#he's Mary Poppins y'all

[satanzayoru25341]

I wish some fans, artists, cosplayers, creators, and designers would combine the thief (Star-Lord/Peter Quill), the thug (Rocket), the maniac (Drax), the angry little tree (Groot), and the assassin (Gamora) with Voltes V. Because we all know the release dates of May 2023.

For those who are wondering, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released on May 5, which is the same release as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 while Voltes V: Legacy (TV Series) was released on May 8.

“He’s Mary Poppins y'all!!! Thank you thank you Rebecca Kersh Jaco and Heather Milsap for having these made!! #yondu #marypoppins #funkopop #custompop #GotGVol2 #zscentertainment #wizardworldsacramento”

Happy Daddy’s Day, y'all!

Cc @jamesgunn

Src: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154839376073460&id=189514818459

[yonblu]

@inhxuman​   //   YONDU MAKES A RUN FOR IT. Sprinting through back-alleys and weaving his way through the streets, nervously glancing up every so often. Someone is following him. The way they sprint over the buildings faster than he can run around them is intimidating   ( not that he’d ever admit it )   and it’s clear they know their way around better than he does. God, he hates Terra. There’s always some asshole dressed up in latex trying to foil is plans. Stupid humans. Stupid -- “Shit!”

Dead end. Yondu manages to skid to a halt before slamming into the brick wall in front of him, barely regains his stance before his pursuer lands in front of him. The alien turns on his heal, wonky grin on his face, hands up in surrender. His stolen goods are in one hand, wrapped in brown paper. He shifts, as subtly as his can, so his arrow has the room to fly out from beneath his coat.

          “Okay, ya caught me. Justice prevails, an’ all that.”

[bumblepony]

Birthday Fic Recs!

So it's my birthday, y'all, and on this momentous day, I want to share my favorite fics from all my favorite authors and friends in this amazing fandom! Because you all are such wonderful people, and you've all inspired me to become a better writer, and I can't thank you all enough. So here is my list in no particular order. Some of these may be duplicates of fics I've recommended in the past, if so roll with it because I'm always happy to share amazing stuff again.

i know you by heart by @sixhours - Joel and Ellie settle into their new lives in Jackson but it's not the easiest transition. Thankfully Jackson has a counselor to help with that. AKA the gay TLOU/Prospect crossover you didn't know you needed.

A woman is a changeling by @treadlightlymydarlinggirl - (Tess lives) and what happens after!

back and forth, up and down by @lauronk - (more times ellie & joel barely missed each other in the qz)

our hearts are heavy burdens (we shouldn't have to bear alone) by @ameerawrites - Maria and Tommy's engagement story, a prequel to "Not Alone"

Fortunate Son - Maria Sinclair agrees to help Tommy Miller, a probationary resident at Jackson, with a life-changing opportunity.

Next of Kin by @probssomethingorother - The day Joel becomes a dad and how he deals with the sudden weight of fatherhood. Slight canon divergence where his wife dies instead of leaving. Big whumps ahead.

Mary Poppins ain't got nothing on me by @barlowstreet - Tommy POV again! This time, he's watching Ellie while Joel has surgery. Ellie is not fond of this plan.

collaborators by @becomethesun - Sam and Henry live. Adventures and found family bonding ensue on the journey from Kansas City to Jackson and beyond.

What Would Your Superpower Be? by blue_calico on AO3 -

i know you by heart by @sixhours - Joel and Ellie settle into their new lives in Jackson but it's not the easiest transition. Thankfully Jackson has a counselor to help with that. AKA the gay TLOU/Prospect crossover you didn't know you needed.

A woman is a changeling by @treadlightlymydarlinggirl - (Tess lives) and what happens after!

back and forth, up and down by @lauronk - (more times ellie & joel barely missed each other in the qz)

our hearts are heavy burdens (we shouldn't have to bear alone) by @ameerawrites - Maria and Tommy's engagement story, a prequel to "Not Alone"

Fortunate Son - Maria Sinclair agrees to help Tommy Miller, a probationary resident at Jackson, with a life-changing opportunity.

Next of Kin by @probssomethingorother - The day Joel becomes a dad and how he deals with the sudden weight of fatherhood. Slight canon divergence where his wife dies instead of leaving. Big whumps ahead.

Mary Poppins ain't got nothing on me by @barlowstreet - Tommy POV again! This time, he's watching Ellie while Joel has surgery. Ellie is not fond of this plan.

collaborators by @becomethesun - Sam and Henry live. Adventures and found family bonding ensue on the journey from Kansas City to Jackson and beyond.

What Would Your Superpower Be? by blue_calico on AO3 - With a storm taking its toll on Ellie as they pass through Indiana, Joel reluctantly lets them stay with a family who stirs up pain he's tried hard to bury. Still, he knows how to be a good dad. He just can't yet see it.

Lost in the Woods by @cardigains - How digging up what's buried in the past brings about consequences in the present. (The Private Investigator!AU nobody asked for.) (I did! I asked for it! I'm here for it!)

Right Where We Belong by cauldron_zeta on AO3 - Frank has upheaved his life to move to almost the middle of nowhere. His closest neighbour isn't really a people person but Frank has always liked a challenge.

just babes being dudes and flat on my face then back in the race and my cow, your cow, our cow by @ciaconnaa - Sorry this are all amazing and I just could not pick which one was my favorite!

Mute Joel by @captainredspade - An Ellie and Joel drabble that may or may not turn to something more in the future. It's based off the au idea of Joel being mute, and if he and Ellie met a different way than they did in canon.

Compassionate Friends by @mildredellie - Ellie & Joel meet at a grief support group they were both forced to attend.

cosmic oddities by @deervsheadlights - Turning a clan of two into a clan of four and asking the very important, albeit unhinged question: What if space dad and apocalypse dad were Weird About Each Other?

