#really excited to see them in the playoffs!! sending good vibes

[suburbanbonfire]

Oh my gosh I totally don’t go here (resident leafs dumbass) but your art is incredible!!! I love the style so much!!

THANK YOU!! <3 the tumblr hockey sphere is so fucking great, it's so welcoming i love you all (and leafs are great, I love them too, they just haven't spoken to me artistically yet, you are more than welcome here)

[yourmandevine]

Some stuff that made me happy in 2020, in no particular order

God send you no greater loss. It’s something my grandmother said a lot — a bit of highly Irish Catholic wisdom intended to remind you, warmly but sharply, that whatever you’re currently suffering through isn’t all that bad compared to what lots of other people are dealing with. That it probably isn’t too much to complain about, in the grand scheme of things. That you should, instead, be grateful for what you’ve got, big and small and everything in between.

God sent a great many people a great many unfathomable losses this year, and as hard as it felt at times, our family wasn’t among them; we’re lucky, in the big picture. In the past, people have recommended I try writing those reasons down, to give myself a list of stuff to be thankful for, for the times it’s tough to summon up the gratitude. I figured the end of the year was as good a time as any to make that list, to highlight the stuff that helped me get through this year — the reasons big, small, and in between.

So: here goes.

Peanut butter and jelly

I haven’t counted how many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I’ve eaten since March 11, which is good, because that would be an absurd thing to do, and a sure sign that I have succumbed to a very specific kind of madness. It’s also good, though, because I would undoubtedly be ashamed by the number; the figure would be titanic, like the unsinkable ship of same name, or the iceberg that sunk it.

Or, at least, I would be ashamed under normal circumstances. This fuckin’ year required whatever flotation device you could find, and you know what I found in the fridge and cupboard? A couple of slices of bread, some strawberry jam, and some goddamn Skippy.

Need a weird mid-morning “brunch” after not having breakfast because you went right from waking up to remote school with the 6-year-old? Crank up a PB&J with that third cup of coffee. Need to pack something in the diaper bag to feed everyone while you’re out at the playground for the afternoon? Stack ‘em up, son. Need a late snack after working the overnight shift filing weird bubble playoff columns? Three letters, one ampersand, one love.

I need to eat better in 2021. But I kind of needed to eat sort of like shit to get through 2020, and time and again, when your man needed it most, PB&J was there.

Sunday night Zoom sessions with college friends

I know that most of us started something like this back in March; I’m not sure how many have stuck with it. I hope the answer is “a lot,” because honestly, knowing that I’m going to end the week by seeing a few friends — some here in Brooklyn but mostly beyond our reach for safety’s sake, some who’ve moved away — has felt like a stabilizing agent on more than a few occasions. It’s important, and no small blessing, to have people in your life who really know you, weird messy ugly bits and all, and in front of whom you can let everything go.

That gallery view’s provided a place to vent, to seethe, to laugh, to cry, and to try to find some semblance of center before heading back into another week. I’m grateful for it, and for the people in those little boxes. Except for the time they reminded me that, when I was 18, I was pretty sure I was a Pacey, and they were all extremely confident I was a Dawson. They were right, but still: a bitter pill to swallow, then and now.

Olivia calling herself “Dr. Bloody”

She took out her little toy doctor kit and just turned into a cackling villain.

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Deeply disconcerting, yes, but also adorable.

All Fantasy Everything

What got me in the door was the conceit: three very funny stand-up comedians (Ian Karmel, David Gborie, Sean Jordan), often with a very funny guest but sometimes without, pick some topic or another and engage in a fantasy draft of their favorite aspects or representations of that topic. (It is, crucially, a serpentine draft. Now what is that? That’s a great question.) Some favorite examples: Mikes; Words That You Think Make You Sound Smart, vols. 1 and 2; Things You Yell After You Dunk on Someone; Fictional Athletes; Crimes We’d Like to Commit. Yeah. It’s that kind of podcast.

What kept me around was the friendship. Listen to an episode and it becomes really clear really quickly just how much the three hosts love each other, how much fun they have being around each other and making one another laugh. The warmth radiates, just pours out of the speakers; in a year where I sorely needed some good vibes, I appreciated my regular check-ins with the Good Vibes Gang to just ... unclench for an hour and a half or so. 

Drinking beer

OK, I’ll admit: This doesn’t sound great for me. It’s true, though. I really like beer. (We brewed one in our kitchen, which I realize is something of a “bearded guy in Brooklyn” cliche, but here we are. It was exciting to complete a project, and it tasted OK-ish.) At some points this year, it didn’t feel like there wasn’t much to look forward to, and sometimes drinking some High Lifes or Narragansett tall boys — with my wife in our living room, with friends on the computer, whatever — helped take the edge off a shitty day/week/month/year. I look forward to being able to do that outside with people again.

The Good Place

I am sure some very smart cultural critics and political thinkers and social revolutionaries have forwarded compelling arguments for why this show is Bad, Actually, because that seems to be more or less true about most things, whether because said thing is Actually Bad or because the economics of the attention economy on the internet functionally necessitate the composition and publication of pretty much every position on pretty much every issue, and especially ones that present a counterargument for why you shouldn’t like the thing you like, and might be kind of a piece of shit for liking it. But I liked this half-hour comedy about the way the universe might be put together, why we should try to take better care of each other, and how doing so might be a pretty great way to take better care of ourselves.

Andrew let me write about it a little bit for a big project we did before the series finale aired, which was really nice of him. I found myself thinking about this part a lot this year:

I also thought a lot about Peeps Chili, but that happens every year.

Taking pictures of my dog

Check out this flumpy goddamn champion:

“Lugar is a good boy” is the main takeaway here. They don’t all have to be complicated.

Schitt’s Creek

I know we’re not alone in this, but we inhaled this show this year. A half-hour comedy about people being laid low, learning how to deal with who they actually are, and finding some grace and community and opportunities for growth kind of hit the spot, I guess.

One of the most wholesale enjoyable ensemble comedy casts I can remember; Catherine O’Hara was already in Cooperstown, but what she made with Moira Rose only polishes her plaque. I’ll never be able to describe with any specificity the thing Chris Elliott does, but I know it has made me laugh since I was a child too young to understand the Letterman bits or see Cabin Boy in the theater, and it’s probably going to make me laugh until I am dead.

I love that people who, for years, never got to see themselves or people like them on screen got to see David Rose on screen and maybe recognize themselves a little bit. The idea that seeing the David/Patrick relationship might make them maybe feel a little more at home, a little safer and more whole, makes me happy. Sad, about the before, but happy, about the now and the what comes next.

Past that, I just love how what was ostensibly a family-and-friends production for a Canadian channel just got absolutely everything right—the tone, the look, the sound, the theme song, the cast, the jokes, my goodness, the jokes—and before long, the rest of the world just got it. Like catching a fastball square on the barrel. Something the show clearly knew a little bit about.

Finding new outdoor places it was safe to go

Necessity is the mother of invention, and the need to give the kids a place to be that wasn’t unnecessarily dangerous but also wasn’t inside our two-bedroom apartment led us to do more exploring than we had before. Shirley Chisholm State Park is great. Canarsie Pier was a fun place to spend a Sunday morning; so’s Canarsie Playground. If we got there early enough or made our peace with some rain, the beaches at Jacob Riis Park and Fort Tilden were pretty rad this summer. I lived in Staten Island from ages 8 through 18, and during breaks throughout college, and don’t think I ever hiked in High Rock Park — that’s dumb, because it was nice!

Even if all those little excursions did was kill a little time and reduce the overall stress level of the four humans stuck in our four walls, that’s not nothing. Some days this year, it was everything.

Cobra Kai

I know I’m late here; I didn’t rush to seek it out because I don’t consider myself a huge fan of The Karate Kid, or at least not a big enough fan to sign up for YouTube’s premium service. I checked it out when it came to Netflix, though, and I honestly can’t believe how much I enjoyed this show. Give me “dumb, but with heart” every day of the week.

I believe in Miguel Diaz; I believe in Johnny Lawrence; I believe I will be firing up Season 3 next month, and perhaps drinking some Coors Banquets in its honor. (I cannot, however, believe how the “get him a body bag” thing came back around, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Closing unread tabs

I’m a serial hoarder of links, and I am bad at finishing all of them. I’ve tried to get into Pocket and Instapaper, but I’ve never been able to turn that sort of workflow — open link, save to third-party service, go back to third-party service later to read, then delete from there — into something that felt instinctual, natural, or habitual. So: lots of tabs. Like, lots of tabs.

This was a dicier proposition than usual in 2020, because cutting my work week in half to be able to more effectively coparent two kids who didn’t have school or day care for most of the year meant less time to read things.

