#I'M SURE this won't be a problem

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Me: Regularly curses at the vague editing notes I've left myself in the past.

Also me: Just left myself a note that reads "bro lol"

this'll be fine i'm sure

[lazylittledragon]

so uhhhhhhhh. not to be cryptic and bitchy on main but congratulations to everyone in my messages for like 5 months on being right i guess

[22ndnervousbreakdown]

"the man we idolised turned out to be a bad person, but it's okay, this other man hasn't fucked up yet so we can just idolise him twice as hard!"

Do you people not see the problem

[wisteriagoesvroom]

how it feels to try and write a longfic that you mentally committed to

[pikahlua]

So many plotpoints I just don't understand in this arc. Why have bkg die? Why have him fight afo? Why have izuku lose his arms? What purpose has any of it served???? At all???????

Todorki and ochakos fights were handled so well and streamlined and benefited their characters and arcs but bkgs and dekus have been a mess all bcus hori is a coward who won't just let them fight together bcus ig save to win and win to save meant nothing at all

Why have bkg die?

I think it's pretty clear from the way that whole thing was framed that the purpose of Katsuki dying was symbolic. This is a staple of Japanese drama running all the way back to kabuki. It is a trope for a main character to die to shed their mortal incarnation and come back to life as their deified form. Katsuki's death runs perfectly parallel to Tomura's from the PLW arc right down to the part where they are both responsible for their own resurrections. It's probably one of the best cases I can think of where a character's death actually did further that same character's arc without fridging them for the sake of someone else.

Why have [Katsuki] fight AFO?

Because AFO was set up as a "what if" scenario or cautionary tale for Katsuki, the other side to his "villains and heroes are two sides of the same coin" storyline. AFO in his physical form has a different character arc and story utility from AFO the quirk vestige. He provided a lot of backstory that allows us to infer the subtlety of how Katsuki is likely some sort of reincarnation of Kudou, the mechanics of which we will never need to revisit because they're unimportant. It was about karma and personal growth. It was about showcasing how Katsuki is an heir to many legacies, All Might's included.

Why have Izuku lose his arms?

Again, it's symbolic. It's been foreshadowed pretty heavily that Izuku would risk losing his arms in reaching out to save someone. This was a demonstration of his willingness to take on that risk. It also provides a moment for Eri to get in on the "everyone contributes a little bit to the fight" action all the other characters have been allowed to have. We don't even know yet what state Izuku will actually be in when this is all over, so it'd be premature to jump to any major conclusions about all of this. The story may still have a lot to say about this.

What purpose has any of it served???? At all???????

To entertain me specifically.

Todorki and ochakos fights were handled so well and streamlined and benefited their characters and arcs but bkgs and dekus have been a mess all bcus hori is a coward who won't just let them fight together bcus ig save to win and win to save meant nothing at all

Bold of you to assume you've read the final chapter in the story yet.

[albonoooo]

i have my first day of work at my seasonal job tomorrow and i'm SO nervous. we've been given minimal and incredibly vague instructions and are expected to just. know how to do everything all alone immediately. like i genuinely don't understand why you wouldn't let a newbie do their first shift with a more experienced colleague instead of just putting them in a sales stall on their own with no one nearby to answer questions or assist if needed. this seems like a recipe for disaster.

[coquelicoq]

just got a promotionnnnnn

[oh-yeah-no]

.

[anthropoetics]

i'm gonna lose my mind for real

[earl-grey-crow]

DON'T WORRY COLTON YOU'LL GET TO PLAY YOUR SONG FOR DEL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

[wellhalesbells]

ehhhhhh

I have rarely felt so bad about watching/enjoying a show as I do about watching/enjoying Hawaii Five-O???

I'm trying to tell myself it's okay because the fact that I have all these issues with it clearly means that I'm engaging critically with the media I've been presented but.... well, most of the time I would drop shit that sucked this hard. Also.............. I'm pretty sure it's going to cause me to develop an eye twitch.

