#We'll still see them in gen 4!

[natolesims]

It was like any other summer day for Ray. Fishing, grilling some fresh catches... but today it's certainly a special afternoon.

[matchalovertrait]

Look who came for a visit and formally met the family! Alex got everyone's approval, even Noemí's (who seemed a little apprehensive at first. She thought, "Why wear black when there are so many bright, beautiful colors in this world?"). Alex came out of their shell bit by bit, especially because of the Alegrías' open arms <3

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[landgraabbed]

lamis - vishnu - yarrow - calla - pavot - tide

[ambersky0319]

Wow it's been ages since I like, actually talked art with someone? Like art program stuff???

Anyways

910 characters listed so far!

Still have some fandoms left to list tho and those will probably add quite a few to the list

Obviously now this project will take far longer than a year, however, I'm actually pretty okay with that since I don't plan on making things super polished

If anything the most time-consuming parts are the actual character listing and then the ref collecting

And maybe figuring out how I'm gonna go about drawing all of them. Because I don't wanna make it completely random but I also don't wanna focus solely on a single fandom at a time - I'd get too bored and some fandoms have well over a hundred characters

I was thinking maybe alphabetical regardless of fandom? That would be fairly random in terms of character, species, and fandom but have enough structure that I'm not too worn out or frazzled about where to start

[reginalusus]

Retro tutorial?

Disclaimer: Tumblr, for some reason, likes to dullen the colour of the screenshots, just know that they're actually a bit more saturated and brighter than how they appear here.

So, after posting my recent retro drawings on Reddit, and getting some comments that genuinely made me cry (/pos), I noticed I also got quite a few comments asking me how I actually do these drawings.

Er, I'm not the best teacher, really, and honestly, there's probably an easier, faster way to do it. But, this is my way of doing it, lmao. I work on a Gen 2 iPad Pro with a Gen 1 Apple Pencil, just in case you're wondering.

Firstly, here are the four apps I use for this kind of drawing:

From left to right: Sketchbook Pro, Pixlr, Photoleap and CapCut. Sketchbook Pro is what I use to draw everything. You could honestly use any drawing app though. We will talk about the other three when we get to them.

Step 1: draw whatever it is you want to draw.

I'm going to use the first drawing I did in this style to help me explain: my simpy Spamton drawing! Firstly, basically draw whatever your little heart wants. Get your sketch layer down. Here's what my sketch layer looked like:

Looks bad, no? Lol, it always starts that way. Just get your drawing down first. I rely heavy on references for clothing. I found this particular pose on Pinterest. Pinterest is great for finding references.

Notice that I have some spaces filled in with the word 'black'. This is literally just to remind me that the particular space will just be filled with a solid black.

This particular pose and setting is tricky, I'm just using it as an example and because I still have the original files for it. I recommend maybe starting with a portrait or a face first.

Step 2: fill in and clean your lines. This is important, especially for the anime look.

When I do linework, I tend to make the lines thicker wherever they meet one another. For this style, it doesn't really work, and I had to train myself to stop doing that.

As you can see, I made some changes along the way, such as making Spamton's expression softer and making him grin instead of smirking. How do I know when to make something solid black? This is mostly for clothes. If you are following a reference, and you notice that some of the shadows are darker than others on the reference, make those darkest shadows your solid-blacks.

So, here we have the finished lines! Remember: no making the lines thicker where they meet! Keep the lines thin all around. If you're wondering what brush I use in Sketchbook for the finished lines, it's this one:

This is the ONLY brush I use for the retro drawings, besides a pencil for the sketch layer. It provides a nice, solid, thin line.

Step 3: Filling Flat Colours.

The easiest step IMO. Choose your colours, fill those babies in.

Unfortunately, I think I deleted my flats layer (I have no idea why, but I cannot find it, lmao), so I don't have an image to show for this step. But, it's self-explanatory. Just colour it in with your flats.

You can choose saturated colours if you wish, but we'll be editing that sort of stuff later.

Step 4: Shading.

Ooh, the tricky stuff. But this is what will make or break the look of the drawing. Besides lines, shading is important as fuck for this style. I recommend pulling up some screenshots from actual 80s/90s anime. For this Spamton drawing, here's some of the ones I used as a reference:

Remember to make your shading on separate layers! You may want to change their tone and opacity later, as I did.

The shading in old anime is usually done with one colour, which is cooler-toned than the flat it is based off. Remember to keep the shading as simple as you can if you want to actually make it look like a screenshot from an anime or cartoon.

For shadows, I used the multiply tool or the overlay tool. You can mess around with these to see which one suits your drawing best. It mostly depends on the colour.

For 'lights', I used either the soft glow tool or the overlay tool. However, I don't recommend spending too much time 'lighting' your colours. Retro anime tends to focus more on shadows rather than lighting (obviously there are exceptions).

As you can see, the only 'lighting' I used on Spamton was a small section of his hair, and a shine on his suit. The rest is either shadows or flats:

For clothing, follow a reference or follow where your light is coming from. For this, I followed the reference.

Step 5 (Optional): Adding Gradients.

You don't need to do this, but to help with the 'mood' of the drawing, I added a gradient over the top of the layer. I chose a dark purple/blue to give that city vibe, then I used the darken tool and turned the opacity down. So, it looks like this:

The difference isn't much, but it will add a lot to the vibe!

Step 6 (Optional): Backgrounds. *Shudders.*

I'll be real, I can't do backgrounds for shit. Well, I can sort of do them, but I definitely don't enjoy it. If you can do your own backgrounds, this will probably come easier. I have a sneaky, maybe cheaty method, however, to make it look good.