I tried to do my best to keep up with the important stuff for work, and to read at least some stuff about how other parents were dealing with their anxiety/anger/depression/frustration at having to be on 24/7 and work, and to stay abreast of (at least some of) what was happening in the world. Sometimes, though, I would wake up and realize I’d been holding onto blog posts about Really Interesting Rotation Decisions on the 11th-Seeded Team in the East or whatever for literally nine months, and I would go against my nature and just hit the eject button on a 25-deep window, and something amazing would happen: I wouldn’t get fired for being shitty at my job. I would move on with my day, and I would feel about 10 pounds lighter.

I still keep too much stuff open. (As we speak, I’ve got three different Chrome windows open on two different laptops. I choose not to count the total tabs.) But I do so knowing that, if it gets too heavy, I can experience the momentary joy of surrendering to the inevitability that I can’t catch everything. In that moment, I feel OK with my decay.

Reading writers I wasn’t familiar with before

Two in particular stand out in my mind: Nekias Duncan, now of BasketballNews.com, who does excellent film breakdowns and statistical analysis, and Katie Heindl, who writes basketball stuff of all types all over the place, and strings sentences together in a way that scratches an itch inside my brain. I’m grateful I got more chances to read them this year, I look forward to bigger and better things for both of them, and I’m hopeful that, if things calm down and our schedules go back to something approximating normalcy, I’ll have more bandwidth to hunt out more new voices in the year ahead.

The time I ambushed my wife as she was trying to break down and put away the girls’ space tent

Pretty good.

Siobhan learning to ride a bicycle (with training wheels, but still)

The moment passed pretty quickly; Not Exactly A Mechanic over here can’t get the training wheels to reliably work right without either loosening them too much or tightening them so much that she can’t pedal it. In that first moment, though, and for as long as it lasted, it was really great to see her get excited about doing something new, big kid shit, for the first time.

She was proud. I was proud of her. And then we went to a playground for a few hours. Pretty good day.

Tyler Tynes roasting me

Tyler did some incredible work this year — The Cam Chronicles is getting deserved praise as one of 2020′s best podcasts, and his reporting on the Movement for Black Lives was exemplary. It’s hard to top this, though:

You know what the messed up part is? I was excited to tell him what I was doing, just because I knew the reaction would be so violent. Like a body rejecting a transplant. So lucky to have such a dear, dear friend.

PUP

I’m late on everything, so I didn’t start listening to PUP until the spring of 2019, but I haven’t really stopped since. This year has been too sedentary too often; this band is too kinetic to allow me to stay there.

“Bloody Mary Kate and Ashley Kate” is never more than about 20 minutes away from returning to the front of my mind. I would fucking love for it to be safe enough to watch these guys live at some point, and I am absolutely going to take Steve up on his offer.

Someone sending me a shirt based on a joke I tweeted

First:

Then:

Then:

I’m not sure you should be rewarding my behavior, SnoCoPrintShop, but I appreciate it all the same.

Which reminds me:

Family dinner/family movie night

My wife works in Manhattan and commutes back on the train, and we've tried to prioritize getting the girls to bed early since they were little, so that doesn’t leave much of a window between when she gets home and they go in the tub for us all to connect; before everything shut down, we almost never really ate together. We’re still not great about it, but for a while now we’ve carved out Saturday as family dinner night, where we sit down to eat and talk about our “up” from the day — something that happened that made us feel good or happy, or something we’re looking forward to. (We used to talk about our “down,” too, but that kind of seemed like overkill. Why try to focus on more bad shit right now, you know?)

Then we settle in for a movie, with who gets to pick rotating each week. It’s mostly been Pixar, which has been great but also has its drawbacks; after she caught me crying during one of them (maybe the Bing-Bong scene in Inside Out? or Miguel singing to Grandma Coco?), Siobhan straight up told me, “You need to get yourself together, man.” We just watched My Neighbor Totoro, too, which they loved, so we’re probably going to try some more Miyazaki soon. It’s a really simple thing, but it’s one we rarely made time for before, and it’s been really nice to manufacture something positive that we can share and look forward to together.

Sometimes looking like a shiftless drifter

No shade to anyone who felt strongly about getting a lineup or whatever, but I haven’t really felt like going to the barbershop was worth the risk, and I continue to refuse to believe that my wife can actually pull off the fade she’s long wanted to give me. (It is also possible that she just means she’s intending to run my fade, and that I will before long wind up cold-cocked and slumped by my bride of nine years.) So I’ve just kind of been growing out my hair like it was when I was single, and sometimes been letting my beard get kind of out of control too, and, well, I sort of like looking a little bit like a Wildling, it turns out.

I have since trimmed things up a little. It didn’t go over well with my youngest. Oh, well. I’ll try to do better next time.

My wife and daughter singing the Pixies

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We don’t know all the words to too many lullabies, so we sing the ones we do know the words to. This will probably come back to bite us in the years ahead. For now, though: Pretty good.

Doughboys’ Tournament of Chompions: Munch Madness: Mac Attack

I can’t believe how invested I became in Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell’s quest to determine the best menu item at McDonald’s in a 64-seed tournament that spawned hours and hours of delightfully funny audio featuring all-time home-run guests like Jon Gabrus and Nicole Byer, who gleefully feed into the often warm, sometimes antagonistic, always entertaining chemistry between the two hosts. I have also never found myself wanting to go to McDonald’s more in my entire life. I have hit the drive-thru a couple of times since, and the boys are right: The McDonald’s fountain Coke does just hit different.

Sound Only

I’ve lost track of whether or not a 38-year-old is considered a millennial, but I’m quite confident that I’m not exactly plugged into “the millennial lifestyle” as my teammates Justin Charity and Micah Peters discuss it on their podcast, which relaunched this summer. Doesn’t matter, though, because I love hearing Charity and Micah talk to each other even if I don’t know what they’re talking about.

Their conversation about Dave Chappelle was great. After listening to their Travis Scott episode, I felt like I kind of understood who he is and why he occupies the space he does in pop culture now. I had no idea how they were going to get me to give a shit about set photos from The Batman, but this they not only got me there, but wended their way toward blaming 50 Cent for needing to know who Groot is to have a conversation on the internet, which is something for which Abraham Lincoln did not die. The show is good, it's getting better, it’s fun to hear them talk their shit, and Charity’s regular bellowing of “I, TOO, AM AMERICA” has made me smile for four straight months. 

Siobhan’s letters and notes

She’s in first grade now, and she’s taken to communicating her feelings through the written word. A lot.

I won’t pretend that I loved all of these in the moment. I can only get so upset, though, when she’s already writing with such a clear voice. (And trying to use proper punctuation. (And drawing little cartoons to drive the point home.)

Palm Springs

I’m having a hard time remembering too many specifics about it right now, which probably means it’d be a good thing to rewatch over the holidays. But, as I’m sure many people noted many months before we got around to watching it, a comedy about living the same day over and over again, and about trying to figure out how to make your life mean something when everything seems meaningless, scratched a pretty particular, and particularly important, itch this year. It could’ve been twice as long, and I would’ve eaten up every second of Andy Samberg and Cristin Miloti together.

I’m pretty sure I cried, although this year, that doesn’t necessarily mean much.  Also, put Conner O’Malley in more things.

Joining our union’s bargaining committee

I won’t say too much about this, but I will say that becoming an active participant in the process of a labor union negotiating its first contract with management has been an extremely educational experience. It’s pushed me to have conversations, sometimes difficult ones, about our priorities as a staff and a company. It's helped me get closer with the other past and present members of the BC, and has led me to start developing relationships with members of our staff that I otherwise might not have had much of an opportunity to get to know.

The organizing work takes time, effort, and energy, but trying to do what I can to help take better care of my colleagues has been well worth all of that. Here’s hoping that in 2021 we can reach a deal that helps make our workplace even better, stronger, and more equitable for all of us.

Publishing a story about Stevie Nicks’ Fajita Roundup

I swear this is true: After I accepted my offer to work at The Ringer, but before I started, I told a friend that one thing I was excited about was that you had the chance to work on offbeat stuff here, in both the “kind of weird” and “not about the NBA” senses. That, I thought, might maybe open the door to me getting to write a story about a Saturday Night Live sketch I saw when I was a teenager about Stevie Nicks from Fleetwod Mac running a cheap Tex-Mex restaurant in Sedona, Arizona — a sketch that I wasn’t sure anyone else remembered, but that was stuck in my head forever.

That story ran on May 26.

A lot of people seemed to like it.

Accomplishing this goal was, as dumb as this might sound, a highlight of my year, and, honestly, a highlight of my career. I’d like to do some more stuff like this next year, time permitting; we’ll see. Whether or not I do, I got to do this. I’ll always have that.

