#also a lot of newer artists are discouraged from having a style of their own it makes me so fucking sad

[cherrysnax]

the webcomic scene growing and thriving is great and all but god damn it’s like every comic has to be like. 100% professional now, I remember when I first got into webcomics things were like allowed to be goofy for like the first 200 or so pages, nowadays it’s like… I’ll see ppl start their comic and produce massive illustrations every single panel and then they just stop because they’ve burnt themselves out trying to match art standards made by people with teams and a bunch of money

[misszqueen-blog]

My Gripe with KHipHop

As a KHipHop fan I am beginning to feel a little frustration at the current state of Korean HipHop, at the artists but also the fans.

In general I believe that there is a vocal minority of fans, I don’t really know if they are a minority but I hope they are, that have this rigid belief of what is and is not hiphop. The question I pose to these people is, who are you to say what is and is not hiphop. Hiphop is a culture that encompasses so much and allows for so much within it that when fans of Korean hiphop for whom hiphop is not a native thing for them, you are limiting what artists can and cannot do as they go around screaming and shouting from the top of the rooftops what is and is not hiphop.

Korean HipHop is going through a growth stage at this current moment in time, with the older generation of The Quiett, Jay Park, Don Mills etc, getting older there is new talent emerging, which is needed to keep the culture alive. HOWEVER, looking at the emerging artists one cannot help but worry. There are artists who are trying out new genres within hip hop e.g. jersey club, trap and drill however a lot of the music in those genres right now feel gimmicky. I do not say this to discourage these artists from making this type of music but instead I hope to push them to elevate their craft and push the boundaries of these hiphop subgenres and making their own styles and sounds within these spaces.

A good example of an artist doing this is Blasé with his recent album ‘Multrillverse’. Having had a cosign from prominent UK drill rapper Central Cee, he is the perfect example of someone who has found a pocket of hiphop and has really made it into his own. Admittedly when he first came out with the track ‘Peace out’ I was sceptical as the forced British accent was a little grating on my native ears, however what I admired about the track was Blasé’s attempt to really emulate the essence of UK drill which he did pretty well. In his latest album the tracks ‘Pop it’ and the album’s opening track were good starting points. But the tracks I would really like to praise are ‘Hypersonic’ – a hyper pop spin on drill, a blend of genres I would never thought I would hear together but Blasé has made work just so so so well and ‘Gospel’ – a drill track with very prominent gospel influences (as stated in the name). ‘Gospel’ is the perfect example of a rapper stepping out of their comfort zone, giving us different flows but the risk paying off as the track is a masterpiece. Chin’s singing rap on the track adds a bit of variety, the hook just works so well. I cannot hype this this track enough. This is what is needed in the scene. The ‘Multrillverse’ album is ultimately very experimental, but that’s why it works so well, it opened up the door to show us the possibilities of what can be done within the pocket of drill. Fusing multiple genres with drill to create a complete, well rounded album.

What I really want to see in Korean HipHop is artists to stop looking outward and start looking at what they have back home. The internet is a wonderful tool which allows us to have so much access to things we would not have had access to before. This however, seems to have had a detrimental effect on a younger generation of KHipHop rappers who almost have too much access to outside influences. This bombardment of new information and sources of inspiration has left them with almost too much to work with. I say this as I have a deep yearning to hear traditional Korean musical elements incorporated into the music that is coming out. Obviously as HipHop is an African American musical genre, rappers would look to the source to for inspiration and what the latest trends in the hiphop scene are, but as seen with Blasé’s recent album genre fusion can be done, and done well at that. So a wish I whisper into the ears of the newer generation of Khiphop artists is ‘ look at what is at home, charity begins in the home.’ With a culture which is so musically rich historically, it would be a great shame not to incorporate elements of it into the KHipHop scene. This would also present a perfect opportunity for musicians to meet and exchange ideas, for the promotion of traditional Korean music and being able to come up with your own subgenre of hiphop.

Having given all this hype to an artist I have a few words to say about some of the young ones. Now I am no CA (cultural appropriation) police however, for the Love of God and the Earth, do you as a native Korean, as in 100% Korean blooded human, think you look good with locs in your head. Not only does your hair not do that, you are also inconveniencing yourself by putting in synthetic locs which mean that is more difficult to wash and take care of your hair. You get perms to make your hair look as if it grows upwards in tight coils, when we really know that it just grows downwards. You may think of it as ‘ooooh it looks really cool and I wanna try’ and by all accounts go ahead. But just note, when your hair breaks off half way down the shaft from a loc hairstyle your hair could not handle, the afro perm you got damages your hair beyond repair and the box braids which leave your hair suffering, you looked wholly stupid while doing it. For the Korean hip hop scene and culture to really grow and thrive more collaboration between artists is needed. More artists, producer pairs need to be emerging. The underground hiphop scene really need to band together and back themselves.

[peachspritzer]

Name: Dahlia Summers

Age: 30 

Occupation: Artist, Teacher

Positive Traits: dreamy, witty, kind-hearted, determined 

Negative Traits: impatient, fussy, jittery, quick-tempered 

Aesthetic: paint under fingernails, always smelling like caramel coffee, long skirts in the spring, fuzzy socks all year round, drying flowers between book pages, red wine at 1am, trying to find inspiration, warm smiles, summer sea breezes, drawing on every piece of paper you can find, meticulously organized art supplies, every shade of nude lipstick.

