#and nixing half of the cast

[immobiliter]

so i have managed to watch three eps of sex ed already and while there’s still a long way to go, aimee and adam’s storylines seem a little slowburn but i love what they’re doing so far (with only a couple of complaints, mainly that there’s not enough of either of them), i’m very much Undecided on jackson this season and i’m hoping it improves, and ruby & eric you will always be famous

[isakvaltersnake]

things from the 2001 television programme band of brothers that haunt me to this day:

- we’re paratroopers lieutenant, we’re supposed to be surrounded. not to be your 60 year old military obsessed uncle about it but that line goes hard

- nix’s little giggle he does sometimes

- I’ll never forgive them for leaving gene’s medic training out of their training montage. in fact you know what? go back in time, film a parallel sequel of the other 9 eps from gene’s pov

- popeye’s “they called you guys too?” and the way his accent specifically scratches my brain

- they gave me moose heyliger and his massachusetts accent for like 20 minutes then the narrative snatched him away from me and i still miss him

- the way meehan looks at winters after he tells him to close the flap, in fact let’s talk about how every single one of winters’ commanders are obsessed with him in one way or another he truly is the it girl

- the chaos and fear that precedes gene and the calm and comfort that follows him

- I know everyone thinks “we’ll go to chicago, I’ll take you there” is the insane line but the one that actually makes me lose sleep is “what, and give up all this?” THAT MAN SAID I WOULD RATHER LIVE THROUGH THE HORRORS OF WAR THAN HAVE LIVED MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU

- alley is So Beautiful and I don’t think we collectively talk about it enough

- babe being some rando replacement in episode three and whilst his other replacement friends are being absolutely roasted he is immediately adopted by bill and then gets gene fucking roe of all people to connect to him?? he’s too powerful I need to study him

- speirs being this ghoulish terrifying boogeyman until lip is anywhere near him then he’s suddenly dimples and kicking his feet and giggling

- speaking of lip and speirs their little sarcastic in jokes, lip finishing speirs’ sentences fml it’s giving married

- you been working out? IN FRONT OF EVERYONE?? LIEB YOU SLUT?? THEN YOURE GONNA LAY IN HIS BED WAITING FOR HIM??? insane behaviour

- the unexplored but high potential friendships and the way I wanted like 16 more episodes for shifty and lip, nix and luz, nix and web, sisk and perconte, winters and gene, grant and tab, lieb and alley, speirs and harry, etc

- the more haggard and bitchy nix gets the hotter he gets. he also must be studied.

- “you should pack up those ears and go home” ok sobel kinda ate with that one ngl

- speaking of sobel the little confused/bewildered/piss-pants faces he makes david schwimmer the actor you are

- the silly little wide stance pennywise ass run hall does before he gets murked RIP king

- klepto speirs ilysm

- joe toye and his brass knuckles are v sexy

- sink letting nix give winters his oak leaves was very shipper girl of him

- lip harry nix speirs winters in the eagle’s nest dream blunt rotation

- the unsustainable amount of cunt served by nix, frank, babe, and luz at all times is truly a marvel

- tab really checked lip’s dick and balls mid battle and honestly that’s friendship

- bit parts for simon pegg, tom hardy, andrew scott, james mcavoy, michael fassbender, jimmy fallon ?? bob casting director you will always be famous

- peacock is so fine if he was even a little good at his job I’d be obsessed with him (special shout out to the scene of him getting sent home on furlough)

- I could list out every one of their meaningful little moments together but really it’s babe and gene just tethering and grounding each other and how they seem to gravitate to each other out of blind instinct? that’s some Brontë whatever our souls are made of bullshit I’m afraid

- ok I know I said I wasn’t talking about little meaningful moments but gene staring across the convent at where babe is sitting, lost in the peace

-bull in replacements getting imprinted on by a bunch of baby ducks and being SO PLEASED ABOUT IT he’s not the stepfather, he’s the father that stepped up

- speaking of, the underutilization of bull in the back half is such an out of character bad call

- you are officers, you are grown ups, you oughta know. HE’S RIGHT AND HE SHOULD SAY IT AND THAT’S ON GENE BEING THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO TELL OFF WINTERS

- I know nix and winters are married and whatever but the real married couple behaviour is luz constantly pissing off joe and joe immediately letting it go

- lip and speirs and their mutual competency kink

- I’M REAL SORRY FRANK skinny ilysm

[j-richmond]

More art from my D&D sketchbook.

Nix (my Tiefling Warlock who hates going on adventures and has never even left the city) is still struggling to communicate with Naak the Frog, who lives out in the wild and has never even seen the city. Naak is a Druid and can speak to teh Donkey, and Nix figured out how to cast Speak to Animals, so the Donkey is doing a lot of translation for them.

Burt the half Orc is our newest party member. Burt and Nix sort of know each other from the city, since they're both sort of criminals. Now that they're back safely in the city, Nix has sworn never to go on another adventure again! She'll spend her days drinking and engaging in casual blackmail and larceny, thank you!

We decided to do a hot springs episode to get over teh trauma of having to go on a DnD adventure. Just kidding! Nix may be miserable having to leave the city and ruin her outfits, but I'm having a lot of fun!

As a side note: I've mentioned before that I'm not a big D&D fan. In fact, I prefer almost any other game. But I am really enjoying this game. Part of the reason is that the GM and other players are really great! But an even bigger reason is we're actually playing D&D. We're actually playing the game by the rules as written and doing the thing the game is designed to do. Like explore dungeons, travel, have random weird encounters and get beat up in grueling fights. The GM is doing a great job of playing to the system's strengths (in both rule sand themes). That is, sadly, not something I've been able to experience very often. In years and years of playing D&D, I've rarely been in games where people wanted to play the game as its written. Instead, people always seem to want to turn it into something its not meant to be or do. Anyway, I'm having a great time.

[tweenlove-n-hate]

Thanks for taking the initiative and time to organise the Gelphie Big Bang! Must be a lot of work behind the scenes to orchestrate this. I can’t wait to see all the amazing artwork and fics that will surely come from this.

I wanted to ask if we would be getting an update on the Scientific Study of Destiny anytime soon? Also, out of curiosity do you have any ideas for future Gelphie fics once the fic ends?

Hello hello!

Thanks for the ask and thanks for the well wishes on the event. It has been going very well. Over the weekend the @gelphiebigbang2025 surpassed 150 sign ups for the event. Which is 3x as many people as I thought would participate! If you haven't already followed the account(s), you should! Over the next 6 months there should be some cool things posted. The more people that follow the account(s), the further the posts will go for the writers and artists when the reveals go live in October!

Now, on to The Scientific Study of Destiny -- I will have an update sometime this week. I'm not sure when though. Might be over the weekend. Last chapter caused a little rift in my plans for Chapter 11 (aka Chapter 10). That I need to fix before it can go live.

Now for my Gelphie WIPs that I haven't posted but am working on:

Soulmate fics:

Elphaba's POV from The Scientific Study of Destiny - I have this mapped out pretty well and half a chapter written for it. But I need to finish the first story before I can commit to this one.

Soulmate Potion - an idea someone mentioned in a comment in The Scientific Study of Destiny. I've already got three pages written for it.

Blinded by Your Color - Seeing color for the first time Gelphie version.

Your Name on my Skin - Gelphie soulmate marks having the name of your soulmate on your skin.

A Magical Mishaps happen series:

Gelphie Magic Baby/Pregnancy Fic - where the characters and readers won't know WHO the baby daddy is till the end.

(Love) Potion Gone Wrong --- Galinda just wants Elphaba to love her too. But it goes terribly wrong. Not to be confused with...

