and Mobius is asking Loki "who said you were?" (probably replying to Loki's "I don't want to be the problem anymore Mobius", we couldn't hear the exact words because people were applauding and that was a leaked video).

(I can't find the leaked scene pics but this is the scene. The one I'm talking about is an extra dialogue that wasn't shown in the recent trailer).

Loki answers Mobius, "I don't know. My mother, my brother, the Avengers, Odin etc etc and... you". Mobius smiles softly. We all assumed that Mobius had no memory of what happened in season 1, so he doesn't recall calling Loki the villain, or accusing him of being a murderer (then fixing it saying Loki can be "whoever or whatever you wanna be, even someone good" btw). That's why he smiles, like saying "oh, didn't know that, sorry".

Also, I think the "lemon cake scene" takes place after Loki and Sylvie's reunion at the McDonald (and Mobius is there too). There's a scene where we see Loki and Sylvie, in the same rounded room with the cakes, talking (they're alone, Mobius isn't there anymore). That's in the trailer. Sylvie is wearing her own clothes again.

I assumed this scene takes place after the McDonald reunion and after Loki and Sylvie (and Mobius) have fought together (against what we don't know), and here Loki and Sylvie are confronting each other once again. But whether this scene is set before of after the fight, it must be at the beginning of the series (like in episode 2 or 3?).

This is the fight (you can see Mobius behind Sylvie):

The lemon cake scene was the one people has been calling the "jetski cafe scene" since the first leaked trailer, but I don't think that's from the jetski cafe set. I think it looks more like a TVA room (look at the circles on the top in the prev pic). We have zero scenes of the jetski set, except the one where Loki is surrounded by jet skis.

(if in this scene mobius doesn't show up I'm gonna sue marvel)

By the way, what makes me believe this Mobius doesn't know/remember who Loki is (besides the fact that we saw it at the end of s1), is how Mobius talks to Loki. In this scene, which may be set at the beginning while the two of them are searching for Kang (before Sylvie's return? Or later?), Mobius says "you're a man of action, which is fine... while I take a more slow deliberate cerebral approach... this is a good pie!". Like, why does he need to say that? They already know each other, don't they? It could be Mobius just joking around, but it sounds strange.

Why, if this is the same old Mobius, should he asks "who said you were?" to Loki when he perfectly knows Loki's backstory, and their own beginning of relationship? Why does he have to say he's not a man of action while Loki is? It all sounds very much like a Mobius who doesn't know/remember who Loki is, but he's teaming up with him again, ready to believe in him as he has always done.

Being said so, if you know something you can write me in private! There many rumors (a major character being killed off, the jet skis scene, and more) and I'm starting to get quite nervous and my expectations are pretty low (they have been so since the last episode of s1 which ruined my whole vacation day and I will never forgive marvel for doing that shit).

End of the rant!

[braveclementine]

Surprise?

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC Elizabeth Lightwood. I do not condone any copying of this.

"My mom tried to talk me out of enlisting but um, not Aunt Peggy." Sharon said as her and Steve walked through the hotel. "She bought me my first thigh holster."

"Very practical." Steve almost laughed. He wondered how old she was on that day and imagined a little toddler running around with a thigh holster on.

"And stylish." Sharon said. She pressed the up button and turned to face Steve.

"CIA has you stationed over here, now?" He asked.

"Berlin. Joint Terrorism Task Force." Sharon answered.

"Right. Right. Sounds fun."

"I know, right?"

"I've been meaning to ask you." Steve said, trying to fill the awkward pauses between. "When you were spying on me from across the hall-"

"You mean when I was doing my job."

"Did Peggy know?" Steve asked.

Sharon sighed, "She kept so many secrets. I didn't want her to have one from you." The elevator door dinged so that it opened for her, "Thanks for walking me back." She said.

"Sure." Steve said. He wanted to kiss her, but Sam interrupted them.

"Steve. There's something you gotta see."

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

"A bomb hidden inside a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna." The news anchor said as Sharon paced behind Sam and Steve, talking to someone on the phone.

"Whose coordinating?"

"More than seventy people have been injured. At least twelve are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Solder."

Steve felt the realization hit him, and then the guilt.

"The infamous HYDRA agent linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

"I have to go to work." Sharon whispered.

And then the hope.

They were going to find Bucky.

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

"Yeah?" Natasha's voice spoke into Steve's ear as he called her.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked immediately.

"Uh, yeah, thanks. I got lucky." There was a pause and then she said, "I know how much Barnes means to you, I really do. Stay home. You'll only make this worse. For all of us. Please."

"Are you saying you'll arrest me?"

"No. Someone will. If you interfere. That's how it works now."

"If he's this far gone, Nat, I should be the one to bring him in." Steve said heavily. He looked over at where he could see Nat, talking into her phone.

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one least likely to die trying." And then he hung up and walked into the café where Sam was eating.

"She tell you to stay out of it?" Sam asked and nodded his head, "Might have a point."

"He'd do it for me." Steve said.

"1945, maybe. I just want to make sure we consider all our options. The people that shoot at you usually wind up shooting at me."

Sharon joined them at the bar, "Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everybody thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of its' noise. Except for this." She quickly slid along a white packet. "My boss expects a briefing pretty much now so that's all the head start you're gonna get."

"Thank you." Steve said sincerely.

"And you're gonna have to hurry. We have orders to shoot on sight." Sharon said, before pushing away from the bar counter and leaving.

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

Elizabeth and Bucky were in the fruit stands. Bucky was wearing a sweatshirt and a baseball cap, his metal hand covered by a glove. She had grabbed some limes and Bucky was now speaking Romanian in a really hot accent and she loved listening to his voice.

He had such a nice voice. It reminded her of Loki surprisingly on a spectrum of voice ranges. In reality, they did have with different voices. But they were both eloquent and nice to listen to.

After they had paid, Elizabeth slipped her arm through Bucky's to act like they were a couple and she let him lead. He paused in the street and instead of heading back to the apartment, starting heading towards a newspaper stand.

"What's wrong?" She asked, seeing that the man who had left the newspaper stand was running down the street now. She grabbed the newspaper on the counter and saw with horror that he was being blamed for a bombing attack on the UN.

"Shit." Elizabeth cursed. "Bucky, let's get back to the apartment now." She pulled out her phone, "Y/N, you see me? Where? Okay, I see you. Hurry we need to get back to the apartment now."

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

"I'll make sure the apartment is safe." Bucky said, when he saw the door was open. He looked over at the two of you. Elizabeth nodded hesitantly, bending down so that she could pull out her shuriken's and knives. You pulled your pistol from the holster and waited.

It was a minute before you heard a familiar voice ask, "Do you know me?"

"You're Steve." Bucky said. "I read about you in a museum."

You hurried inside and stopped when you saw Steve there all suited up, Elizabeth next to you.

Steve looked at you. "Y/N? Elizabeth? What-"

Elizabeth hurried to Bucky's side. She had a faint smile on her face and nudged Bucky playfully. "Liar." Bucky smiled just a little.

"I know you're nervous," Steve said slowly, though he seemed rather confused now, "and you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore." Bucky said.

"He's telling the truth." Elizabeth said quickly. "Steve he hasn't left this apartment anywhere except for groceries in the past week."

"And how do you know that?" Steve asked.

"Because we've been here with him the entire time. When the UN building blew up, we were eating Ice-cream and watching the Sound of Music on his crappy little TV." Elizabeth answered, slightly angrily.

"A week!" Steve nearly shouted.

"Surprise." You said weakly, remembering how you said you wouldn't go looking for Steve's soulmate without him.

Oops.

"Okay, well the people who think you did are coming right now." Steve said quickly. You released the safety on your handgun. "And they're not planning on taking you alive."

"Well they can just try on getting through me." Elizabeth said heatedly.

"That's smart." Bucky said instead. "Good strategy."

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck." Steve said. You could hear the footsteps pounding outside.

Bucky sighed heavily. "It always ends in a fight."

"You pulled me from the river." Steve said angrily as Bucky took off his glove. "Why?"

"I don't know."

Elizabeth shook her head and muttered 'Liar' to you again.

"Yes, you do." Steve muttered.

A grenade came through the window, which Steve hit with his shield. It bounced off the window and Elizabeth kicked it towards Steve, who slammed his shield over it. Bucky hoisted the mattress to block the next shots and you leaned around, firing and knocking someone off the nearby building. A battering ram hit Bucky's door.

Bucky slammed the kitchen table that you had been so used to eating at, at the door, which jammed it shut.

One of the men came through the window. Elizabeth tackled, him getting her legs around his neck and choked him out, though she didn't kill him. Bucky punched the second one straight in the face.

"Buck stop." Steve said as they worked together to kick someone out of the room. "You're gonna kill someone."

