#Awesome Aliens 2 Round 1

[awesomealienshowdown]

Awesome Aliens 2: Round 1

You are free to @ me with your propoganda, but you can also send it in via ask or submission! The box is always open! I split the bracket into two - "popular" and "niche". This is all based on what I know of the characters, their source material, and fanbases, so I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies. I did it this way to give some of the more obscure characters a fair chance and not to be utterly wiped out by Optimus Prime or Spock. Or Kirby.

And with everyone in, here are the matchups! Because there's so many, I'm putting it under a cut. All will have their polls linked as soon as I've got them up. Every poll lasts for a week.

Remember, everyone - keep it civil, keep it fun, we're here to have a good time. If your nominee didn't make it, please understand I narrowed down individuals based on how many votes they had and then just picked randomly between ties.

LEFT SIDE (high-popularity or very well-known sources and characters)

Freiza (Dragon Ball) vs Kartana (Pokemon)

Benrey (HLVRAI) vs Black Doom (Shadow the Hedgehog)

Deoxys (Pokemon) vs Venom (Marvel)

The Mayor (Homestuck) vs Tali'Zorah (Mass Effect)

Optimus Prime (Transformers) vs Kirby (Kirby)

King Dedede (Kirby) vs Bumblebee (Transformers)

AL-AN (Subnautica) vs Quark (Star Trek: Deep Space 9)

Starmaker (Courage the Cowardly Dog) vs Spock (Star Trek)

Vortigaunt (Half-Life) vs The Doctor (Doctor Who)

Peridot (Steven Universe) vs Garrus Vakarian (Mass Effect)

Giygas (Earthbound) vs Vash (Trigun)

Xenomorph (Alien) vs Piccolo (Dragon Ball)

Martian Manhunter (DC Comics) vs Keroro (Keroro Gunsou)

Stitch (Lilo and Stitch) vs Luma (Super Mario Galaxy)

The Collector (The Owl House) vs The Impostor (Among Us)

Kilowog (DC Comics) vs Robot Randy (Courage the Cowardly Dog)

RIGHT SIDE (low-popularity, not very well-known sources and characters, or anyone that just didn't quite make it for the other half)

Rappy (Phantasy Star) vs Bomberman (Bomberman)

Trazyn the Infinite (Warhammer 40k) vs Omega-Xis (Mega Man Star Force)

Akai Tsubasa (Kaitou Joker) vs N. Trance (Crash Bandicoot)

Evolt (Kamen Rider Build) vs Neil/Silver (Coffee Talk)

BOB (Slime Rancher) vs Stinger (Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger)

Gallaxhar (Monsters vs Aliens) vs Naga Ray (Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger)

Londo Mollari (Babylon 5) vs Nitros Oxide (Crash Bandicoot)

Prince Baka (Level E) vs Kugo Yuuma (World Trigger)

Utahoshi Kengo (Kamen Rider Fourze) vs Orbulon (WarioWare)

Talita Dospaco (Runaway to the Stars) vs Ultraman Tiga (Ultraman Tiga)

Rlain (Stormlight Archive) vs Zim (Invader Zim)

Brain Guy (MST3K) vs Ootori Gen (Ultraman)

Mercury (Mega Man Classic) vs Mommy Martian (Backyardigans)

Brain-Eating Meteor (Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy) vs Lard Nar (Invader Zim)

Pollination Tech#9 Smith (The Sims) vs Kirby (Chicken Little 2005)

Ghazghkhull Thraka (Warhammer 40k) vs Nei (Phantasy Star 2)

[otterloreart]

Art Prompts: 

1-TV Headed Men

2-Moth Dolls

3-Planet Themed Mermaids

4-Milkshake Dragons

5-Ice Cream Themed Superheroes

6-More Magical Pony Art (I Love Them!!)

7-Ocean Themed Space Aliens

8- Sea Snakes (They’re awesome! Here’s a link to an article about them: https://blog.padi.com/sea-snake-facts/) 

9-Snakes With Prosthetic Arms

10-An Otter With A Cute Little Bow In Her Head

I got way inspired by the sea snake prompt apparently and spent way more time than I meant to on them! I included the whip snake (highly stylized) as an example of a "land snake" (opened up one of my herp books to a random page).

If they were toys like the other snake designs they would include stands to represent the fact theyre "swimming" whereas the land snakes would have slightly more flat bottoms so they can "stand". The sea kraits have round bodies with flatter tails while the seasnakes have vertically oval bodies.

These designs are not 100% accurate to real snakes, obvi, they're artistic reinterpretations of the snakes design. For ex: the whip snake has a stripe, but also has very distinct scales, so I made them diamonds. And the eyelash shapes are just for cuteness.

ok facts about sea snakes I want to add to clarify some things stated in that article (just adding my own knowledge/clarifying things (PLEASE do not take offense to this i am glad to read facts about snakes i just have brain worms when it comes to snakes))

put under cut because it was getting too long

"to keep things simple" isn't... right: theyre split into different categories because they're separate evolutionary lines! And there are a handful of other differences (although the article does go into those later, but ngl thats why i dont like lists organized this way). Anyways, it makes it sound like these categories are not relevant to the evolutionary history imo

I would have clarified that while they all do have paddle like tails, the kraits actually have bodies more similar to land snakes, whereas the true sea snakes have vertically elongated bodies to make swimming easier and are bad at being on land.

Okay so this is true mostly EXCEPT we built a huge canal through panama and there have been sightings of sea snakes on the "wrong" side of the panama canal, specifically yellow-bellied sea snakes which live on the pacific side. There are no breeding populations, but due to human intervention there's potential risk of them being introduced.

See this is why I was like the categories aren't for "simplicity", the sea kraits are separated from the other sea snakes because of their many differences: a major one being that they come on land to lay eggs! A number of snakes all over the world give birth (though yes, not in the ocean) to fully formed (not "nearly") babies!

I would just add that this is part of why they can't cross over to the Atlantic! here's a paper!

...all snakes are carnivores (hence, weird thing to say)? unless you count eating eggs as being "not a carnivore". in which case this would be untrue because the turtle-headed seasnakes (genus Emydocephalus) eat primarily fish eggs!

and this one isn't quite right because of turtle-headed seasnakes again! They have almost no teeth except tiny fangs and as far as I can find are either mildly venomous or nonvenomous. since they dont hunt their venom glands are vestigial.

Sea snakes and kraits are elapids, which include other highly venomous snakes like cobras, coral snakes, and all of the highly venomous Australian species!

While doing research on realistic snake plushies, sea snakes made by WildRepublic were one of the major clear attempts at a retailer trying to be scientifically accurate.

Kraits DO actually look like cartoon animals

and yeah the olive sea snake does really look like that:

(although the olive one has apparently been taken off their website?)

although the way they title and tag their products continues to piss me off to no end, like this is an EEL not a SNAKE, they're just out here spreading misinformation and confusing things.

they completely rebranded in like 1999 because their wildlife plushies took off so personally I think they have a responsibility now to scientific accuracy since they took on that mantle. but i digress.

[katyawriteswhump]

the power of love part 8 (steddie, stobin, steve whump fic)

Steve has a habit of surviving near death experiences then getting sick for no reason. And Eddie and those fatal bat bites? After an impossible feat of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from Steve, he’s mysteriously fixed. So, Eddie’s back to being banished, this time with Steve and Robin in tow. Eddie’s healing, but Steve isn’t… and life gets even more confusing, when Eddie develops feelings for Steve, which aren’t entirely unrequited.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

(also on AO3 here where it's still in need of love, if anybody is feeling kind *sobs* ;))

Chapter Eight

Eddie POV continued

“You kissed? And now you can’t wake him?” Robin perches beside Steve on the bunk then rounds on Eddie—genuinely baring her teeth. “I shouldn’t leave you alone with him. It’s like you’re cursing him or something.”

