#quinn hughes cameo

[daeniradraconis]

The Game We Play - C1.

Odette stood at the large bay window of her new apartment in Toronto, the city skyline sprawled out before her. The scene below was alive with energy, the endless lights pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat. It was a far cry from the quiet streets of Montreal where she had grown up, but it felt right. Her time in Vancouver had been marked by both love and pain, struggle and strength. The weight of everything that had happened in the past few months settled over her, but for the first time in a long time, she felt a flicker of hope.

The decision to leave Vancouver hadn’t been easy, but it was necessary. She had spent years trying to please people who would never be satisfied. Her mother, Madeleine, had been the first to make her feel like she was never enough. No matter what she did—whether it was her career, her relationships, or her very identity—her mother’s cold disapproval had always lingered. It had been impossible to live up to the expectations of a woman who saw the world through a lens of privilege and perfection.

Then there was Danton, her ex. The man she had spent six years with, who had promised a future but never delivered. It had been a slow burn, the way their relationship had unraveled. She had always wanted more—a family, stability, someone who would stand by her through the highs and lows. But Danton never wanted the same. He had been content with their routine, the lack of progress, the endless excuses for why things couldn’t change. When the proposal never came, when she finally realized their life goals were miles apart, the decision to leave became inevitable. It had been painful, but it had been the only way to preserve herself, to save her future.

And so, she had taken the job with the NHL as a photographer. It wasn’t just an escape—it was a step forward, a chance to carve out a new identity, a fresh chapter. She’d be based in Toronto, working for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and though it meant leaving the comfort of her old life behind, it felt like a new beginning. She had found a small, luxurious high-rise apartment in the heart of the city—modern, sleek, and all hers. It was a place where she could reinvent herself.

But as much as she was excited to begin this new journey, the weight of leaving her past behind lingered. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe everything would be easy. Her family—especially her mother—wouldn't understand her choice. They would never accept it. But it was a decision she had made for herself, one that would set the course for her future.

She’d only been in Toronto for a few days, but already, the city felt like a strange but welcome embrace. It was busy, alive with possibilities, and it was all hers to explore. The NHL had been a dream of hers for years, and now it was reality.

Quinn Hughes had been the first person to really encourage her to make this move. Their friendship had grown quickly, much faster than she had anticipated. Their first meeting had been completely unplanned—at an art exhibition in Montreal a few months ago. She had been covering the event for a local photo gallery, her camera snapping away as she immersed herself in the art. Quinn had been there just to enjoy the exhibits, but as fate would have it, they had crossed paths in front of an installation. They had both stood there, silent for a moment, simply taking in the pieces in their own quiet way. It had been a strange, unspoken connection, something that felt deeper than mere coincidence.

Their conversation had started with the paintings—light, casual banter about the colors, the brushstrokes, the moods of the art. But soon, it had shifted. Books, life goals, shared interests. They spoke of their love for the quieter things in life, the small moments that made all the difference. It hadn’t taken long for Odette to open up about her struggles—her fractured relationship with her mother, her failed relationship with Danton, and her growing desire to break free. And when she confessed how suffocating her relationship with Danton had become, it had been Quinn who listened, offering no judgment but instead quiet support.

In the months that followed, their friendship had deepened. They’d started talking almost daily—about books, movies, and the pressures of their careers. Quinn had a way of making her feel seen, understood in a way that few people ever had. He had been there when she had begun considering her escape, encouraging her to go for the job in the NHL. And when she had finally made the decision to leave Vancouver, it was Quinn who helped her navigate the logistics of the move, offering practical advice about Toronto even though he himself was living in Vancouver.

Their friendship felt effortless, and though they were in different cities, Odette couldn’t imagine her life without Quinn’s steady presence. He was a constant, always there when she needed someone to talk to. It was hard, knowing that their paths would now diverge. Quinn played for the Vancouver Canucks, and their cities were far apart. But she had hope. With her new job, she would be traveling often, and there was no doubt in her mind that she and Quinn would find ways to see each other. They’d made it work so far, and she knew they would continue to.

But the distance between them still tugged at her heart. Toronto was her new home, but it was hard to accept that she wouldn’t have him around as often. Their friendship had grown quickly, becoming a crucial part of her life. And though she was excited for her new job, part of her couldn't help but feel a little sad about the separation. She hoped the NHL would give her the chance to travel and meet up with Quinn whenever she could. After all, it wasn’t just about her career; it was about finding balance, keeping the people who mattered close—even if they weren’t nearby.

As she unpacked the last of her things and placed a framed photo of Luc on the windowsill, she felt a little bit of the weight lift from her shoulders. It wasn’t perfect, this new life, but it was hers. And it was the beginning of something new—something that could be better, something that could finally be all her own.

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. It was a message from Quinn.

"How’s the new place? Missing you in Vancouver already, but I know you’ll make it work in Toronto. Can’t wait to hear about your first day with the Leafs. You got this!"

Odette smiled, her fingers hovering over the keyboard as she typed a quick reply.

"Thanks, Quinn. Couldn’t have done this without you. And I promise, we’ll figure out a way to keep this up, no matter where we are. Missing you too."

She hit send, and for a moment, she just sat back, letting the weight of it all settle. Life was changing, but she was ready. She had a new city, a new job, and the support of a true friend who would always have her back. And maybe—just maybe—this was the fresh start she had needed all along.

The sun was starting to set, casting a warm amber glow over Odette’s apartment as she finished unpacking her last box. She was exhausted, but the apartment was finally starting to feel like home. Luc, her husky mix, had been quieter than usual, curled up at her feet on the couch, making it the perfect moment for a small break.

But just as she placed the box down, a sudden noise broke the stillness. Luc’s ears perked up, and before she could react, he shot up and bolted toward the door with a bark that echoed through the apartment.

“Luc, no!” Odette gasped, her heart leaping into her throat.

Luc had already reached the door. With a quick push, he managed to open it, darting out into the hallway as the door swung wide. Odette’s eyes widened as she realized she hadn’t fully closed the door when she set the box down—Luc had gotten out. Panicking, she scrambled to her feet.

“Luc!” she called, but the dog was already a blur, racing down the hall with his tail wagging furiously, completely oblivious to her frantic calls.

She bolted after him, her footsteps echoing down the hallway as she tried to catch up with him. By the time she reached the hallway, Luc had already slipped into the apartment next door.

Odette skidded to a stop as she saw the door open, revealing a man standing in the doorway, trying to control her overzealous dog. Luc, ever the playful one, had jumped up onto the couch in the apartment next door, his tail wagging wildly as he tried to lick the stranger’s face.

“Luc!” Odette called again, breathless as she rushed over to the door. The man, tall with sun-kissed blonde hair and icy blue eyes, looked up at her with a calm expression, holding Luc’s collar as if he were used to this kind of thing. “Looks like your dog’s a little... enthusiastic,” he said, his deep voice carrying a hint of amusement.

Odette felt her face flush with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry,” she said, stepping forward to grab Luc’s leash. “He’s still adjusting to the new place. And to me, honestly.”

The man smiled, his demeanor surprisingly calm, and released Luc’s collar after giving the dog a gentle pat on the head. “It’s no problem. I’m William, by the way. I live just a couple doors down.” He gave Luc a quick glance as the dog’s tail continued to wag furiously. “Seems like he’s got quite the personality.”

Odette’s cheeks were burning with embarrassment. “Odette,” she said quickly, shaking his hand. “I’m really sorry again. I was just finishing up moving in and... I left the door open for a second.”

“No harm done,” William said with a relaxed smile, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. “Dogs can be a handful sometimes.”

Odette laughed nervously, trying to steady her breathing. “I’ve been trying to train him, but... well, it’s a work in progress. His previous owner was Swedish, and I keep forgetting the commands in Swedish. It’s so frustrating! Every time I try, I end up mixing up the languages.”

William raised an eyebrow. “Swedish, huh? I’m actually Swedish myself.”

Odette blinked in surprise. “Wait, really?” she said, taken aback. “I had no idea. You... you didn’t have an accent.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Born here, but I was raised in Sweden. I live here now. Guess I’ve gotten used to speaking both languages fluently.” He glanced down at Luc, who was still wagging his tail enthusiastically. Then William said: “Lägg.”

Luc lowered himself without a doubt. “It looks like Luc doesn’t mind Swedish. But, uh, maybe he’s picky about who’s speaking it.”

Odette couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Honestly, this dog’s like a little Swedish nationalist. He was trained by his old owner in Swedish, so now, whenever I try speaking to him in English, he just refuses to listen. It’s like he’s saying, ‘I may understand English, but I’m loyal to Swedish! You can’t just switch the language on me now!’”

William chuckled. “Sounds like he’s got a strong opinion on things. You might be right about the Swedish loyalty.”

Odette winced slightly as she realized how ridiculous she must have sounded, but William’s calm and collected nature was oddly reassuring. She’d been expecting him to be frustrated, maybe even angry, but instead, he seemed to take it all in stride.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it,” William said after a moment, a knowing smile on his face. “But hey, if you need any help, I can teach you some Swedish commands. It’s not that hard, I promise.”

Odette felt a warmth spread through her chest at his easy offer, but quickly tried to brush it off. “I appreciate it,” she said, trying to sound casual. “I’m still getting used to the idea of learning a new language for dog training, though. But I’ll definitely take you up on it.”

Just as they were about to part ways, the door to William’s apartment opened slightly, and out trotted two dogs. They were medium-sized but not tiny—more like Luc’s size, and both were doodles, with curly coats and playful expressions. The dogs immediately took notice of Luc, and before Odette could stop him, Luc dashed toward them, tail wagging with excitement.

Banksy, the smaller of the two, yipped and quickly ran behind William’s legs, his eyes wide as Luc came barreling toward him. Pablo, the larger one, tried to stand his ground but wasn’t prepared for Luc’s energy. Luc skidded to a halt in front of Pablo, nearly knocking him over in his excitement.

“Whoa, easy!” William said, grabbing Luc’s collar before he could cause more chaos. “Pablo doesn’t like being knocked over by a giant husky.”

Pablo, who had barely stayed upright, gave a small bark before darting under the coffee table, clearly wanting nothing to do with Luc’s rambunctious playstyle. Banksy, still hiding behind William, barked again, trying to be brave but clearly outmatched by Luc’s energy.

Odette laughed despite herself, the sight of William managing the two dogs with such ease amusing her. “Looks like Luc has met his match,” she said, still chuckling as Luc whined at the coffee table, trying to figure out how to coax Pablo out.

William raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Yeah, I think Luc might need a little... doggie diplomacy here.”

Odette’s heart fluttered, feeling a little embarrassed but also strangely attracted to William’s calm demeanor in the middle of all the chaos. There was something about his easy confidence that was disarming.

“Well, I think we both know who’s in charge here,” she said, gesturing to Pablo and Banksy, who were both now safely hidden out of Luc’s reach.

William chuckled, giving Luc a final pat. “Just a matter of finding the balance.” He stepped back and gave Odette a reassuring smile. “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to it. But if you ever need help with the dogs—or Swedish lessons—just knock.”

Odette smiled, trying to keep it casual, though she was feeling that flutter in her chest again. “Thanks, I’ll definitely take you up on that.”

William gave her one last smile and turned to go back into his apartment, Luc still happily wagging his tail, looking proud of himself for causing such a scene.

As Odette closed her door behind her, she let out a deep breath. She was grateful for William’s calmness, but something about his easy confidence kept her mind racing.

She glanced down at Luc, who had already curled up on his bed, as though nothing had happened. “At least you’re easy to please,” she muttered with a smile.

But as she walked toward the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, something about William lingered in her mind. The way he carried himself, his relaxed demeanor, and even the playful way he interacted with his dogs—it all felt oddly familiar.

Odette leaned against the counter, her brow furrowing in thought. She was a hockey fan—always had been. Growing up in Montreal, she had cheered for the Canadiens with the fervor of any good Habs fan. Moving to Vancouver had shifted her allegiance somewhat, especially with Quinn Hughes playing such an integral role in her life. The Canucks had become her second team, though her loyalty to the Habs never truly wavered.

She tried to shake the thought, but something kept nagging at her. His name—William—and those icy blue eyes. She knew them from somewhere.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she grabbed her phone, typing "William Toronto hockey" into the search bar. Within seconds, the answer popped up, and her breath caught in her throat.

William Nylander. A star player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

She stared at the image on her screen, her eyes darting between the photo and the memory of the man who had just offered to teach her Swedish commands for Luc. It was him. Of course it was.

Odette laughed, a mix of disbelief and amusement bubbling up. “Figures,” she muttered, shaking her head. “He’s a Maple Leaf.”

The Leafs had always been the team she loved to hate—the eternal rivals of her beloved Canadiens. And yet, here she was, living a few doors down from one of their star players.

She glanced back at Luc, who was snoozing contentedly on his bed. “Guess we’ll have to be on our best behavior now,” she teased, though the words were mostly for herself.

As she turned off the lights and headed to bed, her thoughts still raced. Life in Toronto was already proving to be full of surprises. And while she had no idea where this new chapter would take her, one thing was clear: her world just got a whole lot more interesting.

Author’s Note (a.k.a. My Excuse for Everything):

Hey there, lovely readers! First of all, THANK YOU for diving into this chapter—seriously, you’re the best. Now, a quick heads-up: English is not my first language, so if you spot a weird phrase or some rogue grammar, just smile and wave. I’m also a total newbie to Tumblr (what do all these buttons do??), so bear with me while I figure out how to make things look cool here.

This story idea hit me like a puck to the face after the Leafs’ recent performance left me crying into my snacks. To cheer myself up, I decided to channel my hockey emotions into this little brainchild and finally write down the story I’ve been daydreaming about for ages.

It’s going to be around 10 chapters long (unless I get carried away, which happens more than I’d like to admit), and I hope it makes you smile, swoon, or at least feel slightly entertained. Thanks for reading, and let’s see where this ride takes us! 🏒✨ Warning for the future: There will be smut. Like, a lot. You’ve been warned. 😉

P.S. If the Leafs are stressing you out too, welcome to the club. 💙

[mrsensitive]

4 times everyone else caught on before the 1 time you and quinn finally did

a good old 4+1 ft. best friend beau & a couple other cameos, some mutual pining and also reader is a costume designer . kind of an elaboration of a lil blurb i wrote a while ago so if it seems familiar no it doesn't 😋

1

You’d never been more grateful for Friday to roll around. You’d had what felt like the longest week from hell and just wanted to take your mind off everything, so when your new neighbour turned best friend Beau texted you to meet him and a couple friends at the bar, the thought that you wouldn’t know half the people there wasn’t enough to dissuade you from joining.

When you arrive, you’re quick to spot the group - Beau hadn’t lied when he said it wasn’t just the team, but he might’ve stretched the truth when he said you already knew some of the guys. A quick once over is enough for you to realise the only other person you really know is Brock. Sure, you had heard of the others from Beau’s stories and the fact that you sometimes watched the games, but you were starting to wonder if you should’ve just gone home to your bottle of wine instead.

Beau is quick to welcome you though, flooding you with the names of everyone you’d yet to meet and pushing you into the seat he’d just vacated.

“Wait here, I’m getting the next round,” he beams at you, a good few drinks in already. “Brock come give me a hand, bud.”

You try to get your bearings a little, looking around trying to commit names to faces since the only two people you knew had left, and you realise mostly everyone is in their own conversations save for the guy on your right. You pause, staring at him trying to remember his name as he watches you struggle, clearly bemused.  

“It’s Quinn,” he offers after a moment or two. He’s laughing lightly and you relax in your seat a little. “Don’t sweat it.” 

You breathe out a smile, “Thanks. I was getting there, y’know.” You pause, taking a moment to get a better look at him. “Hughes, right? I’ve seen you play before. You’re a great skater.”

“Oh uh…thanks.” He shifts a little in his seat. “Beau’s talked about you a couple times actually. So it’s nice to meet you finally.”

You can’t help your eyebrows from shooting up, both of you are equally surprised and amused that you’re even aware of the other. You’re half expecting Quinn to elaborate, scanning his face for any hint that what Beau’s said about you was any level of incriminating, but somehow, you find yourself a bit distracted by the way his hair is curling over his forehead. 

Before either of you can say anything, Beau’s dropped a glass in front of you and inserted himself back in the conversation.

“So what was so terrible about work this week? What’s the drama this time?”  

You let out a sigh, remembering why you’d dragged yourself here in the first place. “Oh, nothing new. They just decided to reschedule all our fittings so we barely had the right costumes prepared - which is just an embarrassing look for me, you know, even if it literally wasn’t my fault. I was running all over the place trying to make it work - and then on top of that I find out they’ve put our costume truck about three states over from where the set is so I’ve got to hassle someone about that and-”

“Costumes?” Your rambling is cut off by Quinn who looks much more interested than Beau, who, to his credit, has heard some variation of this story just about every other week.

“Oh, yeah. I’m a costume designer,” you explain, “I’m working on a movie at the moment.” For some reason you feel rather embarrassed that you didn’t clarify this to him before and you’re hoping the dim lighting is hiding the way you’ve started blushing. 

“I’m going to take this as my cue to leave.” Beau says, already standing up to move across the table, “You tell Quinn the whole back story and I’ll come back when you’re done with that, okay?”

Beau, in fact, does not come back for the rest of the night but you’re so wrapped up in your conversation with Quinn that you don’t particularly notice anyway. Usually you hate talking about yourself, but the drinks have loosened you up and he seems so genuinely curious and intrigued about you. He asks how you met Beau, so you tell him the story of how his 7’s look a little too much like 1’s and you ended up getting so much of his mail that you had to go and confront him about it. You try to ask him about hockey but he seems rather adept at deflecting the conversation back to you every time. You can’t help but bask in the full attention he’s giving you and the more drinks you have, the more you find yourself quietly admiring his bone structure. You’re a little surprised to hear yourself laughing so much and how easily the conversation moves that you can’t quite remember how you ended up discussing how you both think roses are overrated. 

You’re so caught up in each other that neither of you catch Brock nudging Beau and nodding his head towards you across the table.

“You reckon?” Brock asks, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

“Oh, easily. I’ve been watching them all night.”

2

You pick up Beau’s call almost immediately.

“Hey, what’s up? Do you need something?” There’s a tinge of confusion in your voice.

“What? No, I just- I have an extra ticket to the game tonight and I was going to offer it to you if you weren’t being so snappy.” Beau teases.

“Oh,” you let out a chuckle, “Sorry, you just never call. I do happen to be free tonight though, if the offer’s still on the table...”

“Great, I’ll send you the ticket,” you can hear him smiling through the line. “Don’t drive, I’ll give you a lift if you wait a little after the game. Stick around and say hi to some of the other guys too.”

“Sure,” you reply, “I’ll see you later then. Maybe score or win or something? I dunno, make it worth my night?”

“Yeah ok,” you can hear him laughing now, “Will do, just for you. See you soon.”

And even if you were only joking, the team does deliver on your request. You hang by the exit as you wait for Beau, congratulating some of the other guys on the win as they start to trickle out. When Quinn catches sight of you, he can’t help the way the corners of his mouth quirk upwards and you can’t help the way you mirror it.

“Hey Quinner, congrats on the game,” you greet him, “Big win!” 

You’re mildly aware of the way your heart rate has picked up slightly since he stopped in front of you. You want to believe that it’s just because the handful of times you’ve seen him now have always been aided with a bit of liquid courage, even if you’re currently fixating on his slightly damp hair and the way his bag is slung over his shoulder. Quinn, however, is severely aware of the way his heart rate seemed to stop upon hearing the nickname leave your mouth.

