#these two are so criminally underrated together I need more people to see the vision on them

[andro-dino]

was thinking abt queenie’s love of dogs and jornir’s wildshape and this was born

[brw]

rating random outfits from the vision because i am very bored

outfit one - classic look

[image id: two cropped panels of the vision from marvel comics. they are both wearing the same outfit, of a green bodysuit that covers every part of their body aside from the front of their face. with it, they wear yellow gloves, yellow boots and a knee-length cape which has a large flared collar. their torso is covered by yellow fabric which wraps around them like a corset. it ends at the top of their thighs. in the first image, they are faced to the left, with one leg raised and their cape floating around their shoulders. in the second image, they have she-hulk, thor & monica rambeau as captain marvel grouped behind them. they are facing forwards and gesturing towards the viewer with their hand. end id/]

- cape goes woosh

- literally the only thing showing is their face everything else is covered

- the collar is very dramatic and gay which i appreciate

- kinda wearing a corset thing? which is cool

- idk what's up with the diamond thing between their tits :/

- colour combo is atrocious but that's a staple of their style it seems lmao

- very out there, very dramatic

- you could probably wear something similar to a pride parade tbh just change the colours and you're good to go

- i like the gloves they look like the yellow ones you use to wash dishes in the sink with the scrubber thingy

final score - 7/10 bonus points for nostalgia & cape, its a very nice very classic look but also very modest :/ show some skin pls ur wife is basically wearing a swimsuit with gloves show a little solidarity :/

outfit two - boob window

[image id: a cropped comic cover of the vision from marvel comics. they are reaching upwards with one arm extended in an attempt to escape several grey hands reaching up to their hip trying to drag them down. their costume is one piece broken into three sections. the bottom half is green and goes slightly above their hips creating a large v-shape. the middle half is yellow and v-shaped as well. the top part reaches to their shoulders and the bottom part is to the middle of their chest, and extends all the way to their fingers. the base of the v is also the bottom of a diamond cut out revealing some of their skin in the pectoral area. the top of the diamond leads to the third and final part of the costume which is the same shade of green as the bottom. This part is a large collar, a head covering that wraps around all around their head but leaves the face uncovered, as well as a cape that is shredded at the bottom. end id/]

- very similar outfit with inverted colours and instead of adding a diamond they cut one out :)

- another wooshy cape :)

- still has their face covered all around except for the front tho :( like idk wouldn't that annoy you? what if it gets too tight or you get hot?

- i have no idea how their cape works with the diamond cleavage window thingy like?? did they just use superglue? please explain

- gloves are gone 😔

- and no more boots 😔😔😔

- corset gone why did they remove all the sexy parts the tiddy does not compensate 😔😔😔😔😔

final score - 3/10 it's basically just an inverted version of the last one except they took the Cool Sexy Bits away which makes everything boring :/ bonus points for the boob window thing though, shows the beginning of their Bimboification :)

outfit three - detective

[image id: a cropped comic cover of the vision from marvel comics. they are standing with one leg resting on something that is not in view. they are partially shadowed, and wear an intense, thoughtful expression. there is a cigarette hanging out of the side of their mouth. they look similar to a 1940s film noir character. they are wearing a white shirt that appears to be a button up, though the thickness of their tie that reaches down to their trousers obstructs any buttons. their sleeves are rolled up to around their elbows. their tie is somewhat loosened around their neck, and is white with black stripes in varying thickness. they wear a pair of thick white suspenders that connect to their trousers, which seem to be grey or a dull brown. they have one of their hands in their trouser pocket. under the same arm is a gun, though this is hard to make out in the darkness. they are also wearing a broad-rimmed fedora, which casts half their face in shadow with only their pupilless bright yellow eyes showing through. end id/]

- this ABSOLUTELY fucks

- unirionically sexy

- noir detective look very nice very cash money

- the loosened tie really just puts the whole thing together

- their face is free! no more awkward green pieces of plastic or whatever!