Taste your beating heart by @finnelfin - Tess's traveling companions are keeping secrets.

in search of some hope by @dancingonmoonbeams - Tommy’s story, from leaving Boston to finding Jackson to him and Joel finding each other again.

show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time by @eedsknees - Cry to the Chest (featuring Ellie with endometriosis trying to ignore her pain until she can't anymore!)

Mother by @liveandletcry23 - The Millers have a demon problem

expect(ing)(ations) by @penandinkprincess - (set about ten years after the original storyline) (ellie, now grown and married, decides she wants to have a baby so she can pass her immunity on to her kid)

Dinosaur by @femmefacetious - Joel and Ellie deal with some stupid cold temperatures and assorted shenanigans (the not-fun kind) in and around the town of...Dinosaur, CO.

we could walk forever, walkin' on the moon and what matters most by @boopernatural - I had to pick both because they are some of my favorites!

For Your Entertainment by @manicparadox - A strip club AU. Bill and Frank meet at The Bou-Peek where Frank is a stripper.

Future Proof by Capricordinary on AO3 - Joel is somehow transported into the past. he makes it his mission to find four year old Ellie, reunite his family and find a safe place for them in the Wyoming wilderness

Most Likely Occupation by joschmo on AO3 - Joel is a single dad working long hours in a difficult, painful occupation. He does what he needs to do to keep going, or at least that's what he tells himself. After the outbreak, things...escalate.

ily, imu, im sry (i love you, i miss you, im sorry) by @mariatesstruther - in which joel and tess haven't spoken for ten years, but are reintroduced for their daughters’ english project. sarah and ellie misinterpret the situation quite a bit.

To Have Loved Someone by Joels_revolver on AO3 - Ellie is stuck in a modern Jackson now and neither she nor Joel have any idea how to get her back. Ellie has no choice but to confront her demons, and Joel— Well, he has a few demons of his own to deal with.

dodors (and other birds) by @ketchupchipsaregross - How Tess and Joel accidentally restarted parenting in their 40s.

let all your damage damage me by @electricbluebutterflies - Assorted prompt fills and shorter ficlets, generally unconnected and variable ratings. Tess/Joel.

Of Artists and Architects by @emilylawsons - A Cordyceps-Free Tessjoel AU

creature fear by @marceltheshellwithflipflopson - The first time Joel protects Sarah from an infected, it changes his life forever. The first time Joel protects Ellie from an infected, it feels just like it did twenty years ago. Even if he swears up and down that the kid is just cargo.

I have to break this up. It's too big. So look for the next one in a little bit.

[radiant-reid]

pov: your instagram but you're married to Spencer Reid

Liked by babygirlpg, d.morgan and 363 others

y/n.reid: this man 🥵

view all 31 comments

aarhotch: active case? -> d.morgan: agreed, y'all need to chill -> y/n.reid: damn, i can't thirst over my husband on government time? -> aarhotch: no, you literally cannot

Liked by badass_em, mommyjareau and 398 others

y/n.reid: you're so goddamn cute @/doctorreid

view all 35 comments

doctorreid: stopppp -> y/n.reid: nooooo -> babygirlpg: don't stop because you're both so cute and you can never, ever get a divorce

Liked by aarhotch, d.morgan and 425 others

y/n.reid: chipmunk 🥰🥰🥰

view all 37 comments

doctorreid: more close-ups? really? -> y/n.reid: yes really, sorry not sorry, you knew this when we got married. it's actually your fault for having a perfect nose, eyes, and bone structure

d.morgan: imagine how creepy y/n must have looked taking this photo -> doctorreid: very creepy

mommyjareau: this is what Henry looks like when I ask him if he's seen the chocolate i told him not to touch

Liked by greenaway.elle, aarhotch and 411 others

y/n.reid: 'hello, police, yeah, can you cook dinner? i can't because i might burn the house down'

view all 41 comments

doctorreid: i burn pasta one time trying to make you a surprise dinner and this is what i get -> y/n.reid: YOU DIDNT PUT WATER IN THE POT!!! -> badass_em: i think this calls for cooking lessons @/davidrossiofficial -> davidrossiofficial: sure, to ensure spencer doesn't end up with as many divorces as i have

Liked by a.blake, mommyjareau, and 357 others

y/n.reid: easily the hottest man alive

view all 46 comments

doctorreid: you're easily the most gorgeous woman alive

babygirlpg: get this man on SuitTok

Liked by ablake, d.morgan and 434 others

y/n.reid: just spencer looking adorable in his little green puffer jacket

view all 31 comments

d.morgan: cold when it's 60, weak -> mommyjareau: they breed them too soft in Vegas -> d.morgan: our Chicago and Pennsylvania blood >> -> doctorreid: now i'm getting bullied @ y/n.reid -> y/n.reid: they just don't recognize your adorableness

Liked by ablake, aarhotch and 346 others

y/n.reid: *insert fun facts about halloween*

view all 37 comments

doctorreid: sorry for annoying you :( -> y/n.reid: never once have you done that, precious boy <3 our Salem trip was the best one yet

davidrossiofficial: a great way to get to sleep @/d.morgan

Liked by babygirlpg, aarhotch and 349 others

y/n.reid: my sun-safe husband

view all 43 comments

mommyjareau: Mary Poppins? -> doctorreid: i'll babysit henry any time

d.morgan: cold in 60 but wearing a suit in 100 -> y/n.reid: and cute to every degree

Liked by thecallahanclan, davidrossiofficial, and 451 others

y/n.reid: dinner and drinks are on spencer next time

view all 37 comments

mommyjareau: how did you not get thrown out? -> doctorreid: we did when our disguises came off, i still managed to wipe the floor with the house

davidrossiofficial: hoping I'm still invited if I won't be there to pay -> y/n.reid: it's milestone event when your kids treat you for the first time

Liked by teelewis, lukeyluke, and 507 others

y/n.reid: pretty boy at the theatre

view all 40 comments

doctorreid: date night is always my favorite night with you -> y/n.reid: cheesy words to match your cheesy smile

[webbedphantom]

He wasn't really one to believe in fate, especially these days. Should fate really have existed, he wasn't sure they'd have survived last Christmas... or any of the other impossible scenarios they'd faced since then. Yet he supposed there were some things that were just... meant to be. After all, no matter how many chances he'd missed, another one always came around. Perhaps that was less fate, and more their subconscious mutual attraction for each other, but either way the thought brought a smile to his face.

