#Bear poll round one

[bearpoll2023]

[sonic-palooza]

[firefighterbracket]

Semi-Final

[best-non-english-word-torunament]

Round one: Bear, signed vs חי, chai

(poll at the end)

Bear, signed (LIBRAS, Brazilian sign language)

Translation: bear

LIBRAS is a Deaf community sign language from Brazil, which means that it’s a sign language taught in schools for deaf children. There are 630 000 users, out of which 420 000-840 000 are estimated to be Deaf. This is far from all people in Brazil with significant hearing loss, which were 9,7 million people in 2010. It is part of a language family with sign languages derived from LSF, French sign language. This is the largest sign language family as France was the first country to gather all deaf children and teach them the same sign language. Many countries, including Brazil, recruited sign teachers for their own deaf schools from France, which means they have a common origin and form a language family. Because they evolve as languages tend to do  and are influenced by local village sign languages (a group of deaf people in a community create their own sign language, common where deafness is inherited in one or a few families) or home signs (incomplete signs for a bare minimum of communication that isn’t considered a language, common where a deaf child is surrounded by only hearing people), they diverge and become separate languages. Portuguese sign language on the other hand belongs to the Swedish sign language family.

Motivation: just. look at it.

חי, chai (Hebrew)

[χai̯]

Translation: alive, living

Hebrew is an Afro-Asiatic language belonging to the Semitic branch and is the Jewish language in which the Tanakh was written down, originating in today’s Israel. Even after Hebrew stopped being spoken by Jews, it lived on as a literary medium and religious language. Using a modern version of Hebrew as a daily language was promoted principally by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda in the late 19th century. Reviving efforts went well and Hebrew is now the official language of Israel, where it's spoken by 8 million people. 1 million people outside Israel also speak Hebrew.

Motivation: חי is a very significant Hebrew word! Some people might recognise it from the saying עם ישראל חי (am yisrael chai 'the people of yisrael live/are living') and to us jews it means just that! That we're still alive, still living despite everything that happened to us!

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Bonus Bracket, Round 1

[image ID: the first image is of Mamoru, a boy with short brown hair, wearing a Japanese middle school uniform. he's sitting in a classroom chair, and several chairs and/or desks appear to be upended behind him. the second image is of Teddy/Teddyta, a boy with short brown hair and a white bandage on his cheek. he's wearing a hooded black jacket with red patches. end ID]

Mamoru

He's the protagonist of the lost ones weeping song by neru. Not many people know the character's actual name lol

Teddy/Teddyta

He's in the music video of tokyo teddy bear by neru 

[sugaraki-tenko]

[odysseys-blood]

saddest tags ive ever read that i found in my screenshots

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Katharine Hepburn (Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen)—(I hope someone else submits real propaganda but just in case they don't:) Cries. Screams. Wails. The woman who singlehandedly made me realize I was bi. A real "do i want to look like her. be her. or be with her.' crisis, where the answer was all three. Holy shit please all three.

Diahann Carroll (Paris Blues, Carmen Jones, Porgy and Bess)— Face of an angel. She had the range. She brought chemistry with every romance she portrayed. She also had a great fashion sense, and was so pretty Mattel made a doll based off of her.

This is round 6 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Diahann Carroll:

Another groundbreaking black actress, although she might be better remembered for her television roles. She was also an activist and worked with charities to support women in need.

here she is hanging out with shadow prince anthony perkins :3

Katharine Hepburn propaganda:

I'm sure one million people will submit her as an iconic Hollywood star but that iconicness might lead people to forget just how insanely hot she was like she had it ALL she was skilled she was funny she was smart she was beautiful AND she was likely bisexual

The single word I would use to explain Katherine Hepburn's appeal is *range*. In her acting career, that meant covering all the ground between lush period dramas and the comedies she did with Carey Grant and Spencer Tracey. In terms of hotness, it meant an uncanny ability to bring anything from a Dietrich-esque androgyny to some of the best Classic Hollywood Glamour you will ever see.

Katharine hep was so cool. The VIBES, the INDEPENDENCE,,, living life on her own terms.

she just had this.... bearing to her, this power. she could be funny, even silly (like in bringing up baby) but also so regal and elegant. she was nobody's fool and dear GOD that's so hot

Fancam link

She’s not only stunningly gorgeous (those eyes that pierce your soul! a jawline you could cut glass with!) but her delivery and physical presence in roles gives off confidence and authority in such a sexy way (truly the biggest dick energy of Old Hollywood). Her fiery energy in The Philadelphia Story? Unmatched.

God she's. She's so hot y'all. She has the range!!!!! Funny and dramatic and lovely

She IS the transatlantic accent. Classically gorgeous and such a strong personality.

She's literally one of the funniest women to ever live! She goes shot for shot with Cary Grant in Philadelphia Story and we damn well love her for it! She's the most annoying creature to ever live in Bringing Up Baby but she's so insane and funny that we simply cannot help but fall in love with her (and root for her to give Grant an aneurysm!)

i know she's accounted for but i really want to be sure someone has submitted the scene in bringing up baby where she's pretending to be a gangster

She simply stuns onscreen; you cannot do anything but be captivated by her presence. Also a non-gender-conforming icon and mild tumblr celebrity by virtue of that one picture from The Warrior's Husband (stage play).