A Prodigy in the Making

One of Lia’s earliest childhood memories was of her going through her older brother’s school supplies. She managed to unscrew the lids to some paints then proceeded to paint on some paper – watercolor paper thankfully. Her mother found her with paint all over her clothes but she was too giddy about Lia’s artwork to even scold her. Her first painting is still framed in her childhood bedroom in their home. After that, her mother enrolled her in some art classes but she continued to self-learn after a few months. At fifteen, she’d already sold three paintings to renowned art collectors. At eighteen, she opened her own Etsy shop selling her art and doing commissions. At twenty-five, she was able to open her own art studio in Kensington, New York. She teaches art to kids during the day, hosts wine and painting sessions for adults at night, and tries to create new works in her backroom at every spare moment. Her life was full of frantic highs and lows – she loved every second of it.

 Humble Beginnings

Dahlia came from the most typical middle class family. Her dad worked in a bank and her mother was a middle school teacher. Her brother, Wesley, had always been her partner in crime with just two years of an age difference between them. She was never short on love as her family liked to coddle her. She went to the same high school as Wes did and enrolled herself in as much AP classes as she could. She wanted her college applications to look superb so she could finally get to see more of her own state. She’s only ever been in her town and she wanted to see and experience what the world had to offer.

Things started to pick up when her art was getting some recognition in their little town of Portsmouth. She was being asked to paint murals for the cafes and restaurants, make wedding invitations, and partnered up with a local tattoo parlor for some of her designs (no, she was not allowed to get one, said her dad). With all these came money. She’s been living quite frugally all throughout her life in Rhode Island so her bank account had been racking quite the sum. While she shelled out quite a few dollars each month for supplies, she knew better than to touch her accounts. Lia was saving up to attend Rhode Island School of Design and she damn well knew that student loans were gonna come biting if she didn’t plan it out right.

 College: A time to function on espresso and sheer willpower alone

Being accepted into the Painting program at RISD was the highlight of her teenage life. She packed her suitcases and went on her merry way. College wasn’t really what she expected, though. She has a huge group of friends while she was in high school (which came with Wes’ popularity) and had her parents advice to turn to whenever she needed it. Now she was on her own, forced to remake everything from the ground up. Rather than be discouraged, she took it as a challenge to keep on improving herself and her art.

It wasn’t long until she began to get noticed in her program. The alumni of the department would often commission her art for hefty sums. She also received a grant for being so participative in the city’s efforts to integrate art into their programs. She was looking at a full ride and didn’t have to worry about funds for quite some time. All she had to worry about was punching out more and more artwork as her name became a whispered staple in the art community. The bags under her eyes had bags, her fingers and neck were constantly aching, her sleeping pattern turned erratic, yet she still pushed through and persevered. Eventually her 4 year program came to a close and she graduated cum laude with several other distinctions. 

From the ground up, again

After graduation, she went back home to Portsmouth to teach high school art history. Her parents probably questioned her decisions but she was biding her time. At 25, she had finally done enough research and secured enough funds to purchase her own art studio in Kensington New York. It was in the suburbs which she preferred, but it was also a quick trip to the city. Disappearing for three years took a toll on her budding art career. Sure she still had her previous connections and clients but her fame simmered down after three years of inactivity. She’d been relentlessly putting up ads and artwork on her website to gain the traction she once had. Her old clientele seemed excited that she was back in business and she could only hope that their support didn’t waver.

At twenty-eight, she decided that selling art wouldn’t cut it. While she made huge amounts for the paintings she sold, she still had a storage room full of unsold ones. Dahlia decided that now would be the time to expand her business.  She began with holding art lessons for kids during the summer season, which then evolved to wine and painting at night (which was quite popular with couples). After this change, things began to pick up again for Lia. She was happy seeing the hopeful faces of her students as well as the awestruck ones from her buyers. She was nowhere near ready to settle down yet but her muse has been far in between. The deadline for her newer commissions are still months away but if she didn’t get any bursts of inspiration soon; it’d mean trouble in her career. She had a lot of fallback options but she didn’t just want to settle. She was self-made in her career and she would try her damnedest to keep it all together.

Headcanons:

She’s in a relationship with red wine and fuzzy socks

Her style is very much cottagecore

She has a pet cat named Salem. “Salem will hiss at you. Don’t worry, he hisses at me too.”

Dahlia isn’t the biggest fan of her name so she’s mostly “Lia” to her friends. “Dahlia” is reserved for clients and students.

She always either smells like caramel coffee or of her favorite pomegranate perfume

She cannot cook at all. She subsists on takeout and the occasional microwavable “meal”

[ziggyzackaryzigzagoon]

Personal World Building - Pokeballs

In the world of Pokémon, Pokéballs are one of the most iconic devices with many mysterious qualities. Their beginnings becoming of fruit being fitted with devices, their ability to capture pokémon of almost enormous sizes, and their presence helping the world of pokémon in many ways. Despite their importance to the world of pokémon, not every world with pokémon uses them. Usually, a world of only pokémon may rely heavily on magic or pokémon moves rather than the advances of technology. Other times a world may see Pokéballs as a hindrance of freedom and actively shun them or may make them merely decorations. Though what if I told you of a world of pokémon that relied on Pokéballs similar to humans. A world of anthropomorphic pokémon who use Pokéballs to better help their way of life.

