#at least pollen hasn't been an issue

[museofvoid]

went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago for an allergy test since i was suspecting i’m allergic to dust mites. turns out i am, though very lightly, not at all as much as i had thought

but they apparently tested for other allergies too and i’m surprisingly allergic to birch pollen :0

[bhaalbaaby]

been writing for today while working 🤭 so here's another wip to hold people over for day 9: breath play, sex pollen/fuck or die, anal toys with halsin :")

"You touched the plant didn't you?" He's angry but more concerned.

You shrug as you back at the plant. "On accident… I feel so…" You don't want to talk, you want to mount him. Halsin grimaces as he gathers your basket and takes your hand. "I think I have an antidote in my quarters, but you must walk and you must behave."

Why are these words turning you on? You bite your lip as you nod, trying to concentrate on walking without keeling over. The friction of your legs swishing back and forth is enough to make you cry.

Halsin doesn't slow his walking, practically dragging you through the grove. Oh, my Gods! You might come before you even get there. You try to concentrate on the least sexy thing your mind can think of, the gruel Okta makes, however, your mind imagines her naked, her soft breasts gently knocking against each other. You grimace at the thought, but you're still so turned on.

He barely acknowledges the other druids when you're in the hideaway. They give you strange but mocking expressions. They know what happened.

Halsin locks the stone door once you arrive to his quarters. He's so handsome, his defined muscles on his arms. He lets you sit on the stone bed as he searches for the antidote. You feel so hot in your clothes, so sweaty. You can't sit still any longer than you have. You peel off your shirt and trousers until you're in your panties. You're surprised Halsin hasn't noticed as he curses to himself, thinking about where he put it.

Your hands have a mind of their own as you squeeze your breasts, taking off your bra. The air is even too much, and your nipples are so hard and sensitive. You let out a moan as you drag your hand down to your panties. You should be embarrassed that you ruined them, but instead of you're so caught up with your need to come. Your tail swishes from side to side as you lie back on the bed, your legs spread as your fingers quickly thrust in and out. You need something more, more. You close your eyes as you massage your breast, working your fingers. You moan as your legs twitch.

Halsin stops, frozen in his tracks as he finally is aware of the situation, of what is happening. You look over at him, your mouth dry. "Please, please fuck me. I need you. Badly." You cry out, rocking your hips against your hand.

He hesitates as you rest your head on the pillow behind your head. "You really need the antidote." Halsin's voice breaks as he tries to keep his calm, watching as you writhe. His eyes dart around as he tries to look but your cries of passion are getting louder. He grimaces as he steps closer. "If we're quick, you'll be sated enough for me to find the antidote." Halsin pulls his pants down, his cock just as you expected, thick and long. "But you'll need to be quiet."

Your eyes flicker up to his as you nod, "Yes, yes. I can be quiet. Just. Please." You know you aren't making sense. He knows it too as he strokes himself enough to be hard. You bring your fingers up from between your legs, shocked at how soaked they are. You would have no issues with fitting him. He grabs your hips, dragging you over to the edge as he holds you up. Your eyes meet as you bite your bottom lip as he removes the ruined fabric from your hips.

"Thank you, Halsin. Oh Gods thank you." Tears threaten to fall and you can feel his tip against your lips. He rocks his hips against yours, a small gasp escaping his mouth as he leans down, his hands on either side of your shoulder.

You cover your mouth, his cock even better than you imagined, the best you've ever had and he's only just begun. How are you going to be quiet when he's an Adonis?

[isleofdarkness]

Can we have a complete list of all their allergies, including how they discovered them? I imagine on the Isle, someone has died from a severe allergy at least once & nobody ever noticed because they just revived due to the barrier (May Beast rot in Hell).

Oh no, it's so much worse than being revived. See, Isle kids can only die every other Thursday, when Thanatos is allowed to do his job on the Isle. Until he comes and frees their souls, they're just trapped in their bodies. This is why cremation is so popular- a soul can't be trapped in a body if there's no body to be trapped in.

