chipperWelcome to the second of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I will be starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway will have different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.
This giveaway is for a shiny new copy of Velveteen vs. The Multiverse, the second volume in the adventures of Velma "Velveteen" Martinez, crankiest superheroine this side of the Mississippi. This is going to be a random number drawing with a twist, because I am silly. So...
1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. Explain your superpower. What is it? How does it work? What are your strengths and weaknesses?
I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Monday, December 30th, by randomly selecting two heroes and deciding the outcome of a fight. (Note: "my superpower is I can do anything" means you will inevitably be defeated by Squirrel Girl. That's what she's for. Remember that in the Velveteen-verse, cunning and treachery often defeats raw strength.)
Game on!
December 29 2013, 00:52:42 UTC 3 years ago
This carries with it the ability to change things into other things -- so long as the things in question are called by the same word (or at least some form of it).
Not surprisingly, this works best when the word-relationship is either exact or a true homophone. Thus, turning a roll of aluminum foil into a fencing foil (or vice versa) can be done reliably, or a garden hose can be easily converted to a pair of garden hoes (or a pair of silk stockings, aka "hose"), and changing a horde of fire ants into a hoard of paperclips is reasonably likely to work. Results in cases involving compound constructions have been inconsistent; an attempt to change a sailboat into a gravy boat failed utterly, but turning chocolate chips into potato chips (and vice versa) has usually worked.
Evidence is unclear as to whether the power involves matter-manipulation, translocation/substitution, or some combination of both. Some successful episodes strongly argue for a substitutionary element, as for instance turning a stag beetle into a Volkswagen Beetle, a ladies' wig (i.e. "hair") into a live hare, or a large uncut diamond into a baseball diamond (don't ask). There is some evidence that the force behind the transformations is sensitive to comic effect -- an effort to fend off an incoming ocean wave once resulted in the appearance of a WAVE officer attached to a nearby naval base. (On the list of things to try someday: turning a Sherman tank into a scuba tank, turning a brass bracelet (i.e. "band") into a brass marching band.)