#but i love it it’s such fun. like remember season one when lydia was masking 24/7 pretending to care more about lacrosse than math

[skywitchmaja]

malydia are sooo fun because they boldly ask the question “what if too lesbians who were sooo autistic in the exact opposite directions? but what if they’re not actually autistic they’re just Like That because they are a harbinger of death and a girl who spent the last several years of her life as a coyote? but what if still, actually really truly and for real, they were both autistic (in the exact opposite directions)?” and they answer is, of course, “well, that would be awesome”

[shimmershae]

Just watched the episode and I’m going to have a lot of thoughts for you, most of them probably bordering on incoherence (LOL) so this is your last chance to nope on out of this post because I’m going to go ahead and put everything else behind a cut to save the eyes that do not want to see any  spoilers at all.  Unlike mine, that very much wanted to see but in a lot of cases?  Could not see shit, but I digress.

Shae’s stream of consciousness coming at you in 3-2-1.  

First of all, can I saw how good it is to have my show back again?  Like, no.  I don’t quite have Season 5 levels of excitement about the new/last season, but it is definitely nice to have all these characters back.  

So all these thoughts of mine.  Okay.  Bear with me because there be a whole lot of them, lol.  

My immediate impression as the episode opened was WHOA.  Such a cool shot of Daryl with one light wing, one dark wing (representing the two sides to Daryl maybe--the man of honor versus the man he was raised to be, hmm?) looking out over some dark vista of something.  Seriously.  It’s dark.  My room is also dark at the moment and still I was squinting to see.  To make out what I’m “looking” at.  I really, really hope the rest of this season isn’t this hard to make out.  

Is that a tank?  Kinda sorta a callback to Rick’s first episode?  If so, cool.  If not, well.  Us fans have always put way more thought into things.  For real.  Change my mind.  

Holy intense eye contact, Batman!  Daryl Dixon has literally never looked at anyone--not BethusConLeah--in quite the same smoldering way as he looks at Carol.  It’s next level.  I don’t know why people be fooling themselves into thinking different.  

Let’s see.  I can make out--besides Daryl, Maggie, and that face mask dude I already forgot the name of--Kelly, Magna, Jerry (who’s that with him?), and Carol.  Sorry.  My world, like Daryl’s, inevitably narrows to Carol.  She’s loking fierce and fine AF per usual.  

Was that Rosita I noticed rewinding to relive Daryl eye-fucking Carol?  

I’m guessing this is the army base they talked about in 10C.  

That Walker perking up like “I smell food--pancakes and bacon and oohhhh” has me giggling inappropriately right off the bat.  WTF.  

Look at all my fabulous ladies tiptoeing through that Walker minefield.  And Carol spotting that gun that might be useful right away.  Listen, if you don’t think her mind ain’t always ten steps ahead of everybody else’s, you’d be wrong.  

So.  Are these Walkers just so old and feeble not even the call of fresh meat attracts them?  Because just tiptoeing through their midst without the knockoff Lady Gaga meatsuits or skin masks has never really worked before that I can remember.  

I just want to see most of this season.  Is that really too much to ask?  Don’t X-Files and Game of Thrones us, Angela.  Please and thank you very fucking much.  

Okay.  Is the one drop of blood thing making anybody else have 28 Days Later vibes?  Kinda?  Sorta?  No?  Just me?  Okay then.  Carry on.  

Wait a minute, though.  How they be explaining how Daryl keeeps acquiring all these new tats all the time?  Hmm?  It’s like they just quit giving a shit about continuity in these latter seasons.  

I mean.  Do Walkers sleep now?  LMAO.  What is this?  I guess they’re constantly evolving?  

There’s my baby Lydia.  Love my smol bean.  

Alright though.  I love to see the ladies of TWD kick some ass.  It’s very gratifying.  Gimps would never.  Thank you, Angela.  

Clever, resourceful, calm and collected, quick thinking Carol to the rescue!  Seriously.  Her haters must be withering away inside with absolute envy.  

Hey, ya’ll.  Remember when Carol was still mastering her sharpshooting skills at the Prison yard and shot at Rick’s feet?  Her little “sorry, sorry”?  LOL.  If Rick could only see her now.  Wait.  He already knew what so many of his stans refuse to acknowledge--Carol=ultimate survivor and true savior to the group many times over.  

Maggie’s got herself a gun, too.  Go my badass girls.  

Of course, Carol’s got everybody’s back.  Of fucking course, Daryl’s got hers even when everybody else seem frozen in some kind of awe or stupification or something.  Microcosm of the whole damn show right there.  

Carol’s like “here’s your knives, love of my life.”   

Eh.  Maybe that’s just me.  

Nah.  She’s totally thinking it, too.  

YAS!  YAS!  Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride with the top billing.  How very far my babies have come.  

Listen.  I miss all the characters we’ve lost.  Absolutely.  But I love the ones that are still with us, that have been with us for so very long so hard.  Whether I love their stories or decisions or not.  

Is that THE Alexandria sign?  That sign’s been through some shit.  

DOG!  Daryl kneeling to embrace our Grimes babies has me all up in my feels.  And how cute is Dog getting all excited and making sure he’s the first one there to welcome back, Daddy?  

Hershel is literally just as puppy dog cute as Glenn ever was.  Really some Grade A casting.  

What did Maggie call Mr. T?  Ducky?  Dougie?  Sometimes with Maggie?  I really cannot tell.  Anyway.  He’s Mr. T. for me until I find out differently, probably through rewatching with close captioning, lol.  

Maggie’s got more people.  So.  Some new redshirts to sacrifice for plot purposes.  I don’t know if I should bother learning their names or not. 

I seem to remember Meridian being mentioned in one of the episode synopses.  

Sophia’s hair tie around Carol’s neck will never fail to be an emotional throat punch.  My heart.  

“They come at night and by the time you see them, you’re already dead.”  Welp.  Guess that means we ain’t seeing shit for at least this first third of the season, lol.  Very horror-eque though.  

“You’re leaving to fight ghosts.”  Aaron, to Maggie.  So I see Aaron’s the type to get the hell outta Dodge when the Boogeyman comes calling, hahaha.  Least he was.  In the old world.  

Rosita’s pissed off expression at Gabe’s decision to volunteer for the so-called suicide mission gives me life.  

My baby Carol is tired AF of suicide missions.  You can tell.  Also?  Methinks she has something to prove to Daryl here.  Or at least feels like she does.  

Dog with his little tactical vest.  I love it.  

I guess I get why they had Carol and Rosita stay behind.  They had to more evenly split up the badassery to make things more fair and balanced, lol.  

Okay.  So Negan’s definitely earned everybody’s disdain.  But they’re being woefully short-sighted by not at least hearing the dude out.  Isn’t he at least native to the area?  

“That is God telling us to turn around.”  I’m actually on Negan’s side with this one, but Gabe answering him with “I’m pretty sure he would have run that past me first” has me howling with laughter.  Father Gabe has gone straight up savage in these last couple of seasons.  Rosita’s influence, perhaps?  

I see what Angela is doing.  Trying to make Negan the voice of reason.  In this particular case?  It’s kind of working.  I’m still ultimately on Maggie’s side with this though BECAUSE GLENN.  

Imagine showing up to work and unironically dressing like a storm trooper every day.  Excuse me while I LOL.  

Even in the ZA, there’s bullshit paperwork.  

“Pumpkin colored spacesuit.”  Good one, Ezekiel.  

LOL forever.  I love Princess.  

“Michonne.  Our Michonne shut people out of Alexandria for years.”  Timely reminder that choices aren’t always perfect.  Neither are people.  

WTF is reprocessing?  Sounds ominous.  LMAO at Eugene’s “Okay.  We gotta go.”  

What in the actual hell with all those bagged, squirming undead?  Creepy AF in that subway tunnel.  

Should I just go ahead and call that the Easter bunny?  We’ve had some version of it pop up since Season 1.  

Is it stubborn pride with Maggie or what?  Why go through with something when all signs point toward the wisdom of stopping?  You can argue that she’s acting similarly to Carol last season, but there’s a huge difference here folks.  Carol did her damndest to Lone Wolf that shit and minimize the danger to those she loved.  Maggie’s straight up enlisting those she “cares about” to carry out her mission of revenge or vengeance, what have you. Let’s see if she gets near the amount of hate for it.  Personally, I don’t blame her for her feelings one bit.  They are valid.  But her knowingly drawing the others into the game?  That’s my sticking point.  That’s how she and Carol differ, even if some people refuse to see or accept it.  Anyway.  Hopping right on off my soapbox.  

“Why don’t you get up on your little tippy toes and try?”  Omigosh, I’d dying.  When I tell you I about passed out with laughter, I do not exaggerate.  I should hate Negan forever and I do.  Really.  But I adore JDM and he frequently makes me LOL.  He’s made Negan entertaining if not completely redeemable since Angela took over and more layered so I say kudos.  

He has a point about Maggie playing dictator.  Damn you, show, for slanting the writing just that smidgen that makes Negan make sense over his victim.  I guess, though, it’s better this way.  Gives both characters more shades of gray.  

“He’s a dick but he makes sense.”  I feel like this is Angela calling us all out when we dare to harbor any lasting resentment toward Negan for what he did to Glenn.  

Speaking of--Negan.  You deserved Daryl’s punch to the mouth.  You just went a bridge too damn far.  

“Keep pushing me, Negan.  Please.”  Warning shots fired, Asshole.  You better watch yourself around the Widow Rhee.  