Firstly, make sure any 'windows' or areas in your drawing that you want to add a background to are empty. The windows in Spamton's car here are transparent. You'll want to put your background layer at the very bottom, behind everything else.

Firstly, I choose a solid colour and fill the entire layer. I chose a navy/purple for this one, since it's always dark in Cyber City.

Then, and here's the cheat part, I find a stock image of a city skyline. I deliberately picked one that had sort of 'basic' buildings. Put this on top of your solid colour and use the hard light tool.

The hard light tool tends to focus on the lights and basic outline of the image. I did do some smudging and added some lights to give it that 'retro' feel. The lower quality it looks, the better. So then it looks like this:

But the car needs windows! Easy. I chose a blue colour with the soft glow tool and added them like so (on top of all the background layers):

Step 7: Editing in Pixlr.

Now, this is my favourite part: the editing to really make the image pop! Firstly, we are going to use Pixlr, so save your image and open it up in Pixlr.

So, in Pixlr I only do two things: choose some overlay editors and up the saturation. Firstly, the overlay editors. The ones I choose for the retro look are:

Antonio - this blurs the lines somewhat, and makes it overall darker/softer. I obviously do not use it to its full capacity (there's a slider you can mess around with under each tool to find your desired effect, though I recommend using Antonio only a little.)

Hagrid - this will make it look slightly more saturated and sharper. It also adds a sort of 'burn' effect on each outline of the colours. Again, I use this one only slightly.

Ivan - One of my favourites for Big Shot Spamton. Again, I only use it slightly. This one will add an orange effect and 'fix' some of your shading. Though, it only works to its full potential if you have your shading as best as it can be.

Sara - Another really good one for retro anime. It's sort of like Hagrid, but softer. Depending on your colours, it will also add a soft 'glow' effect. Because of this, I only use it a little, as older anime does not have the intense glow you see in more recent anime, in general.

There are lots of other options. You can play around to see which one will suit the vibe you're going for best!

Then, we go into the general menu and up the saturation if needed!

Step 8: Editing in Photoleap - then back to Sketchbook!

Why the fuck do you use two editors? Simple - Photoleap has some cool options that Pixlr does not, and vice versa. We won't be spending as much time in Photoleap compared to Pixlr.

Now, Photoleap does NOT allow screenshots within the app, so I just have to explain it without any images.

In Photoleap, we're only going to be doing two things, and one of those things are optional. Firstly, using the grain tool. This will really add to that 'old' look. Don't go too hard on it!

The optional thing you can do is add a red chromatic abberation. It's under the 'effects' tab in Photoleap. However, sometimes this will take away from the retro look, so use it carefully. I only used the tiniest amount for this drawing to make the lines look 'cleaner'.

Once I'm done in Photoleap, I save the image and export it back into Sketchbook. This is where I'll add/fix some things, such as adding a shine in Spamton's eyes, a shine on the car window and the smoke coming from his cigarette. I also bring the gradient layer back up and mess with the colour a bit (optional).

Have you noticed the large, black border to the right of the drawing? Yeah, that'll be cropped. I decided to make the overall image smaller and, unfortunately, Sketchbook Pro does not allow you to change the canvas size once you've started a drawing (please add this option, Autodesk!)

Step 9: CapCut Editing.

This will seriously be the cherry-on-top to actually make this thing look like a screenshot. Save your image and open it up in CapCut.

Firstly, you'll want to add an 'effect' to the photo. Under 'retro', I personally choose 'frosted quality', because it adds a moving grain and gives an 'old cartoon' feel, which is what I'm after. There are lots you can choose from, it's up to you to play around with it! You can also adjust the effect as you wish. I tend to turn the blur completely off.

Then, the last step in CapCut: adding a caption, if you want. I make the text yellow and add an italic effect to make it seem like an actual subtitle.

Step 10 (Final): Exporting.

That's us basically finished! I'll export it as a video from CapCut, crop it using my iPad's default editing software in the gallery, then export it as a GIF. Exporting it as a GIF lowers the quality a tad further, which is a bonus for this type of drawing. Viola! You now have a retro-anime-inspired piece!

Final Notes

Again, I'm not a good teacher and this is kind of all over the place, lmao. But, I hope it can guide those who wish to try this style!

If you do try it, maybe tag me and let me see if my tutorial worked for you? Or maybe you were just curious, lmao. There's a LOT of steps here, lol, and I'm not a professional artist by any means, so...

Anyway, that's all from me for now!

[accirax]

initial thoughts on DCAS episode 19

Emily has really been going full villain mode these past couple of episodes, huh? while I'm overall not a huge fan of how many women have been portrayed as rude/unreasonable as compared to their male counterparts, i do love an evil queen. i support women's wrongs.

oh, Gabby. how many people wish that were true. (very cute gabellie content as usual)

i wonder if this is a soft confirmation that we'll never see Gabby or Ellie compete again.

this is so important. also, Hunter, the heart is on Ally's pajamas, not her casual look with the jacket. unless he just drew that there because he loves Ally so much :D

glad that Tom can finally admit that he is a terrible liar. truly, the person Tom and Jake should blame is the hiring manager who hired Tom in the first place.

if you loved him this whole time then why did you lie to him about having another boyfriend, Tom? ,':/ (/lh) (i know that he was explaining in this scene that it's because he was afraid, i'm just saying that the extent of his fears is something that shouldn't be swept under the rug, and that i feel it wasn't properly set up enough in s1 or DCAS as a replacement. yes it was showcased in DCAS but we never got an explanation as to Tom's thought process between seasons that would change his mind to make him more fearful.)