The History of Pokéballs

In the beginning, Pokéballs began in many different forms that were often lost to time and history. Though one iteration that changed the way pokémon lived forever were the early Pokéballs made from Apricorns, tough fruits with skin too hard to eat normally. The Johto region grew these fruits which soon became the shell for a special device that would be used to catch pokémon. It might seem odd a carved out fruit would be the earliest version of Pokéballs many recognize, but this version of the iconic device still seeks use today. As these early devices captured pokémon in a safe manner, they were heavily used and regulated by authorities in order to handle dangerous and aggressive pokémon such as Primeape. As pokémon come in many different shapes and sizes, the process of restraining one was rather difficult without risking the harm of others around or the officers themselves.

As Pokéballs have been around for hundreds of years, their use in Johto was the main spark of interest that led to pokémon starting to take notice to them. A lot of pokémon were very skeptical of Pokéballs at first as it was still early in its lifespan and had merely been used by officers. It also didn’t help the number of flaws that plagued early Pokéballs, such as the seal meant to keep pokémon from escaping often failing or pokémon having no proper means of escape unless released by an outside force. Though as the years went by interest grew more and more until it was noted Pokéballs would begin being mass-produced. It took quite a few years before Pokéballs officially made it to store shelves due to the many problems Apricorn Pokéballs had, but these newer models sought to fix these problems.

One of the main reasons many pokémon found interest in Pokéballs was thanks to the portability the devices allowed. Seeing pokémon of larger sizes and strength being put in a handheld ball made for a lot of use for pokémon who weren’t exactly the best to carry around. It also allowed methods of transportation that aren’t always possible, such as pokémon being transported through the sky or underwater without a problem. Of course not every pokémon was on board with Pokéballs as it had been long enough to where a group who disliked them began. However, as the years went on, the technology showed just how strong Pokéballs could be and led to them being a staple in the way pokémon lived. Had it not been for the many experiments made using Pokéballs, things such as Pokémon Centers or certain evolutions would’ve never been found out.

The Many Functions of Pokéballs

Explaining the technology behind a Pokéball can be very difficult at times due to the many changes that were made to accommodate the ever-growing nuances of the world. Though the mechanics for how the Pokéball works have been quite consistent throughout the years. When an unregistered Pokéball hits a pokémon with enough force, they’re converted into a form of energy and pulled inside before being captured. As it takes a moment before the Pokéball registers and marks a pokémon, it often takes 3 shakes before the Pokéball has completed the process. Now the pokémon can freely leave and return to their Pokéball as they please with the ability to still listen in on what’s happening outside of the Pokéball.

Those who experience the inside of a Pokéball often know the environment inside is tailor-made to the pokémon for the most comfort. This feature had been constructed to help discourage escape from earlier Pokéballs as restraining a pokémon who doesn’t want to be there is a big concern. Though this feature inadvertently ended up causing public interest to grow rapidly as a makeshift calm space is quite powerful for pokémon who aren’t exactly the easiest to control. It further helps pokémon who need time to recover or heal as being in an environment that encourages the pokémon to recover and relax is important after a long battle.

While this feature is not found on basic level Pokéballs, pressing the button found on a Pokéball will shrink it into a much smaller size. Due to the major risks, this could have if the Pokéball ends up in the body, only Pokéballs given to those responsible have this function. This feature is mostly meant to carry a group in Pokéballs without the concern of the party size being too large for travel. Often this has lead to one pokémon, often considering themselves the group’s leader, carrying their team around while they relax in their own Pokéballs. It isn’t strange to see one pokémon walking alone to the next destination while still having their friends in tow who are resting safely in their Pokéball.

A feature that is often forgotten from time to time is the marking feature, generally meant to prevent a pokémon from using a Pokéball for capture purposes. Once a pokémon has been registered in a Pokéball, they cannot be caught in another unless the mark has been removed. The difficulty of the process depends on if the pokémon still has their Pokéball as there is a function built in to deregister a pokémon from a Pokéball. This system was implemented early on due to the growing concern of criminals using Pokéballs with the intent to capture pokémon. While that fear hasn’t been quelled due to incidents such as Team Rocket, many measures have been made since to reduce the chances.

Pokéball Variation & Catch Chance

While capturing a pokémon is simple, ensuring the capture is different depending on the status of the pokémon. Many early uses of the Pokéball led to stronger pokémon breaking free before the capture can be done, mostly as a result of not being weakened. A pokémon was only guaranteed captured in a Pokéball once the ball had shaken three times and a blue flash from the center showed the capture succeeded. This has led to the popularity of the “3 count” for when a pokémon is being captured as it’s a short enough window where the pokémon could try and escape. Though there is often a rare case where some pokémon may only require one shake before they’re captured. Even to this day, it’s unsure what leads to this change from 1 to 3 shakes but many have dubbed this a “Critical Capture” when it occurs.

Back when Pokéballs were being made with Apricorns, a total of 7 Pokéballs were made corresponding with each color Apricorn. These early models had the benefit of a better catch chance depending on the pokémon or situation in question with the most common being Green, Black, and Red Apricorns which are recognized as Friend, Heavy, and Level balls to this day. Once the technology of Pokéballs began to change, and the mass production of these devices was shortly underway, newer Pokéballs were made to work better for officer use and potentially public use. Ultra Balls were stronger at catching pokémon all around which made them recognizable as police Pokéballs, Master Balls were made as a last resort Pokéball if a pokémon was too dangerous to catch or battle such as destructive legendaries, and common ones such as Great Balls and the now-iconic red & white Poke Ball started the spark of the public picking them up.