Katharine Hepburn was out here casually changing the lives of young butch lesbians with her gender swag! She wore pants even when people said she shouldn’t, she refused to marry or have kids, and she wore menswear in at LEAST one movie!

If I start thinking about her face for too long I will cry she is so so hot. Katherine is so charismatic and charming in everything she appears in - watch her adopt a leopard and fall in love with her. Also she has the biggest dick energy ever (she and her pal Lauren Bacall share that accolade). Also had an incredibly long and varied career from screw ball comedies to serious dramas - she’s a queen of the screen and I adore her.

Someone's got to mention it, but she's won the most Oscars out of any performer and is largely considered one of the greatest actresses ever. She's got an incredible voice, an incredible presence, and she absolutely steals every scene she's in. She was private person and deemed standoffish and unapproachable, but she was also profoundly concerned for people's rights and was an outspoken supporter of abortion access. Finally, the Katharine Hepburn slacks look is just iconic. I mean look at her.

This woman. I have been obsessed with her for years. I know the urban legend is a popular one at this point of her walking around set in her underwear when her pants were stolen and she was left with only a skirt, but the pants thing is honestly enough for her to be the hottest in the room in my book. She refused to wear anything else at a time when the public in general and especially the studios did not like that. She was independent, stubborn, and so so very capable. Competency kink anyone? Also, if you want one final way that Katharine's entire life was saying "fuck you" to the establishment, it started young! Her mother took her to suffrage events, and she never got rid of that attitude of justice. I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of all the ways she was such a badass that I'm turning into a rambling mess instead.

[dirty-jammies]

Late Night Desires PART 2! ✨💗🌙

Astarion x Fem!Chubby!Reader x Halsin

(Reader is AFAB and is referred to with she/her pronouns and terms like "good girl". )

AN: Thank you all SO much for all the wonderful comments and likes on part 1! And a super-duper big thank you to everyone that voted in the poll! 😁 Don't worry, I intend on writing more for these dudes, so if your favourite poll option didn't win, look lout for it in a future fic! I hope part 2 is to your likings! This is super-horny, super-filthy, and super-delicious... Just like our favourite bloodsucking twink and bear daddy~ Enjoy!

Lying back on the soft grass, you bit your lip as you watched the two men above you appreciate each other's bodies with their hands, lips locked in a passionate kiss. Astarion’s soft, pale hands exploring the swells of Halsin’s muscles, and Halsin's huge hands sliding down the slender curve of Astarion's waist. 

You were still feeling the gentle waves of residual pleasure wash over you from your previous orgasm, sweat cooling on your skin in the midnight air, but you could feel yourself getting excited again watching the two men. You dropped a hand between your thick thighs and whimpered as you brushed your oversensitive pussy, soft and wet and relaxed from Halsin's expert fingering. Your noise alerted the two elves and they parted from their kiss, looking down at you.

“Poor little thing,” Astarion cooed with sarcastic pity, “needing more already, are you?”

You trailed your gaze down Halsin’s body, over his broad chest, down his stomach that was mouthwatering layers of muscle and fat, down the hair-dusted treasure trail where it disappeared into his leather leggings which looked to be on the verge of bursting at the seams thanks to the very obvious erection the druid was sporting.

“I am, but I’m not the only one,” you said with a smile and extended your leg, using it to brush over Halsin’s covered cock. The druid let out a quiet groan at the treatment and you made your desire known, “I… I want to take both of you, with my mouth, and with my…”

“A wonderful idea,” Halsin praised and leaned over you, dragging the pad of his thumb over your soft lips, “I'd love a chance to feel your sweet mouth, little one.”

With his considerable strength, Halsin helped you flip over onto your stomach, letting out a pleased rumble at the view, “What a treat… So supple and round,” he remarked, moving to your front, “like a decadent dessert for us.”

“Isn’t she the sweetest?” Astarion purred and took a handful of your thick ass, fingernails sinking into your soft skin and making you whimper at the light, pleasurable pain, “Mm… she’s still leaking back here.” You whimpered as Astarion’s hand came down to cup your pussy. You gasped harshly as he laid a firm smack over it, making blood rush to your face in embarrassment at the feeling and the lewd, wet noise it made alongside Astarion’s accompanying laughter.

Halsin took your face in his hand and made you look up at him. He smiled at your docile, doe-eyed expression, “Are you ready?” You nodded and you could see his eyes darken with lust, “Do you think you can be a good girl and take all of me?” Again, you nodded, more eagerly this time, the praise tickling your brain and making you squish your thighs together. You licked your lips and smiled up at Halsin.

“Such a needy thing, isn’t she?” Astarion teased, and you could hear him stroking himself again, getting himself hard again, “I’m glad you decided to join us, Halsin, perhaps together, we’ll finally be able to satisfy her.”

You rolled your eyes playfully and looked over your shoulder at your vampiric lover, “Oh, right, I’m the insatiable one…” you teased right back and Halsin laughed heartily.