- calls pretty people "dames" for sure

- rolled up sleeves make me feel like a repressed victorian girl who's just begun to experiment with the Devil's Doorbell™

- smoking is bad for ur health but jesus if it isn't a vibe

- hat worn by reddit "nice guys" :/

final score - 9/10 this really is one hell of a look, very 1920s it absolutely slaps the suspenders are everything tbh if they were in a movie they'd probably be played by harrison ford idk why. anyway this ABSOLUTELY fucks and is one of my faves and is criminally underrated 🤗

outfit four - suit

[image id: two cropped panels of the vision from marvel comics. in both panels, they are wearing the same simple two-piece black suit, with a white shirt underneath their jacket. there are no buttons or pockets on their jacket, and everything seems to be perfectly ironed. their tie is long and thin, and is tight around their neck. their shoes are nondescript and black. in the first panel, vision is to the side, and is floating in the air. in the second panel, vision is standing and is facing the viewer, with their face slightly shadowed and their fists clenched at their sides. end id/]

- simple, cute, chic

- the thinness of the tie is a big change from the last one

- classic suit style, the most casual of formal wear

- office worker kind of thing but like. a FANCY office

- nondescript; no personality in it whatsoever :/

- makes them look like a conservative 😔

final score - 4/10 it's kinda boring tbh they look cute but :/ lame. shows them trying too hard to conform to humanity's standards and it is Not A Vibe. there's no Sauce & also appears in something written by t*m k*ng so the association is immediately off

outfit five - ultimates aka No Clothes Titty Out

[image id: a comic cover of the vision from marvel comics. this one is from the ultimates/1610-verse. this vision is more female-presenting then their 616 counterpart. they are not wearing any clothes. their body is golden and reflective and metallic. their body is comprised of different plates of metal, which are symmetric. just before their elbow, there is a gap in each arm between the metal plates so you can see the wires running through their arms underneath. there is a red diamond shape, still made of metal, in the area where a belly button would be on a human being. they have breasts that do not have any nipples, but have a large circle plating where the nipple would normally be. much like their 616 version they are bald with a yellow diamond in their forehead. their expression is difficult to read but they appear to be smiling slightly. their arms are raised around their head, not touching their skull but close to it. they are strutting towards the viewer with one hip jutted to the side. metal wires surround them, with none of them fully touching them aside from a thick one seemingly connected to the back of their neck. end id/]

- pussy out

- no clothes this bitch doesn't need them (but they do need titties for some reason??? bro????)

- red diamond thing to cover up the bellybutton? girl what are you hiding

- Gold And Shiny a nice change from our regularly scheduled red skin

- emulating aunt/sister/mother/whatever the fuck jocasta which is nice, it's about time vision got someone other then Fashion Disaster Wonder Man to help them out. i guess nudity is better then combining green and yellow all together with red skin jjshsheheh

- sexualised :/

- genuinely kinda hot tho i think i have succumbed to the Robot Tiddies 😔

- no idea how the physics of their hip/ass jutting out is supposed to work it looks like they dislocated something

final score - 6/10 it's cool but also why did u sexualised the android like i. also they are a robot and not a synthezoid which :( why. but u know i appreciate the pussy out kinda thing and ultimates verse vision dated sam wilson so they have good taste. points knocked off for being from the ultimates verse which is Bad™ imo

outfit six - This Fucking Thing What Is This I Hate It So Much

[image id: a cropped panel of the vision from marvel comics. they are facing the viewer with an angry expression. their fists are tightly clenched and are raised slightly. around their wrists are thick yellow spiked bracelets. their arms are uncovered. their shoulders are covered by yellow spiked shoulderpads. they are wearing a green bodysuit with a bright yellow collar around their neck and a plunged neckline that goes all the way down their chest and torso until it is obstructed by yellow underwear, which is held up by a very thick yellow ring, which is also covered in spikes. their green bodysuit continues all the way down their legs until their boots, which are go up half-way around their calves and are folded over. they have a yellow diamond stuck in the middle of their chest. they are also wearing a green helmet that is green and corinthian (greek) in style. it is also spiked. the spikes at either side of the faceplate are small and yellow. the one at the top of the helmet is the same shade of green as the helmet itself. end id/]

- why

- it's. it's so ugly

- what's with the fucking spikes

- the boots are horrendous

- helmet looks they bought it at a museum for £15 and its made out of cheap shitty poorly made and badly painted plastic

- why did they glue a yellow diamond to their chest what is the fucking point

- porcupine energy

- the shoulder pads why the fucking shoulder pads disco isn't coming back just accept it

- spike belt underwear????? why??????????? looks like they made one of those chokers huge and called it a day

- it's just. it's just so ugly. why would you think this was a good idea who is responsible

final score - 0/10 i do not want to see it

[marinerofthestars]

the zodai tag

bit of a late arrival to this fandom, but better late than never, i suppose!