Bucky slammed Steve to the ground, punching his hand into the floor. "I'm not gonna kill anyone." He grabbed his backpack that he had hidden there, throwing it out the window. Bullets started to spray. Steve grabbed Bucky, trying to block the two of them from the bullets, while you grabbed Elizabeth and threw the two of you behind the wall.

Bucky grabbed Steve and threw him at one of the soldiers so the two of them crashed through the window on Bucky's balcony. You watched as he used his metal hand to block the bullets, before smashing the man into his bookshelf.

Elizabeth joined Bucky as he smashed down his own front door and started to fight his way down the stairs. Meanwhile, you jumped through the window, kicking the gun from the man's hands, helping Steve to his feet.

"Me and you are going to have a talk after this." Steve said angrily, breaking the rest of the window to get back in.

"Yep." You muttered unhappily.

You sighed as Steve decided to just jump entire stairwells instead of running down the stairs like a normal person. Then you saw that both Bucky and Elizabeth were jumping stairwells too. Elizabeth looked like a fricking gymnast as she swung from the railings to the next floor.

Okay, so you were going to run down the stairs like a not normal person apparently.

By the time you got to where Steve was, he was just leaping off the building like a fucking moron, landing on the other building.

"Aw c'mon." You groaned.

"Hold on cause there's no seatbelts." Elizabeth sighed, before turquoise mist wrapped around your body. You screamed as you were catapulted to the other side of the roof. You landed on the cat man, knocking him to the ground. You rolled off quickly, shaking.

"I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!" You screamed as Elizabeth launched herself over, rolling.

"Love you too bestie." Elizabeth sang.

And then, they were jumping off that roof too, just one after the other. Elizabeth groaned this time. "You know, I only have so much magic."

"I want Pietro." You whined as she lowered the two of you gently to the ground. You caught sight of two motorcycles. "On the other hand."

Elizabeth glanced over. "We need permission, right?"

"What would Loki do?" You asked as a joke, the two of you racing for the bikes.

"He'd totally steal these. Definitely makes it right." Elizabeth joked and the two of you took off on the bikes.

You sped in and out of the cars, finding the on ramp to get under the tunnel where the others were just running past cars like dumbasses. Seriously, they could get hit!

"Listen." Elizabeth shouted over to you as the two of you attempted to catch up. You watched Steve steal a car and nodded your head in approval. "I need you to block the cat man. I'm going to try and get Bucky on my bike. I think if I can get us away from civilization, I can get him to Asgard. Once we're safe there, I can work on his mind more. Loki can help me as well."

"Okay." You said, trying to get the AR-12 out of your own backpack while you drove. You positioned it over the handle bars and shot out the tires on another car. "The cat man seems powerful though, I'm not sure how that's going to go."

"Hopefully Sam and Steve join in on the help." Elizabeth said, driving off onto your left, speeding through more cars. You quickly pulled up, passing Steve in his car, which the cat man had just jumped on.

Elizabeth had almost pulled up level with Bucky, before he stole a bike from somebody while they were speeding past him, somehow straddling it in midair and taking off. Seriously, it was like he had super strength- oh wait.

Elizabeth was riding level with him now, the two of them looking like they were racing each other. She was shouting stuff at him, and you decided to focus more on yourself now, reaching behind you, trying to shoot the cat man off of Steve's car.

Suddenly, the cat man grabbed Sam while Bucky planted an explosive. The cat man then leaped off of Sam, popping the back wheel of Bucky's tire. He went down and Elizabeth flipped off her bike to stop and get back to Bucky. The Cat man threw her away easily. You flipped off your bike- on accident unlike Elizabeth- as your tires hit rocks. You tumbled off and rolled, while Steve ran and tackled the cat man.

Elizabeth was by Bucky's side in an instant, shuriken's in her hands. You limped to their side, holding your pistol and AK. Cars and sirens surround you on all sides.

All of a sudden, Rhodey dropped from the sky, gun out, and lifted his hands. You groaned. Party over. "Stand down, now." Steve put his shield in his holster, raising his hands, "Congratulations Cap. You're a criminal."

"Leave him alone." Elizabeth snapped as they shoved Bucky to the floor. They shoved her to her knees as well, arresting her too. You let the handcuffs be put on you easily and your eyes widened when the cat mask was taken off.

"Your highness." Rhodey said.

[seerofmike]

mike 2024 year in review

2022 vers

2023 vers

this is something i do every year to reflect on my top 7 movies and top 7 games that i watched and played :D i really think doing my monthly stuff this year has helped me retain a lot of information better.

there were several movies i didn't get to see this year that i wanted to (the substance, anora, and lisa frankenstein, most notably) but i will probably get to those this year)

ALL movies are 2024 releases, but the games can be from any year since i don't often play games the year of release--not major games anyways. anyways here are my top 7 movies and top 7 games, in alphabetical and alternating order (i.e. movie/game/movie/game etc):

I Saw the TV Glow

i was not kidding when i said this movie changed my life its been over 6 months since i saw it and im still thinking about it literally all the time. im considering getting a tattoo???? anyways if u are trans (or even if ur not actually. go enjoy cinema) please watch this. u will feel so so so so different. forever.

Balatro (2024)

this game has irreparably changed my brain chemistry. number go up

Late Night with the Devil

i still think this movie was lame as hell for that AI shit but ive been thinking about it a lot this year. having a 'lost special' / 'found footage' film about the behind the scenes material of a set being terrorized by the occult becuz their host sucks ..... it was cool ! just sucks about the AI thing. hopefully david dastmalchian gets other bigger projects

Cult of the Lamb (2022)

i think gameplay wise cotl has a lot to live up to but i cant count hades 2 for my year in review since its in early access to cotl gets to be here instead. i DO find all of its aesthetics charming and neat. so this isnt a pity spot in the list. but it is carried here entirely by little guys and a banging ost

Love Lies Bleeding

in retrospect i still think the ending of Love Lies Bleeding was my favorite theater experience of the year. man. you had to be there. people were screaming. laughing. cheering. yelling "WHAT" at the screen. top tier moment. extremely sweaty greasy wlw revenge that ends in the most batshit bonkers way possible. im obsessed. genuinely

Long Live the Queen (2012)

i had to uninstall this from my computer because i was doing math for fun in my free time whenever i wasnt playing it, planning ahead. the demons are tempting me back

Transformers One

im kind of in awe that this movie flopped so hard because i thought it was GOOD. like actually good. it was funny and i really enjoyed the character arcs am i just lame or is everyone else lame

Marvel Rivals (2024)

in a year where apex sucks absolute bootywater, and i needed a new shooter the most, marvel rivals came to me. and this time, if the lore sucks, most of the characters have decades worth of comic history to look into! hurray

Wicked

i saw this movie 5 times in theaters. i am not a musical fan. thats all im gonna say

Mouthwashing (2024)

im giving mouthwashing my fav game of the year award. theres just so much to say about it and i dont think ill ever have time to articulate it all. its just so mundanely horrifying beneath the flashing lights and body horror. and i think that really, really helps it stand out, as well as having a strong visual identity with these ps2-ass graphics and the way certain interactions are framed with cinematic intent in mind. theres so many deeply haunting moments in this game that arent even necessarily borne from the true horror stuff like the gore and the nightmare sequences. theres a reason that so many people have drawn art to represent that dead pixel

The Wild Robot

i thought this movie was just kind of delightful, a very pleasant experience. not particularly deep but i dont think it needs to be. lupita nyong'o i love you

Night in the Woods (2017)

so i've tried playing nitw like twice before and i could just never really stick it out. both first playthroughs i think i made it as far as day 3 when you have to decide whether to start hanging out with bea or gregg and then for some reason i was just never interested enough to go back and finish the game. but this year i decided i was gonna, and not only that, but i ended up 100%'ing the game! i can see why so many people fell in love with it and there are several moments i think about a lot, particularly mae meeting 'god' and everything with germ becuz i like him :)

Young Woman and the Sea

i kinda had to sit and go damn would this movie really make my top 7? and i decided yeah. it would. i really enjoyed it. it's just a solid entertaining time. i even learned a little something. it's not often that happens xp

Slay the Spire (2017)

so like nitw, i have played slay the spire before, but i never really was too deep into it? this year, however, i GOT into slay the spire, and man i am not looking forward to when my job starts back up and i sink another 40 hours into this thing out of boredom. it consumed my life. just one more run....

[tocinephile]

Why Documentaries Are More Accessible

I'll be the first to admit I will take a fictitious narrative film over a documentary any day but I don't think the latter deserves its reputation as boring or uninteresting.

Yes, we're having a discussion about documentaries in this post because Toronto's Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival begins tomorrow. It runs April 25-May 5, 2024 at the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema, TIFF Lightbox, and Scotiabank Theatre. Full film into can be found on the Hot Docs Website.