He clears his throat, “Yeah, thanks. I didn’t realise you were going to be here?”

“Beau said he had an extra ticket last minute - enticed me with a ride home, so I’m just waiting for him now.” 

“Yeah, he should be done with the interviews soon - you know, three point night and all,” he laughs, glancing back at the doorway in search of a sign of his teammate.

“Coming from you, mister record breaker!”

Quinn whips his head back around to you, eyes wide as he starts to mumble something to try and downplay his night. He knows he’s blushing from the way he can feel his cheeks burning but he’s hoping it could be disguised as some sort of postgame flush.

You can’t help but let out a laugh at how off guard your comment seemed to catch him. “Surely you’re going out to celebrate?”

“Oh, I don’t know… we’ve got an early start tomorrow…” He rubs a hand at the back of his neck and your eyes flicker to his bicep briefly.

“Hmmm boring,” you tease, “All work and no play I guess.”

Something in your tone has him grinning now. “No rest for the wicked,” he quips.

Unbeknownst to the two of you, you’ve had an audience for just about all of your conversation.

“Is this what he looks like when he’s trying to flirt?” Petey asks, raising his eyebrows.

“I guess. Or trying to, at least,” Brock answers, still eyeing the scene in front of him. “How long do we think til they do something about it?”

Beau’s appeared next to them at the door now too, smirking as he watches you and Quinn completely oblivious to everyone else.

“Wanna take bets?”

3

Quinn’s nervous. He’s already texted you to let you know he’s arrived but he’s expecting that you’ll have to turn him away last minute. He’s still in disbelief that he’s even here, despite the fact that you’d offered to have him visit you on set several times already, but he always thought it was just a throw away thing you would say to be nice. He only tells you this about the fourth time you’ve asked, the arrival of the post season working out with one of the quieter days of your schedule, and you couldn’t stop yourself from laughing in his face about it.

“Quinn. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t mean it. Most of our conversations are about movies, so I just thought you might find it cool to see what it’s like,” you shrug. "I've watched you play games before so it feels kind of fair, right?’

As much as he protests that it’s different, you are kind of right, naturally. He thinks it is extremely cool that this is what you do for a living, and even cooler that you’d even considered to bring him along and show him a part of it. At least, cool is what he’s trying to convince himself he’s feeling about it all. 

When he sees how excited you look, running out to meet him, he once again can’t help the grin that weasels its way onto his face. He holds out the second coffee cup in his hand to you.

“Hey,” he greets, “I brought you a coffee. I stopped on my way here but I didn’t really know what you usually get or if you prefer, like, hot or iced? So I just got you what I get which is-”

You’re pleasantly surprised and amused, letting him ramble a little before you cut him off, thanking him and groaning when you take a sip. “God, thank you. I’ve already had one today but I truly needed this.”

He’s relieved to hear it, immediately relaxing. “Hectic day then?”

“Kind of, but like… A controlled hectic you know?” You pause, giving him a once over, realising he’s a little less jittery than a minute ago - and also that he looks good. You’ve only ever really seen him in very weak bar lighting, or after a hockey game - but definitely never before lunch. The sun looks good on him you think, and you’re rather charmed by the outfit he’s picked out for the occasion but you’re quick to snap yourself out of your thoughts.

“Let me show you around!”

You give him a tour of the set, proudly pointing out how you managed to convince them to move your trailer closer, talking him through your designs you have pinned up and showing him some of the final costumes.

Quinn’s already wide-eyed, kid in a candy store at all of this, staring and asking if he can touch things. He almost doesn’t believe you when you say he can watch them film a scene or two. He’s amazed by the whole set up of it all, the cameras, the monitors, all the people who seem to be constantly walking places very quickly with a lot of purpose. You lead him to your little costume camp in the corner, letting out a chuckle at how impressed he is. 

“Okay, look so I do kind of have to do my job and leave you alone here, but just stay where I tell you to, don’t get in the way and you’ll be fine.” You’ve barely finished your sentence when someone calls your name, so you’re pushing Quinn into an empty chair, wincing a smile at him and scurrying away.

You don’t really get a chance to check back in on him for a good hour or two, but Quinn’s barely noticed the amount of time that’s gone by. He’s shocked at the fact that he’s so close to actors who he actually recognises, but he’s even more in awe simply watching you in your element. He knew you’d downplayed your role to him but even so, he’s mesmerised at the way you’re handling everyone’s questions, how you’re there in between takes to fix collars and ties and things he hadn’t even noticed, at how almost out of nowhere, you suddenly seem to have this commanding yet gracious air of authority around you. He’s never seen or even pictured you like this but he’s completely caught up in it, not realising that one of the makeup artists has been watching his laser focus on you this whole time and sidled up to him.

He doesn’t quite hear her at first.

“I was just asking if you were the boyfriend?”

Quinn’s immediately blushing furiously and he’s only glad that you aren’t there to see it. “No- no, um. Just, uhh, just a friend is all.” 

His response appropriately earns a raised eyebrow.

“Ahhh, okay. Gotcha. Sorry, was just asking,” she pauses, entertained by his spluttering, “She’s rather amazing, you know? Really great at her job and just incredible in general.”

“Yeah, I, uh- I know,” he answers, glancing at you briefly. There’s something in this stranger’s tone that has him slightly confused, wondering why he’s being told this.

She only hums in response before walking away, leaving him to try not to overthink the interaction. He quickly pushes it aside when he sees you making your way over.

“Hey,” you grin, coming to a stop in front of him, “Been having fun?”

“Oh yeah,” he perks up immediately, “Heaps.”

“Great, because we’re starting to wrap up. I’ll take you back out to the entrance, save you all the boring stuff, y’know?”

Quinn’s surprised that it’s already heading into the late afternoon when you exit the studio. He turns to look at you, shoving his hands into his pockets and mustering up as much sincerity as he can.

“Thanks again for having me. It was, um, it was really cool watching you do your thing.”

“Well thanks for finally taking me up on my offer,�� you counter, “and thanks for the coffee. I’m glad you had fun, really." You pause, cocking your head slightly, “We’ll go watch the movie together when it’s out.”

This, Quinn is sure, is a throw away line, at least he thinks. You’re not completely sure if you meant it either, but you know you only said it because you knew he would take it as one.

A couple days later you get a text out of the blue from Beau, and then Brock.

Beau: WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU TOOK QUINN ON SET???? I’VE KNOWN YOU FOR HOW LONG AND YOU’VE NEVER ASKED ME?!!?!?! 

Brock: I like movies too :))

4

For whatever reason, Beau’s apartment had become the designated gathering spot. You’d already found yourself there a couple times already with the rest of the group, so you didn’t really question it when he ropes you into the games night he’s hosting, claiming they need another person to even out the numbers. It doesn’t occur to you to ask why he couldn’t have asked literally any of the other guys instead, so you don’t realise he has a whole catalogue of excuses ready to cover the fact that he’d been orchestrating a reason to get you and Quinn in the same room again.  

If anyone were to ask Quinn why he was late, he also had his own list of excuses ready to rattle off before he’d admit the truth. He’d spent an embarrassingly long amount of time switching between three shirts knowing that he’d see you - and so what if you’d done the same, as long as nobody else knew? 

Currently, you’re all way too many drinks in, lining up along the couch in preparation for the final tie breaking round of charades. Beau’s couch is definitely not big enough to fit six of you but you all squish in anyway, mostly too drunk or too determined to win to care. You should have expected this level of competition from a group of professional athletes; you've done a good job of keeping up all night, but you’re suddenly very acutely aware of how close Quinn is sitting next to you. You take another hard swallow from your drink before turning your focus onto Beau flailing his arms in front of you.

You manage to keep your cool through several rounds, but eventually you realise Quinn’s thigh has, at some point, ended up pressed firmly against yours. Immediately your whole leg is tingling and your face is flaming up, but Quinn doesn’t seem to show any signs of pulling away, or simply even realising. You blink, trying to refocus, but the only thing your brain seems capable of processing at the moment is the feeling of Quinn’s leg against yours through your jeans. If it weren’t for Beau’s overly dramatic reaction, you probably wouldn’t even have noticed that your team had already lost. 

You move to lean back against the couch - which was a mistake, considering now your shoulders are brushing too, and someone might as well have set your entire body on fire. Your head is starting to spin - must just be the shots catching up, you try to convince yourself - and you’ve drawn your lips into a thin line in an effort not to combust. 

Brock lets out a laugh, clocking your expression. “Alright, no need to be such a sore loser, princess.”

You can feel Quinn turning to look at you, even if you’re desperately avoiding his eye contact. Beau is looking at you now too, eyes flickering over the way you and Quinn are pressed into each other’s sides. He grins, gears already turning in his head.

You hope your laugh sounds convincing. “Yeah, didn’t realise I’d get so into it, huh?”

“We’ll just have to have a rematch another time,” Beau reassures you, well aware losing wasn’t the reason why you looked so distressed. He fakes a look at the clock as you stand up from the couch, having decided you wouldn’t have survived much longer if you didn’t move.

“Well I guess it’s getting a bit late. I think we’re all pretty far gone at this point so everyone’s welcome to crash for the night if you want," Beau offers.

“Dude,” Quinn pipes up, “There’s no way you have enough space for all of us.”

“Well, lucky a certain someone just so happens to live not so far away!” Beau is already shepherding the two of you out of his apartment, still wearing the biggest grin on his face.

Before you can even begin to protest, you’ve already found yourself standing next to Quinn in the hallway. A beat passes, the two of you staring at the shut door incredulously before you finally catch Quinn’s eye, both unable to help the fit of giggles that escapes when you catch each other’s expressions. 

In hindsight, you think this is the exact moment where you lose the ability to deny to yourself that you see him as just one of Beau’s friends. His eyes are a little glazed over from the alcohol, and his lips are flushed the prettiest pink to match his cheeks which are pulled into the widest smile you’ve seen him wear to date, and for the first time you notice exactly just how full his eyelashes are.

“I guess I do have a free couch,” you breathe out once you’ve both calmed down. 

“No it’s fine really, I can just get an uber home, don’t worry about it,” Quinn argues, the slight awkwardness of the situation finally hitting him.

“Quinn, don’t be ridiculous. Your car’s still here, isn’t it? I literally live down the hallway,” you pause, “... like Beau said.”

He swallows, blinking at you for a good while. “Yeah, okay. If you’re sure then.” 

He waits for you to tell him that you’ve changed your mind, that actually the boyfriend you’ve never mentioned before wouldn’t like it if he stayed, or anything along those lines - something that would make the whole thing feel a little more believable, but instead, he just finds you looking at him. He doesn’t think he can handle that much longer without buckling at the knees, the way your eyes are searching his face, so he turns and starts walking down the hallway. He goes to ask what number your apartment is when he suddenly feels your soft hand slip into his.

You don’t know what it is. Maybe how nervous he suddenly seemed, maybe the way his hair looked perfectly dishevelled, or maybe in your intoxicated state you’d just finally decided to throw caution to the wind.

“I’m back this way, idiot,” you laugh at him before tugging him down the other way to your door. 

Quinn is sure that his heart is thumping so loudly that you can hear it echoing through the silent hallway, or that you can somehow feel it where your fingers are laced through his but you’re being nice and saving him the embarrassment by not saying anything about it. He’s also hyper aware of how you didn’t drop his hand until you were both inside, even when you were rummaging in your pockets for your keys.

He glances around your apartment, following suit as he watches you kick off your sneakers. He’s overtly aware of the quietness compared to the chaos of just earlier, and the overwhelming sense of domesticity as he trails behind you into your home. 

You watch him as he looks around, trying to find something to do in order to not get distracted staring at his nose. “Want some water?”

“Yeah actually, thanks,” he feels like he’s whispering, like if he speaks any louder you might realise that he is, actually, in fact, standing in your apartment and decide to kick him out. 

He watches you reach on your toes to grab an extra glass from the cabinet and he finds himself endeared by it all - the way your shoes were lined up in the hallway, the sweater left draped over the couch, the lone mug left on your kitchen counter by your coffee machine.

He gestures at what he’s guessing is an open script left on the table next to an array of pens. “New project?”

“Yeah, I’m almost done reading through it,” you answer, “I won't be working on it for several months still, but I haven’t completely decided yet.”

“Is it shooting here as well?”

“Only bits of it. Looks like it’ll be mostly in LA though. And a couple other locations but it’ll be fun,” you shrug, handing him the glass.

“So you’re gonna do it?” 

“Yeah, I think so. Script’s pretty good so far, and it’s an exciting team. Kind of like why not, you know?”

Quinn only manages to mutter out some sort of agreement. He’s surprised by his own disappointment at the idea that you could be moving out to LA, when in the grand scheme of things he’s only known you for about half a year. Thankfully, you interrupt him before he can think about it much more.

“Anyway, I’ll go get some blankets for you. Bathroom’s down that way, there’s extra toothbrushes in the first drawer.”

When he’s back, he almost crumples at the sight of you in your pjs setting up the couch for him. He notices you’ve refilled his glass before you turn around and shove a pile of clothes into his hands.

“Sweats for you, they should fit, I think,” you crinkle your nose. “My room’s down that way, just let me know if you need anything.”

He only manages to get out a small thanks in response. He’s staring at you, he knows that, but he can’t help how soft you look in the dim lighting.

You tilt your head, giving him a small smile. “Night, Quinn.”

“Yeah, goodnight,” he mumbles.

He makes a mental note to both punch Beau and then thank him in the morning.

+ 1

Nothing ever happened after that seemingly eventful night. It’s now well into the next season and you’re thinking that this is just what the dynamic of yours and Quinn’s friendship is like. You’ve gone back to trying to convince yourself that it’s normal - like you also think Beau’s good looking, right? You had a bit of a crush on him too when you first met him, even if that came and went awfully swiftly and you don’t get anything even close to the same kind of head spinning giddiness when he talks to you. Quinn thinks he’s been less subtle about it all, and you think you’ve been dropping hints but apparently your efforts have only been evident to everyone else but each other.

You know that the team has a gala coming up soon. Beau’s mentioned it to you a couple times in his attempt to gauge how you would feel if he forced Quinn to take you as his date. When he tells Quinn his master plan to finally get the two of you together, Quinn almost chokes on his own spit.

“Ask her as my date?! You’re kidding right?” he practically screeches.

“No.”

Quinn stammers, trying to formulate some kind of reply. “I don’t- We’re not- … I’m not doing that.”

Beau groans. “You guys are both such idiots, I’m sick of it. It’s so obvious that you like her and I don’t know how you can’t see that she’s head over heels for you too!”

Quinn only stares at him in response.

“Why won’t you just ask her? The world isn’t going to implode.”

There’s a good minute of silence, the two of them staring at each other waiting for someone to break. Quinn finally sighs, taking a seat on the couch.

“Isn’t she leaving for LA soon?”

“Are you being serious right now? Please tell me you’re not actually this stupid.”

Quinn blinks. “I don’t know. Vancouver and LA are pretty far apart.”

Beau is just about ready to physically knock some sense into him.

“You’re not even in Vancouver half the time anyway. Plus she’s not moving away forever. Don’t be such a drama queen.”

When Quinn doesn’t say anything in response, Beau doubles down.

“If you don’t ask her, I will for you. I’m not lying but you can test that out if you’d like.”

Beau doesn’t believe that Quinn will do anything, but he doesn’t give him much time to prove him wrong anyway. He’s calling you that evening.

“What are you doing Saturday night in two weeks time?”

“What? Nothing, I don’t think.”

“Okay, great. You’re coming to the gala as Quinn’s date then.”

“I’m what?!”

“You heard me.”

There’s a pause.

“Are you home right now?”

“Ye-”

You hang up on him before he can finish the syllable and you’re storming down the hallway until you’re banging on his door. He looks rather calm when he lets you in, but you don’t miss the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

You point an accusing finger at him. “Explain it to me again. You want me to do what now?”

Beau rolls his eyes. “You’re free. Quinn’s free. Why not? It’s painfully obvious that you have this massive crush on him.”

You huff, crossing your arms over your chest. “No I don’t. And you’re asking me instead of him because?”

“Because he’s being an idiot, like he has been for almost an entire year now.” Beau looks at you and he can tell you could be convinced. “Just say yes. I’ll be there, the other guys will be there, there’ll be free food and drinks. Plus you’ll get to dress up! You’re always telling me you want to have an excuse to dress up yourself instead of other people!”

You can’t deny his last point. Literally just the other week, you’d sent him a link of this drop dead gorgeous dress you’d found whilst sourcing for your next project and complained to him about how you wanted to get it for yourself but had nowhere to wear it to.

You narrow your eyes at him. “What’s the catch?”

“There is no catch. Just say you’ll come as his date. That’s it.”

You pause. Beau finds himself in his second stalemate of the day, but he knows you’re going to give in more easily. He listens to the tick of the clock in his living room, patiently waiting for you to cave.

“Fine.”

You don’t give him a chance to properly react before you’ve flung open his door, marched back to your own apartment and screamed into your pillow about what you’ve said yes to.

Beau should’ve known you were going to be insufferable leading up to the actual night. You spend the entirety of the next week pestering him about what the dress code is, how you have nothing to wear, what to expect, who else is going to be there. He gives you the same answers every time you ask and he promises to go dress shopping with you on Thursday. You’re only the slightest bit more relieved at this, but as soon as you agree, Beau’s texting Quinn that he has about a week to deliver.

Quinn had called you as soon as he saw Beau’s message, apologising and saying that he wished Beau had given him a little more warning so he could have asked you himself (he knows he wouldn’t have) and telling you that you don’t have to go if you didn’t want to. You were barely done freaking out about it yourself, but the way he sounded so completely flustered about it all through the phone was somewhat reassuring. 

When you make your way up the stairs to your apartment on Wednesday evening, you find yourself actually excited to go pick out a dress the next day. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t pulled together some inspiration images, but in your defence, you were just good at your job. Your steps falter a little when you notice a package at your door, but as you get closer, you notice there’s a post-it note over it. 

Been a minute since our mail got confused again :)

– Beau

You’re confused because you don’t remember ordering anything, but it’s definitely been addressed to you. You head inside to open it, brows furrowing when you start to recognise the fabric. Needless to say, your jaw is definitely on the floor when you pull out the same dress that you had sent Beau not too long ago. You’re scrambling to grab your phone to yell at him when you remember they’re currently playing a game at the moment, so you settle for a borderline blasphemous string of texts instead.

Hours later, when you’re still reeling, you get one single message in response.

Beau: Wasn’t me. Was all huggy :)

It feels like the last days left until the gala had gone all too quick yet also taken way too long. You felt like you’d been pulling your hair out about it nonstop, and it didn’t help that the guys had gone away on a roadie in between. 

You’d started getting ready way too early. You couldn’t do up the clasp of your necklace since you weren’t used to having your nails done, leaving you too much time to start wondering if you’d maybe gone a little overboard with it all. You’d been pacing around your apartment for the past half hour trying to occupy your hands with something else instead, waiting for a more appropriate time to get changed. You think you must look like a deranged housewife, washing your dishes and folding your laundry with a full face of makeup and maybe too much diligence.

You’re so caught up in distracting yourself that the buzzer ringing makes you jump. 

“Hey, come on up. I’ll unlock the door, I’ve just got to get changed,” you say over the intercom. 

