Hi! I'm wondering if you've heard of Julinemo week? Do you know when it is? I was looking for more info. Thanks!
Yes!! I'll link the Twitter announcement here. I'll also upload the 3 info images that came with the announcement, in case you can't see Twitter links. (But in short, the week will be 29th April - 5th of May!)
See Tweet and Image Descriptions Under Read-More link!
Descriptions:
Twitter Post:
Twitter post by @sleepwick that reads:
julinemo week is to be held from the 29th of april to the 5th of may! everyone is welcome to participate, whether it be through drawing, writing, or even just any form of expression of your appreciation for the pairing! 🧡🧡#julinemoweek #julinemoweek2024
Info Image #1 (General Info):
a week dedicated to julinemo/academyaceshipping
julinemo week runs from the 29th of april to the 5th of may, an event dedicated to sharing artwork, writing, and any content related to the pairing of juliana and nemona from pokemon scarlet and violet.
the tags for the event will be #julinemoweek and #julinemoweek2024. the second tag is optional and is more of an organizational thing.
Info Image #2 (Rules):
Julinemo Week 2024
some ground rules:
absolutely no nsfw content
no bigotry
the art/writing for the week must focus on julinemo, other pairings are allowed so long as the main focus on the work is on julinemo.
headcanon/redesigns for the two are allowed.
the prompts are only a suggestion, you may follow them or not depending on your own preference. they also do not need to be followed in any particular order, once again the list of prompts for each day is just a guide for those who are unsure what they want to do.
The impromptu crowd flooding Mesagoza fell silent. Their formerly-youngest Champion, the incomparable, unrivaled prodigy, had yet to uncover her face after the blast of Tera Shards being shattered off of her strongest Pokemon and strewn across the plaza. She had been defeated. By another kid, no less. She could be defeated.
… Was she crying?
"Nemona…?"
The victor -- as well as the Director and the Top Champion in the crowd -- all started to step toward her with concern written on their faces, when…
"YOU DID IT!!! This is legit incredible! You’re the strongest out there, Juliana!" Nemona suddenly roared. The relieved audience resumed their cheers as Nemona rapidly closed the rest of the distance to Juliana, holding up her shaking, clenched fists like she was barely restraining herself from launching onto the rooftops like a rocket.
Juliana giggled with a proud, toothy smile. In another timeline, she could've easily flinched and backed away from Nemona's overwhelming energy, but not this one. "Hehehe, thank--"
"I mean, you knocked me flat, and I was… giving you absolutely EVERYTHING I had! Everything I… I… Ha haaa! Hahaha! Oh man. Pokémon battling, am I right??? It’s so much better, so much more fun than I ever even knew! Man! Hahaha! Haaah... hoo..." Nemona continued to enthuse, sounding like she was nearly hyperventilating.
"Y-yeah, that was a lotta fun! I'm glad I finally got to see what you're like without holding yourself back for my sake."
"… Heh! And I'm so super proud of you for bein' able to handle it! Now I've got a real challenge to overcome again! It's like you've… like… given me back the thing I loved most! But uh… heh, I guess that's just kinda what you do, though, isn't it?"
"Mmm, I guess so, huh?" Juliana had to agree. It was true, this was at least the third new friend whose Treasure Report she was very likely to end up in that semester, at the expense of her sleep schedule. "Well… I wouldn't be here without you, either. I might've never known I could do something like this, if you didn't... take me under your wing and believe in me."
"Aww. Well, I might've had an ulterior motive, heh heh… but that sparkle in your eyes during our first battle was your own! I can't make you love something if you didn't already! Believe me, I've tried. I mean, why else would you go all the way to the top, huh?"
"… To see you this happy?" Juliana offered.
"Heh! Good one! Put 'er there, rival!" Nemona said as she offered her hand to shake, which Juliana took and held firmly as if she was being helped to stand up. "Now I gotta think about what Pokemon to bring for round two!" the council president declared, eliciting some facepalms from Geeta and Clavell. "Decisions, decisions…"
Juliana side-eyed those two but didn't point them out to Nemona. "No, really, I mean it."
"Mean what now sorry?" Nemona blurted out quickly, snapping her attention back to the present.
"I never gave up any of the times I was tempted to on my Gym Challenge, 'cause… I wanted you to share your favorite thing in the world with me. 'Cause… I imagined how happy you'd be right now, and didn't think anything would make ME happier than seeing that."
"… Jules, I-- Don't make me cry in fronta all these people, c'mon!"