Lust Potion Gone Right -- think of this one like "sex pollen" / "sleep together or die"

Double Trouble -- Elphaba accidentally cast a spell meant to multiply the practice coin, but is distracted by Galinda and now there are TWO Galindas. (Galinda and Glinda)

Random Ideas:

Defying Gravity but DARK - Movie verse

After Part 2 -- Elphaba's Gift to Glinda -- Isn't just the Grimmerie but a baby - Book and Movie combination

Never ending One Short Day - Groundhog day style

Matching Making - Galinda thinks she's the BEST match maker. She's not.

Fake Dating -- NOT who you'd think would be fake dating ;-)

Kidnapping -- May nix this idea as a whole, not happy with it thus far.

As a rule, I do not post a multi-chapter fanfiction unless I am 85% of the way done with it. If I never reach that 85% done, I never post them. (I have three unfinished Yennaia fics living in my google drive along with half a dozen SuperCat fics and MirAndy fics). So, I have a LOT of ideas and I hope I'll have the time to get to them but I won't post them till I'm sure I'll finish them. Thanks so much for taking the time to send me an ask and for supporting The Scientific Study of Destiny! <3

[mariacallous]

Shortly before America’s first presidential election since the fall of Roe v Wade, I want to tell you the story of Amanda Zurawski, a bright light in the center of a perfect, horrendous storm.

A little over two years ago, Zurawski was 18 weeks pregnant with her first child, a child she and her husband had conceived after a year and a half of fertility treatments. When she started leaking fluid and sought medical help, her doctors told her there was no chance the fetus would survive. But Zurawski lives in Texas, a state with some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country: in May of the previous year, the governor, Greg Abbott, had signed into law the Texas Heartbeat Act, also known as SB8, which makes performing abortions after detection of embryonic or fetal cardiac activity, usually at six weeks, illegal. That was on top of several existing statutes. Then, in June 2022, Roe fell.

And so Zurawski’s doctors told her that by the letter of the law – as far as they understood it; more on that later – in order to get the medical care she so desperately needed, either her daughter’s heart would have to stop, or her health would have to devolve into a “life-threatening situation”, something Zurawski has previous called “the most horrific version of a staring contest: whose life would end first? Mine, or my daughter’s?”

Her doctors advised her not to leave a 15-minute radius of the hospital lest her situation spiral, nixing the already unfathomable idea of getting into a car or on to a plane to seek help from a less restrictive state, and risking going into septic shock in the middle of the Texas desert, or 30,000ft up in the air. So she went home to grieve her impending loss and brace for what might come – during which time, Texas’s total abortion trigger ban went into effect, which made performing an abortion punishable by life in prison. And there Zurawski sat, waiting.

The next day, she developed sepsis – a condition her doctors felt was extreme enough to protect them from unintentionally violating the new law, allowing them to induce labor – and after three days in the ICU, she emerged from the experience having almost died, with her own future fertility compromised, and galvanized to make a change about the inhumane laws.

“I admittedly didn’t realize the ways in which an abortion truly is just healthcare,” Zurawski told me this week when I reached her by phone during her early morning walk with her sheepadoodle, Millie, in Austin, where she lives with her husband, Josh. “I couldn’t imagine that I would ever need or want one, since I was desperately trying to have a baby.”

The first moment abortion laws and her own fertility journey intersected was early on in the IVF process. The likelihood of a multiples pregnancy increases when using IVF, but as she is not able to carry multiples, her doctor had discussed the possibility of needing to perform selective reduction surgery if more than one embryo implanted, something that is currently illegal in Texas.

“So I was aware that these laws could affect us, but not from the perspective that I would need it to save my life, and be denied healthcare,” she told me. When she found herself in the unimaginable situation of being turned away from the hospital by doctors who wanted to help her, but weren’t sure they could, her eyes opened, and she and Josh vowed to fight.

Zurawski became the lead plaintiff in the landmark case, Zurawski v Texas, which sued the state of Texas to clarify the “medical emergency” exception in the law – a riveting and harrowing new documentary about the case follows Zurawski and two fellow plaintiffs through the legal fight – and soon found herself catapulted on to the national stage. Her natural charisma, straight talk, and tragic story calcified into a perfect trifecta with the power – so hopes Kamala Harris, who made her a campaign surrogate – of firing up the electorate.

“Humanizing it is what’s really getting people to sit up and pay attention,” Zurawski told me. “When you see a face and a real human who’s been impacted by this, it’s impossible to say, ‘This is reasonable, this is exactly what we want for our country.’” She paused to take a breath. “That’s barbaric.”

One of the most powerful scenes in the documentary shows Zurawski at home with her parents, her mother saying that she’s always voted Republican, but won’t after seeing her daughter almost die.

“Will I say they’re converted Democrats? No!” Zurawski told me, laughing, as she huffed her way up a hill. “But I do think they are single-issue voters, at least in this election. It opened up their eyes a little bit to the legislature, and how laws are written, and how bans go into effect, and the real implications.”

The real implications of, say, “medical exceptions” to a near-total abortion ban?

“They don’t work! Categorically!” she scoffed, citing the multiple patient plaintiffs in her case, alongside other women who have died in our country awaiting care their doctors are prohibited, by law, from providing. “Every pregnancy is inherently unique. Where else in healthcare do we put a blanket rule over where you can and cannot receive treatment?”

In her work over the years since she lost her pregnancy, she’s found that one key to changing minds lies in reframing the conversation from “pro-life” v “pro-choice” to one about healthcare access.

“For 50 years, the right worked really hard to politicize and weaponize and stigmatize the word ‘abortion’,” she said. You say pro-choice or pro-life, and people are already on a side. But some of the time, she pointed out, people simply don’t understand what it means to be on one side or the other.

“I’ll be at a rally, and someone will come up to me and say, ‘I didn’t realize that in 1985, when I had a D&C’” – a dilation-and-curettage surgical procedure that removes tissue from the uterus after miscarriage – “‘that’s an abortion.’ That’s the same as abortion care!”

As Zurawski has crisscrossed the country, campaigning for the Harris-Walz ticket, another part of her family has also moved: her embryos. In February, the Alabama supreme court ruled that frozen embryos are “unborn children”. Zurawski, living in a state that has a similar political climate – one in which city councils have enacted abortion travel bans, in effect criminalizing the use of cities’ roads and highways to seek abortion care – panicked, and rushed to move them to a safer place.

“The implications of the ruling are just staggering,” she said. But, by some estimates, she admits that moving the embryos is itself a stopgap measure. “If Trump is elected, it doesn’t matter where the embryos are, or where we are. He will unleash chaos.”

She cited Project 2025, a rightwing policy manifesto for Trump’s second term that indicates plans not only to restrict birth control access and block access to abortion pills and medical equipment, but also potentially ban IVF and surrogacy in certain states.

“Well, Josh and I have to use a surrogate now because of what my body went through. It’s like they’re saying, you’re out of luck!” She paused, catching her breath on the other end of the phone, perhaps reaching the top of a hill. “It could theoretically prevent us from having children.”

So, what’s to be done? Watch the documentary. Share her story. Vote. Fight.

[aladaylessecondblog]

Red Mountain Waffle House, pt. 30

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55071724/chapters/161301199

Author's note: NSFT consensual non-consent. Nerevar is getting RAILED.

----------------------------

"He's coming down the hall, turn off your phone."

"Turn it off, the video just loaded!"

"Not off off you idiot!"

The first ordinator obeyed, and he and the other stood to attention as Vivec passed by.

"My lord." He said stiffly. "Nothing to report."

"Good. Peace may have been brokered, but as your order is so fond of saying..."

"...justice never sleeps." He gave the end of his spear a tap against the ground.

He was incredibly glad the helmet covered his face, because he just KNEW his expression would give it away in a second.