You run back to your room to pull on the dress you’d been fawning over for weeks, still not entirely sure how either Quinn or Beau had managed to work out the right size for you. You hear the door being opened and Quinn calling out your name just as you’re spraying your perfume. 

“In my room!” You yell back, “One sec!”

When he rounds the corner and lays eyes on you, Quinn’s certain he’s turned completely into putty. He’s never seen you so dressed up and you look so breathtakingly stunning that he almost drops the bouquet in his hands.

You’re equally breathless when you turn around to face him. You didn’t realise that he’d gotten a tie to match, and you wouldn’t know that he’d dragged Petey to help him pick a new suit in an attempt to impress you. You’re both staring at each other for what feels like forever before either of you can manage a word.

“Um, hi,” he breathes, barely audible, “You look- you look really beautiful.”

You can’t hide the blush that’s creeping up your neck, but you don’t try to anyway considering his cheeks have gone a rosy shade to match. 

“Thanks, Quinn. You look really good too.” You don’t notice how he flushes even deeper because you’ve finally noticed the flowers he’s holding, and even more so, how there’s not a single rose in the bunch. “Are those…?”

Quinn suddenly feels embarrassed about the fact he got you flowers. “Yeah, I um, I got- they’re for you.” He feels like a school boy all over again, mentally kicking himself for not being able to get a proper sentence out. He looks down at the stems, rubbing at his stubble. “Did I overdo it?”

You laugh, you’d been fidgeting with your nails the entire time.

“No, I think it’s really sweet.” You take the flowers from him, laying them down on your vanity when you remember your necklace.

“Oh, can you help me with this? I can’t seem to get the clasp.” You hand him the chain and turn, moving your hair out of the way. 

You can smell the waft of his cologne and feel his focus on the back of your neck, suddenly incredibly aware of how close you’re standing. Your mouth has dried, you're pretty sure your ears are ringing and you think you’re fully frozen in your spot.

“There,” Quinn mumbles, barely even able to get the word past the lump in his throat. He’s still thinking about how unreal you look and fighting the overwhelming urge to spin you around and kiss you right then and there. 

You’re both snapped out of the moment when his phone starts ringing. It’s Beau, asking what time you guys are going to arrive.

“Yeah, we’re just about to leave. See you soon, dude.” Quinn answers, turning his attention back to you. “Ready to go?”

On the way there, you’ve somehow recomposed yourself to manage a somewhat normal conversation. You’re not sure exactly what it is that sent your nerves into haywire in the first place. The fact that you’re so done up, that you’re technically his date, or the fact that he seems just as antsy as you. He tells you he’s a little nervous about the speech he has to make, so you squeeze his hand in reassurance and try to reel your nerves in for both of you.

It’s a lot easier when you get there and see everyone else. You’re reminded that they’re your friends and that this is just another time you get to hang out, even if it’s a lot more fancy and official than what you’re used to. But when you finally go to take your seats after doing your initial rounds of mingling, you still manage to somehow knock your fork to the floor. You bend over to pick it up and you don’t realise Quinn’s covered the edge of the table with his hand until you bump your head into it. Before you can even say anything or just thank him for it, he’s offering to swap forks with you.

“Oh, don’t even worry about it,” you laugh a little breathlessly, “Five second rule, right?”

“Yeah, sure,” he replies, but he’s already replaced the fork next to your plate with his anyway. 

Brock and Petey have watched the whole exchange and share knowing smirks from across the table.

Everything else seems to go smoothly. Maybe it’s the soft touches on his arm or on your back, the blushing smiles and longing glances across the room, but something about tonight feels like tomorrow you won’t be able to pretend nothing happened.

Quinn’s speech goes well, and now everyone is up and moving around again. You hang back and let the long line of teammates and attendees go to congratulate him first.

Beau approaches Quinn, interrupting his train of thought.

“Now that the business part is done, you gonna finally make a move or what?”

Quinn’s eyes almost pop out of his head at the idea of this and also the volume at which Beau is speaking.

“Shut up,” he hisses, “She’ll hear you!”

“Doesn’t matter - she’s going to notice anyway with how hard you’ve been staring all night!”

“No I haven’t,” he mutters, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah ok, sure buddy. Just- no time like the present!” Beau claps him on the back and leaves Quinn to shift his gaze back to you. He’s starting to get lost in how at ease you look, talking to some of the other wives, when he realises Beau is right and you’ve caught him staring.

You make your way to him, prodding him gently in the shoulder.

“Told ya you didn’t need to be so worried.”

He’s blushing again. He can’t seem to get a handle on the effect you have on him.

“Yeah, it went alright, I guess. Made it out alive.”

“Well I, for one, think you spoke really well.” There’s a slight teasing in your voice, but you hope he can tell you mean it.

Quinn finds himself lost for words in front of you for what feels like the hundredth time that night. He’s scanning your face and tries not to think too hard before he opens his mouth again.

“Can I kiss y-”

“Please.”

His hands are quick to find your waist and pull you closer as your hands find a place against his chest. The kiss is quick and rushed and almost all teeth from how big you’re both smiling, but you don’t mind it. You feel like the ground’s been pulled out from under you in one fell swoop and you’re free falling but somehow it feels like exactly what you needed.

When you pull away, Quinn’s wearing the goofiest lopsided grin you’ve ever seen and you can only imagine that you look the same.

“I, uh-”

“You’ve got lip gloss on you.”

You’re both giggling as he swipes over his lips with his thumb. 

You’re so lost in him that you almost don’t register all the hollering and clapping from your table. Usually you would hate the idea of so many eyes watching you, but it all feels like such a long time coming that you can’t seem to be even remotely embarrassed about any of it.

[holy-puckslibrary]

here's everything i published in the month of OCTOBER.

˗ˏˋ main masterlist ˎˊ˗

★ THE ONE (18+) 

pairing — fwb!ANDREI SVECHNIKOV x reader wc — 8k synopsis — the reader is andrei's favorite girl, but she isn't his only. for awhile, the arrangement was comfortable. he'd show up whenever he was in town, they'd fuck, and then he'd leave. rinse and repeat. so how will andrei react when their routine comes to a screeching halt?

★ CLANDESTINE (18+) 

pairing — dbf!SIDNEY CROSBY x reader wc — 4.5k synopsis — when sidney catches the owner’s daughter hooking up with a rookie during a swanky event, he feels compelled to save an old friend some embarrassment. reminding showing her what a real man can do is just a bonus.

— INAUGURAL SLUMBER PARTY  tags: #oct 23 // #lights camera action

★ sharing is caring deets series masterlist

★ thoughts/feelings re: kinktober

★ lucky charm hidden object teaser game

★ re-visiting cameo and the remaster series masterlist

— 1989 (GRACE'S VERSION) tags: #1989 (grace's version) // #1989 (GV)

★ TRACK ONE — OUT OF THE WOODS (quinn hughes) the crush verse masterlist

★ TRACK TWO — THIS LOVE (erik johnson) the nanny verse masterlist

★ TRACK THREE — I KNOW PLACES (sidney crosby) the sugar sugar verse masterlist

→ next month’s round-up 

⤑ to my inbox💌

⬸ back to the catalog

⬸ back to the main blog 

All of the stories and fantasies written or discussed on this blog by the owner or by followers are purely fictional and are not intended to offend any parties.

©2023 holy-pucks, all rights reserved. I do not give consent for any of my work to be copied, re-posted, or translated here, on Tumblr, or on any other platform. Reproduction of any content from this blog is considered plagiarism.

[letsgetrowdy43]

Do the Canuck’s ever post photos of Quinn with Warren or the other kids at events? I feel like the people would go crazy for that

Sometimes!!

Quinn and Honey are very skeptical about the posting of their kids, and the canucks are really respectful of that!!

They do make the occasional appearance on socials that aren't their parents like the Canucks, Devils, and the nhl Instagram

Big things like Quinn's captaincy ceremony, Hughes bowl, or the all-star games are some examples of times the kids make the posts

They also have been known to appear in a few post/pre-game interviews but that's only on big events like the all-stars and/or playoff media availability.

The official canucks journalists do some articles on Quinn's growth throughout the years and touch on his kids, but they never go into too much depth, just little stories he's willing to share about his babies

Canucks media gets a lot of flack for being a source of pressure on the team, but they are respectful of the team's children!!

That being said when they are posted, or even if Honey makes a little cameo, hockey Twitter and other platforms lose their minds, but that's to be expected!!

-

-

-

[goodnightoilcountry]

jo's vancouver canucks fic rec list !

fic rec masterlist: jo's nhl fic rec list !

like my selection of fic recs? have a player who's not been featured? let me know and i'll go on a deep dive for you!

ARTURS SILOVS

foreign language pt1 + pt2 by @ silovsmenot summary: a first meeting with a certain Latvian goalie, a surprise that leaves him thinking of you … and an unexpected reunion thanks to injury. word count: 2.1k

BROCK BOESER

home by @ bedsyandco summary: in which your Brock’s best friend and the lines are blurry because you act like more both to him and his son. word count: 2.3k

because of brock by @ ohmyeyesmyeyes summary: a breakup because of brock word count: 8.7k

et me tell you that i love you (4+1) by @ brockadoodles word count: 3.4k

QUINN HUGHES

lucky by @ 43-hugs summary: in which quinn counts his lucky stars.  word count: 20k

4 times everyone else caught on before the 1 time you and quinn finally did by @ mrsensitive summary: a good old 4+1 ft. best friend beau & a couple other cameos, some mutual pining and also reader is a costume designer.

5 times quinn wanted to kiss you + 1 time he finally did by @ bedsyandco

friend's don't by @ hischierdevils summary: everyone can see that you and quinn are more than friends. everyone except the two of you. word count: 2.4k

third time's the charm by @ thatintrovertedwriter summary: in which Quinn hates parties, yet keeps throwing them in hopes you'll show up. word count: 5k

fearless by @ theemporium summary: the five times you tried to deny it, and the one time you and quinn gave into the bond pulling you together word count: 8.3k

plus one by @ bagopucks summary: “they are just so in love, i remember when we looked at each other like that.” word count: 4.6k

growing up is by @ adoristsposts summary: in which quinn has a hard time coming to terms with the road your relationship has taken.

nothing but love by @ starry-hughes summary: the four times quinn wanted to kiss you and the one time he did.

can i be close to you? by @ 43-hugs summary: after meeting you, he starts seeing you everywhere. while at first he's not so sure, quinn grows to enjoy your company, despite his crazy schedule in a city that demands a lot from him. word count: 7.4k

baby photos by @ 43-hugs summary: they met you before they had ever held you in their arms. this is every time jim and ellen hughes met you, before they actually did. word count: 3k

you are in love by @ sunkissed-zegras summary: 3 times that quinn wanted to tell you he loved you, and the 1 time he finally did. word count: 3.5k

oh, my, my, my by @ sweetteainthesummerx summary: you and quinn throughout the years, and how you fall in love <3 word count: 4.4k

down bad by @ sweetteainthesummerx summary: your sister sends you an article of you and quinn being absolutely down bad for each other... word count: 2.4k

is this off the record? by @ rempewiththetempe summary: y/n gets a job as a rinkside reporter for the Vancouver Canucks, befriending many of the roster members, but one player (who just so happens to wear the C on his chest) is rather against the idea of becoming friends with the girl. word count: 3.1k

sweet nothing by @ sweetteainthesummerx summary: 5 times Quinn knew you were the one, and the one time he let you know... word count: 2.3k

somehow still stuck on you by @ matthewtkachuk summary: navigating the realities of your post break up friendship with quinn is exacerbated by how much you’re not over him word count: 2.4k

in between by @ capquinn summary: your friendship with quinn is slowly transforming. there is an unspoken tension and feelings that simmer beneath the surface, keeping you on the edge of friendship and something more. the in-between is where you both linger, uncertain yet drawn to each other. word count: 4.9k

two hearts by @ capquinn summary: you and quinn drift apart, only to be drawn back together, held by a quiet, unspoken pull that lingers even after the breakup. it’s a constant ebb and flow, where the pain of separation and the comfort of reunion blur together, making it hard to truly let go. word count: 8.3k

all's fair in love and war by @ nhlclover summary: trevor invites you to a lakehouse for the summer, attempting to set him up with his friend. however, the summer doesn't go to plan when you meet his older brother who captures your eye and flips everything upside down. word count: 11.6k

[weclassybouquetfun]

I don't watch trailers as a rule (why yes, I do want a cookie and a pat on the back for that), so I don't know if what I considered film spoilers were true spoilers or if they were already shown in the trailers. I do know I couldn't avoid some spoilers on Twitter, but thankfully DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE is so much more than the spoiler moments.

Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, you did well.

All hail Kevin Feige, the mastermind at uniting the former Fox property with the MCU.

Feige flanked by his Marvel Universe-ers as he got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Shawn Levy, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour,Emma Corrin, Ke Huy Quan, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Simu Liu Chris Pratt, Brie Larson and Kathryn Hahn of the forthcoming WANDAVISION spinoff AGATHA something..

It has gone through so many titles, I forget what it landed on.

Oh, yes. It went back to the top. AGATHA ALL ALONG with HEARTSTOPPER's Joe Locke.

But that is a topic for another day. Today is all about DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE, which, to me, is the best DEADPOOL. Yes, it's full of fan service. When is fun a bad thing?

When is whimsy a bad thing? What helps the film to not be mired in a quip a'thon was Hugh Jackman's continued grounded portrayal of Logan. I think the film would have been very annoying, if he wasn't the emotional ballast of the piece.

And yes, there is a post-credit scene, but it's not important.

SPOILERS FOR DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE. AS MANY SPOILERS AS QUIPS

SPOILERS

WHAT I LOVED

-My favourite part wasn't a part of the storyline, but during the credits when they ran a salute to the Fox Marvel films by showing clips of the film and behind-the-scenes footage (including Miles Teller from the cursed FANTASTIC FOUR film) with Green Day's "Good Riddance" (Time of Your LIfe) playing underneath it. Schmaltzy, yes, but an effective tip of the hat to what came before.

-The fourth wall break where Deadpool says the last great multiverse film was THE WIZARD OF OZ, then fast track to the end where Wolverine is told by B-15 that he can't change the past and it's because of the past he's the man who was able to save the timeline. Like Dorothy, it was in him all along.

-Hugh Jackman giving a much needed weight to the film. 5 credited writers, including Ryan Reynolds and it could easily have gone amiss. I'm all for actors feeling like they know their characters well enough to write for them or feed lines to their writers, but actors get carried away by getting too enamored with their performance or pleasing the audience, so you have Reynolds providing a joke every 2.5 minutes and then you are hit with Jackman's earnestness in conveying Logan's pain and anger (at Deadpool and himself). I'm glad they kept the depiction of Logan as it always have been and not try to make him a jokester and match Deadpool's energy.

You've been at it a long time, Bub and you're still great at it.

With his baby Oscar.

With his baby Oscar.

-Emma Corrin was an excellent villain. It took so long to get to Cassandra Nova, that I honestly forgot Corrin was the big bad. Corrin was very effective as the extremely formidable Cassandra. They're such a powerful character that could easily destroy Wade and Logan, but I didn't mind how they hamstrung their ability because I liked seeing Corrin onscreen.

And they talked about the thing! The elephant in the womb room!

-The cameos: I was spoiled about Cavill's appearance and Chris Evans', but Evans' was a misdirect. I assumed he would be Cap, but when he said, "Flame on!", the theater went crazy. I think I even shouted.

No disrespect to new Johnny Storm Joseph Quinn, but we had a 10 and now we're getting a literal 4.

I had already seen interviews with Aaron Stanford who reprised his role as Pyro and saw Dafne Keen promoting the film

, saw pictures of LOKI's Wunmi Mosaku at the premiere,

so I knew she would pop up in the film and since I knew it was a multiverse story, I knew the TVA was involved. Extremely and pleasantly surprised by the other X-Men universe characters and by Jennifer Garner and Wesley Snipes,

Though isn't the fact that Ryan Reynolds was in a BLADE film another ding in the timeline?

but it's Channing Tatum's Gambit that thrilled me. He willed that fcking depiction into existence! And the jokes about Remy's heavy Cajun accent just made it all the better.

One cameo that didn't happen? Reynold's co-Wrexham owner Rob McElhenney being cut.

WHAT I HATED

Why does Marvel always give things away. Invite Mosak, Keen and Stanford to the premiere, but don't let them walk the carpet (Dafne Keen has said there was talk of her walking the red carpet but telling people she was Hugh's plus one, then they made the decision to let the cat out of the bag.) Don't put them in promos. I would have have been more effective to me if it were a complete surprise. While not Marvel/Disney, it reminds me when I saw LOGAN and was shocked that Laura had adamantium  claws. After seeing the film I watched the trailer and was shocked that it's revealed in the trailer!

Same with AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. I went to a test screening of it and when Peter introduces himself to Doctor Strange and says the line about using made up names, the line killed. I couldn't even hear what was said next because everyone was still laughing. They put that scene in the trailer. It would have been a great scene to watch unfold while watching it. So, seeing Laura/B-15 and Pyro was diminished because I knew they would be turning up, but great to have them back all the same.

THE REST

-Gone, but not forgotten. Stan Lee had two cameos - his image on the side of a bus before the Deadpool variants scene, and pops up in the behind-the-scenes clip.

-Another shout out to a creator- this time Rob Liefeld. The shoppe that Deadpool and Wolverine were thrown into during the fight was named Liefeld's.

-Great needle drops, though they butchered "Bring 'Em Out" with the Avengers, or maybe it was X-Men sting. Just let that song be great.

Matthew Macfadyen was excellent, very fun. He brought the laughs even without a ludicrously capacious bag.

[puckinghischier]

400 follower celebration!!

i’m absolutely floored that in the short amount of time i’ve been writing on here that somehow there’s 400 of you that enjoy what i write enough to follow me and keep coming back for more.

i didn’t do any celebrations for any other milestones because i wasn’t confident enough to commit to it at the time, but i know the only way to truly get over my fear of being a bad writer is to keep writing.

so, with that being said, i’m going to put this out there. if you want to, if you don’t want to, it’s up to you, but i’d absolutely love if you guys sent me requests for the prompts you want to read!!

if you want to send in a request, just send me the number and the person you want me to write it for!

as i get requests, i will be marking out the numbers that have already been requested, in order to avoid duplicates

i currently write for:

- Nico Hischier

- Luke Hughes

- Jack Hughes

the only other player i would consider writing for is Quinn, but i’ve never written for him before, just given him a few cameos in other fics. if you really just want a Quinn fic i’ll consider it and try, but no promises.

i just don’t feel like i have enough knowledge yet of other players and their personalities off the ice to commit to writing a fic about them.

i grabbed these from another blog, but I cannot find the post again for the life of me, so credit to whoever originally posted these. if i find the page i'll tag them here later

Angst/Emotional:

1. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to see me.”

2. “Just please open your eyes.”

3. “Wake up. You have to wake up. Please. For me.”

4. “Just please, don’t leave me.”

5. “Why does everyone always leave?”

6. “It hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much? I just want it to stop.”

7. “Forget it. Just like you forget everything else.”

8. “I never ask for help because I’m not sure I know how.”

9. “It’s alright to feel broken every once and a while. And it’s alright to take time to heal.”

10. “What is it about me that isn’t good enough?”

11. “I wish I was brave.”

12. “You almost died and you’re making jokes?”

13. “I’m scared.”

14. “I don’t miss you. I miss us.”

15. “I can’t lose you.” “You already did.”

16. ‘“You weren’t there…why weren’t you there? I needed you! I needed you! And you weren’t there!”