“I have a good feeling we’ll all end the night satisfied, little one, now please look back this way,” he gently guided your face back towards him, and your eyes widened as you saw he had lowered his leggings, letting his manhood free from its leather confines at last, “Do you like what you see?”

You moaned at the sight and could hear Astarion groan from behind you as well. It was at least nine inches of thick, hard cock, with a soft bush of hair at the base and two heavy-looking balls that seemed to be sloshing with potent seed. You felt your mouth water and you swallowed the drool accumulating in your mouth before you boldly leaned forward and kissed it, feeling the thick vein along the bottom throb at the affection. Halsin’s hand cradled your cheek as though you were made of glass, “I will try to be gentle, but you are making it quite difficult to hold back…” he warned and lined his cock up with your pretty, pouty lips.

You could feel your arousal growing once more as you slowly took Halsin’s length into your mouth. You felt the bulbous head slide past your tongue, his foreskin sliding past your lips. You moaned around his length at the musky, masculine smell coming from his loins, and you felt a dribble of your slick slide down your inner thighs.

“Very good, darling,” Astarion praised softly and you moaned around Halsin’s cock as you felt Astarion line up his own sizable cock with your drooling pussy, “now get ready,” he quickly slammed home, his narrow hips colliding with your cushy ass with a loud smack, and you cried out around Halsin’s thick length. You heard Astarion shudder out a moan behind you, “So fucking hot and wet, you’re simply divine, darling…”

You felt your mind grow fuzzy, thoughts turning into pleads for ‘more, harder, faster!’ Halsin’s slow, careful drag of his cock over your tongue to bump against the back of your throat contrasted Astarion’s greedy, fast slams into your cunt, your body jiggling with the movement.

“Such a perfect girl,” Halsin sighed as you worked your tongue along his frenulum, “taking the both of us so well~”

Astarion’s hands sank into the plush fat of your waist, holding you steady as his hips drilled into you, “Nnh, yes, such a perfect little pet, with such a delicious body… tell us who this body belongs to, darling~” he purred.

Halsin withdrew his cock long enough for you to gasp in a breath and cry out “You! It belongs to you! Astarionnnh~Hah-Halsin!!” Your eyes rolled back as Halsin stuffed your mouth once more, this time sliding all the way into your throat, his huge hands holding your jaw as you did your best not to gag on the huge cock. You could taste his salty precum smearing on your tongue. Delicious.

“You’re so good… so good,” Halsin growled, giving himself over to his pleasure, “Gods, I’m close…”

You moaned around him, eager to get a taste of his cum, when Astarion thrust inside you as deep as he could go, grinding, /grinding/ against your sweet spot and making you whine around the length stuffing your throat. Astarion landed a hard smack on your ass and you whimpered, hearing him grunt.

“Do you want to switch? You did want to breed her, after all.” he teased breathily.

Halsin nodded tightly and you felt your jaw go slack as he withdrew his cock. You saw it, dripping with your saliva and his delicious precum, twitching hard. You whined as Astarion pulled out of you slowly and you felt his hand pet your back soothingly, “Don’t worry, love, you won’t be empty for long~”

The two men switched positions, you smiled seeing how creamy Astarion’s cock had become as he fucked you. Slick evidence of your arousal was glistening on his cock, making it shine in the moonlight. Astarion’s hand wove into your hair and you leaned forward, licking his cock from base to tip.

“Dirty girl,” he rasped with a grin, “tasting yourself on my cock?”

You hummed an affirmative, looking up into his beautiful red eyes as you continued cleaning him. You felt Halsin’s hands spread you open and your breathing hitched, feeling the druid’s cock prod the back of your thighs.

“She’s so wet,” he remarked, “are you ready for me?”

Astarion let you go long enough for you to look back at Halsin. You could see him stroking his cock, staring at your twitching pussy with an almost intoxicated look. 

“Yes, Halsin!” You panted, shaking your hips and making your ass jiggle for him, “I want you to fuck me, too!”

Astarion moaned and urged you on, “And then what, pet?”

You whimpered needily, wanting Halsin’s cock to stuff you full, “Y-your cum… I want you to cum inside me, Halsin, please!”

“Very good, darling,” Astarion praised and the both of you watched as Halsin’s face gained a look of absolute rapture as he sunk into you. You choked on a loud moan as you felt his massive manhood slip into your wet pussy, dragging along your juicy, twitching walls. You felt a droplet of drool leak out of your mouth.

“Silvanus preserve me,” Halsin groaned, long and loud, “you feel so good, so tight…” he hissed, stilling when he was only half-way in.

Astarion turned you back to face him, and he traced his thumb over your mouth, collecting the drop of drool you let slip on the pad of his thumb before he pushed it back in your mouth. He sneered down at you, but you could see the love in those crimson eyes, “/Messy/ girl, you’re already falling to pieces, aren’t you?” He pressed his leaking cockhead back to your lips, “Suck.”

With bleary eyes, you obeyed, moaning around Astarion’s cock as Halsin continued to press into you. You whined as the druid finally bottomed out; you felt his heavy balls pressing tightly to your oversensitive little clit, you felt his huge hands bracing himself on your squishy waist, but most distracting and pleasurable of all, you felt his flaring cockhead kiss your cervix, his girth pressing tightly against your walls! You flexed around him, begging Halsin to fuck you stupid while your mouth was occupied.