Allergies are a terrifying thing on the Isle. A lot of kids have died to allergies, and those who survive adverse reactions usually don't even know what triggered it, because they don't know what they're eating half of the time. And for the people who had a sibling who died of an allergic reaction (Spider used to have an older brother, Worthless, who died of anaphylaxis,) it's even more terrifying because they know that there might be lethal allergies running in their family, but since they have no idea what triggered the episode that killed their sibling, they have no idea what to avoid in case they might also be allergic to it.

Jay is allergic to cats, mildly. He's always known that cats can cause him to feel weird, the allergies test just confirmed that it wasn't all in his head.

Mal is allergic to iron and holy water, as in anaphylaxis. She's always known- it's a fae thing.

Rose and Ace are both allergic to latex, on the more severe end of moderate. It's not lethal, but uncomfortable to say the least. You do not want to know how they know this.

CJ is allergic to dairy, on the more severe end of moderate. Her anaphylaxis hasn't been life-threatening so far (her throat swells but doesn't completely close,) but it isn't fun. This will not stop her from eating ice cream. She's known since she was around eleven, when it started. Harriet didn't know until CJ was twelve because CJ didn't think it was that important.

Harriet has allergies to dairy, soy, beef, and some legumes and seeds, though her reactions are on the milder side of moderate. She knows because her father has the same allergies and he confirmed that her symptoms were definitely allergic reactions. (None of hers have been tested due to distance issues but she figures if it walks like a duck)

Harry is allergic to peanuts and some beans. It was worse when he was little, but he's grown out of it a bit and his symptoms are relatively mild. He's also got a severe poultry allergy (allergic to consuming poultry, not the birds themselves,) but they think that's probably not "real" and it's just his immune system freaking out after his recent near-death salmonella experience from chicken, and it'll probably go away after a while.

Claudine is allergic to poison ivy. As in she gets an allergic reaction even if she doesn't touch it, even from just the pollen in the air, and she gets a pretty severe allergic reaction- two Epi Pens and 911 and ambulance immediately levels of severe. She learned this during a walk outdoors at Xavier's school, when the pollen from poison ivy caused her face and throat to start swelling. CJ was with her and recognized an allergic reaction, and thankfully she had the Epi-Pens prescribed for her own allergies with her. The reaction kept going once the epinephrine had worn off so she needed to be intubated and put on some serious anti-allergy medications, but she was fine.

Gil is severely allergic to most shellfish- allergic as in two Epi-Pens, 911 immediately, intubation, and as much as a two-week stay in the hospital because the reaction can fuck with his lungs and cause things like pneumonia or bronchitis. He's even allergic to non-crustecean shellfish (like clams and abelone,) and allergic to some types of saltwater fish (like swordfish, even though he's never even seen a swordfish,) though those aren't quite as severe. He found this out while eating dinner at the institute- Remy had made a seafood gumbo from New Orleans, Gil had some, and the reaction was pretty much instant. Thank the gods there were multiple doctors in the room.

Mischa has a mild nightshade allergy- potatoes and tomatoes, mostly, but other members of the family can cause issues if ingested. He just thought his stomach didn't vibe with potatoes, but no, he's allergic to several things. He discovered this during the allergy tests.

Andi is allergic to birch and, because of that, is also allergic to several types of fruits, most of them stone fruits. It's not a severe allergy- Benadryl bad, not Epi-Pen bad- but it still sucks because she likes apples. This was discovered during the allergy tests

Malcolm is allergic to pork, which is fine by him because he doesn't like pork anyway. He's also allergic to cats, which he's far more bothered by, but both allergies are minor irritants.

Ivy is allergic to most imitation animal products- fake leather, fake fur, imitation gator skin, it all causes skin reactions (she does not know what would happen if she ingested it, does not want to know, and why would she ever need to worry about that she's not about to eat pleather.) She's on a few topical ointments to help the skin recover in case of accidental exposure. She's always known (runs in the family,) but now she's learning which ingredients she's allergic to so she can avoid other things that use them.