17. “All I wanted was a happy ending.”

18. “You don’t have to hide your tears from me.”

19. “I’m not leaving you here.”

20. “You left without saying goodbye.”

21. “For once in your life, do what you want! Be selfish!”

22. “Being strong doesn’t mean never asking for help or admitting you’re in pain.”

23. “You said you wouldn’t leave, and then you did.”

24. “This is the third time you’ve broken a promise to me, I’m starting to think you are doing it on purpose.”

25. “Whatever you do, do not make a sound.”

Fluff/Romantic:

26. “I just cant see myself ever living without you.”

27. “If there was ever anybody meant for me, it’s you.”

28. “The closest thing to love at first sight I’ve ever experienced happened when I first laid eyes on you.”

29. “I didn’t believe in soulmates until I met you.”

30. “Did you just tell the person I was gonna go out with that we’re dating?”

31. “You owe me a kiss.”

32. “Go with me?” “Only if you hold my hand.”

33. “I’d feel much better if you’d let me walk you home.”

34. “If I asked you to stay, would you?”

35. “You make me feel alive. For the first time ever, I feel like I can breathe.”

36. “I’ve never felt this way before, and truthfully it scares me. But, the idea of never trying scares me even more.”

37. “You’re telling me you believe in love at first sight?” “I’m starting to.”

38. “I promised to love you forever, and that is a promise I intend to keep.”

39. “Is that my shirt?” “You mean our shirt?”

40. “You give me a reason to be better, to do better.”

41. "All I’ve ever wanted was a place to belong. Somewhere I could call home. And you gave me that. Because you are my home.”

42. “They don’t compare to you. No one does.”

43. “I thought I had the worst luck, until I met you.”

44. “I could see the worst parts of you and still think you are the most beautiful person I’ve met.”

45. “I think I’m in love with you.”

46. “You brought me breakfast?” “Well you said you always forget to eat before you go to work, so I thought I’d make sure you ate something.”

47. “Everything feels right when you are with me.”

48. “I don’t care what others say, I want to be with you and that’s all that matters to me.”

49. “You bought me flowers?” “Yeah, well I noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so I wanted to cheer you up.”

50. “I’ll be damned if anyone makes you feel like you aren’t worthy of being loved.”

51. “I wasn’t sure what love really felt like until I met you.”

52. “You owe me.” “I owe you $20 not a day of pretending to be your partner to get your parents off your back.”

53. “I can braid your hair for you- I mean, only if you want.”

54. “Maybe if you stopped staring at them and actually talked to them, you might have a chance.”

55. “You said you wouldn’t fall in love with me.” “I lied.”

56. “I want you. All of you, and not just halfheartedly, but wholly. And maybe that’s selfish, but I don’t care.”

57. “Can you stay? Just for tonight, please. I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts.” “'l’ll stay for as long as you need.”

58. “You are my family.”

59. “We’ve been by each other’s sides for years, you think I’m gonna leave now?”

60. “Take my jacket, I don’t want you catching a cold.”

61. “I’d wait a thousand lifetimes for you, because you are worth waiting for. So when you are ready. I’ll be right here.”

62. “I will never stop fighting for you. I will never stop protecting you.”

63. “I can’t stop thinking about you. No matter how hard I try, you’re always on my mind”

64. “Don’t go on that date.” “Why?” “You know why.” “Say it.”

65. “Can I kiss you?”

66. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this.”

67. “How long have you had this planned?” “Since the moment I fell in love with you.”

68. “You came all the way here for me?”

69. “Why are you staring at me?” “Because I think you’re beautiful.”

70. “I think I’m falling in love with you.” “I think I’m okay with that.”

71. “What are you doing here?” “I wanted to see if you were okay.”

72. “The world gets a little brighter when you’re around.”

Miscellaneous:

73. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone screw something up that fast before.”

74. “I’ve never told you that before.”

75. “You come here often?” “Well, I work here. So I think I’d have to say ‘yes’.”

76. “I’m too sober for this.” “You don’t even drink.” “Maybe I should start.”

77. “You couldn’t handle me even if i came with instructions.”

78. “Wake me up when it’s over.”

79. "Abort mission, I repeat abort mission.” “What? Abort what mission? All you were doing was introducing yourself to your neighbor?” “Yeah, and they’re too attractive. I can never speak to them again.”

80. “At least I kept my promise.”

81. “I saw you looking at it last time we were in the store together, so I got it for you.”

82. “…Did you just sniff me?”

83. “Of course I noticed, I notice everything about you.”

84. “Are you alright?” “Yeah, why?” “You look mad.” “That’s just my face…”

85. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

86. “You don’t actually have to like me, you just need to pretend you do.”

87. “Since when did you open a bakery in your house?” “Since I got bored.”

88. “You’re bleeding.” “No shit.”

89. “For the most part, I am, in fact, an idiot. But I fully admit to it, which should count for something.”

90. “Stop grumbling and just tell me where your medicine cabinet is.”

91. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

92. “I hate that I let you convince me to do this”

93. “We really need to stop meeting like this. "Then stop breaking into my house!”

94. “Why are you creeping outside my bedroom window?!” “I thought it would be romantic if I climbed up here.” “You gave me a heart-attack!”

95. “What are you doing here?” “I got locked out of my house.” “Again?”

96. “Run.”

97. “I can’t stand you!” “Then sit down.”

98. “Where are we going?” “It’s a surprise.” “I hope the surprise involves food.”

99. “You wont regret it!” “Already am.”

100. “I am nothing if not consistent.” “Yeah, a consistent pain in my ass.”

101. “What happened?” “Do you want the long version or the short version?” “Uh, short?” “I made a mistake.” “Okay, long version.” “I made a very very big mistake.”

102. “What happened to your hand?” “I hit my hand on something.” “On what?” “Your ex’s face.”

103. “I heard that!” “You were supposed to!”

104. “I’ve been thinking-” “Uh-oh”

105. “If I survive this, I’m killing you.”

Scenario Prompts:

*For prompts with Characters A and B; you can choose who is who in your request (who is reader and/or character)

106. Huddled together to keep warm.

107. Fall asleep in same bed, on opposite sides, wake up in each others arms.

108. Character A comes to talk to Character B, pretending to be B’s s/o when a stranger is making B uncomfortable. Leads to them asking B out on an actual date.

109. Continuously running into one another for days after having a meet cute.

110. Hands brush as you stand next to each other, you think it’s on accident until their hands gentle wrap around yours.

111. Shielding the other with their body to save/protect them.

112. Caught staring too many times for it to be a coincidence.

113. Size difference hug; they engulf you.

114. You refuse to leave so they pick you up and throw you over their shoulder.

115. Character A can tell Character B is getting nervous in a big crowd, so A slips their hand into theirs to help them calm down.

116. Character A teaching B to ice skate/roller skate.

117. B taking care of A when they are sick.

118. Holding hands underneath the table.

119. Bandaging the other and then kissing the injury gently.

120. A surprises B with a picnic.

121. Getting stuck at the top of the Ferris Wheel.

122. B sitting/standing behind A and leaning into them as they show/teach them how to do something.

123. As you begin to fall asleep, you feel a gentle kiss pressed to your temple and a blanket draped over you.

124. B comforting A as they wake up from a nightmare.

125. A realizing that they have feelings for B when they see them with someone else.

126. B bringing A hand-picked flowers.

127. Thinking you are alone in the house but you hear a noise upstairs.

128. B buys A’s dream house and surprises them.

129. Sharing an umbrella.

130. Walking together and it starts to rain, so they grab your hand and you start running until you can find somewhere to escape getting wet.

131. Fake date to a wedding; leads to confession.

132. A game of 20 questions that ends with “Can I kiss you?”

133. There’s a big storm going on outside while A is at B’s house, so B insists they sleep over.

134. A hears that B got hurt and rushes over in a panic to see if they are okay.

135. B just moved to town and really only knows A (just met). B is being followed or is lost and calls A for help. Of course they come to help and it turns into a date of sorts.

136. A falling asleep while sitting next to B, as there head falls onto B’s shoulder, B stays as still as they can, afraid to wake A.

137. Cloudgazing or Stargazing together, as you lie next to each other, their hand slips into yours.

138. Looking around for the shirt you left at your s/o’s house; only to find it in a drawer with other clothes and items you’ve left.

139. B get’s so nervous about their dinner date with A that they accidentally make enough food to feed ten people.

140. A hand written love letter left at your doorstep.

141. B dancing to music as their cooking or cleaning, and as they spin around A suddenly appears, grabbing onto B and continuing to dance with them.

142. A grabs B’s hand instinctively out of surprise or fear, and continues to hold it.

143. B helping A step down from a high place by taking their hand, and then not letting go as they continue to walk.

144. Comparing hand sizes, then linking fingers together.

145. Dancing around the living room of the first home you’ve bought together.

146. A asking B on a date until they say yes.

147. B asking A to attend a wedding with them, to get out of going with someone their parents tried to set them up with.

[sergeifyodorov]

have been meandering my way through various hrpf ships over the past few months and have finally been captivated by the dark shadow in the corner throughout it all, aka quinn hughes. if you’re into giving recs, you got any fave quinn fics?

now how did EYE become a quinn scholar of all people… honoured to be brought up in this way. i have not seen much quinnfic and am typically an eastcoast reader so i did research for this… found some good shtuff out there

i can't say anything for x readers if you're looking for that, it's simply not my thing and thats ok, but i did find some otherstuff. generally quinnfics are either quinn/brady (most popular, they've had the longest history), quinn/petey (which we should pay more attention 2 in my humble opinion), or brock/petey but quinn is There

arranged in wc order, short to long:

say cheese! by pxint, 2k, quinn/brady

sometimes you see a fic and you’re like “only someone who is very good at writing or very bad at writing would confidently publish something this weird sounding”

it’s the former

it’s a pizza place au and josh norris is also there. lighthearted in an existential dread sort of way. minimum wage existence suits quinnifer’s dead eyes very well

be my upstairs window by mundanememory, 3.9k, quinn/petey

largely a fic about rookie hazing + Being The Weird One + kind of the intrinsic quinnpetey thesis, which is largely to do with the dual shouldering of the canucks’ future. it’s well-characterized and awkward and features BRADY CAMEO

Someday Like Fire by Quinntessentially, 4.3k, quinn pov brock/petey

quinn is a ghost! a very tired ghost who wants to matchmake. just for something to do, yaknow?

something about magical realism fic that can really grind my gears is inconsistent or vague lore… but this one knows exactly what it’s telling us and when and i really like that!

to dig in by meganface, 22.8k, quinn/petey

okay my problematic gay trait is that i lovvvve stories about guys who like. Hook up w girls and stuff but it’s all superficial and then they Have An Experience with a guy and then the bulk of the story is about their ~realization process~

this is that kind of story. largely canon compliant otherwise (ie takes place during the 22-23 season, etc) but yeah.

good fast pace too, feels a lot shorter than it is (honorific)

by any other name by mundanememory, 23.1k, quinn/brady

this is a DELIGHTFUL college au

the essence of it is that quinn is a nighttime radio host and brady is on the hockey team. youll have to read it to get anything more out of me

this is like FLUFFYYYYY in such a good way it’s absolutely hilariously funny and the pacing is AMAZING it just moves like no one’s business

mundanememory if you’re out there shoot me a dm i need to shake you like im churning butter you’re so good at this

thank ye! have fun o7

[hugheswhore]

rec list<3

last updated 6.16.21

second rec list

smut **

favourites ^

.

QUINN HUGHES:

Post Game Blowie **

Snow storms and car doors

you look so pretty & i love this view

What’s left

things that i shouldn’t 2

arrangements **

Gumbo, Football Sundays, and Christmas

if you let me, ill love you like you deserve

Devils

comfort

and then there’s you

let’s fall in love for the night

rating things my gf has said in bed **

treat it like a highschool crush

in the middle of the night **

CARTER HART:

i hope so

4 times you took care of him + 1 time he took care of you

don’t hold me 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20

cliches 2

MATTHEW TKACHUK:

joking about you

take it out on me **

want you to want me **

lover

under my skin **

4 times you faked a relationship +1 time you didn’t

4 times he almost proposed +1 time he actually did

MITCHELL MARNER:

harder **

Creep

more is better

what once was

stay with me

Mitch Marner #5

I Was Made For Loving

oh puck

cameo **

Thunder **

it’s not life without you in it

JACK HUGHES:

sunkissed **

when we were young ^

close call

bet all along

tease **

rings

since the beginning

i’ll be home for christmas

puppy love

the hills ^

not before dinner

thunderstorms

TREVOR ZEGRAS:

Birthday Boy **

Break my Heart **

don’t deny the animal **

MATHEW BARZAL:

Temptation **

4 times his friends posted you on instagram +1 time he did

Mon Petit

Pretend

KIRBY DACH:

do not touch me

fight

ifhy 2 3 4 5 ^*

brownies **

lonely weekend 2

father daughter dance ^

[daeniradraconis]

The Game We Play - C2.

Author’s Note:

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who’s interacted with my story—liked, commented, or just read along. I appreciate every single one of you!Now, warning… I may or may not have a few more stories in the works with different players and characters. I’ve got a ton of ideas floating around, and after I finish Willy and Odette’s story, I’m definitely planning to build a whole series. Stay tuned for more drama and hockey!I hope you all had an amazing holiday! But if it was more "family drama" than "festive cheer," don’t worry, you're not alone. Good luck with the recovery process—I believe in you. 😅As for the tension between Odette and William, it’s definitely building (slow burn vibes, right?), but get ready for some major plot twists in the next chapter. I may have had a little too much wine during Christmas dinner when I came up with the idea... but honestly? I loved it so much, I just had to include it. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did when I had that slightly tipsy moment of brilliance. 😂

Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy this next part of the story! Make sure to check out Chapter 1 first before diving into this one.

Odette's fingers trembled as she rubbed a small lavender sachet between her palms, the calming scent rising to meet her nose. Lavender had always been her anchor. Her grandmother had sworn by herbs and home remedies, and Odette had inherited that belief. Lavender, chamomile, peppermint, sage—these simple, natural remedies were her lifelines in moments of stress. Quinn used to call her “cuckoo bananas” for it, but she didn’t mind. She swore by it. These things worked.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered to herself, tipping her head back against the seat of her old Volvo. The lavender did little to calm the jittery energy buzzing inside her. Her mind raced as she parked outside the Ford Performance Centre.

She ran a hand through her wild blonde hair, the curls sticking out at every angle—a clear sign that she hadn’t had time for her usual morning routine. Luc, her mischievous dog, had managed to tear apart two pillows during the night, leaving a feathery mess in the living room. Not exactly the ideal start to her first day on a new job.

Focus, Odette reminded herself. You’ve done this before. You can handle this.

Grabbing her bag, she slipped the sachet back inside and stepped out into the cold, sharp Toronto air, which bit at her cheeks. Her boots crunched against the frost-covered gravel as she headed toward the entrance. She adjusted her scarf, trying to shake off the nervous energy, and stepped inside.

The lobby buzzed with activity. People rushed in all directions, clipboards and laptops in hand, huddled in small groups or walking briskly toward the elevators. The sound of footsteps on the polished floor echoed, and despite the professional atmosphere, there was a palpable sense of urgency—a buzz of productivity and ambition.

“Odette Beaumont?”

The voice cut through her thoughts, and she turned to see a woman standing in front of her. She had long, dark blonde hair and an effortlessly stylish outfit—flared pants, an oversized cardigan, and big golden earrings that caught the light. The boho-chic look seemed mismatched in a way that worked. She looked about Odette’s age, and her warm smile made Odette feel instantly at ease as she extended her hand.

“Hi, I’m Rebecca,” she said, her voice soft and deep, a surprising contrast to her cheerful appearance. “Social media. Mandy asked me to show you around since she’s tied up with meetings.”

Odette shook her hand, feeling an unexpected warmth from Rebecca’s touch. “Thanks. This is... a lot.”

Rebecca grinned. “Tell me about it. First days are always overwhelming. I’ll keep it easy, though. Don’t worry about it.”

Odette chuckled. “I could use a bit of ‘easy’ today.”

Rebecca’s smile softened in understanding. “I’ve been there.” She motioned for Odette to follow. “Come on, I’ll give you the quick tour.”

The tour was a blur of new faces and names, constant movement. There was Tom, the scruffy guy who clearly didn’t care much about appearances but had a quick wit. When Odette asked how long he had been with the team, he scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.

“Not long,” he said with a wink. “I’m mostly here for comic relief.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Don’t let him fool you. He’s a great writer. The sarcasm just happens to be top-notch.”

As Rebecca led Odette through the office, introducing her to various team members, they passed the marketing team’s desks. Odette’s gaze landed on a woman with sleek black hair, pale skin, and delicate features that made her look almost ethereal. She was striking—like Snow White come to life—but her icy demeanor matched her appearance. When the woman’s eyes flicked over to Odette, it was a cold, disapproving glance that sent a chill down her spine. With a flick of her gaze, she returned to her work, lips curling into a faint frown. The brief interaction left a cool tension in the air, her icy stare lingering long after they’d passed.

Rebecca gave a soft knock on Mandy’s office door before guiding Odette inside.

Mandy’s presence was magnetic—she commanded attention effortlessly. Dark curls framed her face, and her bright brown eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. She immediately pulled Odette into a warm hug, squeezing her tight before releasing her with a beaming smile.

“We’re so excited to have you with us,” Mandy said, her smile wide and genuine. “Let’s get you all settled today, and then we’ll sit down later this week to go over everything in detail.”

“That sounds perfect,” Odette said, finally feeling a bit of the tension in her chest ease.

The afternoon passed in a blur of introductions, trying to get a feel for the new space. By lunchtime, Odette found herself in the cafeteria, eyeing the menu. A protein-packed dessert was the most appealing option, so she piled it onto her tray and reluctantly grabbed a small serving of greens—more for balance than anything else.

As she made her way to the seating area, her phone buzzed. It was Quinn. She slid into an empty seat by the window, answering, eager to hear his calming voice.

“Quinn! I’m surviving, but barely,” she said, letting out a dramatic sigh.

“You’re a tough cookie, Odie,” Quinn replied, his voice soothing. “Just breathe. You’re gonna be fine.”

“Sure,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “That’s what everyone says. I need caffeine to survive this day... and maybe a little tequila later to celebrate.”

“Tequila? Really?” Quinn’s voice was incredulous. “You’ve got to keep it clean. No more sugary stuff. Your body’s a temple, remember?”

Odette snorted. “Your temple diet doesn’t work for me, Quinn. I need my sugar. Besides, you wouldn’t understand. It’s like you live on air and protein powder.”

“Well, protein powder does wonders,” he teased. “But seriously, how’s the first day? How are the people?”

“Let’s just say I’ve already been side-eyed by someone who looks like the reincarnation of Snow White. And there’s a guy who thinks he’s a comedian,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Should be fun, right?”

“You’ll be fine. Just take it easy, Odie.”

Odette was about to say something more when she noticed a group of players entering the cafeteria. William Nylander led the way, with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner following closely behind. Odette’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes locked with William’s. His gaze widened in surprise, clearly not expecting to see her here. The heat in her chest surged as their eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

William froze, then quickly glanced back at Auston and Mitch, muttering something under his breath. His teammates exchanged confused glances before returning their attention to him. Odette took a moment to study them, noting the subtle dynamic between the three. William, tall and confident, walked with an easy, assured stride, almost like a leader. Auston, with his more laid-back presence, followed a step behind but was still very much part of the group. Mitch, as usual, was the one to stir the pot, his grin wide and mischievous.

