#when the falcon and the winter soldier is released

[luna-rainbow]

Thanks for your answer for the last ask.

What is wrong with the writers of the new MCU material? Do they just hate Bucky, especially the writer of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier (he's NOT the Winter Soldier anymore!)? Did Bucky kick their cat or something? This hatred and victim blaming is not justified! "Oh Bucky's just a cray-cray psycho killing machine with cool metal arm but probably belongs in a padded cell. Lol he says he had no choice such a lame excuse..."

Soo…I don’t know if people still remember the rumours from back in 2021 and I don’t know how much of it is true, but my guess at it is this: there were supposed to be two main writers on the series. Spellman was supposed to take Sam’s story, while the other guy wrote Bucky’s story. For whatever reason, the other guy quit before he finished, and didn’t give the writing team enough time to put things together.

From a story craft point of view, Bucky’s story in TFATWS reeks of first-draft-ism. It’s a scattered plot of events that don’t quite string together, and a self-contradictory characterisation that hasn’t yet been smoothed over (but was made a little more believable by Sebastian’s efforts). You can tell some central character themes had been planted in the first draft — the PTSD, the guilt, the messy way he’s trying to relearn how to interact with people (Yori, Sam and later the Wakandans), the struggle with breaking free of his past. These were all strong, interesting character beats for Bucky to work through, and it honestly could have been a good story. And I think that’s when the original writer bailed.

When Spellman picked up this draft, he was pressed for time, he hadn’t watched CATWS and he never thought he’d needed to know about Bucky’s story, so he reads TheMovieSpoiler summary of the movie and tries to piece the rest of the story together. But Bucky’s not his priority nor his interest. There’s already beats of the story that were planned and have to be there for IP reasons. So beyond what was already in the first draft as mentioned above, Bucky is made to be the fall guy to make the rest of the plot happen. Zemo’s release — well we can’t make Sam help break out the criminal that killed an African king so we’ll make Bucky do it, who cares if it makes no sense for his character. The counselling session — the show’s few moments of levity, doesn’t matter that it makes no sense but hey, forced homoeroticism is hilarious, isn’t it? The Wakandan three-way fight — I may be remembering this wrong but I think Skogland said it was one of the first scenes that she had planned for. That fight had to happen, and again Bucky was made to provoke the Wakandans to the point Seb had to step in and say, almost literally, “he would not fucking say that” to make them wind back the animosity between Bucky and Ayo. Sam’s suit — oh no we can’t have Sam asking for it himself that would be too egocentric, we also can’t have Wakandans offering because well, not like the plot actually made Sam a strong ally for Wakanda, so we get Bucky asking for Sam’s suit to be made minutes after he fixes his mistake of releasing Zemo. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make sense if it’s Bucky doing it, cos I really think by this stage Spellman didn’t give a shit about a character that wasn’t supposed to be his responsibility in the first place. It’s like when you’re doing group project and your teammate bails on you, you’re gonna do just enough to get that pass but you ain’t putting in the effort for a distinction cos just looking at the unfinished work is pissing you off. So then Bucky also becomes the token white male who pushes all the wrong buttons during the few token racism scenes cos we gotta make Walker have some redeemable qualities and he’s already a dick so we can’t make him racist too.

So instead of having a thoughtful story about a veteran trying to grapple with his guilt and PTSD and lack of agency and making some mistakes along the way, you get a weird disjointed plot of some guy…with some bad dreams…who randomly does things for no good personal reason…who gets made the butt of the joke for the stuff he’s experienced cos he’s got a metal arm and super soldier serum how hard could it have been he just needs to go and apologise for killing people while simultaneously having multiple poignant scenes portraying his lack of agency.

Every writer who tells you “a hero is only as interesting as the villain” just secretly wants to write a simpable villain. And when that writer isn’t very skilled, you get the disaster of TFATWS where a lot of effort is spent on making Zemo funny and personable, and Walker nuanced and sympathetic, instead of making either of the titular heroes funny or personable or nuanced or sympathetic. And yeah, I really don’t think Spellman ever cared enough about Bucky to want to make him sympathetic…or a hero. Remember when he said Bucky pulling open the van door was the first time Bucky has ever been a hero? Fuck right off with that.

#bucky barnes #tfatws critical #asks

[mxssingmemories]

Hi, I was wondering if you could write something with Sebastian Stan x Daughter!Reader. Let’s say that the reader is about 7 years old and she accidentally interrupted Sebastian’s zoom interview and the interviewer let’s her join and they ask her who her favorite Avenger is and she says Captain America and then she says how cool the Winter Soldier is

The Interview

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x daughter!reader

Warnings: None!

Summary: You accidentally walk in on your dad's interview, but it turns into a fun experience for all three of you.

A/N: thanks for the request, lovely! i loved writing this :)

Word Count: 520 ish

Your dad's first interview after the release of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" was a bug one for him, and you knew this. Even though you were only 7, you had a pretty good understanding of your father's career. You knew he was an important person to a lot of people, but you disregarded that most of the time-he was still your dad!

You honestly didn't mean to interrupt the Zoom meeting. You just wanted to see Sebastian and didn't know it had already started.

You entered the room quietly, freezing when you realized Sebastian was on the call with the interviewer.

Your dad looked up at you with a stern expression, but quickly softened when he saw the disappointment in your eyes. "Hey kiddo, what are you doing here?" he asked, reaching out to put a comforting hand on your shoulder.

Your dad, despite being in the middle of a sentence, paused and smiled at you. "Hey, little miss," he said. "I'm in the middle of the interview, honey," he murmured. "Wanna say hi, kiddo?"

You felt yourself blushing as you nodded your head, hiding behind Sebastian as you waved the visible part of your hand. ducking your head to hide your face. He jumped to reassure you the second he saw the panicked look on your face.

"We're just talking about work stuff. Do you want to say hi to our friend here?"

You jumped out from behind him as you nodded eagerly, waving at the screen so fast your hand blurred on it.

"Hi there!" the interviewer smiled excitedly, waving back at you. "Can I ask you a question, Miss Stan?" he asked, pretending to be elegant. You giggled as you nodded, just excited to be included.

"Who's your favorite Avenger?" he asked, raising one eyebrow at you.

"Uh, I really like Captain America. The Winter Soldier's cool, too!" you added on, grinning widely. "My dad is the coolest one, though!" you added with a giggle.

The interviewer chuckled heartily- he was clearly enjoying the unexpected interruption. "I couldn't agree more, Miss Stan," he said. "Your dad is definitely one of the coolest superheroes out there. How does it feel to have a dad who's such an important person in the superhero world?"

You thought for a moment, curling your fingers around your dad's hand. "It's awesome," you said. "It's also really cool to have a dad who's just a regular dad, too. He still makes the best pancakes on Saturday mornings, and he's really good at playing hide and seek!"

The interviewer laughed, clearly having fun with the sudden change in the conversation. "Well, I'm sure your dad is the best at both being a superhero and a dad," he said. "Thank you for joining us, Miss Stan. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"You too," you grinned as you took the hint and slid off your dad's lap, closing the door softly as you exited the room.

The interview continued as background noise as you sat down, a silly grin on your face. This was definitely going to be an awesome memory to look back on as you grew up.

#sebastian stan x daughter!reader #sebastian stan #my writing

[yveni]

I’ve been thinking a lot about how streaming culture has changed the way shows are received.

Like, I miss when TV shows had weekly episodes that I could talk about with my friends at school. My family and a lot of our friends used to hold Walking Dead parties, where everyone would come over after church on Sunday and watch the show together. I miss when my sisters and I would all try to hurry and finish our homework in time to watch the new episode of Pretty Little Liars every Monday night (or Thursday I forgot what day it used to come out on). I seen a post the other day where someone talked about how they used to meet up with a bunch of their classmates to criticize the historical inaccuracies of each new Merlin episode.

I feel like the whole binge model currently going on is taking away from the community that used to surround shows. I know some streaming services are starting to go back to the weekly episode thing, but the majority of shows are released all at once. I can’t help but think this diminishes the hype for a lot of them.

Like, I attended an American high school, and I kid you not, EVERY Monday, everyone was talking about the new episode of the Walking Dead. There were weekly discussions revolving around these shows, and these discussions helped attract more people to them. Majority of the time, a show had more viewers at the end of a season (which would take two or three months to release fully lol remember when seasons used to be around 20 episodes) than it did at the beginning.

People used to be able to breathe in between episodes. Each episode was appreciated, and not rushed through in an attempt to get to the end of a show. We would watch the episode knowing there was more coming, and take more time to notice details and smaller plot points. It gave writers more of a chance to work in those little details, without trying to rush through the story in a short 8-episode lifespan that also keeps people interested enough to finish in one-go.

Now, streaming services are expecting shows to build the same level of hype by dumping all of it on their viewers at once. I miss mid season discussion around shows. I miss debating how a storyline was going to end. I miss being excited for a specific day of the week knowing I would have something new to talk to my friends about.

The closest we got to this was probably when all the Marvel shows were being released (WandaVision, Loki, Falcon & the Winter Soldier) and there were weekly TikTok memes and whatever about each new episode.

I think what I’m trying to say is TV shows should stop being judged by how “binge-worthy” they are. Streaming services should actually give their shows time to develop and to build a fan base, they should stop expecting immediate success form everything, because communities naturally build when they are given time.

I hope they start looking at the quality of a show and it’s potential to grow and gain viewers, not just the immediate numbers, to determine it’s success. Delayed viewing is a huge thing. My goodness, I’m tired of amazing shows being cut down before they even got to bloom.

#yes this is fueled by my anger about lockwood and co #let’s go back to weekly episodes and longer seasons #save lockwood and co #lockwood and co #Netflix #amazon prime please pick up lockwood and co #yve has something to say

[mrs-stans]

Lily James and Sebastian Stan Reportedly Cast in Secrets & Wives

Lily James and Sebastian Stan have reportedly joined the cast of Focus Features’ period film ‘Secrets & Wives.’ The movie, helmed by Carly Wray, is scheduled to start shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, and Vancouver, British Columbia, on an undisclosed date. The film, set in the 1980s rural Washington state, revolves around a single working mother named Sherry, who is swept off her feet by a charismatic, larger-than-life outsider named Martin Lewis. They run off and get married, only for hell to break loose. Sherry’s life gets turned upside down when it’s revealed that Martin is a married ex-gangster.