[pacificbigbangblog]

Writer/Artist Pairings!

All right guys, the time has finally come to announce the writer/artist pairs for the Pacific Big Bang 2017! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email us at pacificbigbang@gmail.com or just shoot us an ask!

After each story summary we have included the tumblr url for that story’s writer and artist. (There is an artist who has bravely taken on two stories, due to a drop out. This is not a typo.) Please find your writer/artist and introduce yourself if you don’t already know each other! If you’d rather communicate with your author or artist via email, let us know and we’ll put you guys in touch that way. As the challenge continues, we hope that you’ll become a source of inspiration, motivation and support for one another.

One more thing! Now that claims are over, you can post as much about what you’re working on as you want! Writers, please feel free to post snippets from your stories as you write! Artists, give us glimpses of what you’re working on as your pieces take shape! We’re a small fandom, so the more excitement we can generate about this, the better!

Good luck to everyone, and thank you again for participating! We are really looking forward to sharing this experience with you all!

STORY 1

Writer:  @acesparson

Artist:  @irr-fullmetalheart 

Rating: Mature (some sports violence, possible off-screen death)

Warnings: No archive warnings anticipated to apply.

Main Pairings/Characters: Andrew ‘Ack-Ack’ Haldane/ Edward “Hillbilly’ Jones & Eugene Sledge/Merriell ‘Snafu’ Shelton

Side Pairings/Characters: There may be some other HBO War cameos, but The Pacific will be the main POV.  

Summary: Captain Haldane’s team clinching the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs had almost been a given. Staying in the race was a whole 'nother matter .

Additional Details: Dealing with hyper-masculinity, ambitions & expectations, & queer themes within sports. It’ll be mainly realistic, but this is fictionalized NHL, and through the eyes of an experienced vet hockey player.

STORY 2

Writer:  @waterdeer

Artist:  @baksun-n

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No archive warnings anticipated to apply.

Main Pairings/Characters: Wilbur “Runner” Conley /Lew “Chuckler” Juergens

Side Pairings/Characters: Robert “Lucky” Leckie/Bill “Hoosier” Smith, Lew “Chuckler” Juergens, Sidney Phillips, Ronnie "Kid” Gibson

Summary: Runner is home for the summer after his junior year of college. He’s not excited to go back to his sleepy, tiny town. So far, in the first few weeks, his best friend has been ditching him for this new guy, his parents don’t care about him and haven’t spoken more than two words to him since he came home, and he feels like his life is a dead end. More alone than he’s ever been, he ends up meeting this weird guy from the woods.

Additional Details: Summer Vibes - it’s got the “home for the summer” feel, going out into the woods exploring, summer love kinda feel; Loneliness - Runner is a lonely guy and there’s areas of the story that are sad and down because the story focuses on him; Fantasy - Chuckler is not entirely human (still deciding on what mythical creature he is)

STORY 3

Writer:  @warriorgays

Artist:  @hoosiersblanket

Rating: General or Teen and Up

Warnings: No archive warnings anticipated to apply.

Main Pairings/Characters: Bob Leckie/Vera Keller, John Basilone/Lena Riggi, Ray Person/Brad Colbert, and Josh Lyman/Donna Moss

Side Pairings/Characters:

Summary: Robert Leckie is a reporter with the White House Press Pool. There’s no such thing as a normal day, but today is a particular challenge as Leckie bounces around in an attempt to get an inside scoop–to put a personal face on working in the White House. Will that personal face be his old friend and current Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, grumpy but coffee-addicted special assistant Hoosier Smith, rival pool reporter David Webster, pissed-off mad genius Deputy Communications Director Ray Person, energetic and impossible-to-locate Deputy Press Secretary Chuckler Juergens, the new IT guy known only as Lurch, or the Holy Grail of interviews, Secretary of Defense Lena Basilone and her husband, Head of Secret Service John Basilone? Who knows? In the end, it could be any one of them. Probably not Webster, though. [A crossover with The West Wing.]

Additional Details: Mood is realistic, quick-moving, and snarky, as close to the tone of The West Wing as I can get.

STORY 4

Writer:  @antiquecompass

Artist:  @charlesanthonybruno

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: No archive warnings anticipated to apply.

Main Pairings/Characters: Andrew 'Ack-Ack’ Haldane/ Edward “Hillbilly’ Jones

Side Pairings/Characters: Snafu Shelton, Burgie, and various other cameos

Summary: Andy Haldane leaves his home and job in Boston to help his Aunt Mae run her country store in a small town on the Pennsylvania/Maryland border. He loves his Aunt Mae, her store, and the town he used to spend all his summers in before school and work got in the way. Being back brings up all kinds of memories and sees Andy making quite a few reunions, especially with the Jones family, and particularly the eldest son, Eddie. They’re not kids anymore, but Andy already knows he could fall in love with Eddie Jones all over again.

Additional Details: Pretty much a romance novel, with hardly any angst. Lots of nostalgia as both Andy and Eddie reminiscence about their childhood summers together. Country music is definitely a favorite of the entire Jones family and features in the fic. Many scenes of family and friends bonding. Just a general happy, calm little fic.

STORY 5

Writer:  @bullrandleman

Artist:  @scramjets

Rating: At most, Mature

Warnings: Possibility of some violence. Horror.

Main Pairings/Characters: John Basilone, JP Morgan, Manny Rodriguez

Side Pairings/Characters: John/Lena Riggi, other characters by mention

Summary: The crew of the rebel fighter craftship take refuge on a Class I planet in an effort to escape the Dictatorship hunting party. They need to recoup and repair, patch up some injuries, and send word for help before they’re discovered. The Alliance depends on the plans they’ve stolen. But the planet is Class I for a reason. The ghosts that inhabit are ancient and angry, and the crew are faced with the decision of exposing themselves for help, or dying.

Additional Details: Very mild crossover with Changi, though it’s not necessary to have watched the series, and it’s not a huge aspect of the story. I’m happy to answer any questions regarding this aspect.

STORY 6

Writer:  @spoondragon

Artist:  @ramimalekeyes

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Prostitution/Sex work, Period-typical Language and Attitudes, Mention of Childhood Abuse (physical), Possible Mentions of Drug Use (OC’s), Off-Screen Death of OC

Main Pairings/Characters: Eugene Sledge/Merriell “Snafu” Shelton

Side Pairings/Characters: Sid Phillips, RV Burgin, Bill Leyden, Jay De L’Eau, Sledge family

Summary: After the war, Eugene gets dragged to a brothel during Sid’s raucous New Orleans bachelor party. While there, he runs into a familiar but wholly unexpected face.

Additional Details: Featuring prostitute!Snafu, jaded post-war!Eugene, misunderstandings, love letters, road trips, a wedding or two, family drama, learning to love yourself and learning to accept the one you love.

STORY 7

Writer:  @ramimalekeyes

Artist:  @generoes

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Issues of Consent, Implied/Referenced Prostitution, Homophobia, Religious Themes

Main Pairings/Characters: Merriell “Snafu” Shelton/Eugene Sledge

Side Pairings/Characters: Merriell “Snafu” Shelton/Orginial Male Characters

Summary: After the war, a dispirited Shelton returns to the life he left behind to find a man looking to take what Shelton owes him. In the chaos of trying to settle debts, Eugene shows up at his door to confront him about how they parted ways and comes face to face with the men threatening Shelton’s life. Through quick thinking, Eugene earns them some time to make an escape but also complicates everything further. On the run with Eugene, Shelton is forced to deal with his feelings for him while they both try to stay alive.

Additional Details: Dark tone and Ominous mood. Aesthetic? Southern Gothic meets Drive.

STORY 8

Writer: @bornearliernix

Artist:  @joeliebgottmyheart

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, very vague mentions of sex

Main Pairings/Characters: Eugene Sledge/Merriell “Snafu” Shelton

Side Pairings/Characters: Sidney Phillips

Summary: Eugene Sledge and Merriell Shelton board a train, both headed to homes they haven’t seen in years. In a last effort to bring some familiarity with him, Eugene asks Merriell to come with him to Mobile- at least until he’s settled in. Despite his instincts telling him to leave every part of the war behind him, Merriell does.

Additional Details: This work would best be described as melancholy, reflective, and cautiously hopeful.

STORY 9

Writer:  @ackackh

Artist: @muminbarn

Rating: Mature (for language and non-explicit sexual content)

Warnings: No archive warnings anticipated to apply.