To this day the total number of Pokéballs has climbed from a small 7 to nearly 27, with more being custom made by events, wealthy pokémon, or artistic pokémon passionate in giving Pokéballs a new look. One Pokéball had also been developed to help against a new potential threat found in alola. Pokéball collecting has even become a thing for some as they take it upon themselves to try and receive every Pokéball, though due to the Ultra and Master balls being exclusive to authorities they often have to settle for replicas. These replicas were made to ensure if public interest grew too large, there would not be complaints if someone wanted a Pokéball that looked like an ultra ball or master ball. As the main selling point of multiple Pokéballs is often the colors and styles they come in, it helps to cover the worry of pokémon wanting the real deal.

Poke Ball - The most iconic and prominent Pokéball. Massed produced and found almost everywhere, but can be broken with ease if a catch fails.

Great Ball - A Pokéball that has better durability and unique features, but is only given to those who are responsible. Only slightly more expensive than regular poke balls.

Ultra Ball - One of the strongest Pokéballs used to capture an uncooperative pokémon. Are only handled by authorities, but replicas do exist that use the great ball’s mechanics.

Master Ball - Can capture a pokémon regardless of circumstance, but is almost never seen unless a situation is dire. Replicas for this are quite popular, but still use the great ball’s mechanics.

Safari Ball - Fun little Pokéballs often used for games and throwing practice. They have no mark feature and little capture power, but make for fun tag matches.

Fast Ball - Originally Created from White Apricorns, this Pokéball’s unique weight made it a useful pokémon to be launched at high speeds. Often used against pokémon who are overall fast or quick to run away.

Level Ball - Originally created with Red Apricorns, these Pokéballs have mostly been built for pokémon who are new to being captured. A great introduction to understanding how a Pokéball works both inside and out.

Lure Ball - Originally created with Blue Apricorns, these Pokéballs focused heavily on catching pokémon caught from a fishing pole for sport or competition. These used to be placed at the end of the pole until pokémon began breaking the line early.

Heavy Ball - Originally created from Black Apricorns, these devices focused on catching heavier pokémon. The unique design makes it difficult to break without a lot of force, but also makes it heavier than other Pokéballs.

Love Ball - Originally created from Pink Apricorns, these Pokéballs were often used more as engagement items thanks to the unique shape and often being recognized for “catching the hearts” of others.

Friend Ball - Originally created from Green Apricorns, these Pokéballs were used as a sign of friendship having made pokémon pretty friendly. Used the most against aggressive pokémon that were difficult to control.

Moon Ball - Originally created from Yellow Apricorns, these Pokéballs work better on pokémon who evolve with a moon stone. It’s not as popular nowadays for capture purposes as the number of potential pokémon don’t work, but they still make for great designs.

Sport Ball - Pokéballs used in sporting events should a pokémon not have a Pokéball. The mark is there to help recognize it from other Pokéballs should someone try and take them.

Net Ball - A Pokéball that helps in catching bug or water type pokémon. Predates the creation of the dive ball as most pokémon caused trouble on land more than water.

Nest Ball - A Pokéball used for weaker pokémon similar to the level ball. They’re sometimes used as a first-time Pokéball for children due to the name and colors.

Repeat Ball - A Pokéball that works better on pokémon who have been caught multiple times in a short duration. Has only found uses in cases such as battles that focus around pokeballs.

Timer Ball - A Pokéball that is often fitted with a timer function to automatically release the pokémon after a set amount of time has passed. Is often paired with a device’s alarm function.

Luxury Ball - A very popular, yet expensive, Pokéball that is very cozy and extremely nice to almost live in. Just one can cost almost 3,000 poke, but is fortunately built similar to a great ball.

Premier Ball - A version of the standard Pokéball with a unique color style and release effect. Often given as a reward for buying Pokéballs in bulk and is quite the collector’s item.

Dive Ball - A Pokéball that works very well if the pokémon lives underwater. It requires some skill to properly throw underwater, but has since been paired with a device that shoots the Pokéball underwater. Has become quite popular when it comes to replicas.

Dusk Ball - A Pokéball that works well in darker areas such as at night or in caves. Often glows in the dark while captured, allowing an easy method of finding it.

Heal Ball - A Pokéball common in medical use for how quickly it can heal a pokémon upon it entering it. Lacks the marking system similar to most public Pokéballs in order to ensure a pokémon can be healed.

Quick Ball - The faster the Pokéball is thrown, the higher chance it has to catch a pokémon. You may see this thrown out at the start an opportunity presents itself.

Cherish Ball - A Pokéball that is gifted to pokémon on special occasions similar to the premier ball, but is built similar to a great ball

Park Ball - Another version of the Safari Ball, though lacks the mark feature. Often used more for Daycares for handling certain kids.

Dream Ball - A Pokéball that mysteriously found itself inside the realm of dream, allowing pokémon to be transported back to the real world using them.

Beast Ball - A strange Pokéball designed to capture only Ultra Beasts, being very terrible otherwise. Has been made when Ultra Beasts began invading Alola.

Pokéballs in Authority Use

After Team Rocket had shown just how Pokéballs could be exploited to use pokémon for their own stunts, many measures were taken to ensure Pokéballs couldn’t be used in such a wrongful manner during the early years of Pokéballs being standardized. The biggest of these measures being specialized signals that can be sent to any unregistered Pokéball in an area. While it is still unsure why it only works on Pokéballs that are considered unregistered, part of this may have to do with the concern that comes with attempting to move or carry a pokémon that isn’t exactly safe to do so. While this signal does affect police officer’s Pokéballs, as this signal is used by them it’s easy to turn it off. One pokémon had even used this device when preventing authorities from stopping a rampaging legendary. However, Master Balls ignore these signals and are handled by the best pokémon out there.