They were destined to be together.

"Just checking~" He replied in a bit of a playful tone.

"Cause this is going to be a little scary at first-"

He shot a webline to the top of the building, allowing gravity to pull them down a bit, before giving it a sharp tug to send them hurtling into the air, shooting well past the roof in the process.

"And now, for a bit of magic~ ARSÉNE!!"

His Persona appeared behind them, lifting one arm to the sky with his fingers pointing up in a semi-circle while Aaron did the same, before simultaneously firing their webbing to create a makeshift parachute, which caught the air right as they were beginning to fall, allowing them to drift down slowly.

"YESS!!!" He shouted excitedly. He knew this would work, of course. He and Arséne had practiced the maneuver about a hundred times since he dropped out of the Mona-Copter back in February, not wanting anything similar to happen again. It was just... extremely satisfying to pull it off in front of her. "Nailed it!! Thanks for the assist, pal!"

"It was my pleasure." Arséne replied with a chuckle, his arms crossed as he casually floated in front of them. "Not every day you have an idea I can get on board with."

"Hey-!"

"I merely jest... though there is some truth to it-"

Aaron gave a slight groan. "Yeah yeah... now would you mind-?"

His Persona simply hummed and nodded, before disappearing back into his user's heart.

"Thank you..."

Now with that out of the way, they were able to actually appreciate the view from up here.

They floated down gracefully over the city, a gentle breeze carrying them through the sky and back towards the lower buildings a few blocks away. It was a slow decent, giving them plenty of time to take in the scenery.

"What'd I tell ya? Magical~"

"Got the idea from an old TV special on hot air balloons. Can't exactly gain any lift, but I'd say it works well enough for our purposes."

The lights of the city below was almost like starlight from up here, the many colors even being somewhat reminiscent of deep space photos of distant nebulas. Not quite as majestic as the wonders of the cosmos, but... not too shabby either.

"Do you even have to ask me that question? Of course, I trust you." She hummed as she kept a tight hold on him whilst making sure he could still maneuver the both of them properly through the air as they began to ascend a little with each tug of the weblines that he was sending out.

So far he'd taken her to some rather amazing looking sights and some places that they'd spent a fair amount of time in together before they had become a couple. Her own thoughts were brought back to that first opportunity that was passed up and she remembered how it had been worded to sound like she had been asking him out back then in a way. It hadn't been her intention but had he made a move on her back then then they would have been a couple for a lot longer at least. She was fairly certain she'd fallen for him during the whole situation he'd helped her out with but was uncertain of how to best go about her feelings. Things worked out in the end either way.

And to think they had started off on a semi-rocky start but now they were a couple... it's weird how things work out sometimes.

[ao3cassandraic]

What does Aziraphale know, and when does he know it? Part 1

Prologue, for those who haven't seen it.

Zira's first encounter with the Metatron in the Final Fifteen Minutes is when the Metatron walks into the bookshop disguised as mild-mannered Derek Jacobi human and interrupts Michael, who is threatening Aziraphale with total obliteration. He insults the archangels, then calls on them to say who he is. Aziraphale at this point -- we get one reaction shot of him -- appears to be in wary wait-and-see (heh) mode.

(Not wholly relevant here, but -- the first to show recognition of the Metatron isn't Crowley or Aziraphale, it's Saraqael, and isn't that interesting. I definitely have a meta in pickle about Saraqael, Heaven's Only Competent Angel.)

The Metatron then asks whether Crowley knows him. Aziraphale finds this intriguing, turning to Crowley with interest. Crowley does the-thing-that's-all-over-the-show-where-he-and-Aziraphale-drop-one-another-clues; rather than say the Metatron's name, he mentions his appearance as "big floating giant head." That's enough for Aziraphale to clue in and spill the beans, with genuine shock that the other angels (except Saraqael, again) echo.

What Aziraphale now knows that he hadn't known:

The Metatron has a human corporation. (Yes, he may have been Enoch-human in the past, but that's not entirely show canon yet; before now, Watsonianly, we've only seen the Big Giant Disembodied Head.)

The Metatron insults archangels. Labor angle here, incidentally: this is a manager insulting his employees in front of their supervisees (Aziraphale, Muriel) and even outsiders (Crowley). Management 101: DO NOT DO THIS, IT IS BAD. Praise in public, critique in private and without insults.

The Metatron and Crowley know one another. (Zero details on when, how, or why.)

The Metatron then dismisses Michael, Uriel, and Saraqael back to Heaven, talking down to them like Mary Poppins to the von Trapp children (seriously, "spit spot"? also, nice s1 callback). He even covertly threatens them! Uriel asks whether they have done anything wrong -- getting caught doing something wrong is fatal to an angel's identity as angel, as Aziraphale's concerned face in a brief reaction shot shows he knows -- and the Metatron only says ominously that that "remains to be seen."

After ordering the archangels off again, he openly hurls an ableist slur at Muriel rather than use their name, while demanding that they stay because "I may need you." This is a hardcore, shocking Villain Moment, y'all. The Metatron is Having A Moment. Pulling back to a Doylist perspective -- Neil freakin' Gaiman isn't going to drop a slur lightly. He's just not. He did it with full intent, and that intent is "the fucking Metatron is ableist trash." Returning to the Watsonian viewpoint, however...