Main Pairings/Characters: Eugene Sledge/Merriell “Snafu” Shelton

Side Pairings/Characters: Andy Haldane/Eddie Jones, Robert Leckie/Hoosier Smith, Sidney Phillips, Bill Leyden, R.V. Burgin, Jay De L'eau, Chuckler Juergens, Runner Conley

Summary: When the Earth’s Sun began to die, most people decided to get the hell out of dodge. But others stayed, determined to stick with their only home until the very end. Thousands of years later, when the Sun had gone and taken most of Earth’s life with it, five men were sent on a mission to go back and study the home mankind left behind. But upon arrival, they were faced with the impossible: a boy in overalls.

Additional Details: Rural Science Fiction, Finding Beauty in Science, Some Rural Fantasy Elements, Space, Themes of Existentialism and Humanity, Soft and Colorful Characters/Settings

STORY 10

Writer:  @moontowers

Artist:  @red-hot-moon

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Period-Typical Attitudes, Canon-Typical Violence

Main Pairings/Characters: Merriell "Snafu” Shelton/Eugene Sledge

Side Pairings/Characters: Sidney Phillips, others probably

Summary: AU where Sledge and Snafu meet as teenagers in Alabama and grow closer in spite of themselves. War looms, but in the heat of summer 1941 it still feels as distant and inconsequential as thunderstorm, the kind that blows up in the afternoon and spins out by dinnertime. Eugene gets this feeling when he looks at Merriell and that…feels like a bigger fish to fry.

Additional Details: Magical Realism, Friends to Lovers, Pre-Canon

STORY 11

Writer:  @armypeaches

Artist:  @irr-fullmetalheart

Rating: Teen and Up (for language and canon-levels of violence)

Warnings: While there won’t be anything sexual in this story, I will warn that the actual werewolf biting is non-consensual (the other guys have zero knowledge or warning before the event, and the results of that drive some of the plot), just in case that turns anybody off.

Main Pairings/Characters: No pairings, but a lot of homosocial behavior.

Side Pairings/Characters: Leckie, Chuckler, Runner, and Sid

Summary: Hoosier has never had any interest in turning someone else into a werewolf. He has also never been in a war zone before. When faced with the option of giving his friends a better chance at survival, he barely thinks about it before taking action. He should have given it more thought though, because now they’re all tied to each other forever, through instincts and injury, war and separation, and whatever comes next. Together, they’re all going to learn what it means to be a pack – whether they like it or not.

Additional Details: Team Leckie canon-era werewolf AU. Story will closely follow the events of the miniseries through a werewolf lens. The narration will follow Hoosier (other pack members are Leckie, Chuckler, Runner, and Sid).

STORY 12

Writer: @wolfandwildling 

Artist:  @liebgotts

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: No archive warnings anticipated to apply.

Main Pairings/Characters: Edward “Hillbilly’ Jones/Andrew 'Ack-Ack’ Haldane

Side Pairings/Characters: Bob Leckie/ Bill “Hoosier” Smith (plus possibly references to extremely minor other pairings)

Summary: It’s Eddie’s last months of high school and all he wants is to have a good time with his friends on the soccer team and maybe win the trophy at the end of the season. However, changes in how players are grouped shake up the team as five new guys take the spots of old teammates. Instead of being a distraction from Eddie’s other major problem in life - does he tell Andy about his feelings or would that be a waste of time since they’ll be going to different colleges soon anyway and Eddie might 'get over it’ then? - it makes it even worse, because you can’t bond with your team without spending time with its captain, which means that if Eddie’s crush was bad before, it’s now beginning to reach epic proportions.

Additional Details:

STORY 13

Writer:  @snafu-is-dying-sledge

Artist:  @all-of-the-ships-are-sailing 

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No archive warnings anticipated to apply.

Main Pairings/Characters: Eugene Sledge/Snafu Shelton

Side Pairings/Characters: OC’s for both Snafu and Sledge but they will be minor

Summary: After Snafu misses Burgie’s wedding, Sledge gets concerned. He visits New Orleans but he finds a very different Snafu. Distant and basically a wreck. Sledge will come to understand his feelings for Snafu as he tries to help him, even though Snafu really doesn’t want to accept any kind of help.

Additional Details:

STORY 14

Writer:  @gettingthatyellowjaundice

Artist:  @everbodyhateselliot

Rating: General

Warnings: No archive warnings anticipated to apply.

Main Pairings/Characters: Eugene Sledge/Merriell “Snafu” Shelton

Side Pairings/Characters: Dr Edward Sledge, Mrs Sledge, Edward Sledge, Jr, possibly Eugene Roe

Summary: There are approximately 144 miles between New Orleans and Mobile, and Merriell Shelton will drive every single goddamned one of them if he has to. There’s nothing left for him in Louisiana, no place for him at his mother’s dinner table, not after everything he’s seen, everything he’s done. And hell, so what if Eugene’s parents act as if he’s come down to Alabama to dirty their baby boy’s perfect little soul? So what if Eugene’s squeaky-clean, god fearing neighbors look at him like he’s trash? Well, according to Sledge, it means one helluva lot. So two weeks after Merriell shows up at Eugene Sledge’s door like the lost mutt he is, the two of them pack their bags and drive to California. No, they don’t know anybody in California. No, they haven’t got any jobs waiting for them in California. But Eugene says it’ll work out, and, well, Merriell has always been so ready to trust Eugene with everything he’s got.

Additional Details:

STORY 15

Writer:  @ailendolin

Artist:  @alexpenkala

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Off-screen character death of OC’s

Main Pairings/Characters: Andrew 'Ack-Ack’ Haldane/Edward "Hillbilly’ Jones

Side Pairings/Characters: None

Summary: Andy/Eddie Modern AU. Andy is a first semester biology student with flatmates who like to party every night. Trying to find a quiet place to study Andy stumbles upon a diner around the corner where Eddie is working as a waiter. They become friends over the following weeks and when he realizes that Eddie’s life is more troubled than he lets on Andy makes it his mission to help him.

Additional Details: The story is pretty light and humorous mostly, but will deal with sad themes at times. It’s meant to be a hopeful story with the focus on helping someone in need, so it’s not going to be too dark.

[hockeyfun]

Andre Burakovsky #1

Requested by Anon: Hey! I was wondering if you could do a cute Andre Burakovsky one?? where you meet him by chance but don't know who he is but he thinks you're super cute and tries to woo you?? :)

Warnings: alcohol(?)

Word Count: 2283

Author’s Note: Holy crap this one got away from me. I’m so sorry. This imagine really did not want me to write it. I tried to be really creative and not do a typical “at the bar scene” (it kinda turns into that but you’ll see if you read it) I got the inspiration from Andre’s post on instagram. I hope you enjoy it and I’m sorry it is so long. And just in general I wish it was better! Please request again if it isn’t what you wanted! I’d love to right more of Andre because his smile is adorable.

You finished your makeup and went to help her locate the other heel. Why? Because she invited you to go to the Washington Wizard’s game. You loved sports, all sports and even more you loved D.C. sports. You weren’t the type of fan as in you knew every player on every team but you went to games when you could, especially when you got free court side tickets.

With some help from the Verizon Center staff you found your seat, right on the court. Your friend squealed in excitement. “I can’t believe these are our seats,” you raved. Your boss smiled out you, “honey you better believe it.” As you and your boss sat there talking about work, two very attractive guys took the two empty seats next to you. The one closest to you had brown wavy hair and deep brown eyes. While the man sitting next to him had black long hair and a rounder face with blue eyes. They both had athletic builds and simple senses of styles. “Hi,” the one closes to you said with a glowing smile and dimples to match. “Hi,” you responded with your own glowing smile. The guy next to him looked over at the two of you and also gave a soft smile. “Hello, I’m Tom,” he reached out to shake your hand. You grabbed it firmly, and introduced yourself back and your boss. Then turned to the guy next to you. “And you are?” you questioned. “I’m Andre,” he replied. You smiled at Andre, it’s nice to meet you Andre.” You turned yourself back towards your boss where she was giving you that “look”. “What” you jokingly retorted. “Oh nothing, I just enjoy seeing you flirt. Especially after seeing you reject Roger at the office so many times,” she laughed and you couldn’t help but laugh back. “When will he get the memo?” you agreed. “Oh darling boys are like rocks they never understand women even if we were to spell it out for them, especially Roger,” she continued. You two laughed again at how Roger comes to your desk for any excuse possible. “What’s so funny” Andre asked while giving you a goofy smile. You let out a small laugh and tried to compose yourself. “Nothing just some funny things that happened around the office,” you responded. He smiled back, “well you have a pretty laugh,” he noted. You bashfully smiled, “Thank you, Andre,” you responded. He flashed you a smirk that quickly turned into a smile.

