#across all the rounds?

[lunarwednesday]

Once again, in another river, on another island, the power of the beast lord awakens to save someone else.

[waketoearth]

jay for daydream track video

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

y'all need to get a grip. you blab all day about how much you hate bigots and hateful people and how evil it is to dehumanize anyone and then you turn around and say "kys" and "i think [x] should all just kill themselves" and other disgusting, violent and childish trash

so many people on here are just full of hatred and vitriol and turn into frenzied sharks anytime the target 'deserves it' and they think they can get away with it and not be called bad people. then they whine about how sad it is that we can't all just get along and if only all the evil people in the world would stop doing evil things wouldn't that be nicer

you're just as vicious, hypocritical and fanatically puritanical as the caricature you have made in your minds of the people you think you have nothing in common with. if you've ever told someone, ANYONE to kill themselves you're not advocates of justice, you're not artisans of peace, and you certainly don't have any moral high ground that would allow you to pass judgment on others

[wastingstarsss]

Actually it’s late and I need to be asleep HOWEVER I AM HAVING THOUGHTS about Rumbelle. I feel like we’ve all just collectively glossed over the fact that Rum and Belle were separated for 30 years. That’s a long time dude. And no-no-no- they weren’t just separated. He believed, fully, wholeheartedly believed, that she was dead. FOR THIRTY YEARS. He mourned her, he grieved for her, he kept his love for her locked away inside for all those days and nights. And then Belle, sweet, sweet Belle. She spends a bit of time adventuring and getting out there and good for her! I love that for her! She deserved that. And then she gets trapped. How long do you think she was in Regina’s castle, stuck there wondering, will she ever see him again? And then she is amnesiac for 28 years. Do you think, when she woke up from the curse, do you think she thought for a moment that she was dreaming- that she was still in that little cell, locked up and alone and thinking of the man she loved? Do you think she’d thought of him so often that when she woke from the curse and saw him there, that she thought he was just another dream? And then the mental fog lifted and she realised oh- oh- he looks… different. His curse has lifted- who lifted his curse? But does that matter? Does it even matter? Because she’s been holding her love for him inside for so long and she just has to let it out, she has to tell him no matter the consequences. She finally found her way back to him, she won’t let that go, and Rumple? Sweet, grieving Rumple, he hears her say that she loves him and it’s like oh. He can let himself believe it this time. Not many people are lucky enough to get a second chance but he not only has that, she’s essentially been bought back to life, it’s like she’s been reanimated and given another go at it. She was dead, not physically but in his eyes she was dead, and suddenly she’s not anymore- and she’s with him, alive and saying that she loves him. And it’s so true in her eyes and in her hands, in the way she touches him so gently, in how she’s not afraid to be with him. To be soft with him.

Ugh it’s just… 30 years, dude. 30 years. For some people that’s half a lifetime.

[justaz]

need post magic reveal/ban repeal where magic is free and everyone grows in their knowledge of just what magic is and how it works etc, etc. merlin (isn't one for bragging about his powers) doesn't really mention much about his magic so people just assume he has enough to get by with like chores but not enough to catch the ire of uther EXCEPT for gauis, lancelot, and arthur bc gaius and lancelot have known about him for years and know what he's capable of and arthur sat merlin down and demanded all the stories so arthur knows he'd be a formidable opponent but he doesn't really get it yk? so he's like "yeah merlin has magic and he's capable of defending himself and camelot so he's probably on the more powerful end of the spectrum like every other sorcerer who is powerful"

and then i need merlin to be Different. like noticeably different. like idk a sorcerer is like trying out to be court sorcerer (bc merlin doesn't want another job dammit arthur give it morgana or someone-) and they perform this elaborate spell that captivates merlin and he starts asking all these questions and the sorcerer is like "yeah it's super difficult, it took me months to get it right and it takes years for some others-" and they cut themselves off bc merlin was just like "i wanna try" and does it perfectly first try. the sorcerer is seething.

camelot is hit with a heatwave and everyone is suffering and arthur is just like "morgana can you make it rain or something? it's too hot to breathe." and morgana is just like "no you idiot i can't just bend nature to my will. it doesn't like that." and merlin finally arrives with waterskins full of nice, cold, refreshing drink that the knights are frothing at the mouth to get. arthur complains again and morgana huffs and merlin is like "has he been like that this whole time?" and morgana nods with a groan and merlin laughs before going "i can try something" and leaves before anyone can say anything and arthur looks at morgana and is like "i thought you said nature doesn't like to be controlled?" and she's like "it doesn't" and then they all chase after merlin but he's chilling in the courtyard with his eyes closed, not even chanting, and then the sky starts to darken as black clouds roll in, the temperature plummets and then...snow begins to fall. in july. they all end up having a snowball fight.