Have I mentioned how much I love Princess?  Her shipping the Commonwealth guards is killing me, lol.  I can’t wait ‘til she meets Carol and Daryl.  She’s going to have their number in two seconds flat.  

I like Ezekiel and Princess as a duo.  I’m not saying romantically necessarily.  I just like them in scenes together because they’re fun.  There’s sort of a protective indulgence Ezekiel seems to telegraph whenever they’re in scenes together.  Like he’s like don’t hurt this one.  I don’t know.  For all these words I’ve written, I can’t quite find the ones to adequately describe what I mean.  

The wall of the lost gives me such Battlestar Galactica feels.  What sad thoughts it inspires.  

Eugene in that Commonwealth gear.  Omigosh, lol.  So did they just sneak up and take Princess’s little Commonwealth ship’s gear when they were sneaking off on their own to have a quickie?  

Princess finding that note for Yumiko on the wall actually gave me chills.  Yeah.  I’m easy.  Just the suggestion of someone getting reunited with lost family gets me all up in my feels.  Yumiko saying “I have to stay”?  I felt that.  

Oh no.  Dog ran off!  Somebody protect my favorite fictional puppy.  Of course, Daryl goes after him.  He’s always been the sweet one.  Merle said it.  

Eh.  Negan taking Maggie’s hand at the end there would have smacked too much of Negan Sue and Maggie’s biggest plot of the season would have been prematurely dealt with so I get why they did what they did.  But c’mon.  It’s not really that big of a cliffhanger, is it?  

Okay, so Angela calls those sleeping beauty Walkers “Lurkers” and I get it.  Apparently they’re a bigger deal in the comics, but I really don’t remember seeing them all that much on the actual show.  Somebody jog my memory.  

Of fucking course, you can actually see what’s happening in the inside the episode clips.  I wish we could choose to view the episode with that lighting because some of us be blind.  And this time I mean in the more literal sense.  Not the figurative one.  

Anyway.  I’m going to stop trying to write a novel for ya’ll and move on to better things.  Like maybe a nap.  Maybe some early dinner.  I don’t know.  I’m tired AF and need a little recharge.    

Before I go, though?  Overall impression of the episode?  I liked it.  There were parts that I loved (all the ladies being badass, every second of Carol, Daryl reuniting with the Grimes babies and Dog, all things Princess, some of Negan’s one-liners about had me busting a gut, Rosita serving looks, Kelly and Lydia getting to be badass too) and parts I didn’t love (not being able to see a damn thing, Angela trying to tip the scales in Negan’s favor, not enough Carol or Aaron or Rosita, no reunion between Aunt Carol and the Grimes babies even though that picture floating around suggests it was at least shot, not being able to see a damn thing, all the Alexandria people playing follow the leader for Maggie when she’s been gone 6 years and Daryl’s right there--hell, even Father G deserves the honor over her because it’s obvious they’re not exactly on the same wavelength anymore).  

I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m just glad to have our show back.    

Later, lovelies.  

[365days365movies]

April 12, 2021: Mrs. Doubtfire (1992) (Recap)

Hey, Robin Williams. Been a while.

I’m sorry that I haven’t watched your movies for a while, and that I always skip your comedy stand-up when my phone’s on shuffle. I just...let me explain. Since I was a kid, you were one of my favorite entertainers. That might as well have started the day I was born, because...well, we share a birthday, fun fact. But it definitely continued with the first movie I ever saw in theatres.

While I don’t quite remember the first time I saw it, Aladdin was one of my favorite childhood movies, and I knew that you were the voice of the Genie from an early age. You might have actually been the first actor I ever knew by name. Which makes sense, because your stardom during the ‘90s was nearly unparalleled.

The next film I remember seeing (and hearing) you in was Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. That also starred Tim Curry, who would also be a major figure of my childhood. It also wasn’t the best movie, in hindsight, but it is the only time I’ve heard you rap since.

But eventually, I watched your forays into live-action, too. Jumanji, Hook, even the objectively bad Flubber, are all movies that I vividly remember watching during childhood. I was really excited for Flubber, even, and I LOVED Jumanji growing up. I liked Hook, too, but I appreciated that more as I got older.

Of course, during this time period, you also made less family-friendly films. The Fisher King, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam, and What Dreams May Come were all very successful, and cemented your reputation as an actor. I also haven’t seen any of them. In fact...I don’t think I’ve seen any of your dramatic roles, and that’s something that I’ll fix this year. Hell, in a few days, I’ll watch The Birdcage, another of your big hits of the ‘90s.

But why haven’t I seen them up to now? Well...I was going to watch these films, about seven years ago. But...I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. Because it hurts. A lot.

I know that this is a downer, but my relationship with Robin Williams today is tainted by his tragic death. I was fucking BROKEN when his death was announced, and I really haven’t been able to watch him since. I’ve seen Aladdin recently, but that’s about all I could stand to watch. I mean, the guy shares a birthday with me! I’ve always loved his comedy stylings, and his improvisational skills are something I’ve internalized to a certain degree.

So, yeah. This one’s tough. But, it’s about time I moved on, and celebrated the man’s career for what it was: stellar. And that also brings up an important question, that some of you have probably asked by now:

HOW HAVE I MISSED MRS. DOUBTFIRE, WHAT THE FUCK

I KNOW I KNOW OK?

Look, I’m not entirely sure how I haven’t seen this movie, because I’m MORE than aware of it! I remember it airing during the ‘90s, my Dad AND girlfriend love this movie, and I know FOR A FACT that my family owned both the DVD AND THE VHS of this movie! So, how? HOW HAVE I NOT SEEN IT BY NOW?

I honestly have no idea, but let’s fix it now, huh? Yet one more man-dresses-as-woman movie this month! And no, I am not watching White Chicks...because I’ve already seen White Chicks. Also, it’s...problematic.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

 Recap

Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is a voice-actor, and a good one. Which, given that it’s Robin Williams, isn’t entirely inaccurate. He’s also a voice actor with a spine, as he morally objects to a scene in the cartoon that he’s performing for, in which the main character smokes. By the way, I’m 99% sure that this cartoon is animated by Chuck Jones, and it looks well-made.

Anyway, this leads to him quitting the cartoon altogether, and allows him to pick up his kids early from school. These kids are Lydia (Lisa Hykub), Chris (Matthew Lawrence), and Natalie (Mara Wilson), and it’s Chris’ 12th birthday. Daniel arranges a...surprisingly large party, given that it’s completely impromptu, and it comes with a petting zoo and complete trappings. However, it’s not a party of which his wife will approve.

This wife is Miranda (Sally Field), a successful architect and the breadwinner of the family. After getting a call from the neighbor about the party, she comes home and busts the outrageous party. And for the record, I’m entirely on Miranda’s side here. This party is INSANE, and very irresponsible, given the fact that Daniel currently has no job. And yeah, he’s a very loving father, and a good person, but...it’s too much.

Miranda feels the same, and after 14 years of frustration, she realizes that she no longer loves Daniel. In a genuinely sad scene, she tells him that she wants a divorce. And she goes through with it MUCH to Daniel’s detriment. He has no home, as he’s staying with his brother, Frank (Harvey Fierstein) and his partner Jack (Scott Capurro). He also still has no job, meaning that he has no way to provide for his children. This means that he has no ability to provide, and the judge awards Miranda full custody. Oof.

However, this is a conditional arrangement, as another hearing for joint custody will be held in 3 months, and if Daniel can get a home and job in that time, he has a chance. He performs a litany of voices and impressions with his court liason, Mrs. Sellner (Anne Haney), which amuses me, but not her, and he gets a job in order to be with his kids for more than one day a week.

Meanwhile, Miranda IMMEDIATELY starts dating fellow designer and old flame Stuart Dunmeyer (Pierce Brosnan), like, almost before Daniel leaves the house. He bids a heartfelt goodbye to his kids, with the promise that he’ll see them on Saturdays. And now begins the absolute hatred and petty bitchiness of Daniel and Miranda! Seriously, it’s...it’s fucking terrible, and it takes away from my sympathy from either side. I get that divorce is rough and ugly, but GODDAMN, neither of them perform the act with any form of tact or grace.

This is put on display during the kids’ visitation to Daniel’s semi-crappy new apartment, which doesn’t even seem that bad, to be honest. Miranda dropped them off late and picked them up early, as if to slowly starve Daniel of time with his kids, which is extraordinarily shitty of her, fuck me. Daniel’s not taking it well, understandably, but then does something...really dumb, when you think about it.

See, Miranda’s looking for a nanny, to help watch the kids and clean the house during the week. Daniel volunteers his services, which is actually a good idea, but Miranda says she’ll think about it, which we ALL know means no. I DO NOT like Miranda, even if I understand the initial reasons for the divorce. She’s being especially spiteful, and it’s not a good look.

Daniel’s stupid idea, though, is to change the phone number on the ad for the nanny, which Miranda shows him before she takes the kids. Instead, he calls her number, and pretends to be various terrible applicants, until finally supplying his own applicant: the completely fictional Euphegenia Doubtfire (Daniel Hillard).

Daniel plays Mrs. Doubtfire as an elderly British woman, and a seasoned nanny in her day. Which is why it’s weird to me that, when he does to Frank and Jack to help him make an elaborate disguise as Mrs. Doubtfire, that they go through various other impressions and get-ups. Which, yes, is goddamn hilarious, but also makes NO SENSE, given that they’ve already established her character to Miranda. Funny, but nonsensical.