Vivec passed on, and only when he rounded the corner did the ordinator bring his phone back out.

"Damn it all, now it has to reload..."

-----------------------

[INT. RED MOUNTAIN. DAY.]

Nerevar strode into the room with confidence. His limbs ached, but he had fought his way here and won every battle - so there was no reason to think that he wouldn't be able to win this one as well.

At the end of the room, facing away, was his opponent.

"Dagoth Ur," he said, "We meet at last."

"So the Temple sends their latest pawn." Dagoth Ur turned around, and his gaze swept over Nerevar's form. "At least they send one of fit body. The last one they sent was a scout who was useful for little more than being food for my nix-hounds."

"I am the champion of the Temple, and every champion must be well-schooled in the arts of war." There was a pause. "Saint Nerevar does not fall, to any opponent."

There was a dark chuckle then.

"So they send me Saint Nerevar himself? Perhaps they think I will be weak and fall before you, for the memory of all that was between us before."

Nerevar raised his sword, and Dagoth Ur his hands.

What followed was a glorious fight scene that would end up chopped out of the movie and splashed all over the place. Nerevar had shield spells to defend himself from the blasts of fire and ice shot at him, and would make blows of his own that had Dagoth Ur bleeding heavily for a bit.

But Nerevar at one point backed away, breathing heavily. His strength was waning, and he made as if to cast a spell.

Nothing happened.

"What a fool you are," Dagoth Ur said, "Trying to run away from this fight you have no hope of winning?"

"Retreating, and regrouping," Nerevar replied with a snarl, "It is not a fault to know when one must..."

"When one must flee his god's wrath?"

"You are no god...and certainly not mine."

"Oh, Nerevar..." He chuckled darkly, "I am your god, you merely have yet to know it."

He rushed forward, and Nerevar stepped back, thinking to dodge in one direction, perhaps trip his opponent. But he was the one to trip, and land flat on his back.

Dagoth Ur was on him in an instant with a paralysis spell - a curious one, that left his lips free to speak.

"Do your worst," he said, "Slay me, however you will, but remember that the Temple does not forgive."

"The Temple is far away. But you...oh, you, sweet Nerevar, you are here, and what I want is not the end of your life."

"Then--then what--do you think to make me one of your ash slaves?"

"No. I merely want to return you to what you were."

Nerevar was confused. That Dagoth Ur would cast aside his sword and shield, he expected. But to strip him of his gauntlets, his armor...

"Such beautiful gold skin you have." There was a pause, and then more noise as the armor was tossed as well and he was stripped of all but his loincloth. "Nothing has been changed, and for that I am quite grateful."

"What are you--"

Hands on his neck, his now bare chest, his sides, and then his hips. Those long fingers toyed with the waistband of his loincloth, and he tensed.

"I do have to check that they have not ruined you, you understand," Dagoth Ur went on as he slid. "There were things about you I have missed..."

"No--no--"

The loincloth was removed, exposing a half hard cock that was promptly stroked.

"Yes, quite satisfactory..."

"Stop--stop--I am telling you to STOP--"

Dagoth Ur only chuckled again, and took a firm grip on Nerevar's cock--and left him gasping.

"You are exactly what I remember you to be."

"And--and how is that--what is that supposed to mean?"

"Reluctant, shy...oh, you play the game so nicely." Dagoth Ur leaned down, now unmasked, and kissed up Nerevar's jawline. "But you always yield in the end."

"I am not going to yield--to you--devil--" Nerevar's words were broken by the strokes at his cock, the bolts of pleasure shooting through his body. Dagoth Ur was seeing more than Nerevar initially thought he could. "Fuck..."

"Mmm, profanity. Now I know you are mine." Another laugh. "But of course, I have to ensure that the Temple sees you are mine...in all ways, but particularly in body."

He bit and then sucked at several spots on Nerevar's neck, leaving marks that would color shortly afterwards.

"But I can't stop there, of course."

The stroking at his cock intensified, and he gasped again, glad he couldn't buck his hips. He was ashamed to think that he WOULD have done it, had he been able.

But then Dagoth Ur's fingers slipped a little low, and on noting a certain dampness, he laughed again.

"Oh? It seems I have excited you."

"Monster," Nerevar accused, "Depraved...devil..."

"Mmm, no, but perhaps...if you are so insistent that I am one, I should oblige." Those fingers probed at his cunt and then pressed forward, inside him, forcing a moan from Nerevar's lips. Then they began to thrust, "And I--never--disappoint."

"No. No. Can't...can't...mmph..." This was even more effective than the stroking of his cock, and he could do nothing but lay there and take it. "Is this all I am to you? Something to be touched and toyed with?"

"You want more?" The grin turned devilish, and the hand was drawn back, slick with his arousal. "Foolish question."

Dagoth Ur moved back, and Nerevar couldn't see him for a handful of seconds. There was the sound of fabric over flesh, and then a touch against his thigh.

"No--" he forced out. "No--I don't--you won't--"

"Oh, the hours I have imagined between your legs..."

A kiss at his thigh, before Dagoth Ur moved back up. "But I have hungered for you for far too long to wait any longer. I will have my golden prize, and you will name yourself as mine before this is over."

"You're--sick," Nerevar panicked as that smirking face moved over him. His knees were brought up, and then spread.

"No, merely wanting." Down he went, planting those lips on Nerevar's neck again. "You know...as good as you look on your back...I think I prefer you to be on your knees."

The paralysis spell was released, and a command spell used on him before he could say or do anything.

"Turn over, and get onto your hands and knees."

Nerevar's body obeyed automatically.

There was a moment of hesitation, a stroke of the skin of his back. A run of long fingers through his hair.

"Please--don't--I--"

Breath on the back of his neck.

"You beg so sweetly..."

Then a hand at his hip, a push forward--and suddenly, a deep moan was forced from his lips. It had been a long time since anyone had used his cunt - he preferred his cock when it came to falling into bed with anyone, so the stretch around the cock forcing itself inside him felt more intense than he imagined it to be.

The hand of Dagoth Ur's not at his hip moved up to his chest, tracing the lines of his scars. Then they began to push--and he was brought up, which only allowed the cock inside him to go deeper.

"No," he whimpered, "No, no, no..."

It was so deep, so deep, and he was fighting the urge to beg for more.

With his back pressed to Dagoth Ur's chest the thrusting finally began. It was easy enough to bite his tongue the first few times, but when he felt the tickle against his ear, and heard the words, "Do not stifle your sounds" he couldn't do anything except obey.

"Anhh...oh..."

"That's it," the dark voice purred. "You wanted to be spread around me, didn't you?"

Nerevar groaned.

"Answer." There was a sharp thrust, and Nerevar's reply came out more desperate than he expected.

"Ye-es!"

Gods, it felt so good, Nerevar thought. It shouldn't, he shouldn't feel this good, he shouldn't want it this badly, he KNEW IT. But he couldn't help it. It was as if Dagoth Ur knew every little thing that drove him wild.

The pace quickened, as did the moans from his lips.

"I wonder what the Temple would think to see you now." A smirk.

[NEREVAR'S HEAD IS TURNED; HE IS FORCED TO LOOK AT THE CAMERA]

"Let the Temple see its precious Saint and Hortator beg for the Sharmat's cock."

"No--" he whimpered, feeling climax rising. "No, no, no...I won't be--"

"Beg," Dagoth Ur's voice commanded. "I said BEG FOR IT!"

"Please," Nerevar struggled, tried to keep the words in, but they wouldn't be held back. "Please...give me your cock!"

He let a moan then, positively obscene.

"Let them see you," came the words, "Let them see how desperate you are."