The game started with an opening video to get everyone hyped, and you would say it definitely worked on you. You were practically jumping up and down in your seat when the actual players walked out. “You really like basketball?” Andre commented. You gave him a playful glare, “no, I just really enjoy the atmosphere of any sports game, it doesn’t have to just be basketball.” Andre obviously enjoyed your response because his smile was one of amusement. “come on you can’t be sitting in these seats and not enjoy the atmosphere?” you asked. “No, you’re right, it is fun,” he agreed. “Have you ever been to Washington Capitals game here? Those are fun. Especially during the playoffs,” you responded thinking back to the time you and your friends went to a playoff game last year. Andre was analyzing you to see if you were being series. and your face showed no sign of lying. He let out a loud cackle. You laughed not because you knew what he was laughing at but because his laugh was contagious, “what? did I say something wrong?” You nervously questioned. He looked at your innocent face and settled down. His features softened, “no you didn’t at all. I have been to a Caps game before. Actually I’ve been to many,” he lightly responded. Now it was your turn to analyze him. He was pretty young. He had to be some super successful business man to be able to afford all these tickets. You played it safe. “Oh, wow, well that must be fun. I wish I could go to more games but if it’s not through my job then most likely I won’t be there,” you responded truthfully. He gave you a soft smile in return. “I could get you tickets, if you wanted?” He asked. You gave him a quizzical look. “Are you like a ticket broker or something?” you asked trying to figure him out. “More like or something,” he answered. You just rolled your eyes, “fair enough, but I just might take you up on that offer with the tickets,” you added.

The game started and you were cheering and enjoying yourself. You were happy you were with your boss because she was hilarious and the two of you worked really well together. Andre and Tom joined most of your conversations and it felt like you guys all had known each other for a while and came together. The more Andre talked the more you detected a slight accent. Maybe it was a speech impediment but you couldn’t be for sure. You made a mental note to ask him where he is from. During half time, Tom and Andre both got up, “wanna go to the lounge and get something to drink or eat?” he asked. “Ummm, I don’t think our tickets include that,” you confessed. He laughed, “don’t worry you’re with me it will be fine,” he held his hand out to you. You looked over at your boss for help. She gave you that little nod that said ‘go ahead, he seems safe’. “Okay,” you agreed. and grabbed Andre’s hand to help get yourself up. He didn’t let go and you were okay with that because the closer you got to the entrance of the Lounge the more nervous you got about not getting in. You latched to Andre when you finally got up to the security. He looked at Tom and Andre, and you. You thought for sure he was going to ask all of you to show your tickets just like he did for everyone else. “Good evening Mr. Burakovsky and Mr. Wilson. Ma’am,” he acknowledged you all. Tom and Andre both smiled back, “Mr. Davis, how are you today?” Tom asked. “I’m good, thank you. Y’all ready for the game in two days?” He asked. They both laughed, “of course we are!” Andre answered. You tried to rack your brain for what games are being played tomorrow but you couldn’t remember any. “Good, well, go on ahead and good luck tomorrow,” Mr. Davis concluded. Tom and Andre both said their goodbyes and thank you. Once you were out of ear shot and sight you released Andre from your nervous hold. “Mr. Burakovsky, who are you? and should I be worried? “You jokingly questioned. He just shook his head at you. “No, you do not” he answered, “I’m going to go get a drink you want anything?” You nodded your head and gave him your order. The conversation between the guard and Tom and Andre ran through your mind. You watched as Andre conversed with people while he was waited for the food and drinks. He was personable and you could tell by the way he talked to each person.  He came back to the table you found and took the seat next to you. He set down the nachos and two drinks. “I want to take you out, tonight actually,” he proclaimed. You were taken aback by the seriousness and honesty in his statement. You smiled at him, “Andre, I don’t even know you,” You responded trying to add logic to this. He smirked at you realizing you didn’t really reject him. “Okay, ask any question. I’ll answer it.” “Fine,” you responded, “where are you from?” you started off easy. “Sweden,” he answered. You don’t know where you thought he was from but you were not expecting Sweden. He laughed at your shocked expression. “You obviously didn’t expect me to be from Sweden, did you?” He asked. You shook your head, “No, I didn’t. What are you here for?” He enjoyed your genuine curiosity about his life. It was refreshing and amusing. Most people he met knew the answers to your questions but because you had no idea who he was he thought it was cute. “I’m here for work,” he gave you a cryptic answer which caused you to roll your eyes. “And… what is work for you?” You asked. Right before he got to answer Tom interrupted you, “the second half is about to start.”

The game ended up being a nail bitter. The Wizards won on a buzzer beater and the whole arena was electric. You were happy and excited so you agreed to go out with Andre and Tom tonight, but not without conditions. He had to text you where you were going and you would meet him there, and you were going to bring a friend with you, just in case.

When you got home to your apartment, you quickly threw on some black jeans and a silvery tank top with black heels. Your friend walked into the apartment when you were just putting the finishing touches on your makeup. “Aye, girl you look good!” She commented. You rolled your eyes at her but smiled, “will you get over here and help me find the other heel,” You asked. She smiled and went into your closest to look for the matching pair. “it’s a mess in here,” She commented. “I know,” you yelled back. You finished your makeup and went to help her locate the other heel. She was the one to finally find it. “Bless your soul,” you raved. You slipped on both heels and you two were on your way.

You arrived at one of the most exclusive clubs in DC. The line was wrapped around the block. “There is no way we are getting in,” your friend commented. You shot her a glare, “you’re sending bad vibes and I really do not need that right now,” you retorted. She made the motion like she was zipping her lips, indicating she was going to shut up. You once again rolled your eyes at your goofy friend. You shot Andre a text saying there was no way that you could get in with this crowd. No longer than 30 seconds you saw Andre walk out from the club. He saw you and smiled brightly. He pulled you into a hug. “you look wonderful,” he commented. You smiled and gave a soft thank you. You introduced your friend. “So how are we getting in,” your friend speculated. Andre gave her a smirk, “easy through the front door,” he answered sarcastically, but he wasn’t lying. You all went through the front door. The bouncer didn’t even say anything he just nodded his head and let you all through. “See I have my ways,” He teased. Your friends face was exactly how you felt, confused and amazed. Andre must have held a lot more power than you originally thought. The club was packed and luckily (which you were starting not to be surprised by it) you were in the VIP section. You friend quickly took advantage of the free drinks the VIP section had to offer and left you alone with Andre to go to the bar. You could tell Andre was a little tipsy because he was very touchy. He grabbed you by the waist and nuzzled into the side of your throat. “Are you impressed?” he gently asked. “Impressed and concerned,” you commented. You felt him stop, and turn you towards him. “Concerned?” He questioned. “I feel like you’re hiding something from me, and that is concerning,” you whispered. He gave you his signature soft smile. He was going to respond when you saw the Alex Ovechkin. “Is that Ovechkin?” You asked. Andre gave a quick turn, “yeah, how do you know that?” you gave him a glare, “I might not be the biggest hockey fan but Ovechkin is the pride and joy of D.C.’s hockey world. You can’t not know who he is,” you told him. “Would you like to meet him?” He asked you. Your mouth fell open in amazement, “You know Alex Ovechkin?” you said with shock. He let out a loud laugh, “yeah, I know him,” he responded. He grabbed your hand and pulled you over to where Ovi was. While you two waited for Alex to finish the conversation he was having, you looked around. “is that Backstrom talking to T.J. Oshie?” you wondered out loud. You looked over at Andre. “So you recognize the top line but you don’t know any of the other players, typical,” he joked. Then everything clicked. “Oh my gosh, you play for the friggin Capitals,” you exclaimed. You jokingly slapped his shoulder, “you should have told me!” He grabbed your hand to stop from hitting him. He was smiling profusely, “I tried to tell you multiple times but something always got in the way. Also most people just know who I am. It was refreshing not having you know.You look adorable surprised,” he answered. You rolled your eyes at him, “I can’t believe this,” you said more to yourself than to him. Andre’s face filled with concern. He gently grabbed your face in one of his hands in forced you to look him in the eyes. He tried to read your emotions. “Are you mad?” He asked. You flashed him a smile, “No, just surprised.” He returned the smile, “see you look adorable surprised.” He dropped his hand from your face and moved it down to hold your hand as he introduced you to his teammates.

[flauntpage]

DGB Grab Gag: Retconning the Knights, Touching Trophies, and Good Ol' Kerry Fraser

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: The Golden Knights are feeling it – Laugh it up now, guys. Let's see how glib you are when you go through some rough times. You know, eventually. Probably some time in 2023 or so.

The second star: Ryan Miller's three-year-old son – This kid goes right for the jugular. I respect that.

The first star: This photo – I don't say this lightly, but this might be my favorite NHL photo of all time. Sorry, Bobby Orr, you had a good run. But this one captures the yin and the yang of what the league is all about: the overwhelming excitement of a game-winning goal, and the eye-rolling annoyance of basically everything else. It's perfect.