But, regardless, Euphegenis Doubtfire comes into being, and introduces herself to Miranda and the kids. Mrs. Doubtfire is exactly what Miranda’s looking for, although the kids aren’t exactly overjoyed, ESPECIALLY the oldest, Lydia. Also, during this first meeting, Miranda openly bad-mouths Daniel in front of the kids, in just the WORST fuckin’ way. I genuinely dislike Miranda A LOT. Again, the divorce was certainly justified, but I REALLY don’t like her. Daniel loves his kids, and they’re HIS kids, TOO. Stop using them as weapons against him, OOOOOOOOOOOH I DON’T LIKE MIRANDA

Anyway, that evening, after she’s officially been hired by Miranda, Mrs. Doubtfire heads home, only to find court liason Mrs. Sellner waiting to speak with Daniel. After a litany of puns, and a humorous changing scene, Daniel accidentally throws the Mrs. Doubtfire mask out of the window, and is forced to improvise through equally humorous circumstances. Hence, the above meringue mask scene. Has anybody tried that, by the way? Could that work as a groundbreaking beauty technique? Or would the sugar just feed the skin bacteria and give you acne? Genuinely curious.

Now going between his job as Daniel and the nanny job as Doubtfire, Daniel’s not doing too badly for himself. The nanny job begins, and Mrs. Doubtfire IMMEDIATELY contrasts with Daniel, creating a disciplinarian atmosphere in place of Daniel’s formerly loosey-goosey attitude. Which is interesting, and it works! I mean, it’s not how I would parent, but it does work. Doubtfire makes the kids to their homework, rather than watch TV, and then attempts to make dinner. Instead, though, the dinner’s ruined, and Daniel orders takeout and makes it LOOK like homemade food. And it looks good, too! Daniel’s full of hidden talents.

After dinner, as Mrs. Doubtfire’s leaving, Lydia apologizes for backtalking her earlier, and thanks her for making her mom happy with everything she did that evening. he also says that she’s still a bit messed up about her dad being gone. And yeah, it’s sweet-but-sad. 

Going forward (and in a montage set to Aerosmith’s Dude Looks Like a Lady), Mrs. Doubtfire takes care of the family, and Daniel even betters himself to become a better Mrs. Doubtfire. Which...to be honest, Daniel REALLY should’ve done this before. I get that he needed the pressure of losing the kids to do this, but...look, Daniel really wasn’t that responsible of a parent, and the fact that THIS is how he learns to be so is...not great. Like, here’s an example, OK: take Donald Trump.

Yeah, I know, what’s this politics doing in my peanut butter? And WOW, that reference is older than me, but anyway. Let’s say that, in two years, a new politician comes on the scene, and her name is Karyn Walldottir. She has somewhat centrist views, and behaves in a way that’s inclusive to the majority, and backs up her claims and promises with evidence (at least true enough for us to suspend our disbelief). This is, of course, Donald Trump disguised as a woman in order to gain custody of the United States of America again. Naturally.

Karyn Walldottir gets elected in 2024, and all of her policies are markedly different from Trump’s and Biden’s, but leaning closer to Biden in progressive standpoints (assuming that that worked for him come 2024). While Trump is doing this specifically to be president again, he ends up revising his personal policies, and being a better person and president for the country. A literal impossibility, I know. But suspend your disbelief to ask this question:

WHY THE FUCK WOULDN’T HE DO THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE? IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE!

OK, now that that dumbass (and mildly horrifying) thought process is concluded, let’s get back to Mrs. Doubtfire. In the process of Mrs. Doubtfire’s ingratiation with the family, Miranda’s been dating Stu, whom Mrs. Doubtfire subtly insults when they meet. And yeah, Daniel’s being a little petty here, but it makes a bit of sense at least.

That night, after an accidental intrusion by Chris when Mrs. Doubtfire is going to the bathroom, Daniel’s basically forced to tell Chris and Lydia his little secret, which Lydia’s happy about, but Chris is understandably weirded out about. But, they agree to keep the secret from their mom and younger sister.

At his OTHER job, delivering film reels from a TV station, he witnesses the filming of an extremely boring kids educational TV show, and comments as such to another man watching. As he quickly learns, this is the owner of the station, Jonathan Lundy (Robert Prosky), on whom Daniel makes a good impression.

In the meantime, Mrs. Doubtfire has a talk with Miranda about their love lives, real and fictional. Daniel realizes how badly Miranda had been suffering in their marriage, which she never told him because...well, he never seemed to take anything seriously. Which is entirely fair...but this is why Miranda’s a tricky-ass character. She’s got two sides: there’s the justified caring mother and strong woman, and there’s the PETTY ASSHOLE who genuinely doesn’t care about Daniel or his feelings AT ALL. Jesus.

And Stu...look, Stu is LITERALLY a Gary Stu, who’s mostly perfect. Sure, he’s not always been that way, but he definitely is now! He’s responsible, wealthy, in love with Miranda AND her kids. And yeah, at a country club that he’s a member of (OF COURSE he is), he privately badmouth Daniel in front of Mrs. Doubtfire, calling him a loser, and...yeah, he’s not really unjustified in that statement. Fact of the matter is, Stu is barely even a plot device.

Meanwhile, in Daniel’s day job, he finds himself alone in the studio, where the toy dinosaurs from the TV show are still sitting on the table. He plays with them, gives them voices, sings some songs, and impresses Mr. Lundy, who’s there in the shadows after all that. He’s impressed, and invites Daniel to dinner to talk about a potential future show at the network.

But then, it’s also Miranda’s birthday coming up, and Stu’s holding a dinner for her, to which Mrs. Doubtfire is invited. Trouble is, it’s at the OH FUCK IT. YOU know what this is. It’s at the same time and place as the Mr. Lund meeting yaddayaddayadda LOOK. We ALL know how this is going to end. It’s the GODDAMN LIAR REVEALED TROPE AGAIN. And here’s the thing:

I FUGGIN’ HAAAAAATE THE LIAR REVEALED TROPE

You know, that thing in movies (especially family movies of the ‘90s) where somebody starts off a situation with a lie, they get deeper and deeper into that lie, grow close to people under false pretenses, and then OH NO! THE LIAR IS REVEALED! And everybody’s angry and/or sad, the liar slumps off, defeated and broken, but then realizes the error of his ways, while everybody else realizes the same thing, and he comes back to vindicate himself, and is welcomed back with open arms. And it introduces unneeded tension AND I HAVE ALWAYS FUCKING HATED IT.

Let’s list the examples, shall we? A Bug’s Life, Aladdin, Mulan, The Road to El Dorado, Chicken Run, How to Train Your Dragon, Klaus, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Megamind (SUBVERSIVE MY ASS), Over the Hedge, Rango, Toy Story, Steven Universe (the whole Pearl/Sardonyx arc, which went on for WAY too long), the list goes on and fucking on. And I GODDAMN HATE IT. Not to say it can’t be done well. Disney actually usually does a pretty good job with it, and Dreamworks uses it A LOT, but almost always pretty well. But sometimes...GOD. Either way, it’s still used FAR too fucking much. And look. Here’s another one. Joy.

Look, at this point...I will freely admit that I'm biased against this trope, but it’s also obvious where this is headed. Basically, Daniel switches back and forth between the dinner with the family, and the dinner with Mr. Lundy. With Mr. Lundy, he gets absolutely SMASHED. Great. Great decision, Daniel.

So, yeah, Mrs. Doubtfire’s also smashed, which is pretty goddamn apparent to them all. At this point, I’m wondering why Daniel, as Mrs. Doubtfire, didn’t just say she was sick as hell, and had to go home. Or, considering the fact that Daniel proposes her as a show idea regardless, the switch wasn’t even necessary! And that means that none of what’s about to happen, happens. Or, here’s a crazy thought, maybe Daniel shouldn’t have POISONED STU’S FOOD WITH CAYENNE PEPPER THAT HE’S ALLERGIC TO! 

YEAH! Because that causes Stu to go into anaphylactic shock for a hot sec, causing him to choke. Mrs. Doubtfire does the right thing and gives him the Heimlich maneuver, and in the process, SURPRISE! IT’S BEEN DANIEL ALL ALONG! BUH BUH BUHHHHH DA DA DA DAAAAA DA

Yeah, so Miranda is understandably ENRAGED by this revelation, and it’s all over. Daniel represents himself in court at the custody hearing, but the judge deems his “lifestyle” dangerous for children. Which...yikes, Judge, that statement didn’t age well AT FUCKING ALL. But, given Daniel’s admitted stupidity with this whole idea, he’s not wrong about the dangerous part. But, I have to say, Daniel’s speech in his own defense is nice...although he also says he’s addicted to his children, so let’s throw a second yikes on there for good measure.

The speech moves Miranda...but not enough to prevent Daniel has his custody stripped away from him! GOD THEY BOTH SUUUUUUUUCK. Daniel’s a broken man, and Miranda and the kids are similarly broken without him and Mrs. Doubtfire. However...Daniel’s career isn’t broken AT ALL, as Mrs. Doubtfire is now a kid’s show host! Yeah! And she’s a hit! And again, it brings me to wonder why Daniel DIDN’T APPLY HIS OBVIOUS TALENTS LIKE THIS IN THE FIRST GODDAMN PLACE

Realizing that she made a mistake, she goes to the set during the filming of a show. She congratulates him on the show, and he replies by stating how broken he is now! Thanks, Miranda! Well, after an argument, and after Miranda sees how badly she’s messed up someone she used to care for, they come to an agreement: joint custody. FINALLY GODDAMN IT

And good, because I don’t want them back together. I have to give this film props for that: they acknowledge that these two are NOT good for each other, and they deliver a message in the end: families are families, no matter how they’re shaped. One mom, one dad, uncle or aunt, grandparents, adoption, two separated or divorced parents...oh, also, two dads or two moms. Yeah, that isn’t said in Mrs. Doubtfire’s final monologue, which is odd considering Daniel’s brother and his life partner...but it’s also kid’s TV in the ‘90s, so I guess that sadly makes sense. And with that, and their new family arrangement, Daniel takes his kids on an afternoon out, as himself.