“Woah! Are you accusing me of satanist shit now?” Eddie stops pacing the floorboards, claws his hair.

“Steve? Steve! Oh God, please!” She gently pats him, sinks her face into a hand. “Sorry, Eddie. It’s just… totally unexplainable.” She looks up sharply. “That’s exactly what we should be looking for, right?”

“The unexplainable?” Robin nods. “I should be dead. Steve should be bright and breezy—”

“—and it’s not anything to do with the Upside Down.”

Eddie hums uneasily. Should he share the new theory he’s got brewing? “I dunno. It blows to be a cynic, but—"

“Come on, Eddie! There are so many other possible explanations. If the Upside Down is real, who knows what else is? You’re a maestro of the D and D underworld—work with me here.”

They bounce ideas off each other, including that Steve might’ve succumbed to bad beer. Neither of them buy that one.

“Maybe Steve has some sort of regenerative power,” she says, “like Doctor Who. And you’re leeching it out of him, or something.”

Eddie hoots: “It’s my fault again?”

“No! Look, I sometimes get kinda papa grizzly where Steve is concerned, which is odd, because otherwise, I have almost zero protective instinct. We can’t deny the pattern, though—last time you two got mouth to mouth, he performed miracles and then went downhill fast. This time, uh…”

“I slurped the life out of him again?” Eddie sinks down on the opposite bunk. He thinks back to the kiss, which had been so mind-blowingly awesome. Until it wasn’t. Time to test his number one sucks-balls-squared theory of the day.

He slowly peels his shirt—or, rather, Steve’s now extremely grubby t-shirt—off over his head.

“Ew! Save it for the boys, Munson.”

He runs his palm across his midriff, glances over his shoulder, then hurries closer to the window for better light. Holy shit. “I was still covered in scars yesterday. Even earlier today, there was too much pink among the ink. Now there’s diddly-squat.”

 “So, Steve is still healing you?”

Eddie scrunches the shirt and hurls it across the room. “Yeah, and at this rate, my payback’s gonna kill him! We’ve been so fixated on Steve—what if I’m somehow a font of crappy juju? The big bad wolf the whole world believes I am, after all.”

“No.” Robin strokes Steve’s arm. Eddie’s dying to be close to him, too. Shit, he doesn’t dare! “It’s the water. It gives him some kind of power, and he’s passing it on to you. I mean, it doesn’t explain everything, but…”

Eddie retrieves his shirt, grabs her lifeline and clings to it. “It’s as good an explanation as any.”

“Ooooh!” She turns super-excited. “Perhaps there are fairies in Lover’s Lake? Water nymphs? Or aliens landed there! I’m still mightily suspicious about those clouds and the choppers, because—”

“This is getting absurd, Robin.” She sneers at him, shrugs anyhow. “Look, if we buy the lake theory, what can we do about it? It’s not like we can drag him there. We left the car practically in the next county, and he’s too sick.”

“I could fetch water and bring it back here?”

“Given my recent form, I think it’s best for you to stay with him. Eddie the Banished will don his armour and head once more into the breach.”

“Shakespeare? You listened in English Lit?”

Eddie puffs out his chest, conjuring a bravado he so doesn’t feel. “Still gonna be my year, Buckley.”

His armour is chiefly the shelter of the forest, during several hours of tedious trek. He cycles the last part of his journey, pulling his bandana over his face. When he makes radio contact with Dustin, however, his journey feels more than worth it.

Eddie arranges a meet with the Wheelers at Skull Rock. At least, he believes he does. Dustin communicates in one of his more baffling codes. Eddie is blown away, therefore, when he spots his fave lil’ dude approaching their liaison spot. Dustin defiantly wears his Hellfire Club t-shirt, despite everything.

Dustin throws down his crutches. Eddie rushes forward and flings his arms around him.

“Eddie! You son-of-a-bitch! You scared me so much!”

“Yeeeah, I was pretty scared myself.” Eddie hugs him tight, squeezes his eyes tighter. Tears leak anyhow. “But I’m alive and…” He pulls back, drinks up the sight of Dustin, who sniffs and rubs his red face. “God, it’s good to see you.”

Somebody clears their throat. Eddie jumps a good two inches in the air.

“Hey.” Nancy Wheeler stands a few yards off, offering a sheepish wave, which Eddie returns.

It’s not really surprising she’s there. Someone had to give Dustin a ride, and help him limp through the woods. Sitting beneath the rock, the three of them discuss possible explanations for wtf is going on with Steve.

“Okay, let me get my head around this,” she says. “You think Steve derives some sort of regenerative power from Lover’s Lake? And he’s sick? Right now?” She frets her lip. “I should go to him.”

“Uuuuuh, no need. We’re coping all right.” Eddie almost laughs out loud at how badly he doesn’t want her anywhere near Steve. He’d never in his wildest dreams have believed he would go toe-to-toe as a love rival with Nancy Wheeler.

She shakes her head. “There’s gotta be a connection with the Upside Down. This is bad. Really bad.”

“Not necessarily,” says Dustin. “I like Eddie’s hypothesis. There’s no logical reason why all the supernatural shit in this town, let alone this world, is evil.”

“It was Robin’s hypothesis,” admits Eddie.

“Whatever,” says Dustin. “If a bad alternate dimension can bleed into ours, maybe a good dimension can too.”

“I suppose,” said Nancy. Eddie nearly agrees with her, but can’t quite be that gracious. “Either way, if that lake fixes Steve somehow, we need to act quick.”

Nancy heads off to collect lake water. Once she’s gone, Eddie feels able to share his other Steve-related issue: “Didn’t want to divulge this in front of Wheeler, but… Uh, Steve and I got mouth-to-mouth again.”

“You had to perform CPR on him? I had no idea you knew—”

“There’s other reasons that lips meet.” Eddie puckers his lips and crosses his eyes, totally silly. 

Dustin stares at him, his mouth hanging open. “Oh!”

“Yeah. Theeeeen… he basically passed out.”

“Whut?”

“Look, don’t ask me to explain it! I mean, I like him. I really like him. Equally implausible, I think he likes me, but…” Aargh! His feelings for Steve are more tortuous than pleasurable right now. What’s more, the distance between them makes armouring his heart a teeny-weeny bit easier. 

“But?” Dustin bobs up and down on his butt.

“If I’m making him sicker, I should make myself scarce. I still wonder if I’m the bad apple here. Flayed… or whatever. It would neatly continue the sordid tale that is my life. Plus, if Hopper’s back, I bet he can get Steve off the hook for aiding and abetting, or whatever. Steve can go home, get the help he needs.”

“Hopper’s got his own problems, dude.” Dustin scratches his head beneath his baseball cap, kinda nervy. “There’s this army colonel in town, O’Sullivan, who’s pretty much Vecna levels of evil. He knows about Brenner and Hawkins Lab, and… Long story, cut short. He’s out to kill Eleven.”

“You gotta be shitting me!”

“That was my line when I found out. Hopper and El are hiding out, waiting for a safe opportunity to get outta Dodge. The band of the banished gets bigger every day.”

“Well, this exile should return to being a solo act. Steve and I absolutely would not work in the real world.”