Soon you were rocked back and forth, the men settling on a pattern that rocked you back on the druid’s massive cock, then forwards so Astarion could fuck your throat. They made sure neither your mouth or pussy was empty at a time. You clutched the grass beneath you like a lifeline, you felt like you were losing your higher brain functions. Nothing else mattered in this beautiful moment other than the pleasure you felt, and the pleasure your lovers were taking from you, greedily fucking your sweet little holes like their lives depended on it.

You heard Halsin let out a deep groan and his hands migrated from your waist to your hanging belly, holding you tight, his own warm belly and chest pressing into your back as he took you in a more bestial position. The thought of Halsin losing control as he pounded you, losing his own grip on propriety and fucking you like a wild animal, made you scream around Astarion’s length and the vampire withdrew from you briefly and cupped your jaw as you whined long and loud, announcing your second orgasm of the night. Halsin fucked you through it, rasping and grunting filthy praise all the while.

“Perfect girl, cum on my cock, such a good girl. Surely you can do it again for me, yes?”

You nodded helplessly as you convulsed around his pistoning cock, drool freely dripping from your parted lips, “Uh huh!” you could only whine in reply.

With a long index finger and thumb, Astarion squished your chubby cheeks together, making you pout. You heard him click his tongue down at you, “What a greedy girl we have~ Already cumming again?” he used his other hand to guide his cock to your mouth, lightly slapping your cushiony lips with his angry red cockhead, “help me cum and we’ll see to that third orgasm you need.”

Haslin let out a breathy laugh from behind you, groping your soft ass as he slowed his pace, letting you recover a bit, “Third, fourth… however many she wishes!”

“You’re already spoiling her!” Astarion whined, but you could hear his smile, even when you closed your eyes to obediently take his cock back onto your tongue, “Though she does beg to be spoiled, doesn’t she? To be pampered and fucked full all day long. Thaaat’s a good pet~” he cooed to you as his fingers wound into your soft tresses.

With a nod from you, the two men resumed their steady pace. Astarion in, Halsin out. Halsin in, Astrarion out… The noises you three were making filled the air around you; your sweet, muffled whines mixed with Astarion’s low voice spitting vile taunts mixed with sincere, divine praise, and Halsin’s rough, almost animalistic growls and grunts as he became more and more desperate. The symphony of your voices was accompanied by the filthy, wet noises of Astarion fucking your sloppy mouth, and Halsin drilling your gushing, oversensitive pussy. You felt your breasts and stomach swinging under you with every movement, felt Halsin’s broad hips slapping your cushy ass with every deep thrust he gave, dragging his heavy cock along your sweet spot before it squeezed against your cervix. You felt his heavy balls kiss your hard little clit before he dropped a hand under you to circle it, making your eyes roll back. You wondered if you would cum again before the men did?

You didn’t have long to ponder that before you heard Astarion hiss out a strained warning, “Fuck, darling, I’m going to cum,” he pulled your hair back hard and you whined in pleasurable pain. You looked up blearily into Astarion’s gorgeous red eyes that were burning with intense lust, “I’m going to shoot straight down your throat, you will swallow every last drop,” he ordered, withdrawing for a moment so you could breathe, “then you’ll thank me for the meal. Understand?” he grinned sharply as you nodded, his smile nearing on crazed, and he licked his lips before plunging down your throat. 

Your eyes rolled back in your head, Halsin continuing to pound you while you felt Astarion release pump after pump of hot, bitter cum right down your throat. The vein on the underside of his manhood throbbed against your tongue. The vampire’s head rolled back and he let out a long, beautiful moan as he fed you. Halsin slowed down his pace for a moment, letting you swallow the thick fluid as AStarion withdrew his spent cock.

Good, obedient girl that you were, you smiled up at him hazily and licked your lips, “Thank you for the meal, Astarion~” you panted, showing him your empty mouth.

“Perfect pet,” Astarion praised and caressed your beautiful, soft face, catching his breath, “Now, let dear Halsin finish you off!” he nodded back at Halsin and you cried as the druid started up at a punishing pace.

You writhed beneath him, sweat dripping onto the grass under you as your toes curled in the night air. Both you and Halsin were beyond the point of words, just crying and moaning and grunting and screaming as pleasure overtook you. Halsin took greedy handfuls of your plush fat, using it as an anchor to pull you back on his cock, drilling deeper and deeper, hitting spots inside you never touched before. It was all too much! Too much! The feeling of that massive cock fucking you with intent to breed, Halsin’s strong arms holding you in place while Astarion’s hands now held you as if you were a delicate, priceless gem, the taste of Astarion’s cum at the back of your throat. You couldn’t hold back your voice, whiny and far-gone.

“Gonna cum gonna cum gonna cum- Halsin! HALSIIIN!” You screamed into the night as your body bent, thrashing as orgasm overtook you. Your vision went white as Halsin growled behind you.