Lily and Stan are expected to play Sherry and Martin respectively. The two performers previously worked together for Hulu’s biographical series ‘Pam & Tommy,’ in which Lily plays actress and model Pamela Anderson and Stan portrays musician Tommy Lee.

Lily recently completed the filming of Sam Worthington and Riz Ahmed-starrer ‘Relay’ and Joseph Gordon-Levitt-starrer ‘Providence.’ Her upcoming release ‘The Iron Claw,’ starring Zac Efron and ‘The Bear’ fame Jeremy Allen White, is scheduled to be released on December 22, 2023. Her recent credits include Josephine Esperanto in ‘Finally Dawn,’ Zoe Stevenson in ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It?’ Linda Radlett in ‘The Pursuit of Love,’ and Ellie Appleton in ‘Yesterday.’

Stan recently concluded the filming of ‘A Different Man,’ in which he stars alongside Renate Reinsve. He is also a part of the cast of Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts.’ His recent credits include Vlad Tenev in ‘Dumb Money,’ God in ‘Ghosted,’ Max in ‘Sharper,’ Steve in ‘Fresh,’ Nick Fowler in ‘The 355,’ and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.’

Although the exact dates of the filming are yet to be announced, we can expect the same to begin after the conclusion of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Atlanta, known as the Hollywood East, is home to several production facilities and natural attractions. The city previously hosted the production of several famed projects, including ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Cobra Kai,’ ‘Ozark,’ ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ etc. Vancouver AKA Hollywood North, on the other hand, is a significant filming location of ‘Virgin River,’ ‘Supernatural,’ ‘Criminal Minds,’ ‘The Last of Us,’ and ‘Fear the Walking Dead.’

Wray, who is at the helm, also penned the screenplay. The screenwriter wrote several acclaimed episodes of AMC’s drama series ‘Mad Men.’ She also co-wrote and co-executive produced HBO’s superhero series ‘Watchmen’ and Max’s dystopian series ‘DMZ.’ Her other credits include ‘Westworld,’ ‘Mindhunter,’ ‘The Leftovers,’ ‘The Bastard Executioner,’ and ‘Constantine.’

Berlanti/Schechter Films, New Leaf Literary & Media, and Truly*Adventurous team up with Focus Features for the production of the film. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Michael McGrath, Pouya Shahbazian, Matthew Pearl, and Greg Nichols are the producers.

#Sebastian Stan #Lily James #Secrets & Wives #Mrs-stans

[lokiondisneyplus]

After the climactic release of the historically successful Avengers: Endgame – the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the penultimate release in their “Infinity Saga”, the culmination of 11 years of brand-building, the second-highest-grossing film of all time – Marvel decided what the world really needed was more Marvel.

Armed with classic Hollywood hubris – the misguided conviction that the public would never tire of what they were selling – Marvel Studios rolled television production into their main business model, with “Phase Four” delivering more television shows than movies. The effect was a flooding of the market and a dilution of the brand, not to mention the release of the worst MCU movie, Eternals.

Forcing narrative crossovers between television shows and movies had the adverse effect of turning the former into homework and the latter into ads for the former. This practice was an act of artistic self-sabotage, ruining what could’ve been Marvel’s most sublime film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, by burdening it with a host of tonally-off, studio-obligated B-stories crowbarred in to promote upcoming television titles.

After a run of disappointing films that weighed down once-fun franchises with po-faced gravity – Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – and a slew of ordinary television shows – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion – we’ve officially reached a state of Marvel fatigue, with questions looming around the state of the superhero industrial complex.

It’s in this cultural moment that Loki, the acclaimed solo show for the titular character, arrives for a second season. It doesn’t just have to live up to an inspired first season but also has to push back on all the bad vibes, a difficult task given the heavy presence of Jonathan Majors, the breakout star who was arrested in March on domestic violence charges.The great charm of this season is that it cultivates the feeling that it could head anywhere and be anything. Loki doesn’t just explore free will as a theme, it actually feels as if it artistically possesses it.

The good news is that, whether or not it can be spun as state-of-Marvel narrative correction, season two is a worthy successor. Blessed by the fact its titular character, Tom Hiddleston’s charismatic God of Mischief, remains a slippery figure, Loki is allowed to move forward with no clear lines drawn between good and bad, protagonist and antagonist, hero and villain. Characters hold convictions until they don’t, make choices that will have ramifications, agitate for themselves, then for the greater good, and try to navigate a world whose rules shift beneath their feet.

It’s largely set, once again, in the Time Variance Authority, a comic bureaucratic labyrinth charged with policing multiversal time lines. Offering obvious symbolism at a time when Marvel is struggling to retain coherence in the midst of its “Multiverse Saga”, the TVA prizes the one true “Sacred Timeline”, pruning infinite possibilities back for the sake of cosmic narrative purity.

The TVA is an inspired retrofuturist space steeped in Eastern Bloc mid-century design and early Terry Gilliam films, satirising the pernickety dictums of workplaces and government offices – “limit your lunch break to 17 minutes!” proclaims one poster. From its dated tech – ’70s-style computer monitors, reel-to-reel tape machines, chrome hi-fis – to its curved surfaces, coloured floor tiles and lurid-emerald key lime pie, it’s a rare work of inspired production design by a studio otherwise synonymous with green-screening its way to rush-job eyesores built by an army of non-unionised offshore digital effects artists.

Everything in the TVA looks shabby and neglected, evoking its place as an office lost to time. The plot machinations of season one found an Avengers-adjacent Loki commandeered by the authority – Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), upper-management Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and others – to pursue a variant of himself, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), through time and space.

It ended with an explosion of multiversal time lines and revelations about the true history of the TVA: its top-down system of authority a matrix of illusion, its mind-wiped employees existing in a state of suspended limbo, its time line-culling operation seeming a lot like a morally questionable act of mass slaughter.

In the fallout from that climax, season two finds characters questioning whether the TVA is an entity worth preserving or destroying, not to mention the meaning of their own existence and the ramifications of choice. It’s a study of free will and moral responsibility, housed in 45-minute episodes of action-oriented television. Its chief writer, Eric Martin, both lionises liberty and weighs up its gravity, while happily dealing in the all-American fear of governmental oversight.

The collapse of the TVA’s artificial reality – “everything you’ve been doing is wrong and all your gods are dead”, Mobius deadpans in classic Wilson fashion – leads characters to their own convictions. Mobius seeks peaceful resolution. Renslayer seeks to preserve her power and the authority’s agency (“all that matters is order versus chaos”). The once-bellicose B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) has a moral reawakening. The dogged Dox (Kate Dickie) is more committed than ever to the cause. The weaselly X-5 (Rafael Casal) wants to explore his new-found independence and maybe become a movie star. The oddball tech guy with the on-the-nose name, Ouroboros (Ke Huy Quan), is there to both provide comic relief and to save the day from a temporal calamity that may destroy all worlds, or something to that effect.

Loki’s playful riffing on time means every benign use of the word pops – “it’ll take some time”, “remember that time”, “take your time”, “time to go” – and its first four episodes dance along the Earth’s time line at various points of history – 1868, 1893, 1977, 1982 – with plentiful hijinks, dabbling in genre tropes, meta use of Loki’s skills of illusion and misdirection, and creepy fast-food-franchise sponsored content.

Looming over all is the presence of the big bad of Marvel’s Phase Five, Kang the Conqueror, played still, to this point, by Majors. He’s seen here in two variants: a squirrelly 19th-century nutty professor named Victor Timely and the all-powerful end-of-time figure met at the end of last season, He Who Remains. These twin characters are connected but separate enough that they symbolise the series’ focus on free will. One may be fated to become the other, but does that mean that he – and the future – can’t change?

The great charm of this season is that it cultivates the feeling that it could head anywhere and be anything. Loki doesn’t just explore free will as a theme, it actually feels as if it artistically possesses it. While it may not be enough to combat the waning influence of comic-book screen output, this season does feel like a disarming counterpoint to recent Marvel Studios product. Rather than feeling conscripted or forced, a puzzle piece that exists solely to build a bridge between branded content, Loki remains its own thing: a nimble exploration of big themes in a colourful, comic, oddball package.

This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on October 21, 2023 as "Changing times".

#loki #opinion

[eastasiansonwesternscreen]

Lionsgate said Monday that its upcoming comedy marking the feature directorial debut of Crazy Rich Asians scribe Adele Lim will be called Joy Ride. The studio also unveiled the first still from the film, which you can view below.

The film due for release June 23 stars Ashley Park (Emily in Paris), Sherry Cola (Good Trouble), Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Sabrina Wu as unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. When Audrey’s (Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Hsu), her college friend-turned-Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin. Their no-holds-barred, epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.

The film from Point Grey and Red Mysterious Hippo also stars Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians), Desmond Chiam (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Alexander Hodge (Insecure) and Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians). The script by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong & Teresa Hsiao was based on a story by Chevapravatdumrong, Hsiao and Lim.

(via Deadline)

#sherry cola #stephanie hsu #Ashley Park #sabrina wu #joy ride #ronny chieng #desmond chiam #chris pang #alexander hodge #adele lim #media representation #representation in media #film #news

[ordinaryschmuck]

From what I've found on What If? Apparently the absence of Sam Wilson was because all the episodes for season 2 were written during COVID and pre-The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. And they didn't know WHEN that was going to be released, so they couldn't do anything with Sam Wilson in What If? Because they had to wait for him to become Captain America in the live action before having him in the show as Cap. And, as I mentioned before, besides the 1602 episode, there isn't really any place it'd be appropriate for him to appear in.

I just hope that with Season Three, we'll be able to see more of him. If not as Captain America, then at least having his existence be acknowledged.

#marvel #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #falcon #sam wilson #captain america #what if #what if season 2 #asks #ask me anything #send asks if you want

[babyevansblog]

Miss you already

Warnings: +18 only, oral receiving (m), unprotected sex, dirty talk, breeding kink (small but it is there), some fluff.