The pace quickened again, and Nerevar's mind was all but blanked out now. Every movement was divine pleasure, and he couldn't find it in himself to care any longer whether or not he was held here. So long as it felt this good, he wanted it, wanted every second of the heaven between his legs.

Let them see...

He reached down, stroking at his own cock even as he was violated, over and over. He was a desperate man, he was, nothing more than--

"YES!"

Orgasm struck him suddenly, unexpectedly, and his cunt spasmed along with the rest of his body as ecstasy burst outward and filled the rest of his body.

"Oh, YES!"

His cock pulsed and spilled his seed onto the floor, and little whispers of scolding fell into his ear.

"What a mess you've made," Dagoth Ur's silky voice went, "Such shame you bring on yourself...but you couldn't help it, could you? My Nerevar was never able to stop himself, not in my capable hands."

The warm afterglow rose and then fell...and for a moment, he thought that was it, that it was over.

"Mine," came the darker tone, "You are mine, I will show you..."

A hand over his belly, and one at his hip.

"No," he said weakly, "W--you can't..."

"I can do as I please with what's mine, Saint Nerevar..."

Another deep thrust.

"Will the Temple take you back, when you're heavy with my seed?"

"No--"

"Perhaps I should send you back once you are, so they can see what I have made of you. So they can take one look at your swelled belly and know I was responsible for it?"

"No--not inside, please--please, you'll ruin me--"

"Ruin you? Oh, no...this is not ruin, it is salvation."

Faster, and then faster still. He was pushed back onto his knees and could hardly think straight with how fast he was being railed now, how hard he was being used. He put up a faint fight but there was in the end, no escape.

There was a groan in his ear, and then a hot trio of pulses inside him.

Then a feeling of emptiness as Dagoth Ur pulled back and withdrew from him - leaving him twitching, wet, full, and well-fucked.

Nerevar was commanded to turn over, lay back and spread his legs. The sight of seed pulsing out of his cunt seemed to please the blighted god before him.

"You will follow me," Dagoth Ur said, "And I will have you shackled, until you learn to submit more sweetly."

"I--I am not your plaything." He replied, looking up and shaking. "I am...not..."

"You are whatever I wish you to be. And right now, I wish you to be my prisoner."

[END SCENE. END OF PART 1.]

---------------------------------

Voryn at first hadn't been too enthusiastic about 'performing' but when Nerevar put forward the idea of doing it just to fuck with the Temple he was suddenly all for it.

There were better ways to show the Tribunal the error of their ways instead of outright killing them after all. That was too easy, too fast, and it was bloodier than necessary.

But showing their beloved Saint Nerevar, Hortator, Moon-and-star on the receiving end of the Sharmat's cock?

It was his name, after all. And if they insisted on making him part of their ridiculous religion then he would do everything possible to ensure they regretted it.

He was no saint.

The Hortator was gone. The Whoretator had risen.

[saberkane]

3, 15, 16, and 19 for any or all OCs you want!

It took so long to make time to answer this! But there's no time like the present.

I'm doing this for all my DnD PC's, even those I've only played once. They are:

Nix (ze/zir) - Human Warlock (Great Old One)

A thirteen-year-old street urchin with a thousand-yard stare who has Seen Some Eldritch Things.

Ravenwing Shadowsong (she/her) - Half-elf Cleric (Grave Domain)

A young worshipper pf the God of the Dead with a very goth aesthetic.

Emily Valano, aka Mystical Warrior Starshine (she/her) - Tabaxi Magical Girl (reskinned Zealot Barbarian)

A fan of fantasy-equivalent magical girl anime who transforms into a radiant warrior of love and friendship.

3. How did you choose their name?

Nix: I knew I wanted something monosyllabic and vaguely foreboding, and Nix fit the bill perfectly.

Ravenwing: "What is the most over-the-top goth sobriquet I can think of?"

Emily: Emily is an anywoman name that sounds like an anime protagonist English dub name. Valano is a play on Avalon, which was Sakura's surname in the English Cardcaptors dub.

15. What is something about your OC can make you laugh?

Nix: Ze simply will not admit when ze doesn't know something, which is too often given zir limited experience.

Ravenwing: She usually speaks in a slow, overdramatic rasp, but when she's panicked, her voice loses those affectations. Surely she's not intentionally trying to sound dark and moody.

Emily: She will take any opportunity in combat to speechify about how friendship will triumph over evil.

16. What is something about your OC can make you cry?

Nix: Zir whole backstory? But especially zir survivor guilt and abandonment issues that manifest as avoiding getting close to anyone.

Ravenwing: She's coping okay, but she's straddling two very different selves and still processing a hugely impactful revelation.

Emily: Nothing, yet; she's a happy-go-lucky idealist in the early chapters of her story. But something will shake her foundations eventually, and it won't be pretty.

19. What is your favourite fact about your OC?

Nix: Ze has no gender assigned at birth. The crew of unhoused con artists and thieves who raised zir used whichever pronouns would suit the current con. (This is also because I love the idea that fictional characters can be non-binary without their assigned genders at birth being identifiable.)

Ravenwing: When she's stressed, she stims by casting thaumaturgy to make raven sounds.

Emily: She transforms by holding ip the Star Stone and crying "Starshine Power Ignite!" It's unclear whether this is necessary.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Happy STS! I hope you've had a good week :)

My question is - what inspired the creation of your main character? Have they stayed the same since the beginning or have they changed? How much of your story would change if it was told from the POV of another character?

Heya! Still Saturday as I'm answering this.

Why, isn't this a complicated question! See, neither TSP or SOTL have one true main character. But I am going to primarily focus on Lexi and Jack since they are the characters that we follow first. Well, technically Lexi does not have the prologue, but it's close enough.

I created Lexi when I first drafted tsp all the way back in 2013. She was a very blatant self-insert of me, including General look or character design with a very bland personality. She has grown a lot since then as a character, with some parts of our personality evolving to be more like me and other parts drifting away entirely. I feel like personality wise we are not that similar, but a lot of internal struggles are very similar. Her character design has also changed quite significantly, the only thing we actually share now being hair and eye color. The story would change quite a bit if Lexi was not there. She's a very strong representation of the things of loyalty and letting go. It's very important to see her perspective. Her extroverted personality also makes her a very good candidate to explore many relationships and Dynamics with, including characters that do not have big roles. Tsp having multiple main characters and an ensemble cast in general is kind of the point, since many perspectives are very important to the entire narrative of the story. Lexi is one of those voices.

Jack is more of a definitive main character of SOTL. So far he has approximately half of the chapters, and it will probably result in something similar. Jack being someone who has powers but whose Powers manifest in a very specific way, that being the fact that he can only do things averagely and not any less or more than that, goes into the things of embracing identity and who you are as a person, as well as seeing the value in what you can do and what your skills are while also appreciating yourself past that. No other character would be able to do that, despite their importance. As for how is character has developed over the years, he is exclusive to this draft. Both of the previous drafts had a Beauty and the Beast stand-in character as the main lead. The inspiration of his character is every single character in folklore that is named Jack, as well as the phrase jack of all trades master of none.

Hope this was a good answer! Thank you so much for the ask!

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

SOTL intro

SOTL tag list (ask to be +/-): @illarian-rambling @katwritesshit @wyked-ao3

[outlawfcrged]

@rubiesintherough / howl sent a meme.

“There’s always a bigger fish.”

"I mean I'd settle for any size fish right about now," Kay grumbled, casting a woeful glance over at the line she'd jury rigged earlier over the river that they were taking refuge by for the night. She shouldn't really complain, she and Nix had gone hungrier for longer, but since she'd taken command of the Trailblazer, there'd been more good days than bad. At least, when she wasn't stuck mid scavenger hunt in the middle of a forest, after losing half their supplies in a mud slide. "Bite size, even."