The racism is nooooon-stop (especially towards Arabs, like, if my brother-in-law caught me watching this, I would be both embarrassed and ashamed... there are three times - so far - that we get to see Muslim/Arab men not be the villains and each time is so wrapped up in white savior narratives that it's entirely moot), the sexism (Danny listing how great his team is and then just goes: and Kono's a fox I had a crush on, that's not a personality trait, that's not even an action she performed, that is literally just what she looks like which SHOULD BE the least important thing about any human you know??? let alone someone you've worked with for seven years. She is also made to consistently be around men who are disgusting and creepy with her - could be anyone's job, somehow is Kono's - and then the show eventually tries to redeem these men by giving them more complex backstories than Kono gets to have... if not for her mother/surfing, her only backstory is her relationship [*coughs*what Max praises her for when he leaves.... also not a personality trait*coughs*], NO BUT THE SEXISM (there's a group of girls locked in the cargo area of a truck and Steve is fighting their (1) captor and he knocks his gun away, has him completely distracted, and you don't think any of those girls might.... help? Join in? Want to shoot this fucking dude with the gun that has been dropped practically at their feet? Nope, nuh uh, they're just there to watch Steve be heroic, to be audience to his epic masculinity. EW. JUST EW.), these specific examples are all from season seven too so what should be improving is literally nose-diving into even deeper depths of misogyny. There's also classism in nearly every episode in some fashion and fatphobia almost every time Jerry or Kamekona or Flippa make an appearance. Plus, y'know, the police brutality that the show is built on.

I'm also pretty sure Peter Lenkov (based on the articles that have come out about his on set abuse, particularly in regards to Lucas Till) really has a chip on his shoulder about Scott Caan/Danny (who is short, blond, has attractive qualities that rely more on bone structure than ruggedness) and regularly tries to back him into traits he considers more 'feminine': wanting to stay out of danger/wait for back-up/you know... use brain rather than brawn, makes him more fashionable (including that scene about the lingerie that definitely could be read more than one way), making him be 'the nag,' etc. I just REALLY HOPE it bothered the fuck out of him that Scott Caan has more of the traditionally masculine qualities than his rock hard ode to masculinity that is Steve McGarrett/Alex O'Loughlin.

[sirdolraan]

Old Ghosts

(( DWC August 2024 Day 2, Violence/Tenderness, CW: guns, death, murder, blood; @daily-writing-challenge ))

As he did every year around this time, Drogar sat in his study, examining his old, trusty revolver, surrounded by old ghosts.

"NO!" Moira screamed, as Drogar emptied his pistol into the Dark Iron Emperor, finally avenging his clan's suffering from Dagran's plotting. Far from breaking free of the control, Drogar watched, dumbfounded, as she fell to her knees, cradling the un-moving form of Dagran Thaurissan. "Thaurissan was a great and honorable dwarf," she sobbed, "You ruined my life and the life of my unborn child!"

With a sigh, he tenderly and methodically disassembled the pistol piece by piece, giving each component a proper cleaning and oiling. Lorellai had used it extensively in her adventures, and taken fine care of it, but it had been one of his first successes in gun-making, and had accompanied him throughout his adventuring career. He'd made other, more effective and ornate weapons, but this one bore the weight of history. It was important that he be the one to give it a proper deep clean.

"Drogar, reinforcements are coming in, and they've got more of those fire lizards at their back, we have to go!" the mage had yelled, beginning to cast his portal.

Moira had looked at him with hate in her eyes, Thaurissan's blood staining her dress as it pooled beneath him. "Return to Ironforge and tell my father that the heir to the Kingdom of Ironforge will be a Dark Iron dwarf. Whether he approves or not, it shall be."

Piece by piece, he restored the pistol to its functional state, clean and ready to be loaded and used again. It felt heavier in recent years, though he knew nothing had changed physically.

Some weights weren't physical.

The blue light of the teleportation spell surrounded Drogar and his allies as they made good their escape ahead of the howling cries of the dark iron soldiers and their fiery masters. Moira stared daggers at Drogar, helpless to do anything but cradle her beloved husband's corpse. Everyone else was looking elsewhere, but their gazes were fixed on each other as Drogar raised the pistol once more, pointing it at Moira.