Juliana smiled sheepishly. "Sorry!"
Nemona responded with a hearty laugh and a tight hug. "Hahaha! Man… I think YOU'RE my favorite thing in the world, actually."
"Aww. Best treasures?"
"Best treasures."
More "awws" could be heard from the crowd at that, even if they couldn't hear all of what was being said... as well as the sound of an old man bawling uncontrollably.
Juliana expected a normal hangout with Nemona, but her rival had a better idea in mind: a treasure hunt! In order to find her, Juliana will have to follow clues and solve riddles. The theme of the hunt? First meetings, of course!
Julinemo week 2024, day 1: First meeting
"Leading up to you", my piece for Julinemo week day 1, now on Ao3:
Julinemo Week, Day 1: First Meeting
"So uh… is he always like that?"
"Ugh, no. Well… I mean, he's usually a prick-- Uh, prickly guy, but… pero bueno, he's not usually not quite that--"
Nemona rattled her head, sending her ponytail swinging, and dismissively pawed at the air between her and her new neighbor as if tossing the unfinished thought out of her mind.
"Ah, whatever! Don't you worry about those weird vibes, Juliana! You've got enough on your plate, signing up to a new school in a new place with your new Pokemon-- You don't need to get sucked into whatever dumb drama the rest of us have goin' on. This is your big day! Sorry about all that."
"Nah, nah, it's fine, you didn't do anything wrong. It's, uh... definitely been an exciting day so far, that's for sure! Hehehe..."
"Ah, haha, yeah, for sure! Heh… man..."
Juliana turned to Nemona with a reassuring smile... and noticed her friend's hand seemed to be hovering over her shoulder. Nemona glanced away and quickly jerked her arm away to scratch her own scalp instead.
"… You okay?"
Nemona froze mid-scratch, eyes wide. "Huh?"
"I, uh… I guess I'm not the only one feeling kinda jittery this morning, huh? I promise I won't fall off any more cliffs for a while." Juliana said with a slightly forced-looking smile.
The taller girl remained frozen for a second as they walked, before snorting and visibly releasing a bit of her own tension. "Ha! Haha! Yeah, you better not, 'cause you know what happens when you scare somebody half to death twice?"
"They… get scared three-quarters to death?"
"… Heh! You've got a quick wit to go with that sharp eye, bud! No wonder you've been such a fast learner!"
"Hehehe. Thanks."
There was a pleasant lull in the conversation as they both grinned down at the road...
Soon, though, Nemona cleared her throat and stopped in her tracks. Juliana stopped too and turned to face her curiously.
"Speaking of fast learning, I should probably get out of your hair and let you have fun doing, uh, Trainer-y stuff without me hovering over your shoulder." Nemona suddenly decided. "Do what you want for a bit and I'll see you up ahead at the Pokemon Center, all right?" she proposed, pointing her thumb at the red-roofed, ad-covered outpost off in the distance.
"Oh, um… wait…" Juliana softly protested when Nemona started to leave, raising a limp hand as if she had a question in class and wished she didn't.
"Huh? What's up? Think you'll need more Poke Balls? I've got a bunch..." Nemona began, already digging noisily through her bag.
"No… well, I mean, maybe later, but, I just, um-- You're not bugging me, you can stay."
Once again, Nemona seemed to not expect that. "Oh... really? You'd... rather I stick around and keep an eye on ya, huh? All right then! You got it, boss!"
Juliana smiled brightly up at her. The morning light seemed to sparkle in the new student's eyes. "Well, yeah. We're friends now, right?"
Nemona smiled back as she zipped her bag shut, then rubbed the back of her neck and suddenly seemed very interested in the grassy field nearby. "… Yeah, but, y'know, sometimes friends might need… a little space and quiet and stuff. Gotta be considerate."
"No, I'm glad you're here! I mean... if you have some business you need to get to right now, that's fine..."
"Nope! No, all my attention's on you, bud! Well, I mean, unless you don't want--"
"Okay, okay! Just making sure." Juliana mercifully interrupted. "So uhhh… you said Normal Pokemon are pretty good against everything, yeah?" she asked casually, starting to walk down the road again.
Nemona's eyes brightened with renewed energy at the topic change. "Oh, uh, yeah! I mean, they've got a FEW issues, there's a few types that-- Uh, I'll warn ya if you're gonna run into 'em, but that Lechonk should be consistently solid against mooost things with some training, which is good if you're not sure what to expect yet! Now, you might end up not keeping it on your team forever, though, 'cause it's not really gonna have the advantage against much of anything, either. Well, unless you give it--" she rambled, then glanced down at her companion's attentive gaze. "Uh, never mind, I can nerd out about all that later. Yeah, Normal-types are nice and reliable, yep!"