a power hungry sorcerer comes along and is like "emrys....he's perfect....just what i need...teehee" and casts some spell over merlin and begins to siphon his magic and his power and merlin feels waves of his magic flood through the connection and into the sorcerer and like he's a mix of panic and concern bc yeah this mf is taking his magic but they're taking his magic. merlin tries to bargain or talk them down while the knights and arthur try to attack but the sorcerer keeps pushing them back and ignores merlin and is like "i want power, i want your power" blah blah blah monologue time and they swing another wave of magic out at the knights and knock many out while killing some and merlin is just like "ok no that's all folks thanks" and starts to push his own magic through the connection. the sorcerer has this wild gleam in their eyes and they feel more and more power fill them and it's like a high until it gets too much and they frantically try to sever the connection and their telling merlin to stop but merlin is just like "i thought you wanted my power? i'm giving it to you" and continues to flood the sorcerer with his magic until gold begins to trace their skin and they idk explode or smth and then all the magic flies back into merlin and he flexes his hands. unnamed knights 3, 6, 22, 53, and 55 still died so it's a tragedy.

a bunch of sorcerers are entertaining at a feast (kind of like the trickler) and they cast illusions all around the room that look real enough (unless you look too closely or touch it bc they are somewhat see through and your hand would pass right through them) and it's a fun and joyous night. later that week, the knights bring it up during their break while training and merlin is like "sure, what illusion should i cast?" and after some back and forth, he settles on the illusion of a dragon. it's around the size and age of aithusa bc that's all he has to go off of and it's gold since he took inspiration from the pendragon crest all around the area. it jumps around and flaps it's wings to get some air and it's all fine and dandy until elyan goes to poke his hand through it's ribs but meets physical scales and he jumps up into percival's arms. merlin looks closer and is like "oh. its real. whoops." and leon is like "whoops?? you make a real life dragon and all you have to say is whoops?" and merlin shrugs and is like "it was an accident" and leon about keels over from a heart attack "an accident? how do you accidentally-" the dragon is considered a gift from magic to camelot and helps further heal the wounds of uther's purge.

idk just like merlin being casually the most powerful sorcerer to walk the earth and unnerving people just by how little he seems to care about his shows of power but they're all like "well he's just doing all these small things that don't harm anyone and he doesn't even seem to realize just how powerful he is so what can ya do?" and they leave it be and make peace with merlin being Like That. and then camelot/arthur is attacked or smth idk and then everyone gets to see exactly how powerful and dangerous merlin is

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Annelida

(sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Annelida is a large phylum, whose animals are sometimes called the “segmented worms.” This is a large phylum containing over 22,000 living species. Annelids are made up of multiple segments, each with the same set of organs (except for the oddball Echiurans). Instead of cilia, they use fleshy protrusions called parapodium for locomotion.

Annelida is a diverse phylum with animals that have adapted to many different environments, including terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats from tidal zones to hydrothermal vents. It includes the earthworms, leeches, ragworms, feather duster worms, and others.

Many marine polychaete worms live in tubes they build themselves or burrow in the sand to ambush prey or filter feed, but some spend their whole lives swimming in the water column.

Propaganda under the cut:

Earthworms are important in farming and in ecology as they help aerate and enrich the soil.

The largest annelid is the endangered Giant Gippsland Earthworm (Megascolides australis), which is on average 1 m (3.3 ft) long and 2 cm (0.79 in) wide. They can reach up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) long, and they can stretch to seem much longer or contract to seem shorter.

Like earthworms, marine polychaetes also aerate the sea floor, enabling water and oxygen to reach the other creatures that live with them.

Annelids help scientists monitor the quality of water, as different species have different tolerances for water quality.

Medicinal leeches are still used for blood-letting, though not as frequently as they once were. In fact, some species of leech are threatened due to overharvesting for this purpose!

Annelids don’t fossilize well due to their soft bodies, so most fossils are simply jaws or tubes. The earliest annelid fossil that can be confidentially identified is dated to the early Cambrian, and most of our modern polychaete groups appeared by the end of the Carboniferous.

Okay so you’d still love your partner if they were a worm, but would they be your favorite animal?

[tanjir0se]

Muzan pulling up to the Master’s Mansion in his cunty little cape at 0.0002 mph on his way to just call him ugly and end the episode there

[batsplat]

do you know why vale seems to have a soft spot for pedrosa?

there's not any single one reason, I don't think, but here's are a few contributing factors that come to mind:

history! in large part because of the honda link, dani's the alien he's known the longest... valentino was the number one honda rider at a time at which dani was honda's rising star. photo on the right is from the 2001 honda celebrations at the last race of the season (when dani was sixteen); from oxley's valentino rossi: all his races: "that night vale celebrated in style at a raucous honda victory party, where he taught honda youngsters daijiro kato and dani pedrosa how to drink". they've known each other forever! valentino was getting teenage dani drunk! quite natural to be fond of someone you've seen grow up like that, even if they are being moulded to be your next big rival

circumstance! the way it basically works with valentino is that if you want to have a feud with him, you generally need to have a title fight with him when you’re already ‘established’ rivals (ignore marc, that’s its own thing, 2015 is a freaky season). biaggi and valentino were enemies headed into 2001 and then were worse enemies, he was cool with sete in year one but not year two, mostly *wiggles hand* the same with casey and jorge… feuds aren't build overnight. valentino and dani weren’t ever really direct title rivals - closest they got was 2006 and 2008, but in both cases valentino probably didn’t see dani as his main problem that year. there wasn't really any competitive necessity for valentino to get nasty... also with one or two notable exceptions, valentino did kinda have dani handled in their actual wheel-to-wheel fights, which let’s face it probably didn’t hurt