*several people are typing*

we NEED to see jaiden teaching Miriam a tiktok dance.

this is your daily reminder to not take anything that's said in a greeting too seriously.

c'mon, Fiore, a true gen Alpha-er would know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell without having to look it up. unless, oh god, is that too much of a gen-Z reference for gen Alpha to understand...?

HE'S SUCH A DAD I LOVE THEM

this was probably my favorite line of the episode.

this was a really cute detail! even though they were both the archetypal "old person" of their season, Connor is still, like, 20 years younger than Miriam. it totally make sense that she'd still call him kiddo! just, not grandkiddo.

literally even Ellie is rooting for them to finish this plotline already. or maybe she's just feeling guilty for separating them in the first place, and she's lowkey hoping that the damage wasn't that severe.

that's... that's a crime? you can't just burn people, even if they're terrible??? i guess that, given Riya attempting to kill Aiden and directly breaking Connor's leg further, the definition of what counts as a crime is pretty lax in this universe. unless it's about destroying the environment. thanks, Tom! (/j)

also, why is Yul's scar so damn low res?

MCDONALD'S ELLIE ISN'T CANON??? D:

i wonder if this season is going to end with Grett giving Ellie a job/helping Ellie get a job. i could see fitness influencer and fashion designer working together well, as long as Ellie is okay designing athleticwear.

on one hand, i don't like that we don't get to have the finalists pick the people that they're closest with help them in the finale. this feels rather random, and in terms of real-world fairness, having a finalist get stuck with terrible help isn't very fair (i cite Top Chef season 4 as my example). however, i do appreciate how Disventure Camp always mixes the endgame up. it's not very fair in a real-world perspective, but given that it isn't a real game i appreciate the variety.

i also think that this is a nice fix to really incentivize whoever is helping the finalist after (in-universe) we had two really unpopular finalists, Fiore and James, who struggled to get any help. it feels like a reasonable decision that the in-universe showrunners would make.

don't distract him during the finale, you fool!

the Romber strategy!!! wow, and it's even in the first All Stars season, too :D

THE YUL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS BACK ON?!?!?!?!

FIORE FINALE CONTENT! FIORE FINALE CONTENT!

ain't no way she's actually winning and of that $100K though, lol.

y'know, this might as well happen.

Riya and Yul really are perfect for each other (platonic) because every time that either of them gets a chance to either repent and be a good person or double down and keep relentlessly chasing their goals, they both always choose the latter. they're gonna get punished in the finale big time for sure... to the extent that Yul hasn't already been punished by getting that scar(?) to the face. like, seriously, that could be even more damage to his career.

once again, i missed the real Hunter so much :,)

while i love the roast here, does Fiore actually have anyone's respect...?

that's a wrap, folks! the most important character arc of the season is over!

[dearlexies]

let's just have a honest conversation now.

why y'all like enhypen? it's the music, the choreographies? the members? think about it for one minute, just one minute. what made you like them? if it's one of the above great! so you like them, and want to see them doing great, breaking records, being recognized worldwide etc. And i have to tell you, this won't happen if you do nothing. Do you guys understand that other fandoms are getting together just to stop us from winning the votations??? There are people spamming yt comments with emojis to freeze views, we were in the leading idolchamp all the time and then other fandoms got together and started spreading rumors and lies about enhypen, now they're laughing at us. If this doesn't make you sad or mad I'm sorry but you aren't really an engene you just here for the visuals or like to listen to the group and call them the "future of kpop" "4th gen leaders" when it's convenient for your ego and pride. Romance: Untold, has the potential to be their biggest comeback but we are unable to reach the goal of views and likes on YouTube!!! (20M views, and 1,5 likes which is soooo easy to do!!!)

if you don't want stream and vote then what's your plans to make enhypen successful? bc they won't be recognized if you sit here and do nothing. just bc we won mnte doesn't mean it's over, we still have to get the 20M views on yt, we still have to win the allchart and superstarx votation, and there's the live voting on Thursday (and and if it is the same as today the chances of us winning will be very low) Not to mention that we are already out of the Spotify chart and if we keep it that way we won't re-enter.

ENGENEs there are so many ways to contribute in the success of XO. You just have to pick which way will be easier and convenient to you.

1) Stream the MV (YT);

2) Stream XO in diff. sites (Genie, Melon, Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok etc) you don't even need to listen the music, just create a playlist and let it run

3) Pre-voting for music shows; (mnet plus, allchart and superstar x.)

4) Donations;

5) buying the album; there's a chance for us to enter in second in the billboard hot200!!!

6) Using the song's in tiktok videos; &

7) Share enhypen with friends and family

we need to be a better fan base, we need to start to be greedy for enha achievements this era, if we can't continue to thrive and strive to make them better after 4 years, I don't really know what to say anymore. We need to stop saying "we'll do better next time" and can't even reach the mv goal for the first day. the 'next time' you are talking about should be this, please know your priority.

Stream harder now! Go watch the mv! Vote on the allchart and superstarx!

don't wait for miracles that won't probably happen. core and dedicated fanbase was always a key to success.

[shinysamurott9]

Going into 2025, I think I wanted to try and get back into Shiny hunting. I didn't get to hunt as much as I wanted to last year due to focusing on my last year of College and bad luck when I did hunt. Still, I'm not that dissatisfied with my bingo card.

I want to get all my biggest goals in Shiny hunting out of the way sooner rather than later since we know Bank is on borrowed time. We don't have a confirmed closure date yet but I'd rather get my plans done sooner rather than later.