“Huh?” Dustin wrinkles his nose. “You’re different—that’s what makes it fun. Even Suzie and I don’t like all the same music, for example. She’s got a real downer on Debbie Gibson.”

“Then maybe I should date Suzie,” mumbles Eddie, avoiding Dustin’s scrutiny. “In reality, Steve and I are from different planets. I’ve seen his house—his folks are loaded.”

“You can’t hold Steve’s parents against him. They’re literally never there for him. His Dad travels tons, and they stopped taking him with him when he was, like, eleven, because…” Dustin’s jaw drops again.

“Because what?” prompts Eddie. 

“Steve stopped travelling with his parents because he started getting sick every time.”

“So, he got travel sick. So do tons of kids. So what?”

“I honestly don’t know! But it supports your theories concerning his proximity to the lake. Sort of.” Dustin whacks his cap against the rock. “Jesus-mother-effing-son-of-a-bitch! I am literally dying to return to a world where I can trust the laws of science.”

Steve POV

1979

Getting himself up in the morning, getting himself to the school bus-stop alone—that only sucked.

It was the emptiness of the night that freaked him out.

Steve stayed up too late, of course he did. He was nearly twelve years old, with nobody to tell him what to do. He ate sweets and watched grown-up television, which got boring pretty fast. When he finally plucked up the courage to go to bed, he’d huddle under the covers, muffling his ears. It never drowned out that horrible, screaming quiet.

Who knew silence could be so loud?

He missed his mom, and it hurt, too. Knowing she chose to leave him behind. 

He’d hated travelling, because in the last year, he’d always got ill. Like, not just travel sick, but fevers and chills and headaches and stomach cramps, always “ruining” his father’s trips. 

Inevitably, his dad decreed that he must stay behind, and the first couple of times, his mom stayed home with him. Then she’d told him his father needed her more. What did that even mean? Steve really, really needed her, simply to be there. Somewhere in the house.

She wasn’t. 

The hours would stretch on, while he was too scared to close his eyes, until…

The monsters barged out of the closet, rioting through his nightmares. Then THEY arrived, with their smooth, smiling face and whirlpool eyes. That wordlessly singing voice, trickling through the waters, reassuring him everything would be all right…

In the morning, shuffling to the bus-stop, he remembered them. Clearer than the monsters, even. Oh man, he could be so childish and unhip sometimes.

“Steve? Steve! Please wake up! You’ve been asleep for hours.”

A groan escapes him, and then: “Momma?” Somehow, he knows it’s not her. “Dad?”

He opens his eyes. 

Oh shit. 

No, that’s not where his life is now. He’s sure as hell not eleven-years-old! Robin looks faintly amused, and also like she wants to thump him: “Gonna give you a pass on that this once, Steve, then go bleach my brain.”

Part 9

...

tags: @estrellami-1 @kal-ology (thank you, thank you, thank you!) If anybody else would like to be tagged on this fic or any of my writing, please let me know :) Reblogs, comments and likes also very much appreciated :) Thank you for reading so far :)

(also part of my steve whump fic series on AO3)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 10 Part 11

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 2, Wave 1, Poll 10

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Data Soong-Star Trek: The Next Generation

Qualifications:

Many fans interpret him as autistic, including me, and he is gay. Also canonically asexual! He has only ever had one onscreen romance (Tasha Yar does not count, that was a one night stand/FWB thing), with a woman, in which the entire moral was that he was forcing himself to be someone he wasn't while in a relationship with her. His closest relationship is with Geordi LaForge, a relationship commonly interpreted as romantic or queerplatonic.

Propaganda:

Data as a character is so important to me, as an autistic queer kid. His whole storyline of wanting to be human, but never being able to be human, because there's something fundamentally different about him that causes some people to treat him as lesser and nonsentient.... very autistic. He often infodumps to people, is very blunt, experiences emotions in an unconventional way, is socially awkward, and has specific interests in things like poetry and painting. He is a very kind person, and is averse to harming even people who are direct threats to him (such as Kivas Fajo). He has a cat and writes poems about her!! He breaks the prime directive to save a little alien girl!! I cannot adequately explain how awesome this character is in words.

Submitted by @convenient-plot-device

Olivia-Fear and Hunger 2: Termina

Qualifications:

She is a wheelchair user and bisexual. During the confessional scene, players can have her admit to being attracted to any of the other train passengers, although O'saa immediately clocks her for being specifically attracted to one of the women on the train. Additionally, reading her mind in the demo reveals that she finds both Marina and Levi attractive.

Propaganda:

Olivia is my personal favorite disabled representation in any horror game since she does have to get through the game differently compared to the non-wheelchair using players, it is simply another way of experiencing the game. She's also just a very fun character among the horrors. She's also super down for killing the horrors with a gun she found! Elated even!

[companion-showdown]

Who is your favourite companion?

ROUND 1 MASTERPOST

propaganda under the cut

Oliver Harper

Such a brilliant character. When Big Finish decided to make a new companion for the First Doctor era I was excited and wondered how it would go. They did a spectacular job of combining a character that was so very perfectly 60s but that the TV show of the time could never do. If you've not heard the trilogy he is in, go and listen to it. Otherwise enjoy this brief, spoilery summary of why he is awesome. In his first story we open with Oliver finding out the police are hot on his trail and caught an associate of his. No longer feeling a part of his world of stock trading this made Oliver suddenly the only contemporary human who could see through the disguise of invading alien slave traders (including his bosses) and so helped the Doctor and Steven defeat them and ended up joining them in the TARDIS eager to get away and hoping his new friends never find out his horrible secret. What makes him brilliant and such a perfect story of the 60s that could only be told by the show all these years later is his crime. Oliver was simply gay. And when Steven and the Doctor find out he is surprised to find them totally and whole heartedly supporting and accepting of him and to learn it's not a crime in the future. The dynamic between them was beautiful and the conversations they had so moving. And then BF killed him off in his third story after leaving no room for gaps between his trips in the TARDIS and broke my fucking heart. I love him and I still wish they'd retcon his death and bring him back for full cast stories with Purves and Noonan. (@hartnellwho /@elden-12 )

Cass Fermazzi

no propaganda submitted

Dalek Test Subject 2

no propaganda submitted

Bliss

no propaganda submitted

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

Writeblr Battle Royale - Ametrine Versus Lyra! (Lyra POV)

Yes! That's right! Round 2 of the event @writeblrbattleroyale put on by @your-absent-father! This time my alien elf Lyra is going up against the ghost-fighting Ametrine (OC that belongs to @moonluringfrost)! And this time she actually does fight! You can read Lyra's round 1 here and Ametrine's round 1 here! Thanks, enjoy, and remember you can follow all the action here OR by following #writeblrbattleroyale !

Follow some awesome fellow authors and watch our OCs beat the shit out of each other (when they behave and do what they're supposed to do instead of things like trying to escape or have a pleasant conversation)

WC: 1,240 Tw: death

“And now the round 1 has ended. Unfortunately for me, some of you players tried to go against me, but I give you the benefit of the doubt. I haven’t introduced myself. People call me M. I don’t know if it’s my real name. I really don’t remember anything. I once was a full person that was cursed to roam the world, without being able to go beyond. I do have two goals I remember: I am the bringer of entertainment, and I am a bringer of death. This place really is the tight combination of both. You are my freak show now that my own freak was taken for me. I just need to make sure now you don’t try to escape.” 

A woman appears in the middle of the arena in clothes that are almost stereotypical of a fortune teller. She’s south American, with a beautiful straight nose and eyes that seem to know everything you deeply want to know. “I am so sorry.” She points at Lyra and the new opponent, and the world shifted.