Veronica and Carlos (and probably Diego, but he can't get tested yet due to distance issues) have the same allergies

Joss is allergic to chlorine. It's mostly a skin reaction but it can be a more serious allergic reaction if she were ever to consume enough chlorine for some reason (like if she were to drink too much tap water, which had chlorine in it.) She's figured it could be a possibility because it's a common allergy in part-merfolk people, so she asked to be tested.

Claudine, Tara, Polina, Nikita, Giles, Gordon, and Mora are all allergic to alpha-gal (red meat allergy.) Polina and Nikita don't have major reactions but the rest can. The Isle has a major tick problem. This was all discovered during the allergy test.

[mwolf0epsilon]

To Heal is to Grow

Summary: Sometimes the healing process coves with some interesting changes.

[Dogma healing arc.]

THIS STORY IS NOW ON AO3

---

"There's nothing wrong with you." They say in that all-too-knowing kindly and patient voice of theirs. The one they used on the newest arrivals who'd only just earned their paint by trial of fire.

It's a tone he's all too intimately familiar with. They had used it often enough when both he and his twin came to them, shrinking in on themselves due to their constant anxiety. The looming terror they felt whenever they considered what may happen to them if they couldn't pass the final test. If it turned out they just weren't good enough to ever leave their stormy nest.

"There has to be..." He responds while his hands rest on his lap. Resting on the much too large gut that's attached to too wide hips and plump chest. Both of which are attached to too round limbs.

All of him as become more than it used to be, and he's not entirely sure he knows how to feel about this. How to explain what it feels like to wake up one day and find his body so... Different from what he remembers.

"The others... They're on the same medication and this hasn't happened to them." He shakes his head, looks up at his older sibling's smiling face, and swallows the nervous lump in his throat. He can feel the way his flesh wobbles from the movement of his Adam's apple and that definitely feels weird now that he's aware of it.

"It doesn't happen to everyone." They insist, clearly at ease with this issue. They seem very sure of themselves that everything is ok despite the proof saying otherwise. "It may seem odd, but not everyone has the same response to the same medications."

"Yes, but we're clones." He adds, brow furrowed and lips quirked downwards in a tight little frown. It's the one thing that hasn't changed about him. The frowning. It still looks the same.

Even so he finds it more difficult to find reason not to smile most days. It's very very odd to say the least. But not unpleasant.

"Rhythm is allergic to gluten." Sponge smiles, and that should be odd too. They never used to smile back when they were still with the 501st. But nowadays he's seen them with a peaceful look on their face, rather than that disgruntled and sour look he'd grown accustomed to seeing them with. "Fox is lactose intolerant. Lich is allergic to pollen, Pretty Boy to tooka fur..."

"None of them have gotten fat without noticing, Sponge..." And he looks back down at his lap and feels the creeping sensation of heat coloring his cheeks at his own blunt statement.

Dogma never imagined gaining weight would be a side-effect his meds might saddle him with. More than half of the Guard Remnant were on the same prescription to help them deal with the scars of their troubled pasts. None of them had filled out the way he had. None of them had so much as mentioned that he'd gotten bigger either.

His body, his appearance, altered without him ever even realizing it was happening in front of his own eyes. And somehow it didn't feel as bad as he thought it should? It was hard to explain...

A small part of him thinks he should be upset, furious even, or perhaps a little horrified that he could be so inattentive.

This part he knows is the one he's tried to bury deep inside himself. The one that was still the foolish soldier who'd been tricked into fighting his own brothers. The one that the 501st had resented so much that they'd found it easy to say the things they'd said about him behind his back. The person he no longer was or ever wanted to be. That Dogma would think he'd let himself go, or might even stoop so low as to call himself a greedy and bloated puffer pig.

Another much bigger part of him thinks he doesn't entirely dislike the situation he's found himself in.

It was no secret that the clones had been starving for the entirety of the war. Their metabolism far too high for them to ever be truly satisfied post-meal. The rations only serving to keep them at the edge of acceptability in terms of nutrition and energy. Visible ribs was the acceptable standard of most foot soldiers. The only padded soldiers had been the ARCs who underwent rigorous gene therapy during their training to get to the appropriate musculature size, and even so he'd seen Fives's ribs on Umbara. His larger muscles well on the way of getting consumed for energy.