Documentaries, like all films, come in many forms, subjects, and styles. Don't be shocked if you watch one and it's not to your liking. There are advantages to watching docs though, beyond expanding your knowledge.

Documentaries often have a shorter runtime. With the average runtime of a Marvel Movie being upwards of 2.5 hours and everyone voicing concerns for their bladder health every time Martin Scorsese releases a film, it's been my experience that most docs run about 1.5 to 2 hours. That's for a feature length documentary, many docs also come in a medium format with run times closer to 45min to 60min. Think about how many docs you can watch compared to movies. Nevermind whatever 8 episode show you're currently streaming.

2. Reality is often stranger than fiction. Think of the current True Crime fad, and the number of shows that are based on bizarre real events. Every time I think of the events portrayed in Netflix's Inventing Anne my mind is still blown. Well, surprise surprise... the "true" in True Crime makes it a documentary!

3. "Documentary" is not synonymous with "educational", not like that's a bad thing but for those who think of docs as glorified lectures, it's simply not true. Many experimental films, character portraits, bizarre theories, and antics fall under this category and I've seen many a hysterical and/or nonsensical doc.

4. Documentaries expand your thinking. You don't need to know about a subject to go see a doc, you don't need to agree with what's being presented, and you don't need to emerge an expert. Just by opening yourself to a new experience and info and you will come away enriched no matter what. (ie. Have I dozed off during a foreign doc about forestry? Yes! Did I learn a bit about clear cutting and environment impacts before I fell asleep? Yes. Did I realize it was a matter of grave importance? Yes. Did I realize I should maybe think twice before I pick a similar film at a future festival? Hell yes. See... mind expanded.)

I'd like to reiterate I am currently not affiliated with any organizations nor am I member of the press. I don't have any embargo info so I will not post any reviews about Hot Doc films (before a film screens, or really at all... feel free to ask me though) but I think you should see these films:

Born Hungry - which goes beyond pretty food footage and delves into the life of Toronto Chef Sash Simpson's incredible journey

2. Grand Theft Hamlet - which was created entirely within the video game. The concept is both ingenious and absolutely ridiculous.

Outside of documentaries, this is what I have on my watchlist (but realistically I will see none of them anytime soon so no spoilers please)

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Challengers (I try my best to catch all of Luca Guadagnino's films)

The Fall Guy

[msclaritea]

Takeaways From CinemaCon 2024: Not Enough Movies, Too Much Testosterone

Story by Sharon Waxman

 • 1d • 5 min read

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 11: Dwayne Johnson speaks onstage at the Walt Disney Studios Presentation during CinemaCon 2024 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.© TheWrap

There's some good work coming up: Universal's "Wicked" at Christmas will be incredible. Disney's "Kingdom of Planet of the Apes," coming next month, looks otherworldly. Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17," in which Robert Pattinson keeps dying and getting cloned, from Warners, looks insane in the best possible way. 

But the strike took its toll. The studios don't have the full complement of movies and there's no way around it: 2024 is going to be painful at the box office. The hope in the room (and there was some) is really about 2025 and 2026. 

A week in Las Vegas at the annual CinemaCon gathering of movie exhibitors with midday cocktail parties at Nobu (thanks Lionsgate) didn't mask the fact that the coming eight months of movies will be scraped together after a brutal year.

"It will be painful for moviegoers who want something other than angry shoot-em-ups, ear-shattering sound tracks and constant horror. The slates of Warner Bros., Paramount and Lionsgate particularly screamed of unrelenting testosterone and a stream of fear, anger and retribution." 

Chris Aronson, Paramount Domestic Distribution chief, at CinemaCon (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for CinemaCon)© Provided by TheWrap

"I've said it before: Is there no joy, no tenderness, no intimacy permitted as part of the moviegoing experience? Do we audiences ever get to dream? To feel awe and empathy in between the white-knuckle moments? Are Hollywood executives who greenlight the movies unfamiliar with ... y'know, kindness? Think about it please."

(Me: YES!)

Here are my CinemaCon takeaways. 

1. Disney might have had the fewest movies, but it has the biggest winners, and had the best presentation. Several years ago, Disney -- at the top of its game and in the height of arrogance -- showed up to CinemaCon and presented a giant screen with a calendar of its upcoming releases. And that was it. This year, the studio tried a lot harder, presenting delightful chunks of footage from their slate -- including a stunning glimpse of "Apes" -- and onstage patter, with everyone from Marvel's Kevin Feige to the dapper distribution chief Tony Chambers dropping the F-bomb. It was liberating, honestly. Disney's strength lies in its array of brands that cater to audiences and taste across the board, and in a year like this one it showed: movies for kids with "Inside Out 2" and "Moana 2," the latter of which was presented by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson; a sensory, four-quadrant experience like "Apes"; and a fully hilarious foray into R-rated superhero fare with "Deadpool & Wolverine." Actually, it was refreshing to not be bombarded with classic Marvel superhero fare. The studio was smart to let the movies do the talking, and the exhibitors responded with cheers of appreciation. 

2. New Line lives? The Warner Bros. slate presented by Mike DeLuca and Pam Abdy (maybe not professional moderators, but at least real humans) felt like nothing so much as New Line Cinema circa the 1990s, where DeLuca spent a decade of his career. The movies were heavy on genre -- violent action, horror and crime. So sure, "Furiosa" by George Miller with Anya Taylor-Joy, is a feast for all the senses. But by the time you got through "The Watchers" (horror), "Traps" (thriller), "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" (fantasy-horror) and Todd Phillips' follow-up to "Joker" -- "Folie a Deux" (I don't know what to call this thing, but it's mad creepy) -- the audience was begging for a reason to laugh or cry — anything but cower in fear. The movie on the Warner slate that got the strongest response from the CinemaCon audience was not made by Warner. It was the Sundance documentary "Super/Man," acquired by the studio. The trailer they showed about the courage of Christopher Reeve, the love of his wife and his devotion to his children, made everybody cry. Yeah, Hollywood, that's a thing. 

3. "Where are the women?" That's what I scrawled in my notebook after the third consecutive studio presentation and the umpteenth cast with a half-dozen men and one single woman. (Actually, it was after Paramount's animated "Transformers One" and the studio's decades-later sequel of "Gladiator 2.") Not only weren't there movies to appeal specifically to a female audience, even the so-called "broad" appeal movies have overwhelmingly male casts and a token woman. "Gladiator II" has Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington ... and Connie Nielsen. "Transformers One" has Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and a bunch more guys ... and Scarlett Johansson🙄. This absurd imbalance was supposed to have been addressed after the awakening of #MeToo, no? Women are half the population, and we like movies, too. But you'd never know it from these slates. Lionsgate was especially egregious in trotting out a full slate of movies that were a litany of violent combat, breaking bones, machetes and knives. Guy Ritchie and Eli Roth were in the mix, of course. Keanu Reaves was in four of the movies. One guy got stabbed in the eye. "Ballerina" stars a woman (Ana de Armas) but it's no less violent for that. I don't know what they're eating over there, but it feels like a diet of nails and rawhide.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the stars of "Wicked," at CinemaCon in Las Vegas (Credit: David Becker/WireImage)© Provided by TheWrap

4. Universal is riding high after its Best Picture win with "Oppenheimer" and a box office performance that defied expectations in 2023.

(Oppenheimer, THE FLOP, had to stay in theaters for FIVE MONTHS, to make its bank back! Dear God!)

 And while the studio, blessedly, had a variety of films on its slate that suggested something other than just horror and violence (although they're going hard on the Blumhouse canon with sequels to "Five Nights at Freddy's" and "M3ghan"), that slate is undeniably thin. It's going to be a long wait until December, when the studio can unveil what appears to be a spectacular experience in "Wicked," starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the first of two films. Director Jon M. Chu said the production planted 8 million tulip bulbs to create the practical effect of fields of blooms in the movie. Universal cleverly gave every attendee at their presentation a tulip that lit up in the dark and created a magical, glowing effect in the auditorium.

5. Nepo-baby alert. I would have thought that Warner Bros. would be embarrassed to bring not one but TWO M. Night Shyamalan progeny out on stage to tease their new movies. There was 22-year-old Ishana with a twist on her dad's horror in the woods genre; and 27-year-old Saleka who sang live, which was probably not a great decision for "Trap," written and directed by M. Night. But then again, the studio is merely being paid a distribution fee for movies Shyamalan has financed himself.

Good luck to the box office, and see you next year, CinemaCon!

[doamarierose-honoka]

Marvel Studios' first Disney+ series of 2024, Echo, was given a rather shocking rating by the MPAA.

All eyes are currently on Loki Season 2 and The Marvels, but Alaqua Cox's Echo isn't far off.

