Drifting Pollen

Guild Versus the Heroes of 100!

@Lalliman, if he wants to stab through the slit, will he stab through the cat? If Pollen says the cat will move out of the way in time then I'm fine with that.

@ImportantNobody

See what I wrote in the last paragraph of my post:

"The cat on Anom's visor would leap away if and when the warrior fell, leaving the small aperture clear for Obadiah's swords."

So yes, it'll presumably be out of the way.

Guild Versus the Heroes of 100!

Here's a term often used to describe people with extraordinary reaction times, those who respond to movement before their peers even register it. They have 'catlike reflexes.' Just a figure of speech, of course, but there is a kernel of truth in it. Namely, the fact that an alert cat can react to a threat really fucking fast, and has the speed and flexibility to make that reaction count.

Even blinded as he was, Anom's strikes were accurate enough to knock the cats away- if they had remained in place. Alas, the moment he began to strike, claws unhooked and small furry bodies jumped aside, the one under his armpit dropping back down to the ground while the one on his shoulder jumped straight over his head and onto his other shoulder, yowling all the way. These weren't mischievous house cats waiting to be picked up, but tiny warriors dead-set on impeding him as much as possible! He'd have to try harder than that to get them off him for good.

Unfortunately, the pesky critters were about to be the least of his worries.

With both sight and hearing under attack by the smaller cats, Anom likely wouldn't sense Big Martin's finishing move until a huge weight slammed into him from the left, suddenly bowling him over. Only the other villains would be able to glimpse what had happened just before. Since arriving, Big Martin had only created a single small cat, relying mainly on the few he'd brought with him while storing mass for something bigger, and now he brought that something out to play.

Once he was out of harm's way, the supervillain extended one hand towards the armored guardian, and at once something massive and orange appeared before him, already charging towards his intended target. Rows of dark stripes marked its sides, a legendary symbol of ferocity. If Anom could not defeat the common Felis catus, then how would he fare against a tiger?

The beast moved swiftly and surprisingly quietly for its size, rearing up as it reached its prey and using its wide paws and formidable weight to push the already unbalanced guardian to the ground. The cat on Anom's visor would leap away if and when the warrior fell, leaving the small aperture clear for Obadiah's swords while the tiger pinned its prey down and tore at his armor with its claws.

[TZDL2017] Drifting Pollen vs Decoy - Quarterfinals

This week:

Monday and Thursday through Saturday from 8:30 PM to midnight PT.

Guild Versus the Heroes of 100!

Up to you. The main focus of the thread is the fights, but if you want to add in some behind-the-scenes stuff in your posts then why not?

In fact, maybe rather than waves coming out to attack us, our villains could invade the castle, attacking one section at a time. So using your example, they could burst into a kitchen and interrupt the heroes baking there. This would mean different terrain for every wave, which could be fun.

Guild Versus the Heroes of 100!

The cat hung on to Anom's helm with all its might, scratching and scrabbling and screaming in his face even as it was painfully pulled off. It couldn't fight him for long, but then it didn't need to. Before the turquoise guardian could get a good look around him, a mass of webs hit his right arm- and then four soft impacts, coming from behind.

The small squadron of cats that had dashed past Anom hadn't been fleeing, they'd been re-positioning themselves so they could catch him from behind! No sooner had he removed one cat from his helm than two more jumped up on his shoulders, one of them latching onto his visor and immediately blocking his vision again while the other screamed at the top of its lungs. Between them, they'd leave him more or less blind and deaf, unable to mount any effective assault.

Two more focused on the guardian's armored body. Their claws wouldn't do much against his plate, so they went for his joints, cramming their furry bodies into his armpits and hanging onto his arms, impeding his movement even further. The fifth and last of the pack stayed on the ground. As Anom stepped back to avoid further spiderwebs, he'd feel something small and fast slamming into his foot before it could come down, knocking it aside just enough to put him off balance and potentially send him sprawling. Mighty warrior or not, anyone who didn't watch their step could be tripped by an unseen cat!