[belphegor1982]

Find the word in your WIPs

I was tagged by both @rose-of-pollux and @tuttle4077 for a "Find the word in your WIP" game! Here are the rules: Find the words from the list in your WIPs and post the paragraph they belong to.

Thanks a lot :D They both gave me different words, too, so let's go!

I ended up using What Nightmares May Come (my long HH fic) a lot, if only because it's so long (64k+ words, gah, if only the inspiration could come back!!) but also from The Message (the follow-up to Mon Pays et Paris), three The Mummy WIPs, and one word from a Legend of Vox Machina somewhat long WIP. And since it got so long, I'm putting most of it under a cut ^^'

Tagging @thisstableground, @tinydooms, @laurelindebear, @teashoesandhair, @kabbal and @kaantt 💜

List of (new) words: chase | average | fast | minute | whole

sigh (from The Message, Hogan's Heroes)

“Did you clear that up with Colonel Hogan?” he asked. LeBeau stuck out his chin in a familiar show of stubbornness.

“Of course I did,” he said just a second too quickly.

Kinch shook his head.

“Man, now I know why you won’t play poker with Newkirk. He’d clean you right out.” He sighed. “LeBeau, you can’t just take a radio because you feel like it. Do you know how many of the guys miss listening to the Andrew Sisters or the World Series?”

hint (from A Fifth of Glenlivet, The Mummy)

The tea was light and slightly sweet, with a hint of mint. Egyptian style. Rick – though more of a coffee guy – had to admit that for what he considered to be lightly flavoured hot water, it wasn’t that bad, especially without the obligatory splash of milk generally favoured by the British.

heart (from Manifold, The Mummy)

She waits a little, enjoying the wind on her face and the shade the balloon casts over them; then she asks without looking at him, her voice very low, her heartbeat very loud, “Whom did you fall in love with first: Elizabeth, or Tom?”

toast (from In A Mellow Tone, The Mummy)

“Good Heavens. And I thought my parents had their hands full with me and Evy.” Jonathan put his palm into his hand and grinned. “How much of a scamp were you when you were a kid?”

“Not that much,” Harry said with a sharp smile, “but I usually got away with a lot, even more than Nellie did. You see, I didn’t often let myself get caught.”

“Sound philosophy,” said Jonathan, raising his half-empty pint in a toast Harry met with his own. “So you have four siblings?”

operation (from What Nightmares May Come, Hogan's Heroes)

The conversation in Klink’s office seemed to be over, so Kinch unplugged the coffee pot and replaced the lid. They were all thinking the same thing; all operations would have to come to a complete stop. The absence of the sub already meant they couldn’t go through with their orders of ‘assisting escaping prisoners’; but this meant that the other part, about ‘cooperating with all friendly forces and using every means possible to injure and harass the enemy’, was nixed as well if nobody could set foot outside camp.

_______________________

That's it for Tuttle's words! Now for Rose's :o)

sea (from What Nightmares May Come, Hogan's Heroes)

“Let’s hope that your escape will earn him a one-way ticket to the Russian front,” Hogan grimly quipped, his eyes serious. “In the meantime, you get to stay at the… ‘guerilla Hilton’ for a couple of days, we fit you with civilian clothes and official papers, and you do a little cross-country ‘round the German countryside. There’s a British sub in the North sea, a little off Wangerland. You’ll be in England faster than you can say ‘fish and chips’.”

star (from What Nightmares May Come, Hogan's Heroes)

Hogan whistled between his teeth. “So they’re basically stuck here for God knows how long?”

“Basically.”

“No chance of a plane, I suppose?”

“I asked. Apparently, if our guests were two-star generals, they would consider sending one.” Hogan didn’t miss the discreet sarcasm in his radioman’s deadpan voice.

pleasant (from A Fifth of Glenlivet, The Mummy)

Something loosened in the set of Jonathan’s shoulders.

“Good. Because if you’re planning to steal more toolkits for my sister then it’s better if… Well, you know. She’s had a lot flung at her because she has the gall to be a scholar and a girl, and ‘only half-English’ to boot.”

Something told Rick that particular turn of phrase glossed over many others, much less pleasant. Which both siblings probably had their own share ‘flung at’ them, come to think of it.

walk (from Underture, The Legend of Vox Machina)

Scanlan let his hand fall and rolled his eyes.

“Look, you don’t need to get your panties in a knot. I can see better than you at the moment, so the way I see it there’s only one way you won’t fall behind and get lost.” He walked back to Vax and thrust out his hand with a grin large enough to be obvious even in the dark. “Wanna hold hands?”

linger (from What Nightmares May Come, Hogan's Heroes)

“Oh, perfectly, Major,” Klink muttered in an almost defeated tone, resisting the urge to rub his temples. The lingering headache had been small this morning, the inevitable result of a restless night, but Hochstetter excelled in the art of making migraines in other people’s heads grow in a way even Hogan did not.

Thanks again :o)

[mamamittens]

Been thinking on it a bit and I might just nix the valentine's event. It's been nice having a breather and if anything, I may just do some art pieces as a mini celebration for the day.

If I could finally just get to it, I'd like to start making more progress reading One Piece. I'd say watch it but it's... Weird to describe, it's been so long since I've watched a series I've got no patience and a hard time regulating my... Energy? Like, I need to skip embarrassing, foot in mouth scenes or I can't watch. The older style of the beginning is also a bit... Weird to see after seeing so much modern anime. The whiplash I'd get going from start to finish would be something else, that's for sure.

Ah, overstimulation. That's what it is. Everything is new and in a format I'm unfamiliar with, a format I used to know well but not any more, so it's easy to get frustrated even as I'm happily watching it. Overwhelmed, as it were. Too much new stuff where I'm used to piecemeal.

That and it'd be 3 whole ass months nonstop and idk if I've got the focus for that.

Used to watch episode after episode of animes on bootleg sites as a kid and now I can barely bring myself to crack open the literal, physical copies I've got. (I've got so much anime on my shelves. If we did serious, no exception lockdown for a year, I'd probably be set without opening any streaming sites for at least half of that)

It'd be nice to actually be able to answer some of these asks rather than draw a total blank because I've never heard of them... Or I've completely forgotten who tf they are. Then again OP's cast is so massive I'd probably forget most of them anyway.

Then again, I've only recently started watching new movies in theaters. So for years my only exposure to new media was through second hand stuff. Memes and fanfiction, stuff like that. In light of that, it's no wonder I have such a hard time starting and sticking to series anymore. I collect the movie tickets and the stack is pretty thick (need to find a way to put them in a scrapbook to properly preserve them...)

Something about the jump and emotional investment exhausts and terrifies me... I don't know.

I've got a lot of things I need to do but tomorrow is always closer than it seems. And before I know it, today is yesterday with nothing to show for it.

Projects left unfinished that I used to spend hours work shopping before even opening Word. Passion projects gone cold and obligations that leave a stale taste in my mouth.

I wonder if this is just what growing old is. Hesitating at something new thinking about everything that's already there.

I don't know. But I do know I need to go to bed now or I'll sleep through 5/7 alarms for work in 5~ hours.

[infoglitch]

.... So I did something. I wrote bios for all of my characters and my fan story/original story set in the Digimon universe, Digimon rize. Obviously one of these characters is not mine that belongs to my friend Nix or @randomness-of-arts1220 (who isn't really digimon fan but I felt like stealing their OC) so uh... Here ya go

The cast of Digimon RIZE.