What Aziraphale now knows that he hadn't known:

The Metatron wears scorn like royal vestments. It's pretty basic to how he treats others. (Doylistly: this tracks with both s1 and what we see of him in the recorded meetings that Crowley, Muriel, and Saraqael view. "Oh, don't be so wet!" he snarls at Saraqael, just for starters.)

The Metatron can order archangels around like children, even threaten them with judgment and punishment, and get away with it.

The Metatron doesn't just punch sideways-ish at the archangels, which might be justifiable; the Metatron absolutely punches down with his scorn. And wow, does he ever not pull his punches.

The Metatron thinks he's entitled to use others to serve his own needs.

If Aziraphale hasn't figured out by now that the Metatron abuses his quite substantial and dangerous power, he's not the angel I think he is. (As for Crowley, he's been absolutely leveled -- look at him sprawled out all but flat on Aziraphale's desk chair! He's not really paying attention. Also, per e3 he kind of agrees with the Metatron about Muriel, though he never himself uses ableist language about them.)

The Metatron says "Right," and we see Aziraphale again. Is he happy? He is not. Body held tense and straight, arms at his sides (though he looks about to clasp his hands together in front, a worry sign), face even warier. Seems a reasonable reaction to what he's just seen!

"It's just you and me, Aziraphale, eh?" It's damned blessed bloody well not. Crowley's right there, Muriel's right there, and the Metatron just erased both from consideration. RUDE! "I think we need to have a bit of a chinwag, don't you?" Aziraphale in both words and body would very much rather not, and I can't blame him one bit.

The Metatron then forces a bribe on Aziraphale, in the form of The Coffee That Launched A Thousand Metas. Aziraphale isn't clear on what the Metatron wants of him at this point -- "shall I drink it?" There's a striking parallel here to Crowleian temptations via novel experiences that other meta-ists have pointed out; like those, Aziraphale's reaction is positive ("it's very nice") but unlike them, it's decidedly subdued, scaled way down -- Zira certainly doesn't guzzle the coffee the way he inhaled the ox-rib. The Metatron indicates that getting a positive reaction from Aziraphale is the point ("well, I should jolly well hope so!") and verbally forces Aziraphale out the door for a Crowley-less, Muriel-less discussion.

Aziraphale is... less than enthusiastic, turning toward Crowley -- possibly to accompany him, possibly for a lead on how to handle this. Crowley, still in a state of exhaustion and bogglement, misses the cue. Oh, Crowley. Gargantuan, awful mistake! Totally understandable, of course, but Aziraphale needs a rescue here badly and (for the first time ever?) Crowley doesn't provide one!

Aziraphale's walk toward the bookshop door is diffident, halting. He glances back at the Metatron and Crowley as he goes.

What Aziraphale knows at this point:

The Metatron wants something from him. Just him, not Crowley or Muriel.

Rather than straight-up asking, rather than ordering (as he could perfectly well do), the Metatron is loading the dice with a Crowleyesque bribe/temptation. This is a slight hint (which the Metatron will shortly confirm) that the Metatron knows some things about the Crowley-Aziraphale dynamic.

What Aziraphale likely wants to know at this point:

What the hell the heaven on earth does the Metatron want from him?

And why might he need Muriel?

And we are all Aziraphale -- we all want to know too!

This is more than long enough for a post, so let's post it. Next up: The Chinwag.

[lemarapotato]

He's Mary Poppins y'all

[palepinkgoat]

Weekly Tag Wednesday Friday because I wasn't at my computer and I can't handle it on my phone. I was tagged by @juliakayyy @deedala @mybrainismelted and I love y'all! <3 <3 3

Name: Karen How do you pronounce your own Tumblr handle in your head? I sing it to myself. It's based on a play on words from a song in the sound of music. I have no idea why I picked it either.

When you look out the window right now what do you see? The side of my neighbor's house and their tree hanging over the fence. My dog is running by.

What is the most unusual profession someone in your family was in? Oh brother. My dad had an uncle who pretended to be a doctor and carried a doctor bag around. He refused to admit he wasn't one. The same uncle got most of his nose bit off by a horse. It was a strange time.

What hobby were you really into as a kid? writing, always.

First autofill google result when you type 'How can I...?' How can I watch March Madness. Lol! My dad always puts together a bracket pool and I just guess based on whatever I feel like picking. I recently googled how many points do basketball games have. So sporty.

If you were the main character in a sitcom, what song would be playing during the opening credits? the first song I thought of was "seventeen" by Sharon van Etten. So maybe I would be 17 in it, or just be feeling wistful.

What's the last movie you watched? Did you enjoy it? What genre is it? I watched This is 40 for some reason. I didn't find anyone particularly likable but did laugh a bunch. I wanted to watch something kind of mindless because we just finished watching Sopranos and that was so heavy. What is your favourite movie genre?  documentary maybe? Been a while since I've watched one though.

What movie would you recommend? Mary Poppins, always. It's fun as an adult to see the chemistry between Julie Andrews and Dick vanDyke. This is literally the only movie I can think of right now.

Do your IRL humans know about your fandom life? If you're a creator, do they know you create? I don't think they understand the depth and extent of it. Maybe 4 friends know about the fanfic writing and one in particular tells me to be proud of it and to tell more people, but I'm too shy for that. I still stay pretty quiet about it in general. If you could do one activity with your pocket/fandom friends what would it be? Oh god, I just want to be in a cuddle pile and talk about this damn show until we all pass out.

[atamascolily]

Lily liveblogs: Thunderbolt Fantasy 4x07, "The Terminus of the Demonic Path"

Well, that escalated quickly.