Anyway here's those plans for 2025.

I don't know if I'll actively pursue the roamers, Jirachi or Manaphy, but I want to eventually hunt them.

Besides that, the two big plans I want to pursue are working on my long time Black 2 Badge Quest and hunting every Ultra Beast in USUM.

Porygon is also here as I think he's a really underrated pokemon that I intend to send up to Gen 3 and make a ribbon master using a transfer program released a few months ago.

On the side I also want to go for the remaining paradoxes in Scarlet. Usually at the end of a hunting session I'd boot up Scarlet and delve into Area Zero for a sandwich run. So far I've gotten Flutter Mane (Twice), Slither Wing, and Great Tusk, so I'd like to get the remaining 4.

Finally I do want to try and get a shiny in ZA when it eventually drops. I don't know if hunting there will click with me. Personally while I really like Arceus, it's not my favourite game to shiny hunt in. We'll see when it comes out I guess.

[gracien-system]

How to be safer when doing self harm.

We've seen a lot of posts talking about how there needs to be more resources for folks who self harm on how to do it safely, and how resources are overly focused on prevention rather than harm reduction. We realized that we have the knowledge to at least contribute to the "how to do this safer" side, and... well, this post is our attempt at that.

I will note that we are not medical professionals -- our mother was, for about 5 years, though, and so was our great grandmother. We've also done enough research to feel confident that we can give at least a general guide and pointers on how to reduce the risk of long term damage from self harm, but we're human -- if we make a mistake, and you happen to know that it's wrong, point it out in the notes. We'll reblog your version.

With all that being said, the info's under the readmore.

When it comes to self harm, there are a lot of methods that people use -- however, physical self harm generally has a few common presentations.

Cutting, scratching, and burning, are the 3 we're going to cover here. We'll go in order, top to bottom.

1: how to be safer when cutting

The first thing you want to do is pick your blade. A razor blade is much different to a knife, and both are different to a shard of glass, even though the aftercare remains similar.

The general guidance we can give is this: make sure whatever implement you use is as sharp as possible, and avoid serrated blades as much as you can. A simple kitchen or pocket knife is probably the safest option you have.

Whatever you use, make sure you sterilize it to the best of your ability beforehand. Dunk it in hydrogen peroxide or alcohol (pouring either over the entire length of the blade works, too.), or take a lighter and run it down the entire length of the cutting edge (this will fuck up the heat treat of the blade, and make it much harder to keep it sharp in the future, so I wouldn't recommend it for anything you'd like to reuse, but it is and option if necessary).

When you cut, pick your location carefully. Avoid the wrists and lower arm (there are a lot of veins and nerves you could accidentally damage or sever, which is a bad time.) a nice rule of thumb (though it may not work for everyone) is "if you can take your other hand and feel bone on both sides of the arm, it's probably too low". Make sure you don't cut lengthwise -- if you accidentally catch a vein going lengthwise, you'll almost certainly end up in the ER or worse, whereas going horizontally has a much lower chance of something catastrophic happening.

Other places to avoid cutting are: inner thigh (nearby artery), and the groin (extremely high bloodflow region).

While cutting, to avoid infection, it's important that if you set your blade on a hard and non-sterile surface, you wash it with alcohol or peroxide before using it again.

Try to avoid cutting deep -- muscle damage is hard to heal from, and nerve damage is harder still. Skin deep wounds will scar, but muscle deep ones usually require stitches.

Once you're done, wash the wounds and your hands with soap and hot water, then a disinfectant. Dry them with a towel or paper towel, then put bandages over them (or bandaids, if they're small enough.)

How to apply a bandage: get cotton pads, gauze, or something similar, as well as tape. Press the gauze against the wound, then tape it to the surrounding skin. Change once every 4-6 hours (or until you can see blood on the exposed side, whichever is sooner.) until the bleeding has stopped, then once every 6-8 hours until it has healed.

You've minimized your chance of infection, scarring, and permanent damage. Good job. We're proud of you. /gen

2: how to be safer scratching.

With scratching, you want to make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly before and after, especially under your fingernails. A good way to make sure that your fingernails are clean is to take some soap, put it in the palm of your hand, then scratch the palm for a few seconds under running water. Do this with both hands.

If you draw blood, make sure to disinfect and bandage the wound. If you don't, make sure to wash it afterwards.

Scratching carries of a lot less risk of permanent damage as opposed to a lot of other methods, but has a much higher chance of infection if you draw blood and didn't disinfect your hands. Just be careful, and you should be fine. We're proud of you. /gen

3: how to be safer burning.

We can't advise on the method as much as we would like to, here, because there are a lot of ways to burn yourself. We're going to assume lighter, but the advice we give should be applicable to most localized 1st and 2nd degree burns. If you give yourself a 3rd degree burn of any sort, no matter how localized, you need to see a doctor as fast as possible.

1st degree burns are comparable to a (mild to moderate) sunburn -- uncomfortable, potentially risks infection if not cared for properly, painful, and just generally not a great time, but not very dangerous if treated properly. Standard protocol with all burns is to wash the affected area(s) in cool water for 30 seconds to a minute immediately after the burn. With 1st degree, it's your choice whether you want to apply something like allo or lotion to it, afterwards. It might help reduce pain and/or help it heal faster, but it's your call. Just make sure to keep the area clean and cool.

2nd degree burns are more serious. Depending on how big the area burned is, you might want to see a doctor, but that's up to the individual. If you want to treat it yourself, wash for 30 seconds to a minute in cool water, then apply a lotion or allo to it. Once you've done that, apply a bandage over the area, and let it heal.

