SEAL IS OFFICIALLY TUMBLR'S FAVORITE CHARISMATIC ANIMAL!!
After six months of voting we finally have final results. Thank you everyone for voting.
Thank you @violetlilyvampire for the beautiful art commemorating our top 3. Snow Leopard came in 2nd place and Fox came in 3rd.
Next poll is going to be Tumblr's Favorite Godzilla Monster, stick around for that please. Here's some more statistics under the cut.
The full top 16 results:
1. Seal
2. Snow Leopard
3. Fox
4. Otter
5. Whale Shark
6. Manta Ray
7. Pangolin
8. Manatee
9. Owl
10. Whale (#20 seed)
11. Cheetah (#7 seed)
12. Penguin
13. Red Panda
14. Okapi
15. Capybara
16. Anteater
Whale and Cheetah were the only top 20 seeds to make it to top 16, with none making it into top 8, making most of this tournament a huge upset. Almost all of the finalists are mammals, with Owl, Penguin, Manta, and Whale Shark being the only exceptions.
Almost all African animals were eliminated early on. The only finalists were Pangolin, Cheetah, and Okapi.
Rook would like to thank y'all for playing in this year's Rookfest 2025 Lighthouse Tourney! ⚔️
What an incredible (and extremely dangerous) night! We loved seeing everyone's brackets and having hours long discussions over who would emerge victorious from this year's battle royale.
And now...without any further ado, we'd like to share the final tourney results, including the first-ever Lighthouse Tourney Champion!
👉 BONUS: Tourney scrapbook & Rook hype song playlist also found below!
METHODOLOGY
Omg @dudewheresmynug, little research nerd Lydia would be so proud of me rn! 🥲
I struggled with how best to do this and honestly almost didn't, but I wanted to give y'all some sort of closure and maybe even spark a few more ideas for discussion/art/fics based on the final results.
Rook and I determined match outcomes by consulting the Lighthouse wisps (a randomized selection tool) BUT I still wanted to figure out a way to honor all the lore, discussion, and stories y'all came up with during the event. So, if a random result seemed particularly unlikely or unaligned with the storytelling of the day, we consulted the wisps again and went with that selection.
I will say that overall, the spirits aligned with many of the conversations I took part of this weekend, but there were a few outliers where they took things in a different direction, ones I'm hoping you will enjoy...
Finally, a note about these 'official' results: They're really not. These are not meant to be taken seriously and are all in good fun! 🤗
HEAT 1: KNIVES & BLADES
Heat Winner - Ruk 🏆
RD 1
Ruk @curiouswisp vs. Ember @rooks-dagger
Gemma @serialsforbellara vs. Akela @brightbreezeblog
Dalgar @erin-unknown vs. Athos @serstolas
Dominic @introvertedfangrl vs. Sabine @guacamolleee
RD 2
Ruk @curiouswisp vs. Aekla @brightbreezeblog
Dalgar @erin-unknown vs. Sabine @guacamolleee
RD 3
Ruk @curiouswisp vs. Dalgar @erin-unknownAekla
Things got particularly exciting in this heat during Gemma & Akela's match. Not only was the crowd treated to Crow vs. Crow, Gemma ended up being disqualified, leaving Akela with a win at least one person heard him call 'unsatisfying'. Sources say we'll hopefully get more details on this soon! 👀
Mourn Watcher Ruk ended up being the winner of Heat 1, after a spectacular showdown with Warden Dalgar to pass through to the semifinals. (Fellow Warden & warrior Rook is STILL talking about this one y'all!!)