Chao Feng and her party get their asses kicked by some ordinary demon goons... only for the camera to pivot to them standing around looking confused as Lin Xue Ya appears. Another victory for the Enigmatic Gale, everyone!

Lin recognizes Chao Feng and decides to keep her around as a potentially useful pawn--everyone else can come, too, I guess. Meanwhile, Chao Feng demands that he kowtow to her, but once Lin reveals he's seen Lang recently, she'd follow him anywhere.

meanwhile, Azi is lounging around at home on his Brooding Couch (where did he get the furniture, Lang and Spider trashed everything) drinking wine and video chatting with Xing Hai

Xing Hai wants to know what's going to happen in the future given all of the scheming, and Azi's like, "hahaha, no, can't be bothered"

also it turns out that something weird happened to Azi as a result of meddling with space-time and he lost all his memories up to a certain point (~200 years ago) and has no idea how he got here and no desire to do anything, so he advises Xing Hai to tone it down with the drugs demonic magic, lololol.

the only thing that makes Azi happy anymore is drinking tormenting Lang, lolsob

this supports my theory that Azi doesn't care if Lang kills him as long as he fucks shit up in the process/breaks everything

all this is to say: the Madoka Magica vibes intensify

elsewhere in the Demon Realm, Covid Safety Protocols and Megamind are having a nice banquet together.... and unlike Ansarto's banquet, the food actually looks pretty good?

how does Covid Safety Protocols even drink with her mask on is one of this show's greatest mysteries

but it doesn't matter because they're both abruptly murdered from behind!

Cut to Spider and Wasp yelling at each other for "accidentally" killing their allies, lololol

they take the seals, but THEN Xing Hai shows up with a steel chair a scrying mirror and banishes them to the Shadow Realm because it's one thing if Lang kills a noble (he's a demon and her boss says it's okay) but she can't allow ordinary humans to get Ideas.

all of this happens in like three minutes, btw, and it's a lot.

wish we'd gotten a full season 5 and an extra episode in S4 so this could be less rushed, sob.

meanwhile, Lang drinks the Dubious-Looking Potion that Ansarto gives him over Ling Ya's sensible objections, which is supposed to transform him from caterpillar to butterfly. I thought this was a metaphor, but then after he coughs up the requisite blood, Lang gets rolled up in a silk cocoon, so actually that was entirely literal.

is he gonna wake up with insect legs now

... anyway, Lang has to confront his Inner Demons, which turn out to be important people from his past like Shang and Tian Ming telling him he sucks.

weirdly, no sign of his mom, though - bet they're saving that for the next episode

also that final shot where he passes out on top of his own reflection... poetic cinema

In the Wasteland of Spirits, Shang Bu Huan whips out the broken magic sword that You Qing used to fight Lou Zhen Jie back in s2 (making this the most unexpected callback/cameo EVER) and takes advantage of its innate attraction to demonic energy to hover in mid-air and yeet himself into the abyss leading to the demon realm

Shang Bu Huan: "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"

also that little somersault he does... this show is delightfully Extra

Dan Fei and Juan Can Yun are just gonna wait there for him to come back, I guess?

anyway, the preview for the next episode shows Shang reuniting with Tian Ming and Chao Feng going into a glowing green square portal, which makes me think that Lin is going to find out her dad's true identity this way, hahahaha.

[bathsaltsmcgee]

My thoughts on HH and some other stuff, too

Wow, y'all. Just... just Wow.

Okay, first off, I just wanted to say that I am absolutely blown away by the sheer amount and scope of all the attention that I've gotten this past week or so regarding my story BtM. I was truly not expecting that, and for my readership to explode exponentially since the last time I posted, it's amazing to me the number of followers I've gained, the people who've stopped by to say hello, the messages, the comments, the subscriptions and favorites, the everything else, and I just wanted to say thank you.

Reading everyone's reactions and seeing them get so excited and hyped up about something that I truly care about really makes writing worth it.

So, I'm thrilled that everyone's having so much fun. :D I know I am!

Anyway, I've had a couple people reach out to me, requesting my thoughts regarding the first season of Hazbin Hotel, and I thought to myself, 'Oh, why not?'

So, here we are.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed it. The animation was crisp and pretty to look at, the songs were absolute bops, as was the background soundtrack, the overarching narrative was interesting, and the characters, barring a few notable exceptions here and there- *cough* icky moth man who needs squished flat with a metal cleat and the world's first grandiose malignant narcissist- were quite enjoyable.

They were all well written, of course, but, good Lord, some of them were just truly heinous people.

I think, out of that of all of the new characters to which we were introduced in the series that didn't hold speaking roles in the pilot, I think my favorite was a tie between Rosie and Emily. Rosie was exactly who I hoped she'd be, Dolly Levi with a dash of Mary Poppins- she even gave out her business card to that one cannibal lady like Dolly did all the time in 'Hello Dolly'- and Emily was such an adorable little bean. We need more of both those ladies in the future.

The biggest surprise out of the whole show for me, though, was finding out that the hotel actually worked. I genuinely was not expecting that, and I suspect that the exercises that Charlie was making everyone do didn't really do that much, but the situations in which the characters found themselves and how they chose to react to those situations because of their experiences at the hotel were what really clinched it in the end.

I'm very proud of Pen, though. Good for you, man. Goin' out like a champ and getting into Heaven by total accident. Well done.

Mind you, I did have a few gripes here and there, such as the rushed nature of the pacing, but I doubt that I'm alone in that particular camp. The pacing of the overarching narrative was a bit rushed for my taste, and when I'm watching a show, I would prefer not to feel at the end of it like I was in the middle of a caffeine bender.

If I'm going to do that, I'll drink two pots of coffee, follow it up with a latte, and see where it goes from there.

