#a. valigura

[extraliga-related]

Could've put a bow on it and called it a present.

[dovah-cult]

The base line art and colors for Damien Valigura. A background character in my friend's homebrew campaign. Pic 1 depicts what they wear casually around their village of hunters, and pic 2 depicts the armor he wears while out on hunts against the undead/Blight.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, January 28th

WILLIAM: Yet her smell, it doth linger, painting pictures in my mind. Her eyes, balls of honey. Angels' harps her laugh. Oh, lark. Grant a sign if crook'd be Cupid's shaft. Hark, the lark, her name it hath spake. "Cecily" it discharges from twixt its wee beak. MOTHER: (proud) Oh, William.... WILLIAM: It's just...scribbling. MOTHER: Nonsense. It's magnificent.

~~Lies My Parents Told Me~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Angelus x reader by SmuttyFandomGalore (NSFW)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion, Chapter 372 by madimpossibledreamer (Ensemble, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure crossover, T)

Harry Potter and the Shell of the God-King, Chapter 7 (complete!) by JoeHundredaire (Illyria/Harry Potter, Harry Potter crossover, T)

Drive, Chapter 6 by HollyDB (Buffy/Spike, E)

Heartless, Chapter 5 by LSquared1501 (Buffy/Angel, T)

Wonderland 1: Down the Rabbit Hole, Chapter 63 by BrennaLynn (Buffy/Angel, Faith/Dawn, Star Wars crossover, T)

Sandy Places in Forever, Chapter 7 by Raihne (Xander/Spike, E)

She came back wrong, Chapter 14 by desicat (Buffy/Spike, T)

Love Unseen, Chapter 7 (complete!) by queermagic12 (Willow/Tara, E)

Supporting The Incredible Hulk (And Bruce Banner), Chapter 13 by SomeMeaninglessName (Willow, Buffy, Marvel universe crossover, T)

Come On Over, Chapter 7 by Janis70 (Buffy/Giles, M)

Called Into Darkness, Chapter 2 by desicat (Buffy/Spike, E)

Once Again, Chapter 6 by Francis_Eugene (Xander/Cordelia, G)

Drive, Chapter 6 by Holly (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

take me home, Chapte 19 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

I Do! Chapters 9 and 10 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

take me home, Chapter 17 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

I Do! Chaper 10 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: vampire!Harmony by yayemma (worksafe)

Artwork: Buffy and Spike by isevery0nehereverystoned (worksafe)

Artwork: Buffy/Spike by lamaraloon (worksafe)

Artwork: Buffy and Daenerys Targaryen by MiraBritArt (worksafe)

Gifset: I WAS SUPPOSED TO SWEAT YOU OUT by mcgnagallsarmy (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Gif: Spike and Drusilla by i-love-drusilla (worksafe)

Playlist: still alive. - a buffy summers playlist by ettadunham

🐴 ATS 201. Judgement 🐴 by tmtmcarlee (Angel, worksafe)

Artwork: Buffy, Willow, and Xander as Pixar. -midjourney by yazzy1233 (AI-generated, worksafe)

Artwork process video: Drawing Faith from Buffy The Vampire Slayer! Time Lapse by Starlight Archer (worksafe)

Video: Buffy the vampire Slayer / Motion Comic / #3 by VeltRose (Boom! comics)

Video: Lego Buffy - Kendra Questions Buffy's Dating Criteria by Trevor Carlee

Video: Anya’s Speech from Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Live Performance by Ashley Valigura

Fanvid: BTVS - Bad Bitches by Rachel Fox

Fanvid: First Kill x Buffy - [Love into a Weapon] - trailer music video by Fangtazya (Buffy/Angel)

Fanvid: Buffy and Spike - Everybody's Fool by T

Fanvid: Spike and Buffy | Wicked Game [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] Their Full Story by HdEditsAM

Fanvid: Spike | Bones by lozzycreation z

Video: BTVS || I'M A SLAYER. ASK ME HOW ||HUMOR by ZNellyZ

Slideshow: Buffy The Vampire Slayer but it's Synthwave by Polyphonic Paul (AI-generated)