As a Pokéball requires a steady aim and use, officers who aren’t exactly the strongest at throwing can use specialized devices that can launch a Pokéball hard enough to land the mark. It will certainly hurt, but ensures the pokémon will struggle to run from it or attempt to hit it while in motion. The most common of these are used against pokémon in the air or who are running away as the speed the ball travels in can often ensure a nice hit. It also helps if the pokémon is not the easiest to approach due to every pokémon having different moves and abilities that can make them very dangerous. This device also has a variation meant for underwater use as a Pokéball being thrown underwater is quite slow, requiring a bit of force to collide with the pokémon in time before it is hit back.

In order to help users of the Pokéballs, both customers and officers alike, a system was implemented called the “PokéBall Management System” which would allow officers to send pokémon directly to a station using certain devices. This was mainly implemented to ensure fast and safe transportation with little risk of the pokémon trying anything during the departure. The most recent device made for this system would allow officers to immediately send a pokémon to the station from their car or bike. If multiple pokémon had to be captured, this system could help clear a group of criminals in no time. While all of these features of the system sound cool for the officer side, for the public it simply allowed for constant updates of the environments that a pokémon may enjoy. As the constant discovery and study of pokémon changed how pokémon live, it helps to be prepared to welcome newly discovered pokémon with open arms.

Pokéballs in the Home Setting

Pokéballs have found a lot of popularity in home environments during the early years of becoming standardized. The idea of a small personal space that could be carried from one area to another seemed useful, but realizing the inside could be customized to the pokémon’s needs made the public interest grow. To this day many pokémon rely on Pokéballs as “personal space getaways” with the benefit that another pokémon could carry them around if they so wish. While inside a Pokéball, the pokémon is still conscious of the outside world and can sometimes use this to speak to pokémon through telepathy. It is hard to enjoy Pokéballs as a quiet space since there is little way of blocking out sounds, but at least it’s an option.

As it was important to show the power of Pokéballs, one of the popular methods taken has been pokémon centers. As Pokémon come in many different forms and sizes, properly healing one can be a rather difficult and lengthy matter. Not every method of healing works for every pokémon, especially those who are made of dangerous materials such as lava or poison. To use Pokéballs to ensure a fast and surefire method of healing a pokémon, regardless of their size or shape, sparked a change in how pokémon lived. Pokémon centers soon became rest points for traveling or battling pokémon, often as if a pokémon had fainted they could restore them. Pokémon Centers also popularized the importance of Heal Balls, unique Pokéballs that heal the pokémon upon entering. This Pokéball is used normally whether there is an emergency or not as it often ensures the pokémon will be healed upon leaving it.

There have been other attempts to allow Pokéballs to have such a strong impact, the biggest of which being a transportation system. While this system doesn’t have an official name yet, many call the process “Link Space” and have used it for testing purposes. It helped show just how effective turning a pokémon into a form of energy allowed for safe travel from one area to the next, but there was more to this than immediately expected. Some pokémon who tested the device would come out the other end having evolved, oftentimes in a way no one expected, Pokémon Research was amazed naturally and while the system didn’t turn out as they had hoped, this discovery saw lots of pokémon interested in evolving through this method.

While Pokéballs have helped changed the world throughout the years, not everyone is so accepting of the devices. The original use being for police officers has often made some pokémon skeptical and others to immediately despise them, thinking they’ve been made to take advantage of them. Officers did not create Pokéballs, but was instead created by a pokémon who looked to try and help the world with his devices. As hard as some pokémon try to defend Pokéballs and try and cure the fears surrounding them, history has shown just how dangerous they can sometimes be. 

Pokéballs in the Competitive Scene

In order to “catch” a pokémon, three factors are important to consider before throwing. The health of the Pokémon, the type of PokéBall, and any status the pokémon may have. As 2 of the 3 are common in battles, there are often versions of pokémon battles where capturing is an incentive to defeat the opposing side. It’s thanks to many Pokéballs allowing pokémon inside to freely escape after capture that has allowed it to be used in these cases. One such rule set that includes Pokéballs encourages each team to capture three pokémon from the opposing team. When a pokémon is caught they’re out of play for the remainder of the match. If a team captures 3 of the 6 opposing pokémon that side would win.

Outside of battles, Pokéballs have made an impact in pokémon contests thanks to the many potential entrances that can be done with one. When a pokémon is released from a Pokéball, each Pokéball will have their own unique effect to accompany it. As Pokémon Contests rely heavily on pokémon entrances as part of judging, unique modifications became available for Pokéballs. These modifications came in the form of Ball Capsules and Seals which would change the effects that were created when a pokémon left the Pokéball. This allowed for many unique degrees of flair to be added so long as the Pokéball was compatible. As the popularity was short-lived, the only Pokéball it works for are standard Pokéballs and Premier Balls

The most recent use of Pokéballs in a competitive aspect has been the advent of Dynamax in Galar. With the Dynamax energy, pokémon can force a Pokéball to grow in size and use it to capture Dynamax pokémon or release a pokémon as a Dynamax one. While this method does prevent the pokémon from Dynamaxing for too long, this method is helpful in preventing items from breaking or clothes from tearing. Many wardrobe malfunctions are prone to happen when done without the use of a Pokéball, and could even lead to the Dynamax band breaking. As a result, you may see pokémon appoint one of their own as the leader who will help Dynamax the other when the time comes.