“Gods, yes! Cum on this cock!” He railed you through it, body on top of yours, nearly pressing you into the dirt as you squirted around his cock, “take my seed, take all of my- oh fuck-!”

You felt yourself spasm in your lovers’ hold, cumming again, gentler, as you felt Halsin empty a torrent of hot, sticky cum into your womb. Halsin gasped for breath as he gave a few final thrusts, as if ensuring every drop of his seed was safely planted in you. He slowly pulled out and you whined at the sudden loss, and you held a hand over your well-used pussy to make sure nothing leaked out. 

Halsin laid back on the grass, and Astarion guided your boneless body to lay next to him. You immediately curled around Halsin, one of his strong arms wrapping protectively around your shoulders. Astarion joined his other side, also being pulled to cuddle on top of the druid.

You sighed blissfully. Your sweat had cooled in the night air, but you were warmed by the men near you, and you could tell the feeling was more than mutual. The moon and stars shone above you, providing light so you could see your lovers’ satisfied smiles. 

Astarion fluffed his hair, which had gotten more than a bit tousled during your fun, “Well, Halsin, I sincerely hope you enjoyed yourself as much as we did,” he propped his chin up on one of Halsin’s pecs and gave him a coy smile, “I would very much like to do this again~”

Haslin let out a quiet laugh and his chest rumbled with it, “If the both of you would be willing to have me again, I would love that.”

You nuzzled into Halsin’s neck and pressed a warm kiss to his sticky, sweat-lined skin, “Mmh~ I’d love that. There’s so much I’d love to try with you two.”

Astarion grinned and reached over, tasking your hand in his own, “Really, darling~? Do tell us, then. What could possibly be on your mind?” Halsin and Astarion looked down at you, curious with a faint spark of renewed lust.

You shook your head, “I’ll tell you next time,” you let out a yawn as fatigue creeped up on you, “but… don’t let me stop you two from fooling around if you’re not spent yet.” you added with a playful smile.

Halsin pinched your cheek and you giggled, “Naughty little thing,” he teased, but he cast a glance at Astarion, “Though… if you wanted, Astarion…?” he left the question hang.

Astarion huffed and hid his blushing face on the other side of Halsin’s neck, “And you call me insatiable!? I need my beauty rest!”

Halsin laughed and pulled you and Astarion closer, “Well then, beauties, why don’t we rest? We can regroup with the others in the morning.”

You and Astarion agreed, and snuggled up to the cuddly druid until the sun eventually bathed your bodies in it’s warm embrace. Though you had to admit, now you would prefer the embrace of your vampire and your druid any day.

~💞~

AN2: Oh!! Taglist! I'm gonna tag everyone who liked to the taglist post I made PLUS everyone who commented about part two on the first part lmao~

@bamblepee @nova-starion @rosaliemizzrym @cross-stitch-grandma @serendipitous-fernweh @winnieshitposts-blog @audreonne @missusbarnes-rogers @darkprincemara @iwannabealocalcryptid @flowerfoxsstuff @teramjna @huuvu @somewhereonliknow @exophelia @absinthe-adonis @aquarivsrot

[kebbopulos]

Hey folks you know those hyperspecific polls that are making the rounds on here?

THAT'S THE TYPE OF SHIT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY WHEN YOU ARE ASKED FOR A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF (at least based on the polls I've seen). I know myself and a lot of other people hate having to come up with fun facts about themselves, so use these as a cheat sheet!

Literally, if you find one that's true, mentally save it as your fun fact to have ready about yourself. Please allow me to give you some potential fun facts from real polls on this site:

I *exclusively* wear novelty print socks. no plain ones at all

I can't ride a bike

tiramisù is my favorite dessert

I can speak and write fluently in pig latin

I am scared of moths

I know 30+ digits of pi (this is one I use as a fun fact regularly)

I grew up with a pet macaw

I currently want the same job that I did when I was 4

I have been buried in corn

I was once stranded on a mountain and had to be rescued

I’ve seen a bear in the wild more than once

My pet is named after a fictional character

I planted over three hundred thousand trees by hand

Any of these true about you? Awesome! Use it as a fun fact! If none of these are true for you feel free to look through other hyperspecific polls! Good luck!

[qqueenofhades]

I'm watching the results come in for the French legislatives first round, and I have been following American presidential race and supreme court from afar. I am depressed. Please say something wise that will give me hope. I never thought to live through times like this.

Anonymous asked: Hey I know you said you’re avoiding posting about politics so absolutely feel free not to reply, but any tips about not getting hopeless? Especially when the fellow young people in your life are all clamoring to talk about how both parties are the same, they won’t vote, etc, etc (😑)?

Welp. It seems that what the people want to hear at this point is some Wise Words From Internet Grandmother Hilary, so... I will do my best to see what I can come up with. It bears repeating, as I have said many times before and will do so again, that I still have heard no better advice for living through The Horrors than the Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Because, yeah. That, in its simplest essence, is it. We cannot control The Horrors. Individual people have never been able to control The Horrors, and five thousand-odd years after the invention of documented human history, here we still are, making the same stupid fucking mistakes. That is pretty maddening to deal with, and if you try to think of it like that, it is impossible to wrap your head around and it will only drive you crazy. So, then. What?