Name: Kite Damon

Age 17

Birthday Jul 12th

Profile: A boy destined to become the sun's light. he is one of the new recruits to the DHA alongside his digimon Rurimon

Pronouns: He/Him

Partner: Rurimon

Partner Level: 3 (rookie)

Creature type: Ryo (dragons, dinosaurs, and overall reptilian creatures)

Personality: Rurimon is a very uptight digimon. He sees the world through lenses of “benefits” and “detriments” to the world. Through Kite he becomes more with his emotions and much more comfortable with himself. Through these two’s bond they are on the path to becoming the shining sun.

Name: Mary Damon

Age 11

Birthday Jul 21st

Profile: Kites little sister, she, much like other girls, is focused on enjoying her life. however her father's absence had left her with only her mother and brother. it's not long before her brothers new life finds her

Pronouns: She/Her

Partner: Liolmon

Partner level: 3 (rookie) 

Creature type: Kemono (beastly digimon with fur and stands on four legs, such as dogs, cats, and creatures similar)

Personality: Liolmon is an ambitious and hyperactive digimon. She is always zipping around and thinking of her next great adventure. Mary manages to keep her focused and later on tame the fearsome lion cub into a more restrained and cunning cat.

Name: Lysander “Lynx” Luckett

Age 17

Birthday Jan 18th

Character Profile: Lysander Lynx Luckett, a simple young man who finds himself being dragged into the world of digital monsters and the Digimon Hunters Association or DHA. he seeks a simple life however Life has a plan.

Pronouns: He/Him

Partner: Labramon 

Partner level: 3 (rookie) 

Creature type: Kemono.

Personality: Labramon is quite possibly the closest a digimon has gotten to being identical to a dog in personality. He is loyal and affectionate to a fault. While he can't communicate with Lynx these two are practically able to understand each other, as if they read each other's mind. These two together will go from new Digimon hunters to possibly one of the greatest human and Digimon partners around.. as well as help lynx with his feelings for Evan

Name: Evan Ha

Age 17

Birthday Aug 23rd

Profile: Evan Ha. a young man who is half American half Japanese. he is the first one to already be a part of the DHA. as he has a long difficult journey alongside his friends.

Pronouns: He/Him

Original Partner: Kotemon 

Partner level: 3 (rookie)

Creature type: Ryo

Personality: Kotemon is Evans' confident counterpart. He lives by a code of serving his partner, as well as fighting for what he believes is just. However he is above all the determination that drives Evans choice.. little do either know the dark date that awaits Kotemon.. the grim knight.

Current Partner: Pyontomon

Partner level: 3 (rookie)

Creature type: Kemono.

Personality: created from Evans emotions after Kotemons death and subsequent death evolution and rampage. Pyontomon is a straightforward but rather respectful digimon. It knows Evan better than he knows himself. So whatever they plan, they are always on the same page.

Name: Ren Hana

Age 17

Birthday Feb 17th

Profile: A girl who has been treated poorly by her family. believed to be a mistake by her parents her femininity was forced away from her. now she feels lost. however this blossom shall soon bloom.

Pronouns: She/Her

Partner: Floramon

Partner level: 3 (rookie)

Creature type: Shokusei (plants and vegetation as well as fairies.)

Profile: a Digimon made of vegetation. Her appearance is very similar to a flower prior to blooming. Floramon embodies the traits Ren was never allowed to develop. This hence she is very much feminine in her personality, full of sass, headstrong, confident in who she is and able to look into herself and find beauty within. She is one of many who help Ren fully bloom.

Name: Marcus Teitoku 

Age 25

Birthday Jun 17th

Profile: The commander of the DHA, he is a man bound to his duty and his empathy. he will witness much, one being the death of a friend, he must rise above to aid and save his men and his people

Pronouns: He/Him

Partner: Kudamon

Partner level: 3 (rookie)

Creature type: Kemono

Profile: Kudamon is Marcus's intellect. Allowing him to think things through and being able to pull Marcus out of an emotional outburst. Kudamon after years alongside Marcus knows him front to back, and the inverse is just as true.

Name: Samson Teitoku 

Age 12

Birthday Apr 13th

Profile: Captain Teitoku's son, he is a prodigy and has let his skill get to his head, he is gifted with the bow and as a new digimon hunter he accels even farther. He will soon need to be humbled.

Pronouns: He/Him

Partner: Ryudamon

Partner level: 3 (rookie)

Creature type: Ryo

Profile: Ryudamon is the much more serious of the two between Samson and himself, Ryudamon acts as an anchor to keep Samson close to the ground so that way he doesn't get too big for his britches, however like always they still share a deep connection as Samson values Ryudamon’s opinions over anyone else's.

Name Devin Mors

Age 24

Birthday Feb 4th

Profile: The vice commander of the DHA and Marcus's closest friend. Devin is a stubborn man and his partner Dracmon embodies that. He is a soldier first and puts his own life on the line. it will soon cost him.

Pronouns: He/Him

Partner: Dracmon

Partner level: 3 (rookie)

Creature type: Akuma (devil's, vampires, and other monsters of the night)

Profile: the jovial of the two between him and Devin, Dracmon is a jokester and also deeply loyal to Devin though there is friction between the two as Devin becomes more and more like a soldier, as well as being overbearing at times. The two still respect each other but Dracmon will admit he is getting extremely frustrated with Devin.

Name Ethan Cane

Age 17

Birthday Jul 14th

Profile: A bio-myutant. given his powers from within the DHA he doesn't care much except when it comes to his sister. and kite who he has a score to settle with.

Pronouns: He/Him

Bio-myutant digimon forms: Thunderbirmon and Hexeblaumon.

Name: Falli cane (Pteror)

Age 17

Birthday: Jul 14th

Profile: a Bio-myutant, and sister to Ethan, she has grown to believe she has to be strong, due to Ethan constantly protecting her after her mother blinded and hurt her, she wears a mask to hide her scar.

Pronouns: She/Her

Bio-myutant digimon forms: Swanmon and Phoenixmon

Name: Falli cane 

Age 17

Birthday: Jul 14th

Profile: a new member of the DHA, free from Kuratas grasp, she joins DHA alongside her new found friends and her partner digimon, Hyokomon who almost seems to hold the same care for her as Ethan did.

Pronouns: She/Her

Partner: Hyokomon.

Partner level: 3 (rookie)

Creature type: Kemono

Profile: Hyokomon is a very kind digimon, he is very open with his partner that he values her and actively cares for Falli. He also openly admits disdain for certain people such as Kite due to how brash he can be. To some it's almost like Hyokomon is Ethan reincarnated.

Name: General Ragul.

Age 45

Birthday Sep 21st

Profile: a Bio-myutant and Kuratas lap dog. He is a soldier through and through and only obeys those in power. He views all beneath him as tools to discard when they no longer have use. a true good soldier.

Pronouns: He/Him

Bio-myutant digimon forms: Bullmon and Tactimon

Name: Roten Kurata

Age 35

Birthday Jun 19th

Profile: Since the day he was born, Kurata was a sniveling coward. and a man who wanted to destroy everything. and now after being in the digital world, his hate and vile heart have only grown.

Pronouns: He/Him

Name: Tye Damon

Age 38

Birthday Mar 20th

Profile: Kite and Mary's father. He is one of the original three chosen humans to enter the digital world and survive. Though for his case he never got to leave. He can only hope Roten and Marcus are alright.

Pronouns: He/Him

Partner: Gankoomon

Partner level: 6 (Mega)

Creature type: Kishi (think of more humanoid Digimon that are less beast than man, these are commonly knightly Digimon and or Digimon with a more human appearance) 

Profile: an extremely Noble Digimon who has fought side by side with Tye for years, being one of the royal knights he is extremely close with King Yggdrasil. However Gankoomon is very critical of his King, believing that his methods need to change eventually. However nowadays his personality almost seems to switch being much more like his partner than his original self though there are still remnants of himself in there but it seems it's more like adopting certain traits from his partner than fully becoming him.