The upcoming series was originally supposed to release every single episode on November 23, but it was ultimately delayed to January 10, 2024.

Now, all six episodes are still set to come out on January 10, but with the arrival of a brand-new trailer for the show, Echo will also be available to stream on Hulu as well as Disney+.

Echo Receives TV-MA Rating

Marvel Studios released the first official trailer for the upcoming Echo Disney+ series, starring Alaqua Cox in the titular role.

However, at the end of the trailer, it was surprisingly confirmed that the show was given a TV-MA rating when an end card popped up that stated, "Set your Disney+ profile to TV-MA to stream."

The upcoming animated Marvel Zombies Disney+ show was the first Marvel Studios project to be TV-MA, but since Echo will be released on January 10, 2024, it will officially become the first Marvel Studios Disney+ series to have that rating.

Why Is Echo Rated TV-MA?

The recently released trailer for Echo teased that the MCU show will not shy away from violence in the slightest, and fans can probably expect it to rival the level of brutality often seen in the Daredevil Netflix series.

For example, at the beginning of the released footage, Kingpin was shown beating someone up, and a shot lingered on his extremely bloody hand in the aftermath.

Another shot featured a character upside-down with blood running out of their mouth, nose, and eyes, proving to the audience that this upcoming show is violent.

Many fans thought that Moon Knight should have explored the character's vicious nature a little further than it did, so it seems as though Marvel Studios listened and is planning to go all out with Echo.

By showing this level of violence, Echo will undoubtedly bring back some of the horrific elements of Kingpin's character, making him an even more terrifying villain in the long run.

Viewers can now expect Daredevil: Born Again to also feature a TV-MA rating when it finally comes out, which will surely please many fans of Charlie Cox's Netflix series.

Echo is set to release all six of its episodes on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10, 2024.

[hardynwa]

Jonathan Majors reportedly has 'more alleged abuse victims' coming forward following his arrest

More alleged abuse victims of Jonathan Majors have reportedly come forward after the Marvel actor was arrested on domestic violence charges for attacking a 30-year-old woman in New York City back in March. A source claimed to the outlet on Wednesday that the unidentified women 'are cooperating with the Manhattan district attorney's office' ahead of Majors' court appearance on May 8. His lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, once again insisted he was innocent in a statement provided to Buzzfeed News after the Variety report: 'Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated.' It comes just one day after the Marvel star, 33, was dropped by his management company Entertainment 360 in wake of the controversy, as per Deadline. They also noted that Majors had parted ways with his public relations firm, The Lede Company last month. Majors and fashion house Valentino both reportedly 'mutually agreed' that he would not attend the annual Met Gala as one of their guests this year. The rising star was arrested on March 25 on charges of, 'strangulation, assault and harassment' after an incident with an unidentified woman, 30. They reportedly got into an argument after which Majors allegedly proceeded to 'attack her,' causing visible injuries such as a, 'laceration behind her ear, redness, and marks to her face.' An NYPD statement read, 'A preliminary investigation determined that a 33-year-old male was involved in a domestic dispute with a 30 year-old female. The victim informed police she was assaulted and officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident.' His attorney Priya Chaudhry released a statement on March 27 that read, 'Jonathan Majors is completely innocent and is probably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows. 'We are quickly gathering and presenting evidence to the District Attorney with the expectation that all charges will be dropped imminently,' the statement continued. The attorney added the, 'evidence includes video footage from the vehicle where this episode took place, witness testimony from the driver and others who both saw and heard the episode, and most importantly, two written statements from the woman recanting these allegations.' 'All the evidence proves that Mr. Majors is entirely innocent and did not assault her whatsoever,' Chaudhry continued. She added, 'this incident came about because this woman was having an emotional crisis, for which she was taken to a hospital yesterday.' 'The NYPD is required to make an arrest in these situations, and this is the only reason Mr. Majors was arrested. We expect these charges to be dropped soon,' she said. The lawyer also released a text message from the woman - redacted to protect her identity - where she took blame for the altercation. 'Please let me know you're okay when you get this. They assured me that you won't be charged. They said they had to arrest you as protocol when they saw the injuries on me and they knew we had a fight. I'm so angry that they did. And I'm sorry you're in this position. Will make sure nothing happens about this. I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone. I only just got out of hospital. Just call me when you're out. I love you,' the text read. Majors is currently expected to appear before a New York City judge to face multiple counts of harassment and assault on May 8. Read the full article

[crankynewt]

Good for a Weekend (Helmut Zemo)

Masterlist

Summary: You were retired, a disgraced Avenger content living the rest of their life out in solitude. But Sam and Bucky's shenanigans dragged you back into the hero life and you found yourself face to face with the man who'd got you into this mess in the first place. The question is, however, is he really who you thought he was? Or are you just as crazy as him?

Pairing: Helmut Zemo x Reader

Warnings: TFAWS Episode 3 Spoilers, Zemo (he's a warning), swearing, mentions of torture and experimenting (past), drinking, Zemo being semi-protective, I think that's it??

Word Count: 3.41k

Author's Note: Biting the bullet and writing this BEFORE Marvel does something to get us to hate him again. Also, ZEMO AND BLANK SPACE WORK SO WELL TOGETHER OMG.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” You murmured, looking at the message from Sam flashing across your phone. Although you had stopped dead in your tracks, the chaos of the bustling streets of London continued around you. You pushed your sunglasses further up your nose, them having fallen down as you were peering at the screen of your burner cell.

‘Need your help in Madripoor ASAP,’ the text read. You weren’t daft, you knew exactly what kind of lawless entropy happened on that Indonesian island and if Sam was asking for your help, that meant he was in some deep shit.

‘I’m retired,’ you replied, glancing over your shoulder out of habit. Although you’d been pardoned after the Berlin incident by the government, you were still a disgraced Avenger in the eyes of the world. All you wanted was to live the rest of your life out in peace, a future without the world-saving you began when you left HYDRA with the Maximoff twins.

You hadn’t chosen to become a human lab rat, tortured and exposed to the mind stone until you could suddenly hear the thoughts of others in your head. Telepathy and telekinesis were not necessarily the kind of special skills that employers wanted to see on a resume, but alas, here you were. Thankfully, however, you'd learned to block them out until necessary to violate people's privacy. Fighting aliens and other superpowered entities, including the people you’d once considered to be your family, were in the past.

‘Please. It’s Bucky,’ Sam messaged again. Those three words were enough to make your blood run cold and your heart stop. Bucky was the reason you were in this mess in the first place, and you would be damned if the ex-assassin was going to fall back into the clutches of evil.

With a sigh, you typed back ‘fine’ and began the trek towards your apartment. Your phone was vibrating again immediately, Sam explaining that they would be picking you up at a small airstrip on the edge of the city.

Three hours later, you were walking along a long, concrete runway, the harsh England wind attacking your body as you pulled your leather jacket tighter around you. Your brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of a civilian jet rather than the military-esque vessels you’d become accustomed to. The steps were awaiting your ascent with an older man stood adjacent to the entrance.

“Ms.(Y/L/N),” he greeted. A thick accent laced his tone, one you couldn’t quite determine from the crackling of age in his voice. German or Russian, most likely, you deduced. Attempting to be polite despite your skepticism, you gave him a tight-lipped smile and handshake before the elder man gestured towards the stairs for you. Entering the jet, you turned right to be met with the familiar faces of Sam and Bucky.

“(Y/N)!” Bucky exclaimed, rising from his seat and embracing you in a hug. He held you tightly against his body, almost as if he wasn’t sure you were really there. The super soldier had taken a liking to you when the two of you stayed in Wakanda during your exile, both of you having a certain understanding of the other due to your shared experiences with HYDRA. The sergeant had become somewhat of a brother to you in your time away together. “What are you doing here?”

“Sam messaged me.” You replied, Barnes’ arms immediately releasing you as he whipped around to face Sam.

“You tattled on me to (Y/N)?” He scoffed. If looks could kill, Sam would have dropped dead from the darkness in Bucky’s orbs.

“Wait, if he’s okay then what am I here for?” You said, shifting your gaze to Sam as you raised a brow.

“You’re here to make sure that he stays in line.” Sam snapped, crossing his arms over his chest as Bucky let out an exasperated ‘Jesus Christ’ under his breath.

“Bucky’s fine, Sam.” You replied, rubbing your face with your hand in annoyance as you glanced at the super-soldier.

“He’s not talking about James.” A new voice sounded from behind you, one both vaguely familiar but also strange. Whipping around, you were met with a face you’d only ever seen through a screen. Zemo.

“What the fuck is he doing out of prison?!” You exclaimed, looking between Sam and Bucky in utter disbelief.

“Bucky broke him out of jail!” Sam exclaimed, pointing a finger towards the super-soldier.