Slideshow: Buffy The Vampire Slayer as an 80's Dark Fantasy Film by Doon Valley (AI-generated)

Slideshow: Buffy the Vampire Slayer as an 80s Dark Fantasy Film by Uncanny Rabbit (AI-generated)

[Reviews & Recaps]

BtVS Rewatch - Season 7 : part 2 of the Storyteller review by PuckRobin

Podcast: What if Buffy was the last vampire slayer in 30... by Dear Watchers: a comic book omniverse podcast(focuses on The Last Vampire Slayer from Boom! comics but also about Buffy and Buffy comics in general)

Video: My thoughts on Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 1 by Retro Bros Podcast

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 - How Angelus and Spike Perfected Whedon's Vampire Philosophy by Pop Culture Patrician

Podcast: Episode 90: Real Me by Myth Taken: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast

[Recs]

Rec: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Magazine - Faith Lehane Poster designed and sold by azulascreech recced by juanabaloo

[Fandom Discussions]

This part of This Year’s Girl killed me by catastrophic-bi-tch

Both 2x06 halloween and 2x07 Lie to Me open with Buffy walking in on Angel talking to another woman by herinsectreflection

Spike being the harbinger of The First by williamthebloodied

The late 90s fashion is a vital part of Buffy by wolfstrong

Anya is older than all the members of the Fanged four combined by neurodivergentdisaster

The First Evil and Pride continued by Nothing13

Top 25 BtVS Episodes by Holden Norgorov

Angel Podcasts by Puzzleheaded-Ad-2644

S5 Wesley pre Illyria … Angry Man child ? by Fanficwriter777

There’s one thing that puzzles me about Amends (S3E10) by Seer77887

Unrequited [Buffy's ILY to Spike] by Civil-Tax-2923

"Becoming" is the ultimate Buffy finale for me by jdpm1991

Who Was The Smartest Big Bad? by AsterialPuppet

Which one-off 𝙨𝙢𝙤𝙡 𝙗𝙖𝙙 would’ve made the best 𝘽𝙄𝙂 𝘽𝘼𝘿 ? by AsterialPuppeAsterialPuppet

Season 7 Giles was not bad writting by CathanCrowell

Recasting Buffy Season 2 by SeriouslyNotSerious2

Theology of Buffy by Ajacentmagic

I think I figured out why Buffy didn't get a salary by BookerTea3

Would the Initiative have figured it out without Jonathan [in Superstar]? by BPD-and-lipstick

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[thetoychronicle-blog]

Super7 x Michelle Valigura Ceramic Kaiju

Sculpter Michelle Valigura, know for her elite work with ceramics, takes on the all time iconic kaiju characters and gives them her own interpretation in the form of ceramic work. All this courtesy of Super7. The ceramic kaijus made their debut at a special artist event at the Super7 San Francisco store last weekend. You can…

Super7 x Michelle Valigura Ceramic Kaiju was originally published on The Toy Chronicle

[supernutellastuff]

The Devil is in the Details: Chapter 2

So this is a follow-up to the Daredevil AU I wrote for @realynn8 for the Klaroline Vacation Gift Exchange 2018. Since I had so much fun writing the first part, and the reviews were encouraging, I’ve decided to turn it into a multi-chapter fic!

Now that I’ve finally figured out the plot, here is chapter two (with a bonus Klaus POV!)

Summary: After successfully taking down a gang of human traffickers, Caroline makes another bargain with the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

.

.

Her apartment's shitty—not that Caroline has many options on a reporter's salary—but it has a tiny balcony and on days like this that more than makes up for living in this smelly, crime-ridden neighbourhood. Caroline braces her elbows against the railing, enjoying the rare evening breeze. It takes two tries to get the lighter flickering but she finally manages to get her cigarette lit. She was technically supposed to have quit, but she figures she deserves one after her success.

The Ukrainian gang had been busted courtesy the coordinated efforts of Caroline and a certain devil-horned vigilante. She had written up an investigative piece detailing their human trafficking ventures for the Bulletin, while Daredevil had gone after the gang members themselves, finally dropping their leader, all tied up with a bow, at the cops' doorstep. Caroline had no clue how he managed to do this single-handedly but then again, there was something special about him. She'd seen it with her own eyes when he'd rescued her from Kai, the sleazy arms dealer.