Juliana nodded a few times. "Hmm… I dunno… I don't think I'd replace the first Pokemon we caught together. That's gonna be a great memory someday, right?"
Nemona blinked. "Wh-- Oh, yeah, true, can't be, uh, what's the word… too pragmatic about it, heh. Stuff like that matters for sure! Sorry, there's that competitive brain again…" she responded, looking away once more. "I'll make sure to train up that Pawmi I caught with you too, then."
"Nice! More little rivals, just like the Pokemon the Director gave us, hehehe!"
"Heh! Yeah… little rivals…"
"… Ooh, what's that?" Juliana soon asked, pointing ahead at what appeared to be a green-haired baby plodding around in a long white dress that would be a better fit for a green-haired toddler.
Nemona rattled her head again like she'd been caught zoning out. "Huh, wha-- Oh, that's a Ralts! They're pretty rare! Psychic and Fairy type, pretty good with special moves. It's a little flimsy at first and takes a while to train, but it's totally worth it in the end."
"Whoa, Psychic? And Fairy?"
"Yeah, there's a buncha Fairies around here, actually..."
"Well, I'm already sold on this one from how cute it is! I'm definitely gonna try and catch it."
The little Ralts seemed to immediately take notice of Juliana when she said that, and turned to face her.
"Oh, uh, Ralts can sense folks' feelings! It probably knows what you're thinkin' right now. Heh, wish I had that power…"
Juliana, meanwhile, was grinning confidently with a Poke Ball in hand. "Well, I've got nothing to hide from it. Let's make another new friend, Lechonk!"
Nemona beamed as she watched Juliana's battle unfold. The new Trainer was having too much fun in the wide world she'd been welcomed into, despite the bumpty start, to notice that the unrivaled Champion watching over her was wiping something out of her eye.
Nemona lay awake in the dark, hair and limbs spread out like a snow angel, despite how dead tired she said she was when she went to bed. Her first night in Kitakami didn't go the way she expected at all, to say the least. Everybody had tried to shake off the weird vibes of that whole ordeal, but they could only play games in the community center to take their minds off of it for so long before Kieran and Carmine went home and left Nemona, Juliana, Arven, and Penny to sleep in their provided rooms.
Nemona jumped a little when she heard a quiet knocking on her door-- the kind that she'd probably only be expected to hear if she was already awake. She gingerly lifted herself back out of bed and made her way over, speeding up a bit when the knock repeated itself. She opened the door in such a way that she could slam it shut again if it was another super-creepy Pokemon…
… But it was just Juliana.
"H-hey… you having trouble sleeping too?" she whispered.
Nemona's apprehension melted away with a sigh and she stepped out from behind the door. "Yeah. You okay?"
"Not… really. Nightmare. I really didn't, um-- Can I stay in here for a bit?"
"Of course, Jules. Really didn't what?"
Juliana slowly stepped into the room properly, shaking a bit.
"You cold? C'mere." Nemona added before Juliana could answer, holding her arms open for a hug. She staggered a bit when Juliana very eagerly accepted it. "H-hey, easy, I'm still pretty sore…"
"Sorry. I just…" Juliana began, but needed a moment to slow down her breathing. "I just… I thought I lost you. I had to turn my back on you tonight, when we heard Arven and Penny were in trouble, and you kept running off… and… I really didn't think… I'd ever see you again… I thought you'd be gone forever, and… it'd be my fault…" she said, muffled by Nemona's pajamas.
"Oh, Julie, you poor thing… I'm kinda lucky for not having any idea what was goin' on tonight, huh?"
"Haha… maybe. Feels like tonight could've been a lot worse if that little pink weirdo wanted it to be. I just… I felt so powerless."
"Hey, that's the last thing I'd call you. You saved the day, didn'tcha? From what I hear, me and the others put up more of a fight than it did."
"Yeah, but I mean… it could've really hurt all of you. I mean, it fed you guys p-poison… poison we're hoping doesn't… do anything else…"
"Hey, you've got the little fella in your storage now, it's probably fine…"
"And… having to choose who to help… not knowing if I chose wrong… I'm sorry…"
"Sorry? Sorry for what?"