...Look. That’s Mrs. Doubtfire, yaddayaddayadda LOOK. I don’t dislike this movie. In fact, here: have this mini-Review:

Cast and Acting - 9/10: Good, although Brosnan was a little stiff.

Plot and Writing - 5/10: It’s an idiot plot, what can I say? It’s actually based off of a book, which was a surprise to me, but it was adapted by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, and...eh. Still an idiot plot.

Directing and Cinematography - 8/10: It’s Chris Columbus, you get what you get. Definitely has that Home Alone flair to it.

Production and Art Design - 8/10: I mean, yeah, the Doubtfire disguise was good most of the time, but...I dunno, I could still tell it was Robin. But, still, it was good. Took 4 hours of makeup, fun fact.

Music and Editing - 8/10: Music by Howard Shore (ooh, Howard Shore!) was pretty nice, especially the ending theme. Editing by Raja Gosnell was...RAJA GOSNELL???

OH GOD. Yeah, OK, I see what happened here. Also, I didn’t know he was an editor! I just know him as the director of the Scooby-Doo films, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, The Smurfs films, Big Momma’s...

...OK, no, I am not doing Big Momma’s House OR the Madea movies. THE TROPE-BUCK STOPS HERE! I am moving on to something else! But, of course, I have to sum this up in a Review. See you there!

[werewolfbarbie]

Halloween Top 5′s

Thought I would start reviewing again! Just not on camera:p for one I want to wait to get back to the review show on Youtube with @breakfast-owl when our new plans come into place and for another I really need to start writing again! So what better time to get my creative juices flowing again then Halloween? 

So for the first week I’m gonna do a Halloween Top 5 List with different categories! 

Today is Top 5 Favorite Cartoons to watch during Halloween. And this won’t be listed favorite to least it’s just my favorite top 5 lol

So here we go!

Top 5 Favorite Cartoons:

1. Danny Phantom: A teenager enters his ghost hunting dad’s Ghost Portal and is fused with Ghost DNA, while unleashing all the ghosts into his town. Now as a half boy half ghost, he uses his new powers to protect the town of Amity Park while surviving high school at Casper High. 

Oh my word I LOVE this show. I remember the day I discovered it. Or when I was introduced to it. I was a little girl hanging out with my cousin and my older brother at Papa and Grandmas. Being that my cousin was older it meant one very crucial thing, HE was in charge of the remote. I really wanted to watch Boy Meets World but he didn’t like the episode that was on. I was about ready to pout (my go to reaction as little Janny, which NEVER worked), when he turned to Nick. Danny Phantom was on and he was so excited. He started telling me the plot and I was soon joining in on the excitement. I would later find out that the episode we were watching was the pilot “Mystery Meat”.  As soon as it was over I wanted more! I went home and waited for the next episode to air. It has been part of my life since and every Halloween I can’t wait to watch it with my friends. 

2. Scooby Doo: Three teens and a talking Great Dane travel the world and solve crimes. Crimes that usually include masked villains pretending to be ghosts vampires and other creatures. 

I’ll be covering this show more with my Movies to watch, to my gosh how can I NOT include Scooby Doo on here?! I don’t even know when I first saw this show. It’s just been in my life that whole time. Turn on the TV, no matter what time, and you’ll probably find it. It’s be rebooted and remade many times and most of the reboots have been pretty good! I watch all of them cuz they always get me pumped for the October celebrations. The best memory I have with Scooby Doo is pretty recent. I was working at a video store (BEST. JOB. EVER.) and it was a brisk Autumn week. I was by myself at the store and no customers. As I was cleaning the place, I put in the dvd’s of Scooby Doo and just felt so excited! I got off work one day and headed over to my friend Kayla’s where we watched more Scooby Doo. This show is just so fun and will never end. 

3. Beetlejuice: A ghost from the Neitherworld and his best friend a teenage girl named Lydia journey between the real world and Neitherworld and numerous adventures. That’s..that’s it that’s the plot. 

Now with the show whenever I talk to people about it, the usual response I get is, “There’s a show?” Beetlejuice the Animated Series is based on the famous film Beetlejuice, with few minor tweaks. For one thing, Beetlejuice (the antagonist of the film) is now the protag of the show and he’s best friends with Lydia from the movie. The Maitlands are not in it and I’m pretty sure Delia is her birth mom instead of step mom. I didn’t watch the movie until recently, (sorry @breakfast-owl I tried to wait but it was on at work!) but I LOVED the musical and got the gist of the film. I love this show. It is so funny, so creative, and so nostalgic! I own the entire show on DVD. In fact to show you my love for this show, I was at Walmart where I had to choose between Danny Phantom and Beetlejuice and I chose that one!! (I love you Danny but it’s BJ! The ghost with the most!!)

4. Darkwing Duck: By night he’s Darkwing Duck, protecting the city of St. Canard from evil doers. By day he’s Drake Mallard, single father raising his adopted daughter Gosalyn. Night and day he’s 100% awesome. 

Okay this one is not a Halloweenie type show per se.. but this show is so much fun to watch during Halloween!! I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia of the show, the way it mostly takes place in the night, the masked crusader and his masked villains, or just cuz I darn well want to! I’ve talked ALOT about this show on my blog and I plan on reviewing it at the end of season 3 of the reboot of Ducktales once I see where the writers are going with him, but for now it’s on this list. It’s just such a good show guys. SO GOOD. 

5. Casper the Friendly Ghost: A friendly little ghost named Casper searches the world for a friend. 

I watch this classic show every Halloween. I love the theme song (yeah the famous one is “Casper” but I love the instrumental one from the old show). It’s a pretty straight forward plot but I just love the mood it puts me in. The artwork is haunting and the characters that Casper interacts in are so entertaining. Despite them being popular, we don’t really see the uncles til later in the show and they aren’t all that mean to Casper. They just wanna make him scary. Wendy is one of Casper’s best friends so I’m glad he got a movie with her later on. Casper is another character that he continued to be remade and rebooted. I’m ready for another! 

So that’s my top five favorite Cartoons to watch during Halloween! Next is my favorite movies. I would love to hear your favorite cartoons!! Feel free to reblog with your response or message me! 

[themurphyzone]

Absolutely Disastrous Ch 14

Ch 14: Anchors Aweigh! Setting Sail to Dewford Town!

Milo, Melissa, Zack, Amanda, Lydia, and their Pokémon emerged from Petalburg Woods without serious injury. Diogee had been a huge help in predicting where flaming tree branches and Slakoth would fall, while Milo’s pocket masks were great tools for avoiding smoke inhalation.

Since the local fire departments already had their Water-types combating the flames and rescuing the local wildlife, they didn’t stick around and continued on their way to Captain Jack’s seaside cottage. 

“Breaking news! The Rustboro Gym and Contest Hall have been destroyed, the Petalburg Woods is on fire, and Ace Trainer Kayla has nicknamed her Kecleon ‘Cleko’. What a beautiful nickname for a beautiful Kecleon! It’s a better name than before, how fortunate for Kayla and Cleko to experience the bond that unites trainer and Pokémon!”

Melissa muted her PokéNav, which was now reporting the detailed shopping habits of students at Lilycove Prep. 

To be honest, it was kinda creepy. 

The cottage overlooked a beach, where many fishermen hooked Magikarp and Tentacool. Zack latched onto Milo as a human shield, which made walking up to the cottage awkward. 

“I need to lay down a ground rule so Captain Jack doesn’t have an incentive to try and strand us on an island: don’t ask why he has a Chatot instead of Wingull,” Milo said. “He’s a bit touchy about that.” 

With that last bit of advice, he knocked on the door and accidentally put a large hole through the middle. Then the rest of the wooden slabs splintered into pieces. 

Captain Jack chased Gary around a table, completely ignoring their visitors and broken door. 

“Hey, Captain Jack!” Milo waved. “Sorry to interrupt, but when you’re done with your game, could you please take us to Dewford?” 

“Milo said you could give us a lift to Slateport,” Amanda added. 

“That was the last strawberry, Gary!” Captain Jack complained. “You know perfectly well it’s the last harvest of the season!” 

Gary twittered and fluffed his tail in Captain Jack’s direction. “Gary deserve! Like getting on nerves!” 

“I’m a reasonable man. I’ll just take the last clementine as payment,” Captain Jack said with a sly grin. 

“RAWK! BAWK!” Gary screeched. 

Captain Jack finally took notice of Milo and his friends, then quickly clamped his hands around Gary’s beak. Gary flapped his wings in protest. “Gary, keep your fowl beak shut around children!” Captain Jack exclaimed. Gary glared at him.  “And no, taking the last clementine does not qualify as cruel and unusual punishment!” 

“Uh, sure. Melissa, Zack, and I would like to go to Dewford please. And Amanda and Lydia are heading to Slateport,” Milo said. 