It was almost like deciding to make soup, but not adding any water to the condensed can, so it ended up way too thick and not nearly as smooth as it could've been, had the water been included.

Had they taken the same amount of plot and spread it out over twelve episodes, instead of just eight, it would've been a bit more evenly balanced, and we might have gotten more character moments and interactions to really sell the growing bonds between the main cast, which would've made the other narrative points that much more powerful, such as Pen's noble sacrifice.

However, the number of episodes was probably down to studio constraints and the bigwigs decision to keep the series compressed because money, so I won't hold that against the production team.

That's just business. It happens. No big deal.

So, all in all, it was a fun little romp. Alastor is still my favorite character, because he's just so interesting and multifaceted, and by the end of the season, I had far more questions about him than I did answers.

This is a good thing, though.

I'd be disappointed if he were too easy a character to read.

There's a lot going on there with him, and his morality is too grey and muddled with far too many unknown factors to make a definitive take on him just yet. I still think that my initial understanding of him is on the right track, such as his MO, but I am curious to see where this goes in the official narrative.

So, yes, I will be staying tuned for the next season.

However... just curious here.

Are we really going to have to wait another two years for the next season?!

Because I heard a rumor circulating that that was the case, and I'm kind of hoping that's not accurate.

[garma-mom]

HE'S THE MARY POPPINS Y'ALL!!!

Finally finished after about a week. Ayy. Small art project. Nobody will care, I know.

I've used this exact scene, mhm.

I wanted to have some fun with dooling minifigure again, heh.

Would be Great if Michael Rooker would see and like it one day, man 😩

[tophthedaydreamer]

my thoughts on guardians of the galaxy vol. 3 (part two!)

spoilers ahoy!

At the end of part one, I began discussing the humor, which I'll continue to do so here. As I said before, the guardians just kept arguing but it wasn't funny. It felt serious. And there definitely should be times when they have serious arguments, they're under a lot of stress what with Rocket dying and all. But like, a lot of their interactions felt like this. Even their attempts to be funny kinda felt like annoying incompetence at times. There were few jokes that made me laugh, whereas with the first two I'm usually cackling. Vol. 1 and 2 are hilarious in my book. Yondu at the jewelry shop. Rocket's obsession with stealing mechanical limbs from people. "I'm gonna die here surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy." The dance battle at the end of Vol. 1. The whole bit with Taserface! And the iconic "I'M MARY POPPINS, Y'ALL!"

I think the humor struggles in Vol. 3 because all the funny moments are put on Drax and Mantis. They make for some great comedy, as we've seen in Vol. 2 and the Christmas Special. But they can't be the only ones who carry the comedy, even if they're very likeable. Quill is mostly working through his issues with Gamora's semi-death, which I am glad is treated seriously. But that means he has less funny bits. Gamora is.... low-key annoying because she is a lot more rude than I was expecting. Sometimes I thought she hated the guardians (I understand why she's hostile towards Quill, with him insisting they were once madly in love). It felt a little out of character for her to be this mean, as she's supposed to be Gamora from Vol. 1. Idk, I guess the Ravagers rubbed off on her lol. Sadly, Gamora wasn't very likeable for me, but she did improve as the film went on. Groot exists. He does some cool stuff but mostly sits in the background waiting for the next battle.

Later I realized why the humor felt off is because Rocket isn't present. In the first two films, he's often the one who instigates a lot of the comedy. He bounces off of each guardian really well and is just a fun character. It's no wonder why he's a fan favorite! I understand why he's stuck in a coma, it's the whole point of the story for guardians to save his life, but I'm bummed out he was in it for so long. My sister suggested the idea of him being awake while his kill switch is slowly shutting his body down. There could still be that urgency, but also Rocket funny moments. I think the heist at OrgoCorp would've been a lot funnier if he was around. It could also make for some more drama. It would be interesting to see more and more of his past being dredged up against his will, as he tries to brush it off like it's no big deal, all while trying to ignore the increasingly unstable state of his body. He's not okay, but he's trying so hard to be. Until he finally collapses when the guardians make for Counter-Earth. I love the scene where Rocket reunites with Lylla. It's so powerful, and if I hadn't been watching with my family I probably would've cried hehe. All the flashbacks of Rocket's past was heart wrenchingly well done, holy cow. Props to Bradley Cooper for letting out one of the most primal screams I've ever heard in my life. Baby Rocket is such a tender soul that I wanted to go into the TV, beat up the High Evolutionary and take Rocket and Batch 89 home with me. My maternal instincts were going haywire lol.

I think the third act of the movie is the best part because Rocket's back and the guardians are kicking bad guy butt and saving people (in this case, clone kids and animals!). The High Evolutionary is such a slimy, horrendously vile villain that it feels so good when the guardians beat the crap outta him. We also get genuinely sweet Dad Drax moments ("You weren't meant to be a destroyer. You were meant to be a dad.") as he takes the kids under his wing. And we get some great Rocket moments as he discovers he really is a raccoon and lovingly carries the baby raccoons (ouuughhh my heart!!!). "The name's Rocket. Rocket Raccoon." is such a powerful line. All this time he thought he was a monster, but now he's embracing what and who he truly is!!!! I like how he insists the guardians save the animals too, and they do. And most of all, I love that Rocket lives. I'd read an out of context spoiler when Vol. 3 first came out back in May that Rocket dies. How unsatisfying would it be if he did? It honestly would feel like the High Evolutionary wins if Rocket dies. Movies nowadays kill off main characters for the shock and drama (even if it doesn't make sense). I'm so glad that Rocket is alive and he gets to flourish leading a new team. I'm honestly very satisfied with each guardian's ending. Quill reunites with his grandfather, Mantis goes on a journey of self-discovery, Drax becomes a father again, Nebula builds the home she never had, Gamora finds a new home with the Ravagers, and Groot and Rocket guide the next generation of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Overall, I rate this movie a 8/10. It has its rough patches, but the final act wraps it up nicely.