Dogma remembers Hardcase once joking that the natborns liked them to stay hungry because it kept them mean and eager for a scrap. Dogma remembers going to bed hungry. Dogma remembers starvation and pilfered snacks that Olly used to steal to keep the Guard fed on particularly bad days.

There hasn't been a day on Epifania where any of them have starved and Dogma is grateful for it. Is happy that he's experienced fullness when his standard had always been that aching emptiness all clones were so familiar with. He felt bad sometimes that only a few of them got to ever be this well looked after. This secure. But that's how things were sometimes.

Life's a bitch and you deal with it. You can't save everyone, only those who reach out.

He's not entirely happy with not realizing he's gained weight. He's a little frustrated he's the one who's antidepressants caused such a noticeable reaction. But he's not as upset as he would have been if this had happened when he was younger. Mostly because now he knows better. Knows this isn't the worst thing that could happen to him.

Dogma is happy. His medication helps making this possible, helps making so many of the things that broke in his head function correctly. The meds are there to help him function and he's happy. What's a little extra weight?

"There's nothing wrong with you." Sponge insists, pushes the plate of cupcakes closer to Dogma's side of the table, and smiles so brightly it makes him smile back.

He doesn't insist that there has to be something wrong. He accepts that he got one roll of the die that's different from everyone else. Decides he'll welcome the change with open arms for once and let himself enjoy the peace.

Dogma takes a cupcake and enjoys his existence.

[broodygaming]

Next game jam brainstorming session GO

Love that this is kinda becoming a thing, at least for me haha. I gotta like, talk it out and I always end up at the end of these rants with a clearer idea of where I want the story to go.

So the next game jam i themed Untamed Wilderness and the bonus challenges kinda boil down to a werewolf vibe. I don't really want to do a werewolf story? I always like to try and twist the vibes a little.

The specific (optional) challenges are

1 - Wild Beast: The protagonist is being hunted by some kind of wild beast, be it an animal or some kind of monster with animal characteristics.

2 - Hunter or Prey: The player is able to evade enemies in some way (for example by running from them or hiding) as well as having the ability to fight back against them.

3 - Feral Rage: There's a scene in the game where someone or something flies into a terrifying rage.

SO.

I've decided I want to write a love story this time, cuz I haven't really done that. And I want it to be some kind of person / non person thing.

My idea boils down to this :

There's a settlement of humans deep in the woods, thinking very like, VVitch, pilgrim, just got to the west coast and there's nothing but wilderness on this mountain type vibe. And maybe there's a REASON this mountain hasn't been populated ~~~

Idk if I want it to be split POV or not. But I think the basic premise is

Younger lady is still living with family and has health issues. She's weak, sickly, coughs a lot and isn't allowed to be outside much. She sits at her window and looks out into the forest and watches the flowers grow in the field near her house.

A FLOWER spirit of some sort, I'm thinking Foxglove, watches her from the field and listens to her plights. She's kind of an outlier, judged for being toxic and invasive etc.

I'd love some kind of ability where the foxglove spirit can take over the bodies of animals through like, magical pollen or some shit. Game mechanic wise I think that'd just be fun, lol. It doesn't make much sense but eh. I thought briefly about her being like a mushroom type spirit but I think the media is chalk full of mushroom type creatures taking over bodies right now (cough cough).

Basically, the flower spirit starts bringing the sickly girl treats or herbs she can use to start getting better or to help her. The girl starts going outside more and is seen running off into the forest and getting magically healthier and healthier. Inevitable bad accusations get thrown. She gets accused of witchcraft or something. Maybe this is too basic, it's used a lot as a trope but it's a GOOD trope so eh, don't fight it I guess haha.

I can just picture a scene where you've had this build of like, useful animal critters you've taken over (like a bat to access this thing up high or a cat to climb this thing or a wolf to run fast etc etc) and then a big final confrontation with the town and pitch forks and fire and she takes over a huge Bear or something.