Flashes of her home. Devastated. Crushed and burnt plant matter, the giant carved pillars now broken and laying at her feet. Someone far away was laughing among the eerie quiet. A flash of dark and Lyra was running. Heading to the laughing. She emerged into the light and blinked. Her home, the island of her parents…it was all gone. Broken. Destroyed.

“Hail the queen!” A voice from beyond sight called.

Bodies began to move under the rubble, and Lyra glanced down. She was wearing the outfit of the highest noble. Queen. The stone fragments of all the clans were embedded into the leather wrapped around her wrist. A mark of what was never supposed to be.

“Queen of all!!” someone called. “Death-bringer!!”

The bodies revealed themselves, and turned to her with faces of shame, fear, anger and hopelessness.

“Queen of Elkien, conqueror and destroyer of the lands!!”

“My fancy little crew here are all my helpers whose soul is in their own little dimension. I won’t mind putting you with my little collection. So, now it’s time for round 2”.

Lyra blinked back into reality standing in an arena, a cold sweat covering every inch of her skin. That…so that wasn’t real, then. It was one of her greatest fears…and it had been brought to her mind by this ‘M’ character.

She wanted to draw an arrow and shoot it directly into the sky, directly to the place where M had been moments ago. But the sounds of people shuffling around, starting to murmur and talk and shout all distracted her. She pinned her ears to her head, giving it a shake. Focused on her opponent.

The sooner she could finish this, the sooner she could get to M and make him pay. For this game of death, for making them participate…for making her live the nightmare that haunted her like a shadow.

She took a breath to steady herself, facing the one opposite her. Pale skin, light hair, blue eyes. Petit build. But she knew enough to know that a size and shape were only minor factors in a fight. She couldn’t afford to take her opponent lightly.

Even so, she did not want to fight if she did not have to.

Taking a deep breath, Lyra called out, “Adversary! I don’t want to fight you. How much do you want to fight me?”

The response came. “Depends on if fighting will get me home faster than not.” The woman began walking towards Lyra, causing her back to stiffen just a bit. She began backing away. Keep the same distance between them. She didn’t know what her opponent could do and didn’t want to find out by letting her get too close.

“I don’t know if fighting will get us home. But I do know it will end with one of us dead.” The woman didn’t seem to change based on words alone, continuing to advance. Lyra let out a breath and fired a warning shot directly into her path, the arrow digging into the ground at her feet. “I don’t want to fight…but I will if I must.”

The woman across from her sighed as Lyra knocked another arrow into place. She seemed tired, and Lyra couldn’t blame her. “I have to try,” she called back. “There’s something I need to do. I’m sorry.”

She reached down and plucked Lyra’s arrow from the ground, keeping it with her as she began advancing faster.

Lyra grit her teeth. “Then I’m sorry as well. Good luck, adversary.”

The woman increased her speed to a near-run, Lyra keeping her arrow tight as she began to back up faster. Lyra tried to track her, but the woman’s evasive movements made for little opening. Eventually Lyra had to lower her arrow and focus on moving, on keeping up the distance and matching her speed to her opponent’s.

This was the best tactic Lyra had at the moment, not wanting to use her earth magic unless it was absolutely needed. The cost was high, and while she’d used it on the last little one it was simply because it seemed an easier way to end the fight than blood. From the way this new opponent moved, she would have to be more careful with her magic…something she was not prepared to do. Not yet.

And her reward was a sudden change in tactic, the woman suddenly changing course and speed, charging directly at Lyra. Lyra moved until her back was against the wall, waited until her opponent was nearly on top of her before stretching out her wings and flying into the air. Feet now against the wall, Lyra kept herself aloft while pushing off.

She looked.

Aimed.

Fired.

She tucked her wings and tucked herself into a ball as she landed, rolling with momentum and getting her feet under her as fast as possible, leaping into a crouch and spinning around to identify where her opponent was.

A body was collapsed by the wall.

Lyra waited for movement as the crowd around her seemed to hold their breath. A few began talking. Whispers among the specters watching. Then…

Cheering.

Lyra risked a glance up at the ones in the stands. A few looked genuinely shocked. A few looked genuinely pleased. Several looked as if they were forced into cheering, like puppets but ones that she could not spot the strings.

Standing, Lyra walked cautiously over to the body. The woman, her adversary, was dead. She rolled the body onto her back, removed the arrow, and closed her eyes, making a gesture that marked blessings for the dead. “I am sorry you did not complete what you needed to do,” she said softly. “But, if you have a next life, I hope you are able to find peace in it.”She stood and turned to face M. Took a deep breath and yelled up, “mxmuzacimo!!!” You are a bag of dicks!! before stalking back to her original spot. He was going to pay for making her – for making them – participate. She wasn’t sure how yet, not as well versed in life and death magic from her home and unsure if it would work in this place. But she was going to make sure she tried if she won her way to the top. And if not? She was going to try before she was taken out.

[kariachi]

Thought on Flights Inspired by Other’s Post: Okay, stay with me guys and consider- Flights are generally treated in canon as this big ‘let me prove I am the biggest and baddest’ and the bronzes catch everyone because they’re awesome, yadda yadda, but. But.

Flights as where the ‘males compete for female affection’ meets ‘avian courtship dances’.

Stay with me! Especially with the golds being as possessive as they are over ‘their’ bronzes, Flights being in part a sort’ve ‘do as I do’ aerial dance of sorts ahead of everything wouldn’t be so impossible. Doubly so when you consider that dragonkin are telepathic, so this isn’t just testing physical prowess, but possibly also the strength of the bond between Chaser and Riser. Triply so when you consider fuckers are out there getting hurt chasing greens, implying that it’s not just a matter of outpacing fuckers but of keeping up. You’re more likely to hurt yourself trying to mimic a barrel roll than you are having to do a quick turn, especially when you’d have been training in the latter for Fall.

So, the concept goes, the Riser will be doing acrobatics while the Chasers mimic them. While doing this, the Chasers 1) have to avoid colliding with each other, and 2) can respond more quickly and fittingly if they have a stronger bond with the Riser due to telepathy adding a bit of insight into what they’re going to do (on top of any ‘I know they like to do this’ that may come from knowing each other well). The Riser then chooses from amongst their Chasers based on who can keep up (and in a perfect world also whose rider their own is down for a round with)- either able to last for the less intense but far longer Flights of the rankers or able to keep up with the shorter but far more intense Flights of the small chromatics.

Does it perfectly fit something we’d see on Earth? No, not really. Does the fact these are literally alien creatures with alien abilities, 2/3 of the species of which are genetically engineered abominations against God[affectionate], give us some wriggle room there? I think so.

[detectivejigsawpines]

The Ultimate Disney Villain Showdown-Part 3

I think that covers the animals. Now on to part 2 of Round 1-Mundane Villains!