Caroline inhales, savouring the nicotine burn. Her eyes adjust to the dim light and all of a sudden, she realises someone's on the balcony with her.

"I hate it when you do that," she grumbles, not turning her head.

A low chuckle greets her.

"You know I was just thinking about you," she says, absently tapping out the ash in a flowerpot. Yikes. The long-dead plant had been a gift from Lexi. She mentally apologizes to it.

"Oh, were you?" He steps closer. She feels his eyes tracing the movement of her throat while she takes a languid drag.

"Just wondering if you’ll go back to your usual patrols now that the Ukrainians are in jail. Mrs. Fell downstairs was almost mugged last night, you know. You’re slacking.” Caroline faces him, a slight grin playing on her lips.

“I was busy.”

“Not busy enough to be scaring girls half to death on their balconies, apparently. What are you doing here? Article’s been published. Valigura is behind bars.”

“Actually, I have another proposal for you,” says Daredevil in his deep voice. It’s obvious he puts on an affect because there have been times Caroline has almost caught it slipping; but real or not, his voice, especially paired with the way he cocks his head, is oddly compelling.

“I’m listening.” She grounds her cigarette and crosses her arms.

“Valigura and his crew left behind a vacuum. The Japanese have stepped up. Drugs, obviously, but they’re planning on escalating to something much, much bigger. I’m trying to find out what, and to stop them before they can.”

“And you want my help?”

“Just like last time. I get to keep the neighbourhood safe, you get the by-line.” There’s that flash of a smirk again. Caroline’s tempted to agree immediately. But. As much fun it was exchanging bits of intel and incriminating photographs with the vigilante, it was Daredevil who’d set the terms. It was him who always contacted her—whether she was at her house or out on the streets—dropping down from the sky like a silent angel. It was he who controlled the flow of information.

Caroline takes her time answering. He stands absolutely still besides her, betraying no visible signs of impatience.

“Okay. But on one condition. After we’re done, I get to interview Daredevil for the Bulletin.”

She can’t make out his expression but if the stiffening of his body is any indication, he is completely taken aback. He tugs at the collar of his suit. Caroline’s face is carefully, totally blank—inside she’s fervently hoping he agrees. She’s upped the ante of their deal but the fact is she needs him more than he needs her. Alaric loved her expose on the Ukrainians but one article isn’t enough for a promotion. That’s just not how print media work. She’s expected to prove herself consistently if she wants to be a serious journalist.

“Why?” is what he asks.

“Because you’re putting yourself out on the streets every night, doing a thankless job no one asked you to. And I- the readers want to know why. They want to know about the man behind the mask. Not literally, obviously,” she adds, sensing his hesitation. “I mean, it’s fine that I don’t know who you actually are. I’m not gonna pry.” Yet.

Daredevil nods. “It’s a bargain.” He sticks out his hand. Caroline takes it, feeling the gentle pressure of his fingers. Impulsively, she flips his hand over and runs her tips over the expensive leather, examining the skillful stitching.

“Did you do all this on your own?”

He snatches his hand back. “I have a guy,” he replies gruffly. And Daredevil disappears the way he’d arrived, a warm shadow in the night.

Read more on ao3.

[virtuogenix]

#VGXWmagazine May 2022 is now available via MagCloud On the cover: #Photographer: @tanyalepp Model: @ksenomm #MakeupArtist: @o.mariage Wardrobe: @za_za_fashion Accessories: @schtuchki_vintage The magazine also features images by @liskravskaya x @ozerov_photo, @valiguras, and @deluna_photo For more info and previews, visit out website: http://virtuogenix.online/vgxw-magazine https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd-wk7Us2I9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[blairemclaren]

Keith Valigura Death - Obituary | Keith Valigura Dead - Passed Away

Keith Valigura Death – Obituary | Keith Valigura Dead – Passed Away

Keith Valigura Death – Dead,  Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death, Passed Away: On January 22th, 2021, InsideEko Media learned about the death of Keith Valigura through social media publications made on Twitter. InsideEko is yet to confirm Keith Valigura’s cause of death as no health issues, accident or other causes of death have been learned to be associated with the passing. This death has caused…