And ?? Cuz I'm trash, possible sad ending??? I haven't decided. Like what do they go live in the forest together?

I had this scene in my head of like, some choice the human girl has to make. And in a very Life Is Strange way, have the final kiss be locked behind a choice. And the sad choices gets you the kiss. And because the flower girl is a foxglove her kiss is deadly.

I mean in my head she's also like tiny. So idk. IDK. Maybe it's too weird. I'm working it all out. This was helpful, thanks internet void haha.

[bcnes-archived]

"Yeah, I'm not sure about that," he mutters, raising a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Kirk's gotten better about general environmental allergens," meaning McCoy can now send him off on away parties without him and not fear he's going to go into anaphylactic shock because he tried to pick a pretty flower, "but the majority of his reactions are too severe to safely build up an immunity. Continually fighting off an attack doesn't mean you're creating a resistance to it, necessarily."

He pauses at that, lost in thought, drumming his fingers against his arm in rapid succession. Like he's internally debating something before conceding. "Normally I'd hesitate to offer this to anyone but the patient I'm testing it on, but with so much overlap... and you're a doctor," he justifies more to himself than to Smith. "I'd damn well hope you know what you're doing with it. I've got some - let's say they're experimental treatments I've been developing for the last decade or so." After Kirk first got dragged into his sickbay with the charming revelation that he was allergic to the most common ( and effective, because of fucking course ) medications available. With time, and sheer stubborn desperation, McCoy has gone from 'finding a workaround and praying to god' to having put together something more uniquely effective than anything else he's worked with. If he ever gets off the damn ship maybe he can see about properly distributing the blend; for now, it's only used to treat one man in the whole of the fleet. Far from the first highly specific treatment he's been forced to create out there, but one of the most important ( to McCoy, certainly ).

"Your approach for dealing with pollens is fine, I can't imagine that's aggravating you too bad or they wouldn't let you down onto planets to begin with. Unless your captain's a complete idiot," he amends. "But if you'd like to give this a try for your more severe reactions, see if it helps..." at the very least it might decrease the frequency - and the severity of it, and its aftereffects - as well as it's helped Jim. He hasn't wound up down in sickbay for an allergic reaction in months; when he does come in contact with something severe ( or, god forbid, ingests something ) treatment is much quicker and far less intensive. He can't promise no nausea ( Spock complains about it often enough ) due to his genetics, but with slight adjustments that Dr. Smith would understand better than him, even that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

"I can arrange regular communications between the Enterprise and the Ohio, check in to see how you're handling it. Change things around as needed, maybe even develop something a little more tailored to your specific conditions, though I can't promise anything with my schedule being what it is out there. We'll call it a collaboration, if your captain will oblige. It sounds like they value your opinion, at least - good, I'm glad to hear it. As they damn well should. Starfleet would be fending off a lot less crises if those idiots in command would just consult a medical man every once in a while."

A smile curls onto the Klingon's lips as he listens - intently taking a mental note. Being roommates with Jim Kirk must've been an experience , and by the look on his face , one that had its ups and downs. But it couldn't have been that bad , if McCoy had stuck around for this long. Besides , he spoke of Captain Kirk with a fondness that even the feigned tone of annoyance couldn't cut through. ❛ Funny. That's exactly why I'm on the bridge most times , too. ❜ " Valuing his opinion " is one way to put it , but there's no easy way to explain Captain Pin's thought processes.

He nods , attempting to remember it off of the top of his head. ❛ I take an oral desloratadine for pollens whenever I go on planet , and then I have an anti - allergen I take regularly through hypo to try and alleviate some of the effects , if necessary. Try to slowly build up my immunities , if you will. ❜ It hasn't been helping nearly as much as he'd like , though.