As for Big Martin himself, he swiftly dropped into a crouch. It didn't look like those daggers were aimed at him, but he didn't have time to be sure, and so ducked down anyways. He was still rapidly gathering air, saving it rather than producing more cats, all to get ready for a big move to finish this enemy off- but before he could unleash it, one of the cats who'd stayed by him meowed loudly, drawing attention to something going on behind him.

Along with the spider-man, two other strange fellows had arrived, bringing with them a... god, what the hell was that abomination? Finishing move be damned, he didn't want to be in the thick of things when that monster got involved. Without further ado, the supervillain dashed off in roughly the same direction as Kentucky Tom, making himself scarce while his cats still hindered Anom, who hopefully looked more tasty than Big Martin did right now.

[TZDL2017] Drifting Pollen vs Decoy - Quarterfinals

This week:

Every day except Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 PM to midnight PT.

Guild Versus the Heroes of 100!

A knight with a sword, was it? Perfect choice of theme for someone defending a castle, although what drove the man to choose such obnoxiously colored armor Big Martin could only guess at. Even as he wondered at the fashion sense of this first enemy, however, the cat master also noted the danger posed by a big fucking sword, and slowed down on approach, coming to a halt several feet away from his enemy- just far enough to be sure he was of the sword's reach.

About half of his cats stopped with him, but five raced forwards as a group, quickly closing the remaining distance. They'd spaced themselves out, just enough that it'd be hard to strike at more than one at once with the blade.

Swift as they were, however, these weren't the main threat. Now that Big Martin had moved closer, something would become evident to the turquoise guardian: the man seemed to be producing some kind of wind about him. Not powerful enough to be of any hindrance, but it was as if all the air in the vicinity were being drawn towards the man with a kitten hanging off his face.

The supervillain drew back his right hand, as if about to unleash some terrible spell-

And then made a sudden underhand throwing motion with his left. As he did so, a cat materialized above his left hand, tensed and ready to pounce. As Big Martin threw it forwards it leaped out of his hand, combining its own strength with that of its master to launch itself straight towards Anom's visor, yowling loudly all the way.

If it met its target, it would cling to his helmet with its claws, using its body to block his visor and deny him vision. At the same time, the cats who had been advancing before would dash past the guardian's feet, taking advantage of the armored man's temporary distraction to slip around him.

Guild Versus the Heroes of 100!

Life as a villain can be pretty rough sometimes. You're just minding your own business, conquering the universe, when all of a sudden a bunch of ungrateful scrubs show up saying they don't want to be crushed beneath your totalitarian heels as you ascend to godhood, and no sooner have you handed them their asses than another bunch of so-called 'heroes' shows up to annoy you still further. Over time, it starts to become a real problem.

There's an easy solution to all this, however. As those pathetic do-gooders love to proclaim: nothing is stronger than the power of friendsh- damn it, one can't just say that with a straight face. So call it, ehhh, 'mutually beneficial alliance?'

Point is, every competent villain (and the Big Bad was a competent villain indeed) makes sure to keep a list of stone-cold badasses on speed-dial. When the forces of good unite, evil unites right back at 'em! Take that, you overly generous pansies!

***

In a certain bustling city on a faraway world, a dark-haired teenager is startled awake by a sharp rapping at the door. With a yawn, he rouses himself, stumbles down the stairs, and cracks it open- only to stumble backwards with a sudden wail.

"B-big Martin?"

For indeed, standing there before him is a tall and lanky man in a white shirt and black suit coat, hissing felines streaming around his feet and perched up on his shoulders. Even as the intruder steps into the room, his furry vanguard spreads out, surrounding the terrified youngster.

"Good morning."

"Dude, we had a deal! No aggression between our sides until-"

Big Martin cuts him off with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry, I'm not here to fight. Just calling in a favor."

The teenager groans, but relaxes a little. "Geez, would it really have killed you to let me know in advance?" When no reply is forthcoming, he sighs resignedly. "All right, fine. What do you want?"

Smiling, the supervillain hands him a slip of paper. "Portal, these coordinates. I've a favor of my own to fulfill."