You were sit on the couch on you're boyfriend's house, watching some TV to pass time, he was in his office doing some online interviews about the falcon and the winter soldier, it's been over 3 hours and you already miss him, his warmth, his touch, so you decide to check on him.

Knocking softly on the door and opening you call his name "Seb? Baby am I interrupting?" he looks at you and smiles "Never love, come in, I'm just checking some dates to the next interviews" going to him, sitting on his lap straddling him, you tuck you face in his neck inhaling his scent you love so much "What's wrong baby, you need something?" he whisper to you kissing you head lightly, "Just missed you" his heart swells at your confession, he laughs slightly "But honey I've only been here for what? 3 hours?" you grunt and hug him tighter, pressing little kisses on his neck "Still, miss touching you,(kiss) smelling you, (kiss), loving you (kiss).

Sebastian can't denies he loves how needy you are for him, always wanting to be with him, it didn't take much time for him to find out you love language when you guys started to date touch.

You start to grind in his lap, wanting to show him what kind of touch you needed right now. He just smiles, already aware of what you wanted, but still he asked you "What do you want baby, tell me and I'll give it to you" his hands started roaming over the top of your thighs, till your ass, giving a good squeeze, leaving you more desperate. "You Seb, i want you, need you now baby please".

"Look at me love" you lift you head to do so, he looks at you with a mix of love and lust, taking you face in his hands caressing your cheeks with his thumbs "You have me honey, take what you need, I'm all yours".

With that you close the gap between you two, kissing him with so much passion it almost take the air out of his lungs, licking your way inside his mouth you moan into the kiss, pulling his hair just the way he love it and moving your clothed cunt on his hard cock.

You started to undress him, after taking his sweatshirt off, kissing your way down his belly button you drop to yours knees looking at him with so much innocence as if you wasn't about to suck the soul out of him. You pull him free from his pants, his cock hot and heavy on your hand, the tip shining with precum.

You started to lick his balls, knowing how much he liked when you give them attention, earning a loud moan from him when you sucked them in your hot mouth "fuck Prinţesă you know how i like it" your cunt throbbed at the praise, after licking the base to the tip you swallowed him till he reached the back of your throat.

A loud groan from above you makes you look up still with his cock deep inside your mouth, you star to suck and at the same time tugging at his sack, swollowing him till your face is full of spit and tears (the most beautiful look of you to him).

"Seb baby you know how much i love to swollow every drop of you but right now i need you deep inside of me" with that he pulls you to his lap taking your (his) shirt off leaving you in only black laced panties, seb's favorite.

Tugging your panties to the side, rubbing the head of his cock in your slit to collect some of your slick before pushing slowly inside your tight little cunt.

Moaning in each other's mouth's, feeling the delicious stretch, almost splitting you in two, but god how you love it that painfully good first thrust "Fuck seb, baby, so big inside of me, i can feel you in my tummy honey" you take his hand to make him feel it too "God Prinţesă, you love it don't you, know it, know how much you love when i fuck you so deep you feel me for the rest of the day, fuck you feel good" you start to ride him harder listening all his dirty words making you approach your release quickly.

"That's it fuck, you close love? yeah i can feel it, squeezing me so tight baby, greedy little cunt just want me to make you full of me right? want my load baby? want to be dripping with my cum? ask baby, ask for it"

"Hmmm seb p - plase give it to me, please, need you to get me full so i can cum for you please i - i need it"

"Gonna get you pregnant baby,make you a mommy fuck yes that's it, take it baby all of me" a few more pumps and you feel his warm seed coating your insides, and that pushed you to your orgasm,"Fuckyesyesyesss" milking him, every little drop.

Breathing heavily,after some time you look up at him "God i love you seb" you say kissing him softly and smiling at him "Love you more Prinţesă" he says hugging you close to him, he gets up and goes to the bathroom, putting you on top of the counter and starting the shower for the both of you, he then looks at you and says "You said something about loving to swollow every drop of me?" Jesus he is more insatiable than you, but you love it.

#sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan smut #sebastian x y/n

[notyetneedcoffee]

Kicking Up Dust - Part 10

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: None really, Bucky figures out the dark secret of the property

A/N: Takes place after ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ with one major exception - Steve Rogers is not dead. He stepped down. This is in line with my Crossroads story. There will also be a parallel Steve story coming.

A/N: If you wish to recieve direct notifications of new stories or updates, please go to NotYetNeedCoffee-Posting, follow and choose ‘get notifications’. Thanks!

Part 9 or Master List

PART 10

Something pulled you from the comfortable depths of warm slumber. Vaguely aware of the numbness in your hand, you rolled over to the expanse of empty mattress beside you. The sheets felt cold. You cracked your eyes open, taking the time to adjust to the darkness of night. Details of the room became evident, even with the lack of light. The pillow beside you was missing, as was the throw blanket that usually hung over the footboard of the bed.

Moving slowly, you rolled over to look around the room. You sucked in a breath and bit your lip.

Bucky sat on the floor in the corner wearing just his boxer briefs. The pillow lay abandoned near his outstretched right leg. His left knee was up, propping up his elbow. You could see the glint of his metal arm in the faint light. The fleece blanket was fisted in his right hand, but barely covered him. His head lolled to the right, wedged into the corner. A light snore escaped his chest.

He’d been holding you tightly against his chest when you fell asleep. Seeing him like this suddenly made the sparsely decorated apartment make more sense. Trying to be quiet, you straightened the covers and attempted to lay back down.

“You okay, Doll?” His voice was quiet and rough.

“I’m fine.” You sat up and smoothed out the covers. “Are you?”

He hummed and shifted a little.

“Can’t be comfortable down there.” You commented.

“You want me to hold you some more?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Or I can go back to the other room.”

A number of responses came to mind, instead you asked, “Is the bed too soft?”

“Sometimes,” he sighed. After a long silence, Bucky continued in barely more than a whisper. “If I sleep too deeply, I can’t get out of the nightmares. It’s just easier to doze, to stay alert.”

Part of you wondered if strong-arming the boys yesterday brought back darker memories.

You crawled out of bed and straddled his lap before running your fingers through his hair and touching his face. The lines of tension began to release under your ministrations until his arms pulled you closer. Bucky buried his face into the crook of your neck.

“Would you rather be in the armchair in the sitting room?” You whispered as you nuzzled into his hair.

“No.” His arms tightened. “I would rather be here while you sleep.”

“Watching over me,” you tease.

“So when I wake up, I can see you.” Bucky’s voice thickened. “So I know you weren’t a dream.”

Your instincts nearly had a sarcastic reply pop out of your mouth to cover your heartache at his uncomfortably raw confession. You took a deep breath and pressed your lips into his hair. “You rest wherever, however, you want.”

The rough stubble of Bucky’s jaw rubbed against your shoulder as he inhaled the scent of your skin. His fingertip massaged your lower back. He sighed heavily before lightly patting your butt. “Back to bed. You need more sleep.”

Doing as you were told, you got up and settled under the covers. In the silence you heard him shift a little. You whispered, “Buck?”

“Yeah, doll.”

“I’m really happy you’re here.”

Silence stretched until you started to drift off again. Still, you heard him reply. “I’m happy being here.”

You found Bucky in the kitchen, leaning in the open back door. He held a steaming cup of coffee in his right hand as he stared at the property beyond the barn. The sun still crawled its way out of early dawn, leaving the wild grown landscape in the morning haze. He looked better this morning.

“Something interesting?” You came close and wrapped your arms around his waist when he extended an arm.

“Maybe.” He angled his chin toward the back of the property. “The woods get pretty thick just beyond the barn, lots of fir and hemlock. Hard to see in that kind of terrain. But there’s a stand of chestnut right there. It’s hard to tell for sure from here, but it looks like a few of those branches may have been cleared out. Could be a good spot to keep a look out on the house and the drive.”

“Maybe.” You frowned. “You ready to explore the barn and the outbuildings?”

“Sure.” Bucky pressed his lips to your forehead. “Grab a coat.”

As you zipped up, Bucky fastened shoulder and thigh holsters holding various knives and weapons. You knew you shouldn’t be surprised that he came to the house armed, but seeing him gear up made your stomach clench. “You expecting a battle?”

“Not really.” Bucky shrugged. “Got all kinds of useful stuff on here. Mag light, lock picks, climbing cable, so it’s habit to wear it all. Don’t worry. No matter what, I’ll keep you safe.”

“I know.” You believed him.

The two of you spent most of the night before pouring over documents that showed a great deal of criminal activity on or connected to the property. The only time it was quiet seemed to be the period when Becca and her husband lived in the house. FRIDAY even uncovered chatter that seemed to indicate the property was still used as some sort of exchange location until recent years. Your imagination ran wide with images of buried bodies and criminal caches rigged with explosives.

You both decided to explore the barn more thoroughly first. The building was enormous. It looked as if it started as a strictly wood barn in the early part of the century, but at some point, it was expanded and updated.

Inside, Bucky switched on the industrial lights. Behind a convenient parking area, which was now full of furniture frames and Bucky’s motorcycle, were rows and rows of shelves. “Have you been through these?”

You pointed at different areas. “A little. Planting pots of various sizes are there. Stakes, netting, plant cages and the like are down there. All that over there is peat, soil, gravel, and stuff. There was some pretty sketchy fertilizers and chemicals in that area. I paid a crew to come take that stuff away before it leaked everywhere just a couple days before you came up.”

“So, nothing unusual.”

“Nothing.” You led him through the rows of ceramic and terracotta pots. “There’s a workshop and an office back here.”

Bucky moved around the workshop. He picked up old hand tools, examined them, and put them down again. He ran his finger over some greasy areas on the workbench, bringing his fingertips to his nose. You watched him take everything in, knowing he was seeing things you could not.

“How do we get up there?” He pointed to a high loft area over your heads. It was dark.

“There’s stairs by the office entrance.”

He led the way, looking for a light switch. He pulled out his flashlight and carefully walked up the long, narrow stairs. At the top he spotted a switch. It turned on one solitary bulb which popped out as soon as it lit.

“Stay right here.” Bucky instructed.

He moved around. In the cone of light, you spotted an old tied rag rug and a battered lounge chair. The frame of a metal bed sat without a mattress. Bucky moved to the wall and you heard creaking hinges. Big wooden shutters the size of doors swung open, flooding the room with light.