“The CEO of Mahlson Corp asked us to do a few favors. Do you know Captain Webber by any chance?” Lydia asked. 

Captain Jack frowned. “Ah, yes. The guy who snapped his fingers and claimed it was okay when we capsized on an island because he couldn’t predict the ocean currents properly. The guy who claimed it was okay when he was promoted because his father knows the first cousin of the fleet admiral and I got stuck on potato peeling duty for five years! The guy who opened the oven when I told him not to and utterly ruined my puff pastry so that I could never show my face at a dinner party again!”

“We probably shouldn’t open that can of Wurmple,” Melissa whispered. 

“Anyway,” Zack said slowly, hoping to get Captain Jack focused on navigating and not some years-old grudge with a fellow seagoer. “We just wanna head to Dewford and Slateport.”

“Take the plunge! Take the plunge!” Gary squawked. 

“You don’t mind if we take Gary’s favorite vessel, right?” Captain Jack asked. 

“Nope, we don’t mind at all!” Milo said. 

When Gary’s favorite vessel turned out to be a very old and very foreboding ship, Milo realized that his friends cared deeply about their mode of transportation. 

“Next time, I’ll be the negotiator,” Melissa muttered, deftly avoiding a loose wooden board that promptly crashed into a storage area below. 

Amanda helped Zack into another life jacket. He heavily resembled a traffic light with the three life jackets he’d already donned. 

“Don’t you have enough life jackets?” Lydia asked in concern. 

“Welcome to the S.S Plunge,” Captain Jack said proudly, kissing the faded lettering on the captain’s door. “No storm, stone, or iceberg can strike her down to Davy Jones! She’s virtually unsinkable!” 

Everyone followed Zack’s example and put on another life jacket. 

“I’ve never been on a ship that wasn’t sinking before,” Milo admitted as Captain Jack undid the restraints that tied the S.S Plunge to the docks. He caught Zack’s bewildered look, then realized that was probably not the best reassurance to give someone who was deeply afraid of what lurked below. “Sorry, Zack.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Zack shrugged. “Though let’s try to keep the fish Pokémon out of the boat, alright?” 

“Do you have Jellicent in Hoenn?” Lydia asked. She peered at the ocean closely. “We’re always told to avoid their territory at sea. It’s said they make homes out of underwater ship graveyards, and if you wander too close, they’ll drag you down into the abyss where you’ll never be seen again.” 

“We don’t have Jellicent here,” Melissa said. “I’ve only seen them when Milo and Sara begged me to stay for an all-night Dr. Magnezone marathon.” She rubbed her arms in embarrassment. “I was jumpy for days after that...” 

“Episode 79: ’The Depths of Bermuda Bay’,” Milo said, grinning at the memory of Melissa clinging to a pillow when the red-eyed Jellicent flitted across the screen. He’d seen her face runaway Camerupt with nothing but a stuffed Snubbull and a lanyard, but seeing her afraid of a puppet where the stitching was highly visible was downright surreal. 

That particular episode was infamous for its creepy imagery in the Dr. Magnezone community. 

Lydia sighed in relief. “I’m glad. Their tentacles creep me out so much.”

The S.S Plunge shuddered and lurched forward, sending everyone crashing to the floor. 

“Sorry!” Captain Jack said hastily over an intercom. “She’s just pulling out of port. We’ll be in Dewford in an hour and a half, give or take a few minutes!”

“Since we have a while, who wants to help me record the events that happened so far?” Melissa asked. “This’ll be a great baseline for the life story I plan to sell.” 

One hour later, Milo and Diogee had settled into their niche of driving away hungry Wingull while everyone else helped Melissa remember the important things. They had fun embellishing their run-in with Team Magma in Rusturf Tunnel. 

“So then Torchic and Shroomish are hanging on by a thread, an inevitable defeat drawing closer, then Marshtomp suddenly appears to save the day!” Lydia exclaimed. 

“Or we could say that Treecko used his speed to confuse them, allowing Milo to swoop in and take both Gary and the briefcase,” Amanda suggested. 

Zack rolled his eyes. “Why do all your suggestions involve Milo and his Pokémon ultimately defeating Team Magma? What are Melissa, Bradley, and I doing?” 

“You were incapacitated due to the Whismur,” Lydia replied. “Besides, the leader of the group is always the one who does the confronting. The rest of the party usually gets preoccupied with other things.” 

“Since when is Milo the leader?” Zack asked. 

“Since he got the gene for good charisma,” Melissa replied. “Keep ‘em coming, everyone. These are gold so far!” 

“Zack, look! I’m king of the world!” Milo laughed as he ran up to the bow of the ship, spreading his arms wide as the cool sea breeze whipped around him. 

Zack stood a safe distance away while Diogee held onto Milo’s life jackets with his teeth to prevent him from falling. Upon closer inspection, the railing didn’t hold much integrity.

Milo stepped back just as part of the railing broke off and dropped into the rippling ocean below. Then the ship lurched again, and Diogee lost his grip on Milo. Milo stumbled over the edge, though his fall was broken by a lifeboat. 

“Milo overboard!” Zack hollered. Milo heard Zack’s frantic footsteps as he tried to figure out a way to help. 

“Zack, it’s okay! I have a grapple!” Milo yelled, He waved the rope above his head and threw it as far he could. He tugged, frowning slightly when the line didn’t feel tight enough to support his weight. 

He pulled back to try again, only to jump out of the way as a blur suddenly crashed into the lifeboat and made the entire structure sway. Milo braced himself against the seat until the rocking stopped. 

“Sorry, Zack!” Milo apologized as he removed the hook from the hem of Zack’s jeans. 

“The Charmander are singing...” Zack giggled, still dizzy from his fall. 

Don’t worry, we’ll get you up, Melissa had texted. 

Ten minutes later, everyone clung onto life preservers and tried to keep the saltwater out of their mouths as Captain Jack towed them into Dewford Town. 

Dewford Town: Trendy phrases! Trendy surfing! Trendy fishing! Are you on the cutting edge of Hoenn trends? 

The billboard featured a supermodel and her Marill striking a flashy pose. 

“It’s been five minutes, and I’m already sick of hearing the word ‘trendy’,” Melissa said. “Amanda and Lydia are so lucky.” 

Amanda and Lydia only spent enough time in Dewford to change into dry clothes before hurrying back to the S.S Plunge. They hadn’t been interested in exploring since they heard three different people declaring their everlasting love for potion festivals. 

Captain Jack agreed to come back to Dewford when he finished taking Amanda and Lydia to Slateport. Thankfully, he had no hard feelings about the damage the S.S Plunge sustained during their little voyage. 

Besides, Milo had grown up on Dr. Magnezone. He could handle a little obsessiveness based around trendy sayings. 

“BIG LAUNDRY! I NEED MERCHANDISE OF BIG LAUNDRY!” someone screeched into a megaphone. 

“Big laundry is so two days ago,” a posh man sniffed. “Potion festivals are in.” 

“Potion festivals should be incorporated into everybody’s daily lives!” a woman sobbed. “I can’t live without potion festivals!” 

Then again, Milo knew what Dr. Magnezone fans were talking about. 

“I don’t know nothin’ about paintings! And we wouldn’t tell ya cause youse obviously one of dem potion festival wackos!”

“We be makin’ ye talk, landlubber!” a familiar voice snarled. 

As Milo, Diogee, Melissa, and Zack headed south, they caught a glimpse of a trio in blue bandanas and scruffy, cheap pirate clothing from a Halloween store cornering an old woman against the sand dunes. 

“Do you know who we are?” the only woman in the trio taunted, pointing to the skull-like ‘A’ in the middle of her bandana. “Team Aqua, scourge of humanity! We take what we want, and that includes information!” 

The third member of the trio remained silent, coolly watching his teammates try to wheedle information out of their would-be informant. His bandana was set low over his eyes, hiding all but his dark, prominent eyebags from view. 

Diogee jumped between the old woman and the Aqua members, crouching low and growling. 

“I thought Officer Elliot carted you off,” Melissa said to Patchy, who stepped back after Diogee waved his horn at him. 

“Aye, but there be only three sea shanties a man can take,” Patchy leered. “I know ye three scallywags. And I be not the forgivin’ type.” 

He threw a Poké Ball and released an aggressive-looking fish Pokémon. Zack eyed the razor-sharp teeth warily before sending out Treecko. 

“Zack, stick to long-range attacks,” Milo advised. “Carvanha has the Rough Skin ability. Its skin is super abrasive and can really hurt Treecko if you use contact moves.” 

Zack nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.” 

“Mari! John!” Patchy barked. “I be needin’ assistance!” 

Mari eagerly jumped in with her Masquerain, and Melissa sent out Torchic to cover Treecko’s weaknesses. Patchy and Mari forgot the old woman entirely, but John intercepted her as she tried to sneak off and whispered something in her ear. 

The old woman pointed frantically at a nearby cave, and John let her go with a curt nod. She muttered something about potion festival hooligans before rushing back to town, unwilling to stay any longer than she had to. 

“What are you waiting for, John?” Mari called. “Send someone out already so we can crush ‘em!” 

John crossed his arms. “Not worth my time and effort,” he grunted harshly. “Unlike you bozos, I choose my battles wisely.” 

Carvanha barely managed to intercept a Fire Spin intended for Masquerain. 

“And I also pay attention to what my opponents are doing,” John added. 

Mari growled. “That was cheap, you brat!”

“Not my fault. You gave me the opportunity,” Melissa shrugged. “Fire Spin again!” 

