#Latest arrivals

[persicipen]

the purely technical issue i have with genshin is that they have started to prolong dialogue sections into awfully large bits. it means that if your game crashes or you have to step away from playing or lose connection, you will have to replay a big chunk of unskippable dialogue that you already know, until you get back on track. i really wish we had more stops in between for the game to save and reload safely, even if it’s just teleporting, walking a bit with the character, moving time, anything at all to get out of the dialogue for a break without losing your progress.

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

What actually broke me about chapter 104 of the manga is that when Mina was about to die, she didn't say she was captain of the Third Division of the Defense Corps.

No, she apologized for not being capable of doing it alone (exterminating all kaijus) and for being a sorry excuse of a vice-commander to Kafka.

It's so telling that everyone wanted to reach Mina because she was their goal (be like her, work with her, open a path for her, surpass her), but all that time Mina was waiting for the boy that wanted to be by her side, no further or behind. Right beside her. The cold persona was a deflection because she was so scared, so traumatized. She was the freaking face of the Defense Corps, the hero all admired, she had to be perfect, undefeatable, she couldn't allow anyone to die on her battlefield.

Doesn't it remind you of Kikoru trying to be the perfect kaiju killing machine? Of Reno trying to be the most powerful ever to protect Kafka?

Mina's last words were almost "I don't want to die alone, Kafka".

There's a point where the prodigies of the Defense Corps stop being people and start being weapons themselves. When all that matters are numbers of drivesuit strength or the impact of their fight or whatever. There's a point where you're leading the rookies to sacrifice themselves to the cause and be in the spotlight, even if for a brief moment.

But Kafka is the changing factor.

He tells them to fall back. He protects them and uses himself as a shield for them. Kafka can be the first person in their lives that is not trying to steal the fame from them, just trying to support them, to save them, to stand by their side.

Kafka makes them realize the value of their own lives. He doesn't make them feel bad for needing help, he makes it seem natural. Even like they are doing him a favor for waiting for him, for allowing him to help. In truth, Kafka would have aspired to be anyone's hero and see everyone as incredibly cool. Human connection, friendship, camaraderie, call it whatever you want but you're gonna root for the loser guy and want him by your side.

Mina has a lot of issues she hides in order to not trouble anyone else, but before Kafka joined the Defense Corps, no one saw her as who she truly is. Just Mina. Not Captain Ashiro, not a prodigy, those are parts of her that Kafka adores, but yet she's Mina. Just Mina.

The girl with unrealistic expectations. The girl that cried because her calico cat died on a kaiju attack. The girl that would make fun of Kafka, but would feel reassured by his words. Deep inside, she's still Kafka's vice-commander, she's waiting for him to lead them, to support her, to run with her, to tell her that they can win, they can do it, everything will be okay.

He'll always keep going to play that role for her.

[lesbimew]

beware of the plastics

more under cut!

[gollancz]

In non-book team news, the second of the Gollancz 2024 babies arrived safely on Thursday! That's two Thursday babies, the third one is due in June, wonder if we can make it a Thursday hat-trick.

[billy-royalton]

*slams this fic on the counter* Okay, look. I've been thinking about the parallels between Sam/Tory and Daniel/Johnny for far too long now. And then then season 6 trailer dropped and my brain would not let me know peace until I wrote this fic so I wrote it over a 48-hour period until I could finally get it all out. Enjoy.

AFTERBURNER | Lawrusso, Samtory, Johnny Lawrence & Samantha LaRusso | T | 8,634 words | non-linear narrative & parallels all the way down

The thing about history is we're doomed to repeat it. That's what Mr. Murray says on Sam's first day of AP World History. It's human nature, he says, to make the mistakes of our ancestors. The only way to anticipate these mistakes is to learn of them, learn from them, and hope we can use what we've learned to avoid the same pitfalls as our predecessors.  --- A fic about patterns, trusting, and how history is always just repeating itself.

The inciting incident, like most things in Johnny's life, is a punch to the face. 

Before the twerp manages to land it — right into Johnny's mouth pow! right in the kisser! — it's just a game to Johnny. Here's this skinny kid moving in on his girl, sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, like a gnat in the sand just buzzing around. And Johnny, sure, he toys with him. Dances around him and lets him try to land one. But it's only when he manages to get a good one in there that Johnny sees red and nothing else. Because who does this kid think he is? Who does this kid think Johnny is? Doesn't he know who he's dealing with here? He can hear Kreese’s voice in his head: the enemy deserves no mercy. And Johnny doesn’t know who this kid is by name but he knows he’s just made a new enemy.

So Johnny shows him. With fists and kicks and a hard landing with a mouthful of sand. Forces him to cover up the dark bruise around his eye with a pair of aviators on his first day of school. Hide those Bambi soft brown eyes from Johnny's field of vision before he can even think about losing himself in them. 

That one punch sets each of them forward on a trajectory they are powerless to change. Their moves are now set in motion, each one preordained: LaRusso ducks left and Johnny swings right, LaRusso runs and Johnny chases. The interference by deus ex sensei only prolongs the inevitable moment: the pivotal accident that the tournament is only a few weeks away. That Kreese will do anything to win, even asking Bobby to fight dirty and deliver that crushing blow to the knee: it’s all a set up for the perfect storm that ends with Johnny’s face getting kicked by what shouldn’t be a long graceful leg but somehow it is. A beautiful kick. And if Johnny’s going to get kicked like that, it had better be a beautiful one. 

Johnny finds himself wondering what would have happened if that fist never swung his way. How different 1984 would have ended. First ever three-time All Valley Champ. Would Daniel LaRusso have found karate without punching Johnny Lawrence first? Would Johnny have found Daniel some other way? 