[thefalse9]

Euro 2020 Team Previews: Group D

England:

In their first Euros outing in 1968, England finished third, of four teams. They’re still waiting to improve on that. Only Belgium and the old Yugoslavia could claim to have performed better at European Championships without winning one. England have been international football’s big underachievers since 1966, from home-soil heroes to the failed Golden Generation. The Three Lions have won one knockout game in the history of this competition. On penalties. As hosts. I'm not even kidding, look it up. Five years ago, they crashed out to Iceland; as the song goes, we’d seen it all before. What followed, though, was new: it led to a scorched earth rejuvenation of English football, led by some of the greatest minds in the game. Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Marcelo Bielsa all arrived, followed by a cast of club legends making early forays into management. Together, they’ve helped to reshape the country’s tactical make-up into something more modern. An Icelandic volcano turned English football to ash, but from the rubble, something new and exciting has risen from it. There’s hope for the class of 2021. The Three Lions’ current pride isn’t an empty collection of big names – there are still titans of elite European sides, but vitally, there’s a balance that seems to have evaded the national team for 55 years. England finally have defensive midfielders and left-footers. A good grouping of the current XI are captains of their clubs. Importantly, the country’s youth-level champions of recent years are coming of age, giving Gareth Southgate genuine selection migraines. For many, England’s talent reserves are the envy of Europe as many sitting on the bench would have started for other nations competing in Euro 2020. Since 2018, the pragmatism of Southgate’s World Cup semi-finalists has come to the fore: they are prepared to win ugly, even if a squad packed with attacking prowess suggests otherwise. If we're being honest, the 12-month postponement of Euro 2020 may have even worked in England’s favor, too, as so many young Lions have received a year’s extra education before the big tournament. Mason Mount and Phil Foden have developed into legitimate superstars, Reece James looks like one of the best fullbacks in football and this new "Golden Generation" may actually be better than the last. Could the stars align? We haven’t seen a crop quite like this for some time, and while England doesn’t quite expect to win it all, there’s plenty of serious promise.

Euro 2020 may be a bridge too far for Southgate’s squad, but their journey over the last five years shows they’re on the right track. If they can shake off the nation’s tag as perennial underachievers in football, then maybe, just maybe, this fucking thing is "coming home".

Croatia:

In the past three years, Croatia seen a generational shift occur within their national team – never an easy task for a country with so small a talent pool. The situation was hardly helped by Ivan Rakitic’s sudden international retirement last September; the midfielder following forward Mario Mandzukic and goalkeeper Danijel Subasic in saying goodbye to the national team in the aftermath of the sepia-tinged summer of 2018. Yet, still led by Luka Modric’s effortless brilliance, the perennial dark horses remain a strong outfit, albeit a little green around the edges. Some squad members have already shown great maturity in stepping up, particularly 26-year old Dinamo Zagreb keeper Dominik Livakovic, whom has between fantastic between the sticks, and 23-year-old former Everton midfielder Nikola Vlasic. Dinamo’s Mislav Orsic is still floating on air after his stunning hat-trick knocked Tottenham out of the Europa League. Most encouragingly? Manager Zlatko Dalic can also rely upon one player the wider European public has yet to meet: striker Bruno Petkovic. Similar to Olivier Giroud in many ways, the hulking Dinamo centre-forward offers Croatia an important tactical variant as a hulking in-the-box presence amidst a sea of pint-sized technicians. Yet more vital is that Modric, the quintessential captain, who is still playing at the highest level after yet another fine Real Madrid season, isn’t tired of wearing the famed checkered shirt. They'll go as far as his mastery, wizardy, incredible ability and undying passion for his national team will take them. This team is green, but by no means does that mean they're incapable of making a semi-finals appearance. Croatia’s group is extremely demanding because it contains two hosts (England and Scotland) and the reawakened Czech Republic, whose players increasingly recall previous generations. That being said, reaching the knockout stages should not be an issue. The fact that reaching the knockout stage is now the minimum expectation from the Croatian public is proof of just how far this team has come. The big names may lack their forebears’ name recognition, but the talent remains for them to go far.