We aren't an expert in identifying what is first, second, and third degree, in terms of burns -- but there are plenty of resources our there to help you with that. If someone adds one to this post, we'll edit this to include it.

Congrats, you've minimized the risk of long term damage. We're proud. /gen

Closing notes

We know there's a lot out there that would like to say that recovery is an on/off switch. It isn't. The best way to recover is to minimize the harm as much as you can today, and and work towards other coping mechanisms as you can. Don't believe that you're lesser, somehow, for needing an intermediate step, or intermediate steps.

We hope you have a wonderful rest of your day/night, and we wish you good luck -- both in your recovery, and in your life.

[queengenweek]

Queen GenWeek 2023

Attention, Queen enthusiasts across the world: we bring to you Queen GenWeek! We decided it was high time we brought back this event so we can celebrate the enduring friendship between the members of Queen together.

When and where?

The event will take place from Thursday 15 June-Sunday 18 June. You can upload your work on Tumblr using the tag #QueenGenWeek2023 and @queengenweek us. We'll make sure to reblog all contributions with this tag to this blog for an overview! When you post your fanfiction on AO3, please add it to the Queen GenWeek 2023 collection.

What does Gen mean?

Gen, short for “general,” is a term used in fanfic communities to refer to works of fanart that are platonic: they explore bonds of friendship rather than bonds of romance. There may be some form of romance in the background, but the main focus should be on the non-romantic relationship between the characters. Gen fanart celebrates the friendship between characters.

Mind AO3's Gen tag and policies for further instructions.

With help from last year's event post, refer to this amazing resource on asexual/aromantic characters and how to give them substance! This is an ASPEC safe space and consciously inclusive.

Who and what is welcome?

Everyone who wants to celebrate the platonic friendships in and around Queen is welcome! All gen-oriented works of art are welcome, which include but are not limited to:

Fanfiction

Other forms of literature (poetry)

Visual art (traditional or digital)

Moodboards

Playlists

Photo edits

If you prefer so, you can stay anonymous during the event. Both AO3 and Tumblr have options to post anonymously. You can use this quick guide on how to post anonymously on AO3. If you want to upload to Tumblr anonymously, you can DM us, and we will share your contribution on your behalf. You can also submit any questions you have about the event to us with the ask-button or DM function.

Prompts?

To help you get going, we’ve come up with different prompts for each day of the event. You are free to use them, improve them, combine them, mix and match them, or do whatever you feel like with them: creativity is key!

Day 1: Thursday 15 June

Lyric: I'd better go to bed and have an early night

Childhood friends

Growing apart

Cult classic: The Outsiders

Looking back at memories

Day 2: Friday 16 June

Quote: “The group tends to be the most stable family we’ve got.” B.M.

Police encounter

Getting lost in a strange city

Cult classic: Spirited Away

Facing a fear

Day 3: Saturday 17 June

Lyric: Take heart, my friend, we love you/Though it seems like you’re alone

Family/marriage problems

Revealing a secret

Cult classic: The Lord of the Rings

Getting a tattoo together

Day 4: Sunday 18 June

Quote: “Not too bad for four ageing Queens.” F.M.

Best Man speech

Teaching each other instruments

Cult classic: Hangover

House fire

More rules?

If you've participated in fandom events before, you probably know the drill by now. If you still have questions on what to keep in mind when creating and/or consuming, please refer to the detailed additional rules we have set up for PolyWeek this year. In short, mind the following:

Support creators.

Tag your work appropriately.

Do not engage with hateful feedback.

Do not supply negativity.

Do not interact with NSFW/18+ content if you're a minor.

We encourage you all to participate, contribute, consume, and support the event if you feel you want to! It's a safe space for all, no need to feel shy about creating. We wish you all the luck, inspiration and fun in the world and hope to see you there!

Hosted by @carrrothead-vol2, @of-streetlightfancy and @shewas-agaystripper

[huntressdarkness]

For the wrapped game: 1, 4, 15, 17

1. How many words have you written this year?

Oh uh... good question because I don't know the answer to that myself. XD Doing a rough estimate, I think I've done over 640k this year in all fics (smut and gen) which yeah, I know it's a lot, but I'm still hoping to hit close to 700k before the year is over. I guess we'll see if that happens! XD

4. What work of yours has the most hits?

This Is How We Rise Up :)

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

Um... hopefully all of them, and I currently have 10 smut fics/series that I can think of off the top of my head. Actually wait, make that 12. ... I think it's 12. XD

But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be You Can Take My Heart which is an AU of chapter 15 of This Is How We Rise Up. :)

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

Copying my answer from the previous ask... lol

Definitely Hunter, though Crosshair is probably a close second. Sorry, Anakin, I still love you, too, but... XD

Thanks for the ask!!! :D:D:D

[simmie-stories]

Gen 4. Ariel #16 Thunderstorm

"Ursula!"

As the sky turned gray and rain started to fall harder, Seye had come to confront Ursula.

Neither of them noticed Phillip had dived back in the ocean to eavesdrop.

"You turned Haydes into a kelpie! He's been utterly distraught over something and finally told me the truth!"

Phillip's tried to get closer, but he was forced to merman form on the beach when he got pelted by the rain. "Would you like to see how it feels to be an ugly kelpie also, Miss Seye?"

Seye turned and ran... into Ursula's den (I wasn't controlling her... 🤦‍♀️)

Oh dear...

But Seye had a protective charm on, and she smirked as she walked out the door, unharmed.