Debating the Issues

Editor's note: Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, this week's regularly scheduled debate is not available. In its place, please enjoy this rerun from June 2017.

This week’s debate: The expansion draft was held last night, and the Vegas Golden Knights finally have a roster. And wow, are they ever super-good! But was it wrong for the NHL to make it so easy for the Knights to become the Stanley Cup favorites right out of the gate?

In favor: I think it was. Sure, we all want to see new teams succeed, and nobody wants to go back to the days when the Senators or Capitals were terrible for years before they could build anything resembling a competitive team. But with last night's draft, the pendulum seems to have swung way too far to the other side. Because man, as everyone agrees, the Golden Knights are stacked.

Opposed: Well I… wait, sorry, what's happening here?

In favor: I mean, sure, it would be nice if the Knights could be in the playoff race in year one. We'd all have been on board with that. But instead, the league gift-wrapped the Knights with a championship roster from day one. I mean, talk about making it way too easy.

Opposed: They… they did?

In favor: Oh for sure. Imagine being one of the other teams in the Pacific, or even the Western Conference. You've been building up a team for years, hoping to contend someday. And then suddenly, you know you have no chance next year, because the league went and rigged the expansion draft to give the Golden Knights all the good players!

Opposed: [squinting at roster] I don't see any good players.

In favor: Look closer, because as fans around the league are unanimously declaring right now and certainly not with hindsight, the Knights are loaded. What team wouldn't want to start with established superstars like David Perron, Erik Haula, and Alex Tuch?

Opposed: I mean, those players are fine, I guess. But none of them are remotely considered stars.

In favor: And then there's Jonathan Marchessault, who's virtually guaranteed to score somewhere in the range of 74 to 76 points.

Opposed: He was good last year, but he's had one career season of more than 20 points.

In favor: And then there's William Karlsson. I mean, how could the league just hand these guys a 40-goal scorer?

Opposed: I… I don't actually know who William Karlsson is. What team did they get him from?

In favor: And then there's the goaltending.

Opposed: OK, yes, that's the one position we can agree on. Marc-Andre Fleury should be fine. He lost his job to a rookie in Pittsburgh, but he could absolutely give the Knights a solid option for a few years. As long as he stays healthy.

In favor: No, even if he gets hurt early and they have to use like five different goalies, they'll be totally fine.

Opposed: I don't understand anything you are saying right now.

In favor: And besides, Fleury will be healthy in time for the playoffs, at which point he'll turn into vintage Ken Dryden and lead the Knights to a Cup. Everyone is predicting this right now, in June of 2017.

Opposed: But Fleury has a reputation for being terrible in the playoffs.

In favor: And if having the best roster in the league isn't bad enough, the Knights also have the league's best coach (who was left at the curb by the Panthers) and the best GM (who made the Martin Erat trade). They're unbeatable! Everyone can see this!

Opposed: [looking around] what alternate reality is this?

In favor: The one where the expansion draft is rigged and everyone knows the league made it too easy on the Golden Knights. Duh.

Opposed: Yeah but, that's not what's happening. Everyone thinks the Knights drafted a terrible team. Literally every single person agrees on this point.

In favor: Well, everyone is wrong. And also, everyone is going to forget all about that by the time the Knights are about to win a Cup. Within about 11 months, we're all going to be complaining that the expansion draft was rigged and this was all inevitable.

Opposed: How do you know all this?

In favor: Uh, call it a hunch.

Opposed: Man. A Stanley Cup run? I'm just not seeing it. It seems impossible right now.

In favor: Trust me, it all works out.

Opposed: Wow. I guess this Shipachyov kid must turn out to be unstoppable.

In favor: Yeah, about that…

The final verdict: We hope you enjoyed this rerun from June 2017. The regularly scheduled debate feature will return soon.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

The Capitals actually won a Game 7 this week, and they did it on the strength of a Braden Holtby shutout. It's fair to say that that's a reversal of the typical pattern when it comes to this team. And the only thing more painful than watching the Capitals lose a Game 7 is watching the Capitals lose the equivalent of two Game 7s on one night. So this week, let's bestow obscure player honors to Bob Mason.

Mason was an undrafted goaltender out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth who signed with the Capitals shortly after playing for Team USA at the 1984 Olympics. He made his NHL debut in a handful of games that year, and spent most of the next two years in the minors while serving as an occasional backup in Washington.

That changed in 1986-87, when Mason spent the entire year in the NHL splitting the crease duties with Pete Peeters. The Caps made the playoffs and took a 3-1 series lead against the Islanders in the opening round, so you can probably guess where this is going. The Isles extended the series to a seventh game, and Mason got the start. It would end up being one of the most memorable game sevens in NHL history: The Easter Epic, a quadruple overtime thriller that ended on Pat LaFontaine's winner.

Mason's stunned reaction was one of the greatest Sad Goalie Slumps ever, and is burned into the memory of most Caps fans to this day.

Mason was picked as the third goalie for Team USA in that summer's World Cup; by then he'd signed with the Blackhawks as a free agent. He spent a year in Chicago before being dealt to Quebec and then back to Washington, and he finished his NHL career with a half-dozen appearances for the Canucks in 1991. He bounced around the AHL and IHL for a few more years before retiring, having played 145 NHL games.

Mason went on to a career in coaching, and has been the goaltending coach for the Minnesota Wild since 2002.

Outrage of the Week

The issue: Both the Capitals and Golden Knights capped off their conference final wins by touching the trophies. The outrage: You never touch the trophy! Is it justified: We can all agree this stupid tradition can end now, right?

It was cool for a while, with a neat sort of "We only have one goal" vibe to it. Then it morphed into a superstition, which was fine. But then, like everything else in hockey that's vaguely fun, it was almost immediately beaten into the ground. Playoff beards were cool too, until they became mandatory and 19-year-old kids who'd never shaved in their lives were suddenly being brow-beaten about it if they didn't show up looking like a stunt double for ZZ Top. When "Don't touch the trophy" went from suggestion to commandment, any fun drained out of it. Once the NHL marketing department starts promoting something, you know it's run its course.

But now that both teams have done it, one of two things will happen. One, they'll catch some rare strain of influenza from the trophy and the Final will be cancelled. Or two, we can all stop pretending this is a thing.

Here's hoping we over-correct by steering in the other direction, and it becomes a competition to see who can come up with the most creative way to engage with the conference final trophy. Skate it around. Dance with it. Paint a little face on it, wrap a jersey around it and make it sit on the bench during the final. Give it a name and everything. "This is Campbell, he's our backup goalie tonight."

Just touch it. Or don't, if that's your thing. But let's all stop pretending the whole thing is endlessly fascinating.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

We've spent some time over the course of the year reliving the 1992-93 season, i.e. the best NHL season ever. That was 25 years ago, and it can be fun to check the calendar and see what was happening, or about to happen, during that frantic season a quarter-century ago.

Which means right about now would be when we'd get to … sigh … look, can we talk?

Maple Leaf fans, I know you're expecting it. But we don't have to do this. Just because you hit yourself in the face with a hammer 25 years ago doesn't mean you have to relive it every year for the rest of your life. Remember a few weeks ago when we did the Wendel Clark/Curtis Joseph clip? Remember how happy we all were? Back when Curtis Joseph's head exploded? Good times. We can stay that way. There's no reason to go any further.

Yeah, you're right. We really don't have a choice. Fine. Roll the clip.

So it's May 27, 1993, and no I didn't have to look that date up, thank you very much. The date has been ingrained in the heads of Maple Leafs fans ever since. Literally, in some cases—some of us got tattoos. Don't judge until you've been there.

Here's the situation. The Maple Leafs are in L.A. to face the Kings in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final. Toronto leads the series 3-2, meaning a win sends them to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1967. Waiting for them there: the Montreal Canadiens. It's destiny. It's going to happen.

But first, the Kings, who apparently missed the memo about the inevitable Leafs/Habs showdown. They've given Toronto a tough game and held a 4-2 lead late in the third. But Wendel Clark tied it up with the goalie out, completing a hat trick and quite possibly the best individual game by a Maple Leaf in the modern era, so now we're in overtime. Can you guess what's about to happen?

If you said "the worst thing ever," then you win.

The Kings are on the powerplay because Glenn Anderson took the Target logo literally, and they're set up in the Leafs zone. But Wayne Gretzky's shot is blocked, and while going for the rebound he clips Doug Gilmour under the chin, drawing blood. That's an automatic five-and-a-game back in 1993. But will they call it?

Seriously, will they? I've watched this clip roughly ten thousand times and I keep waiting for the ending to change.