[rotofugi]

We have decided that it’s in everyones best interest if we cancel the opening reception for our new exhibit with Nellie Le that was scheduled for this coming Saturday. We will still be hanging the new exhibit and will have an online preview (sign up at http://previews.rotofugi.com for first notification) but having a gathering at this point seems a little irresponsible. Our store and gallery in Chicago will remain open normal hours for the time being, but that may very well change as things develop. 11am-7pm Monday-Friday and 10am-6pm Saturday-Sunday. We have an online store at http://rotofugi.com and the option to either have items shipped or made available for in store pickup. Your support during this difficult time is certainly appreciated. —— Get ready for a cute overload when our March exhibit featuring the works of LA-based artist and illustrator Nellie Le opens! Born in 1986 and raised in the suburbs east of Los Angeles, Nellie grew up watching mid-century Disney shorts which had a huge influence on her work today. She works mostly in gouache and acrylic gouache in a color palette influenced by the colors of her childhood. Nellie has worked under two more of our favorite artists, Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura, and in fact it was at a party at their home where we first met Nellie a few years ago. —— Play All Day New Works by Nellie Le  March 21-April 12, 2020 BYOB Opening Reception CANCELLED —— Exhibit continues through April 12, 2020. Sign up for gallery previews at http://previews.rotofugi.com for first chance to purchase artwork. @heynelliele #art #newcontemporary #popart #contemporaryart #painting #popsurrealist #popsurrealism #popsurrealismart #chicagogallery #hifructose #juxtapoz #kawaii #kawaiiart #kawaiiartist #cuteart #cuteartist (at Rotofugi Designer Toy Store & Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zJn0En-JL/?igshid=sow0mmyhi1i1

[attract-mode-collective]

Is It Time For A Switch?

No, not talking about the Nintendo Switch. And no, I don’t have one yet; Breath of the Wild still works fine for me on the Wii U. Wouldn’t mind the ability to play Sonic Mania on the go, though these days I’m mostly at my girlfriend’s, where she has a PS4, and that’s good for the time being as well.

Now, what I actually mean is another switch in format. Or should I say, a rolling back? The deal is this: the Attract Mode blog recently had a format change, and the current iteration is Version 2.75 as I call it (everything’s explained here, somewhat). And some people have enjoyed the jam packed game culture round ups! But not everyone.

Hopefully some of you might recall my ideas for putting the Attract Mode Twitter account to better use. So if you haven’t done so already, please head on over and cast your vote! Am basically interested in seeing if I should stick to the program or go back to the previous approach… back to Version 2.5, I guess?

Or perhaps create an in-between of sorts, like a Version 2.6 maybe? I’m personally fond (and proud) of the round ups when all is said and done, but not so much the process. Plus some are finding them exhausting to go through as well, which means some cool sh*t is potentially going unnoticed.

Like, if this post was the part of the said sensory overload, the latest collab between Amanda Visell & Michelle Valigura might possibly be lost in the shuffle. Also, as most can tell, the plan to publish every Monday or Tuesday hasn’t exactly panned out, so who knows if the Alice in the Tulgey Wood arcade set would even be available once I finally found the time for the next installment?

There’s also the Alice's Mad Tea Party arcade set…

And the Alice, Who RU arcade set…

… There’s only three left of the last two sets! BTW, the image at the very top is courtesy of nintendu. And one more thing: if you want to help choose the direction of the blog, but don’t have a Twitter account, just leave a comment below!

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.