Name: King yggdrasil

Age: ??

Birthday: ???

Profile: King yggdrasil in his current form. He has possessed the body of Tye Damon. The DHA believes he stole the body, but the truth is he was given it by Tye himself. all to help him hide from Nidhogg.

Pronouns: ???

[stereax]

Any scorching hot takes on which top team will drop like a rock next season? Or if you're not feeling spicy, any 4 nations thoughts? Could be anything: positional depth/roster speculation/line comps/which team would win the tumblr hotness poll, etc. Personally I'm very curious which Cs stay Cs and which Cs become Ws

I'm not gonna touch 4 Nations yet because I don't know anything about that, especially because, iirc, they only have six players on each roster right now? I don't want to speculate who goes and who doesn't just yet because, knowing my luck, I'm gonna get half the teams injured just talking about that lol.

But! Hot takes on which teams will do WORSE than last season. This, I CAN do! Under the cut!

Now, I don't think any teams will "drop like a rock" - part of the parity of the NHL means that teams that are good usually stay good for a while and teams that are not usually stay not. A Devils-esque complete collapse is only going to happen if there's massive injuries (like the Devils had) and trade hell (like the Devils again had - there was a deal in place for Markstrom a long time back but it got nixed by Flames ownership, for example). That being said...

I think the New York Rangers is the obvious answer here. They haven't added anyone of note (depth defensemen don't count) in a league where just about every other team has gotten demonstrably better. Part of this is due to the issues surrounding moving Trouba's contract, which made them unable to jump on free agents on July 1. This, coupled with the issue of Goodrow and the waivers situation, has shown many across the league that the Rangers organization does not intend to honor NMCs and NTCs, which is a strong blow against them. But they'll still be a good team, partially because of Shesty and Quick and partially because the Metro isn't exactly the best conference in the league. (Only the Rangers, Carolina, and New Jersey seem any good, and Carolina went through its own gutting of its entire second pair, but because they're the Canes they'll make Walker and Gostisbehere Norris candidates. The Isles are mid and didn't address it, the Flyers are stuck between trying for a wildcard and tanking, the Pens have no supporting cast, the Caps just acquired Dubois which is all I need to say about them really, and don't even talk about the Jackets...)

You also have the Vegas Golden Knights, who lost basically all of their UFAs and, due to their cap crunch, didn't gain much from it outside of Alex Holtz, who's a project forward. The Pacific, however, is weak as balls. (Calgary and San Jose will be bad; Anaheim, Seattle, and LA will be mid; Vancouver will be pretty good; Edmonton will be very good.) Simply based off goaltending and defense, as well as very good center depth, Vegas should still be okay enough to make the playoffs, and we all know the famous Vegas Trade can happen too, which always makes it interesting. (In the Pacific, Calgary as well is probably going to take a massive step back. Everyone worth a damn was put out for a fire sale. I'd fully expect them to be in the Hagens sweepstakes. And Seattle's a mess...)

Another team that's gonna have problems is the Boston Bruins. Not that they'll be bad. We know they'll never truly suck. But they've got question marks floating around their lineup, from Korpisalo and Swayman (one was statistically a bottom five goalie in the league last year and the other isn't under contract right now; the point of shedding Ullmark's cap hit was to have a cheap backup like Bussi and not a major question mark with a large cap hit for a backup) to Zadorov and Lindholm (arguably both overpaid and both expected to be top line players; those contracts will not age well) to Marchand (he's not getting any younger and who knows how much he's got left in the tank, especially since this is his contract year). There are going to be some major growing pains. I would not be surprised if they start slow, fire Montgomery, and then still end up as the second seed in the Atlantic.

From the Central, I'm gonna pick the St Louis Blues. They signed Ryan Suter in the year of our Lord Stanley 2024. And took on two cap dumps in Radek Faksa and Mathieu Joseph. That's all I need to say.

Y'know what. Let me just do Way Too Early Predictions again.

This is how I see it. (Atlantic, Central, Metro, Pacific)

Draft lottery: CBJ, CGY, CHI, MTL, SJS

Hockey purgatory: ANA, BUF, OTT, PHI, PIT, SEA, STL, WSH

Wildcard tossups: DET, LAK, MIN, NYI, TBL, UTA, WPG

Playoff teams: BOS, CAR, COL, DAL, EDM, FLA, NJD, NSH, NYR, TOR, VAN, VGK

I would not be surprised if both WCs in the East go to Atlantic teams and both WCs in the West go to Central teams. At the same time, I'm having a really hard time seeing any bona fide Cup contender. Last year, from literally last July, the Panthers seemed to be head-and-shoulders THE team to beat. This year, there's nobody like that, at least to me. Everyone has some question marks.

"But Edmonton - " Edmonton is in cap hell, still having to resign Broberg and Holloway and already being over the cap. Plus, Skinner is not that good. Plus, Ekholm and Bouchard can't carry the defense. Plus, McDavid and Draisaitl can't carry the offense. Give me a break.

But yeah. Sorry for the delay here! I hope this answers your question - let me know if you have any other questions or follow-ups :)

[mahvaladara]

Meet Neer and Vicenia. Also characters of Lore of Iasanera, but the side story "Circle of Stars"

In the Country of Odrun, there exists a small county named the Valley of Stars, a town of artists, farmers, masons and oracles worship the goddess Nix, the goddess of the Night and Stars. There exists a tree of Iasanera that instead of fruits, it bears small star moots.

There lived Neer C'Silla. A high elf of noble lineage, Neer was born and raised in the Valley. Being an elf, and of fey heritage he always had a proficiency with archery and a natural talent for nature. He had lived a couple of decades by the time he became head of the the Valley Rangers, and was about a century when he was elected a magistrate in charge of the affairs of Agriculture and Nature.

He was considered a kind soul, very wise, brave and charismatic. A natural leader who was so in tune with the Valley the head of Nix's Temple would call him him 'druid'. Which was odd as Neer was neither a druid, nor was Nix a goddess who blessed one with the powers of nature. Nonetheless the head of the temple, the Ayelid Verulene, favored Neer.

Neer was considered very beautiful and a prime bachelor, wanted by many of the elven nobility of the Valley. A noble elf, pure bread, rich and well positioned on the social hierarchy of Valley, favored by the temple of Nix and above all her very daughter, one of the most skilled and wise rangers. He had quite the array of suitors.

But Neer was in love with a plebeian cleric of Nix, the half-elf, Vecenia. The goddess Nix personally blessed the union of Neer, one of her most devoted rangers, and Vecenia, one of her most pious clerics. Verulene was furious, for she had picked Neer as her favorite. Nix quickly dismissed her daughter's claim and forbade her of harming them as she blessed their union.

They had a daughter they named Luna, in honor of Nix's favourite daughter, the goddess of the moon, Lunae.

Verulene was furious.

Against her mother's wishes she took upon forbidden magic, usinf the power of envy and jealousy, and used her mother's mantle of the night cast a terrible curse over the Valley.

Before the mantle of corrupted darkness and envy befell the land, Nix was capable plucking one star from the tree of Iasanera and gifted it to Neer, which would grant him immunity against the curse, so he could protect his brethren and above all his family. It also gave him incredible power over nature and the ability to turn into a wolf.

When he secured his rangers and a sappling of the Tree of Stars, before he could reach his wife and daughter, Verulene's corrupted minions caught him and imprisoned him. Neer was powereless to watch as the corruption destroyed his wife and daughter and killed the two.

Eventually, using newly found powers of druids, he turned into a wolf and would eventually escape Verulene's clutches. Ever since then, Neer and the Night Watch (the name given to the survivors of the curse) have been working tirelessly to prevent the spread of the curse and rescue the rest of the valley from it. But it has been a tireless and thankless job, and Neer is at his wits end.