Gilmour goes right to referee Kerry Fraser, who confers with his linesman. Meanwhile, Harry Neale knows exactly what's up. "Wouldn't this be something if Wayne Gretzky was thrown out for a high-stick." Indeed, Harry. Wouldn't it, though.

I know the whole "Kerry Fraser has great hair" thing was beaten into the ground over the years, but good lord, he really did have great hair. Look at it. He's been skating hard for three hours at this point, and it's immaculate. Meanwhile, I get my hair cut and step outside into a slight breeze and I immediately look like Neil Hamburger. Life isn't fair.

So Fraser talks with his linesmen, who don't seem to have much to say. It goes without saying that Fraser took a ton of heat over what comes next, and to some extent the buck stops with him. But as Don Cherry pointed out two nights later, his linesmen could have bailed him out here. Any of the three could have made the call; none did. But Fraser has been hearing about it for 25 years, and most Leafs fans couldn't even tell you who the linesmen were. Did we mention the part about life not being fair?

Gretzky's guilty face here is the best. He's every little kid who ever wet his bed and really hopes mom and dad somehow don't notice.

We get a decent replay, which makes it clear that this is indeed a penalty. To this day you still hear people try to make the "It was on the follow-through" argument. Those people are liars who deserve to be in jail.

Now comes the weirdest part of the clip, especially if you're a fan that's heard about this play but never actually seen it. Neale is breaking down the replay, and just casually slips in a "They're not going to give him a penalty by the look of it," and the game just continues.

Really, that's it. Nobody's all that shocked. Pat Burns doesn't throw a fit. Gilmour barely complains. Neale and Bob Cole kind of shrug. And the game continues. That's the weird thing about this play in hindsight—at the time it happened, it wasn't actually that big a deal. Even after Gretzky scores the winner a few seconds later, the missed call was considered one part of the story. Compared to what happens when a call gets missed today, the immediate reaction was pretty mild.

I'm not sure why that is. Part of me thinks it's because before Twitter, we were actually able to process things without immediately racing towards the hottest possible take. Or maybe it's because this was a West Coast game, and it was after midnight in Toronto and we were all too tired to get worked up. Or maybe everyone just kind of assumed the Leafs were winning Game 7 at home. Whatever it was, the missed call didn't really ascend to legendary status until after the Kings won the series.

Epilogue: The Kings lost to the Canadiens, ironically with help from another controversial Fraser moment. The Leafs have yet to get this close to the Stanley Cup Final again. Fraser admits that he missed the call, but has had to deal with criticism, conspiracy theories, and random idiots ever since. And Maple Leafs fans got over it, and certainly didn't drone on and on about it for decades.

Also, I still get angry every time I see a Target logo, but that's probably just me.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com .

DGB Grab Gag: Retconning the Knights, Touching Trophies, and Good Ol' Kerry Fraser published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[chunmakowski3-blog]

mature wanker - Six Tips That Will Make You Guru In Mature Fap

About a week ago I received a relatively innocent Snapchat photo from a girl Id long given up any of hope of ever hearing from again... mostly because theres about 8,000 miles separating us. Ill call her Cèleste for our purposes today. We had a short "How are you" conversation as prior lovers are prone to do and the reminiscing on her has lead me to resolve to contribute to this sub instead of just lurking today. Ill be including some buildup as frankly its inseparably woven into the fabric of my memory of this night but Ill include a break down below for you to skip to if the sexy is what you seek. Additionally there may be some moral choices present that you may or may not agree with.. thats your prerogative. The Friday night we met was a pretty normal fall Southern California evening. I had worked the day shift at the bar where I was employed and got off around 6pm after helping with the happy hour rush. I came home to an empty house. My wife at the time had gone down to LA from the small college town where we lived with a couple of friends and our housemate to a concert/celebrate a birthday but unfortunately I wasnt able to get off work the full weekend so I was left behind.. which was fine with me anyway, the band wasnt my thing and I dont care for clubbing which was mostly their whole weekend plus my wife and I hadnt really been getting along for the better part of four months anyway so I figured some time to decompress and be alone would be nice. I hit downtown about an later and found a spot at the bar of a place Id walked past a few times but never gone inside. It had an eclectic vibe split between people watching playoff baseball and dancing to the loud house music pumping so I figured Id hang around. She came in with her friend about thirty minutes later. She was maybe 53" in her dark converse sneakers. She cut a great figure (I had no idea) in a gray T-shirt with French writing and dark jeans.. But I think it was the black leather jacket that really oozed confidence and raw sensual mystique. When she sat at the bar I had a flashback to college: that first day of class when everyones picking seats and a cute girl walks in, surveys the room and winds up picking the seat next to you. I wasnt even single or looking for a girl to pick up and it still had me flustered a bit.. but once they had their drinks and started chatting with each other the feeling passed and it was back to baseball. Or at least so I thought.. shortly after returning from a cigarette break her friend began talking with a young man and Cèlestes attention wandered. I cant remember who started the conversation (likely her), but Ill never forget the feeling of being entranced staring into her gorgeous bright green eyes while she repeatedly pondered how anyone could enjoy "bays-bowl". I answered her sarcastic jabs with a bit of sass and it piqued her interest enough to skip the next smoke break. The connection was almost instant. We ordered a couple more rounds and talked about cultural differences, history, languages and education. When shed first come in Id guessed she was an exchange student at the local University, perhaps 19 or 20 using a fake ID but in fact she was 23 and freshly graduated. She and her friend were taking a three month long tour of California before taking jobs back home. The conversation inexorably turned to our love lives and after telling me she was single and not looking to settle down any time soon she asked about me. Drunk with infatuation (and maybe a couple of whiskey shots) I replied that I too was single and just working in town because.. hey, its a college beach town. This is a time to mention that this only worked because I didnt have a wedding ring on. My wife and I had decided to forego rings in favor of matching tattoos.(We were HS sweethearts. Young and dumb, I know.) Eventually Cèleste wants to go somewhere else as she and Nathalie were only in town until tomorrow. Nathalies beau had ditched her so they ask me to lead them somewhere new and fun. We take off as Nathalie closes her bill but as were walking down the street Cèleste starts feeling not so good.. I lead her down a side street and into an alley where she proceeds to... Yeah. I hold her hair until shes done, then flag Nathalie down and offer to call them a cab but for whatever reason Cèleste decides she wants to stay out. She drinks water at the next bar while sobering up as Nathalie flirts until last call and then we head to the beach. The three of us sit on the sand listening to the waves and share a spliff while we look at the stars and talk until about 4am. It was so serene and the mental stimulation/connection I felt with her during that chat will forever stay in my memory. Cèleste is much more sober than Nathalie as this point and starts talking about getting an Uber for their 45 minute trip home. In my infatuated stupor I offer my house as an alternative. Now, wary reader, before you assume my awful intentions I wasnt thinking with my little head. Id ruled anything like that out the second those drinks had come back up for a visit. I explained how my roommates were out of town and that theres a spare bed they could have. Cèleste hugged and thanked me and they agreed so we caught an Uber home. Cèleste was very cuddly on the drive, thanking me for being such a gentleman after her episode while Nathalie was basically about to pass out. We got in the house and I showed them their room/bathroom and said goodnight. I heard the shower turn on as I changed out of my clothes, turned off the lights and closed my eyes listening to the water falling and thinking about my strained marriage and exciting it was feeling a romantic connection with someone for the first time in a long time. The next thing I remember is being jolted awake at the feeling of the bed moving and waking up to see the outline of a curvy nude body and those gorgeous green eyes crawling towards me in the darkness on hands and knees. I could see the outline of a smile creep across her face and her arm lightly grazed mine. My brain started a fight between the alarm of "What are you doing!?!" and "Wow..." Id had group experiences with my wife before but never gone behind her back like this. The reservations began building in my stomach, but those eyes drank away all of my hesitations. Id been staring at them all night, mesmerized, and when her arm grazed mine the warmth of her skin was enough to send me over the edge of hesitation. I reached my hand up and cupped the side of her face, bringing her closer to me. She inched forward until I felt the tip of her erect nipple on my chest. Her breathing quickened as I smiled back. She whispered "I wanted to brush my teeth before I did this" in that sultry accent and leaned in for a soft but passionate kiss. I returned it as my hands began exploring her body. My right hand came off her face and immediately went to her round full ass. It was so soft, round and full. Id been staring at it all night and determined the jeans shed worn had done her ass plenty of justice. She moaned lightly into my mouth as I gripped her cheek and pulled her body down on top of me. I knew she could feel me starting to swell against her thigh and she broke our kiss, lifting her head up to grin. "Quest-ce que cest?" She cooed, reaching her down my stomach and under the lining for my boxers. She ground her thigh gently against me as her small hands wrapped around the head of my rapidly rising penis. I grunted quietly and began softly kissing her neck and upper chest, nuzzling my way towards her breasts still keeping a firm grip of her ass as her petite fingers worked their way as around my tip and down the length of my shaft as best the could. She leaned back indicating she wanted up so I let her get to her knees. The moonlight coming through the window illuminated her frame as she worked to try to get my boxers off and I could finally clearly see her chest. I was pleasantly surprised to see that even only being 53" she was blessed with very full Cs that were extremely perky.. I heard a gasp as she finally released me from my boxers and apparently discovered that I was equipped above her expectations. She leaned down presumably to inspect closer but the next thing I knew I felt a warm, wet, enveloping sensation as she pressed her tongue flat and firm against the bottom of my cock and slowly dragged it up the entire length. She was on her knees now just to my side closely inspecing the tip of my dick with her tongue when she again dragged her tongue up my length. I groaned loudly and then inhaled sharply as a primal lust began building in me. Reaching out my hand I slapped her ass hard, triggering a moan from her. She remarked about my size, mumbling about how Im the biggest shes tried to blow as she continued taking a mouthful of my now rock solid dick. I groaned in reply and slapped her ass again as she started to circle the outline of my tip with her tongue. I told her to stop teasing me and take it already, which she enthusiastically did. My fingertips traced her lower back as she lowered her mouth in small increments before pulling back and repeating. I made my way to the outline of her pussy to find she was soaking wet and easily slipped a finger inside of her. My lust grew with every sloppy slurp of her swallowing me and every moan of pleasure from feeling my fingertips teasing her swollen pussy lips before disappearing inside her. Finally I couldnt sit idly by anymore. I picked her head up off me and pushed her head down to the mattress. Her as looked amazing sticking up into the air as I got to my knees, kneeled beside her and buried my fingers into her pussy to the knuckle. She gripped the sheets as I watched her face contort and her mouth go agape. I began thrusting my fingers into her, giving myself a break from stimulation as I teased her gspot with my fingertips and smasked her ass with my free hand. In case you loved this article as well as you would like to get details regarding mature smoking video i implore you to check out the website. She moaned repeatedly rocked her hips back to meet my fingers and with her rhythm building I could tell she was close. Listening to her groans made me feel so powerful and animalstic. I asked her repeatedly "You like that? Huh?" uncaring about her milfs friends response though it was always yes. I told her how sexy she looked as I held the back of her neck and finger fucked her wet pussy. I took my left hand and reached under her, first squeezing her nipple before letting my hand slide down her stomach to her clit. I barely applied any stimulation before she gripped my calf with her arm and let out a loud "Yessssss!!" as I moved my hand in a circle across her clit while continuing to thrust into her with my fingers. I got a small cut actually from where her fingernails dug into my leg as her orgasm hit a crescendo and she bucked backwards onto my fingers one last time before collapsing. We smiled and laughed as she recovered. During the down time I lost my erection which she promptly massaged back to life. The lust to take her quickly returned and I rolled her onto her back, taking her legs in my hand as she guided my girth between her legs and inside her. Her pussy felt so warm and wet, it squeezed every inch as I made my way inside. She moaned with every small thrust until my whole length was soaking wet. I put her legs over my shoulders and grabbed her hips as I began long stroking in and out. The combination of hearing her moans of pure pleasure and the movement of her hips as she rocked back onto me as I filled her up, her pussy clenching and squeezing every inch of my to try and milk my seed into her was unlike anything Ive ever felt. I grunted loudly as we picked up the pace and found a rhythm together. I was entranced by the sight of her full, pert breasts bouncing and swaying with every thrust and zoned out slightly.. unable process the overwhelming amount of positive stimulation and forgot everything except my primal need to fuck this beautiful creature beneath me and fill her with my seed. I barely even noticed her second orgasm until she started tapping my shoulder, signaling me to slow down. I hadnt cum yet but we were both tired and out of breath so she told me to fuck her again and not stop until I cum. I leaned in the kiss her and slowly started gyrating my hips inside her as I did. She groaned lightly, grabbed my ass and pulled me even deeper into her as we built a new rhythm. Eventually it became too much and I felt that familiar feeling building within me. I began to speed up and let my strokes build longer. I told her I was going to cum soon and her response was an airy "Très bien". I felt her begin to contract the walls of her pussy after I said that milking every inch of me to coax my cum out. I asked her where to cum and she replied "anywhere". It took every ounce of discipline in my sexy mature big ass body not to continue pumping and fill her up but I held back, pulling out and releasing my load all over her chest. Her tits were completely covered as she leaned up and stuck out her tongue to clean up what was left on my dick. After we cleaned up she cuddled up next to me, I wrapped my arm around her and we fell asleep. In the morning, once the whiskey wore off, I started to feel then pangs of guilt realizing the gravity of what Id just done but that was temporarily alleviated as Cèleste woke up and we proceeded to have sex again. Her body was just as beautiful in the morning light. We kissed goodbye as she and Nathalie got in the Uber to go back to their hotel, then kissed again after I had to meet her about 2 hours later after she noticed shed left her leather jacket at my place. It was a different kiss, that second one... Ill always remember that too. /u/sexytimethrownow