[belzinone]

[old] guidelines

// these are my original rules. though they are still generally relevant, my newer, shorter, more concise rules post is here

A love letter from me to you! Please take it to heart.

The Lowdown: mod is an artist & supportive af｜selective｜primarily plot-motivated｜operates on mutual respect｜your friendly rpc fairy godbitch; gimme your wishlists｜zero tolerance for OC negativity & bigotry｜triggers present｜18+ content present｜consistent but occasionally capricious activity｜OOC communication appreciated｜lots of love abound ♡

Mod Sal (they/them/theirs; 24; PST)

     I study medicine and social justice with emphasis on emergency medicine and sex work, respectively. In addition to being a writer I’m also an activist, artist, and scholar. I’ve been writing Bel since 2015. She’s a very intricate and highly dynamic character who has gone through many changes over the years via her interactions. I look forward to developing her even more with your muse(s)!

     Before I talk about the kind of conduct I’d like on my blog, this is the type of roleplayer and friend I aspire to be. I’ll strive to be as attentive and supportive as I can about your muse, ideas, as well as ooc presence. If we’re mutuals, you can expect plenty of inboxes, tag games, headcanons, relationship tags, to be tagged in & sent posts relating to our muses, general interaction, and emotional support proportional to the depth of our interactions when I’m online. I’m an unapologetic 1-person hype squad at heart and will do my best to spread the love and return the love I get.

     If I’m not around here, you can find me on my snk blog and/or discord by request. I muse Eren and Levi as secondary muses, but they won’t be nearly as active as Bel and are only available to established mutuals. I also have untagged resource & nsfw musing side blogs.

Interactions

  When it comes to interactions, nothing motivates me more than an eagerness to develop our muses’ relationship. Depending on what works best for you, we can work on this via inbox submissions, plotting, or simply interacting. I have a tendency to write para/novella-length replies, but will strive to match you in length and style. Please include something I can actively respond to in your reply, because neutral replies can be very difficult to build upon, and please do not godmod her based on assumptions and/or stereotypes about her character/profession.

  With regards to ask responses, please feel free to turn them into threads by tagging me in a new post and cutting your replies. I’ll turn asks into threads if they inspire me, but you’re under no obligation to continue them if you’re not as motivated. When cutting, please don’t cut me out. Also, please don’t reblog asks with your reply or reblog replies with my tag if I don’t reply quickly enough. I track of all my threads to the best of my ability, so please check there first if you want to know the status of our thread. If I’ve missed a thread of ours, please help me out by sending it to me in a message so I can add it to the tracker. If you lose muse for a thread, please don’t feel pressured to continue it. We can always take a break or start something new. I don’t cap my threads and am always open to new interactions.

Selectivity

    Though I run a selective blog, I am not very selective in nature. I do have a preference for original and SnK/AoT characters, especially those that inspire me and challenge me. I’ll primarily look for interactions by checking blog rules for oc-friendliness, reblogging promos, asking to be mutuals in the tags, then follow back after that initial follow is granted. If you don’t want me to follow you, please block me completely because otherwise I’ll think it’s a mistake/glitch and follow you again. On the topic of glitches, they do happen so I apologize ahead of time if that happens above or below my radar.

    I don’t tolerate oc-negativity or ooc bigotry and will handle my blog accordingly. If you align yourself in any way with TERF, SWERF, homophobic, ace-exclusionary, racist, and/or xenophobic rhetoric, please do not interact. It’s important for me to surround myself with enriching content and community. I have boundaries and will be setting them for my own comfort as well as respect yours because mutual respect between muns is key to a healthy rpc.

Sourcing

    Please don’t do it. This goes for starters, ask memes, wishlist posts, and wanted connections. I understand we might not be the muse/mod duo you have in mind and that we don’t fit every situation, but please don’t fill my notifications with this sentiment, especially if we don’t have any established interactions yet. If our blogs have that much in common, there’s so much we could be musing about. If this happens excessively without us having any interactions, I’ll unfollow and/or block because I am a roleplay blog, not a resource hub. If you’re interested in my musing/resource posts, please show interest in muse interactions as well. The latter is why I’m here and there’s nothing more disheartening and discouraging to my creativity than being used and/or ignored when I present things.

Original Character Disclaimer

    It pains me that something like this needs to be said, but Bel wasn’t created to force ship with your muse and/or overpower our threads. I will absolutely under no circumstances tolerate any form of OC negativity. I don’t care if you think they’re “cringey”, “underdeveloped”, “overpowered”, or any other iteration of not meeting your personal criteria of a good character. Opinions are valid but unsolicited bullying is not. It is important to realize that canon characters are still original characters bar their capitalistic franchise. The mods of original characters are a goldmine of free and original content and deserve to be judged by conduct, not content.

    If you’d like to support OCs, I invite you to scroll through and reblog a thing or two from my OC positivity tag, as well as follow and engage in meaningful interactions with the OCs in your orbit. Your encouragement could be what makes a content creator’s breakthrough, so please be kind and supportive. Saying you’re OC-friendly while providing an extensive grocery list of double standards OCs must abide by to be considered acceptable isn’t OC-friendliness. Likewise, musing an OC doesn’t automatically make you incapable of being exclusive (unintentional or not) so please be cognizant as well  and lets support each other.

Shipping

    That being said, I’m just like every other mun. I enjoy shipping and the occasional smut scene given the chemistry is right and both muns are equally invested in the relationship as well as comfortable with it. The more we develop our muses, the more complicated their relationship will be and the more likely I’ll personally gift you with fanart. Above all, your comfort is paramount to our interactions so please communicate with me. Likewise, please respect my comforts when I speak of them. I am much more likely to be enthusiastic about shipping than Bel is, however, so please be patient with us and respect her boundaries as well.