HEAT 2: MAGE VS. MAGE
Heat Winner - Filomena 🏆
RD 1
Lydia I. @sorcerousadventurer vs. Jericho @sandcastlekings
Azzurra @trash-nerd vs. Filomena @quaksi
Savar @propenseverbosity vs. Ches @trashwithvariety
Anselm @vishantikaffar vs. Caelen @tevivinter
RD 2
Jericho @sandcastlekings vs. Filomena @quaksi
Ches @trashwithvariety vs. Caelen @tevivinter
RD 3
Filomena @quaksi vs. Ches @trashwithvariety
The Mourn Watchers also dominated the Mage vs. Mage round, and what an incredibly tense final match between fellow Watchers Filomena & Ches! Fi's controversial use of blood magic (only on herself mind you!!) helped her gain the edge in this one, advancing to the semifinals.
Xiqaa @genjyoandgojyoandhakkai vs. Rhanek @littlemissgeek8
Lydia T. @dudewheresmynug vs. Sancha @casa-dei-corvei
RD 2
Valerian @pinkvbay vs. Ayanne @cute-ellyna
Rhanek @littlemissgeek8 vs. Sancha @casa-dei-corvei
RD 3
Valerian @pinkvbay vs. Sancha @casa-dei-corvei
In undoubtedly one of the most incredible upsets of the night, Veil Jumper Ayanne managed to outmaneuver the heavily favored Cyri - much to the Shadow Dragon's dismay (and fury...thanks Gladius for helping Rook clean up the aftermath of that one. 😬)
After an extremely bloody final match between Valerian and Sancha, the Crow emerged victorious, advancing to the semifinals.
Turvi @davrinsleftpectoral vs. Rook @mushrooms-x-moss
Veryl @hedwigoprah vs. Sabi @seaglassmelody
Ilene @kabsey vs. Zalan @blackwall-my-tiny-husband
Eris @grand-crow vs. Esha @in-the-drowning-deep
RD 2
Rook @mushrooms-x-moss vs. Veryl @hedwigoprah
Ilene @kabsey vs. Esha @in-the-drowning-deep
RD 3
Veryl @hedwigoprah vs. Ilene @kabsey
Unceremoniously dubbed 'The Death Bracket', Heat 4 was without a shadow of a doubt the most hotly contested heat of the evening, and it's frankly a miracle the Rooks that fought in this one are still alive (mostly thanks to Sabi...we all owe you one 🥲).
In the end, it came down to the greatly anticipated final matchup of Mourn Watcher Veryl and Crow Ilene—truly a battle of crazy vs. crazy. While relatively even-matched, Ilene AKA Demon Monkey won the round, heading to the semifinals.
And now, drumroll please...it's time to unveil the final results!
SEMIFINAL MATCH RESULTS
FINALISTS - Ruk & Sancha 🏆
Challenger Line-Up
Ruk @curiouswisp vs. Filomena @quaksi
Sancha @casa-dei-corvei vs. Ilene @kabsey
The semifinals ended up being a tense showdown between faction vs. faction. Fellow Watchers and lovers Ruk & Fi duked it out for a place in the finals, and while this match included some of the most stunning necromantic battle magic we've ever seen, Ruk eventually gained the upper hand, besting her wife, and pushing her through to the final match.
Crow fought Crow in the other suspenseful semifinal matchup of the night. Even though she was given her knives back for this match, Ilene continued to rely on her winning tactics from the previous heat in addition to her impressive knife-skills (sources* say she was simply having too much fun biting people). And while they worked wonders against her unarmed combatants, Ilene's overreliance on poisons and biting unfortunately did not appear to be as effective when up against the precision of Sancha's blades. It was extremely close, but Sancha de Riva won the fight, allowing her to advance to the final round.
*Y'all know the source is Zalan lmao.