“Sam’s the one who pulled me into this mess!” Bucky pointed back.

“You two morons have reached a whole new level of dumbassery!” You exclaimed, keeping a cautious gaze on Zemo in the corner of your eye. “You broke out the man who ripped apart the Avengers out of jail and you let him do it?! The same man who killed King T’Chaka! Do neither of you remember what T’Challa and the people of Wakanda just did for us after we became enemies of the state?! I cannot believe that you would betray their trust and help this monster to escape!”

You paused for a moment, breathing heavily as you looked at the ashamed faces of Bucky and Sam in front of you.

“I’m sorry to-” You heard Zemo begin, you turned to face him with utter rage shining in your eyes. “No! The grown-ups are talking, you can wait your turn.” You scolded him, almost as you would a child but just a tad harsher. Grown-ups may have also not have been the best choice of words to describe Wilson and Barnes.

“I don’t want any part of this suicide mission!” You snapped at the duo, moving to leave.

Thirty minutes later, however, you were still on the jet, glaring into a pair of brown eyes as the four of you flew through the air. Honestly, you couldn’t believe you were still there, but Sam and Bucky knew you too well and pushed just the right buttons to convince you to stay. Sam needed you to tap into Zemo’s mind if need be to figure out if he was planning on betraying them, and you didn’t want two of the last people you trust getting themselves killed if you could prevent it.

Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum were sitting across from each other, meaning that you got stuck sitting across from the Baron in silence. He shifted uncomfortably under your gaze, the darkness in your (Y/E/C) orbs not sitting well with the man.

“So, you read minds.” He began, rubbing his hands together anxiously. You noted the nervous tick and couldn’t help but feel amused at his discomfort, but your expression never faltered.

“You don’t need to make small talk.” You bit, your icy tone growing colder in every syllable.

“I’m genuinely curious, is all.” He began, pausing his fiddling to brush his hair back only to resume it once more. “It just seems like for someone with your abilities, you’re often an overlooked member of the team. You’re the most powerful, even more so than Maximoff or Banner, perhaps, yet you were never truly an Avenger, were you?”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m retired.” You muttered, ending your glaring to gaze out the window. The way Zemo spoke about you was unsettling, especially considering how he felt about the Avengers. He seemed not to think that you were part of the team, similarly to Bucky, and that brought you a feeling of unease.

“And why is that?” Zemo pushed, your avoidance evidence that he’d struck a chord.

“Why do you care?” You scoffed, looking back at the Sokovian man, both annoyance and exhaustion present in your tone.

“Because I think you’re like me.” He answered, his tone becoming quieter. Zemo didn’t look at you with the same rage you’d seen in footage from 2016, nor with the amusement that he gazed at Bucky and Sam with. No, it was something different, softer and analytical, perhaps. You wanted to peer into his mind for something, anything to figure out what he was thinking, but he would likely feel your prodding into his consciousness. As of now, he didn’t seem to have any plans to betray you guys, and you wouldn’t be the one to give him a reason.

“That’s enough from you.” Bucky interrupted, rising from his seat to switch places with you, his brotherly possessiveness clear as day.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, and Zemo provided the three of you with costumes for the roles you were to play in Madripoor. Yours seemed to have been designed specifically to be horribly uncomfortable, both in feel and the amount of skin that was exposed in the cool evening air. The three of you were making your way towards the glowing city shining in the distance, the nerves in your stomach rising with each step.

“Only an American would assume a fashion-forward Black man looks like a pimp.” Zemo explained in response to Sam’s protests over his own outfit. “You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.”

“He even has a bad nickname.” Sam said, looking at the picture of Conrad on the phone Zemo had just handed him. “Hell, he does look like me though.”

“And who am I supposed to be playing, exactly?” You questioned, still unsure as to what role you would be playing in this scheme.

“My partner,” Zemo said simply, an amused smile working his way onto his lips.

“What?! No! Nu-uh, I’m not doing that!” You protested, Sam chuckling at your denial of what was probably inevitable.

“Would you rather the alternative of all of us getting slaughtered the second we step foot into the city?” Zemo retorted, still humored by your resistance.

“Fine, but if you try anything I’m going to break your nose.” You gave in.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Soon, the four of you were making your way into a bar, Helmut’s arm wrapped tightly around your waist since the second you exited the car in a mock possessiveness. It was all part of the charade, you had to remind yourself, as the Baron kept your side pressed against his snugly.

Making your way up to the counter, the bartender didn’t look impressed to see the group of you there as he made his way over to you.

“Hello,” He began. “Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.”

“His plans changed. We have a business to do, with Selby.” Zemo interjected before Sam could respond.

“The usual?” The bartender ignored Zemo and turned his attention back to Sam, who simply gave a curt nod in response. The bartender turned, grabbing a snake from a jar and slicing it down the underside with a blade. A part of you wanted to cackle, especially seeing Sam stiffen beside you, and you didn’t doubt that Bucky was having to restrain himself as well. Zemo didn’t seem surprised as the bartender pulled who knows what out from the snake and placed it into a glass.

“Smiling Tiger, your favorite.” The Baron commented, the bartender sliding Sam his beverage only to pour two glasses of a different liquor for Zemo and yourself.

“I love these,” Sam said, raising to clink glasses with yourself and the Sokovian man whose arm was still draped around you.

“Cheers, Conrad,” Zemo replied, smiling back at poor Sam. The three of you downed your burning liquor, Sam struggling the most out of the three of you, clearly appalled by the organ at the bottom of his shot. You could see Bucky give a little nod in the corner of your eye, knowing he must be finding this as amusing as you were.

A man soon approached Helmut from behind, tapping him on the shoulder before he turned to face the stranger, shifting you with him. When Zemo felt the little nudge, he immediately pulled you closer to him. You were even tighter against him now, so much so that you had to wrap an arm around him as well to stabilize yourself. It was almost as if he was trying to shield you from the man despite him knowing full well that you can hold your own.

“I got word from on high; you ain’t welcome here.” He spat, getting too close to the two of you for either of your likings. But Zemo kept his air of indifference while you instinctually moved closer into his side. It’s all an act, remember? You have to play the part of the clingy partner who would get frightened at such a rough man threatening you two. Or at least, that’s what you told yourself.

“I have no business with the Power Broker, but if he insists, he can either come and talk to me…” Zemo began, trailing off as he gestured to Bucky.

“New haircut?” The strange man asked Bucky, who merely glowered in response.

“Or bring Selby for a chat.” Zemo finished, this time him being the one to get into the man’s face. Thankfully that was enough to send him away, most likely to Selby or this Power Broker who seems to be Madripoor’s own version of Big Brother.

You could feel Zemo let out a breath that you don’t think he even knew he was holding, giving a quick glance down at you before placing a peck on your temple. For the facade, of course. But what wasn’t fake were the butterflies rise in your stomach, something that you hadn’t felt in a long time. Were you… Flustered?

No, you reminded yourself internally. This was a very bad man holding you close, the same one who killed the former King of Wakanda and ripped your team to shreds. Not only that, but he hated all the Avengers, so why did he seem to like you? It doesn’t matter whether or not he likes you, he’s Zemo. But the more time you spent with him, the more intoxicated you became. He was starting to look more and more like your next mistake, and love is certainly not a game you wanted to be playing with him. Right?

The next thirty or so minutes were a blur. Bucky having to fake being the Winter Soldier to kick a bunch of men’s asses to finally meeting up with Selby, only for Sam to break your cover through a phone call and Selby quickly being shot. The four of you promptly exited the bar, attempting to remain inconspicuous until bounty hunters from all around started shooting at you. Bucky and Sam jumped forward, meanwhile, Zemo darted to the right, dragging you with him as he moved his hand from your waist to interlock your fingers.

You cut through alleyway after alleyway, hiding in the shadows as gunfire echoed around you. Eventually, you managed to catch up with Bucky and Sam, approaching the pair with your hand still in his.

“Well this is too perfect.” A female voice interrupted your mini-reunion, Sharon Carter emerging from the shadows as she ripped down her hood, gun fixated on Zemo.

“Drop it Zemo,” She started, Zemo raising his gun-holding hand before lowering the weapon to the ground. “You cost me everything.”

“Sharon, wait.” You reasoned, raising your hand as you slowly backed up.

“What, are you his lover now? His sugar baby or some shit?” She badgered you, causing your eyes to widen as you only just remembered that you were still holding his hand. You quickly dropped it, raising it to match your other arm as Zemo sent you a look that you couldn’t decipher. Oh, how desperately you wanted to look into his mind, but the little bit of sanity left in you told you to leave it be.

“Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead,” Sam explained.

“That explains why you guys are here. And Selby’s dead.” Sharon replied, gun still pointed at your group.

“So what are you doing here?” Bucky questioned the blonde.