Click.

And they were back in Ironforge, mission complete, if not successful. Thaurissan was dead, but Moira had not been rescued. "We're going to need to tell the King what happened, come on everyone," his friends had said, as Drogar lowered the pistol, staring at the empty space where moments ago and miles away he'd seen Moira Thaurissan.

Drogar set the pistol on the table, and sighed. In hindsight, it had been damn lucky the weapon had been empty. Despite his hatred for the dark irons, and the difficulties of the Cataclysm, Moira and her loyalists had not only saved Ironforge, but strengthened his home. The Council of Three Hammers had done well by his people, and their future was bright. He'd done what he was commanded to do. He'd assassinated the ruler of the enemy who warred against them. He'd avenged his uncles, aunts, cousins and more who had died to Dark Iron machinations. And only now, with success and family and everything he'd ever have wanted, was he able to appreciate the cost of what he'd done.

"Th' Butcher of Blackrock. Cannae believe I used t' take pride in it, eh boy?" he asked, gently scratching behind Balinore's ears. The great bear huffed at the disturbance, but leaned into the attention.

A noise from the stairs interrupted his reverie. He turned to see Lorellai coming down the stairs, holding her pack in one hand and looking worried. "Hey Da', do yeh have a minute t' talk?"

Hours later, the sun had risen over icy Dun Morogh, and Lorellai was saying her goodbyes. That minute had turned into hours as they'd learned that Lorellai wasn't the only meddler having the visions, and the decision had been made for those hearing the call to join Dolraan in Dalaran to lend their aid to Khadgar.

"Lass, one last thing," Drogar said, holding his daughter's hand as he drew forth the pistol. "Got it all cleaned up for yeh. May it continue t' keep yeh safe. I love yeh, lass."

Lorellai took the pistol and casually slid it into her her shoulder holster, under her coat. "Thanks Da', we'll both be back before you know it, I'm sure!" she declared, giving her dad a kiss on the nose before hoisting her pack and stepping towards the portal. Moments later, Drogar stood in a smaller crowd that began to break up and return to their work.

"Titans, if yer listenin', keep her safe. And let her give that tool a better destiny than I did."

[convexicalcrow]

"How's that big salmon stuff going these days?" Cub asked. He had stopped by the farm to ask him about custom fireworks, and noticed the wide, deep river that now separated his farm from xB's place.

"Oh, it's going wonderfully, Cub. See this river? They're very happy with it, I can assure you," Beef said.

"Salmon wanting a river, that's hardly a surprise," Cub said.

Beef chuckled to himself. "Well, no, though I still don't really know why they wanted it, though. Maybe it was just to look pretty. And they are fish, after all."

Cub shrugged. "Yeah, I know that feeling."

"Did I heard you'd started covering your base with skulk? How's that working out for you?" Beef said. "Not possessed again, are we?"

"Pfft, nah, it just looks better than the grass, that's all. Makes all the bright colours stand out," Cub said.

"Sure, sure," Beef said.

"Just like you're not taking orders from a fish, hey?" Cub said.

Beef laughed this time. "I guess we both know what that kind of thing's like. Not that there's anything weird going on with the salmon. I just do what I'm told, and they wanted a river, so. I got False to make me one."

"No, of course not. Nothing weird going on here," Cub said. "We just do as we're told. The rewards make it worth it."

"Yeah, something like that," Beef said.

"Anyway, about those fireworks..."

-

Beef crouched by the river once Cub was gone, thinking. The salmon filled the river, the only fish he could see in the water. Something about them memerised him, watching their glistening bodies move effortlessly through the water.

Who'd have thought an offhand comment would lead to this? Not Beef. But stranger things had happened, so whatever. And if it helped him and Skizz go up against Doc and his sand nonsense, well. The solidarity was nice.

This wasn't...

Something about Cub had got him thinking, though. He wasn't- possessed, was he? No, that can't be it. Possessed was what Cub was, with the skulk. Not- no, you definitely couldn't be possessed by Big Salmon. Definitely not.