Plagued by corrupted ghosts of Vecenia and his daughter, and the memories of the cursed. Neer departs the Valley of Shadows to try and find the fabled heroes that ended a similar shadow curse decades ago, hoping they can help him lift the curse from his home and free the spirits of his brethren and his family finally into Nix's comforting embrace.

[devilsupdates]

Cost Acquisition for Devils Trade Target Goaltender is High

The New Jersey Devils were reportedly in the market for Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark. They could re-explore Ullmark as a trade option, although it sounds like he’ll be costly.

Published 9 hours ago on May 30, 2024 By James Nichols

The New Jersey Devils have addressed one of their top priorities this offseason, finally naming a head coach. Next, they’ll look to address their next most important need, most likely via a Devils trade.

Goaltending.

General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was in hot pursuit of a Devils trade, exploring goaltending upgrade options for at least half of the 2023-24 campaign before ultimately landing on Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen, albeit, a little too late.

The Devils’ crease presence was a major factor in their considerable regression last season, and now the work begins to ensure reinforcements are made on New Jersey’s weak walls.

Allen will remain as he has one year left on his contract. However, he’s expected to be the backup goaltender while Fitzgerald pursues a frontline starter.

In fact, new head coach Sheldon Keefe even went as far as to explain that he’s already had conversations with Fitzgerald about improving the Devils’ goaltending.

Fitzgerald] communicated to me that improving in goal, the depth in goal is going to be very important,” Keefe said on an episode of The Jeff Marek Show. “The experience of a veteran like Jake Allen here is really good. You can see how proactive Tom was towards the trade deadline to make changes in goal.”

There’s a belief that Fitzgerald will re-engage in trade discussions with Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy for goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

However, much like how Fitzgerald conducted his coaching search, he’ll cast a wide net this summer exploring additional starting goaltending options.

As reported by Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, New Jersey was one of several teams who inquired about Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark with the hopes of bringing a Devils trade to fruition.

At one point, it sounds like Bruin GM Don Sweeney agreed to a trade with one of the inquiring teams, potentially the Devils, although it’s believed Ullmark nixed a trade to the Los Angeles Kings.

Now, the Ullmark rumor mill is churning again. Although Sweeney doesn’t publicly negotiate, he also recognized at exit meetings that the Bruins committed to Jeremy Swayman and management may have to field phone calls for the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner.

We’re gonna find a landing spot with Swayman, and if we can make the math work, we’re going to have the best tandem,” Sweeney explained to Boston media. “If we can’t, we’re going to explore [options], and for Linus, he may come to us and change his mind, that may occur as well. Right now we’re very happy to have signed Linus, and in a perfect world, we would keep the tandem because I think it’s damn good. But we’re going to explore opportunities. My phone’s going to ring, I’m going to make calls. That’s just what the job requires.”

If Fitzgerald is going to re-engage Devils trade talks for Ullmark, they won’t be the only ones. According to Elliotte Friedman via 32 Thoughts the Podcast, New Jersey’s Division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes, also spoke about a potential Ullmark deal.

Carolina is going through major changes after Don Waddell stepped down as the Hurricanes’ GM. Further, there’s speculation that they could end up trading forward Martin Necas as part of what sounds like major surgery to the Hurricanes’ roster this summer.

Speaking of Necas, Bruins reporter Ty Anderson wonders if the Czech forward could be involved in a deal for Ullmark that would see an NHL return for both teams.

In addition to the Hurricanes, the Ottawa Senators are another team that will reportedly be in the mix for Ullmark. Similarly to the Canes, the Senators have an elite NHL-caliber player who has a foggy future in Jakob Chychrun.

In other words, the Bruins — if they deal Ullmark — will seemingly have options for a valuable return.

Anderson via X (formerly Twitter) explains that Sweeney will prioritize a first-round pick or a player of similar value, both of which Necas and Chychrun were drafted in.

If Fitzgerald is going to match the first-round caliber return, he can start with the 10th overall selection at the upcoming NHL Draft. Or, he can dangle a player like Alexander Holtz, drafted seventh overall in 2020, however, his value is going to be far lower than what Carolina or Ottawa can offer.

Ullmark’s cost acquisition is seemingly high. Fitzgerald does have several routes he can explore this offseason, however, likely with Markstrom as previously mentioned, and Juuse Saros whom we know the Devils inquired about during the 2023-24 season.

And those are just some of the names we know about. We’ll see how things shake out, potentially as soon as the NHL Draft.

[idontknownothin]

13 books tag game - tagged by @anyboli (thanks!)

1) Last book I read:

I've recently abandoned a couple books without finishing them, so the last book I actually read was Wool by Hugh Howey. It was good! I've heard not everyone loves the sequels so I'm in no hurry to continue the series, but I might someday.

2) A book I recommend:

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. Such an amazing book, absolutely killer period-piece historical fantasy, it's got a masterless golem finding purpose, it's got immigrant metaphors and literal immigrants, it's got romance, it's got mysteries, it's got baking, it's everything and you should read it.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

In recent memory, what comes to mind is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Did you like The Martian? Would you like more of The Martian? Great news, friend. Scratches the same "how do I fix this problem with these limited resources" itch without feeling like a lazy retread of his first book.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more)

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. Loosely connected sequel to Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, this book narrows its cast to focus in on two characters. I've heard some people say Small, Angry Planet was a little too cozy for them, in which case I would recommend they give A Closed and Common Orbit a shot.

5) A book on my TBR

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher. I picked it up on a whim at a bookstore and I'm excited to get to it - I really enjoyed What Moves the Dead.

6) A book I’ve put down

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehiman. Not a bad book, I enjoyed what I read of it, I just kind of lost interest in the back half.

7) A book on my wish list

Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I don't think it's out in the U.S. yet, but I'll give anything by this guy a shot.

8) A favourite book from childhood

The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones. Obsessed with this book as a kid, and it still holds up on more recent rereads. Check it out if you haven't already!

9) A book you would give a friend

Sabriel by Garth Nix. This book and its sequels are possibly the most underappreciated fantasy books I can think of. I cannot praise Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen enough. The fandoms for these books should be massive, there should've been a bad movie in the 2000's and a critically acclaimed big-budget streaming show in the 2020's, ComicCons should be brimming with bell bandoliers and glow-in-the-dark charter marks, I don't know why none of this is true but here we are.

10) The most books you own by a single author

That would be my boy Brando Sando. I don't own all his books by a longshot, but I think I have almost 20 of them which makes him the clear winner. Robert Jordan, Garth Nix and Becky Chambers are probably all tied for second place.

11) A nonfiction book you own

I will never, ever pass up an opportunity to talk about How to Invent Everything by Ryan North (the Dinosaur Comics / Squirrel Girl / Got Stuck in a Hole with his Dog guy). Ostensibly a book written in the future for time travelers to use in the event they are stranded in the past, this book walks you through the steps you need to rebuild civilization from the ground up, from farming to animal domestication to basic medicine to smelting, power generation, math, navigation, engineering, chemistry and literally even computer science.

The wildest part? This book is a riot. It is as entertaining as it is interesting. If you only read one non-fiction book for pleasure, make it this one.

12) what are you currently reading

The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. A near-future climate science geopolitical novel, it's not an easy read and I'm not sure I'll finish it. It is quite good though.

13) what are you planning on reading next?

As mentioned above, probably going to jump into What Feasts at Night when I'm done with Ministry for the Future. It'll be nice to have something short and spooky instead of long, dense and existential!

No pressure tags: @sherpawhale, @melavixen, @analysethisinkblot, @shadowsofselfdoubt and also just anyone who sees this, I would honestly be tickled pink if you did this and let me know!