# FREE THE FPN . SFW // ONLY IT’S NOT

    This is the tag I will use to mark sexually explicit content. Bel is somewhere on the ace spectrum, but is nonetheless a sensual character and has a couple verses that engage in sex work. Bel’s struggles with her identities are a very big part of her personal characterization, so please be patient with her. [Marilyn Monroe’s hinted asexuality] Likewise, if she’s not into your muse, please don’t push such interactions unless we discuss them as a plot element.

Trigger Warnings

    The SnK universe is rampant with violence, gore, psychological trauma, profanity, and grey morality. Furthermore, I enjoy writing dark themes and will provide the disclaimer now that this may be a rather trigger-heavy blog. However, that doesn’t mean you have to be subject to all these themes. If you’d like me to tag things in a certain way, please don’t hesitate to let me know because your comfort is important to me. I’ll gladly create a new tag for you to blacklist/filter and add it to my tag list. Furthermore, this blog will have the occasional explicit content so please don’t interact if you’re under 21.

Activity

   I’m finishing up my bachelor’s so classes and coursework will keep me from here sometimes. Furthermore, I struggle with mental illness and domestic abuse in my home environment, so bouts of these may also pull me from activity. I’ll be doing my damndest to keep my issues off the dash but if things are especially severe and I feel the need to post about it and/or reach out, I’ll use a semicolon tag (#;).  Nonetheless, musing, roleplaying, and plotting helps keep my spirits up so please keep me updated with your muse and share your discord with me, if you’d like. I’d love it so much if we could continue developing our muses as I slip off of and find my way back to tumblr, and I’d appreciate you very much as a writing partner and friend. ♡

Accessibility

    I’m not very savvy with code, but I do try my best to keep my blogging accessible as I tinker and learn. If you struggle with accessing any part of my blog, let it be font size, style, or anything else, please let me know and I’ll do my best to accommodate because I don’t want to perpetuate elitism or ableism in the rpc. As far as reply formatting goes, I’ll usually stick to once small text (particularly in novella length replies via ctrl shift -) and spare use of italics, bolding, and strikethrough text. I may use unicode and/or zalgo for art captions, personal musing posts, crack threads, and other posts that call for it. Every once in awhile, I will blog from mobile and as a result post text in default size, but I’ll still cut my posts and at worst, separate our replies with a symbol or icon if I can’t blockquote text through html.

Permissions

     One of my favorite things about roleplaying is sharing content and playing tag games. If you come across anything that reminds you of Bel and/or our interactions/plotting, please show me! Even more so, if you’re a content creator, you have complete and total freedom to use her and her inspirations in your work. I only ask to see it! Likewise, if I ever create any art for you, please acknowledge it at the very least. If you send in an art request and I deliver, please reblog it. Failure to do this kills my creativity as well as generosity so... please.

   Exclusive to this blog are my own art and edits as well as those gifted by friends. Please don’t ransack our labors of love and re-purpose them as your own. Bel’s Iva & Marie icons were collected by yours truly with a beautiful frame made by Shane. Other people who have contributed their talents throughout the years include madcapraccoon, L, desertbl00m, Eris, Justice, sangre-rebelde, emptyolivejar, desimouse, and the many rp blogs that have interacted with her. I’d also like to give a special shout-out to sjokohama for the boundless enthusiasm given to her development as well as the readers who have enjoyed and left amazing comments on her original fanfiction. She wouldn’t be out here if it weren’t for Y’all ~ ♡

If you feel like something should be added to or clarified in these guidelines, please let me know. I realize I have a lot to say as a consequence of being here for so long, but I still want to keep my conduct as transparent and accessible as possible. 

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to like this post and interact ~ ♡

[idcprojectsiguess]

When I tell my parents friends that my favourite courses in high school are art and physics, I usually get some really surprised reactions. In general, people don't think that someone who loves art, design and drawing can also love calculating vectors and spring constants. The way the courses are taught caters to two incredibly different styles of learning that don’t go together very well. The physics type: the introverted, socially awkward, logical person, doesn’t mix with the artsy type: the colourful, creative, free spirit. The image that the disciplines have, in the way they look from the outside as well as how they're taught from the inside, only encourages the ideas that people have about the students in each course. 

Most of the stereotypes of physics classes are true. The textbooks we use are very wordy, and don’t have many images, the physics buildings in universities are often some of the greyest, and most brutalist in style, and classes are often spent sitting in our desks copying theories and equations from the board.  All in all, the image given off tends to be a cold, unfriendly one. Although Bourdieu would be mortified, we should expand and modernize the physics curriculum and environment so that a wider variety of students would be interested in taking the course. Instead of catering to the idea of physics students, fit the course to students in general - this would help to break down the image that surrounds the subject. 

Especially in an era where both physics and art can be considered dominant culture (physics ensures a reasonably secure job choice with good pay, yet art is something incredibly valued in our culture as a means of social and societal status - so sciences are dominant in the working world, art are dominant culturally and socially), it makes sense that integrating the two would be able to break down stereotypes about artists and physicists instead of encouraging them, and create a curriculum that is constantly evolving, and always relevant. As well, physics, chemistry and computer programming are already being used A LOT in the art world to create visually interesting installations and pieces, so it makes sense that the opposite should be true, in that we should allow art and design to become a part of science courses as well. 