“Now there’s a view.” Bucky commented. You stepped up beside him and realized you could see straight down the driveway, all the way to the street. “It would be easy set up a riffle here. Looks like this board in the shutter comes out too. Good lookout spot.”  

You took in the sparse items in the loft. “You think someone lived up here.”

“Probably not lived, but stayed. Yeah. There’s gun oil on the workbench downstairs. It’s not fresh, but it’s far more recent than the rest of stuff on that workbench.”

“Someone was here.”

“Looks that way.” He pulled the shutters closed and took your hand in the dark. “Come on, let’s keep looking.”

Bucky’s suspicions were confirmed again when he inspected the tractor. A few replacement parts were worn, but were definitely from the last twenty-five years. Still, nothing indicated who was on the property or why.

The rest of the barn was dead plants and parts for around the nursery.

“Should we walk out to greenhouse?” You asked. “The realtor told me it’s overgrown. There’s some storage tanks and small sheds out there too.”

“Yeah, come on.”

The greenhouse was a complete mess compared to the rest of property. A tree had fallen into one corner, breaking the glass and damaging the building’s frame. The interior was full of overgrown weeds. Areas of old-colored dirt made you wonder if they were once burn pits. Huge round metal tubs sat piled beside the greenhouse.

“You think Sarah sold pond plants?” You tapped the edge of one with the toe of your boot.

Bucky frowned. He pulled one of the tubs away and flipped it over. The underside was dark in the middle. He looked around, eyes hardening even more. He dug his fingering into the soil, digging down several inches to examine the dirt carefully.

“What is it?”

Bucky stood and began marching back to the barn.

“What?” You jogged to keep up with him. “What is it?”

“In a minute.” Bucky grumbled. He went straight to the rows with stacked bags and barrels. He stopped beside a barrel and shook it. It was nearly empty. “Was lime some of the stuff you had them haul away?”

“Yes.”

“Son of bitch.”

“Bucky,” You finally grabbed him by the arm to stop him. “What the hell is going on?”

He closed his eyes and gave a frustrated sigh. “Doll, I don’t want to say before I’m absolutely sure. Okay? I need to call in one more favor. It shouldn’t take too long. Please.”

You could see something had him bothered, so you silently agreed by dropping your hand. He continued his quick march to the house. The moment he was inside, he pulled out his phone and turned on the computer.

In the quiet of the kitchen you heard the boisterous voice of the man on the other side of the line. “Hey man!”

“That scan you did in Paraguay. How do I get that done?” The other man’s voice dropped and Bucky stepped away from you so you couldn’t hear the answer. You were limited to hearing only what Bucky said. “Naw, it’s personal.” Pause. “Might be the same thing, don’t know.” Pause. “About ten acres around my current location.” His brow rose. “That quickly?” Pause. “Yeah, lucky. To my personal drive is fine.” He rolled his eyes, but then the corner of his lip quirked up. “I’ll bring it to you. Sarah invited me down anyway.”

You heard the other man, then. “Told you to stay away from my sister!”

Bucky hung up. He caught you staring and he chuckled. “First time I met Sam’s sister, he made I point that I was NOT to flirt with her, so...”

“You always flirt with her.” You grinned.

He shrugged. “She’s up for anything that bugs her brother.” Sitting down at the computer, he began the process of logging into his secured server. “He’s getting some information for me. It should come through in an hour or so.”

You waited impatiently by cleaning counters that were already clean and drinking coffee that you didn’t really need. Something clicked in Bucky’s mind out there, and it was disturbing enough that he didn’t want to talk about it yet. It had your guts tied in knots.

Finally, he began typing away on the computer again. Bucky sat back in the chair, running his hands through his hair. “Fuck.”

“What? Dammit, Bucky, what the hell is it?”

He held out his hand. You came over and he settled you on his thigh, holding you close with his right arm as he pointed at the screen with his left. “This is your property. All those dark spots are areas where there’s been disruptions in the soil.”

“Okay, well it was a nursery. They planted and dug up trees all the time.”

“That explains all these little dots between the barn and greenhouse. But look at these larger spaces, deeper in the wooded area.” Bucky was speaking softly, carefully.

There were dozens of the marks on the scan. “Okay. What does it mean?”

“That barrel in barn.” Bucky sighed. “It was soda ash. Do you know what you get when you mix that with lime?” You shook your head. “Lye, Doll. You get lye.” You had a sinking feeling but he continued. “Those metal troughs had scorch marks on the bottom. The ground around there was totally dead, nothing growing, no bugs. Doll, if you’ve got the time and no one around to complain about the smell, dissolving a body in lye is one of the most effective ways to dispose of all evidence.”

“There were bodies here?” You asked in a small voice.

He pulled your legs over his fully, holding you close. “Yeah, but not anymore. Listen, I think we should call Steve and get some legal insight on all this. The last thing I want is for this do damage the work you’re doing here. I have a pretty good idea what happened, but it’s all circumstantial.”

“Okay. We call in help.”

Several hours later, a helicopter landed behind the house. Bucky opened the back door and jogged over to meet Steve. You waited at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of tea. The two men came in as you stood. Steve greeted you warmly before sitting down.

“This place is beautiful.”

“Thank you.” You held up a mug. “Do you want some tea? Beer maybe?”

“No, thank you.” Steve sighed. “Let’s get this over with, so we can move on to better things.”

“I thought there was going to be some sort of legal representation here.” You commented.

Bucky half laughed. “Sort of.”

Steve pulled out his phone, flicking it toward the center of the table. A projection of the property and several legal documents appeared in the air. “Captain,” F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice came from his phone. “Would you like to proceed with your official meeting?”

“Yes, please.” He smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Everything we discuss will be reviewed for liability and appropriate courses of action. If we need to call in someone after the fact, we can.”

“Okay.” Bucky folded his fingers together and leaned forward on the table. “We were both curious why no one vandalized or broke into the property since it sat empty for 23 years. After a, uh, discussion with a local resident, we learned of alleged events of shooting when people trespassed on the property. Historical clues led us to believe that the original owners, the Lewis family, were involved in organized crime. It’s possible that the mobsters who attacked Becca and Archie back in the day were doing so as a threat to Archie's family.”

He covered your hand with his, which earned a smile from Steve. Bucky ignored him and continued with his narrative. He described the loft in the barn, the evidence of use in the last 20 years, and his conclusions about potential bodies.

"I believe members of my late brother-in-law’s family either buried, or allow others to bury, murder victims on the property. When Archie died and the property was left to the trustee, they knew the place would have to be sold and would likely be split up and developed. So, someone came in and eliminated as many of the bodies as they could find before the trustee released it for sale.”

Steve chewed his lip. “Messy business.” Bucky nodded, but Steve looked to you. “How are you holding up?”

“Glad Bucky is here.” You gave a half smile. “It’s unreal to think about, but it did happen a long time ago. I’m not really sure how I feel about it.”

“What do you think, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” Steve asked.

“As there are currently 38 unsolved homicide and/or missing person cold cases in relation to the known associates of the individuals identified with Sergeant Barnes’ previous inquiry on the property, it is recommended that the information be reported to the FBI. Soil samples of the suspected lye-contaminated group should be analyzed. More thorough studies of the property should be done to determine whether or not there are any victims buried. I do not believe any further construction should take place on the property until it is cleared by officials. Unfortunately, Captain, the Federal and State officials do not have the resources of our organization. Therefore, the progress on the project may be delayed for a great deal of time.”

Bucky squeezed your hand. It wouldn’t financially break you, but not being able to convert this property would definitely make things more difficult.

“Is there anything that would prevent our organization assisting the official investigation?” Steve asked.

“Only the investigating body does not want our participation.”

“Okay, then.” Steve picked up his phone. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., please draft a report on the situation and a letter from me as the grant manager requesting a meeting with whatever investigative officers may be working on related cases. Offer our resources and assistance because we would like this wrapped up as quickly as possible. There are families in need that are waiting for their new home.”

“Yes, sir.”

Steve put his phone back in his pocket. “Okay. That part is done for now. Who’s going to give me a tour?”    

A few days later, you stood on the front porch taping boxes closed when the Sherriff’s car pulled down the driveway. Whittaker parked beside your truck and walked toward you with his hands resting on his belt. His scowl melted to something closer to shock as Bucky carried a large vintage pot-bellied cast iron stove around the corner.

Bucky set the five-hundred-pound stove down and brushed off his hands. “What do you need?”

“Ah,” Whittaker stumbled. “I got a call from the feds.”

“And.” Bucky still didn’t look the other man in face. Instead, he focused on polishing the grime from his left hand with the hem of his shirt.

“I’ve been informed they’ll be working out here for a bit, and that I’m to give them anything they ask for.” He found a little of his courage. “Any idea what that’s about?”

“Yeah. I know.” Bucky crossed his arms and finally looked up at Whittaker.

“Well?”

“If you haven’t been read in by your people, I’m going to tell you.”

“Now, listen here, in my town . . .”

“Give it up, Sherriff.” You said, sitting down on the porch step. He glared at you. “He won’t say anything. But like you said, it is your town. I’m sure you’ll be briefed when Agent Esquivel gets here.”

His mouth opened and closed twice before he spat, “What do you have to do with…” But he stopped when Bucky stepped into his line of sight. “Fine.” He bit out. “This place has always been trouble anyway.”

The Sherriff got back in his car and kicked up gravel as he left.

“Asshole.”

“Agreed.” Bucky settled down on the step beside you. “I can’t believe we’re almost done.”

You laughed. “You’re almost done. I still have a lot to do, even if some of it may have to be put on hold.”

A shipping company was coming by later in the day. They were taking all of the auction items to your contact and they were taking the items Bucky wanted to keep to his apartment. You decided to leave all the items for donation in the house until you were ready for construction. You would auction off the gardening equipment and barn items for pick up at the property after the investigation.

Bucky took your hand in his. He was quiet, contemplative.

You understood. Leaving this place, going your separate ways, wasn’t something you were ready to face yet either.

Another car on the drive broke the silence. The woman got out of her car and pulled out a food carrier. It was the same one who delivered last time. This time, though, a bright smile crossed her face. “I didn’t get the chance to say thank you.”