And yet, the question remained at the tip of his tongue, almost daring him to ask it. Perhaps he was in too deep. But what did it matter now? Big Salmon would take care of him.

-

Cub felt the echoes of something in the water as he swam across. He saw the salmon and smiled, thinking nothing more of them. If Beef wanted to serve some fish, well. That was his decision to make. He wasn't any different, right? He wasn't possessed by the skulk this time. It was different. There'd be no need to call on Pix and False to splash him with every potion known to the world to cure him.

But the skulk still whispered. Cub was scared of it at first. Wardens were dangerous creatures, and he'd decided to mine straight into an ancient city. He felt that was not a random act. The skulk had drawn him in, for reasons unknown, and now he was in their thrall again.

He'd been afraid of that, to be honest. Knew all along they were lurking, waiting, lying dormant until the right moment. Perhaps now was the right moment, he thought, as he continued to spread skulk across the grass, watching it shrivel and die as the skulk took over. It spread a silent darkness across his base, one that made the base feel much more ominous.

Why was that important? Cub didn't know. Didn't question it. Continued to simply harvest all the skulk from the ancient city and spread it up here instead. As if he was bringing it to life out here. And, sure, placing it seemed fine, but he'd felt the sheer joy when he'd spread it by killing Scar. Scar had felt it too. They didn't mind killing each other for sport anyway, so it was fine. It was fun to see how far it spread.

-

Cub thought about Beef's river. Beef thought about the salmon. False cradled her rivers safely in her briefcase. Gem did her best to hide the horrors that lay under the water in her base. Grian had never been the same since the fishing took hold. Maybe....

Beef stared at the river. Reached down to touch the water, felt one of the salmon nip at his fingers as if it was expecting food. He offered it some meat from his farm, numb to the sight of it feeding from his hands, tearing the flesh apart.

Maybe- Maybe Cleo was right. Maybe there's something about the water this season. Or-

-

Cub sunk his fingers into the skulk, sighing in relief as the skulk brought him radiant calm. Yes. Yes. The skulk whispered. Cub closed his eyes. Gasped at the vision the skulk sent him of how his base will look. Smiled as Scar killed him, his life sacrificed to the skulk as it snaked out around him, spreading further and further. All would be skulk. All will be skulk. He would make sure of that.

[suddencolds]

.~

[magentagalaxies]

creation of adam but it's this photo of me handing scott the martini before his buddy cole set in the KITH toronto show

[eugene-da-potato]

Also, while we're at the topic of the "survivors"

I've been wondering about them and why specifically this combination of characters have been chosen

I think the RGB trio may pull out some kind of a plot, where the survivors could try to find the rest of a cast who have been X'd, so they could get out of the "utter nothingness" Bow has been talking about together, because we need to remember, that Marshmallow, Paintbrush and Apple are currently the only ones, who know Bow's tail story or, what more important for us, know how to escape this place

My only problem here is that for me it's not really clear who could go after who. The only characters it's obvious for are probably Paper, Paintbrush and Suitcase (Paper would go for OJ and maybe other season one exclusive contestants like Bomb, Salt and Pepper, Paintbrush'd go for the Bright Lights and Suitcase'd go for the Grand Slams). Both Knife and Taco are connected to Pickle so it's not clear who is a pick for him. Mic probably would try to find Soap (if she's even dead??? Because the Adamation Team is totally cooking something with her disappearance) and also maybe other season two debutants like Trophy, Tissues, Cheesy and Cherries? Although I think Cherries could as well be assigned to Paper and OJ. Not sure about Ying Yang tho. And also not sure about any of season three contestants. I mean, an easy pick for them is Paintbrush, because they're the only one out of survivors (well, aside from Box) who has competed in season three. But I think some characters like Clover and Tea Kettle could be assigned to Suitcase's task because of their connection to Nickel and Baloon. Also I have no clue what Marshmallow and Apple could do because they don't seem to have any connections with anyone aside from Paintbrush, Knife and each other.

Sorry for a lot of rumbling, I just overthink a thing that a lot of people are confused about