“I stole Steve’s shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass so that you could save his ass from his ass and became a criminal with their ass.” She explained, pointing the gun at each mention of whoever's ass it was that turn. “Unlike you, I didn’t have the Avengers to back me up, so, I’m off the grid in Madripoor.”

“Hey, don’t blow that smoke. I was on the run, too.” Sam rebutted Sharon’s complaints.

“Was. Is. Big difference. I don’t speak to my family anymore - I can’t. My own father doesn’t know where I am.”

“Listen…” You began. “Sharon, we need your help, the former agent only laughing in response. “Please.”

“This isn’t over.” She conceded, shaking her head at you. “I have a place in High Town, you should be safe there for a while.”

Sharon’s place was definitely nicer than yours is now, and you’re not even on the run anymore. She, thankfully, had a change of clothes for you to slip into, the soft material much a welcome relief from the tortuous item Zemo had you wearing.

While you were waiting for Sharon’s guests to begin arriving for whatever event would soon be taking place downstairs, everybody slowly filtered out of the room until it was only Zemo and yourself remaining.

“Can I ask you a question?” You spoke up, breaking the silence from your spot on the sofa as you glanced towards the Baron seated across the room.

“Ask away.” He smiled, taking a sip from the amber liquid in his glass.

“What did you mean earlier, when you said we were the same.” Your voice was quiet now, so much so that you weren’t sure if he’d even heard you. That is until he got up from his seat and slowly walked towards you.

“I never wanted to tear the Avengers apart, not until they killed my family. Destroyed my city… Sure, I didn’t like them, but I didn’t want to destroy them. It was all about vengeance.” He began, sitting beside you on the yellow fabric. “For you, it was HYDRA who ruined your life. You joined the Avengers because it was where the last people you had left were going and it was the easiest way for you to ensure the organization was destroyed. You never wanted the idolization that came with being a hero, and it was clear when your work was done that you had no desire to keep going. Everything that came after the Sokovia Accords was out of survival.”

“I’m not saying you're right,” you began, “but what would that make me, then? Insane? Cause that seems to be the running theory.”

“You’re not crazy, despite how rumors fly. Neither am I, really.” He began, eliciting a small smile from you at the last bit he added. “You’re a fighter, someone doing whatever it takes to get their agenda done. Whether that means breaking the law or joining the Avengers, nothing will stop you once you put your mind to it - it’s one of the things I admire about you.”

You pursed your lips as you focused on the amber fluid floating in its crystalline home, him taking another sip of the burning liquid. Your gaze shifted back to his face, and oh god, look at that face. Maybe it was the liquor in your system already or maybe your last bit of sanity was finally escaping your mind, but suddenly his past didn’t seem to matter anymore. You had plenty of red on your ledger as well, and the more he spoke the more you began to sympathize with him.

“So you admire me?” You smirked, crossing your arms as you tilted your head slightly to the right playfully.

“Why don’t you look into my mind and tell me?” He replied. Reaching out, you gently placed your fingers against his temple as you gazed into his consciousness. Flashes of magic and madness, ideas of a love that could be forever or go down in flames. You didn’t go searching deeper, because your own mind was racing. Would pursuing this be worth all the pain that could very well follow? No, not could, would. You’d be betraying your former teammates, but what did that matter much anymore.

Rather than pulling your hand away, you placed your lips gently on his, tentatively, even. He tasted of expensive liquor and a hint of peppermint, and you found yourself intoxicated. The kiss ended far too soon for your liking, him pulling away so his brown orbs could gaze into your own.

“So… What do you say?” He asked, cupping your cheek in his hand, you place your own over top of his.

“Why not?” You smiled back, reconnecting your lips to his.

“I can make the bad guys good for a weekend.”

Taglist:

@fanfictionedagain @lam-ila @b0nnyzz @haydieenzzibug @cyanide-mustard @duchess-of-new-shire @the-chocoholic-writer @milenadixon @real-fbi @golddenlioness

[amethyst-noir]

Tony sending the nano particles to Stephen once again shows just how damn protective the man is. Giving up a big part (if not all) of his armor to save someone he barely knows.

That's Tony Stark. A protector with a heart of gold and the intellect to pull of the craziest of stunts.

(Please release the footage, Marvel.)

[andsafetyandthesky]

bucky is too scared to approach old steve so steve gets up and hobbles over to him steve, squinting into bucky's eyes with a face much changed, yet same old overly-serious steve expression bucky has known since he was just a skinny kid: "I saved you, Buck. Fron Hydra." bucky, externally just looking concerned and sad like he did only a minute ago when steve left, but internally screaming NO, I TOLD YOU NOT TO CHANGE ANYTHING, I DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE RESCUED, YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED BUT YOU JUST HAD TO DO IT, ALWAYS HAVE TO PLUNGE INTO THE FRAY AND PUT YOUR NECK ON THE LINE: ". . ." steve: "I know I promised I'd just leave well enough alone. But after everything that happened while I was returning the stones, and after I told Peggy everything. . . there was no way I could've 'let things lie'. She wouldn't have let me, anyway. *small old!Steve chuckle, then his face grows serious again* The past is the past, but the future is what we make of it. bucky, shaking his head: ". . . .You never did listen to anybody, you stubborn little. . ." cracks a teasing smile but gets a sting in his throat and can't speak anymore, smile dies as quickly as it was born and bucky tries to go back to his neuteral, wot-is-emotion-i-don't-know-her expression, but kind of fails to keep his eyes from getting glassy steve, putting a hand on his shoulder: "It's like I said. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. And I did, Bucky. I did." AND THEY HUG AND BUCKY ALMOST LETS HIMSELF CRY FOR ONCE AND MAYBE STEVE DOES TOO AND MAYBE OUR MACHO MEN ARE ACTUALLY LEARNING TO BE VULNERABLE AND SOFT AGAIN AND LET THEMSELVES FEEL PAIN AND SORROW AND BE ABLE TO PROCESS THAT AND NOT ALWAYS HIDE THEIR EMOTIONS IN A CHEST LIKE THEY'RE EMOTIONALLY-INVINCIBLE-SUPERSOLDIERS

[fallingsunflower]

Can you tell me why you think this is a pr stunt please

Yeah, also I'm sure I'll forget something so @ my anons feel free to add anything. And I'll try to explain this with as little bias as I can (I am incredibly biased because I really don't like Olivia but I'll try to keep my thoughts on her to a minimum).

There's a couple different reasons I think this is a stunt. It's not a simple answer so I'll try to outline it as clearly as I can.

DWD had a rocky start from the beginning, and it only continued throughout filming. Dakota Johnson (a big name) left. Shia (the original lead) either left or was fired. Then there were all the allegations surrounding him. I don't know if he was fired for those allegations or if he quit due to creative differences with Olivia. Either or, his name tarnished the film a little bit. Then covid shut down production for 2 weeks which caused the set millions. There was the second NDA the cast and crew had to sign for unprofessionalism, which I'm sure didn't bode well with Warner Bros. DWD also went two months over schedule, which again cost WB millions. A PR stunt is a common tactic used to draw attention away from negativity.

This is Olivia's second directorial movie, following the box office failure of Booksmart. Booksmart only brought in $25 million (internationally) during it's course in theaters. For reference, Five Feet Apart (a smilier movie that came out the same month) made $99.5 million. Captain Marvel (which came out the same weekend as Booksmart) made $1.128 billion. My guess is Olivia's hoping DWD will do well in the box office because she has some unheard of director deal where she gets half of the box office earnings once the movie breaks even. She probably wants to draw in as much publicity as she can for the money, but also to boost her own image as a female director. She's in her late thirties which is a "condemned" age in Hollywood women because of the industry's sexism. It's hard to get any gigs at that age. She also probably also wants to be the next big thing. There's a lot of reasons why she'd want to bring in publicity to DWD and a stunt is part of that promotion.

Speaking of promotion, Booksmart had major issues with promotion. It wasn't marketed effectively (you can read about it here). The stunt could be another marketing strategy.

DWD also started filming during a very uncertain time due to Covid. At the time, no one had a clue when social distancing or mask wearing would come to an end, or proper movie promo. It doesn't seem impossible that they'd pull some extra strings since at the time, proper movie promo seemed unlikely.