“Huh?” You stood, taking the food from her.

“That tip, at the diner.” She shrugged. “I’ve never gotten anything like that before. Thank you.”

Bucky stood up, smiling. “You looked like you were having a rough day. I’m Bucky, by the way.”

He extended a hand and she shook it. “Kim.”

You introduced yourself, too.

Bucky’s sharp eyes seemed to be taking in her car and the items in the back seat. “You live around here, Kim?”

“All my life.” She suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“But specifically?” He asked quietly.

“I’m in between places right now.” She said quietly. “Broke up with Jimmy.”

“Jimmy Whittaker?” That made sense.

She nodded.

An idea popped in your head. “I might have an opportunity for you.” She gave you a curious look. “How would you like to be paid to live in this house?”

“What?” Kim laughed.

“Starting tomorrow there won’t be anyone staying here, but there’s going to be a lot of people coming and going. Federal agents will be doing studies around the grounds, and I would feel better if there was someone in the house who reports to me. You wouldn’t have to do anything but keep the place neat and contact me if anything weird happens. I’ll call you every now and again to get an update on what’s going on. Jimmy won’t bother you because the place will be crawling with cops.” You shrugged. “And if it works out, I may keep you on to help me out when construction starts. It’s going to take at least two years to remodel the house and the barn into apartments.”

“You’re serious?”

“Yeah. I still need some information from you. It would be a real job after all.”

“Really?”

“Really. With not having to pay rent, and getting a modest wage, you can probably give up one of your many jobs.” You grinned. “If I take you on as a project assistant once construction starts – that would be a full-time job.”

“Okay.”

You pulled out your phone and grabbed the pdf you used to hire contract workers. You quickly dropped in ‘property caretaker’ in the title, jotted down what you thought was a fair salary, and emailed it to her. “Fill that out and get it back to me. I’m leaving tomorrow night. So we’ll have to meet up so I can walk you through the property and give you copies of the keys.”

“I can’t believe this.” Kim looked up at the house. “Will I be okay out here all by myself?”

“Sure.” Bucky grinned. “And if anybody asks, you can tell them that I’m still around. Do you have a place to go for tonight?”

“I’m sleeping on my friend’s sofa. I’ll be fine for one more night.” She smiled. “I just can’t, wow, just thank you.”

“Your welcome, but really, we’re helping each other out in this situation. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

She got in her car and left with a huge smile. You felt Bucky’s lips on you temple.

“That was really nice of you.”

“I may regret it, but I don’t think I will.”

“Come on,” Bucky took your hand. “Let’s get cleaned up and eat.”

It was such a simple thing. Watching Bucky move about the kitchen, pulling out plates and opening two bottles of beer, as you sat at the table made you feel so content. Knowing that tomorrow you would be going back to your house in upstate New York and he would be heading back to Brooklyn felt far too soon.

“Bucky.” He stopped, seeing the look on your face. Immediately, he moved to sit beside you. His hand cupped your cheek. You whispered. “Thank you.”

“For what, Doll?”

“All of it. Helping me. Letting me in. Protecting me.” A wicked grin lit your face. “Making me scream in the best way.”

He chuckled. “Nope.” Bucky pulled you over, onto his lap, and buried his face in your neck. “I’m the one who should be thanking you.” His arms tightened around you. “So, uh, I don’t know how these things, um,” he stumbled and hid his face in your hair. “Ain’t ready to end this.”

You ran your fingers through his hair, a smile blooming on your face. “Me neither.”

When you opened Bucky’s front door, Steve’s mouth fell open and his back straightened. You smiled. “Hey, Steve. Right on time. Come on in.”

Bucky’s voice called out from the bedroom. “Hey, pal! Be there in a second.”

You watched Steve as he slowly entered the once barren apartment. He took in the mid-century sofa, that somehow got along with the antique bench that now served as television stand. A cabinet held a record player and a collection of LPs. A row bookshelves took up one wall, filled with novels and journals and picture frames.  

“Wow.” Steve leaned closer to the pictures. His hand covered his heart. “Oh my god, we were so young.”

“Crazy, isn’t it?” Bucky chuckled.

Steve got another shock when he saw Bucky nuzzling a pure white cat. “The fact that we were young, or all of this.” He motioned to the room.

“Yes.” Buck smiled and shrugged. “You were right. I found a chair to put in the apartment.”

“And a table, and bookcases, and a record player.” You added.

“And a girlfriend and a cat.” Bucky laughed.

“Hey,” You offered Steve an open beer. “I found the cat.”

“But I brought you home.” Bucky nuzzled her again. “Didn’t I, Alpine?”

Steve laughed. “I don’t know what to say. Wow. Amazing.” He leaned closer to you. “Told you he was a good guy.”

“The best.”

END

#Bucky Barnes x reader #Bucky Barnes fic #Bucky Barnes Fanfic #Bucky Barnes

[buckets-and-trees]

Tactics

Fandom: MCU

Characters/Pairings: Bucky Barnes

Word Count: 650

Summary: A moment of character study set for Bucky in New York during episode five of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier after he returns from Rica, Latvia, and before he goes to Louisiana.

Content Warnings: TFATWS spoilers, processing trauma and identity

Additional Notes: Written for @the-slumberparty Warm Up: One-Word Drabble challenge. The one word I got was TACTICS.

Tactics, skills, strategies, methods, abilities.

While one part of Bucky organized the components of the bookshelf he’d ordered and chosen to assemble himself, another part of him was analyzing and organizing the events of the past week.

For years he’s filed away things. Information about who he used to be – the good and the bad. Steve stating emphatically that wasn’t you in an attempt to bolster him, to pull him back, to say he trusted him. Shuri only getting after children from potentially pestering him rather than for dangerously being around him, the latter no longer a possibility in her mind. Ayo’s testing and then declaration you are free. Raynor reassuring him you have your mind back.

But did he?

That uncertainty had lingered for so long.

He thought he was free when Steve had rescued him in Germany, only to be captured again, and that time subjugated in every way, for years at a time not questioning who he was, being reconditioned at any waver of fidelity.

Once physically free from HYDRA, it was years of struggle – to piece together his past, to stay hidden, to remain alive, only to be brutally beaten back by discovering a slew of words could reclaim him completely.

Ultimately, yes, he had been released from the power those Russian words had held over him, but this week had called sharply back into question who he was. Zemo had played with the words, taunted the pieces of the Winter Soldier, forced him to actively front as him again in Madripoor.

John Walker had taunted him as well. All that serum running through your veins.

…and though it’s not what John had meant, now that he was home from Latvia, Bucky couldn’t stop thinking that maybe that was the truth. All that remained now was the serum running through his veins. Serum that changed him physically, but maybe in no other way?

Steve had visited him in Wakanda a few times during his own exile. Many a night they would end up awake, looking up at the incomparable stars above them, talking or not talking. Once Steve shared that Erskine had explained the serum amplifies everything that is inside.

After decades of being deployed as the Winter Soldier, Bucky – despite Steve’s insistence otherwise – thought it had to mean he was ruthless, a killer. He’s started to think it wasn’t all he was.

He was willing to consider now it may not be who he was after all.

All of these people who thought they knew him, and so many years of him not knowing himself, but maybe it was starting to make sense.

There was proof in the experience, and what had happened this week was irrefutable.

This was the first time throwing himself into the deep end without handlers, without a safety net of Steve, and now he could see the difference himself. There was differentiation between Bucky Barnes and the Winter Soldier, even variation between the roots of the Brooklyn boy and the White Wolf awakened in Wakanda. The developments that came with his years as the Winter Soldier were just that: acquisitions, abilities.

In the field again, trying to sort out some good, he could extract the skills, the tactics, and simply be effective – no necessity to deal death in his wake.

HYDRA’s most valued asset, now an asset that could help instead of harm.

He wasn’t convinced yet, but maybe he would be at some point.

What the serum had enhanced within him, he was still uncovering. Raynor probing him about what he wanted, he was still figuring it out.

But for now he could sit with this. Today he believed he was no longer a killer. Today he wanted a bookshelf and books. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, he’d figure out more, no longer the tactics, but really and honestly reclaiming his true nature as it unfolded – as he unfolded it.

Reblog to save a turtle.

Also reblog to save a writer.

taglist: @royalwritersoftheuniverses @competitivedust @alina02

#mcu #mcu fanfiction #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes drabble #navy and roo sleepover #writer warm up

[eggbreadboi]

srry this is in reference to your tags on an old reblog of a post but i just wanna say like yes i agree so much!!, bucky barnes & steve rogers' stories and rife with trauma at the hands of being exploited by state(government) powers and (serious) writers simply CAN'T write a good story about Bucky and/or Steve without veering into deeply anti-American politics (ESP bc the story blatantly uses analogies of real life USA human rights abuses!)

too bad pretty much all of the marvel franchise in films tv anim/LA print etc can't ever actual commit to the inextricable politics of the story and try to have their cake & eat it too and p much every story circles back to "ooh we luv cap'n murica and his shield is the symbol of all goodness ooh 🇺🇸", and as such, Bucky and Steve's stories never get the actual exploration they deserve, because their too intertwined with being surveilled/exploited/experimented/incarcerated/monitored by the state and the marvel franchise can't commit to the politics of what that means

i mean... obvs the war stuff and human experimentation and torture and slavery are much worse abuses in the grand scheme of things, but writing this made me think of the D+ show scene where they literally have Bucky be monitored by the carceral state and have his autonomy denied in ways that is textually identical to how the real life US prison system abuses people... and yet it's framed as "bucky deserves it" unlike the good military man who's being inconvenience by this POW who was experimented on by Nazis hired by the military apparatus he works for. the D+ show acts as if the carceral state is benevolently "keeping Bucky in check".. like that's such an authoritarian & fascist & specifically American stance to take WRT the US prison system. all bc marvel can't stomach portraying the government's human right's abuses as abuses within their works. the franchise keeps circling back to defending the agents of the state and only giving grace when characters act as agents of the state and treating noncompliance/resistance to the state as character flaws to be grown out of at best

Ok first of all I am HONORED to get such a thoughtful and long response, I really appreciate the dialogue.