(also sorry I forgot about Adam. he's neat. I wish he got more screentime. Everytime I see him I think of Eustace lol)

[brookezilla]

Girl quit lying and pretending that y'all aren't mad about him leaving. It's literally 90% of the posts in the tag. And quit pretending that fucking phones and the internet don't exist in the universe of the show. y'all are fucking wild

Girly pop, I’m not lying.

Like I’m genuinely not mad about him leaving. He left to be with his son which was the admirable thing to do.

It was also expected, both in the symbolic storytelling of the show and because Jason basically called Ted “Mary Poppins” a week or so ago.

I’m disappointed in how Ted left, because he appeared emotionally withdrawn and not like himself.

Again, it was about how he left, not that he did. Smh.

Next time don’t hide behind Anon ;) it’s cowardly.

[ethtyn]

combination Etho & Martyn ll2 #8 reaction post:

Etho:

"i'm not in charge, i'm gonna be the first one out, here!" me fr.

MARTYN WHAT'S YOUR ANGLE. "TEAM TIME" THIS "TEAM SMITE" THAT IT COULDVE BEEN THAT FROM THE BEGINNING 😭😭😭

"we need the help, Tango, i hate to say it. and Martyn is good help." thesis statement 🫶🏻

"true that" LITERALLY WHERE is he coming up with this speech pattern. i have never heard him use as much slang as he has in this series in my life.

BDUBS NO.....IT WAS IMPULSE?! 💔

"Tango...this is MINECRAFT, why don't you have blocks?!" PLEASE.

LMAOOOOOOO HE'S MARY POPPINS, Y'ALL 💀

Tango noooooo PepeHands

Scar's out...there goes my hope that Etho got to kill him 😔

I KNOW WHAT THE VOICES IN HIS HEAD SPOILER MEANS NOW AND I'M CRYING PISSING BLOOD SLIDING DOWN THE WALL CHEWING GLASS. LMFAO.

"it's tough being alone...i'm not an entertaining person, and i have to be entertaining right now" don't you talk about my friend like that 😡😡😡

kfjdjcndk the little bitchfight between impulse and the mean gills over trying to kill each other. "yeah, that was me...okie! 😁 water under the bridge" impulse you're soooooo 💀

ETHO WHY DID YOU REMIND HIM ABOUT THE SWORD. i'm furious.

there goes BigB.

i am starting to realize that when one of y'all said "love loses" you mean Ethtyn. fuck.

FISH IN A BARREL. i just caught that.

Scott's disappointed little "Etho" gets me every time LMFAO. is this man ever surprised.

"i could just whack you off right now 😏" aYO

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOT 'ER

i'm gonna throw up. why. please.

GRIAN NO 😭 that little intake of breath right before he fell...i could cry.

I'M GONNA BE SICK I'M GONNA BE SICK. "that hurt, Martyn! apologise."

I'M GONNA THROW UPPPPPPPPPPPPP HE WAS SO CLOSE. also i was wildly distracted by the way you could hear him sit back in his chair and stretch kfdnkcmdmd

side note: i tracked down the counting clip and. uhm. 🥴 yeah.

i. need to gather some thoughts. reblog a few posts. watch martyn's episode so i can find out who won. i'm ill.

---

Martyn:

"keep your friends close and your enemies closer" type beat.

the callback to Southlanders with the "fun British game" 😭 i miss them 💔

still thinking about how Martyn made this Team TIME/SMITE decision all on his own without talking to Scott at all. like i know he's insanely loyal but. sir?

I'M FUCKING PISSING MYSELF over that Scar spleef kill. (in the most insincere voice possible) "woooow. thank you for the business!" CRYING.

thinking So Much about this little duel between BigB and Martyn as Martyn comes in to play the game. Martyn almost died, so did BigB. and then ceasefire and nskxnckdkcjkdmf my brainnnnnn.

"i'm here for games and pleasure" Scar.

HAHAHSHCNFKC LMFAOOOOO ETHO RLLY DID COME IN LIKE MARY POPPINS I'M CRYING.

fast forward to when MISE is boating off of skynet 2.0 - did not realise that Martyn asked Grian "yes or no" 😭 salt in the wound, bro.

fish in a fucking barrel fr.

ONE BLOCK 😭

jesus the way he IMMEDIATELY turns on impulse as soon as Pearl kills Etho. fanning myself.

NAUUUUUURRRRRR I COULDN'T TELL FROM ETHO'S POV BUT MARTYN REALLY DID GET THE LAST HIT ON HIM I'M.

oh god you can't see it from Martyn's POV but. "Scott, it's not fair!" i'm going to throw myself off of skynet 2.0.

what is this fucking three way death negotiation. i feel sick.

SCREAMINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. WHAT. WHAT WHAJAMXNCKKCNDMF

um. that + the end animation. i am lying down and i need to lie down. FUCK.

[ratralsis]

Sudden Vulnerability

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite features in stories: surprise vulnerability.

Vulnerability, in this case, means a character revealing a weakness or insecurity in themselves that another character can, if they so choose, use to utterly destroy the first one.

For example, person A ("Alice") and person B ("Bob") are talking, and suddenly, out of nowhere, Alice reveals that she's long had deep romantic feelings for Bob. It's weird, right? Maybe it's something that we, as bystanders, already knew. Maybe Alice was the main character of this story the whole time.

But the point is, Bob now has a choice: he can hurt Alice or not. And we don't want him to hurt her, so we cheer for the idea of him not hurting her.

I'm going to give two examples. Neither is long, or complex, and both are from fairly popular franchises that had installments in 2017 and got sequels this year.