yapping! so this is just a theory but it’s one I believe strongly in. you know how valentino loves to talk, right? the thing about pressers and podiums is that you're always going to have a few regular attendees, if you will, corresponding to the front runners in any given year. now, unfortunately for valentino, there were periods of time where almost every other regular attendee was someone he had pretty active beef with. that doesn’t mean he always avoided yapping at them, but relatively speaking you want a guy you can build up some good repartee with to pass the time. dani was his guy… less complicated than casey and jorge, plus dani is polite enough to go along with it and maybe even enjoy chatting to valentino (it’s been known to happen). pressers can be boring and at podiums you're still full of adrenaline, valentino wants to share a joke with someone! my completely unscientific sense is that valentino does this a lot with dani around 2008-ish to 2012, then for two years marc is the number one yap victim, then for a while it’s a bit…? oddly valentino does seem to chat quite a lot with jorge in 2015... he likes to throw in a quirky behavioural pattern sometimes to keep you guessing. anyway then in 2016 he is Actively Ignoring two of these men so vale goes!! hi there dani!! and takes it from there (though the field is more mixed up post-2015 so he becomes more of an opportunistic yapper). in general, valentino will chat to pretty much anyone with A Few Exceptions, but he does usually have a bit of an order of preference

dani’s personality! now, obviously dani is very much capable of feuds, but he’s not that naturally combative a character. valentino generally needs a competitive justification for beef, though some personal animosity can help too… but he never really hated any of that trio of young riders to come through. valentino's known dani forever, he’s been around dani a fair bit because of their respective statuses in the sport, dani isn’t going out of his way to pick fights with valentino, so no reason not to get on! he does clearly quite like chatting to dani and seems pretty fond of him even towards the start of the alien era, at a time in which it was broadly expected that dani not casey would emerge as vale's primary challenger... god knows if the relationship would have soured if dani had assumed that mantle (probably at least a little lol) but failing that, valentino does just seem to quite like him. y’know, sometimes it’s like that

They Have Also Had Their Disagreements, But There Hasn’t Been Much Cause For It To Escalate Further. these disagreements have tended to be over racing standards, where dani is generally in the ‘you people are all insane’ camp and valentino is generally in the ‘ah it’s fine’ camp (though, obviously, there is nuance here… cf vale also criticising sic over the le mans 2011 incident that left dani with the broken collarbone). generally, they don't get into direct conflict over it, more of an underlying difference in positions (hey, aragon 2013 is an example)... but there’s been dani’s suggestion that valentino’s sepang 2015 stance is inconsistent with his generally laissez faire approach, and also some other isolated little scuffles over the years like say 2017 aragon (see below). pretty small scale stuff in the grand scheme of things and if you've been on-track rivals for that long it's kinda inevitable you'll eventually disagree about some stuff, but perhaps worth bringing up

went through all of the alien combos in my head and these two slot in just behind dani/casey as probably the two most consistently beef-free inter-alien relationships? dani/casey gets extra credit for surviving The Teammate Test. but, y'know, the thing about valentino is that he's a sociable, outgoing guy... he likes talking to people... he's actually interested in them... he's a decent conversationalist, easy to get on with, all that stuff. so if you expose valentino to this nice fella who at most was like... perhaps a bit more reserved towards the start of his time in the premier class (partly due to his mentor's approach), but really was generally pretty chill... well, if valentino isn't given any reason to hate dani, then default state is that he won't. good on them etc

[knightwhoisni]

*drifter seeing the protoframe they'll romance for the first time voice* i think i hauve the infestation

[drpicklesart]

they are going to mehnahnaroo

[scandals-r-us]

Assorted doodle time palooza Me and a friend were laughing about what exactly a spider furry would even look like sdfjkh but also more importantly. BROTHER LOVE

[bookwyrminspiration]

u good up there? (ao3 version)

a colored tiertice castle in the sky sketch for @notjupiter for the @kotlcfairytale exchange!

[freshthoughts2020]

[mariocki]

Donald Sutherland guest stars as the appropriately named Philip Guest, a less appropriately unbalanced kidnapper, in Gideon's Way: The Millionaire's Daughter (1.21, ITC, 1966)

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 2

C-R-O-W-N-E-D (Reprise) from Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe

vs.

Across the Border from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars/Cross Generation of Heroes

Propaganda under the cut. If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

C-R-O-W-N-E-D (Reprise):

MAGOLOR AND DEDEDE!!!!!!!

Across the Border:

Definitely helps capture the anime theme of Tatsunoko, while also emphasizing the crossover aspect. (Also gotta love sudden rap verses)

[radioscientist]

I found Julian trying to help Lucy during the pineapple live task so sweet- genuinely warmed my heart