A beat passed, and then, almost as if on cue, the three of them made their way over to Odette’s table, William leading the charge.

She tried to calm the flutter in her stomach, but it was difficult to ignore the growing tension. She continued her conversation with Quinn, but Mitch’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Quinn Hughes?” Mitch asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at her phone. “Is that who you’re talking to?” he asked, catching the tail end of her conversation with Quinn.

Odette scrambled to end the call before they reached her, fumbling as she tried to say goodbye. Her fingers felt clumsy as she struggled to hang up.

Before she could manage, Mitch reached over, snatching the phone out of her hand with a grin. “Hey, Quinn. How’s it going?” he said, holding the phone up like a trophy. “Ohh, boring. You guys just voice-called each other? What, no video? What a bunch of boomers.”

Odette quickly snatched the phone back, cheeks burning. “Bye, Quinn. I’ll talk to you later,” she muttered, hastily ending the call before Mitch could tease her more. Quinn’s laughter echoed in the background as she cut the connection.

William’s voice was low and smooth, his gaze fixed on her with a playful, almost predatory glint. “Well, well, Odette. What are you doing here?” His tone was light, but there was a subtle undercurrent to it that made her heart skip again.

Odette's pulse quickened, her breath catching in her throat for just a second. “Hello, William. I didn’t think I’d see you today.”

Auston and Mitch exchanged surprised glances. “Wait, you two know each other?” Auston asked, his curiosity piqued. Mitch leaned in, raising an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across his face.

Odette gave a casual shrug, trying to stay cool but feeling her cheeks flush. “Yeah, William helped me track down my dog when he decided to run off a few days ago. We’re neighbors.” She turned to William with a teasing smile. “Though, it’s been a little while since... well, we last saw each other.”

William’s grin deepened, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Yeah, about five days. But who’s counting?” His voice dropped just a little, as if the space between them had shrunk. “Didn’t expect to see you here. What brings you to the Ford Performance Centre?”

Odette shrugged, doing her best to act nonchalant. “Starting a new gig. Mandy asked me to come in today. I’m the new team photographer.”

Auston’s interest piqued. “Oh, so you’re working with us now? That’s pretty cool. Didn’t realize they were hiring a photographer.”

“Yep,” Odette replied with a grin. “Guess I’m officially part of the behind-the-scenes crew now.”

Mitch gave her a thumbs-up, clearly amused. “Nice! We need someone to keep track of all our shenanigans.”

William’s grin didn’t falter, but his voice had a playful edge. “No pressure, huh? Just don’t mess up those photos of us.”

Odette took a bite of her protein dessert, trying to keep it together. “No promises, but I’ll do my best. I’m here to make you guys look good in those photos.”

William’s smile shifted, clearly enjoying the banter. “You say that like I’m the problem,” he teased, leaning in slightly closer. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll make us look like superstars.”

Odette raised an eyebrow. “I’ll try my best, but no promises. I’m just here to make sure you don’t look too ridiculous.”

Auston chuckled. “Probably for the best. Some of us need all the help we can get.” He nudged Mitch, who pretended to be offended but couldn’t stop grinning.

Odette laughed. “You guys are a mess, huh?”

Mitch’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “You have no idea. But that’s why we need someone like you around. We’ll keep you on your toes.”

William, who had been watching her closely, shifted in his seat. There was something about the way he looked at her, like he was trying to read her—maybe even a little too closely. It made Odette squirm, but not in a bad way. There was a certain intensity in his gaze that made her wonder if he was more than just the easygoing player he appeared to be.

“How’s the transition been?” William asked, his voice softer now, but still carrying that smooth, almost teasing quality. “From ‘just a dog owner’ to working with a bunch of hockey players?”

Odette raised an eyebrow. “It’s been interesting so far. But I think I can handle a few hockey players. I’ve worked with Formula 1 drivers before, and I survived that. You guys are just people, right?”

Auston grinned. “That’s what they all think. Wait until you get to know us. We’ve got... quirks.”

“And we’re way cooler than those drivers,” Mitch added with a grin. “But, uh, don’t mention that to Lando.” He quickly regretted it, realizing he’d said too much.

Odette smiled at Mitch’s sudden nervous shift. She could see why Mitch and Lando were probably good friends—both were a menace to society, in the best possible way.

“Quirks, huh?” Odette said with a quiet laugh. “Not sure whether to be excited or terrified.”

William’s smile softened as his gaze lingered on her, his tone suddenly more sincere. “You’ll be fine. We’re not as bad as you think. Though we’ve got a couple of guys who might make you rethink that.”

Mitch winked. “One of them lives off protein bars and weird smoothies. Don’t ask how he does it.”

Auston joined in. “And there’s the guy who eats the same thing every day. He’s either dedicated or insane.”

Odette’s eyes flicked to Mitch, noticing the glance he exchanged with Auston. These guys weren’t as good at hiding their intentions as they thought. She grinned.

“Well, as long as no one’s eating raw fish at 10 a.m., I think I’ll survive,” she joked.

William raised an eyebrow, the playful grin on his face turning more mischievous. “Oh, don’t tempt us. You’ll see for yourself soon enough. But hey, now that you’re part of the crew, you’ll probably get invited to the next team lunch. Full experience.”

Odette’s eyebrows shot up. “Team lunch?”

Mitch grinned. “Oh yeah. Team bonding. Once a month. But fair warning—it usually ends with a heated debate over the best pizza topping.”

William leaned in just a little closer, and for a moment, the air around them seemed to crackle with something unspoken. His cologne—cedarwood and mahogany—wrapped around her senses, and she almost forgot how to breathe. He wasn’t just close; he was intentional.

“You should come,” he said, his voice low and inviting. “It’s a blast. Just be ready for some strong opinions on food.”

Odette smiled, trying to keep her composure despite the warmth spreading through her. “Alright, I’ll take you up on that. But just so we’re clear, I will die on the ‘Hawaiian pizza’ hill. And I’ll bring my own snacks, just in case.”

Auston nodded. “Smart move.” Meanwhile, both William and Mitch made faces of disgust.

Mitch grinned. “We’ll see if we can convince you to abandon that opinion. Give it a few weeks.”

Odette laughed, but then the atmosphere shifted again. She felt William’s gaze on her, more intense than before, as if he were studying her a little too closely. The thought lingered in her mind as the conversation continued, but she couldn’t quite figure out if she liked or disliked the feeling. There was something about William Nylander that made her wonder if there was more to him than just a hockey player. //// One week later, Odette adjusted her new Sony camera, testing the focus on the players gliding across the rink. The sharp click of the shutter blended with the dull hum of skates slicing the ice and the occasional barked instruction from the coach. It had been a week since practice and the chaos with Mitch, and the team dynamics were settling into something more familiar to Odette. She was seated on a folding chair next to Rebecca, whose casual commentary was quickly becoming one of Odette's favorite parts of the day.

“This lens is a dream,” Odette murmured, snapping a candid shot of a player mid-pass.

Rebecca chuckled, leaning back in her seat. “Wait until the guys start noticing you taking pictures. Mitch will probably start posing like a Vogue model.”

Odette snorted, adjusting the settings on her camera. “Sounds like fun. Do I get to charge extra for dealing with that kind of chaos?”

Rebecca tilted her head, a sly grin on her face. “Oh, trust me, if you survive Mitch, you’ll survive anything. The guy’s a human golden retriever with ADHD.”

Odette lowered the camera for a moment, laughing. “I can see that. What about you, though? How’d you end up in all this?”

Rebecca shrugged, resting her elbows on her knees. “Oh, the usual. Grew up in Toronto, played hockey as a kid, loved it but was... let’s say, aggressively mediocre. Eventually figured if I couldn’t be on the ice, I’d work around it. Social media came naturally, and here I am. How about you?”

“Well,” Odette began, “I’ve known Quinn Hughes for a while now—met him during an art event. We kept in touch, and when I mentioned I was looking for a new challenge, he made a few calls. One thing led to another, and here I am.”

Rebecca froze for a second, her expression shifting into something that looked oddly like shyness. “Quinn Hughes? Like... the Quinn Hughes?”

Odette raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at her lips. “Yeah. Why?”

Rebecca flushed slightly, which surprised Odette. Rebecca always seemed so self-assured, like nothing could rattle her. “I mean, I’m just...a fan. He’s incredible. On the ice, I mean. The way he moves, his vision...it’s unreal.”

Odette couldn’t help but smirk. “You sound like you’ve got a bit of a crush there, Rebecca.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened, and she quickly waved a hand. “Oh, no, it’s not like that! I mean, okay, maybe a little, but it’s just...ugh, it’s weird, isn’t it? I can talk to anyone—players, coaches, executives—but when it comes to Quinn Hughes, my brain just...short-circuits.”

Odette laughed, thoroughly enjoying Rebecca’s rare moment of awkwardness. “I think it’s cute. You’re usually so confident—nice to know you’re human.”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Rebecca muttered, though the corner of her mouth twitched with amusement. “Anyway, back to you. What’s Quinn like as a person?”

“Honestly?” Odette said, lowering her camera for a moment. “He’s great. Down-to-earth, a little quiet, but super funny when he opens up. He’s been a good friend.”

Rebecca sighed. “Of course, he’s perfect. Figures.”

Their conversation shifted naturally after that, flowing into more casual topics until Odette leaned closer, lowering her voice slightly. “Hey, was it just me, or did the office feel a little...tense this morning?”

Rebecca hesitated, then leaned in conspiratorially. “Well, there was a bit of drama. PR’s been working overtime this week because Auston had a...situation.”

Odette raised an eyebrow. “A situation?”

Rebecca nodded, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Apparently, some girl from Germany filed a claim against him for sexual misconduct. It’s not true—total cultural misunderstanding. Auston’s mom is Mexican, and you know how he leans into that whole ‘Papi’ persona. He just flirted a little too hard, and it didn’t translate well. The media caught wind of it, though, and now everyone’s in damage control mode.”

Odette frowned. “Yikes. That sounds like a mess.”

“Yeah, it is,” Rebecca admitted. “But honestly, the claim won’t hold up. The girl’s already walked back most of her statement. Still, you know how these things go—the court of public opinion is brutal.”

Odette nodded thoughtfully. “No wonder everyone looked like they’d had a bad cup of coffee this morning.”

Rebecca chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. Hockey might look all wholesome and apple pie on the outside, but behind the scenes, it’s just like any other workplace. Drama, gossip, and the occasional dumpster fire.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sharp whistle of the coach signaling the end of practice. Odette’s camera was already up, capturing the players as they began to shuffle off the ice. She couldn’t help but notice William lingering near the boards, his gaze fixed on her.

When their eyes met, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, subtle but unmistakable. Odette felt a faint blush creeping up her neck and quickly turned her attention back to her camera.

“Someone’s watching you,” Rebecca teased, her voice laced with amusement.

“Don’t,” Odette muttered, her tone half-warning, half-pleading.

Rebecca laughed softly. “Relax, I’m just saying. He’s cute, though, right?”

Odette took another photo, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach. “Doesn’t matter. We’re colleagues. Besides, the Leafs don’t need another PR disaster right now.”

“True,” Rebecca agreed with a grin. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun, does it?”

Odette rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched into a reluctant smile. As the players left the rink, William cast one last glance her way, his smirk widening as if he’d heard every word of their conversation.

Odette sighed, snapping her camera shut. “Trouble,” she muttered under her breath, already bracing herself for whatever came next.

Odette slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped into the crisp evening air. The practice had been exhausting to watch—and photograph—but also strangely exhilarating. She felt like she was beginning to find her place, slowly but surely.

As she walked toward her car in the nearly empty lot, her mind buzzed with thoughts of the day. She threw her bag into the passenger seat, slid into the driver’s side, and turned the key. The engine sputtered, coughed, and then...nothing.

“Great,” she muttered, turning the key again with the same result. She let her forehead rest on the steering wheel, debating her next move.

A light knock on the driver’s side window startled her. She turned her head sharply to see William standing outside, his hair slightly damp from a post-practice shower. He was leaning down just enough for her to catch the hint of a smirk on his lips, the kind that sent an involuntary jolt through her chest.

She rolled down the window, feeling suddenly exposed under his gaze. “Car troubles?” he asked, his voice low and teasing.

“Yeah, seems like it,” Odette replied, trying to sound casual and failing. “It’s probably the battery, but I can’t deal with this right now.”

William leaned on the doorframe, his forearms flexing just enough to be distracting. “Do you want to come home by train? I’m heading that way, and...well, you don’t know the city yet, right?”

Odette hesitated, her mind racing. She wasn’t sure what made her more nervous—the thought of navigating the public transit system on her own or spending the next however-many minutes in close quarters with William Nylander.

But then she sighed. “Yeah, okay. Thanks. Let me just grab my stuff.”

A few minutes later, they were walking toward the train station. The night air was cool, and Odette tried to focus on the sound of their footsteps rather than the magnetic pull she felt every time William walked just a little too close.

The train ride started out light—small talk and easy jokes. But it didn’t take long for the conversation to deepen, the space between them feeling both too wide and too narrow at the same time.

“I miss my family a lot,” William admitted, staring out the window at the passing lights. “They’re back in Sweden. My siblings, my parents—it’s hard being away from them. Sometimes, I feel like I’m missing everything.”

Odette nodded, her heart clenching at the softness in his voice. But she couldn’t offer the same sentiment. “I wouldn’t know what that’s like,” she said quietly, her fingers twisting in her lap. “I don’t really...have a family to miss.”

William turned his gaze to her, his brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

“It’s complicated,” she said, her voice tight. “But let’s just say my mother isn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type.” She looked away, hoping he wouldn’t press further.

William seemed to sense the weight of her words and let the silence linger for a moment before shifting the conversation. “So what do you do when you’re not taking pictures of hockey players?”

Odette was grateful for the change in subject. Her face brightened as she said, “I’m really into herbs and homemade medicine. Like tinctures, salves, teas—all that stuff.”

William raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “Herbs? Really?”

“Yes! It’s fascinating,” she said, leaning forward a little. “Did you know chamomile can help with anxiety? And lavender is great for burns? Or that thyme has natural antibacterial properties?”

William’s chuckle was deep and warm. “You’re really into this, huh?”

“I am,” she admitted, laughing. “There’s something so grounding about it. It’s like connecting with this ancient knowledge that people used to rely on.”

William’s smile softened. “You’re kind of adorable when you talk about this. Like, your eyes light up, and you get this little crease in your forehead when you’re explaining stuff.”

Odette’s laughter faltered, her cheeks warming. “Don’t make fun of me,” she said, her voice quieter now.

“I’m not,” he said, his tone suddenly serious. “It’s...nice, seeing you like this.”

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the air between them shifted. His gaze dropped, almost imperceptibly, to her lips before snapping back up to her eyes. The train rocked slightly as it sped along the tracks, but Odette barely noticed. She felt caught in the intensity of his stare, her heart pounding in her chest.

“So,” she said, breaking the tension with an awkward laugh. “Do you have any random hobbies I should know about?”

William leaned back in his seat, the corner of his mouth twitching again. “Hobbies? Not really. Hockey takes up most of my time.” His eyes flicked to her again, this time slower, more deliberate. “But I guess I like figuring people out. What makes them tick.”

Odette swallowed hard, feeling like the target of some unspoken challenge. She looked down, desperate to calm the heat creeping up her neck.

When they finally reached their stop, Odette wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or disappointed. The cool night air hit her as they stepped off the train and walked toward their building.

They paused at the entrance, standing closer than they needed to in the dim light. Odette could feel the tension humming between them, as if the entire evening had been building to this moment.

“Well,” Odette said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Thanks for...uh, rescuing me.”

William’s smirk softened into something warmer, his eyes scanning her face. “Anytime.” He shifted slightly closer, his voice dropping. “You’re really something, you know that?”

Odette felt her breath hitch. He was so close now, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off him. For a moment, she thought he might close the gap completely. She could see it in the way his jaw tightened, the way his eyes dropped to her lips again, lingered there.

But before he could move, Odette stepped back, her pulse racing. “I—I should go,” she stammered, fumbling for her bag.

William held her gaze for a beat longer, his expression unreadable. “Goodnight, Odette,” he said softly, his voice a low rumble.

With a sharp breath, she turned and hurried to her own door, just a few steps away.Each step felt like she was trying to outrun something—not William exactly, but the way he’d made her feel. By the time she reached her door, her hands trembled as she fumbled with the keys, the cool metal slipping through her fingers before she managed to push the door open.

Luc was there instantly, his tail wagging and his paws clicking on the floor as he greeted her. His icy blue eyes locked onto hers, his head tilting slightly, and Odette could swear he was studying her.

“Hey, boy,” she said, crouching down to scratch behind his ears. Her voice wavered as she added, “Don’t give me that look. It’s not what you think.”

Luc huffed, leaning back as his tail slowed. His expression was almost human—half judgment, half concern.

“Oh, come on,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “Nothing happened. Nothing’s going to happen.” Her tone sharpened at the end, as if trying to convince herself more than him.

Luc didn’t buy it. He let out a low grunt and plopped down beside her, staring up with those piercing eyes that always seemed to see right through her.

Odette sighed and flopped onto the couch, dragging a pillow into her lap as she kicked off her shoes. She leaned back, staring at the ceiling, but the evening played out behind her closed eyes in frustrating detail. The train ride. William’s easy laugh. The way his voice dropped when he talked about his family, the vulnerability in his words that made her chest ache.

Then there was the way his eyes had lingered at the door. How the air had grown so thick between them she could hardly breathe. For a moment, she’d thought he might kiss her, and for an even more fleeting moment, she’d wondered what it would feel like.

Her stomach twisted, and her hand clenched around the pillow. No. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t let it happen.

William was kind and charming and way too good at making her feel safe—an illusion she couldn’t afford to buy into again. She hadn’t let herself go there since...

She sat up abruptly, shaking her head as if to physically dislodge the thought. It wasn’t worth dredging up. Not now.

Luc nudged her knee with his nose, pulling her attention back to him. His gaze was steady, questioning.

“I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile. “Really. It’s just...complicated.”

Luc didn’t move, his eyes sharp and unyielding.

“Okay, fine,” she muttered, slumping back against the couch. “It’s not complicated. It’s impossible. I can’t...” She trailed off, her throat tightening. She couldn’t go there. Not with William. Not with anyone.

Luc let out a soft whine and rested his head on her leg, his warmth grounding her. She stroked his fur absently, her thoughts racing.

Something about William made her want to let her guard down, and that terrified her. She couldn’t afford to feel this way about anyone, not after...

She stopped herself again, exhaling sharply. This wasn’t about the past. It was about keeping the walls up, staying in control.

Because she’d learned the hard way what happened when she didn’t.

[gustavlindstrom]

quinn hughes on google cameo

[sssshhhthefilmsabouttostart]

The best and worst films of 2020

Let’s be honest - 2020 was an extremely shitty year for moviegoers everywhere, as the Queen would say an annus horribilis.

Due to the Covid pandemic’s dramatic impact on nearly every facet of human life, cinemas closed, film festivals went virtual and film productions became an intricate mess of insurance and safety challenges.

Yet despite these dire challenges and an unpredictable future, cinema remained very much alive throughout the year, with a wide range of ambitious undertakings snaking their way into whatever form of release seemed viable. Blockbusters receded to the background, allowing a wide range of movies to trickle through an uncertain marketplace that would have been hostile to them even in pre-pandemic times.