I will freely admit that I am scared too. Despite my best efforts, the post-debate furor wigged me out, I had to log off all social media and news sites for most of the weekend, not look at anything aside from one site I trust for two minutes, and try to get myself back in an okay headspace. So yes, rule number one: STOP DOOMSCROLLING. Please get a muzzle on that little voice in your head that says you HAVE to look, you HAVE to read everything, you have to KNOW JUST IN CASE HOW BAD IT COULD POSSIBLY BE. Then you look at stuff that makes you upset, and that leads to other stuff that makes you more upset, and then there you are in a stew of anxiety and anger and everything else that doesn't help. Do not look at the Bird Site Formerly Known as Twitter or news sites or anything else that is liable to have stuff that upsets you, especially in Panic!!! moments like this. It is designed to make you feel worse and it obscures the fact that nobody actually knows. Like, I devoutly hope that the anonymous "adviser to a prominent Democrat" and the NYT editorial board and everyone else screaming about how Biden should drop out right now step on ten Legos a day for the rest of their lives, but they also DO NOT KNOW (and given the NYT nakedly admitting to a personal vendetta against Biden for not giving them an interview, everyone can see exactly what this crass and unbelievably stupid sabotage attempt is, but yeah). Even if they get quoted in prominent publications, they do not know what is going to happen. They are not prophets. The NYT has, as noted, showed its ass 800 times before and keeps coming up with polls that are so ludicrously pro-Trump that it's becoming a cottage industry to debunk them. They are crass and cynical and trash and all that, they have vested interests, they have a platform, but repeat after me: WE DO NOT KNOW "FOR A FACT" THAT EVERYTHING IS DOOMED AND WILL NEVER BE OKAY AGAIN IF WE DO NOT LISTEN TO THE ALMIGHTY NEW YORK TIMES. In fact, the NYT has been so fucking wrong so fucking many times that at this point, I would bet on it being the other way around.

As part of my Bad Headspace Night on Friday night, I did picture the worst-case scenario of Trump winning, American democracy being overthrown, fascists around the world being emboldened, etc. It was a nasty mental picture and I didn't like anything that would come about if it did, but I had to remind myself that even if it did happen, well, the world would still be here, and good people who care about its future would have to do something to make that future happen. It would be ten times harder and it would be the result of another unimaginably evil and cynical fascist sabotage campaign, but... those are not exactly unprecedented in human history. (See: making all those mistakes over and over again.) People in the past were faced with those same exact moments where everything seemed monumentally hopeless and doomed for a generation, and they fought back, and they won. That's the thing. Fascists are evil and awful and terribly unnecessarily destructive, but they are not unbeatable, and they never have been. If we make the choice to resist them, then, well, they can be resisted. It will not happen by posting vaporous screeds on social media, or sitting on your ass and waiting for some miraculous savior/revolution/whatever to swoop in and save you, but it can happen, and it can work. That's what is very hard to remember in the current Horrors, but it's the way it's been for as long as there has been evil. It is not the be-all and end-all of the human experience and never will be.

Likewise: if a la the second anon you're being surrounded with people who are saying stupid things and making you feel worse: just don't be around them any more. It's that simple and you should do it. You can unfollow people who are posting defeatist rubbish, or you can avoid spending time with people railing about how everything is already doomed and voting is useless, etc. You may feel guilty because these people are your friends or you don't want to cut off contact, but you need to do what is best for your mental health, and if all you hear is BS, then, yeah. Pull the plug, cut the cord, do whatever you want. You do not owe anyone else your headspace, your attention, your mental health, or anything else, especially if it is demonstrably idiotic and incorrect. Find ways to do something. Go out and volunteer. Put down the phone (again, this cannot be overemphasized) and stop looking at doomerists on Twitter who get their engagement fix from making you upset and angry. Read a book, watch a TV show, visit a friend in real life, take a walk outside (if you don't live in a furnace, which unfortunately a lot of us do right now). Just sit and close your eyes and meditate. Stretch or move your body. Drink water. Super basic ordinary things that get you away from the increasingly frantic death spiral mindset and put you back in the reminder that things are never over and there is still a lot of time for everything.

As I said: I am doing this myself right now. It is not easy. I know it is not. I wish that we lived in a kinder timeline where this was not necessary, but as Gandalf says, nobody ever wishes for this and yet it happens nonetheless. But we can still control how we react to it and identify the things that are doing their best to make us feel terrible and doomed and hopeless, and make a choice to move away from them. We do not know what's going to happen, no. But we also do not know that everything is doomed, and you know what, it usually ends up not being that way. So that's what I can offer for now. Courage.

[bearpoll2023]

[sonic-palooza]

Round One - Match 40

[omaano]

SW Hades AU August Update

Links and previous updates: May - June - July, everything else in this AU

In contrast to the July update, I didn't make as much progress in August as I'd intended, but all the same I'm quite happy with what I get to share with you here:

In the previous poll I only promised to get Echo and Fives to lines and flat colours by this (more than a bit belated) update, but thanks to @lesquatrechevrons keeping me company while I was working on them I managed to get the Domino Twins character art to a state of "almost finished". (I had posted them as "finished" but that was before I realized that I'd forgotten to add the little specks of neon colour to them, but oh well, I hate that stage anyway XD)

I also did some brainstorming with the amazing @elwinged about all the characters, as well as the various weapons and their aspects for this AU. They had some great theories and ideas, and also made me actively think about these things, which was real fun!