“Oh no you don’t! Use Water Sport!” Mari yelled.

Bubbles formed along Masquerain’s body just as Fire Spin engulfed it. Melissa pursed her lips when the bubbles cushioned the majority of Fire Spin’s damage. 

Meanwhile, Carvanha bit down on Treecko’s tail and refused to let go. Treecko winced but didn’t cry out in pain, and Zack was watching the thrashing Water-type carefully in case it flailed in his direction. 

“Torchic, get Carvanha off Treecko!” Melissa shouted. 

Torchic scored her feet against Carvanha’s side, and it let go of Treecko with an angry snap of its teeth. Torchic hopped from foot to foot, chirping in pain from Rough Skin.

Torchic and Treecko lost their footing due to Masquerain’s Gust, slipping against the sand as they struggled to their feet. 

“Melissa, we need a plan!” Zack said frantically as Treecko was hit by a Hidden Power from Carvanha. It didn’t seem to be a type that was super-effective against Grass, but it still did a number on Treecko. 

“I’m trying! But she just has to have Water Sport and—Torchic, roll!” 

Torchic narrowly avoided a Bubble attack, then sent an Ember at Masquerain. It managed to clip the edge of Masquerain’s left wing, but didn’t do enough damage to slow it down. 

“Treecko, Bullet Seed on Carvanha!” Zack ordered. 

“He be an annoyin’ one,” Patchy said. “Use Rage!” 

Carvanha charged at Treecko, its body illuminated by a dangerous red light. Treecko fired a barrage of seeds to counter, but Carvanha broke through after a brief stalemate and slammed into Treecko. 

Treecko skidded across the beach, landing partway in the surf. 

Diogee snarled as Zack shouted at Treecko to get up, but Milo held him back. Diogee’s interference would be heavily frowned on by both sides, regardless of their morals.

Torchic held her opponents at bay with Fire Spin for now, but she would eventually be overwhelmed. 

“You have to help, Treecko!” Zack insisted. “We can’t let these Aqua goons win!” 

“Who’re you calling goon, brat?” Mari snarled. “Just for that, you’re going down first! Finish that Treecko with Gust!” 

“Don’t let that Gust hit Treecko!” Melissa yelled.

Ember interfered with Masquerain’s ability to produce a wind blast strong enough to knock out Treecko, but Torchic was wide open for Carvanha. 

“Argh, Bite that wee chick and don’t let go!” Patchy crowed. 

Carvanha clamped down on Torchic’s head and brushed its fins against her feathers, its Rough Skin crippling her further. 

Melissa reluctantly held up Torchic’s Poké Ball, ready to forfeit her part in the battle. Torchic wouldn’t last much longer at this rate. 

Diogee took several steps towards the surf, and Milo followed to make sure he didn’t jump into the middle of the battle. Diogee seemed incredibly curious about the white, glowing body lying in the surf. The body grew taller, and a white, leafy projection grew from its head. 

“Zack, Treecko’s evolving!” Milo called. 

Zack gasped as the white glow faded and his Grovyle’s brilliant green and red scales shone in the sunlight. 

Grovyle shook the water out of his leafy tail, then fixed his opponents with a stern glare. 

“Can you still fight?” Zack asked. 

Grovyle slashed the air in confirmation. 

Zack grinned, and while Mari and Patchy floundered for strategies on how to deal with Grovyle, Torchic cried out as a blinding white glow covered her body. 

Melissa shrieked with glee as two long arms tipped with sharp claws emerged from Torchic’s torso. “Dislodge that Carvanha, Tor-no, Combusken!” she screamed triumphantly. 

Combusken yanked a shocked Carvanha off her head, and Patchy screamed in rage as she drop-kicked it straight into Masquerain. Masquerain squealed as Carvanha slammed into it. Rough Skin dug into its wings, and the ability had suddenly become a hindrance for the Aqua Goons. 

“Turn off Rough Skin!” Mari shouted at Patchy, glaring daggers at him. 

“Lassie, I would, but-” 

“Well?” 

“’Tis beyond me mind.” 

“THEN FIGURE IT OUT, SEAWEED BREATH!” 

Grovyle disappeared, then reappeared behind Masquerain as it shook sand out of its wings. The Grass-type slashed downwards, and Masquerain slammed into the sandy ground, too exhausted to continue. 

“That was Aerial Ace!” Milo shouted. “Grovyle knows Aerial Ace! That move is super cool! My dad’s Absol knows it!” 

Zack grinned. “Awesome.” 

Mari huffed disdainfully as she recalled Masquerain. “Patchy, you better beat them for me.” 

But Carvanha stood no chance against a powered-up Fire Spin and Bullet Seed combo and fainted without landing a hit on either Combusken or Grovyle. 

Patchy recalled Carvanha, but he didn’t seem too angry with his loss. “Eh, ‘tis a good fight,” he said. 

“This isn’t over!” Mari howled. “John, let me borrow your Pokémon! It wouldn’t take much to beat them now!” 

“You lost valuable time by taunting instead of attacking,” John stated coldly. “You lost it when your opponents evolved. You didn’t take advantage of Combusken’s Flying-type weakness, nor did you rely on Masquerain’s strengths.”

Mari opened her mouth to protest, but John beat her to the punch. 

“My Pokémon don’t tolerate incompetence.” 

“Aye. He has a point, he has,” Patchy agreed. “The scallywags won fairly, and ‘tis a disgrace to claim otherwise.” 

Mari let out a wordless scream of rage and stalked off. Patchy followed her, though he kept his distance. 

“Boy.” 

Milo blinked, then realized John was addressing him. It was hard to tell since his eyes were hidden. “Um, me?” Milo awkwardly pointed to himself. 

John snorted. “No, the piece of seaweed to your left. Yes, I’m talking to you. You have an Absol.” 

Milo glanced at Diogee, whose eyes flitted between Milo and John, unsure of the Aqua member’s threat level. “He’s a great partner,” Milo finally said. 

“Keep him close,” John advised. “You might need him a lot sooner than you’d expect.” 

“Of course,” Milo agreed. 

John trudged away, kicking up sand as he grumbled about his ridiculous coworkers. 

“I don’t get those guys at all,” Zack said. 

Melissa released Combusken from a celebratory hug and made a note on her phone. “Maybe I should add another charge for every questionable hire Dakota makes for his team,” she mused. 

They made a brief stop at the Pokémon Center to heal Combusken and Grovyle, then began asking the locals for directions to Granite Cave. Unfortunately, most of them believed they were either potion festival hooligans or big laundry punks and refused to give them any useful information. 

“Is there anyone in this town who isn’t crazy?” Melissa sighed, throwing a rock into the ocean in frustration. 

“WHOO-HOO! HEY, YOU ON THE BEACH! MOVE IF YOU DON’T WANNA GET SWAMPED!” someone shouted. 

A strange figure rode a giant wave, surfing rapidly towards the beach at an alarming pace. Diogee dragged Milo out of the way as Melissa and Zack took cover behind a cluster of boulders. The wave crashed onto the beach with a resounding roar, depositing a speedboat that had been painted to resemble a heavily fortified castle and its rider on the sand. 

The rider took off her helmet and squeezed the water out of her long, blonde hair. 

“Veronica?” Milo gasped. 

“Long time, no see, Milo!” Veronica grinned. Diogee circled her excitedly, and Veronica laughed as she stroked his head. “Aw, Diogee’s grown so much! You’ve been taking real good care of each other!” 

“You know each other?” Zack asked.

Milo nodded. “Melissa, Zack, this is Veronica. She was the best babysitter I’ve ever had! Haven’t seen her in like, a lot of fortnights, but she’s still awesome! And she gave me this backpack!” 

“I always wondered why you were attached to that thing,” Melissa remarked. 

“Last babysitter standing,” Veronica stated proudly. “I’ve also added pizza delivery girl and Dewford Gym Leader to my skillset. You up for a challenge, Milo? Cause I have a Knuckle Badge with your name on it.” 

AN: The S.S Plunge is the name of the ship that takes Dakota to the Island. It’s in the background when Dakota is at the docks and looking for the ship.

ORAS’ default trendy saying is Potion Festivals. Unfortunately, you can’t mix and match to get the dumbest or most risque sayings like in Gen 3.

Team Aqua returns! I was listening to Heroes of Hoenn while writing the battle scene. It helps if you really want that triumphant feeling.

The anime does establish that Rough Skin has an off switch, but Patchy hasn’t figured that out.

Veronica is awesome.

[skeletonwoman]

Omeg-awd (Derek)

this title has like .5% of anything to do with this fic but i don’t know if i’ll ever have another omega-centric fic and i’m not one to let titles pass me by so here you go bby

Warning: PTSD behaviours, panic attack and 

Request:  what if you were an omega that has come to beacon hills and Derek oddly has a sweet spot for you. Only problem is you've been through hell and is very flinchy and scared all the time. (Can be whatever you think fits best) I dont know if this is good, but if I'm not gonna write it might as well ask someone who can

ily requester

“You obviously like her.” Scott sighs, watching as Lydia holds a purple dress up to you.

“I- What? I’ve never liked- I’ve never liked anyone in my life!” Derek scoffs, gaping comically and Peter huffs a soft chuckle.

“I can attest to that.”

You peek over your shoulder at the three of them, a small smile on your lips and Derek feigns a blank mask.

Holding your ground, you pressed your lips together hard and watched the alpha circle you. You couldn’t help quaking just the minutest bit with every step he took.