Juliana squeezed her tighter. "I should've picked you… I… left you… I don't deserve you… I'm--"
"You left me to help out other people we care about, Jules. C'mon. What if you'd gone chasing after me and I was fine, while they were getting hurt?"
"N-not helping…"
"Really, though! It… doesn't sound like you really had any good options, chica."
"Me and Kieran could've split up…"
"Pffft! When has that ever been the right answer in a horror movie, Jules? C'mon now."
Juliana smiled up at her and sniffled. "Yeah, okay, I guess…"
"I'm prouda you, and I know you have my back. Everything's good now! Give yourself a break for once."
"… Oh, I'm supposed to take that advice from Nemona of all people, huh?"
Nemona snorted. "Oh, callate! We both need to hear it sometimes. But yeah… I'm not chalkin' this up as you lettin' me down."
"Okay, okay…" Juliana relented, before burying her face back into the taller girl's shoulder. "Oh, Mona, I'm so glad you're okay…"
Nemona patted her back. "I'm sorry I put you through all that just 'cause I saw a free sample, heh! I coulda been helpin' you instead of the bad guy…"
A muffled sniffle. "Hehehe… yeah, better watch out for those from now on."
"And another thing, Julie…" Nemona began, as she brushed back Juliana's hair a bit. "If I DID think you did the wrong thing, we'd talk about it. It'd be okay."
"… Does that mean you do?"
"No, or I'd say that. You know I don't do that kinda double speak. On purpose."
Juliana hesitated a bit, then nodded. "Alright…"
"… Uh… you wanna sit down? My legs are killin' me." Nemona admitted sheepishly.
"Oh, sorry, yeah, sure."
Juliana released the hug, but Nemona was quick to put an arm back around her when they sat on the bed.
Nemona rolled her neck a bit. "I can't sleep either. Having missing time in my night, where I apparently did stuff I had no control over, is really… oogh… creepy…" Nemona said with a shiver.
"Yeah, I bet…"
"Like, I've suddenly got rare, super-strong Pokemon on my team now that I don't remember catching, and I used up a ton of supplies I'd been saving up…. and judging by how worn out I am, I was either dancing really hard, or ran a lap around Kitakami… I really got pushed beyond my limits, here…"
"Maybe a little of both. You were just THAT excited about going out and catching new Pokemon, I guess?"
"Guess so! Wish I'd just rode my Cyclizar instead for more of that, heh… ouch."
"Kieran said he heard rumors that, uh… the curse makes people mindlessly act on their most basic desires, or something…"
"Really? I… Oof, I don't wanna think I'd just ditch you guys the second I was let loose. I don't like what that says about me at all…"
"Hmm… yeah, yeah you're right, maybe not. Maybe Pecharunt just wanted you to be as strong of a bodyguard as you could be, and thought Kommo-o was cool?"
"Heh! A Pokemon that trains Trainers. Maybe? I'll have to get to know my new Pokemon properly tomorrow, I guess. Can't wait to have a rematch with you that I actually remember properly!"
"Yeah… and we can go on some nice new adventures together, too. I get to be the one showing you around, for a change! Even if Carmine'll probably wanna be the tour guide…"
Nemona's eyes sparkled even in the dim light. "That… sounds really nice, now that you mention it! Plus all those new Pokemon I've never caught! We'd better get to sleep so we're all energized for that, heh!" she enthused, finally laying back down. "Hopefully I can walk tomorrow…"
"True. And hopefully we can sleep now… ah, as if sleeping away from home wasn't already hard enough, right?" Juliana responded, having turned to look back at her.
"Yeahhh… seriously. I think it'll be a little easier now, though."
"Definitely."
They gazed at each other for a moment before glancing away, but then… "… Hey, Jules?"
"Yeah?"
Nemona patted the bed she was borrowing. "Do you wanna stay here tonight?"
Juliana's eyes widened, but she nodded vigorously and bounced right in next to her rival-for-life without much hesitation.
"At this point we may as well hug it out for the rest of the night, right?" Nemona joked, wrapping her up close again.
"Yeah. I knew we should've gotten three rooms, but it felt weird to share after Penny and Arven were so insistent that they wouldn't."
"Heh heh, yep! Well, it's fine, it barely cost anything 'cause everybody knows you. Especially now..."
"True. Hehehe… I probably won't have any more nightmares with you helping me fight 'em."
"Heh! And… I'll feel like I never left home if I'm in my hero's arms."
Juliana's brows shot up as she grinned with apple-red cheeks. "Wow. I-- That might be the sappiest thing you've ambushed me with yet."