Hans (Frozen)

Manipulator

Heartstomper

Yet another guy who just can't wait to be king

Strengths: Manipulation, charm, cunning, charisma, singing voice, horse, nice sideburns, sword

Weaknesses: Being punched in the face, sisterly love

VERSUS

Sheriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood)

The original Wolf of Wall Street

Tax collector

Big-bellied bully

Strengths: Intelligence, strength, sword, capable of throwing his weight around, light on his feet for his size, pettiness

Weaknesses: Incompetent vulture sidekicks, unnecessary cruelty, occasional inability to see through disguises, being chased by tents, catchy songs, having a twangy southern accent in medieval England

****

Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians)

Sadistic puppy killer

Fur fashion fiend

I don't care what the new movie tries to tell you, she is not a good or sympathetic person

Strengths: Ruthlessness, determination, intelligence, being a rich white female with a bobbed haircut, intimidation, drives like a maniac, terrifyingly awesome mansion

Weaknesses: Temper, impatience, incompetent henchmen, future lung cancer victim, greed, vindictiveness, able to be outsmarted by dogs

VERSUS

Madam Medusa (The Rescuers)

Child labor supporter

Cruella expy

Yet another example of a Karen

Strengths: Shotgun, pet crocodiles, intimidation, boat driving skills, manipulation, determination

Weaknesses: Impatience, temper, fear of mice, hotheadedness, bad boss, vanity, able to be outsmarted by mice

****

Shan Yu (Mulan)

Leader of the Hun Army

Howling wind

Possibly genetic experiment crossbreeding him with a hawk or something-check out those eyes

Strengths: Intelligence, sword, pet hawk, strength, freaky yellow eyes, giant freaking army, ruthlessness, determination

Weaknesses: Avalanches, fireworks

VERSUS

Mr. Scroop (Treasure Planet)

Technically an alien, but just go with it

Spider psycho

Israel Hands expy

Strengths: Giant pincers, ability to crawl on ceiling, vindictiveness, cunning, manipulation, eavesdropping, being part of a criminally underrated awesome movie

Weaknesses: Temper, impatience, the cold void of space

****

Percival C. McLeach (The Rescuers Down Under)

Poacher

Walking Australian stereotype

Surprisingly frightening by virtue of how willing he is to murder a child in cold blood, and because of the face he makes in that one scene

Strengths: Manipulation, being voiced by George C. Scott, strength, multiple weapons, Joanna (lizard sidekick), cool hat, determination, ruthlessness, intimidation

Weaknesses: Bad boss, beer gut, temper, gets outsmarted by mice

VERSUS

Lyle Tiberius Rourke (Atlantis)

Mercenary

Graverobber

Double-parker (allegedly)

Strengths: Manipulation, combat skills, ruthlessness, weapons, intimidation, pettiness

Weaknesses: Lack of conscience, ultimately a sellout, can't handle being cut by magic blue glass

****

Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)

Hunter

Stalker

Self-entitled bas...ketcase

Strengths: Charisma, cunning, manipulation, weapons, determination, slyness, popularity, good looks, deep singing voice, combat and hunting skills, high alcohol consumption

Weaknesses: Overblown sense of entitlement, illiterate-ness, vanity, selfishness, inability to accept rejection

VERSUS

Clayton (Tarzan)

Hunter

Poacher

Boss level after defeating Sabor

Strengths: Shotgun, machete, stealth, cunning, determination, manipulation, hunting skills, voiced by BRIAN BLESSED, absolutely massive chin

Weaknesses: Temper, impatience, berserker rage, susceptible to vines (not the Internet kind)

****

Bradford Buzzard (DuckTales)

Accountant

Leader of secret organization

Massive killjoy

Strengths: Manipulation, secret-keeping, espionage, bookkeeping, cunning, caution, practicality

Weaknesses: Control freakishness, fear of potentially dangerous situations, unresolved childhood trauma, inability to accept own villainy

VERSUS

Dawn Bellwether (Zootopia)

Born leader (it's literally in her last name)

Fearmonger

Political terrorist

Strengths: Hench-rams, manipulation, determination, deceptively cute appearance, ruthlessness

Weaknesses: Not physically strong, cute fluffy sheep, hatred of predator animals

****

Bill Sykes (Oliver & Company)

Gangster

Loan shark

Kidnapper

Strengths: Dobermans, intimidation, realistically horrifying, determination, willingness to kidnap a little girl

Weaknesses: Underestimating weaker parties, future lung cancer patient, trains

VERSUS

Governor Ratcliffe (Pocahontas)

Gold-digger (literally)

Designated villain on account of name

Historically inaccurate

Strengths: Charisma, opportunistic, authority, musket, nice hat, gets two villain songs in the same movie

Weaknesses: Greed, recklessness, racism, uncompromising

****

Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)

Evil Stepmother

Amateur slavedriver/domestic abuser

Social climber

Strengths: Manipulation, authority, expressing disappointment, cunning, using casual cruelty to ensure cooperation, looking absolutely terrifying in the above scene, being voiced by the same woman who voices Maleficent

Weaknesses: Jealousy, greed, helplessness against true love or whatever 🙄

VERSUS

Mother Gothel (Tangled)

Wannabe flower child

She and Frollo would be a match made...somewhere

Terrible babysitter

Strengths: Emotional abuse, semi-immortality, cunning, manipulation, ruthlessness, deception, not afraid to get her hands dirty

Weaknesses: Vanity, selfishness, unused to defiance, unwilling to age gracefully

****

Captain Hook (Peter Pan)

Pirate

Neverland inhabitant

Wannabe child murderer

Strengths: Hook (well, duh), swordsmanship, cunning, crew, cannons, loophole abuse, wrath, very snazzy dresser

Weaknesses: Cowardly, whiny, crippling fear of crocodile, obsession, overconfidence, semi-competent crew, constantly beaten by a child

VERSUS

Judge Claude Frollo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Religious leader

Hypocrite

Abusive parent

Strengths: Authority, religious mania, being voiced by Tony Jay, awesome villain song, even more awesome hat, manipulation, deception, ability to destroy self-esteem, determination

Weaknesses: Obsession, decades of suppressed libido, xenophobia, tendency to talk/sing to the fireplace, hallucinations, lava

****

Toffee (Star vs. The Forces of Evil)

Former general

Bipedal lizard

Nice dresser

Strengths: Regeneration, manipulation, intelligence, practicality, strength, possession, nice suit, patience

Weaknesses: Boring, dresses like a lawyer, sadly underutilized by his own show which had a TOTAL COPOUT ENDING THAT WAS SO STUPID I CAN'T EVEN-

*Deep breath, deep breath*

...You saw nothing. Just move along, nothing to see here.

VERSUS

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Phineas and Ferb)

Evil scientist (NOT a pharmacist)

Either a genius or an idiot, it's hard to tell

Most wholesome villain ever

Strengths: Titanium arms, ability to build -inators in a day or less, ability to break or at least lean on fourth wall, combat skills (at least when up against platypus), ability to burst into random song and dance numbers at the drop of a hat, ability to break cycle of abuse and do his best to be a good father to his daughter, virtually indestructible

Weaknesses: Easily distracted (possibly ADHD), almond brittle, unresolved childhood trauma, pettiness, loneliness, social awkwardness, doesn't seem to understand the concept of NOT including self-destruct buttons on -inators, fears bats and vending machines

[nostalgiaenvy]

Top 5 BEST Ben 10 Aliens.

December 27 marks the 17th anniversary of Ben 10 on Cartoon Network. To celebrate we’re going to go through top 5 aliens. Let’s begin.

5. Upgrade

The design of Upgrade has an awesome balance of being goopy and round with technological influence. This is perfect for his abilities that allow him to flow through, as well merge and control technology. His abilities make him incredibly strong in most city environments, especially around machinery.

His downfall comes with being susceptible to electricity as he’s made of metal. I don’t care though, he shoots a sick laser beam from his eye.

4. Diamondhead

A cutting edge design and a remarkable shade of green makes Diamondhead stand out among other aliens on the roster. Paired with his abilities to transform his body at will to literally become the weapon, Diamondhead is a total badass.

Diamonds might be made under pressure, but with enough force they’ll crack too. Despite that he has cool abilities that are easy to utilize in many battles, regardless of the environment.