Bowing your head, you stared hard at his feet, trying to pretend that there weren’t four others in the clearing with you.

“What’s your name?” The alpha demands and you take a slow, steadying breath.

“Y/N.” Your voice doesn’t waver and it fills you with a flimsy confidence. You might by as jumpy as a doe in hunting season, but you’ve always had a steady voice in the worst of circumstances.

“What’re you doing in our territory, Y/N?” The alpha stops circling and instead stands above you like a god. Your skin crawls.

The others around him step up beside him, nearly even with him and while it’s unusual, you’re not about to question this hierarchy.

“I’m an omega, I only do one thing.” You snip, clenching your teeth once the words are past your lips. Bracing for a blow, you try not to quiver as the moment drags.

“That’s fair.” The alpha seems to chuckle and it makes your insides curdle. Exhaling a breath through your teeth, you let your eyes flicker to the men and women around him, but it doesn’t help. “Are you looking for sanctuary or passage?”

One of his people grunts, or snorts, and you shiver at the sound. The brush behind you shakes and you nearly trip in your tiny jump forward.

“Check it out.” The alpha orders and one of them peels away, the girl, and he exhales a sigh. “You’re welcome to remain in our territory for as long as you need, I don’t expect you’ll hang around long.”

“I won’t, I promise.” You gasp, letting your gaze flicker to where his heart rests.

“None of my pack will harm you while you’re here. What’s the word…” He’s telling the truth and you don’t even notice the soft answer from his side and the short jokes between him and whoever answered him.

“Look! A squirrel.” The woman calls, throwing a bloody little mass of fur between you and the alpha and your fingers twitch. You want it. So badly, you’re so bad at catching anything to eat.

“What the f- Dammit, Malia.” The Alpha snaps, taking a few steps back and your hand snatches forward and you hold the squirrel in a tight grip.

“Is this for real?”

“Scott.”

“Why is she…? Wait, what?”

“Tell her she can’t have it.”

“Why, she wants it?”

“It’s probably diseased, tell her she can’t have it.” The insistence of the voice worries you. Maybe he wants the squirrel, and you’d have to give it up.

“Drop it.” The Alpha orders and your fingers release the bloody morsel automatically and you hear one of the three relax. Your gaze doesn’t move from the wasted meal. In the dirt, discarded. “We’ll feed you.”

The red-haired girl gazes at you curiously. Malia sits across the room, watching you pityingly. The Alpha consults with the Insistent Voice from earlier and the human.

“What was your name again?” The red-haired girl asks and you stare at her for a second, stock still before you chew fast and swallow hard.

“Y/N.” You answer, ducking your chin and filling your mouth with another forkful of the fried rice.

“Has anyone told you who we are?” She asks and you shake your head once, not looking up. She’s high ranked, with how disregards the Alphas presence. Even Malia, who was in the field at his side, gravitates around him.

“I’m Lydia.” She says, ducking some and forcing you to meet her eyes. “The other girl over there is Malia, and the human over there’s name is Stiles.”

You track the people as she says their names, watching as they individually look up at the sound of their name before avoiding your gaze.

“Beside Malia sits Isaac, and on the couches are Liam, a Beta and Mason, the human.” She continues and you inhale a long breath, your head tilting as you take in the boy beside the human. His cheeks flush and his body tilts toward Mason as if for a shield. “Beside Mason is Cory, a Chameleon.”

A chameleon.

You blink at the rarity owlishly. You’d never met one but your mom had told you legends of them and where they sat on the fence. They might not have danced along it like Banshees, but they sat on it, their legs swinging over the side of the living. The subtle opposite of the Wild Hunt.

You’d loved her legends of the realm of the living dead. Banshees who were queens of an entire hidden world. Hell hounds who ran into a battle like an avenging knight and walked out of a pile of corpses and back to their waiting Banshee.

When she’d spoken of the dead realm, it’d always put chills down your spine but you couldn’t deny the curiosities.

But in all the legends, nothing was clearer than that the Banshees were rulers, above Alphas, the Wild Hunt, the Hellhounds and any other creature that faced against them. Chameleons included.

“Those two girls are Kira and Allison. Allison is another human, from a Hunter family-” You flinch violently before you can brace and Lydias words die on her lips. You want her to continue, but you’ve made it weird and your throat is getting tight.

Setting down your fork, your eyes go to the closest exit.

“And by our Alpha over there is Derek Hale.” She continues hurriedly and your racing heartbeat slows. That’s a name.

A huge name.

Your eyes slide over the dark-haired man, the insistent voice, and he stares right back at you. You remember your mother making jokes about betrothing you to “the little Hale prince”. She made the joke so often, for a while you thought it was a fact, that he was a prince and you’d become a princess.

Instead, your world had come crashing down with a rogue alpha and a pack of hunters that’d been tracking him.

“Scott is our Alpha. A true alpha.” Lydia continues, though your gaze hasn’t broken from Dereks until the words work themselves into your brain. Suffused with amazement, your gaze clashes with the Alphas and the kindness in his eyes drains the blood from your face.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.” Scott smiles and you drop your gaze. Shovelling in another mouthful of food, you chew fast.

“She needs new clothes, any unperishable food she can carry, new shoes and either a haircut or a hairbrush.” Derek says, drawing Scotts attention, and yours right along with it.

“Sure, sure. What else?”

“I can’t remember, we just need it fast. I remember Mom didn’t meet many omegas, the territory had too much status, but mostly, they were gone before she could help them.” Derek continues, the stench of grief wafting from his pores. You feel your own rise up to meet it and his gaze flickers to you curiously.

“You’ll look so pretty, you just have to wear this.” Lydia fusses about you, throwing the dress in her hands onto the couch and picking the brush back up. Your new haircut had your hair much shorter and there were no knots anymore.

You squeak softly as she roughly tears the brush through a knot. Maybe a few domestic knots, the kind of knots of a pack wolf.

Across the room Derek is scowling at Scott and Peter. His ears are a soft pink and you feel a surge of affection for him.

“Derek.” You say, glad when the three of them look up. Beckoning the wolf to your side, the other two share a look and smile that doesn’t make much sense. “I’m confused about what is happening tonight?”

Lydia pauses in brushing your hair and she shares a look with Derek. They think something wrong, obviously. You’re rescuing him from his family.

“We’re all just going to a club because Malia bullied everyone else into a night of dancing.”

A growl sounds across the room and you feel yourself go still, your gaze boring into Dereks eyes.

The quick movement of his hand has you flinching, even though you don’t feel threatened by him. His eyes cloud over, and you let your gaze drop to the hand that had just flipped over. You stare at the palm before you, watching him slide it toward you.

Lifting your own hand, you hesitantly set it in his and he exhales a relief filled breath.

“You’ll be safe, we’ll all be right there and if you want to leave at any time, I hope you’ll come to me before any of the others. Any reason to cut tonight short.” He grumbles playfully and you nod, letting a smile twitch at your lips.

“I’ll find you.”

“Good.”

“Let’s get you dressed.” Lydia says, pulling your hand from Dereks and snatching up the dress. You don’t look back as you follow her, the muscles in your shoulder tight and ready if someone tries to jump you from behind.

The music is twenty shades of too much, to say the least.

You’d been groped, in turn nearly revealed your supernatural secret, whisked from the dancefloor, plied with bitter alcohol that did nothing for you and all night you’d been ducking left and right from imaginary foes.

You’re safe, you’ve been told, assured and promised that you’re safe but your body just can’t compute and every time someone throws their arms in the air you’re filled with raw fear.

Dereks arm rests over your shoulders and you’re tucked tight into his side.

You feel bad, you’re cramping his style and ruining his fun night but every time you try to move, he gives you half a glare and you sigh and lean back into him.

“We can leave in half an hour.” Derek whispers to you, the words flimsy compared to the thumping beat and you’re glad of your werewolf ears.

Scott shoots him a look from across the table and Derek smirks at the young alpha.

“We don’t have to go, I don’t want to ruin your night.” You whisper back and he laughs, sighing lazily as he presses his forehead to yours. His breath runs over your lips and you force yourself not to tilt your face and bridge the tiny gap that separates your lips.

You’re torn up inside and you can’t let anyone love you until you’re better, it’s just better that way.

“C’mere.” Derek rumbles, his expression lazy and sleepy. He looks warm, rumpled and comfy and you ache to do just as he says.

“I- I can’t, I need to get the- thing.” You say, instead darting around the back of the couch, only to scream as he captures you and pulls you over the back and into his arms. Your heart races a mile a second and you feel your muscles lock up.

It’s Derek, you know it’s Derek, but you can’t physically see him and your brain feels like it’s going to explode.

“Y/N, inhale.” Derek orders softly, adjusting your paired positions so his eyes fill your gaze and you feel yourself hiccup on nothing, panic filling you the more you try to inhale. His warm palm settles over your mouth, stilling you and you blink at him. “I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry.”

His palm leaves your lips and you inhale a short breath, the panic leeching from your skin.

“I shouldn’t have done that, I didn’t think, I’m so sorry.” He says, his worry stark in his expression and you nod. You’re not going to say it was okay, it wasn’t.

“I accept your apology.” You say, the words even and devoid of emotion and a smile twitches his lips.

“Thank you. I’m still sorry.” He agrees, raising his hand slowly enough for you to stop him, before he tucks a lock of your hair behind your ear. When he doesn’t make a move to remove his hand, you sigh and he presses his forehead to yours.