Whether or not the stunt was originally intended for Harry's image, I don't know, but I do think he's riding it out now. It's bringing him in revenue since he's not touring (those pap pictures of him and Olivia probably have sold for an insane amount and him and Olivia get a cut of the check). He also, like Olivia, could be making his salary based off of what the movie makes (so a percentage of it). At the time he was also scheduled to tour (still is) so maybe he knew he wouldn't be at movie promo so he agreed to do the stunt to fulfill his part. Then I also have a theory that Harry got mixed up with something and the stunt is being used as a distraction (but I have absolutely no proof of this - it's just me)

There's also brand promotion. Not sure if that would be included in the original deal or as an add on but it's been shoved down our throats since the beginning and a lot of people don't pay attention to it. There's Gucci from the wedding (which conveniently was Harry's Gucci Beloved campaign). There's Eliou the jewelry brand. There's Bode. Now there's Nike, and it's not the first time Harry's been papped with Nike during this stunt

But even if you choose not to believe all the above things, there's still the very obvious consensus from Harry's fans and most of the GP that something is off with this "Relationship". The timing. The lack of chemistry. The predictable pictures and timeline. Literally every single thing points to it being a PR relationship. Even a verified journalist said she think its PR (on Twitter - I forget the username)

So here's what I think happened/and what's continuing to happen: I think the stunt was part of Harry's deal to join DWD. There have been seeds of "evidence" since the beginning (i.e. Olivia sticking her head at an uncomfortable angle out of her trailer to be seen talking to Harry). I think the wedding pap walk was planned since the beginning also but Olivia wasn't planning to go over schedule with DWD. I think the pap walk was supposed to come after production ended to keep things "professional". But due to their contracts, they probably couldn't back out and needed to go forth with the walk even though they were still filming.

I think there was a 6 month mark for the yacht pics (or PDA pics in general) because I think the movie was slated for a September 2021 release/July 2021 trailer. The timing would make sense - big stunt to draw attention to the movie. But obviously things got shifted around with the pushed back release, most likely WB's decision to give the movie a fighting chance (my guess is it will be released during the "movie dump months" of early 2022). Now I predict either the breakup or another big move right before the actual movie release.

I think Olivia and Harry's teams feed info to fan accounts, gossip blogs and magazines to keep things "organic". This can be sightings or pictures. Ever notice how many of those come from burner accounts? A lot. And I'm sure some of them are real, because after all if Harry and Olivia go out in public together they're going to be spotted.

As for the smoothie shop video, since this needs it's own explanation, the security footage can't just be "leaked". No one has access to it besides security. I don't even think the owners have access. So it wasn't organically "leaked". There's no possible way it way. It's illegal. The only way that footage could have gotten out is if the people in the video requested it, and probably for a pretty penny too. It was released during a content drought so I think it was a staged leak. (The pictures of Harry as Jack were also a staged leak. No one has access to film footage except the director, producers, and editors).

So yeah, that's my thought. I won't be convinced it's real unless they get married or have a child together

And also, just to add, PR stunts are common in the industry. It's not impossible for this to be a stunt. Celebrities will do a lot for fame and money. Harry's seemed to have fallen down that path

[writeturnlove]

BUCKYSARAH shippers: I need your help:

We need to have the extended Bucky/ Sarah flirting scene released. We need to flood Twitter with the request to have this footage released by Marvel.

Can you help me get this to trend on Twitter for the next two days?

Tweet to Marvel, Falcon and The Winter Soldier that you want them to release the BUCKYSARAH cut.

Put it in the hashtags.

Post gifs of #Barah

Hashtag Marvel and FATWS

RELEASE THE BUCKYSARAH CUT!!!

Tag it with whatever you want, but make sure to include RELEASE THE BUCKYSARAH CUT somewhere in the tweet.

I want to begin doing this at 12 pm EST on Thursday, April 29th.

Please help if you can. I want this scene released. We all do.

Love you all.

[lordroyalhighness]

So I made another thing…an experimental “fan edit” of my favorite film of all time, trying my best (with what we actually have available) to reincorporate excised scenes, songs, and underscoring, oh my! Do please check it out and let me know what you think! Link to download and full list of “what’s new” below. xxtyler

https://mega.nz/file/UAozkLJT?fs=e&s=cl#990wYePA3q1RIEcAVkMaF9inPpx_9402HDC1E7zk-h4

So what’s so “new” about this edit?

* Quick “redux” subtitle added to opening logo, from the font created to resemble that as seen in the original editions of L. Frank Baum’s source novel ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’

* Extended underscoring for Dorothy’s opening scene, running home from her encounter with Miss Gulch

* Underscoring outtake reinstated for our first meeting of the farmhands

* Extended underscoring for Miss Gulch’s confrontation with the Gale family

* Unused musical coda reinstated for Dorothy leaving Professor Marvel

* Cyclone sequence extended at beginning with full musical arrangement and looped tornado sound effects from earlier in the scene, with tornado test footage of the Gale farmhouse engulfed in a huge cloud of smoke before the ascent

* Alternate musical tag used for Glinda’s first appearance

* Alternate version of “As Mayor of the Munchkin City” in which the lines are sung instead of spoken as in the final film

* Quick alternate shot of the Lullaby League’s entrance from the 1949/1970 reissue trailer

* Original complete version of “If I Only Had a Brain” with Ray Bolger’s amazing dance routine, the only actual surviving film sequence excised from the final film; audio mixed down to mono from stereo

* Unused intro reinstated into score before first duet version of “We’re Off to See the Wizard”

* Extended underscoring for sequence of encounter with the talking apple trees

* Unused intro reinstated into score before “If I Only Had a Heart”

* Extended scoring reinstated for dialogue before trio version of “We’re Off to See the Wizard”

* Underscoring outtake reinstated for Cowardly Lion’s “confession” leading into “If I Only Had the Nerve”

* Alternate shot from 1949/1970 reissue trailer for end of quartet version of “We’re Off to See the Wizard”

* Alternate “heavenly choir” vocal arrangement of scoring mixed in when the group first sees the Emerald City beyond the poppy field

* Alternate shot of group running through the poppy field from 1949/1970 reissue trailer

* Alternate vocal arrangement integrated for final verse of “Optimistic Voices”

* Extended underscoring for encounter with the Guardian of the Gate

* “The Jitterbug” deleted musical sequence reinstated with extended underscoring, production stills, and montage created circa 1989 from stills and Harold Arlen’s home movies, including rarely seen closeups of Jack Haley and Bert Lahr in the second half which have never been seen on any home video release but can be quickly seen in this 1983 television special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axFK4Ku2PRs

* Extended underscoring for the Winged Monkeys’ attack

* Deleted reprise of “Over the Rainbow” reinstated using montage of production stills from Warner Bros. home video releases and audio amalgam as found on the 1995 deluxe edition soundtrack

* Deleted “Ding Dong! Emerald City” reinstated using montage of stills from Warner Bros. home video releases plus very short shots of actual footage from both the 1949 and 1970 reissue trailers

* Extended “Delirious Escape” ending re-created with extended underscoring and following the shooting script for reference as to which flashback overlays appear (as best as I could do with what ended up being available in the final film)

* Short “redux” credits at end with alternate version of “End Title” music from 1995 deluxe edition soundtrack

[kaitoujokerscans]

The Night the Silver Cape is Set Ablaze CH4

CW eating disorders: this chapter describes a crash diet.

<4> Silver Heart's Secret

One of Silver Heart's hideouts in Europe. The small house was visited by Hachi on a night several days after Noir had intruded. Since that day, Joker had holed up in his bedroom on the Sky Joker and wasn't coming out. Losing so easily to Noir must have been a shock to him.

Hachi had been leaving meals out in front of his room every day. Joker hadn't burrowed away in his room like this since the last time a game he had been excited for finally released.

"Help yourself, Hachi-kun."

Cookies and tea were placed in front of Hachi, who was sitting at the table. Beside him, Hosshi was munching his favorite konpeito.

"Thank you, Roko-san."

The small white dog who had brought over the tray with his prehensile ears gave him a smile.

Roko was a super dog who had gained extraordinary powers thanks to genetic manipulation. He could speak human language, and he was so intelligent that it was easy to forget he was a dog. He was a full-fledged phantom thief dog, and he often worked alongside Queen on her capers. Queen herself was sitting at the table with Hachi, resting her chin in her hands with a dissatisfied look.

"Roko, get me some too~ Just the tea."

Like Joker and Spade, Queen too was a phantom thief and a disciple of Silver Heart. She called Silver Heart "Grandpa" and lived together with him. She was a pretty girl, dressed in a white and pink costume with her blonde hair bound in twintails. Huge diamond-shaped eyes were set in her fair skin, yet today their shine seemed duller than usual.

"Are you sure, Queen? Shouldn't you eat something soon? We have cookies."

"It's fine, I'll just fill my stomach with tea. I'm so close to my goal." From the sound of it, Queen was on a diet. "Anyway, where'd Grandpa go? Hachi-kun came all the way here..." pouted Queen.

Then Roko pushed a few buttons for the television and changed the channel. "It looks like he's still in the basement."

The basement came up on the television screen. There must have been a security camera set up there. It showed Silver Heart downstairs at his desk fervently studying something. Maybe he was making a new phantom thief tool...