(you don't have to read past here - it’s basically just an explanation of why I changed what I did. Theres some stuff at the bottom that kind of explains the problem as a whole that might be important, but I think most of it’s up here.)

Above is a page of our physics textbook, compared to a page about the same topic in my own notebook. Despite the fact that in the textbook, it takes 4 pages of solid text to convey an idea, I conveyed the exact same idea in 2 pages using more drawings, colours, and actual examples of real life. 

This would actually end up benefitting a lot more students, as most people are visual learners, and take in more information from seeing a graph or picture than a solid paragraph. 

This is a quote from Mr. Brooks, my physics teacher this year (a person who actually did physics in university who doesn’t like how the textbook lays things out). Our current unit focusses a lot on equations and concepts, and most of my class was really confused as to how and when to use the equations. Instead of going over each lesson, we put the equations into a table in a way which made it easier to see how they all related to one another, and that made the unit make a lot more sense for my class. 

These are both quotes from my physics teacher. Physics in general is taught in a very individualistic way. We sit in class, listen to the teacher, make our own notes, and then work on our own homework, most of the time alone. In general, physics is taught with a very “everyone for themselves” attitude. In real life, however, it’s a very social profession. Working in a lab means working in a team, which is something we’re not exposed to in class. In order to discover something important, you need a lot of people with different skills, so that the experiences of the team can strengthen the project. 

Teamwork should be encouraged in class, in both labs and while making notes, and the students should be given a chance to help one another understand material. When it’s a very social field in real life, it doesn’t make sense to teach it in such an antisocial way. 

Finally, physics classes are actually very boring compared to physics in real life. Physics is used to explore space, build entire cities, and time travel, and the majority of a physics course is learning different ways to calculate how fast a ball rolls down a ramp. 

This is something we just learned about last class. If you live higher up above sea level, the atoms in your body move faster which literally causes you to age faster than someone living closer to sea level. Also that if you live next to a black hole, you can literally time travel because you’ll age so slowly that when you go back to earth it could be years in the future. We only talked about this for twenty minutes, but it was the most interested the class has been in an actual physics thing all year. If the applications of physics in things like time travel was incorporated into the course, it would mean a more engaged class because they’re topics that people are curious about. Also, it’s more interesting than a ball rolling down a ramp. 

I know that most people will say that you need to learn the small stuff first, and I agree, but giving an idea of how the things we’re learning are applied will hold attention in the class, which will make it easier for the teacher to teach, as well as for us to focus. 

Buildings inform our ideas about disciplines, environments and people, and in general the physics buildings at university are some of the most brutalist, closed off structures on the campus. Above is an example of the physics buildings at the University of Waterloo and U of T. Both are brutalist in style, and built to look intimidating and closed off. 

Especially for a discipline that gives so much to the fields of architecture and design, it doesn’t make sense for it’s buildings to be from what many consider to be the worst era in architecture. If we create visually interesting buildings, it not only fits with the main goal in physics of making original, interesting discoveries, it also shows why the subject is important in urban environments as a means of adding complexity and interest into a city. 

 The physics courses we have in schools are becoming incredibly antiquated and especially right now, when science is evolving so quickly, the course needs to evolve with it. We should be open to creating a newer, more current textbook design that suits the needs of a wider variety of students, and a course that holds interest with the students who will be using its materials in their everyday lives. The course should be applicable to problems that our generation is going to have to solve, which means involving other disciplines into the design process of the course. 

In short, the problem with the physics course is that it was designed by physicists. They went to schools and completed their education with the complicated books, closed off buildings, and repetitive courses that we still use today, and they succeeded. But today, with a population so wildly different, and a field thats grows and becomes more interdisciplinary everyday,  we must let the course turn into something different, so that another generation is allowed to succeed. 

Bibliography

Mathews, Jay. "Why Textbooks Don't Work and Hurt Schools." The Washington Post. WP Company, 25 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2017. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/why-our-textbooks-dont-work/2012/02/25/gIQAvI16ZR_blog.html?utm_term=.417a7d4e4585>.

basically an explanation of why textbooks hurt schools. It brings up that although they are very valuable tools for education, they are usually poorly written or poorly selected by course designers. It brings up that how we get textbooks with lots of “nice pictures” in grade school, but as well get older the books become more and more wordy, which doesn’t make sense for learning or time effectiveness and often discourages most students from attempting to read it.

Lowder, J. Bryan. "Were Brutalist Buildings on College Campuses Really Designed to Thwart Student Riots?" Slate Magazine. N.p., 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Jan. 2017. <http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2013/10/18/campus_brutalism_were_the_buildings_designed_to_thwart_student_riots.html>.

An article that turned out to be really helpful about why so many physics / science university buildings are brutalist. There’s been a lot of theories that brutalism was so popular in universities because it prevented student riots, and this debunked a lot of those beliefs and quickly outlined why brutalism in educational atmospheres isn’t actually a smart choice for learning. (It also described brutalism as a bad copy of Le Corbusier which I thought was really funny)

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-physics-so-difficult-to-understand

(This is kind of like wikianswers, so there’s no author on the page) 

Ok, this isn’t an article, but I figured that if I was going to redesign a course that would work for, rather than against students, I’d better look at why students didn’t like it. This is where I found out that a lot of students tried to relate problems and concepts to real life to understand it, and found that a huge problem in the course was the absence of any real life experiences or examples to go along with the concepts. It shouldn’t be as much about memorizing formulas as about understanding the topics.