Love, want and affection fill the air, spiced with touches of need and regret.

You’re dizzy on the scent and your eyes fall closed to breath in the sweet smell.

“I’m sick.” You say before he can make a move and he nods a little, your head moving with the movement. “I want to get better.”

“You will.”

“Alone.”

“I know.” He answers, a smile in his voice and it makes you pause.

“You’re- You know and you’re-”

“I’ve been there and I get it, I’ll be whatever you need when you need it. We all will.” He promises and you feel the wound up feeling in your chest unravel, your body melting against his and the couch back. “You have a home here, you have a home with me.”

excuse my awkward randomized capitalization of the wolf terms (idk, honestly)

also excuse any mistakes and ugly bits that’re in there- soz

[themachiavellianpig]

The Walking Dead, Episode 14: The Mourning After

Episode 14 of the Walking Dead, and we get to see all sorts of people trying to deal with their many and varied sorts of problems - some far, far more successfully than others. 

Full review and spoilers below. 

After last week's excellent but very focused arc, it was a little comforting to find ourselves back in one of the Walking Dead episodes with multiple ongoing plotlines - three sets of characters all working their way through things, and one fun adventure in the hopes of making new friends. 

We'll start with the fun adventure, because it was genuinely pretty fun. The time has come for Eugene to go and meet Stephanie, his Friend with a Radio and, to his credit, he doesn't actually just vanish off by himself. Breaking some of the rules laid down by Stephanie, he finally tells the few survivors of Hilltop what he's been doing, after the gentlest of nudges from Rosita. He doesn't make excuses for not telling them earlier, and he doesn't waste a lot of time getting defensive when they're angry - he just wants to be able to believe in people again. 

It's a nice line of thought, especially given how difficult the communities have found things since the Saviour War, and it's especially nice that Ezekiel, who literally built an entire kingdom on little more than hope and a good voice for Shakespeare, backs Eugene up in his quest for hope - both when talking to the other survivors and by volunteering to go along on the adventure. Yumiko also goes along, for reasons that are a little murkier, but probably have something to do with vague optimism and the need to give Magna a little space after, well, everything. 

This most unlikely of trios sets off - but not before we get a very sweet scene between Ezekiel and Jerry, who say goodbye just in case. Adorably, Jerry's concerns about Ezekiel going on the adventure aren't because Ezekiel's sick, but simply because Jerry's going to miss him. It's entirely fitting that Ezekiel passes the legacy of the Kingdom to Jerry, who always worked so hard for a king and an ideal he believed so much in. I would very, very much like to see more of Jerry in the future, please and thank you. 

On their merry adventure, we see two walkers trapped in a cage (deeply concerning), Ezekiel struggle to take out two other walkers (also deeply concerning) and then a horse having to be put down because it's been bitten (deeply unsetting). Interestingly, I don't think Ezekiel has told Yumiko and Eugene about his illness - he makes one attempt to get Yumiko to agree to leave him behind if he should "fall", but it was too vague to tell if Yumiko knew why Ezekiel was suddenly so concerned with slowing the group down. 

Finally, one horse short, the group arrives at the edge of the city. And there they find some super messed up tableaus of "normal" life, made with actual walkers in the place of all the people - and these are still active walkers, chained in place but still biting. What the heck. 

Ezekiel finds the whole thing pretty funny - although he stops laughing pretty quickly when a young woman in a bright pink jacket with a machine gun, appears out of nowhere and starts yelling greetings. 

I cannot wait to see what that's all about next week. 

Meanwhile, we get some answers to the whole "what the heck is Negan up to?" question that has been tormenting us for a while now. As the fandom predicted, it was Carol who let Negan out of his cell with orders to find Alpha and take her head. In exchange, he would get a hero's welcome back in Alexandria. Negan's only concern with such a plan, interestingly enough, was the potential for the whole thing to blow up in Alexandria's face if he screwed up, nevermind that Negan himself would almost certainly be dead in such a situation. 

Back in the present day, Carol finally gets to put the head of her enemy on a spike and then, much to Negan's displeasure, swans off by herself to do a little processing. Carol is, I think it's safe to say, a pretty darned complicated character at the best of times, although I would dearly like it if the writers could stop killing children to make her character suffer. We've seen Carol mourning before, and we've seen Carol pull away from the group in times of stress. At the end of season 6, she exiled herself from Alexandria, remember, when she could no longer accept what she herself was willing to do for the people she cared about. 

So it's not all that surprising that her plan post-Alpha is to get the heck out of dodge. This time, the plan is to get a boat and head out on the water again - but that plan is pretty neatly derailed by the guilt-induced hallucination of Alpha which invites herself along for the ride. 

Samantha Morton is a fantastic actress, and it's really nice that we got some more scenes with her - the version of Alpha that apparently lives in Carol's head is gloriously bitchy and spiteful, calling Carol out for lying to herself ("I want to be alone." / "That's not it.") and dredging up all the old wounds, from Ed's low opinion of his wife to all the children Carol's lost along the way. 

The title of the episode always made it very clear that this episode was going to be about Carol - the phrase "look at the flowers" being so tightly tied up with maybe one of the worst days of Carol's life - and I'm glad that, in the end, Carol made the decision that she didn't want to die, and that she didn't want to be alone. She chooses, at the end, to return to Alexandria. No one asks her to, no one makes her, and I hope that the fact that she made that decision entirely by herself is a sign that she's finding her way through what has happened to her and what she's done to others. 

Finally, we get to see Negan and Daryl interacting properly for the first time in, I think, years. Negan, realising that Carol is not going to walk him back through the gates of Alexandria like a conquering hero, heads back to the hut where he stashed Lydia - only to find a really pissed-off Daryl waiting for him instead. Crossbow to the face, it never gets old. 

Negan's attempts to explain himself go maybe a little worse than he was hoping - with the only other conspirator AWOL, he does look incredibly guilty and he more of less freely admits that. His attempts to prove what he's done are poor - Alpha's mask proves nothing, really, and even taking Daryl to visit the spike when Carol left Alpha's head is unfortunately ruined by the fact that Beta has already taken the head - more on that later. 

Unfortunately, while at the spikes, they are sadly surrounded by a handful of the Whisperers, who recognise Negan as their new Alpha. Daryl ends up being the one tied up, on his knees and surrounded by enemies, and there's a brief moment when Negan really leans into the whole "maybe I will be the new Alpha" thing, largely because he's a huge Drama King who has really had to behave himself for way too long. 

The act only fools the Whisperers, who hand over the precious Alpha's shotgun to Negan and then are properly quite bitterly disappointed when he shoots one of them in the face rather than Daryl. The remaining two Whisperers are quickly dispatched and Daryl, for one, maybe feels a little bit better about the whole "where does Negan really stand" thing. 

The two settle down to wait for Carol to return; while waiting, Negan admits to Daryl that he did like being part of the Whisperers, just for a moment - after so many years in a cell, it was just nice to feel like he mattered and had power again. But it was just for a moment, and he doesn't seem to regret what he's done to the Whisperers at all, because even he can see that Alpha had to be stopped, no matter how much he might have been able to enjoy being her right-hand man. 

The morality of Negan is more twisted that a box full of snakes, but he does seem to have one line that he's not willing to cross - you don't kill kids. It's an interesting line to have drawn for himself, or more accurately, an interesting place for Negan to act like everyone knows that that's where his line is, considering that the children killed by Alpha were older than Carl was when Negan nearly beat him to death at the end of Season 7, but it is at least a line that makes sense for the character when you think about it. 

Daryl finally decides to head back to Alexandria - and presumably, he lets Negan tag along too. 

Finally, we have Beta, who is having maybe the worst day of his life. Alpha and Beta were always, always a match made it hell - we've known that since the fantastic flashbacks to their meeting from way back in episode 2. And, the longer this episode went on, the more disappointed I was that nobody has ever openly worried about what Beta would do without Alpha to keep him under control, because I've been worrying about that for the entire season. 

As it turns out, what Beta does without Alpha to keep him in line is, firstly, feed one of his own men to Alpha's reanimated head and, secondly, set himself up in an abandoned tavern to, I don't know, reforge his own destiny by listening to what the newly reanimated head of Alpha has to say to him. 

He is insane. He is absolutely insane. 

But, before he was insane, he was apparently a country music star, which I have to admit I did not see coming. Looking at his own on a poster is too much for Beta to handle, but he does listen to some of his own music - specifically, recordings of his old shows, which I was sort of expecting him to burn on the grounds that they 'proved' that he hadn't always been Beta. 

(Sidenote, it turns out that Ryan Hurst has a rather lovely singing voice)

It would probably have been better if he had burnt them, to be honest, given that instead he uses the music to lure in as many of the undead as possible to start reforming a brand new horde. I am certain that I am not going to like what he does with all those walkers.

Finally, he takes a little inspiration from an insane note he finds ("These 2 eyes see 1 truth", which in either a terrifying post-apocalyptic log, or someone's attempts at new lyrics) and finally puts down Alpha with one clean stab to the brain. Normally, I would assume that this was a good sign - putting down a loved one is normally a good thing in the world of the Walking Dead, and I was genuinely a little bit worried that Beta was going to carry around the head of Alpha in a bag for the rest of the war, using it as some sort of messed up talisman and/or Magic8 ball. 

Unfortunately, Beta is clearly not moving on from anything. Instead, he skins Alpha's skull and uses half of it to repair his own mask. 

I am definitely not going to like whatever this man does next. I just know it. 

Previous season 10 reviews are available here.