[spankystokes]

Amanda Visell & Michelle Valigura continue their amazing partnership, the duo's "Poopasus + Rider" set is back, their interpretation of the winged Pegasus returns in the below-pictured "Glow-in-the-Dark" color scheme. Giving a sly backwards glance, the 6 × 2½ × 4¾ inch "Poopasus" beast is eyeing a pellet of its own, um, well… you know. Of course the little girl character, the "Rider," is not only attired in a Pegasus costume but she's holding one of those ball-shaped feces. Limited to 15 pieces in this blue GID rendition is available right now in the myswitcheroo online shop, so make sure to grab one of these $90 sets before they're gone. http://ift.tt/2wCVsEk

[red-mafia-rpg-blog]

Gregor ValiguraVolkov || Brotherhood  || The Tempest

TAKEN | OPEN |

Face-claim: Jon Bernthal Age: 39 Occupation: N/A Nationality/Ethnicity: Russian

PERSONALITY

Enneagram: The Challenger Alignment: Neutral Evil MBTI: ENTP

+ Incorruptable, Principled, Venturesome

- Callous, Caustic, Pugnacious

From a young age, Gregor has always been somewhat of a rebellious, reckless child that enjoyed provoking fights and stirring up trouble. This behaviour reached its peak once he was taken in by the military and trained among his new comrades, topping in what others might call self-destructive tendencies. Along with that, he has always been carrying somewhat of a cynical and bitter attitude towards society and life in general, but paired with a sense of humour — possibly rather bizarre — it made for a person that acted much like a jerk but could be tolerated once you got to know him.His first actual love and later wife was the one to slow Gregor down for a while and heal him from what he has endured. Still, he would not let go of his reckless demeanour completely, but slowly turned into a considerate parent who cared about his wife and son more than his own life. The events of the war and of the aftermath, however, especially with the consequences of the Secret Police trying to recruit him, seemingly destroyed the glimpse of hope and happiness his wife had sown and cherished so carefully.Now, Gregor has turned into somewhat of an irascible person that only ever seems to come to life when in a fight with fists to his nose or stomach. He does not do emotions except for anger, wrath and rage, making his core identity. Underneath it all, however, he never quite let go of his parental instincts and is subconsciously always looking for a family he seeks to protect. Even though he refuses to acknowledge that to himself, this is mostly the reason why he ranked up so quickly in the Brotherhood and makes such a strong commander of support. He subconsciously sees all of his trainees, the people who belong to his syndicate in general, as family and whoever threatens to harm them… well, better think twice if it is worth the trouble.

BIOGRAPHY

Not even born yet, the mention of Gregor only brought up resentment. His father being no less a man than Pyotr Valigura, third Pakhan of the Valigura Bratva, an infamous, old and strong brotherhood, there wasn’t a place in the world for a mistake made by one of Moscow’s most powerful men: a bastard son; a problem originating in a random one-night-stand with a random barista after a random amount of alcohol. So a plan was counted up to clean Pyotr off his mistake before his fellow Valigura could find out. However, as his confidant arrived at the barista’s house to get the job done, nice and quickly, they found it abandoned, the expectant mother having disappeared off the face of the earth, or so it seemed. Her sister-in-law had taken her in while her husband was fighting at the front in the First World War, but knowing that she couldn’t hide from the brotherhood forever, she gave Gregor up for adoption.

The baby boy was taken in by the Volkovs, a family name well-known with his adoptive father a man close to Stalin. His parents never kept it a secret to Gregor that they’d adopted him — even though unaware of his true origins —, but this knowledge didn’t make a change about their family bonds. A few years into his childhood, he was promised to live a comfortable life, enjoying the family’s money and respect. These visions were rapidly shattered, however, when soldiers broke into their home one night, dragging their father away and sending them to Gulag, claiming he’s betrayed the Soviet Union. While Konstantin was eaten up by the shame and hatred for his father, Gregor distanced himself from the latest events.

He wasn’t my father anyway.

However, he couldn’t close his eyes from the truth that the family was left with no money or power, no future for the two boys. His mother, in her despair, sold herself to the men her husband had interacted with, only worsening the life they were forced to lead. Gregor and his younger brother were left to their own demise, somehow had to weave their way through life, until one day they saw the soldiers again.

This time, they were coming for the boys. With tensions rising in Europe and a new war seeming possible only few years after the massive failures in the Russian Empire’s participation in the First World War, the military hungered for new recruits. In memory of the family’s past, the Volkov brothers were to be moulded into perfect little soldiers, cleaning their name under the Soviet flag.