I'm not sure what happened, but the spell failed.

Phillip was still stuck out here in merman form due to his sensitive scales.

Finally, as he was able to turn back to human form...

He was struck by lightning! I wasn't prepared for this, so I didn't get screenshots...

What was happening....?!

I really had not planned this and don't know how this happened, but we'll roll with it. He must have gotten struck by lightning more than once, but I didn't see it:(

Main Back Next

[deareststars]

Did you get a request? It's General relationship hcs for Cyrus, Drayden, Grimsley, Colress with gn s/o. Thanks!

yes i just received it! i will say that this short of a turn-around is very rare; anyone requesting should expect about a day or two, i just happen to have a LOT of free time rn lol!

also, bc this ended up being much longer than i anticipated, i'm splittng this up into 2 parts. so expect grimsley & colress to come out within the next day or so! thank you so much for requesting :)

characters: cyrus (gen iv), drayden (gen v).

content: gn reader, established relationship, mostly feel-good stuff w/ a little angst in cyrus' hcs. reader is an antagonist in cyrus' hcs, & an elite 4 member in drayden's.

tw: none.

CYRUS

you grew up with him in sunyshore. i imagine this timeline's cyrus is softer, if only because you were there with him through everything the rejection of his peers, the rejection of his parents—they all hurt less when you were there to pick up the pieces.

he's brilliant with technology. if you ever ask him for anything, even as a playful request, he'll try his best to make it happen.

he doesn't understand emotions, but he knows what they mean. so when you come to him, crying or upset about something that happened, he tries his best to comfort you.

you storm into cyrus' office, still battered from your battle with that annoying "hero" from twinleaf. "i thought i was stronger!" you rant. cyrus silently wheels himself out from behind his desk, and opens his arms. you fall into them, letting all of your frustrations out. you stop when he starts patting your head roughly. you shake his hand off. "what are you doing?" he doesn't blush easily, but he's coming close to it. "mars said that people like to be comforted this way," he says. despite your anger, you laugh. "not like you're trying to comfort a growlithe," you tease. he avoids your gaze as his face grows pink.

cyrus also tries his best to express his love for you in physical actions. he's comfortable with movement, not with words. he always has a hand on you—on your thigh when you're sitting next to each other, against your waist that day at the spear pillar.

when he's taken by giratina to the distortion world, he doesn't expect you to follow him, but you do anyway. he tries his best to convince you to go back with them, since he wants you to experience the world, but you refuse.

"leave me here!" cyrus yells, the first expression of intense emotion you've heard in a long time. "you don't deserve to be left here! there's so much to see!" you shake your head, still holding onto him. the hero and cynthia stare at you, wordless, and you know that you may seem stubborn. but you can't leave him behind. cyrus seems to know this. you feel his breath hitch with an aborted sob, and look up, surprised to see tears filling his eyes. even he is shocked, as he frees a hand to wipe furiously at them. "why?" he asks, his voice choked. "the world i desire is the world that makes you happy," you reply. "we'll be together until the very end." with that, the hero and cynthia reluctantly let the two of you go. you know you'll likely never see the real world again, but as cyrus tightens his grip around your waist, you know that this was worth every moment.

DRAYDEN

you meet drayden through the pokemon league. he's not the best with expressing his feelings (as an older man, he's basically a stone wall) so it's hard to tell when he's crushing on someone and when he simply finds them to be a good friend.

and then he shows up to your door, having memorized all of your favorite sweets, hobbies, and books, and gives you a thoughtful gift to express his affection.

when i tell you that this man is a gentleman, i mean he is the epitome of one. picking you up at your house for dates? check. making sure you don't touch a single door? check. elbow held out every time you go into the world? check.

"drayden, is this really necessary?" you ask. he stands in front of you, hand held out with a pokemon league car behind him. he promised to take you out to the most wonderful restaurant opelucid city has to offer, but you didn't think that he was serious. his face remains passive, but he still tilts his head to the side like a confused lillipup. "of course. is it so bad to treat my partner like the royalty they are?"

expect training every single day, both for you and your pokemon. drayden wants you to be the best version of yourself, and while he doesn't subject you to his (alleged) 10,000 push-ups, sit-ups, and squats a day, he still makes sure you eat healthy and push yourself & your pokemon to your limit.

when you lose, drayden is there to help you figure out what went wrong. he's got a lot of advice to give, so no matter what difficulties you go through, he always has something to tell you that makes things seem at least a little better.

he's big on acts of service. there's the obvious door holding and making sure you take care of yourself. but he also does the simplest things, like making you cups of hot tea when league work has you stressed, or cooking you dinner when you come home. this only intensifies when team plasma comes into play.

"i can take care of myself!" you exclaim. drayden stands in front of you, barring the way out from the gym. behind him, you can see the plasma frigate moving overhead, bathing opelucid city in subzero temperatures. he shakes his head. "i know you can. but i cannot take care of myself unless i know that you are safe." "i can't just stand here and watch as people destroy the city i love!" with a final show of strength, you manage to make it past him, and he reluctantly follows you into the city. still, you're sure you're not imagining the way he seems to put haxorous directly in front of you, putting you out of the line of fire.