***

A few moments later, a glowing gateway opens in front of the abandoned fortress, and Big Martin steps out, accompanied by about a dozen small cats. His features are hidden, masked by the kitten currently climbing up his face, but he seems to be smiling. As the portal behind him snaps shut, he stretches out his arms, cracking his knuckles.

"All right, boys and girls! Let's flush these little mice out of their castle."

There's a shrill yowling in response, then man and cats alike charge towards the front gate and its turquoise guardian. A blatant and obvious assault by all accounts, but then he knows there will be other villains coming, and big distractions are a specialty of his.

[TZDL2017] Drifting Pollen vs Decoy - Quarterfinals

Busy week!

Should still be around Thursday-Saturday from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM PT, though.

Guild Versus the Heroes of 100!

Big Martin

Name: Arthur Shale, AKA Big Martin

Appearance

Occupation: Formerly a librarian before moving into full-time supervillainy

History:

As a civilian, Arthur Shale was known for being an honest, hardworking man, dedicated to his job in spite of it being a dead end as a career. He drank coffee, paid his taxes, and grew older day by day. A nobody, set to be forgotten by history.

Only one day, that nobody made a decision. All his life he'd been hiding a devastating power, but had been hiding it for fear of the hatred it might bring down upon him. Now, however, he came to a realization: was it not better to be despised than to be ignored? To go out with a bang rather than rot in some innocuous mound? He had been held back for too long, living a life of dull monotony, and all he wished for was to unleash his true strength, along with all the mischief and madness that had been building up inside him throughout the years.

Thus was born the supervillain known as Big Martin. His exploits were almost too many to be catalogued, but here are some of the highlights (and yes, he did actually do all of this shit):

- Stole an entire city's supply of seafood in a single heist!
- Snuck into a zoo and busted out all their most dangerous predators.
- Invaded an airport, hijacked a plane, and proceeded to fight three other supervillains on his own while still aboard said plane.
- Had another supervillain declare him her rival- and proceeded to kick her ass every time she tried to fight him.
- Robbed a jewlery store (every supervillain worth his salt has to do this at least once).
- Joined the most feared gang in his home city, proceeded to engineer a coup to take out the leader of said gang, which was a roaring success.
- Attacked the mayor in broad daylight.
- Hijacked a helicopter, then proceeded to crash said helicopter into a giant mecha, destroying both machines while he jumped away at the last second and made it safely to the ground!
- Raided the city college's bookstore and spread stolen textbooks all over the campus.
- Was filmed on live television leading the change against an invading zombie army.
- Took over an ice cream factory for the express purpose of getting free ice cream.
- Fought against robots, magicians, superheroes, supervillains, mercenaries, militias, secret organizations of both the government-run and rogue variety, parasitic fungus zombies, and a giant flying killer whale armed with cannons that fired black holes!

Suffice to say, he's lead an illustrious career so far. Yet what mysterious purpose could have led him here...?

Power: Cat Swarm

Big Martin's power is unique even among fellow superpowered humans. He alone was gifted with the almighty power to create cats.

Specifically, BM can absorb gaseous matter and convert it into living feline creatures. He can do this steadily, shooting out cats at a rate of five average-sized housecats per second, or charge himself up, gathering air and storing it as a hidden well of energy before unleashing massive waves of cats or even packs of lions, tigers, and other large felines.

Not only can he create cats, he can manipulate them as well. He can reach out telepathically to form a hive-mind network with all feline creatures within a few miles around him, commanding them with his thoughts and using their combined brainpower to coordinate on a massive scale. In theory, there is no limit to the maximum number of cats he can control.

Cats under his control operate semi-independently: he can give them specific orders, or give them a general one and leave it up to them as to how they carry it out. His power also somewhat boosts their intelligence, allowing cats under his command to make tactical decisions, work together, and even mimic speech on occasion. Last but not least, everything a cat in the swarm senses is shared throughout the hive-mind, allowing Big Martin and his minions to keep track of events from all over the battlefield at once.