Here are more thoughts:

Marvel, as a whole, *wants* to tackle American imperialism, especially in the recent Captain America releases. This is a partially inescapable consequence of the original comics, which did quite a lot to critique the American system(ie. making Cap himself a fairly outspoken socialist), and partially just a result of recent social shifts. However, in the MCU mores than in the comics, this falls flat for a couple of reasons:

The Avengers, are, when you cut to the bone, an American paramilitary group, in the MCU (I would argue this is not as true in the comics, though it is less applicable.) therefore, any critique of the system critiques the very existence of the Avengers, and by virtue of yk.....storytelling and needing them to exist, the MCU cannot delve too far into that critique, lest its portrayal of the Avengers veer closer to the portrayal of The Seven and other villainous "hero" groups. The Avengers must be the heroes, and therefore the system that put them into power cannot be completely unjust.

The MCU resolves this by writing stories that emphasize WHO is in charge, not the system that gives them power. SHIELD is a threat BECAUSE it is led by Pierce after Fury's death.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier runs into this cognitive dissonance, HARD. In essence, because the villains are right. Not morally, ofc, but ultimately, the Flag Smashers, putting aside the murder, are working for the good of people, and the establishment is not. However, the establishment cannot be seen as the source of the rot, so:

In FA:TWS, Captain America is a threat, not because the concept of one man having so much authority is deeply horrifying, but because the man in the mask is Walker, not Rogers. An unworthy king cheating a just system, who must be replaced by the rightful heir.

Steve and Sam are good captains, and so is what they represent, because the values of the system are defined not by the system itself but by the symbol at the helm. ....Its an easy cop-out. "Sure, the results of the system aren't good" Marvel says. "But don't think about the system itself. If we have the right symbol at the helm, if you're responsible enough, compliant enough(don't get captured and brainwashed by nazis), everything will magically right itself"

In short: Helmut Zemo is right, and not just right, but illustrates the issue at the heart of Avengers stories beautifully. He's a refugee from a small, economically disadvantaged (putting Sokovia somewhere between Latvia: 2021 GDP of 39.85 Billion USD and Serbia: 2021 GDP of 63 Billion USD to the US's 23,315.08 Billion USD in 2021), war-torn country, that is completely destroyed by the actions of a United States paramilitary organization. His entire ideology boils down to "Supremacy is wrong, military interventionism is wrong". And because his ideology threatens the entire foundation of the MCU, the conversation HAS to stop at "he killed people, so he's wrong". The same applies to Karli. (and OFC murder is wrong, but we're talking their baseline ideologies) Marvel's storytelling falls flat because when the audience asks why these people did what they did, the writers can only shrug their shoulders and say "I guess they weren't good enough to believe in symbols"

Symbols don't feed families, and they don't repair wartorn land. Reparations do<3

#watch egg get on ALL the watchlists in one marvel post lmaooooo #I am itching to write smth that addresses this stuff...yk a fic or smth #sorry for getting so off-track from bucky and Steve lmao.....I watched FATWS again and its just another blatant example haha #but yes everything you said about Bucky #mcu critical #mcu politics #fatws #bread answers #hes not trigger happy if anything hes trigger sad #star spangled falcon #former father current pain in the ass

[captainpikeachu]

I’ve been seeing variations on the whole “Bucky would never work with Walker” thing and I just want to say:

1. We still have no idea yet the reason Bucky is on this team

There’s numerous valid options as to why he is with them. Let’s not forget that we are still two years out from this film being released. There’s still so many projects between now and Summer 2024 that could give us the context of why Bucky is with the Thunderbolts. And let’s not forget that it is not a coincidence that Captain America: New World Order and this film are releasing back to back within a two months period. What happens in Cap 4 likely plays into the Thunderbolts, so Bucky’s presence on the team might even be at Sam’s request.

2. We’ve already seen Bucky work with Walker before. 

In fact, a good portion of the finale of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier is showing them working together, and that Walker falls in line with Sam and Bucky quite easily once his head isn’t caught up in an emotional spiral of rage and revenge.

And that’s not even to say that on two occasions in the finale, we see Bucky protect Walker from danger.

Once when a Flag Smasher is about to kill Walker with a parking meter and Bucky tackles the person

Then once again after Walker falls trying to save the hostages in the truck, Bucky pulls him out of the line of danger in case that truck falls on Walker. 

So they have worked together before, they CAN work together again. The finale only proved what Episode 2 gave a tiny hint at during that fight on top of the trucks when Walker threw the shield and Bucky caught it on the rebound and Walker picked it up and continued fighting.

Bucky’s face afterwards even says it, even in frustration, he recognized that he was in sync with a guy he didn’t like. 

These two can be formidable on the field together, and it’s even instinctual in the way that two experienced soldiers would understand how to move around each other.

Look, I’m not saying that the two of them are about to hold hands and sing songs about friendship or whatever, I fully expect that they will butt heads on various issues and maybe there will be shouting matches or a few punches thrown. BUT I think it does a disservice to both characters if we just reduce them down to caricatures of two squabbling children who can never get along because of a feud between them instead of two grown adults and soldiers with different ways of looking at the world yet still ultimately understand that they’re both on the same side and that sometimes the bigger picture matters more than their possible animosity towards each other.

And let’s consider something that TFATWS head writer Malcolm Spellman once said:

Bucky Barnes is dealing with grief. Same with John Walker. They both have different incarnations of a veteran’s story, in that you do everything for a country, and then who’s there to pick up the pieces for you?

Is it not a more interesting and meaningful story in two wounded and traumatized soldiers working through their issues in a relatively healthy way and maybe finding common ground and support with one another rather than just one of pure animosity? Don’t we want character growth from both of them?

#bucky barnes #john walker #winter soldier #us agent #the thunderbolts #mcu thunderbolts #sebastian stan #wyatt russell

[blueberry-lemon]

When trailers outshine themselves

I like watching trailers. Maybe even more now than I used to.

I’m well aware that the purpose of a trailer is to build hype and interest. It’s a commercial, to get you to buy something. In some cases, they spoil or ruin the very story they’re advertising. In some cases, it’s way better to go in “blind” than to look at marketing materials.

But, like many of us, I can’t help myself.

I really love a good trailer. It’s a cool artform. Somewhere between an advertisement and a music video. And because the trailer is such a different artform than the actual movie or game that it’s advertising, sometimes the trailer itself is even better than the final product. Sometimes I’ll go back and rewatch a trailer over and over, even after I’ve completed the actual thing it was hyping it.

I write this post not to complain about being disappointed about films or TV shows or games, but rather to give a shout-out to the trailer teams who I think did a fantastic job with their assignment.

The first examples that always jump to my mind are from Marvel Studios. I think they’re pretty great at trailers. I started noticing this when they started making their Disney+ shows. 

WandaVision: Both the initial trailer and the mid-season trailer are fantastic. I’ve watched them over and over. They do a good job of being charming, romantic, and lovesick. They do an even better job of being mysterious and unsettling. It’s a pitch-perfect way to get you to buy into the concept and want to check out the show. I enjoyed watching the full WandaVision show, maybe moreso than any other MCU Disney+ show, but I wouldn’t hesitate to admit that I like these two trailers even more than the show. Kudos to the editors that put these together.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier: I had absolutely no intention of watching this show. I’m not particularly interested in this genre or either of these two characters. But the trailer sold me on it, with its hype music choices and intense cutting. I ended up enjoying the show enough in the end, but definitely not as much as this hype trailer.

I thought Marvel did a great job again with Loki’s trailer and Hawkeye’s trailer. Loki’s trailer makes the show seem a lot more mysterious and surreal than it actually ended up being, haha. Hawkeye does that classic “sweet Christmas music juxtaposed with action sequences” trick.

They got me again with Moon Knight, a character I didn’t know anything about. Although I’ll give credit, I feel like Moon Knight was about as weird and wild as the trailer hyped up it would be. So in this case I think it was a satisfying match.

Another satisfying match? The trailers made for Undertale. The release trailer and Nintendo Switch trailer come to mind. They’re fun, funny, and show off how the game works. I love this unique version of the Bonetrousle track that they use, which becomes very dramatic and grandiose. They’re also good examples of including original material into trailers that aren’t actually in the final product. That practice, generally speaking, doesn’t bother me. I don’t mind if trailers “lie” or show different footage, so long as it’s effective and doesn’t feel misleading. 

There are other trailers that I feel like match pretty well. I didn’t feel any gulf in expectation or emotion between the trailers for Avengers Infinity War + Endgame versus their final movie versions.

The trailers for Pixar’s Turning Red made me blubber and tear up, and the full film completely lived up to that and even exceeded it. So for me, that was a great film where the trailer editors captured it perfectly.

And for an example of one where I felt mixed on the end product, both the trailer for Pixar’s Elemental and the full Elemental film felt pretty equivalent to me. It wasn’t my favorite movie in the world, and I feel like I got that vibe accurately from the trailers.

But now, finally, for the trailers that brought me to writing this.

I really love the trailers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

I’ll include two here. One is the “release date announcement”, and the second was the “theme song announcement” that was aired at The Game Awards.

This is great. It’s moody. It moves into one of the game’s fantastic battle themes (which is itself a sweeping battle rendition of the original game’s main theme.) It’s shows off how the combat works beautifully, intercut with tantalizing plot snippets. The trailer builds up mystery and adventure. It confirms that Yuffie and Cait Sith are playable. It shows cool Synergy combo moves. It manages to somehow transition gracefully into Golden Saucer minigame mayhem. Love it.

Another fantastic one. And the last piece of marketing material I would ever need to see to sell me on getting the game.

The trailer is split into two halves. The first half establishes the plot of the game. It gives us Cloud and Zack’s stories intertwined. It shows us weird, confusing story stuff that sets the Remake trilogy apart from the original. It shows us different environments you’ll travel through. Gives us a heartfelt conversation between Cloud and Tifa. Snippets of Barret’s story too.

The second half is the new original song for the game, No Promises to Keep, which was performed live at The Game Awards along with the footage. I really adore this song, to be blunt, so maybe that’s doing a lot of heavy lifting here. But it really makes me emotional and ties a lot of these disparate clips together. The animation of Aerith singing is beautiful, and it ends on a heart-tugging cliffhanger.