[brownb13-blog1]

Digital Leadership Portfolio

This month I'm taking a class called sales and sponsorships, and this class has made me reflect on some of my previous work that I thought I did a really great job on. I really enjoyed working early on in my life as a student at Full Sail and one of my favorite projects was creating a picture using only words and the color schemes of the team. For me to create something like this was fun and different and taught me a lot about my own creativity. I decided to use the Cleveland Indians block C logo, and use the names of the players on that current roster to make up the logo. I had to pay close attention to detail in the form of the size of the names of the players and coaches, I had to make sure each name remained in line with each other, and not giving the same front to each name because of the length of each name is different. The Cleveland Indians colors gave me a chance to be very creative with how I could use them for this logo picture. Their colors are red, white, and blue. I wanted to incorporate each color within the picture, and I wanted to do a home and away logo still using the red, white, blue for the names of the players and coaches, and I wanted to make the background feel like one was for home and the other was for away games. This turned out to be a good idea to do both ways, and it was even better to put them side by side and make it as one big picture. With the white background, I had to change the names that were originally white to black so that the words would show up on the white background, and for the black background, I changed the words back to white so that they would show up on the black background. Placing them side by side gave me a chance to let them bring each other out. People who like the lighter style will find the white background more pleasing, and people who would look for more of a darker, harder look will like the black background a lot more. I wanted to bring multiple styles to the picture so that it would not feel borning or look like the same thing over and over again. I didn't want it to seem as if no effort was put into it, and I wanted something that would catch people's attention and drive their eyes around the picture because all the different things going on within the picture. Having them side by side gives people a chance to compare and contrast each logo to see the differences. I feel that this gives people a reason to want to look at the picture as a whole, and gives them a reason to want to see what each word is and why it's important to the picture or why the words are the biggest part of the picture. This could be used as a marketing tool, I would like to be involved in the marketing side of a team or organization within the sports world after graduation, and this gives teams a chance to see my creative side, and how I was able to use the team's success as a marketing platform while incorporating the entire major league roster, and making it about the players and the team in a very inexpensive way that will still bring a spotlight to the team and what they are doing. If I was to market this I would update the block C logo with an updated roster names of players and coaches, and add them teams motto into the picture (Rally together), and being that the team has recently lost in the playoff's to the New York Yankees, I would focus on next year and the new season. Also with the ongoing dispute with Chief Wahoo and the native Americans, this would be a great way to start featuring the block C           a lot more and this would give the Indians a chance to bring the attention back on the field and not about the off-field issues. The best way to use it would be to make sure it is on all of the team's social media, and it should stand for bringing everyone together to make a new brand as one. This would give them a chance to sell new merchandise with the block C and with the names of the players on it, and gives them a chance to market next season as an all for one type of theme. The away theme would be staying together even on the road, convincing the fan base to send to them positive vibes from home by wearing the together block C T-shirts, and at home, games they would be able to have promotional days called a together white-out that would ask every fan to come in the ballpark with their together whites to show a Cleveland vs everybody mentality. This would have fans showing up to the game ready to spend on shirts because they wouldn't want to feel left out. On Twitter and other social media outlets, they would be able to hashtag photos of fans with how much fun they are having, and give insight into their experience at the game, and call it #together. This is a small project, but the idea behind it and with it being an inexpensive way to market the team I feel that it was some of my best work considering I would have had to find a way to market the team with no budget and still find a way to make a profit out of the marketing plan that I came up with. I do feel that as I continue to grow each day as a marketer my mind continues to reach new highs I didn't know excited.