So what cinematic gems and unmitigated disasters were dropped upon audiences during the year?

Ladies and gentlemen, may we please offer for your consideration...

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

THE CURRENT WAR - THE LIGHTHOUSE - IN FABRIC - BEING FRANK: THE CHRIS SIEVEY STORY (D) - BOMBSHELL - THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON - THE SOCIAL DILEMMA (D) - LIGHT OF MY LIFE - THE ASSISTANT - THE LODGE - THE GENTLEMEN - THE WAY BACK - DARK WATERS - 1917 - THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY - THE HUNT

2020′S TOP TEN BEST FILMS

10. THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW

Hot off the critical success of his debut feature ‘Thunder Road,’ writer-director Jim Cummings’ refreshing yet effective take on the werewolf genre amped up the dark comedy whilst delivering quite a few chills. Tinged with realistically flawed characters and clever scares, ‘The Wolf of Snow Hollow’ might not have been your typical werewolf flick but it successfully managed to bring that classic legend to life once again.

9. LET HIM GO

Previously last seen together as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents in ‘Man of Steel,’ Diane Lane and Kevin Costner were reunited onscreen as husband and wife again in writer-director Thomas Bezucha’s neo-Western drama ‘Let Him Go.’ Adapted from author Larry Watson’s 2013 novel, the film featured stunning landscapes, full-blooded moments of sudden violence and compelling performances from Diane Lane, Kevin Costner and, most memorably, Lesley Manville’s turn as a gritty and cunning matriarch.

8. COLOUR OUT OF SPACE

Based on the classic short story by HP Lovecraft and featuring another scene-stealing performance from Nicolas Cage, this clever adaptation was an effective horror film with an unrelentingly grim sci-fi bent. In addition to the truly disturbing and inspired images of queasy body horror, ‘Colour Out of Space’ also marked the eagerly-anticipated re-emergence of filmmaker Richard Stanley (his first time back in the director’s chair since being fired from his 1996 remake ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’).

7. THE INVISIBLE MAN

Who knew a remake could be so refreshing? With this updated take on the H.G. Wells tale, writer-director Leigh Whannell did just about everything right, delivering a tense, clever thriller with touches of both horror and sci-fi. As the fascinatingly flawed yet appealing tough protagonist, Elisabeth Moss gave a captivating performance in a film that was chilling in all the right ways, packed with plenty of twists and a deliciously nasty resolution.

6. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (NETFLIX)

Whilst the subject matter of ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7′ shared an uncanny relevance to today’s politically charged times, as a gripping courtroom drama with a stellar cast, the film ticked all the boxes. ‘West Wing’ creator Aaron Sorkin put his trademark traits - razor-sharp wit, rhetorical flair and political insight - to very good use in this masterful retelling of the trial following the 1968 anti-war protests outside the Democratic National Convention.

5. HEARTS AND BONES

In his debut feature film, Australian director Ben Lawrence created a spiritually rich and immersive drama about the relationship between a grizzled, broken war photographer and a Sudanese refugee. Whilst Hugo Weaving was note-perfect in his portrayal as a crumbling man wrestling with his past, equally impressive was first time actor Andrew Luri who delivered a quiet yet memorable performance in what was an affecting piece of cinema.

4. TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL (DOCUMENTARY)

Watching a documentary about the COVID-19 crisis in the middle of a global pandemic might not sound appealing but prolific filmmaker Alex Gibney’s latest work was easily the most essential non-fiction film of 2020. Shot safely in secret for five months, ‘Totally Under Control’ played out like a tightly-wound thriller as it placed the Trump Administration’s inept response to the coronavirus pandemic under the microscope.

3. BAD EDUCATION (HBO)

As far as crime stories go, embezzlement isn’t always the most thrilling subject. However, ‘Bad Education’ turned a relatively simple white collar crime story about a New Jersey school administrator caught stealing money into a compelling drama, thanks to an incisive and nimble script and spot on performances from Allison Janney, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ray Romano and especially Hugh Jackman.

2. MANK (NETFLIX)

Director David Finch’s dazzling portrait of Herman J. ‘Mank’ Mankiewicz, the screenwriter who collaborated with wunderkind filmmaker Orson Welles to write the first draft of ‘Citizen Kane,’ was a cinematic jewel from start to finish. Similar to last year’s ‘Once Upon A Time in...Hollywood,’ ‘Mank’ delivered a layered depiction of the filmmaking process, whilst Gary Oldman continued to excel at immersing himself in playing real-life characters, this time as the hard-drinking, intellectual screenwriter.

1. NOMADLAND

Writer-director Chloe Zhao’s intimate drama about an unemployed widow living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad was a thoughtful, contemplative and reflective piece of storytelling. It may have touched upon mature themes about loneliness, financial instability and restlessness, but ‘Nomadland’ remained an uplifting and hopeful piece of cinema that captured the various bittersweet reasons people choose to live a life on the road.

With an outstanding performance from Frances McDormand, brought to life through the charm of the ‘real life’ supporting cast, great direction and Joshua James Richard’s mesmerising cinematography, ‘Nomadland’ was the perfect film for 2020.

...AND NOW THE WORST!

DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS

VAMPIRES VS THE BRONX - BAD BOYS FOR LIFE - THE OLD GUARD - PROJECT POWER - ISN’T IT ROMANTIC - THE RHYTHM SECTION - WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE - I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS - MIDWAY - YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT - BABY DONE - FORCE OF NATURE - CAPONE - THE NEW MUTANTS - DOOLITTLE

10. WONDER WOMAN 1984

To quote Red Letter Media’s resident film critic Mike Stoklasa, “this movie was the cinematic equivalent of the Bluesmobile.” Directed by Patty Jenkins, this 80′s-set sequel to the 2017 DC superhero hit was lethargically paced and featured a completely bonkers narrative that made absolutely no sense. Horribly scripted, disjointed and overstuffed (a runtime of 2.5 hours), ‘Wonder Woman 1984′ sadly jettisoned everything that made Jenkins’ original film so compelling. The result? An appalling misfire.

9. THE GRUDGE

A curiously talented and interesting cast were somehow lured into - and subsequently wasted in - this pointless, tired, reboot/revival of the long-running ‘Ju-On’ Japanese-based horror series. Despite director NIcholas Pesce’s attempt to disguise the rudimentary nature of the plot via back-and-forth timeline jumping, ‘The Grudge’ was just a formulaic paint-by-the-numbers meander through a poorly developed story that existed only to prop up a bunch of uninspired jump scares.

8. BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

There are many movies that have no reason to exist - and this latest misfire from DC Comics was one of them. Directed by Cathy Yan, ‘Birds of Prey’ was a mire of uninspired ideas and recycled genre conventions that got old real quick. Penned by Christina Hodson (’Bumblebee’ being the ‘highlight’ on her resume), the script was as simplistic as it was thin, with needless subplots merely introduced to inflate the film to a decent running time. Even Margot Robbie’s manic performance as the ‘Mistress of Mayhem’ couldn’t save this mess.

7. JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT

What could’ve been a dream film for fans of these two classic stoner characters instead was nothing but a string of cameos and callbacks in a plot-less bore. Director Kevin Smith sucked all the life and fun out of this watered-down story, that suffered from a constant series of awkward and forced jokes that were painfully unfunny. An unfortunate stinker.

6. AVA

This latest foray into the ‘female assassin for hire’ genre was about as cliched as you could get. An emotionally troubled female killer whose male mentor assumes the role of the surrogate father? Check. Pounding dance music score? Check. Obligatory nightclub fight sequence? Check. Confused love interest? You betcha! Humourless, dry and uninspired, ‘Ava’ played out like a poor man’s ‘La Femme Nikita.’

5. FANTASY ISLAND

Hollywood’s obsession with repackaging Gen-X childhoods continued with this absurd attempt to reboot the classic 1970′s TV series as a low-budget horror joint under the Blumhouse label. At a dangerously close two hour runtime, there was simply nothing interesting about the film’s characters or its inane plot about a mystical island that grants wishes (a’la ‘The Monkey’s Paw’). Our advice? Turn ‘de plane’ around if you ever plan to visit this ‘Fantasy Island.’

4. ARTEMIS FOWL

For every ‘Harry Potter’ that explodes into the public consciousness, there always seems to be a dozen or more failed franchises. Sadly, Disney’s ‘Artemis Fowl’ found itself in the latter category. Director Kenneth Branagh’s dull and superficial attempt to transfer this popular children’s book series from page to screen suffered from a lack of character development, an over-reliance in CG effects and featured a lifeless performance from newcomer Ferdia Shaw as the titular character. 

3. HUBIE HALLOWEEN (NETFLIX)

A month before last year’s Oscar nominations were released, Adam Sandler joked on ‘The Howard Stern Show’ that if the Academy snubbed him for his role in the film ‘Uncut Gems,’ he would make a movie “that [was] so bad on purpose.” And that’s exactly what happened. Supposedly a comedy, ‘Hubie Halloween’ was unfunny, disposable and completely devoid of any originality. Sadly for audiences, Sandler signed a four-movie deal with Netflix last year, worth up to $275 million - so we can expect to see more of this shit soon!

2. ALIEN ADDICTION

Aliens visit New Zealand and get high smoking human faeces? Someone should have advised Kiwi director Shae Sterling that audiences have moved on from such puerile comedies as this abomination. Suffice to say, if anybody ever admitted to finding this film remotely funny, they’d probably be outcast from society. An embarrassment to all those involved. 

1. THE BEACH BUM

Director Harmony Korine’s generic stoner comedy about a prolific poet who drifts through life in a drug-induced haze had all the natural high of an unfiltered, soggy joint and was easily, hands down, 2020′s worst film.

‘The Beach Bum’ was a pretentious and uninteresting movie whose lead character, considered to be an ‘artistic genius,’ was nothing more than a relentless shithead to everyone around him. As Moondog, the semi-naked, bongo-playing, pot-fuelled beat poet, Matthew McConaughey was insufferable and grating in his portrayal of a character you would quite easily want to punch in the face - repeatedly. Blazed and confused, ‘The Beach Bum’ had no plot, no class and no entertainment value whatsoever. 

MOVIE POSTERS

From the classic to the abstract, here is just a sample of some of the best poster designs from a highly unusual year of movies.

...AND FINALLY, WHEN WHEN IT COMES TO DIRE-LOG, THEY SAID WHAT!?

“I've never wanted anything more. But he's gone, and that's the truth. And everything has a price. One I'm not willing to pay. Not any more. This world was a beautiful place, just as it was, and you cannot have it all. You can only have the truth. And the truth is enough. The truth is beautiful” (’Wonder Woman 1984′).

And who could forget this little chestnut of advice...

“That is the only truth and truth is all there is. You cannot be the winner because you are not ready to win. And there is no shame in that. Only in knowing the truth in your heart and not accepting it. No true hero is born from lies” (’Wonder Woman 1984′).

[sweetesthaaze]

You should read the Smythe-Smith Quartet books also by Julia Quinn. Hugh and Sarah from book 3 have all the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers vibe from Anthony and Kate and there’s cameos from some of the Bridgerton characters.

Ooooooo I just might! I’ve been trying to read other books but it’s just not hitting as well 😭 Definitely need to read more period books for sure!

[dalekofchaos]

DCEU Recast

For fun I’ve decided to do a recast of the DCEU and ps in my version everyone gets their movie before Justice League and it’s Martian Manhunter who brings everyone together

My other DC Fancasts

Batman

Batman Beyond

Superman

Wonder Woman

The Flash

Aquaman

Green Lantern

Green Arrow

Justice League

Teen Titans

Justice League Dark

The Dark Knight Returns

Telltale’s Batman

Injustice

Legion Of Doom

Birds Of Prey

Phase 1

Man Of Steel

Josh Hartnett as Superman/Clark Kent

Emily Blunt as Lois Lane

Harrison Ford as Jonathan Kent

Meryl Streep as Martha Kent

Kate Mara as Lana Lang

Tobey Maguire as Pete Ross

Sean Bean as Jor-El

Kate Winslett as Lara Lor-Van

Rupert Grint as Jimmy Olsen

William Shatner as Perry White

Rachel McAdams as Cat Grant

Patrick Warburton as Steve Lombard

Sterling K Brown as Ron Troupe

Billie Piper as Maggie Sawyer

Christopher Meloni as Dan Turpin

Danny Glover as William Henderson

Richard Schiff as Dr Emil Hamilton

Clancy Brown as  General Sam Lane

Terry O’Quinn as Lex Luthor

Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves

Viggo Mortensen as General Zod

Lena Headley as Faora

Robert Maillet as Non

The Batman(in my version, The Batman comes after Man Of Steel, this will be about how The Joker and Harley Quinn kills Jason Todd, yes both Joker and Harley kill Jason. It’s important that everyone realizes Harley is a villain and not a anti-hero)

Karl Urban as Batman/Bruce Wayne

Peter Capaldi as Alfred Pennyworth

Michael Keaton as Thomas Wayne

Kim Basinger as Martha Wayne

Courtney B Vance as Lucius Fox

Kate Mulgrew as Dr Leslie Thompkins

Diane Kruger as Vicki Vale

Mark Pellegrino  as Jack Ryder/The Creeper

Jesús Castro as Nightwing/Dick Grayson

Jane Levy as Barbara Gordon/Oracle

Matthew Daddario as Jason Todd/Robin

Morena Baccarin as Catwoman/Selina Kyle

or Odette Annable as Catwoman/Selina Kyle

or Eiza González as Catwoman/Selina Kyle

Bryan Cranston as James Gordon

Michael Madsen as Harvey Bullock

Stephanie Beatriz as Renee Montoya

Jodie Foster as Sarah Essen

Ben Mendelsohn as Dr Jeremiah Arkham

Rockmond Dunbar as Aaron Cash

Joe Giligun as The Joker

Amanda Seyfried as Harley Quinn

And on the Batcomputer we’d see cameos from the other Batman villains

Alfred Molina as The Penguin/Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot

Liev Schreiber as Two-Face/Harvey Dent

David Tennant as The Riddler

Tobin Bell as Mr Freeze/Victor Fries

Jessica Chastain as Poison Ivy/Pamela Isley

Michael Wincott as Black Mask/Roman Sionis

Adam Driver as Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane

Ben Kingsley as Hugo Strange

Toby Jones as Mad Hatter/Jervis Tetch

Majid Al Masri as Ra’s Al Ghul

Shanina Shaik as Talia Al Ghul

Yasmine Al Massri as Nyssa Raatko

Zhang Ziyi as Lady Shiva

John Lithgow as Arnold Wesker/The Ventriloquist

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc/Waylon Jones

Pedro Pascal as Deadshot/Floyd Lawton

Kevin Durand as Solomon Grundy

Jackie Earle Haley as Victor Zsasz

Leonardo DiCaprio as Clayface/Basil Karlo

Woody Harrelson as Firefly/Garfield Lynns

Doug Jones as Man-Bat /Dr. Kirk Langstrom

Daniel Radcliffe as Anarky

Conleth Hill as Calandar Man/Julian Day

Tom Berenger as Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb

Michael Weatherly as Detective Arnold Flass

Will Arnett as Lt. Howard Branden

Robert DeNiro as Carmine Falcone

Al Pacino as Salvatore Maroni

Charlie Heaton as Alberto Falcone

Gwendoline Christie as Sofia Falcone

Vincent Karthieser as Mario Falcone

Nick Nolte as Rupert Thorne

Brad Dourif as Joe Chill

World’s Finest(This is not BVS this is World’s Finest. This is not a dumbed down fight scene just to kiss Frank Miller’s ass to adapt the most overrated comic. I care more about Batman and Superman having strong differences and overcoming them and working together in the end to stop a common threat. They are called the World’s Finest for a reason.)

Karl Urban as Batman/Bruce Wayne

Josh Hartnett as Superman/Clark Kent

Emily Blunt as Lois Lane

Peter Capaldi as Alfred Pennyworth

Bryan Cranston as James Gordon

Michael Madsen as Harvey Bullock

Stephanie Beatriz as Renee Montoya

Rupert Grint as Jimmy Olsen

William Shatner as Perry White

Billie Piper as Maggie Sawyer

Christopher Meloni as Dan Turpin

Joe Gilgun as The Joker

Amanda Seyfried as Harley Quinn

Terry O’Quinn as Lex Luther

Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves

Wonder Woman

Gemma Arterton as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince

Ryan Gosling as Steve Trevor

Lucy Davis as Etta Candy

Lynda Carter as Hippolyta

Alexandra Daddario as Artemis

Lisa Berry as General Philippus

Robin Wright as General Antiope

Gerard Butler as Ares

Anne Hathaway as Athena

Lucy Lawless as Hera

Liam Neeson as Zeus

Peter Stormare as Hades

Green Lantern(Basically what the animated movie First Flight was. But  Buddy Cop adventures of Hal and Sinestro. Hal Jordan mentoring under Sinestro (who does NOT turn evil at the end of the first, but instead the end of the second movie and in the third movie is when we get Sinestro Corps, however my big change to Sinestro’s character is Sinestro isn't a tyrant of his own people. Have it be that Sinestro used the ring to better his own world and his people love him, but the Guardians saw that as interference and marked Sinestro as a threat)

Chris Pine as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan

Lauren Cohan as Carol Ferris

Luke Evans as Sinestro

Zachary Quinto as  Tomar-Re

Ken Watanabe as Abin Sur

Scott Bakula as Alan Scott

Ron Pearlman as Kilowog

Michael Sheen as Hector Hammond

With cameos from future Green Lanterns

Trevante Rhodes as John Stewart/Green Lantern

Diego Luna as Kyle Rayner

Aaron Paul as Guy Gardner

Saad Siddiqui as Simon Baz

Dianne Guerrero as Jessica Cruz

The Flash

Garrett Hedlund as The Flash/Barry Allen

Anna Kendrick as Iris West

David Duchovny as Henry Allen

Gillian Anderson as Nora Allen

Sendhil Ramamurthy as David Singh

Lennie James as James Forrest

Peter Weller as Darryl Frye

Juno Temple as Patty Spivot

Tiffany Espensen as Linda Park

Bruce Greenwood as Jay Garrick

Peyton Meyer  as Wally West/Kid Flash

Michael C Hall as Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash

Aquaman

Alexander Skarsgard as Aquaman/Arthur Curry

Christina Hendricks as Mera

Stellan Skarsgård as Tom Curry

Kelsey Grammer as Nuidis Vulko

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Dr. Stephen Shin

Nicole Kidman as Atlanna

Michael K Williams as Black Manta

Gustaf Skarsgard as Ocean Master

Teen Titans(I think it’s better to have Teen Titans instead of Suicide Squad in phase 1)

Jesús Castro as Nightwing/Dick Grayson

Ray Fisher as Cyborg/Victor Stone

Sharon Belle as Starfire/ Koriand'r

Natasha Negovanlis as Raven/Rachel Roth

Dylan O'Brien as Beast Boy/Garfield Logan

Peyton List as Terra

Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke/Slade Wilson

Justice League(White Martians will be the villains and J’onn is the one who unites the Justice League)