Konstantin had always been more of a reclusive boy who works hard a quiet and stayed out of the trouble for the better part. He had a mission, an aim to achieve: wash himself off of his father’s shame. Gregor, on the other hand, wasn’t driven by anything resembling that honourable motivation. In fact, he didn’t have a clue what to do with his life, was bored to death by everything, and just gasping for a little thrill. He ended up throwing himself head first into conflicts at every chance, more often than not needing his brother to bail him out of the fights again. Early into the training at the military, it was obvious that Gregor didn’t excel at hand-to-hand combat or short ranged weapons. But oh boy, when he first laid hand onto a sniper rifle. Sharpshooting quickly became his speciality. Finally, he was able to define himself over something, distance himself from the others, and so he’d spend hours and hours of practicing until there wasn’t a target he couldn’t hit, no matter the distance, his positioning, its movements or the wind. He also developed quite a fascination for explosives of all sorts — bombs, grenades, mines, missiles — but the rifle would always stay his weapon of choice.

Only two years before the outbreak of the Second World War, Gregor met the love of his life, Ana Matkin. A quick wit embedded into a stunning dark-haired and blue-eyed beauty, she completely threw his world upside-down, and in a head-over-heel decision somewhat mirroring his way of life, they got married and moved in together. By the time, Gregor almost broke contact with his brother. He was finally having it all: a loving wife, an adorable son, a life everyone was striving for. There simply wasn’t a place for Konstantin and the constant reminders of their past.

However, as war broke out, Gregor saw it coming and only waited for the day he and his brother were sent to the front. They fought side by side, had each other’s back, made sure to, one way or another, drag their sibling along and get them to safety. They made quite a team to be reckoned with. Until a mission in Germany went wrong, a trap, perhaps, Gregor doesn’t remember, but they got separated.

Gregor barely made it out alive and back to the camp where he was greeted with a simple “No” to his yet unspoken request. He tried to reason with the officer in charge, screamed at him, shouted, threatened him even, but all he was offered was a trip back to Moscow. Not just once, they told him that Konstantin as probably dead by now and if he wasn’t, God may have mercy on his soul. Gregor refused to let it end this way, and single-handedly slipped back behind enemy lines, only accompanied by a few comrades that couldn’t stand him so much but did it for his brother.

On a mission that should’ve meant certain death for each and every one of the soldiers, they infiltrated the Germans, found out where they were keeping Konstantin and delivered him from captivity. They never talked about what they did to him in those weeks, but he’s never been the same afterwards. Neither was Gregor, though, and when he finally returned to his wife and his son, eight years of age by then, he and Konstantin lost sight of each other and wouldn’t keep up any form on contact in a long while.

Processing the war, Gregor became quieter, calmer, but also more aggressive when provoked. Unable to talk about his emotions and claiming that no one could ever understand him anyway, he bottled up his anger, feeding that swelling hatred inside his stomach over the officer who had let down Konstantin just like that. After all that he’s done for his country. More and more frequently, Gregor would disappear down the basement for a couple hours, punching rough, solid stone walls until his knuckles broke and bled. Now that he’s witnessed it once, he couldn’t make the injustice unseen that loyal Russians like Konstantin and him, who had bled for their country, had to suffer.

Even though he desperately tried to ignore everything politics, the regular reports of how Stalin treated his people, the ones he should actually protect and care for, burnt a mark into Gregor’s heart. Ana was quick to realise the change of mind her husband was going through, trying to silence his rebellious, traitorous remarks about their government, but with no success.

Hardly a year back in Moscow, the secret police, hiding their true identity from him, of course, contacted him with an offer: either join them and go on mission for the Soviet Union in order to stabilise the country and preserve peace, or have them slaughter his wife and his son and all of his beloved ones. If only he knew who he was dealing with, maybe he would have decided differently. But then again, he’s always been somewhat of a bullethead, clinging onto his own principles way too strictly. And perhaps, too, he wanted to dare them to act on their thread.

Well, they did. A couple weeks later after he almost forgot about the strange encounter that had made him laugh for the first time in a long period, Gregor returned home from a run late in the evening and found the remains of his wife spread in their living room; crimson red had soaked into the furniture, covered all of the walls and read a barbaric note on the wall: Save your son.