[ramblingsfromthytruly]

hi can ask you about your novel??

im afraid uve made a huge mistake :/

sooo basically idk WHEN i got this idea but once it was in my head i just HAD to have it

imagine a typical fantasy book's environment - yk the villages, the royalty, the clothes, the SWORDS, the soldiers.... etc BUT no magic

idk what genre to classify it as of yet cuz i don't think it's technically fantasy but it's certainly not contemporary nor historical nor dystopian (maybe dystopian?) but we'll get to that shit later

also it's supposed to be a duology (2 book series)

i have 4 main characters, let's classify them as:

the runaway princess (RP) - yk how among most books with multiple mcs, u can tell which one is the main mc, yeah this is her

the noble's son with (NS)

the nice village girl (VG)

the weird witchy girl (WW)

so first of all- RP & NS have been bestfriends all their life. they practically raised each other and themselves cuz uh shit parents :/

but thennn sometimes NS did some errands and stuff asked by his father and he HATED them but a tiny part of him still craved his vaidation (he hid most of that shit from RP) (she knew - didn't tell him until a later time (read later))

his most latest "errand" was to uh kill RP - shoot an arrow through her heart or smth (he's skilled at archery) - ofc he's NOT going to do that, the thought never crossed his mind - he immediately went to RP and- she was packing.. packing to leave apparently. they both look at each other through her window. comical owl stares. and blurt out at the same time ("my father wants you dead" "i'm betrothed to my cousin")

"do u wanna run away with me?" *no hesitation* "sure. when?" - sobbing that's their friendship summarized im afraid

also um u might wanna know WHY NS's dad (ew) wants RP dead - like a couple centuries back there was some confusion with which family the royal line must pass on to - apparently the king's (RP's dad) ancestor of that time did some manipulation n shit and got it passed to his bloodline - NS's dad (he's a noble, the most powerful one) found out and did NOT like that. however there's no way to change it now.. unless the king has no heir... etc etc you get it?

but BAM nobody knows this (except the queen (RP's mother) and RP (found out just b4 running away)) that the queen had given birth to TWINS *pls act surprised pls act surprised*. but the queen was raised in a vain misogynistic family and so it's no surprise (still sad) that she turned out just as vain and when she saw her babies for the first time her ingrained reaction was to abandon one of the babies cuz it had white patches scattered across its skin - basically vitiligo. she paid the two midwives(?) present while giving birth to go abroad and give away the baby somewhere on their way. (that baby is VG gaspp) the queen regrets it at times but more so because RP started developing those same patches on her skin as the years passed. moreover there were underlying mental issues with the queen brought on by a variety of factors (environment with lack of supportive adults growing up, misogynistic teachings that made her internalize inferiority, genetics, etc).. and this kingdom considers mental health veryy taboo. so when she started showing signs of conversion disorder (still need to do lots of research for this im afraid) the palace kept it hush-hush and dubbed it "hysteria". she basically spends most her time wandering a secluded tower or in her room. no proper treatment and her condition just got worse and worse. all she remembers properly is her two children and she's mixed with a confusing mix of motherly longing, regret, vain hatred, distrust, etc whenever she sees RP (who makes sure to visit her twice a week without fail cuz the queen gets no other human interaction (RP doesn't know the king also visits her once in a while))

RP

she's socially skilled - in terms of charming authorities and bending rules and finding loopholes - it's in royal etiquette/diplomacy training or wtv - but making actual genuine friends who like HER and not a facade is harddd (so she has (had) no other friends except NS) - like she TRIES to make friends (cuz she's an extrovert at heart) and just ends up making an absolute fool of herself

last time she cried was when she was 10 years old - since then she never cries - sober that is - but she's a lightweight and once a single gulp of alcohol enters her body she's sprouting melancholia to anyone who's partially willing to listen (mostly NS or her bedchamber assist or wtv they're called) and sobbing like a lil baby (i love her sm i want to keep her in a jar and shake it :/) - the masses ask for a REAL girlfail lesbian and i will deliver

straineddd relationship with both her parents - with her mother it's mostly pity (cuz honestly she's a product of her circumstances, doomed by the narrative if u will) but also that child-like sense of justice thinking this isn't fair? i don't deserve all the despicable things u tell me. and she tried to say she doesn't but she has that royal training ingrained in her, the sense of duty and loyalty, and so she visits her like a strict routine.

and her father oh boy - the thing is he's not as misogynistic - like yes, his ego was stroked when he married but he doesn't believe bs like women are inferior. he's an asshole but not really discriminatory. he bases ppl's worth on their merit, their skills (nvm he's an able-ist and class-ist pos)

she's bad at talking but good in bed, lack of parental attention got her fucking anybody willing in the castle (as long they're around her age)

NS

badddd daddy issues - he'd always been trying to do stuff do get attention and validation from his dad and it was just getting worse, deteriorating on his mental health, but then RP had staged an intervention sometime in his early teens and ended it with look dude it's still your choice, but from somebody who isn't his kid, he's a shit father, trust me ik smth abt shit fathers or smth like that idk yet (re: haven't started writing apart from the most random-est random-est scenes)

dead mom :/ (she was really really sweet) (NS doesn't remember much of her cuz he was a baby when she died but ppl always tell him she cared for him a lot)

personality wise he's kinda chill, he's usually more of a listener and only talks a bit more once he's close with somebody BUT with RP (who he grew up with) he's like a total extrovert (partly owing to that girl's ABYSSMAL social skills)

VG

all the village ppl think they can walk all over but they really really can't (i mean where'd they even get the idea?? losers)

but she is really really nice and kind and is known for that

WW

she's from somewhere abroad - no one knows where, u won't find out even at the end of the story

she's actually quite anxious and would let ppl walk all over her (no one comes close enough to do so tho)

has a soft spot for girls with pretty eyes (RP has reallyyy pretty eyes. in her opinion)

important relationships:

RP x WW

NS x VG

RP & VG - sisterssss

but i'd say the MOST important relationship is RP & NS (lesbian + straight guy<33)

imagine found family, betrayal, friendships, etccc

but most importantly it's a tragedy!! (i haven't decided yet if i wanna kill 2/4 or 3/4 + suicide yet) im tired of writing now but u get the gist lol. NS dies in the first book. then VG dies in the 2nd one and thennn.. idk

oh waittt: one of the most important things is that there are prophecies.. but also not in the typical sense.. more like ppl from thousands and thousands of years ago who achieved self-actualization and termed it "enlightenment" or wtv and basically could sort of feel the particles of time and made great big "predictions" about the kingdoms.. idk dude i just like my ocs :/

LIKE I SAID I HAVE NOT STARTED ACTUALLY SERIOUSLY WRITING

THIS IS JUST THE STORY IN MY HEAD

and also i ltrl do not blame u for not wanting to respond to this massive post 😭😭 in fact i might even prefer it😭

[nataliesscatorccio]

S3 hopes or predictions?? mostly for the teens

thanks for asking and thanks for waiting while I re-watched to answer! i'll keep the list short and sweet without (much) explanation because I'd love to expand on some of these later while we fill the time between seasons.

Predictions:

1. A Tai-for-president with Shauna-for-VP antler queen campaign. I think we'll see dissension over Nat's leadership in light of the cabin burning, but also Shauna clearly wants it and Tai has already been "nominated" by Van. Just like in girlhood the power dynamics stay shaky. Queen for a Day etc etc

2. Shauna is going to sleep with Travis. Travis knows Jackie in an intimate way Shauna never can. Shauna knows Javi in an intimate way Travis never can. The flesh is gone they can't consume any more of the person they love and the person they killed. I think they're going to get carnal about it.

3. Someone will refuse the draw (also, how do they still have the cards after the cabin burns? My guess is that's what Van stayed back to save after getting Tai out... or maybe they don't burn oOoOo)

4. Callie will (accidentally?) kill Jeff re: Shauna's "if you cum inside me I will raise the baby out of spite to become a killing machine and hunt you down." It wasn't on purpose but I think she might have succeeded anyway. Callie on her Mommy issues shit but also on some Shauna killing Jackie shit, another way to bind them inextricably.

Hopes:

1. I would be over the moon to see Akilah wear the pink converse from the Pilot. I don't believe anyone has yet?! I feel like it's a detail they're saving, and I hope it's being saved for Akilah so we can see her wear them and know she makes it to pitgirl/rescue

2. Personally I'd love to see a few new background characters introduced! I think Yellowjackets has historically done a great job developing background characters into focal characters (Mari this season, maybe Gen next?) and I don't mind to play the "yeah they've totally been here all along" game because, well, they have! 18 girls at the burial etc etc.

3. Saracusa death please 🙏🏼

4. In a completely different tune to my predictions for season two, I hope Ben lives.

Okay turns out I did not keep this short or sweet. Take them all with a grain of salt, but here's hoping! (Hoping I'm right? Hoping I'm wrong? Not sure!)

[heinousactszx]

If you could change anything about a single pokemon game, which one would it be and what would you do? 

i had to think on this for a bit. i like pokemon games, if you can believe it, so i approached this question from the perspective of something small i would tweak somewhere. like a little thing that always bugged me i would have the chance to change. but then i realized the answer was much bigger and had been staring me in the face the whole time

it's dexit. of course i'd change dexit. this isn't quite the spirit of your question because it's in 2 games (technically it's in 4 games, strictly it's actually 5 but i'll get to that) but it's still the biggest sticking point for so many people, and rightly so. so much ink has been spilled over it that I doubt i can say anything that hasn't been said, but dexit simply sucks. it sucked then and it sucks now, and it's going to suck for as long as they keep not having every pokemon available in the games.

pokemon has always sold itself on the friendship you can build with the creatures you meet. every pokemon, yes EVERY pokemon is a favorite of SOMEONE. more than the gameplay, the story, the music, the graphics, more than even the multiplayer, that has been the key to pokemon's success. it's why we've seen so many imitators come and go; almost none of them can match pokemon's ability to design a friend of any possible shape and size. there's a reason that the usual icebreaker for pokemon fans is to ask who their favorite is

so to lose that, to step away from that and make clear through the game itself that some of those friends aren't important, sucks! and i don't buy that it's to improve the games in other areas either, because i don't think many series veterans would look at the likes of swsh and sv (and lgpe and bdsp) and say that it's been worth the tradeoff, gameplay-wise. this is not a small indie company, game freak should be held to enough of a standard to include one of the foundations of the franchise! i'm not even asking for them to all be IN the game. just make them accessible, even if you have to transfer them to do it! that's basically what gen 7 did, doing away with the national dex but letting you bring whoever you like in. the fact that you can't even use them in pokemon bank boggles my mind. dexit is going to remain a cloud over this franchise's head for as long as it keeps up, which sucks

however, having said all that, i will give legends a pass. despite the way game freak bills it as part of the core series, we all know what we're looking at here. legends has a different take on the battle system, on catching, on just interacting with pokemon, even the story takes a very different tone to the average main series game. it's the definition of a spinoff, and so I hold it to a different standard. Given that legends (arceus anyway, we'll see about z-a) takes such a different tack to pokemon as a whole, and gives you much more to work with, i think it's acceptable for those games to not have every pokemon available. like i've discussed before, legends arceus may have had less than half of the dex that swsh had, but because it incentivized you to interact with pokemon in way more varied ways, it was the much more engaging experience