Karl Urban as Batman/Bruce Wayne

Josh Hartnett as Superman/Clark Kent

Gemma Areton as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince

Garrett Hedlund as The Flash/Barry Allen

Alexander Skarsgard as Aquaman/Arthur Curry

Chris Pine as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan

Giancarlo Esposito as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter

Phase 2

Man Of Steel 2

Josh Hartnett as Superman/Clark Kent

Emily Blunt as Lois Lane

Elle Fanning as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El

Meryl Streep as Martha Kent

Rupert Grint as Jimmy Olsen

William Shatner as Perry White

Rachel McAdams as Cat Grant

Patrick Warburton as Steve Lombard

Warner Miller as Ron Troupe

Billie Piper as Maggie Sawyer

Robert De Niro as Dan Turpin

Mark Harmon as William Henderson

Richard Schiff as Dr Emil Hamilton  

Clancy Brown as  General Sam Lane

Terry O’Quinn as Lex Luthor

Ralph Fiennes as Brainiac

Shazam(In title name and Billy shouting only, the choice to call Billy’s hero persona Shazam is a confusing mess)

Channing Tatum as Captain Marvel

Noah Schnapp as Billy Batson

Finn Wolfhard as Freddy Freeman

Rowan Blanchard as Mary Batson

Jim Beaver as Uncle Dudley

Ernie Hudson as Jebidiah of Canaan/The Wizard of Shazam

Jeffrey Wright as Tawky Tawny

Hugh Laurie as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam

Suicide Squad

Mo´Nique as Amanda Waller

Daniel Craig as Colonel Rick Flag

Pedro Pascal as Deadshot/Floyd Lawton

Jonny Lee Miller as Captain Boomerang

Kristen Bell as Killer Frost

Derek Mears as King Shark

Michael Jai White as Bronze Tiger

Karen Fukuhara as Katana

Holland Roden as Plastique 

Wonder Woman 2

Gemma Areton as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince

Ryan Gosling as Steve Trevor

Lynda Carter as Hippolyta

Alexandra Daddario as Artemis

Lisa Berry as General Philippus

Angelina Jolie as Circe

Charlize Theron as Cheetah

Green Arrow

Charlie Hunam as Green Arrow/Oliver Queen  

Katheryn Winnick as Black Canary/Dinah Lance  

Taron Egerton as Arsenal/Roy Harper

Alona Tal as Speedy/Mia Dearden

Common as John Diggle

Josh Gad as Henry Fyff

Donnie Yen as Yao Fei

Devon Aoki as Shado

Keanu Reeves as Merlyn

Bird Of Prey

Jane Levy as Barbara Gordon/Oracle

Teresa Ting as Batgirl/Cassandra Cain

Katheryn Winnick as Black Canary/Dinah Lance

Eliza Dushku as Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress

Tatiana Maslany as Lady Blackhawk/Zinda Blake

Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Vixen/Mari Jiwe McCabe 

Lily Collins as Starling/Evelyn Crawford

Zhang Ziyi as Lady Shiva

Batman Under The Red Hood

Karl Urban as Batman/Bruce Wayne

Peter Capaldi as Alfred Pennyworth

Matthew Daddario as Red Hood/Jason Todd

Bryan Cranston as James Gordon

Michael Madsen as Harvey Bullock

Stephanie Beatriz as Renee Montoya

Michael Wincott as Black Mask/Roman Sionis

Joe Giligun as The Joker

Amanda Seyfried as Harley Quinn

Shanina Shaik as Talia Al Ghul 

Justice League:Legion Of Doom

Karl Urban as Batman/Bruce Wayne

Josh Hartnett as Superman/Clark Kent

Gemma Areton as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince

Garrett Hedlund as The Flash/Barry Allen

Alexander Skarsgard as Aquaman/Arthur Curry

Chris Pine as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan

Giancarlo Esposito as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter

Terry O’Quinn as Lex Luthor

Joe Gilgun as The Joker

Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke

Michael K Williams as Black Manta

Charlize Theron as Cheetah

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam

Luke Evans as Sinestro

Michael C Hall as Reverse Flash/ Eobard Thawne

[tuseriesdetv]

Guía de series: Estrenos y regresos de marzo 2020

Desde ahora, vamos a probar a incluir también las fechas de España en las series de estreno. Bienvenidos a este híbrido y suerte con ellas.

¡Feliz marzo!

Leyenda:

Verde: series nuevas.

Rojo: series de las que haremos reviews semanales.

Negro: regresos de otras series.

Naranja: miniseries o series documentales.

Amarillo: tv movies, documentales, especiales o pilotos.

Morado: season finales.

Púrpura: midseason finales.

*

Calendario de series

1 de marzo: 

Dispatches from Elsewhere (1T) en AMC

My Left Nut en BBC Three

McDonald & Dodds (1T) en ITV

2 de marzo: 

Breeders (1T) en FX

Liar (2T) en ITV

4 de marzo: 

Dave (1T) en FXX

Sandylands (1T) en Gold

The Trouble With Maggie Cole (1T) en ITV

Party of Five (1T finale) en Freeform

5 de marzo: 

Devs y Better Things (4T) en FX

Castlevania (3T completa) en Netflix

Noughts + Crosses en BBC One

The Dead Lands (1T finale) en Shudder

6 de marzo: 

Amazing Stories (1T) en Apple TV+

The Protector (3T completa), Paradise PD (2T completa) y Spenser Confidential en Netflix

Caronte (1T completa) y ZeroZeroZero (1T completa) en Amazon

Steven Universe Future (vuelve) en Cartoon Network

8 de marzo: 

The Outsider (1T finale) en HBO

Kidding (2T finale) en Showtime

9 de marzo: All American (2T finale) y Black Lightning (3T finale) en The CW

10 de marzo: If Loving You Is Wrong (5T y última) en OWN

11 de marzo: On My Block (3T completa) en Netflix

12 de marzo: The Unicorn (1T finale) en CBS

13 de marzo: 

Flack (2T) en Pop

Élite (3T completa), Kingdom (2T completa) y Lost Girls en Netflix

Justo antes de Cristo (2T y última) en Movistar+

Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (1T finale) en NBC

15 de marzo: 

Westworld (3T) en HBO

Black Monday (2T) en Showtime

16 de marzo: 

Roswell, New Mexico (2T) en The CW

The Plot Against America en HBO

18 de marzo: 

Little Fires Everywhere en Hulu

Brockmire (4T y última) en IFC

Motherland: Fort Salem (1T) en Freeform

19 de marzo: 

Feel Good (1T completa) en Netflix

Ruthless (1T) en BET+

20 de marzo: 

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker y The Letter for the King (1T completa) en Netflix

The Banker en Apple TV+

23 de marzo: Freud (1T completa) en Netflix

24 de marzo: 

One Day at a Time (4T) en Pop

Council of Dads (1T) en NBC

Project Blue Book (2T finale) en History

25 de marzo: 

Hogar en Netflix

Star Trek: Picard (1T finale) en CBS All Access

26 de marzo: 

Unorthodox (1T completa) en Netflix

Tacoma FD (2T) en truTV

The Sinner (3T finale) en USA Network

27 de marzo: 

Ozark (3T completa) en Netflix

Steven Universe Future (series finale) en Cartoon Network

29 de marzo: Vamos Juan (2T) en TNT

*

Estrenos de series

Dispatches from Elsewhere (AMC)

Trata sobre un grupo de gente normal que se encuentra con un rompecabezas que se esconde a simple vista en su vida diaria pero cuyo misterio alcanza distancias que nunca pudieron imaginar. Protagonizada por Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters, Maniac), Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Gosford Park), Eve Lindley (Outsiders, Mr. Robot), André Benjamin (American Crime, High Life) y Tara Lynne Barr (Casual, Aquarius).

Creada, escrita y producida por Jason Segel (Get Him to the Greek, Sex Tape). Diez episodios.

Estreno: 1 de marzo Estreno en España: 2020 en AMC España

My Left Nut (BBC Three)

Drama en el que un joven (Nathan Quinn-O'Rawe) encuentra un bulto en su testículo y no sabe a quién contárselo porque no quiere complicar las cosas con su primera novia, su padre murió hace años y su madre (Sinéad Keenan; Being Human, Little Boy Blue) tiene ya muchas preocupaciones.

Basado en la obra de teatro escrita por Michael Patrick y Oisín Kearney e inspirado en las experiencias de Michael como adolescente. Dirigido por Paul Gay (Vera, Skins). Tres episodios.

Estreno: 1 de marzo

McDonald & Dodds (ITV)

Ambientada en Bath, en el suroeste de Inglaterra, sigue a la dura y ambiciosa inspectora McDonald (Tala Gouveia), transferida desde el sur de Londres; y al tímido y modesto detective Dodds (Jason Watkins; The Crown, Taboo), desaprovechado durante una década; ahora que han sido emparejados. Aparentemente sin nada en común, forman un equipo más que efectivo. 

Creada por Robert Murphy (DCI Banks). Dos episodios.

Estreno: 1 de marzo

Breeders (FX)

Estos padres quieren infinitamente a sus hijos y al mismo tiempo los tirarían por la ventana. Comedia protagonizada por Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock), Daisy Haggard (Episodes, Uncle) y Michael McKean (Better Call Saul, Grace and Frankie).

Creada por Freeman, Simon Blackwell (Veep, In the Loop) y Chris Addison (Trying Again, Lab Rats). Diez episodios.

Estreno: 2 de marzo Estreno en España: 3 de marzo en HBO España

Dave (FXX)

Dave (Dave Burd, rapero cuyo nombre artístico es Lil Dicky) es un hombre neurótico a punto de cumplir los treinta que está convencido de que está destinado a ser uno de los mejores raperos de la historia, aunque sea para hablar de lo pequeño que es su pene. Con Taylor Misiak (American Vandal, I Feel Bad), Andrew Santino (Mixology, I'm Dying Up Here), Christine Ko (The Great Indoors, Upload) y Gina Hecht (Hung). Hay cameo de Justin Bieber.

Creada por Lil Dicky y Jeff Schaffer (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld). Diez episodios.

Estreno: 4 de marzo Estreno en España: 5 de marzo en HBO España

Sandylands (Gold)

A los veintisiete años, Emily Verma (Natalie Dew), hija del famoso dueño de la sala de recreativos de Sandylands (Sanjeev Bhaskar; Unforgotten, The Kumars), ha escapado de su pueblo y vive la vida en Londres. Cuando lee en el periódico que ha aparecido en la costa un hidropedal con sangre y que su padre fue el último en alquilarlo, se ve obligada a volver a su pueblo a poner todo en orden, organizar el funeral, lidiar con el agente de seguros de vida (Hugh Bonneville; Downton Abbey, W1A) y vender la casa familiar. Al reencontrarse con sus viejos amigos y conocidos y hacer nuevas amistades, descubre que nada es lo que parece en el pueblo que la vio crecer. Completan el reparto David Walliams (Little Britain), Sophie Thompson (Detectorists, Gosford Park), Craig Parkinson (Line of Duty, Misfits), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners, Friday Night Dinner) y Harriet Webb (The Split, White Gold).

Creada por Martin Collins y Alex Finch (Off Their Rockers) y dirigida por Michael Cumming (Toast of London). Tres episodios.

Estreno: 4 de marzo

The Trouble With Maggie Cole (ITV)

Cuando un periodista de radio entrevista a Maggie Cole (Dawn French; Delicious, The Wrong Mans) sobre la idílica vida en el pequeño pueblo costero de Thurlbury, ella detalla y adorna las vidas personales de sus vecinos con demasiada exactitud. Tras la emisión del reportaje, Maggie debe enfrentarse a las reacciones y consecuencias de sus palabras. Completan el reparto Mark Heap (Upstart Crow, Friday Night Dinner), Julie Hesmondhalgh (Broadchurch, Cucumber), Vicki Pepperdine (Sally4Ever, Camping) y Patrick Robinson (Casualty, Mount Pleasant).

Drama creado y escrito por Mark Brotherhood (Mount Pleasant, Shameless) y dirigida por Ben Gregor (Cuckoo). Seis episodios.

Estreno: 4 de marzo

Devs (FX)

Limited series sobre una joven ingeniera informática (Sonoya Mizuno; Ex Machina, Crazy Rich Asians) que investiga la división de desarrollo de la empresa para la que trabaja, una compañía tecnológica puntera de San Francisco que podría estar detrás del asesinato de su novio. Completan el reparto Alison Pill (The Newsroom, American Horror Story), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation, Fargo), Jin Ha (Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert), Zach Grenier (The Good Wife, Deadwood), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Lady Bird, Manchester by the Sea) y Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising).

Escrita y producida por Alex Garland (Annihilation, Ex Machina). Ocho episodios.

Estreno: 5 de marzo Estreno en España: 5 de marzo en HBO España

Noughts + Crosses (BBC One)

Adaptación de la primera novela de la serie de Malorie Blackman que cuenta la relación amorosa de Sephy (Masali Baduza, Trackers), hija de un importante político y miembro de la clase negra dominante conocida como Crosses; y Callum (Jack Rowan; Peaky Blinders, Born to Kill), miembro de la clase baja blanca, los Noughts, que fue una vez esclava de los Crosses; en un ambiente de prejuicio, desconfianza y rebeliones en las calles en una sociedad que prohíbe el amor entre dos personas de clases distintas. Completan el reparto Paterson Joseph (Timeless, Peep Show), Bonnie Mbuli (Invictus, Wallander), Kike Brimah (Love Type D), Helen Baxendale (Cold Feet, Cuckoo), Ian Hart (The Last Kingdom, The Secret Agent), Josh Dylan (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Allied), Shaun Dingwall (Goodbye Christopher Robin, The Long Firm), Jonathan Ajayi, Rakie Ayola (No Offence, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) y Stormzy. Escrita por Toby Whithouse (Doctor Who, Being Human), Lydia Adetunji (Riviera, The Last Kingdom), Nathaniel Price (Tin Star) y Rachel De-Lahay (Kiri) y dirigida por Julian Holmes (Strike Back, Outlander) y Koby Adom.

Estreno: 5 de marzo Estreno en España: 5 de marzo en HBO España

Amazing Stories (Apple TV+)

Antología basada en la serie de 1985 creada por Steven Spielberg que nos trae historias que navegan entre la ciencia ficción y el terror y que transportan a gente corriente a mundos de fantasía. En ellas podremos ver a Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Hill House, You), Dylan O'Brien (Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner), Robert Forster (Twin Peaks, Heroes), Josh Holloway (Lost, Yellowstone), Duncan Joiner (Waco, Tales from the Loop), Austin Stowell (Catch-22, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), Sasha Alexander (Rizzoli & Isles, Shameless), Kerry Bishé (Halt and Catch Fire, Narcos), Edward Burns (Public Morals, Mob City) o Sasha Lane (The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Utopia).

Escrita y producida por Edward Kitsis y Adam Horowitz, guionistas de Lost o Once Upon a Time. Cinco episodios.

Estreno: 6 de marzo

ZeroZeroZero (Amazon)

Adaptación del libro de Roberto Saviano (2013) sobre la lucha de los cárteles mexicanos, la mafia calabresa y empresarios corruptos por el control del imperio internacional de la cocaína. Protagonizada por Andrea Riseborough (Bloodline, Waco), Dane DeHaan (Valerian, A Cure for Wellness), Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, In Treatment), Harold Torres (Ingobernable, El Chapo), Giuseppe De Domenico (Euphoria), Adriano Chiaramida, Noé Hernández (Narcos: Mexico), Tchéky Karyo (The Missing, Baptiste), Francesco Colella (Trust) y Claudia Pineda.

Creada y dirigida por Stefano Sollima (Gomorra, Sicario: Day of the Soldado). Ocho episodios.

Estreno: 14 de febrero en Sky Atlantic Italia Estreno en España: 6 de marzo en Amazon España

The Plot Against America (HBO)

Miniserie adaptación de la novela de Philip Roth (2004) que se centra en una familia judía de clase trabajadora de los años 40 cuando un populista xenófobo se convierte en presidente de Estados Unidos y dirige su nación hacia el fascismo. Protagonizada por Winona Ryder (Stranger Things, Edward Scissorhands), John Turturro (The Night Of; Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?), Zoe Kazan (The Deuce, The Big Sick), Morgan Spector (Homeland, The Mist), Anthony Boyle (Derry Girls, Ordeal by Innocence), Azhy Robertson (Juliet, Naked) y Caleb Malis.

Escrita por David Simon (The Wire, The Deuce) y Ed Burns y dirigida por Minkie Spiro (Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife). Seis episodios.

Estreno: 16 de marzo Estreno en España: 17 de marzo en HBO España

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Son los años 90. Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon; The Morning Show, Big Little Lies) es una periodista local que vive en Cleveland, Ohio con su marido Bill (Joshua Jackson; The Affair, Fringe) y sus cuatro hijos: Lexie (Jade Pettyjohn; School of Rock, The Last Ship), Trip (Jordan Elsass, The Long Road Home), Izzy (Megan Stott) y Moody (Gavin Lewis, Prince of Peoria). La vida de esta familia cambia con la llegada de Mia (Kerry Washington; Scandal, American Son) y su hija Pearl (Lexi Underwood, Family Reunion), que alquilan un apartamento a los Richardson. Mia es una artista con un misterioso pasado que no se conforma con las reglas que le impone la sociedad y Elena se propone ayudarla, tal vez para distraerse de los serios problemas que le da su hija adolescente.

Completan el cast Rosemarie DeWitt (United States of Tara, Olive Kitteridge), Paul Yen (Magnum P.I., Young Sheldon), Huang Lu (She, a Chinese), Geoff Stults (Grace and Frankie, The Odd Couple), Jaime Ray Newman (), Anika Noni Rose (Bates Motel, The Good Wife), Obba Babatundé (Dear White People, I'm Dying Up Here), Jesse Williams (Grey's Anatomy, The Cabin in the Woods), Britt Robertson (Under the Dome, Life Unexpected), Kristoffer Polaha (Condor, Life Unexpected), Austin Basis (Beauty and the Beast, Life Unexpected), Reggie Austin (Agent Carter, Life Unexpected), Byron Mann (Arrow, Wu Assassins), AnnaSophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries, The Act) y Tiffany Boone (The Chi, The Following).

Adaptación de la novela de Celeste Ng (2017). Escrita por Liz Tigelaar (Casual, Life Unexpected). Producida por Tigelaar (Casual, Life Unexptected), Witherspoon (Big Little Lies, The Morning Show) y Washington (Scandal, American Son). Ocho episodios.

Estreno: 18 de marzo

Motherland: Fort Salem (Freeform)

En un mundo alternativo, hace trescientos años, las brujas aceptaron luchar por su país a cambio de no ser perseguidas. En la actualidad, varias chicas jóvenes son entrenadas en Fort Salem para combatir amenazas terroristas con armas y tácticas sobrenaturales. Protagonizada por Kelcey Mawema (Deadly Class, To All the Boys I've Loved Before), Jessica Sutton (The Kissing Booth, Escape Room), Taylor Hickson (Deadly Class, Aftermath), Lyne Renee (Deep State, Strike Back), Amalia Holm (Playground), Demetria McKinney (House of Payne, Saints & Sinners), Annie Jacob (Star), Ashley Nicole Williams, Kai Bradbury (Warigami) y Sarah Yarkin (Single Parents, Foursome).

Creada por Eliot Laurence (Claws) y dirigida por Steven A. Adelson (Beyond, The Blacklist). Producida por Will Ferrell, Adam McKay y Kevin Messick, que han producido Succession o Vice. Diez episodios.