Example 1.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, there's a famous line where Yondu shouts "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" It's been memed to death. It's very funny. It's a great line.

What led up to that line? And no, I don't mean the story about how it wasn't originally in the script (https://screenrant.com/guardians-galaxy-2-yondu-mary-poppins-line-origin/). I mean the actual dialogue from the movie:

"You look like Mary Poppins." "Is he cool?" "Hell yeah, he's cool."

When Yondu asks, "Is he cool?" What he's asking isn't "Is Mary Poppins a cool person?" What he's asking is, "Am I a cool person?"

What he's saying is, "Son, I want you to think I'm cool. I want you to tell me that I'm cool."

What Peter realizes in that moment is "My dad cares what I think about him. I have an opportunity here to hurt his feelings. To absolutely devastate him. Or I can make him happy. I can make him feel cool."

What's happened here is that Yondu has suddenly shown vulnerability. He's made it clear to Peter that he has an ego, and it's fragile, and he worries about what his son thinks of him. He wants to be cool in the eyes of the man he raised. That matters to him.

So when he says "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" What he's saying is "My son thinks I'm cool!"

It's a great moment, and it works because it's a funny joke, and because everyone was on board with Yondu being vulnerable in that moment.

It's easy, when you're a kid, to view your parents as "adults," which are totally separate from you and your kid peers. But they aren't. They're just kids who grew up. Adults care about how they're seen. Not in the same ways, that's for sure. But they care. Yondu cares. He loves his son, even if he was never great at showing it. And, as he floats down with his Mary-Poppins-like wand in hand, he wants to know that his son loves him, too. He gets that confirmation, and it makes him so proud that he shouts it to everyone. "My son loves me, y'all."

Example 2.

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, when you defeat the final story boss, the giant monster made out of pure dark energy using a magical Deus Ex Machina Bow that Zelda herself beams down into your hands (it's bad; it's a bad boss fight, and I hate it), she appears before you for the first time in the game.

If you've been a good player, you've seen her in flashbacks. You've heard her speak to you telepathically. You've slowly regained your memories of how you met her. How you saved her life, back before you were the you are now. How you kept her safe while everyone around her died due to her weakness, and how that devastated her. How you, before you were the you controlled by you, and her, a hundred years before she was the her she is now, became close.

You've remembered who you were, and who she was, and now, a century later, which passed by for you like it was nothing and for her like it was a hundred years, she stands before you. She's everything you hoped she would be. She's a hundred and seventeen years old. The Seventh Sage, the leader of them all, with the Triforce of Wisdom. She held back the Calamity Ganon for 85% of her life, and now she can walk around again.

And she congratulates you on what you've done. She tells you what you, the player, want to hear, as her theme, Zelda's Lullaby, plays in the background. It's boilerplate. It's standard. It's powerful and official and regal.

"I've been keeping watch over you all this time. I've witnessed your struggles to return to us, as well as your trials in battle. I always thought, no, I always believed, that you would find a way to defeat Ganon. I never lost faith in you over these many years. Thank you, Link, the Hero of Hyrule."

Then the music cuts out. It's done. She's done. She's been the Sage who held back the Calamity for so long, but all of a sudden she's just a seventeen-year-old girl again, looking at a boy she likes, and she's afraid, and hopeful, and she needs to know something.

"May I ask… Do you really remember me?"

She's the strongest woman in the world, and she's vulnerable, right then. All of a sudden, none of what happened in the last hundred years matters except that Link lost his memory, and Zelda didn't, and she wants to know that he's regained it and that he knows who she is and who he was and who they were together, back before Link was you. She wants to know that, now that she can walk around and be a girl again, a literal child, that there's someone left in the world who cares about her as much as she cares about them.

Because, if not, what was it all for?

Saving the kingdom? Of course. That's her duty as the Sage. That's what she needed to do. But what she wanted to do, what kept her going, was thinking about seeing her sworn knight and protector once more. Now, here he is, and she isn't sure if he's the same guy or not.

I've written about moments like these before. I wrote about a couple in my Death Stranding essay from a few years back. I won't repeat it here, but I didn't emphasize it in the same way. Maybe it hadn't really clicked for me yet.

Characters need to be vulnerable for me to care about them. I don't want to give examples of characters who are never vulnerable, though I can think of a few.

A lot of movies try to make characters who are vulnerable for a few seconds at a time so we'll care about them. I don't care about that kind of thing, at least, not for the purposes of what I'm writing here.

I wanted to come up with two examples of a character very suddenly revealing vulnerability in a way that is deliberately shocking.

You don't have to share more with me. I think I've made the point I wanted to make, which is that it's pretty goddamn cool when stories do this kind of thing. It's a good thing to do in a story.

[sudoscience]

Assorted shirt-related nonsense from the past few days that's probably only of interest to me, but I felt like telling y'all anyway:

Wearing this shirt at work. Guy comes up and says, "Oh, hey! I listen to that band sometimes." And I tell him I first heard them in Hotline Miami (well, Hotline Miami 2, to be precise), and he's like, "You saw them at a concert in Miami?"

"No, I saw them at a concert in Austin. Hotline Miami is a video game."

"Oh, I don't really play video games."

What? I'm not saying I don't believe him, but how do you know Magic Sword and not Hotline Miami? You're telling me you listen to this

and you don't play video games? I guess they did have a song in the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok(? some MCU movie); maybe that's where he heard of them. Or maybe he thought it was a different band... Idk, just kinda weird/funny.

***

Second story.

Wearing this shirt to a doctor's appointment yesterday. Nurse says, "Oh, I like your shirt. Is that Mary Poppins?" I say, "Haha, no, it's from a video game," and leave it at that.

I guess I can kinda see that? Maybe? But that was a first, for sure.