3. Heatblast

I want to start off by saying I’m absolutely a sucker for any character with fire and lava. Examples include Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four, Hot Spot from Teen Titans, Prince Zuko from Avatar… I think you get the point.

Regardless of my bias he does have cool, or fire, abilities. From throwing fireballs to riding a blazing trail, he can do pretty much anything with fire.

I would love to place him higher on his list but due to his weakness of water, I have to keep him at number 3. There are too many environments in which there is easy access to water and that’s too much of a liability.

2. XLR8 

XLR8 easily has the best design of any of the Aliens on the roster with a slick, sleek, and aerodynamic look. It’s fitting for a speedster of his caliber. Similar to the Flash, he can run at speeds invisible to the human eye and heal quickly too. Realistically being a speedster isn’t that unique, but it is always exhilarating to watch on screen.

As with many characters with his abilities, there aren’t many weaknesses, which means XLR8 earns the #2 spot on my list.

1. Cannonbolt

Ball.

Follow along our Twitter to stay up to date!

[torchwood-99]

Torchwood Costume Carnage Round 2!

Jack Harkness Edition!

Option 1

The first of several greatcoat looks for Jack! It is his signature look after all. This look gets a post of its own because it's belted up! We usually see it open (easier to get off in instances of alien fights/Ianto shagging/alien shagging/Ianto fights and war weather.

Also, the rain plastering his hair against his head looks particularly awesome! He cuts a suitably enigmatic figure here, for both Gwen and the viewer.

Option 2

Dressing down, we get a good look at his waistcoat here. A nice, simple look, with a watch chain for added pizazz! Speaking of which, there's Ianto in the background, probably wondering where his watch has gotten to.

(Answer, Jack's stolen it.)

[dougrobyngoold]

Valley of Dreams Loop Hike - Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, NM

With Terry as our fearless leader, we ventured from our campsite to the trailhead for the Valley of Dreams Loop. This entailed a very bumpy, rough ride out to GPS coordinates in the middle of nowhere. We parked the truck and walked up the hillside, heading in the general direction of the GPS coordinates that Terry had mapped into his tracking device. What an incredible landscape we wandered into - intriguing shapes and structures created by the wind and rain. Absolutely stunning!

Mushroom Seat - left side of photo.

Descriptions of photos posted below (top to bottom): 1) gorgeous layers of coloring against the pretty blue sky 2) perfectly round rocks scattered on the surface 3) hoodoos with wings 4) petrified wood fragments and pieces 5) we called this hoodoo "Atlas" - nature is amazing 6)one more photo of the spectacular layers of color in this area.

We had an awesome day wandering among the hoodoos with some of our favorite people. Thanks, Terry, for being such a wonderful trail guide!

John, Doug, Terry, Kathy, Judith, and myself in front of the Alien Throne.

[sarthak2405]

Underrated Gems- Part 1

For the next few blogs ive decided to create a new series called "Underrated Gems" . This series will focus on video games that in my opinion deserve a certain spotlight. For our first game lets rewind back to the august of 2013 when a certain company called Activision was just sweeping the gaming scene with the golden age of gaming from call of duty modern warfare to Cod Black ops 2. Then One game software ( the same ones responsible for the og modern warfare scene) called "Infinity Ward "decided to create a sort of post apocolyptic Setting for cod and created Call Of Duty Ghosts.

This blog will not contain any spoiler regarding the main story ofthe game because if any of you guys get a chance i highly encourage you all to play the campaign. Though ill just say one thing if you havent seen the campaign id suggest watching a walkthrough of someone on youtube.

This game revolutionized the cod era as it was the first to bring female soldiers in the game a staple that is still in used in cod even now, it had some of the best DLC like the Michael Myers/ Halloween DLC

It also included one of the most beloved weapon in the game i.e the honey badger and it included one of my favorite cod mode called extraction in short imagine cod zombies if it had a story and instead of zombies we fought aliens.

The main reason this game got soo much hate was due to its multiplayer. Quoting a user "

Honestly this game gets way too much hate. I play it on PS3- so bear in mind it may be different on other versions, but given that you can get it pretty cheap at second hand retailers its a pretty good package. It has one of the best COD Campaigns to date, with a really well-designed dystopia setting, and looks pretty damn good for a 6 year old game. There's a new mode, called extinction, which is not groundbreaking or as masterful as the campaign, but is a fun experience that should keep you occupied for an hour or two before you get bored. The Multiplayer is where the flaws start to show. Now, servers can be hard, but you can still play it split-screen or against bots. The Maps are very large, and have some really cool and good-looking designs (although I would recommend getting the season pass), but they are very large and don't flow as well as you would like, and added to the very fast time to kill, this game favours snipers or more mid-range weapons, and while this is not a bad playing type, it does mean that it is way more constricting and less well-rounded than some of the other games like WaW or MW2. Nevertheless, although the play style is unavoidable, you can still enjoy it and as I said earlier, the maps don't flow that great but have some truly awesome designs, especially in DLC. Overrall Ghosts is a good package with a great campaign and decent other modes, and I would recommend trying it."

I think that says it all about this game.

[themovieblogonline]

Ghostbusters Fan? 10 Must-See Scary-Funny Films

The Ghostbusters franchise is expanding with the all-new Frozen Empire. The film is already one of the most talked-about movies and is garnering praise from the critics as well. The iconic Ghostbusters are back on the scene! With the upcoming release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, fans everywhere are getting prepped to answer the call for another round of spooky thrills and hilarious scares. But what if you need a ghostbusting fix before then? Fear not, proton pack enthusiasts! We have the perfect cure for your Ghostbusters withdrawals. Here's a list of 10 awesome movies that capture the same spirit of mixing spooky chills with side-splitting laughs, just like the Ghostbusters themselves. 1. Zombieland (2009) If you want a dose of the undead with a healthy dose of humor, Zombieland (2009) is your pick. Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Emma Stone, this movie follows a group of survivors navigating a zombie apocalypse. Hilarious rules for survival ("Always double-tap") and witty banter make this movie a riot, with enough action and scares to keep you on the edge of your seat. 2. Men In Black (1997) Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones star as agents in a top-secret organization battling extraterrestrial threats in Men in Black (1997). This movie blends action, sci-fi, and laugh-out-loud humor, similar to Ghostbusters' blend of paranormal spookiness and slapstick comedy. Plus, those cool gadgets and iconic suits will have you feeling like a ghostbusting agent yourself! 3. Beetlejuice (1988) Beetlejuice (1988) takes the concept of "till death do us part" to a hilarious extreme. A deceased couple haunts their old house, desperately trying to scare away new residents. Enter Beetlejuice, a mischievous bio-exorcist with a flair for the bizarre. Michael Keaton steals the show as the wacky Beetlejuice, and the movie's dark humor and wacky visuals will leave you giggling long after the credits roll. 4. The Frighteners (1996) Michael J. Fox stars as Frank, a man who can talk to the dead and uses this "gift" to run a ghost-busting scam. But things get real when he has to face down a vengeful spirit that threatens the entire town. The Frighteners (1996) offers a clever mix of humor, suspense, and supernatural chills, keeping you guessing until the very end. 5. Scary Movie (2000) Scary Movie (2000) takes a hilarious jab at classic horror films, much like Ghostbusters playfully poked fun at the paranormal investigator genre. Starring Anna Faris and Regina Hall, this movie is packed with laugh-out-loud moments as it parodies iconic scenes from movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. 6. Casper (1995) Casper (1995) is a heartwarming story about a lonely ghost who befriends a young girl. But don't be fooled by the sweet premise, there are still some spooky moments (especially when Casper's uncles show up!). This movie offers a perfect balance of humor, scares, and a touch of childhood wonder, similar to the way Ghostbusters manages to be scary and funny at the same time. 7. House (1985) An author with serious writer’s block decides to make his late aunt’s house his permanent writing nook. Little does he know, he’s about to get plagued by paranormal occurrences that have to do with dead soldiers from the Vietnam War.  8. Gremlins (1984) A small furry creature and a handful of simple rules. What could go wrong? Probably everything? Gremlins is the epitome of absolute mayhem and laughter, with a sprinkle of spook that will leave you entertained in the best way.  9. Evolution (2001) An alien invasion and faster-than-a-blink growth is a deadly combination that a meteor brings to Earth. Four science professionals need to get to the bottom of it before the earthly planet gets infested with creepy intergalactic creatures.  10. The Monster Squad (1987) All Universal Monsters in one feature? You’ll not want to miss The Monster Squad. The monster gang, led by Count Dracula, is on the hunt for a power-yielding amulet. However, it’s not a piece of cake when they’re face-to-face with a squad of 12-year-olds who will do everything to prevent the monsters from getting their creepy claws on the jewel.  Whether it’s dealing with Ghostbusters withdrawals or you simply want to binge-watch some equally comedic and scary movies, these have you covered. The horror-comedy genre is one tricky trick to master but these movies will allow you to experience the best of it.  Read the full article