Estreno: 18 de marzo

Feel Good (Channel 4)

En esta comedia que explora el amor, la adicción y la superposición de ambos, vamos a conocer a George (Charlotte Ritchie; Call the Midwife, Fresh Meat), la nueva novia de Mae, una comediante con un problema de adicción, y la causa y la solución de su ansiedad. Les acompañan Lisa Kudrow (Friends, Web Therapy), Adrian Lukis (The Crown, Pride and Prejudice), Sophie Thompson (Detectorists, Bounty Hunters), Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard, Scott & Bailey), Ophelia Lovibond (W1A, Elementary), Tom Durant Pritchard (The Crown) y Al Roberts (Stath Lets Flats).

Escrita y protagonizada por la comediante Mae Martin (Uncle, Outsiders). Seis episodios.

Estreno: 18 de marzo Estreno en España: 19 de marzo en Netflix España

Ruthless (BET+)

Spin-off de The Oval centrado en Ruth Truesdale (Melissa L. Williams; Hidden Springs, The Oval), que entra en una secta de fanáticos locos por el sexo y finge encajar allí mientras busca la manera de liberar a su hija pequeña. Con Matt Cedeño (Power, Devious Maids), Lenny D. Thomas (The Blacklist), Yvonne Senat Jones (The Oval, The Bobby Brown Story), David Alan Madrick (Mistake), Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jaime Callica (UnREAL, Wayward Pines), Nirine S. Brown (Wicked), Blue Kimble, Stephanie Charles (The Paynes), Cara Reid (The Outsider, Homeland), Jeremy Palko (The Walking Dead, Bloodline), Hervé Clermont (Snowafall, Veronica Mars), Robert Craighead (Future Man, Too Close to Home), Anthony Bless (East Los High, Sistas), Bobbi Baker James (House of Payne) y Sara Naomi.

Creada, escrita, dirigida y producida por Tyler Perry (House of Payne, The Oval). Veinticuatro episodios.

Estreno: 19 de marzo

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (Netflix)

Limited series sobre la empresaria y activista social Madam C.J. Walker (Octavia Spencer; The Help, Hidden Figures), que empezó como pionera del cuidado del cabello y se convirtió en la primera millonaria negra de Norteamérica. Completan el reparto Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip, Tuca & Bertie), Carmen Ejogo (Selma, True Detective), Blair Underwood (Quantico, Dear White People), Garrett Morris (2 Broke Girls, The Jamie Foxx Show), Kevin Carroll (The Leftovers, Snowfall), Bill Bellamy (Insecure), Cornelius Smith Jr. (Scandal, All My Children), Keeya King (Van Helsing, Saw VIII), J. Alphonse Nicholson (P-Valley, Shots Fired), Zahra Bentham (Spinning Out) y Mouna Traoré (Condor, American Gods).

Basada en el libro 'On Her Own Ground', escrito por A'Lelia Bundles, la tataranieta de Madam C.J. Walker. Escrita por Nicole Asher (Love Beats Rhymes), dirigida por Kasi Lemmons (Black Nativity) y producida por LeBron James (Survivor's Remorse). Ocho episodios.

Estreno: 20 de marzo Estreno en España: 20 de marzo en Netflix España

The Letter for the King (Netflix)

La primera serie de Netflix original de los Países Bajos está basada en un cuento infantil de Tonke Dragt (1962) y rodada en inglés y trata sobre un escudero de dieciséis años (Amir Wilson, His Dark Materials) en una peligrosa misión para entregar una carta secreta al Rey viajando a través de las Grandes Montañas. Con David Wenham (Iron Fist, Top of the Lake), Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve, Bron), Ruby Serkis, Thaddea Graham (Curfew), Gijs Blom (La Famiglia), Nathanael Saleh (Mary Poppins Returns, Game of Thrones), Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Beforeigners, The Innocents), Islam Bouakkaz, Jack Barton, Jonah Lees (Sun Records), Jakob Oftebro (Lilyhammer, Bron), Yorick van Wageningen (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Escape Room), Emilie Cocquerel, Ken Nwosu (Killing Eve, Sticks and Stones), Lucy Russell (The Crown, Genius), Peter Ferdinando (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Ghost in the Shell), Kemi-Bo Jacobs (Delicious, McMafia), Lisa Loven (Wonder Woman, Occupied), David Wilmot (The Alienist, Ripper Street), Tawfeek Barhom (The Looming Tower, Baghdad Central), Omid Djalili (Lucky Man, Dickensian) y Antonia Desplat.

Escrita y producida por Will Davies (Johnny English, How to Train Your Dragon). Seis episodios. Estreno: 20 de marzo

Estreno en España: 20 de marzo en Netflix España

Freud (Netflix)

La primera serie austriaca original de Netflix es un drama de época rodado en alemán sobre un joven y sexy Sigmund Freud (Robert Finster; Kaviar) que persigue en Viena en 1886 a un asesino en serie junto al policía veterano de guerra Alfred Kiss (Georg Friedrich; Kaviar, Wilde Maus) y la medium Fleur Salome (Ella Rumpf; Grave, Die göttliche Ordnung).

Escrita por Stefan Brunner (Tatort) y dirigida por Marvin Kren (Tatort). Ocho episodios.

Estreno: 23 de marzo Estreno en España: 23 de marzo en Netflix España

Council of Dads (NBC)

A Scott (Tom Everett Scott; I'm Sorry, 13 Reasons Why) le han diagnosticado un cáncer terminal, pero necesita asegurarse de que su esposa Robin (Sarah Wayne Callies; Prison Break, The Walking Dead) y sus cuatro hijos estarán bien cuando él falte, lo cual le lleva a formar un grupo de amigos -incluidos su mejor amigo (Clive Standen; Vikings, Taken), su sponsor de alcohólicos anónimos (Michael O'Neill; Rectify, Bates Motel) y su cirujano (J. August Richards; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Angel)- para que actúen como padres de refuerzo y puedan apoyar y guiar a la familia con sus altibajos y dudas. Completan el reparto Blue Chapman, Emjay Anthony (Bad Moms, Chef), Michele Weaver (Love Is___), Thalia Tran, Steven Silver (13 Reasons Why) y Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hil, White Collar).

Escrita por Joan Rater y Tony Phelan, guionistas de Grey's Anatomy y Doubt; producido por Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI, Lucifer) e inspirado en las memorias de Bruce Feiler (2010). FOX encargó y rechazó un piloto de comedia con Kyle Bornheimer basado en estas mismas memorias hace ocho años.

Estreno: 24 de marzo

Unorthodox (Netflix)

Miniserie sobre una mujer judía ultraortodoxa (Shira Haas; Foxtrot, The Zookeeper's Wife) que escapa de su matrimonio concertado y de Williamsburg, su comunidad religiosa en Brooklyn, para empezar una nueva vida tocando música clásica en Berlín.

Inspirada en la novela semiautobiográfica de Deborah Feldman (2012), escrita por Anna Winger (Deutschland 83) y dirigida por Maria Schrader (Deutschland 83, Fortitude). Cuatro episodios.

Estreno: 26 de marzo Estreno en España: 26 de marzo en Netflix España

[bigyack-com]

The 46 Most Anticipated Movies of 2020

2019 was a landmark year for movies, especially for Disney, which propelled past its own box office record thanks to Avengers: Endgame — the biggest movie of all time — The Lion King, and Frozen II. In 2020, the start of the new decade promises a bit of a clean slate, with no big mash-up movies or remakes in store. Of course, there are still plenty of big hitters around. We've got two entries apiece in Marvel Studios, DC, and Sony's Marvel universes, including the return of Black Widow and Wonder Woman. There's a new movie in store from Christopher Nolan, in addition to the return of Fast and Furious, Minions, King Kong, and Ghostbusters.And after a year filled with Disney's remakes of past hits, we will be treated to three original efforts from Pixar and its own studio in 2020. Speaking of animation, there are also upcoming movies involving Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, and Sonic the Hedgehog. And oh, James Bond is back after five years, though in terms of time, nothing can beat the return of Tom Cruise's Top Gun after over three decades. Closer to home, we've got a few historical dramas, Aamir Khan remaking a Hollywood movie, and Farhan Akhtar in a boxing film. Kabir Khan will give us a film on India's 1983 Cricket World Cup success, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali has roped in Alia Bhatt to play a red-light district matriarch.Note: for Hollywood movies, most release dates are for the US, except wherever specifically mentioned.

January

ChhapaakRelease date: January 10, 2020Deepika Padukone plays an acid-attack survivor in a film inspired by the life of Laxmi Agarwal, from Raazi and Talvar writer-director Meghna Gulzar.TanhajiRelease date: January 10, 2020Based on the 17th-century Battle of Sinhagad, in which the Marathas fought the Mughals, respectively led by General Tanaji Malusare (Ajay Devgn) — serving Chhatrapati Shivaji — and Udaybhan Rathod (Saif Ali Khan). Kajol stars as Tanaji's wife.DolittleRelease date: January 17, 2020In his first role since Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. is a Victorian England-era doctor and veterinarian who can speak to animals and prefers them over humans, but is forced to set sail on an adventure to find a cure for Queen Victoria's grave illness.The GentlemenRelease date: January 24, 2020After Aladdin, Guy Ritchie returns to his action crime roots with this story of an American immigrant (Matthew McConaughey) who has decided to cash out his marijuana empire in London. Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant star alongside.Bad Boys for LifeRelease date: January 31, 2020 (India)Seventeen years later, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to wrap up their buddy cop trilogy, which reunites the detectives after a mob boss desires revenge close to their official retirement.The Rhythm SectionRelease date: January 31, 2020Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown star in this spy thriller from the producers of James Bond, which follows a woman who discovers that a plane crash that killed her family wasn't accidental. You know where this goes.

February

Birds of PreyRelease date: February 7, 2020In this Suicide Squad spin-off set in the DC film universe, a Joker-less Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) teams up with three more female vigilantes to save a young girl from a brutal, iron-fisted crime lord (Ewan McGregor).Watch the First Trailer for Birds of PreySonic the HedgehogRelease date: February 14, 2020Delayed to make time for the redesign of its blue speedster in the face of criticism, this video game adaptation follows Sonic (Ben Schwartz) visiting Earth, teaming up with a former cop (James Marsden), and evading Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), a scientist interested in world domination.Watch the New Trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog

March

OnwardRelease date: March 6, 2020Pixar's next film is set in a suburban contemporary fantasy world and follows two elf brothers (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) who set out on a quest to rediscover magic so they can spend one day with their father.Watch the First Trailer for OnwardA Quiet Place: Part IIRelease date: March 20, 2020John Krasinski returns as director on this sequel to the 2018 hit, which forces the family — Emily Blunt and her two on-screen kids — to venture out into the world, where the creatures that hunt by sound aren't the only threats.MulanRelease date: March 27, 2020Disney's wave of live-action remakes continues with this Chinese folklore tale about a young woman who takes her ailing father's place in the army. It's got an all-Chinese cast, thankfully, and it's one of the most expensive movies of all time, with a reported buget of $300 million.SooryavanshiRelease date: March 27, 2020You know we've hit peak “cinematic universe” when Rohit Shetty crafts one for his over-the-top cops. Akshay Kumar is the new eponymous entrant as the chief of an anti-terror unit, with Katrina Kaif as his love interest, and Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh cameoing as Singham and Simmba.

April

The New MutantsRelease date: April 3, 2020Delayed several times, this last entry in Fox's erstwhile X-Men world is about five young mutants — including Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams — trying to escape a secret facility while discovering the extent of their abilities.No Time to DieRelease date: April 3, 2020 (India)Daniel Craig returns as James Bond for the fifth and final time. Set five years after Spectre, a semi-retired Bond must find a missing scientist after a new villain (Rami Malek) poses “a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before.”Watch the First Trailer for No Time to Die‘83Release date: April 10, 2020India's surprising success at the 1983 Cricket World Cup is told through the eyes of captain Kapil Dev (Ranveer Singh) in this biopic from director Kabir Khan.Black WidowRelease date: April 30, 2020 (India)The first Marvel movie since Avengers: Endgame jumps into the past — shortly after Captain America: Civil War — and follows Scarlett Johansson's titular character as she is forced to confront her past. David Harbour, Florence Pugh, and Rachel Weisz also star.Watch the First Trailer for Black Widow

May

Scoob!Release date: May 15, 2020The first feature animated Scooby-Doo movie is going to be an origin tale for the gang, telling us how a young Scooby and Shaggy met, and then teamed up with Fred, Daphne, and Velma to form Mystery, Inc. Warner Bros. hopes it will kick off a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe.Fast & Furious 9Release date: May 22, 2020This ridiculous franchise somehow continues with Fast Five director Justin Lin returning to (hopefully) reinvigorate it. Most of the old gang is back — including Jordana Brewster and Charlize Theron — and they are joined by new faces in John Cena and Michael Rooker.Artemis FowlRelease date: May 29, 2020Pushed from last year, Eoin Colfer's 2001 novel of the same name is getting the big-screen treatment 19 years after it was first announced. It involves a 12-year-old criminal mastermind, fairies, and a possible robbery.

June

Wonder Woman 1984Release date: June 5, 2020The second DC film of the year reconnects with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) seven decades on in the eighties, where she's (somehow) reunited with her old love (Chris Pine) while going up against two new enemies (Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig).Watch the New Trailer for Wonder Woman 1984SoulRelease date: June 19, 2020In Pixar's other original movie in 2020, a music teacher's (Jamie Foxx) soul is accidentally separated from his body and transported to a realm where souls develop and gain passions before passing into a newborn. There, he meets a soul-in-training (Tina Fey) who has been trapped for years.Watch the First Trailer for SoulTop Gun: MaverickRelease date: June 26, 2020For more than thirty years — as much time since the first film — Tom Cruise's Navy aviator has avoided promotion to remain in the air as a test pilot. The man with no future is forced to reckon with the ghosts of his past after he encounters his late best friend's son (Miles Teller) in training for a special mission.Watch the First Trailer for Top Gun: Maverick

July

Minions: The Rise of GruRelease date: July 3, 2020This sequel to the 2015 billion-dollar hit follows the tiny, yellow creatures as they encounter a young Gru — their eventual leader — for the first time.Free GuyRelease date: July 3, 2020A video game character (Ryan Reynolds) finds out he's in a video game and then tries to make himself the hero. Wait, isn't this the plot of Wreck-It Ralph? Anyhoo, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, and Taika Waititi star alongside.Ghostbusters: AfterlifeRelease date: July 10, 2020After a critically and commercially unsuccessful reboot, Sony rejigs the machine to produce a direct sequel set 30 years after Ghostbusters II. It follows two children and their mother (Carrie Coon) who discover their link to the original gang — most of whom are retuning — after moving to a farm. Paul Rudd is new to the cast.TenetRelease date: July 17, 2020Christopher Nolan's next film involves time travel and finds an agent traversing the world, including Mumbai. John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Himesh Patel, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh star.Watch the First Trailer for TenetMorbiusRelease date: July 31, 2020Sony's own Marvel universe expands with this tale about a scientist (Jared Leto) suffering from a rare blood disease who attempts to cure himself and instead becomes afflicted with a form of vampirism. Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, and Tyrese Gibson part of the cast.ShamsheraRelease date: July 31, 2020Ranbir Kapoor plays a father and his titular son who are part of a dacoit tribe that fought for their independence from the British colonialists in the 19th-century. Sanjay Dutt, Vaani Kapoor, Ronit Roy also star.

August

Bhuj: The Pride of IndiaRelease date: August 14, 2020Set during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the story of a squadron leader (Ajay Devgn) in-charge of the Bhuj airport who helped reconstruct an air force base with the help of 300 local women. Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, and Rana Daggubati have supporting roles.

September

Gangubai KathiawadiRelease date: September 11, 2020Alia Bhatt will play the titular brothel owner and matriarch in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next venture, based a chapter of S. Hussain Zaidi's book, “Mafia Queens of Mumbai”.The King's ManRelease date: September 18, 2020This period prequel to the Kingsman series follows Ralph Fiennes as Duke of Oxford and his protégé as they put a stop to tyrants and criminals. Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance are part of the cast.Last Night in SohoRelease date: September 25, 2020After Baby Driver, Edgar Wright's next film is a London-set psychological horror starring Thomasin McKenzie (Leave No Trace), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones), and Terence Stamp.

October

Sardar Udham SinghRelease date: October 2, 2020Shoojit Sircar's dream project about the titular revolutionary freedom fighter (Vicky Kaushal) comes to life. Udham is best known for taking revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre by killing Punjab's then-lieutenant governor in 1940 London, for which he was subsequently hanged by the British.ToofanRelease date: October 2, 2020Farhan Akhtar and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra reunite for another sports drama — after 2013's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag — about a fictional boxer. Paresh Rawal, Isha Talwar, Mrunal Thakur, Rishi Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, and Soni Razdan are part of the cast.Venom 2Release date: October 2, 2020The first film was total carnage, so it makes sense that Tom Hardy's journalist and the titular symbiote are next taking on a serial killer (Woody Harrelson) and his own alien symbiote who is actually called Carnage. Andy Serkis directs.Death on the NileRelease date: October 9, 2020The story of Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) continues on holiday in Egypt, where a love triangle spills into murder. Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, and Ali Fazal also star.

November

The EternalsRelease date: November 6, 2020The second Marvel movie in 2020 spans several thousand years, following the titular immortal alien race as they battle their evil counterparts to protect humanity. Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Don Lee, and Kit Harington star.

PrithvirajRelease date: November 13, 2020Chanakya and Pinjar director Chandraprakash Dwivedi helms this epic historical drama about the life of Prithviraja III, who ruled parts of north-west India in the 12th century before his defeat and execution at the hands of the Ghurids. 52-year-old Akshay Kumar will play a man who died in his mid-20s.Godzilla vs. KongRelease date: November 20, 2020This is what it's been building to since the 2014 Godzilla reboot, and the film's title tells you all you need to know. Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza González, Jessica Henwick, Julian Dennison, and Zhang Ziyi will play the humans.MaidaanRelease date: November 27, 2020Ajay Devgn plays coach Syed Abdul Rahim in this sports biopic, who is considered the architect of modern Indian football and sparked the national team's golden era between 1952–1962. Badhaai Ho director Amit Sharma is behind the camera.Raya and the Last DragonRelease date: November 27, 2020Disney Animation's first original film in four years — since Moana — is about the titular warrior (Cassie Steele) who's looking for the last dragon in the world. Little does she know that she, a water dragon (Awkwafina), is trapped in a human body.Here's the First Concept Art for Raya and the Last Dragon

December

DuneRelease date: December 18, 2020Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem lead the star-studded cast of Denis Villeneuve's ambitious two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi classic, often termed unfilmable.West Side StoryRelease date: December 18, 2020Steven Spielberg is behind this remake of the multi-Oscar-winning 1961 film adaptation, though it's said to stick more to the original Broadway musical script. It's about two young adults, associated with rival street gangs, falling for each other in 1950s New York.

Laal Singh ChaddhaRelease date: December 25, 2020Aamir Khan stars in Tom Hanks' role in this remake of Forrest Gump transported to Bollywood, which will hence run through the events of India's history. Kareena Kapoor plays the love interest, played by Robin Wright in the original.Tom and JerryRelease date: December 25, 2020The second 2020 film based on a Hanna-Barbera cartoon is a live-action and animation hybrid. It follows a young adult (Chloë Grace Moretz) who teams up with the titular cat to stop the titular mouse from ruining an important event. Strangely not a part of the aforementioned cinematic universe.The Tomorrow WarRelease date: December 25, 2020In the near future, humans figure out how to draft soldiers from the past — Chris Pratt among them — to fight a losing war against alien forces. Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, and Betty Gilpin also star. The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay at the helm. Read the full article