He’s seen a lot while at the front; comrades carrying their own guts as they stumbled in shock, and others having their skin melting off their faces from the heat of an explosion. It was fair to say he had become inured to horrifying sights, but that scene that was presented to him in his very living room, made him double over and empty his stomach onto the carpeted floor. It was a moment of weakness, bare seconds, but a warrior doesn’t mourn the dead until the war is over. And so he pushed himself onto his feet, went for the sniper rifle he was carefully stowing beneath his bed, and climbed onto his home’s roof. They couldn’t be far, he hoped.

Yet he was surprised when he made out two silhouettes in the dark; a dark figure dressed all in black and his little Tad with his unmistakeable blonde locks being dragged to a car. Having a rough idea just which organisation he was dealing with, Gregor knew what awaited the boy; pain and torture and the fact that he was only nine years old wouldn’t make a difference to his capturers. So he raised the rifle, aimed and felt his finger sliding onto the trigger like it had countless times before. He wasn’t shaking, he wasn’t trembling, he was as calm as he’s trained to be. Gregor exhaled and a shot echoed from Moscow’s walls.

Completely numb, zoned out even, he watched as Tad went down, but much more interesting was the reaction of his capturer. He knelt down, almost as if in despair, hands clenched tightly onto the kid, holding him as he shook, fighting for his last breaths. The man raised his head, staring directly to Gregor’s spot on the roof. And even though he keeps telling himself that his mind must’ve fooled him, Gregor still believes to have seen all too familiar blue orbs reflecting his own pain.

After the events of the night, Gregor ended up where his story had started way back; joining the Bratva for good. He had grown numb to pain and emotions. Only hatred and wrath, bottled up deep inside, kept him going, made him get up the morning. He proved his loyalty and value to the brotherhood not only once or twice, but over and over again until he was promoted to rank 3, training officer. The trainees that had been assigned to work with him, utterly hated every second of it, but he taught them everything he learned from the military, war and his years in the tunnels. If they survived his training, they’d survive anything.

Only a few weeks back, their Pakhan found a special interest in Gregor and shortly after, he was promoted to the position of commander of support. Even though he told him it was the reward for his exemplary qualifications and achievements, Gregor can’t shake off the feeling that there’s more to it.

[thetoychronicle-blog]

Wooden EWOKs By Amanda Visell x Michelle Valigura Online Release

Wood n leather makes our bones weak! Missed out on DesignerCon over the weekend and wanted those adorable one of a kind EWOK wood sculptures by Amanda Visell & Michelle Valigura! Have no fear as Amanda have just launched them online! Each one is different. They vary in size and shape (that’s what she said, Ha) all picked…

Wooden EWOKs By Amanda Visell x Michelle Valigura Online Release was originally published on The Toy Chronicle

[aguila81]

Alice and the black rabbit in wonderland. par AGUILA81 Via Flickr : "Black Rabbit Alice" from Switcheroo by Amanda Visell and Michelle Valiguera. Hand sculpted, hand cast, hand painted resin figure. Limited Edition of 25.

[goalhofer]

2019-20 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies Players By Nationality

American: 1 (Jack Tucker)

Canadian: 22 (Alex Arsenault, Thomas Belzile, Justin Bergeron, Loic Bergeron, Alex Beaucage, Kevyn Brassard, Louis-Filip Cote, Jeremy Duguay, Zachary Emond, Mathieu Gagnon, Tristan Gourdeau, Olivier-Luc Hache, Mickael Hebert, Tyler Hinam, Samuel Johnson, Nathan Kelly, Alex Labbe, Ryan MacLennan, Vincent Marleau, Samuel Regis, William Rouleau & Jacob Squires)

Slovakian: 1 (Adrian Valigura)

[unbreakablepodcast]

138. Operation Valor with Sean Valigura

Operation Valor is a non-profit whose mission is to support veterans in need.  This year, we are once again going to kick off our celebration weekend with our huge charity benefit dinner and live auction!! Come out and join us Thursday, October 24th at 7:00pm at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, TX. The doors will open at 6:00 for VIP ticket holders to mingle with our speakers, celebrity guests and staff.

Operation Valor sign up

Moderation is for cowards!