[playslotvideogammes]

Just how to Prevent the Mistakes of Playing Port Game

Playing slot video games is an enjoyable as well as relaxing task. Nonetheless, you ought to not be spontaneous when it pertains to this sort of betting since it can result in major losses. You can avoid these pitfalls by complying with a couple of easy techniques. 1. Understand exactly how the video game works - Vending machine are all about chance as well as luck, so it is essential to understand how they function before you start playing them. This will assist you identify the very best means to play the device as well as improve your chances of winning. 2. To gather more awesome ideas, click here to get started https://www.ezwin288.com/slot. Locate a good game - There are several kinds of slots as well as every one has its own one-of-a-kind attributes. To enhance your opportunities of winning, try to find a video game that you take pleasure in and also can discover promptly. 3. Review the pay table - Before you begin playing any slot, it is essential to understand how the video game works. This will enable you to know which signs pay as well as how much they deserve. 4. Here's a good read about this slot video game, check it out! Benefit from perk attributes - There are numerous different bonus offer attributes that can be located on fruit machine. These consist of complimentary spins, re-spins, jackpot rounds and multiplier symbols. These functions provide you higher value for your wagers as well as add enjoyment to the game. 5. Protect yourself from getting hoggish - A great deal of individuals that play slots often tend to obtain hoggish when they get on a winning touch. They tend to maintain playing and also wagering greater than they can pay for to shed, which is never ever a great suggestion. 6. Tip far from a warm touch - It is very important to take breaks from slot games as well as switch up your playing designs. This will certainly stop you from losing way too much money and it will certainly also make you most likely to win once more. 7. Playing with a bankroll - It is constantly a great suggestion to have a set quantity of money that you can spend on ports. If you have a larger bankroll, you can play more often and increase your odds of winning. 8. Be strategic - It is constantly a great suggestion when playing slots to be calculated and to make use of the best techniques. This will certainly aid you get one of the most out of your experience as well as will certainly guarantee that you can win huge. 9. Do not hesitate to attempt a brand-new port video game - There are many different kinds of one-armed bandit out there, from timeless five-reel makers to video clip slots with pick 'em rewards. The latter can be exciting since you can touch the display to pick present boxes, restaurant dishes or alien creatures to reveal your perks. 10. Know your winning combinations - The paytable is a fantastic place to discover just how to win at ports. It will certainly provide you a checklist of all the payment mixes that are possible, and it will certainly reveal you what each icon deserves if it associate a winning mix. You can also check the paytable to see which icons have the highest payouts. This will allow you to determine which devices you need to play as well as which ones you need to prevent. It's also a good idea to be strategic when it comes to positioning your bets, so that you have the most effective opportunity of striking a jackpot. Kindly visit this website https://www.britannica.com/topic/gambling for more useful reference.

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

Writeblr Battle Royale - Ophelia versus Lyra!

Round 3 of the event @writeblrbattleroyale put on by @your-absent-father! It's my alien elf Lyra fighting against @the-arigen's Ophelia (same Ophelia that killed Kashi)! Oddly I feel like Kashi and Ophelia actually got along better despite the circumstances 😅 (Ya'll, Lyra is getting pissed) You can read Lyra's round 1 here/Round 2 here and Ophelia's round 1 here/Round 2 here! Remember you can follow all the action here OR by following #writeblrbattleroyale ! Follow some awesome fellow writeblrs, fall in love with others OCs and then watch some of them beat the shit out of each other!

Anyway. TO THE DEATH MATCH!!

WC: 2,330 Tw: death

Round 3 Intro

Lyra watched as the fortune teller was ejected, mind snapping around the bit of information presented. Can't hurt him. Does have a weakness. Good to know. The cheers were still loud as M announced the start of the next fight, Lyra slapping her ears against the sides of her head once again in both an attempt to drown it out and also as a show of annoyance. She turned to see the new adversary, pulling an arrow and sliding it into place, but keeping it low for the moment. Ready. Not aimed.

"I would like to avoid pain for us both as much as possible," she called out, watching the new opponent to see how she would react. "I don't want to fight if I do not have to. How bad is your desire to fight me?"

"I'm not terribly enthused by the prospect," Ophelia responded, slowly. She knew that the possibility existed to do something M- things tended to have weaknesses, even if they were difficult to exploit- but an inability to physically do much meant that she wouldn't be personally able, except as a distraction. "but I also somewhat doubt the possibility that we get through painlessly. I've already died once for this insanity, it would not surprise me if it happened again."

That took Lyra by surprise. She could have sworn the rules were...well, that didn't seem to matter. Her momentary confusion ended in her shaking her head and shooting a glare at M, ears still pinned to the sides of her head.

"Aimoupon!!!" You piece of shit! Shook her head again. Focus. Win. Kill him. Or exploit whatever weakness he had to make him pay for this. "I agree," she said to her adversary, loosening her ears in order to better pay attention. "And I am sorry. Both for the death you've already suffered...and the death I hope to bring about in this round."

"'Hope' may be operative, in this case. I am quite difficult to kill." Ophelia said, beginning to plan things out in her head. The arrow was one thing, but with visible wings... there was a chance some other kind of magic was available to her opponent. That meant there might actually be a threat on the table, so she would have to separate out…

Ophelia nodded, once, and allowed the silver to take over her skin, though she maintained her human shape, for the moment. It wouldn't do to give away the whole game before it had even started.

Lyra watched for a moment. But the change was enough for her to pull her arrow up and readied it. "I have killed difficult things before. Growth to the strong, Adversary." She had the opportunity and took it, aiming for the center of the silver humanoid mass and letting her arrow fly.

Ophelia was watching carefully, but it just looked like a normal arrow. So she didn't bother to dodge. The resulting spike of pain was familiar, the arrow sticking out of her torso with sliver shoved out of the way around it, barely hanging on the the rest of her mass in places. Then, Ophelia grabbed the arrowshaft, shifting herself out of the way as she pulled it out and fixing the hole left behind.