Now….my partner and I have been playing Rebirth. I’m early on, but they’ve only got about a quarter of the game left. We’re enjoying it, it’s great.

But…

…would it be out of line for me to say that the trailers are more effective than the game itself?

Much like WandaVision, the trailers for Rebirth sew all of the different scenes and emotions together into a seamless tapestry. It makes everything feel intentional, beautiful, well-paced, and packing an emotional punch. When my partner and I play the game itself, it feels harder for that intentionality and emotion to come through. Of course your mileage will vary. But, for me, it’s hard for the minigames to live up to the frantic montage when playing them in-game isn’t super fun. It’s hard for the emotional storytelling of the game to live up to the trailer when it’s spread out thin over hours and hours. Nothing in the game itself as made me feel as emotional or hooked in as these two trailers have, at least so far.

Again, this is not a knock on Rebirth. It’s the reality of how much easier it is to move hearts with a 2-minute trailer versus a 60-hour video game. A completely different artform.

And, most of all, it’s kudos to the trailer teams who work at Square and at all these companies for knowing the assignment and knocking it out of the park. I really love what they did with it.

#blogofkylelab #blog #final fantasy vii rebirth #ff7 rebirth #Youtube

[messymindpalace]

ABOUT ME:

so weird doing this after been on tumblr for almost 15 years (i don't even remember when i first log in here it's just been part of my life since forever) but here we go:

hi, I'm the queen of this messy mind palace and as it's possible to imagine from the message above I'm old but not so old, let's just say my reign here knows no beginning.

my username it's inspired by Sherlock (BBC) but his mind palace is a far more organized and well coordinated than my, thus the "messy" 😅

I'm a protestant christian but not interested in online discord so if you have any doubts, feel more than welcome to talk, otherwise I'll simply ignore any hateful or harmful message (: (yes, i'll expose my opinions on matters, i just don't want to debate them)

I'm also a Swiftie (easily assessed by my reblogs but whatever 😅) and please don't ask which album is my favorite because I'll say evermore and folklore but I'm also a reputation girlie but I'm also a Speak Now girlie but Lover is like my dream album but Red is such an autumn girl vibe which is totally me but i first listened to Taylor when she released Fearless (stolen version) but...(do you see where I'm going with this?).

also, i'm kind into MTBI and my personality is INTP - T but this is more of a fun way to look at my personality's traits rather than something i lead my life by.

Main book fandoms:

• The Folk of The Air

• Alice In Wonderland / Heartless

• The Hunger Games

● Pride and Prejudice

(i still have so much more to read of Jane Austen but i already know i'll love it)

i did read ACOTAR and do have a few posts about it but my knowledge stops at the novella and i have no interest in continuing it (: (that being said, Lucien and Amren are the only characters i love <3)

IMPORTANT: these are only the main ones but if you scroll through my page you can easily find my newest obsession (if i have one) (:

Movies:

● Star Wars

● Harry Potter (still need to read the books. I know...I really know)

● Fantastic Beasts

● Pirates of The Caribbean

● Pride and Prejudice

● Ready or Not

● and a bunch more (:

TV Shows / Series:

• Friends

• New Girl

• House

• The Chosen

• Only Murders In The Building

• The Artful Dodger

• Loki

• Wandavision

• The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

• Sherlock (BBC) - unfinished

Spoilers are expected both for tv shows, books and movies (new releases will have a warning tag in its first week) (:

(i will be updating this forever because as funny as it seems i do forget about the things i love)

[summertrashsplash]

Wow, our summer trash splash has resulted in 31 trashy works!  Here is the full roundup of the fics and artworks that have been added to the Summer Trash Splash AO3 collection during the SplashZone, in alphabetical order:

A Means to an End by Call_Me_Kayyyyy and HaniTrash (art + 1k words)

Zemo is using Bucky as a bargaining chip in Madripoor, which means Bucky must play along to get the information they need. He hadn't expected the Baron to take things this far...

a widow's tender bite by ghostlygun (2k words)

After the creation of new Winter Soldiers has failed in 1991, HYDRA finds a new partner in Dreykov and his Red Room, both parties determined to try again. Vasily Karpov doesn’t like those plans. Neither does the Soldier.

aftertastes by Lies_Unfurl (5k)

The Red Book didn't just contain the trigger words: it also had thorough accounts of all the many punishments that HYDRA inflicted upon the Winter Soldier. A not-insignificant amount of which involved food or drink.

While in Madripoor, Zemo sees a way to use scent and taste to draw out the Soldier he's certain still hides inside James.

ART Fill for "Collar/Leash" by BloodMooninSpace

ART Fill for "Enforced Chastity" by BloodMooninSpace

ART fill for "forniphilia" by BloodMooninSpace

ART Fill for "Magic/Occult" by EclipseArts (BloodMooninSpace)

ART fill for "Tentacles" by BloodMooninSpace for mumblemutter

Art of Steve Rogers in an Army Green Stealth Suit by BloodMooninSpace for NeonBat

Art for a piece that NeonBat wrote for Trash Splash 2022!!!

[Art] Recreational Use by Call_Me_Kayyyyy (many arts!)

Some art I made based on bingo prompts. No real explanation's given.

The Asset Mindset by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy and Call_Me_Kayyyyy (3.3k + art!)

The Asset has always been turned on by violence—so much so that Hydra’s been forced to keep him on ice. When an urgent mission means he needs to stay out of cryo, his handler orders him to bring in a high value target for his fuck toy. Soon enough, Steve Rogers is the Asset’s unruly, misbehaving pet who only needs to be broken in order to be properly trained.

bonding ritual(s) by cm (mumblemutter) (1.5k)

The one where Sam and Bucky bond in Europe.

For the squares: recreational function / public use, restraints, breeding

Bucky the dog by Neonbat (40k)

Bucky's life has never been his own. Pierce is his Uncle, his provider, his everything. A chance encounter one day calls everything into question, and after fate provides a chance at freedom, Bucky seizes it without hesitation.

But Bucky can't outrun his past forever, and soon it catches up. He will do whatever it takes to ensure Steve is safe and far away from his dark, cold world wrought with blood and violence.

caught in 4k by ghostlygun (4k)

John Walker releases some old Hydra footage to the public, proving that the Winter Soldier did a lot more for them than killing people, while looking far too happy in these videos. Word spreads, and soon everyone knows about Hydra's whore. Bucky and Sam have to deal with the fallout.

en pointe by cm (mumblemutter) (6k)

Steve finds the man unconscious in the woods.

Or: The one where Steve is the Stomper and Sam is the Red Falcon.

For the squares: shrinkyclinks, Tony Stark, secret trigger phrase, brainwashing (free space)

etiquette for beginners by cm (mumblemutter) (3.5k)

The one where Sam inherits a Bucky from Zemo.

Things go about as well as expected, really.

For the squares: gaslighting, friend = handler, trade sex for x

hard times by Lies_Unfurl (5.5k)

“Don’t make this weird,” says Bucky.

“…is that a cock cage?” asks Sam.

Bucky glares at him, in a single motion yanking up both his boxers and his sleep pants—the black checkered pair, the ones he wears in order to signal to Sam that he doesn’t want his dick touched, and doesn’t particularly want to discuss it. “What did I just say.”

(or: Sam, Bucky, and The Cock Cage Incident.)

heat. concrete. polaroid by cm (mumblemutter)

Or: The one where the author conveniently manages to fill their final two squares with a sequel to a fic that didn't need a sequel (except for the one where they have birbies).

I'm gonna just say that this is outside canon, and a completely self-indulgent alternate universe sequel to ice. hollow. nightfall.

For the squares: Johann Schmidt, reclaiming what HYDRA ruined

key issues by ghostlygun (2k)

“I didn’t get all the science stuff, but for him, it basically works like an aphrodisiac.” “Sorry, what?” “He’s horny. Do something, or he dies of a heart attack.”

Or: There's no safe house stay with the Soldier that doesn't include more-or-less unpleasant surprises.

man's worst by cm (mumblemutter)

The one in which Sam and Bucky talk about dogs.

For the square: dogs

(non)negotiation by cm (mumblemutter) (2.2k)

The one in which Rumlow makes a brief return.

For the squares: Rumlow / Rollins / STRIKE, self sacrifice

Parts of a Whole by writerkenna (14k)

When he first receives the part, the Asset does not allot much time to examining it. He’s had many adaptations made to him, most reversed eventually when they do not function as they should. This is no different. In fact, this part is hidden, tucked away under clothes, and creates no obvious distraction during missions. The Asset he sees no cause to look for trouble with it when there is none.

He doesn’t give his attention to it until it starts to bleed.

or

HYDRA outfits their Asset with a vagina and uterus. Bucky has to deal with that fact.

the plural of octopus shouldn't end with an "i" by cm (mumblemutter) (3k)

The one in which Sam has a secret, and Bucky finds out.

For the squares: magic/occult, tentacles

Reaching through shackles (Save me from the flames) by Neonbat (10k)

Steve never dreamt of what being turned over to Ross could lead to. Not only is he forced to give up the search for Bucky as soon as it's started, but give up all he holds dear. His friends. His body. His name.

A path diverges, and yet, through everything, the ending is always the same.

Til the end of the line.

rock meets scissors by cm (mumblemutter) (8k)

Bucky and Sam, in the Framework and out of it.

For the squares: orgasm control, impact play, triggered during recovery (flashbacks, etc), endurance torture (wooden horse, stress positions)

sleepless nights by ghostlygun (2k)

Bucky gasps for air, tries to move, tries to break free but he can’t, and the other person – the Asset, the Soldier, it’s him – squeezes until it hurts so much that the edges of his vision start fading to black. A rush of memories hits him like another punch; he knows he has done this too, crushed his target’s windpipes until they screamed and gasped and went limp in his grip.

“Who do you belong to,” the Asset growls. It’s not a question.

Some Like it Hot by HaniTrash (3.5k)

Steve has been captured by HYDRA. The STRIKE team is having a fun time trying to break him.

sore spot by cm (mumblemutter) (2k)

The one where Sam gets taken by John.