FINAL MATCH RESULTS
TOURNEY CHAMP - Ruk 🏆
Ruk @curiouswisp vs. Sancha @casa-dei-corvei
Y'all this was a close one, but in the final showdown of the night, Mourn Watch warrior Rukhana's death caller spells alongside her mighty sword helped her win the night, earning Ruk the crown and the title of Rookfest 2025 Lighthouse Tourney Champion! 🏆⚔️
A hearty congratulations to Rukhana and to every single Rook who either fought or participated in the tourney festivities! 🎉
2025 Lighthouse Tourney Scrapbook 📸
(Left) Xiqaa striking a saucy pose - @genjyoandgojyoandhakkai; (Right) Veryl & Jericho getting a bit...cozy after Jericho accidentally stumbled onto the Heat 4 combatants - @sandcastlekings
(Above) Sabi mid-fight. YOU GOT THIS GIRL!! - @seaglassmelody, OG post here!
(Left) Sabine & Rook survey the competition; (Right) Valerian enjoys Ruk's cheering section wine with his usual flair - @mushrooms-x-moss
(Above) Ilene running to meet her challenger's blade, eager to spill blood - @mushrooms-x-moss
(Left) Eris & Esha get distracted during their matchup; (Right) Athos gets his game face on - @mushrooms-x-moss
(Above) Tourney Love Matches, ft. Esha x Eris, Fi x Ruk, & Jericho x Veryl. - @blackwall-my-tiny-husband
(Left) Turvi & Rook (Ayla) before their unarmed Heat 4 fight. (Right) Turvi's response when asked why he was wearing so many clothes. - @blackwall-my-tiny-husband
(Above) Turvi & Xiqaa engaged in a bit of Lord of Fortune drama. - @genjyoandgojyoandhakkai
Thank you @curiouswisp for sharing the fun photo assets for folks to use!!
Don't forget to order your official tourney merch! 👚
Rook Hype Song Playlist 🎶
Rook compiled all your walk up song requests and made a playlist for y'all! Thanks for contributing some truly sick selections!! 🫶
Jericho / Normandie - Jericho
Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! (A Man After Midnight) / ABBA - Turvi
Take Control / Old Gods of Asgard - Gemma
Takedown / KPop Demon Hunters - Esha
I’m Coming Out / Diana Ross - Eris
Sugar On My Tongue / Tyler, the Creator - Valerian
Necromancin Dancin / Bear Ghost - Filomena
Trip the Darkness / Lacuna Coil - Lydia T.
Draw Some Blood / Kiki Tockwell - Rukhana
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper / Blue Oyster Cult - Lydia I.
Say Amen (Saturday Night) / Panic! At the Disco - Gladius
Trespassing / Adam Lambert - Savar
1000hp / Godsmack - Anselm
Oxytocin / Billie Eilish - Ches
Kings & Queens / Ava Max - Sancha
THANK YOU 🫶
A HUGE thank you to everyone for playing along!!! Never in my wildest dreams did I really think anyone would fill out a whole bracket, let alone double down on this silly ride with me! I had a blast with y'all and hope you did too!!
Thank you @rookfest team for organizing such a fun week of events!
SDN has gifted the Z-team (and Blonde Blazer) the following gifts for saving the city:
1) Whole leg of Jamón Ibérico ham - claimed by Flambae
2) A free lap dance at the superhero strip club (Robert: “Wait what, that exists?”) - claimed by Sonar
3) A bag of oranges - claimed by Phenomaman
4) A bottle of Scottish whiskey that’s been aged 50 years - claimed by Punch Up
5) A cameo appearance in the next season of Daredevil Born Again - claimed by Malevola
6) A hug from every member of BTS - claimed by Prism
7) Two gold bars - claimed by Mecha Man
8) A cat - claimed by Golem
9) A pre-recorded video message from Laura Bailey of Critical Role thanking the hero for all of their hard work (Invisigal: “Why does her voice sound familiar…”) - claimed by Invisigal
10) Tickets to see the next James Cameron Avatar movie - claimed by Waterboy
11) An expensive mansion that was once the home of a popular celebrity (but SDN will only pay the expenses for a year) - claimed by Coupe
12) Their own Fortnite character/skin - claimed by Blonde Blazer
(Thank you to everyone in the Dispatch fandom who took part in this poll series!!!)