"Did Grandpa stay up all night again? I wish he'd take better care of himself," said Queen, but she wasn't looking too healthy either. It was probably because of her diet, but in Hachi's opinion, he couldn't understand why Queen was so concerned about her figure. He didn't bring it up, however.

If Joker were here, he'd probably ask a bunch of questions like "Eh? Queen, you're on a diet? Why? How many kilos are you trying to lose? Actually, how many kilos are you now anyway?" and would subsequently become rust on Queen's diamond sword. But at the moment, Queen didn't seem to have the energy to swing the great sword she usually wielded, and was instead languishing at the table.

"Augh, I'm so hungry..." she moaned, and was met with a tactless query of "Oh, Queen, are you on a diet?" from the side. It was from Silver Heart, who had been in the basement up until now.

He was clothed in a clean white double-breasted suit and had a cup of tea in his hand. His most distinctive features were his long, straight white beard and his long locks of white hair. He gave the atmosphere of an elegant gentleman.

"Grandpa!"

"Silver Heart-san!"

Queen and the rest looked at Silver Heart in surprise. "Huh? You were just on screen, though..." When they glanced over at the television, the screen cut out with a static buzz and showed an empty basement instead.

"Fu fu fu, this is the improved version of the 'Image Card' I invented. Place it in front of a camera and it'll play fake footage that'll deceive the camera feed. It was only able to show still images before, but now it can play moving images for a short period too!" exclaimed Silver Heart, proudly holding out a few Image Cards.

"Hmm, another new invention?" Queen took a card and examined it with curiosity.

"In any case, Queen, you may be the right age for it, but you shouldn't go on a crash diet. How many kilos are you trying to lose? Actually, how many kilos are you now?"

"......"

Aah, you shouldn't ask that...! But before Hachi could even blanch, Queen threw a knife-sharp glare at Silver Heart. Her colder-than-ice eyes froze Silver Heart on the spot.

"Er, uh.... O-Oh, okay. N-Never mind! Actually, Q-Queen, you don't look any heavier! You practically look as thin as that wilted sunflower we saw recently!" Silver Heart tried to cover himself, but dug his grave deeper with every following remark. Finally, in an attempt to avoid Queen's glare, Silver Heart turned to Hachi. "S-So! How's Joker doing?"

"Well, he's not coming out of his room still. I think it was a huge shock for him."

"Hm, it sounds like it had a major effect on him."

"Joker's not even eating proper meals? Really now..." Queen marveled, staring into space. All she could think about at the moment was food.

"Silver Heart-san, please tell me. Who is Phantom Thief Noir?" Hachi asked, bending forward. Noir had known about Silver Heart. There must have been some sort of connection between the two of them. Hachi had come to Silver Heart's hideout to ask about this.

But when asked, Silver Heart took a sip of tea and answered with a blank look. "Noir's an old friend of mine, why?"

"Huh?" Hachi, Queen, and Roko's eyes widened. "He's your friend?"

"Yes. You know that I used to work as a spy, correct? Noir was a colleague of mine in those days."

"Eeeh!?" The trio exclaimed in surprise.

"Which means this Noir person was also a spy?" Queen forgot about her empty stomach and leaned forward.

"That's right. I was paired with a woman named Purple back then, and we carried out many assignments. Exposing the classified intel of enemy countries, blowing up the factories where weapons were being made in secret, all sorts of missions to protect world peace. But when Purple was on other assignments or when we had more rugged jobs, I paired up with Noir. Working with Noir as a team was tension-free since we were both men, and I enjoyed it in a different way than how I did with Purple. They used to say that when we paired up, there was no mission we couldn't accomplish. I had a friendly, enriching rivalry with him, and he was a lifelong friend!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. That's why for the life of me I can't figure out why Noir would become a phantom thief and attack Joker." Silver Heart turned his gaze upwards in thought. He didn't look like he was hiding anything. Silver Heart must truly have considered Noir a friend.

"You don't have any idea why Noir-san might have shown up?" Hearing that he was a friend, Hachi appended a "-san" to Noir's name.

"Not in the slightest... But if there's anything Noir's holding against me, it might be from that time when we infiltrated a country called Lachla to eliminate a hidden treasure and I fell asleep. He nearly died that time..."

"I can see why he'd get angry," sighed Roko.

"The hidden treasure of Lachla is an honest-to-goodness crown. I found out about it just recently, so I'm going to steal it soon."

"That's what you wrote your last notice for," commented Queen.

"Besides that... ah!" Silver Heart exclaimed as if he had just remembered something. "Perhaps..."

"What?"

"What is it?"

"When I quit being a spy, in return for the farewell gift he got me, I gave Noir a wallet. He hates lizards, so I put a toy lizard in it as a prank. Maybe he only just opened it up recently."

When he heard this, Hachi fell to the ground. "That can't be it!"

"It has to be something else!"

"He wouldn't steal treasure from Joker-san just over that!"

"Y-You think so...?" Silver Heart was stunned by their negative reactions. "In that case, there's nothing I can think of... I should ask him directly."

"Do you know how to contact him?"

Then Silver Heart laughed and responded proudly. "I used to be a renowned spy, you know? I have plenty of ways to contact my old colleagues. Without anyone else knowing, either."

"Please ask him right away! Joker-san is depressed!"

Hachi pressed him hard, but Silver Heart knit his brows. "What? Right now?"

"...You can't?"

"It's just that today's not quite a good day for it..." Silver Heart stood up discreetly.

"Do you have plans, Grandpa?"

"Eh? No, well..."

Roko caught him casting a sideways glace at the newspaper. "Does it have something to do with the news?" Roko grabbed the newspaper and spread it out. One sheet had a headline reading "Queen of Pandora Makes Courtesy Call".

"Ah..."

"What's this?" Queen took the newspaper and started reading it. "The Queen of the country of Pandora is visiting France.'"

"Isn't this queen Grandpa's girlfriend? What's going on?" When Queen pulled her face out of the paper, there wasn't a trace of Silver Heart to be seen. "Huh? Huh? Where'd you go, Grandpa!?"

Evidently, Silver Heart had bolted off somewhere while everyone else was looking at the newspaper. Naturally, the legendary phantom thief was a master at running away.

"Argh! I wanted to hear more about Noir!"

"Queen-san, are you concerned about Noir-san too?" Hachi asked, curious.

"I mean, the fact that he outdid Joker is a testament to his abilities. He might be able to tell me something about how to beat Joker!"

"Makes sense..." Hachi saw the logic in what Queen had said. She looked like she had more color in her cheeks now despite the empty stomach. Hachi finished drinking his tea and stood up. "I'll be going now. Joker-san might come out of his room soon."

"Okay, bye now."

"Please tell Joker to not think too hard about it."

"Thank you. I enjoyed the food!" Hachi bobbed his head and left Silver Heart's hideout with Hosshi.

Blending in with the dark of night, the Sky Joker floated in the clear sky.

I wonder if he ate his meal... He had prepared Joker's favorite food, curry, today. Hachi fretted a little, before taking a breath. Just then, a voice came from his phone.

"Hachi, I heard everything."

"Eh!? Joker-san!?"

"Sorry, but I listened to what Master had to say using your phone." Joker had evidently tampered with Hachi's phone to listen to the conversation. Joker likewise seemed surprised to hear that Noir was Silver Heart's friend. "So, I thought up a way to get the better of Noir. Using the 'Lachla Crown' that Master mentioned."

"What do you mean?"

"Something happened between Master and Noir, and the crown's been targeted by Master now. It's only natural to assume that Noir showing up at this juncture must have something to do with the crown, yeah?"

"Oh, I see!"

"Now that that's established, let's go. Come back quick!"

"Roger! Ah, there's curry outside your door."

"Eeh, really? You could've told me that earlier!"

While the sound of scrambling came from the other end of the line, Hachi inflated Balloon Gum, picked up Hosshi, and flew up towards the Sky Joker. Internally, he thought about how glad he was that Joker was back to normal.

As he watched Hachi float up from the window, Roko contemplated. "I'm worried about Joker."

"Yeah~ munch munch... I'm worried too~" Queen responded, her mouth full of something. Roko turned around in surprise to see Queen munching on cookies.

"Huh!? Queen, what about your diet!?" Roko asked confusedly, only for Queen to smile.

"I mean, I can't very well fight on an empty stomach. I'll go on a diet some other time. Right now, I want to know more about Noir."

"You want to know more... but do you have anything to go off of?"

"It's simple. The easiest way is to ask someone who knows about Grandpa's past."

"Someone who knows his past...?"

As Roko gave her a blank look, Queen grabbed all of the cookies left on the plate and stuffed them into her mouth. "Munch munch... Aah! Cookies taste so good after restraining for so long!"