For the squares: John Walker, no place is safe

sweet as honey by ghostlygun (1k)

“Isn’t it tragic,” Dottie said as she took a step forward, “that every time we meet, we’re on different sides?”

Your Voice in my Head by thefilthiestpiglet (6k)

If someone cares about you deeply enough, you can hear snippets of their thoughts in your head. As a kid, Steve'd only ever heard his ma and Bucky.

So how come he still hears Bucky even now, when his best friend fell off a train 70 years ago?

Wow!!! A huge thank you to all the authors and artists who reveled in the dumpster this year!  Congratulations everyone!

#summer trash splash #summertrashsplash #sts 2022 #hydra trash party #stucky #sambucky

[musikat18]

Phase 4 Is Almost Over And Contrary To My Initial Line Of Thought I Did End Up Watching All Of Them Somehow So Now You Get To Hear About It

I'll be talking about both the movies AND the series in order of release under the cut, the TL;DR for me is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I don't know why everyone cares so much about if it was Good or Bad.

That might seem dumb to say on a Rating Post but I'll get to it.

WandaVision (1/15/2021)-- 9/10

I think the MCU has definitely had it's bobbles handling Wanda (even in this show) but this one actually really hit home for me. The fall/winter leading up to this show, I was actually in a pretty deeply depressive episode-- hardly able to leave my bed outside of class or speak to anyone around me in person, so even though I wasn't exactly feeling grief like Wanda was, I found her emotional arc of wanting to be In Control And Happy to at least be relatable. I do think the Agatha twist could have been handled better as far as writing goes, but I think that's mostly a flaw of the MCU formula (which you'll hear a lot in this post). I also don't think the Evan Peters of it all was anything to get that mad about, and people who were and are STILL mad about it can Submit Their Complaints To My Ask Box.

Also the final Scarlet Witch costume slapped I loved it.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (3/19/2021)-- 7.75/10

I can't really speak to the way everything in this show was handled, given that I am white as snow, but overall, there was a lot I really liked about this one. The writing and performance for Isaiah Bradley as acted by Carl Lumbly was so intense and probably my favorite part of the show overall. My main gripe is really the handling of the Flag Smashers and the need to have Walker saving people in the final fight. I think Walker was well past the point of getting the audience on his side For One Last Go by then, and the Flag Smashers were just...so, so horribly whacked out of line with their prior depiction by the end. It just wasn't congruent.

Speaking of incongruent....

Loki Season 1 (6/9/2021)-- 6.5/10

I really wanted to enjoy Loki. Like I really did. But sitting on it for a year and a half and rewatching it, I think it was just TOO inconsistent episode to episode. There are individual MOMENTS and individual EPISODES even that I think are very good on the whole, but I think it's too obvious when different writers are taking on different characters (Mobius especially). It was a pleasant surprise to see Jonathan Majors, though, and I don't think I hated the finale as much as some other people did. I just think WandaVision did a good job deconstructing Wanda, and TFATWS did a good job deconstructing Sam's relationship to the Shield, but Loki just didn't really have a grasp on Loki as a character for me.

Black Widow (7/9/2021)-- 7/10

This movie should have been in Phase 3. Also stan Florence Pugh. That's about it.

Also if you hate what they did with Taskmaster, that's fine but it's not that deep.

What If...? (8/11/2021)-- 4.5/5

What If had some really good episodes, like Star-Lord T'Challa & Stark Saved By Kilmonger. But it also had The Zombies Episode and Captain Carter and Whatever The Fuck That Finale Was. It's more inconsistency and connecting it for the sake of connecting it and not really stopping to PLAY in the worlds they created, which was a shame, and then when they did it was,,,,,,,,,,REAL hit or miss. Mostly miss.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (9/3/2021)-- 8/10

Delicious finally some good fucking food. First, kissing Simu Liu on the mouth because he's SUCH a great leading man. Second, it felt JUST disconnected enough from the MCU while still having the canon references to feel fresh. It was still very much In-Tone with the MCU as far as humor went, but the actors really carried this to something special-- Simu, Michelle Yeoh, TONY LEUNG????? icon. Even places where the narrative was weaker were WELL compensated by the actors, enough to make me eager to see the next installment.

Eternals (11/5/2021)-- 7/10

Do I think the cast was too large, in the end? Yes. But Eternals was still so...austere in a way the MCU normally is not. It was a very different kind of movie, formulaically. Sure, Big Gray Monster, but it was very much not front and center. Centering it on Sersi and taking advantage of Gemma Chan's Pure Power was great, and I loved how the dynamics between the characters drove the story.

Also, stan Phastos.

Hawkeye (11/24/2021)-- 6/10

I would have probably enjoyed it more if Clint's character buildup wasn't so little and far apart in other MCU movies. It felt like I was SUPPOSED to be relating to this old friend's struggle with grief, but it just Did Not Hit.

I was mostly here for Vera Farmiga. Real Girlies Know.

o i'm about to catch heat for this next one

Spider-Man: No Way Home (12/17/2021)-- 5/10

.......................No Way Home wasn't actually that good. I mean, it DOES go back and fix all my gripes with MCU Peter Parker and Zendaya sells as always and it was fun to see the old cast back. But uh. Into The Spiderverse did the multiverse thing to better effect, I think. The Audible Pause To Clap for Andrew Garfield's appearance,,,,we'll get to her later. Ultimately, I think Tom Holland is the weakest of the three Spider-Men of recent memory and it shows ESPECIALLY next to Andrew Garfield and without the background of having seen the other Spider-Man franchise incarnations, it's all that much weaker because you don't have the emotional context the film hinges on. It's fanservice for fanservice's sake. And we'll circle back to that. Also how dare you drag Matthew Catholic Sadboy Murdock into this.

Moon Knight (3/30/2022)-- 6.5/10

I hope Oscar Isaac and May Calamawy have gotten excellent treatment for carrying this show on their backs. I don't think Harrow (had to Google the character's name ffs) was strong enough to get by on Malevolent Pacifism alone, and it did just kind of Unravel at the end with the Unnecessary Big Fight & the show kind of just Stopping rather than Ending. Also, did not think it was necessary to TEASE Jake Lockley if he was just going to be in the post-credit scene. I would have rather they not bring him up at all rather than having hints so MASSIVE.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (5/6/2022)-- 3/10

When I left the theater for this movie, I didn't actually think I could hate it more than I did when it was over. Then I watched the Assembled on it. And I realized no, the depths of my hatred DO go deeper. I don't know what's worse-- the struggle of having to choose between the Wanda of WandaVision and the Wanda of the Non-D+ Series MCU and somehow choosing neither, leaving GAPING-WIDE plot holes for the sake of "having the coolest villain in the MCU instead of leaving it for the team of another Avengers movie" (Michael Waldron my detested), whatever the fuck the Illuminati was supposed to be, or bringing back Sam Raimi, who I think genuinely tried to direct something visually his own and artful, only to have him bogged down by Marvel's own capitalistic editing and filming practices. The pauses to clap for the Illuminati. How presumptuous and prideful do you have to be to include space for the audience to clap for your cameos? And I haven't even TALKED about Stephen yet, because there's almost nothing to say except it is a SECOND movie where he is implied to have to face consequences for his choices, only for none to appear because the Wider Canon demands he be fine. It is EVERYTHING the MCU is at its worst.

Not you Bruce Campbell, though, you're doing great.

Ms. Marvel (6/8/2022)-- 8/10

I think the reason Ms. Marvel ranks this well for me is not just the AMAZING attention to detail and authenticity of the creative team and Iman Vellani, but because Kamala Khan in the comics debuted when I myself was an insecure teenager writing fanfiction about my favorite superheroes and trying to survive school. I have a nostalgia for her character specifically that might bias me a little toward her show, but there was something so deeply authentic and warm about Iman's performance that I couldn't help being giddy to see her in every scene, despite the power changes and all the little things that would normally give me gripes.

Thor: Love and Thunder (7/8/2022)-- 5/10

You know that thing you do where you have two foods you really love, like, individually. Like how I like caramel and i like crawfish, which are two things that are great on their own. And then you do that thing where you go "what if I put those two things I like together!" And suddenly you're eating caramel and crawfish together and you wish you hadn't done that?

That's Love & Thunder and that's pretty much the sum of my feelings on it, if I'm honest. Like, I'm a fan of Taika's work and I like the two threads he did here separately, but not together.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (8/18/2022)-- 6.5/10

I could talk at length about this show and good-faith criticism and bad-faith criticism and how one can unintentionally legitimize the other, but I think to be succinct I can sum it up here by saying while I had fun, I think the show, despite the efforts of the female-centered & staffed writing room, fell into a lot of traps, like putting a lot of focus on Jen's dating life. To me that was the biggest mistake. Dating can be a very large part of people's lives, but in the show it did feel like the dating parts outweighed the legal parts, which was a shame because this show had SUCH a great cast of actors playing the other lawyers. Tatiana Maslany was great in the role, but I don't think the writing necessarily always held up to the acting, nor did the lampshading of it at the end in that VERY APPROPRIATE AND KIND OF FUN fourth wall break make up for including it in the first place.

Also Augustus Pugliese you have my heart new favorite side character unlocked.

Werewolf By Night (10/14/2022)-- 10/10

Jack Russell you are my new best friend I love spooky things I love that it was self contained I love EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS. No notes. Well done. Blade next.

In Conclusion-- 6.23/10

I think, at this point, I don't really care if MCU Secretly Bad or MCU Actually Good. I think if anything, this phase points to the overall problem for Marvel being that, for the most part, they're feeding us the same thing over and over again. To me, the projects that stuck out the most here were the ones that tried something different. WandaVision experimented with TV tropes. Werewolf By Night was a Hammer horror special.

The ones that scored lowest, however, were either full of shiny but empty distractions or just more of the same.

It's not better than before. It's not worse. You're just too used to eating the same thing.

Order from a different menu.

#musikat speaks #marvel #mcu #marvel critical #mcu critical #wandavision #tfatws #loki #marvel's what if? #black widow #shang-chi #hawkeye #spider-man #eternals #doctor strange #dsitmom #moon knight #she-hulk #ms marvel #thor love and thunder #phase 4 #marvel phase 4 #werewolf by night