Before I go into some ramblings about what went into Echo and Fives' art and design (gotta pad this update with something, and some of you seemed to enjoy it with Omega last time), let's have another poll for next month! I've looked over my table of characters and plans, and I came to the delightful realization that I've made far better progress than how it feels on a day-to-day basis. So maybe it's time to work a bit on the boon-giver characters for a change:

Also would anyone be interested in a taglist for these updates, or are you all fine with me just putting these out whenever and let tumblr do its thing in getting them to you? (send me an ask or reply here if yes, I know my tumblr is a mess XD)

Now on to some thoughts on Echo and Fives:

Depicted but not illustrated in its fullest is that Rex has been a constant presence next to Echo and Fives (and to Cody, too, previous to that). It bears repeating that I really wanted to make sure that the clones are the same in size, and share as many colours as possible (so Cody also stood around as moral support when it came to Fives' hair). So you can also see how the shading on their faces are very similar in their shapes, except for the shadows in that part where nose, cheek and mouth meet, because I wanted to make the Dominoes look a bit younger.

Same with how Rex still has that wrinkle in his forehead that I oddly fixate on so much (don't ask), but Echo and Fives very clerly don't. I'll claim that it had been a completely conscious decision, and not just time passing between the two designs - well over half a year - during which I got it into my head that I should depict the clones during wartime as close to their barely-20-ish age as possible.

One thing I didn't commit to enough though (because I chickened out) was to make Fives look a bit more "dead" and ghostly before I put the blue-green soft light adjustment layer on him was the deeper and darker circles under his eyes, and I fully intended to leave out the light reflection from his eyes... but in the end I went back and added a duller shine to them because I'm weak, it's barely visible and he looked too grumpy and mean already T^T I also didn't want to make his cheeks more hollow or anything, because then I would just feel bad and weird about taking away the roundness from their shapes that I've worked so hard to put on them.

As I was working on this piece I've also thought a lot on the style that I've been trying to mimic through this project.

The thing that gave me pause is that I see more and more of my own style slipping into these pieces, I allow my lines to round out more... and I can claim that it is mostly because that's the compromise I can make with the clones, but I open up and look at Hades references less and less, and I just go freely with what's stuck in my brain while I'd tried to wrap my mind around the style when I first went at it.

I've also always had trouble with grouping my shadows and shapes, and this is exactly what I should be pushing more from now on forward. I keep letting myself get distracted by all the tiny details that I so enjoy to put into my work (case in point all that scarring on Echo, and even Fives' hair - as well as Cody's previously, but I didn't know how else to convey the texture of their hair in less and larger shapes). Hades character designs always feel so rich with detail, but at the same time they are a lot more streamlined than what I'd do if i let my own instincts and desires run wild. I'll try to work with that in the future!

Last but not least a few words on Echo's armor:

I'm slowly but surely stretching my artistic muscles a little and going a bit off-model for the characters, so I wanted Echo to wear armor that is a mix of his ARC and Bad Batch commando armor. So he's got the old plates on his arms (where he still has one LOL), all the straps and pouches (and both blasters!) and old kama hanging from his belt, as well as the hand print paint (because that is personally very very important to me that he has it). Then, beause I desperately needed some other colour in my characters that's not blue or black or grey, he's got elements of the red and orange paint he wears later in TBB (I really wanted him to have that orange stripe down the middle of his chest piece too, but I couldn't make it work with the handprint :() I'm real happy with this balance, and particularly with the shades of blue in his worn paint ^^

I also really wanted to give him a hand (I'll never not be frustrated at how Echo was kept literally handicapped with only his left hand to shoot and grab things (and people) with. It's good that he'd been an ARC and trained in dual wielding, but in a world where people keep losing their appendages (and sometimes half of their bodies) as if it was np big deal at all, it couldn't have been too difficult to get him a hand!! ANYWAYS. I'd first learned how to draw mechanical prosthetic hands/arms during my time in the Overwatch fandom, and I don't think I could draw them any other way (especially the fingers and the lights showing through in their joints) than how I'd done for Cole Cassidy way back when he still had a different name XD

I know there is a relatively limited way in how and what parts you can use to build up a hand/forearm, but I just cannot unsee it, and I thought I'd share this tidbit fun fact as well XD

I hope you enjoyed these ramblings, and I promise to try and keep to the normal mid-month-ish schedule for September!

[jerktournament]

FINAL ROUND - GLaDOS (Portal) VS Herbert P Bear (Club Penguin)

!!! PROPAGANDA BELOW !!!

GLaDOS: "So mot only is she running your character through a series of puzzles with the intention of killing her at the end, but in the second game she spends the Entire. Time. Verbally and emotionally abusing you, including body shaming and bullying you for being an orphan. If it's any consolation, she does have to exist as a potato for the second and third acts of Portal 2."