"… And we weren't even in public this time!"
As the girls giggled quietly, their embrace grew warmer and closer than ever despite the night they'd had, like a campfire in uncharted territory.
(This could probably be better but this week is an exercise in just posting without being a perfectionist and I wanna go to bed, so)
The late afternoon breeze streaming through Nemona's window kept her room smelling as fresh and alive as a new adventure, as she and her favorite guest did something quite a bit less exciting: reviewing their Battle Studies homework.
Nemona was on her bed, leaving just enough space for her napping Pawmot, while Juliana and her Gardevoir were down on the plush green rug she'd picked out for Nemona the previous week (which Nemona insisted on paying for). The Battle Frontier Channel was on the big TV as familiar background noise, though Gardevoir at least seemed more interested in looking up at that than the open books.
"Uhhh… question nine… 'Which kind of Terrain protects from ailments instead of powering up attacks?'" Juliana read out.
"Oh, um… Misty Terrain! I was just thinking about that one. It might help you remember that one's different 'cause it's not called Fairy Terrain."
"Oh yeah, huh. Good point."
"It's not teeechnically correct to say it's the only one that does that, 'cause, like, Electric Terrain keeps you awake, and Misty Terrain does power up Terrain Pulse and Misty Explosion, but… I think you can safely ignore those since there's no 'none of the above' options… right?"
"Uh… nope, there's not. Wow, Mona… you know more than these books do, huh? Hehehe…"
"Heh. Nah, they're probably just tryin' to keep it simple. I've never used Misty Explosion in my life!"
"Oh. Well, I appreciate trying to keep it simple, 'cause some of these things have so many arbitrary little details to remember…"
"I know, right? I guess it's not like anybody sat down and designed 'em all elegantly like a video game, though." Nemona pointed out, before starting to tap her pencil eraser to her chin and then her temple as she looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder if Misty Explosion might be decent BECAUSE no one expects it…"
"Maybe? Mmm, I dunno…"
"I've actually gotta figure that out soon. When you get into Advanced Battle Studies like me, you'll have to--"
"IF I get into Advan--"
"WHENNN you get in, 'cause you're smart and cool and attr-- attentive, and a Champion like me, and have me helping youuu…" Nemona insisted, briefly pointing her eraser down at Juliana as if it were a threat. Pawmot kept sleeping, fully accustomed to its Trainer's volume. "… You've gotta make theme teams for all these field conditions! It's kinda fun, but… I dunno how good some of these would be. They start ya off easy with Rain, but… hmm…"
"Oh, is that what you're working on up there?"
"Eh, sorta. I've got the Psychic Terrain one for this week figured out ahead of schedule, so I'm getting started on the Misty Terrain one now."
"So you could just… not be doing homework right now, if you wanted?" Juliana prodded.
"I mean… I guess, but then I'd probably just be bored and houndin' you to go out with me. Uh, f-for battles and stuff."
"Mmm. Yeah, probably. Well… thanks for matching my pace, then."
"Always."
"Hehe… "
They both smiled at each other for a bit before getting back to work. Each of them sighed happily and gave their partner Pokemon some petting. But eventually…
"Uh… I'll be right back. Gotta use the bathroom." Juliana quietly announced.
"Mmmkay. Be my guest."
Nemona looked up from the page and gazed off into space as Juliana stepped out, but then…
"Hey, Gardevoir." she whispered.
"Devoira…?" Juliana's companion answered sleepily, turning its head up to Nemona.
"Can you… show me how Juliana feels about me?"
"Garde." the Embrace Pokemon said with a nod. It rolled its neck a bit before scooting a bit closer and reaching out to Nemona with its green hand.
"Ooh, are we gonna do a mind meld? Heh…"
Almost as soon as she took its hand, Nemona's eyes shut and brows shot up like she'd once again misread a teaspoon of Spicy Herba Mystica as a tablespoon. After a few moments, however, she seemed to become accustomed to whatever had been put in front of her mind's eye. Her expression became one of curious awe, then wholesome warmth, then giddy delight as she wiggled her feet happily behind her. She opened her eyes back up as the emotional transmission ended, needing a moment to refocus on reality. "Oh… oh man… th-thanks bud. I, uh… huh…"
"De gara, devoira."
Juliana came back into the room to find Nemona blushing and giggling, and immediately looked down at herself to try and find a reason for it, to no avail.
"Hehehehe… Hey, I think I might be moving down to the floor with you, actually." Nemona decided, picking up her book.