It's useless to wonder what could have been but Johnny does it anyway. He wastes years on it until one day he’s forced to walk into LaRusso Auto and sees the smug, charming, ageless face that’s plagued him all this time. Another hit, this time a hit and run, that resets the board and puts them in motion again. 

Three and a half decades later, LaRusso swaps a punch for a kiss — another pow! another pop in the mouth! — and just like that first night, Johnny doesn’t see it coming until it’s already happened.

He doesn’t see red but he does strike back. Uses his hands to tell LaRusso just what Johnny thinks about that, one with a grip on his jaw, the other threading through his stupidly soft, dark hair. Pushes him up against the wall of the dojo because this is just another fight that Johnny’s going to win.

LaRusso pulls back with puffed up lips and heavy dark eyes. His hair’s a mess and his grin is infectious. 

Another inciting incident. 

[lavenderjewels]

I love how todo, alongside nanami, is one of Yuuji’s best mentor figures. You can really see a lot of Yuki’s mindset and behavior shine through him and I hope we get more of that, through a flashback or todo’s thoughts, before the series ends

[othervee]

With less than 30 days to go, I think we have truly entered

The Holy Month of Wilmon

May blessings rain upon us!

[skygemspeaks]

trying to pace myself, but i started reading telepath today and will probably be posting about it for the next while so if anyone's not interested in seeing those posts, be sure to block the tag "hive liveblog"!

anyways, i'm only a chapter in, but i've already been thoroughly sucked into this world. i find it interesting that both hive future and portal future seem to have societies where young people are raised in group living situations, and not by their parents! like granted that in portal future it's just the kids with immune syndrome, but that's besides the point

the worldbuilding in this series is already really cool too, and not even ten pages into the book! the idea of the hive is terrifying but also really intriguing. obviously i still have a lot to learn about this series, but i'm enjoying it so far!

[doodlingwren]

Ok, back to girlblogging eheh (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

[chapinii]

I do miss the new qsmp arrivals being a complete vehicular catastrophe in which it just fucks up an area of spawn and everybody runs to the wreckage, the good old days <3

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

What actually broke me about chapter 104 of the manga is that when Mina was about to die, she didn't say she was captain of the Third Division of the Defense Corps.

No, she apologized for not being capable of doing it alone (exterminating all kaijus) and for being a sorry excuse of a vice-commander to Kafka.

It's so telling that everyone wanted to reach Mina because she was their goal (be like her, work with her, open a path for her, surpass her), but all that time Mina was waiting for the boy that wanted to be by her side, no further or behind. Right beside her. The cold persona was a delectation because she was so scared, so traumatized. She was the freaking face of the Defense Corps, the hero all admired, she had to be perfect, undefeatable, she couldn't allow anyone to die on her battlefield.

Doesn't it remind you of Kikoru trying to be the perfect kaiju killing machine? Of Reno trying to be the most powerful ever to protect Kafka?

Mina's last words were almost "I don't want to die alone, Kafka".

There's a point where the prodigies of the Defense Corps stop being people and start being weapons themselves. When all that matters are numbers of drivesuit strength or the impact of their fight or whatever. There's a point where you're leading the rookies to sacrifice themselves to the cause and be in the spotlight, even if for a brief moment.

But Kafka is the changing factor.

He tells them to fall back. He protects them and uses himself as a shield for them. Kafka can be the first person in their lives that is not trying to steal the fame from them, just trying to support them, to save them, to stand by their side.

Kafka makes them realize the value of their own lives. He doesn't make them feel bad for needing help, he makes it seem natural. Even like they are doing him a favor for waiting for him, for allowing him to help. In truth, Kafka would have aspired to be anyone's hero and see everyone as incredibly cool. Human connection, friendship, camaraderie, call it whatever you want but you're gonna root for the lower guy and want him by your side.

Mina has a lot of issues she hides in order to not trouble anyone else, but before Kafka joined the Defense Corps, no one saw her as who she truly is. Just Mina. Not Captain Ashiro, not a prodigy, those are parts of her that Kafka adores, but yet she's Mina. Just Mina.

The girl with unrealistic expectations. The girl that cried because her calico cat died on a kaiju attack. The girl that would make fun of Kafka, but would feel reassured by his words. Deep inside, she's still Kafka's vice-commander, she's waiting for him to lead them, to support her, to run with her, to tell her that they can win, they can do it, everything will be okay.

He'll always keep going to play that role for her.

[sugarwizard]

I am overflowing with bus knowledge. New buses arrive here? You bet your ass I will be detailing every new facet about it including the implications of it arriving here and the larger knock on effects of the other buses and how they will be used. I am exploding. I have informants (beloved friends) who inform me of the latest bus news or sightings. I am like a cat to a bird outside the window as soon as I hear the slightest sound resembling a bus engine. Actually stupid. I have to stop what I'm doing to identify the bus then move on.

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

WIP Title Game

I was tagged by @riotstarruika!

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

(I had to censor the one because it's such a specific ship that when it gets anonymously posted for an exchange in a couple of days I don't want everyone to immediately know it's me.)

Tagging @saintmouthed @akallabeth-joie @opens-up-4-nobody @fremedon @everyonewasabird and @riotstarruika again, since it's been so long that you probably have entirely new WIPs by now. XD

[bsd-verse]

Spoiler for chapter 106

Just saw the raws of the newest chapter and oh my god-- Aya is back!! I'm happy to see her and also I'm glad it was mainly a pov change, don't get me wrong I wonder what will happen with Meursault girlies but I can't help but also wonder about the others ngl so even though it was a short chap like previous ones, I enjoyed it

also raws