"Known for being mean (hot). Mercilessly targets the player character's every possible insecurity. Petty and mean. I understand if you don't want to include her since she tends to dominate polls, lol."

HERBERT: "This mf spends his whole life trying to heat up a frozen island and terrorizing the innocent penguins that live on it all bc he was bad at sailing one time and is too much of a wimp to try again. Classic Misery loves Company type asshole."

"operation blackout would have been NOTHING without him (mostly because he caused it). he has a SOLAR LASER. this polar bear is an ass who literally harnessed the power of the sun and froze the top members of the elite penguin force (a group of penguin special agents) and his best friend is an equally villainous crab"

"Herbert may be a fandom darling in our fandom of like, 20 people. BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU! He is a conniving, EVIL bear, and a professional jerk and some highlights of his jerkishness include...

- Spending ten years of his life (by the time the game closed) trying to destroy the Penguin Secret Agency and Elite Penguin Force (both were agencies that protected the island from disasters and villains like Herbert) with varying success...

- SUCCESSFULLY destroyed the Penguin Secret Agency with a popcorn bomb, which destroyed their HQ. It should also be noted that while doing so, he locked in the player, Rookie, and Gary the Gadget Guy, presumably so the bombs explosion would have killed them all.

-Teamed up with the EPF to stop the Ultimate Protobot 10,000 and the Test Bots, a small group of four dangerous robots after he personally brought them back. When Protobot went "too far" for Herbert's standards by threatening the environment and trying to completely destroy the EPF (despite the aforementioned Popcorn Bomb incident literally destroying the PSA, and also a certain Operation: Blackout), causing him to temporarily switch sides. This might sound like a character growth moment...except for the fact that he immediately betrays them once Protobot is dealt with and attacks and damages the EPF's HQ using a robot hydra made for the Medieval Party that he stole.

- A canonical ex-dictator. Don't believe me? Look up Operation: Blackout on the Club Penguin Wiki! He froze several agents during his reign of terror, was open to freezing innocent civilians, and also wanted to do away with puffles- the pets of penguins. He also banned several hobbies and professions during his reign (being a Ninja, a DJ, a Pirate, etc) for no reason other than disliking them. He also destroyed the EPF'S HQ and exposed two agents' private information to the public. This means Herbert is the first and only character to canonically dox people he doesn't like on Club Penguin.

-Was planning to bomb the EPF literally two months later with a hot sauce bomb (makes sense in context of the game and yes, it is more destructive than it sounds).

-Brainwashed puffles into digging coins for him purely because his henchman, Klutzy the crab brought a coin slot to use for his DIY heater, instead of just removing the coin slot and retooling it to work without one like a normal person."

[just-some-guy-joust]

Just Some Guy OC Tourney - Side A: Round 1

Rules:

do NOT be mean to anyone or any characters in these polls. you MUST clarify if you are joking/teasing or you will be blocked. if you are someone who entered an oc into this and you are mean to other contestants you will be disqualified

do NOT claim a character doesn't deserve to be here. yes including your own. be nice

if you are posting propaganda you have to tag us, including if your propaganda is in the reblogs. it is difficult to tell when something is or isn't propaganda. anything not tagging us will likely be missed

please don't hesitate to let me know if i messed something up!

have fun, hype each other up <3 thank you

Evergreen | She/her | @insertsona

shes just kind of chilling tbh . she's technically unemployed (didn't feel like it) and spends most of her time vibing . her ex recently returned to the city after randomly disappearing for years and she was just kind of oh hey glad youre back . her most interesting trait is that she takes part in a fighting tournament once a year and wins it usually . and shes transgender

Promos: evergreen is a character in my oc universe teunia! shes a side character in the main story the tourney and a slightly more main character in the unnamed prequel that i think abt very often (but have yet to develop . bc im too busy thinking abt my dr oc constantly)

teunia's folder -> https://toyhou.se/InsertSona/characters/folder:3849690

~

Zephyr Fey | He/him | @lord-plague

An averagely built guy who somehow managed to join the military force of his fortress city without a birth certificate, ID, and with dyed hair. Nobody knows where he came from, nobody knows why he is here but there he is. No magic or superhuman abilities or prodigal skills but my god does he make great goo bowls with greater personalities (nobody wants the goo bowls and he does not know why). That one friend that keeps trying to alleviate awkward situations with jokes and random laughter.

~

Full images and descriptions under the cut!

EVERGREEN IS LITERALLY SO JUST SOME GUY. despite being a repeat champion for the tourney she lives in a shitty studio apartment . she had a girlfriend that was also her rival and then they broke up and she was just oh ok! her hobbies include vibing, hanging out, etc. shes like those old guys you see watching planes take off or construction occur . nobody knows where she gets her money from . her ex's new partner is a friend of hers. she doesn't even bear any relevance to the first main plotline because she's too busy doing other stuff she just happens to also be in the city while the horrors occur . sometimes shell go to the local coffee shop and just not order anything . i wanna be her friend . i havent actually posted her on tumblr . shes so some guy that most of the facts abt her character i can think abt are so mundane i never even bothered to write them down

[no extra description provided]