"My apologies for the confusion; I did not mean to imply that you were weak. Simply that the number of things that can actually kill me is... limited." Having finished that statement, she finally split. One copy forward, carrying most of her mass, while a second, mostly hollow, backed off to observe. Wings usually meant flight, which meant a difficult fight at best.

Lyra did her best to backpedal, but she worried suddenly about being overwhelmed too quickly. She knew she would have problems  if she wasn't quick. Her wings snapped out, giving her a boost as she leapt into the air backwards to try and gain speed in her retreat. Her arrow had done practically nothing, and she doubted that any sort of grappling would do any better.

"Good to know," she answered, "I don't suppose a fall from very high up is one of the limited things?"

"Unfortunately not," the copy at the back responded, while the one chasing Lyra around on the ground tried to get into a position where she could actually attack. "That would just be blunt force, the same as anything else in the category. Denaturation or destruction, everything else is ultimately somewhat meaningless. It's what makes me almost curious to see how M would enforce my participation." The copy closer to Lyra shifted, hollowing itself out to launch a spear into the air and leaving behind a hollow shell to take up space. It was possible that she would need to land, which would tilt endurance in Ohpelia's favor. Eventually.

"Unless he has plans for you and wanted to use this tournament as a testing ground of sorts–

" Lyra's words were cut off as she twisted away from the spear and continued into a spiral for a moment before she felt the wall brush against her back. Placing her boots firmly against it, she pushed off hard and used the motion to help propel her higher into the air. This opponent could split and morph, then. She wondered how high the opponent could go with such an ability. It couldn't hurt to test it. "Denaturation? Destruction? I understand one of these. What is the difference between the two?"

The spear had missed, hitting the wall behind Lyra, but that didn't mean it had stopped being a threat. Allowing the rigidity to fail and the mass to pile up against the wall as it hit, Ophelia turned from a spear into a wide, thin mesh, launching herself out again as she did. There weren't any updrafts to ride in the relatively small arena, but she could still glide somewhat in the air.

"Acid and fire don't destroy anything, just change their form. Those are denaturation, instead, and they would still work to kill me. Destruction involves things like void magic or particularly poorly designed teleportation, things that annihilate or turn to energy."

Lyra did her best to keep just out of reach, not wanting to use all her energy on zipping from one spot to another. She wanted to try and draw her opponent as far up as possible, and just flat-out running from her wouldn't get the job done. It was a gamble, but one she was okay with for the moment.

"Then this will indeed be difficult." But maybe not impossible. Her first adversary hadn't been killed, only made unable to continue the fight. Perhaps she could replicate the same situation. A test, then. "Perhaps this will make an appropriate alternative!" she called out, pushing to get away from the silver mesh and clearing her throat before beginning to call upon her magic.

She reached out, made a connection with the ground her opponent was standing on, and yanked a piece out from directly under the silver one that had been speaking. The ground responded and cracked, breaking apart rapidly and creating a hole big enough to swallow her opponent.

Ophelia watched the hole for a moment, then decided that that copy wouldn't be able to get back, even if it weren't destroyed, and started speaking from the one who had launched the spear. "I wouldn't be able to tell. It depends on what's at the bottom of that hole, probably. Logic says it might be, especially because M must have some expectation that he could force, or kill, me in person."

The drifting mesh was starting to pick up speed, and pulled in its shape to fall faster. She really didn't have that many options, with her target flying around, so she had to come up with something... at least on the ground she could actually control her direction, instead of floating around and hoping.

Well that seemed to have worked for the most part. Lyra was hoping this was a controller-puppet situation...but evidently not. At least the one that fell didn't seem to be raising up or crawling out. But if copies were to be a factor, she realized she may need to go bigger than her test run. She flew down a little, to get back within a possible range. She needed to ensure her opponent would be held to a single spot long enough and not given the chance to split or change once Lyra started with magic again. "If he was the one that brought you here, the same as he brought me, wouldn't he know who and what he was bringing?"

"I've been assuming so." Ophelia responded, as the version of her closer to Lyra changed again, turning to a person after she hit the hit the ground for only a moment before shifting to two bolas flung through the air, trying to limit mobility. "It's possible not, but I consider it unlikely. Especially given that my first matchup killed me."

Lyra tucked her wings immediately and fell like a stone, her instinct telling her to duck under instead of fly over. She spun in the fall before twisting, flapping her wings back out when she was sure she had gone under the weapon and pushed forward hard in both an effort to regain her advantage and not smash into the ground. "He is cruel to bring you to this place again after death," she called out, angling up and trying to push for the skies, assuming that this arena would allow her to stay out of reach.

"It's hardly the first time that's happened." The bolas had landed, shifting together again as they did and then into a four-legged form to run after Lyra, while the Ophelia that was speaking started to run as well, trying to be unpredictable. There wasn't much she could do to actually make up the distance, and flight required more strength than she had. "It is somewhat my job to die first. It usually doesn't stick."

Lyra was taken off-guard trying to keep her eye on the one talking while remaining aware of the one chasing. This wouldn't do. She was going to get caught and lose the only advantage she believed herself to actually have. She turned her dive into a heady climb, as sharply as she could manage and higher than before. High enough that she should have been well out of reach before spinning and taking a moment to breathe.

Her opponent went up, and Ophelia watched, slowing. As high up as Lyra was, the only way to actually hit would be to find a hold on the wall. Without at least something to push off of, she was helpless to get all that far off the ground.

Lyra began to summon her magic. This last effort would either get her victory or it would be her downfall. She did what she could to concentrate while attempting to keep her opponent unaware of her building magic by continuing the conversation. "Then I am truly sorry. I understand the responsibility of being the one to die first, I simply chose to leave that responsibility behind me. And I hope that one day you will find proper rest."

"Perhaps one day... but I expect my final death to be on the front lines. I don't age, can't be permanently injured, and have some ability to fight the end of the world; how would I ever justify retirement?"

"Forgive me," Lyra called down. "I did not mean insult. I simply meant..." she searched for the right words before remembering to concentrate. "Back home, high-borns are expected to stand between death and those under them. It was our duty, I was told. I rejected the idea, but not to lay down my weapons. Instead I argued that our duty to those below is better served by seeking life as a companion instead of simply accepting the hand of death. But our people do not come back from the seas - from death - unless summoned by magic...so perhaps our worlds are different. Either way..." There. She had it. Could feel the build up of her magic. Could feel it curling around her, her connection to the earth steadily growing. "...I am still...so very sorry."

She reached forward with a scream, the center of the ground bucking and twisting before starting to sink. The hole formed began to grow, wider and wider at the fastest pace Lyra could make it, with her aim to create a hole so large it would reach to the edges of the arena and swallow her opponent, forcing her to be unable to compete in these death games.

Ophelia felt the ground moving below her, and a cursory examination of the earth around her showed the simple reality that she wouldn't be able to escape. A quick formation of a wide set of wings bought her a moment to speak, but she could see the yawning abyss waiting to take her once again. Part of her wanted to fight it, to somehow attempt a way out of this impossible situation, like so many others... but the only life under threat was her own.

"Do me a favor? Make him regret this." Without even waiting for an answer, Ophelia pulled those wings in, plummeting into the nothing below.

"I will do all that is possible!" she called out, unsure if her opponent had heard. She solidified the ground once again, pulling with all her strength to close the hole enough to give her a safe landing spot, directly over where her opponent had fallen. She landed. Knelt and placed her hand on the earth. "Geparmh, Eronh," she whispered. Travel safe, warrior.

She turned with a glare towards M before flying back to where she began and making sure the ground was steady here as well, landing and sitting. Waiting for the next. And meditating on what lessons she had of death magic.