Scotland:

Don’t let anyone tell you that international football is irrelevant and that representing your country doesn't matter anymore in the age of mega-contracts, "Super Leagues", "Champions Leagues" and endorsement deals. If they persist, point them in the direction of Ryan Christie’s post-match interview with Sky Sports on the night that Scotland finally ended their agonizing 23-year wait to appear at a major international tournament. For about two minutes, the Celtic star did his best to juggle obvious exhaustion, joy and sheer relief while the tears flowed down in his face in an abject display of patriotism that would make even the biggest skeptic struggle to watch without wondering who was cutting onions or who opened the window and let all this pollen into the room. This had been a long time coming. The night of their play-off in Serbia was about as ‘Scotland’ as it gets. Even though Steve Clarke’s side put in a confident, and composed performance against visibly shaken opposition; given the lead through a Christie goal that looked to be enough for victory, Serbian star and all-together disappointment Luka Jovic delivered a sucker-punch equalizer in stoppage time. Long-suffering Scotland supporters at home feared the worst. And, as it were, the Serbians pushed Scotland to the brink in extra time. But Scotland stood firm, then David Marshall secured legendary status among the Tartan Army with a superb save from Aleksandar Mitrovic's effort to settle the penalty shootout at 5-4. Back in Scotland, there was utter pandemonium. Football can’t do much to make up for a year of loss and sacrifice, but it has at least reaffirmed its status as the most important of the least important things. For one night, Christie & company gave their country the gift of a priceless distraction in a year when we needed it most. Scotland’s hard-fought win in Belgrade lengthened their unbeaten stretch under Clarke to nine games – their best run in 44 years. It hasn't been easy, however. Clarke and his management team have had to tweak their system along the way and injuries have forced some previously unheralded players to earn caps. Others have been forced out for resting on their old laurels (sorry Leigh Griffiths), while others have been handed opportunities based on merit and ability (hello, Lyndon Sykes). For all that qualification represented to Clarke, though, he’s too proud for his side to just make up the numbers this summer. They probably won't make it to the next round. They were handed a rough draw this time around and the Czech Republic is a tough out. That said, Scotland is going to fight until they can't anymore. It's what they know.

Czech Republic:

Back in England for another major tournament a quarter of a century after their incredible run to the Euro 96 Final, the Czechs travel to the UK with a buoyant mood and a settled squad. They’re unencumbered by expectation, and bring a team of promising young players and hungry internationals from Europe’s top five leagues, so another underdog showing is the hope for the nation's fans and for manager Jaroslav Silhavy.

Tomas Soucek – he of the granite forehead, man-mountain shoulders and elbows that can be thrown like boulders – and full-back Vladimir Coufal already delivered solid performances for Slavia Prague, but not even the most ardent Czech fan would have expected the level both have reached in West Ham’s excellent 2020-21 Premier League campaign, thus leading both players to capture the imagination and incite the excitement of a country who is beginning to believe this team may have what it takes Meanwhile, the Czechs’ best forward, Patrik Schick – on loan at RB Leipzig last year – has finally sorted out his future by leaving Roma for Bayer Leverkusen. The 25-year-old looks settled at his new club, and by mid-April he had scored 13 goals in 29 appearances for the German outfit. He'll be expected to lead the line, and from all appearances, looks prepared to do so, finally living up to the potential and expectations bestowed upon him at a young age. That being said, no Czech side has ever been about individuals, not even in Pavel Nedved’s era: even in a loaded team, with Karel Poborsky and Vladimir Smicer, the Czechs were more than a one-man show and played united, hard-nosed football, stoked more in pragmatism and a cohesive identity than individual moments of brilliance. Team spirit, tactical preparation, defensive organization and a well-balanced squad tend to trump all when it comes to the Czech squad. Boosted psychologically by their promotion to Nations League A, Silhavy’s troops also know what to expect in this group: they’d already beaten England in qualifying when they pipped Scotland to top spot in their Nations League division. Their football is unlikely to be beautiful, but they will be tough to beat, and with their would-be stars in top-form coming into the tournament, do not be surprised to see the Czech Republic make the knockouts as one of the best Third-Place teams.