1. How did you hear about the books? about a year ago, i was doing research on the zodiac for an urban fantasy project i’m working on, tales from omphalos, when i found the house ophiuchus info page on the zodiac website. unfortunately life got in the way and i forgot the series for a while, but a little while ago i remembered zodiac’s worldbuilding and got sucked right back in!

2. What is your favorite moment from the series so far? it’s hard to choose just one moment, but i’d have to say skarlet and rho’s first meeting in black moon for how atypical it is. we know skarlet is the hypotenuse in rho and hysan’s love triangle, but she doesn’t act like the stereotypical petty Other Woman at all. she’s charismatic, she’s genuinely fun to be around, and she has sympathetic motives and ambitions. above all, she’s actually super nice towards rho, and doesn’t let her feelings get in the way of their political collaboration. (and then thirteen rising assassinated her character. yes i am still bitter about it why do you ask)

3. Which House are you from? house leo!

4. What do you like about your House? artistry pride is something i’d really love to be a part of as an aspiring author, i have blaze and trax (both criminally underrated characters imo) as my housemates, and our zodai wield FLAMING SWORDS in battle. what’s not to love?

5. If you had to change Houses, which House would you pick? since leo really vibes with my passion for art, this is definitely a tricky question! probably either libra (police brutality is a thing of the past with bind, and their government seems like they have their act together), scorpio (much waterworld. much ambition. much cool tech. wow), or sagittarius (diversity, democracies where the voices of the young and non-complacent can be heard, and really vibrant cities are all things i appreciate)

6. Which system would you most like to visit? capricorn, no question. the zodiax is THE single most location in the entire zodiac bar none to me - an ancient complex the size of a planet, its oldest curators having access to transportation systems most inhabitants don’t even know about? an archive of humanity’s collective knowledge, so massive it has hotels and restaurants within it because leaving to sleep or eat is just so impractical? LET ME TOUR IT. LET ME UNCOVER ITS MYSTERIES I KNOW THEY EXIST (i think history is rad okay)

7. If you got to choose, which Zodiac technology would you like to have? probably...the tattoo? i don’t have anywhere enough knowledge about neuroscience/engineering to design my own, but assuming that i did, i’d love to design a tattoo that can interface with my brain and with digital art software, so that i can turn whatever ideas i have in my head into artwork!

8. Which character would you want as a best friend? skarlet. she’s six feet tall, buff as all hell, super attractive, prefers diplomacy to violence but still perfectly capable of kicking ass, and an outspoken risers’ rights activist. what’s not to love? (though knowing the type of people i usually hang out with, i’d probably end up with like. twain or gyzer as my best friend. one can dream though)

9. Which sign would you like to date? aries, because as previously stated skarlet is awesome. (a sentiment i will continue to reiterate) failing that, either libra for their sense of justice, scorpio for their ambition and passion, or aquarius for their innovative mindset.

10. Who do you hope Rho “ends up with?” (If anyone at all!) firstly, thank you for acknowledging that rho might not be interested in romance after everything she’s been through. (aromantic rho? arho?) secondly: skarlet.

this might be a little controversial, but i feel like in some regards, rho has far more chemistry with skarlet than she has with hysan. (ms. russell. i am sorry but. i have. Issues. with ‘centaur smile’ and the context surrounding it doesn’t make it any better) all of their interactions are marked by a noted admiration on rho’s part, and it’s not just merely admiration of her frankly enviable body (there’s more than enough of that, but it feels respectful somehow, there’s no five-page purple prosey ramblings on how the sweat glints on skar’s brow as she lifts weights, unlike with some people - sorry, mathias), but admiration of skar’s personality.

her charisma. her ambitions. her drive to fight for people who’ve been beaten down for millennia, to give a voice to the voiceless. to use violence as a last resort, not a first strike.

even at their absolute worst in thirteen rising, even when they’re butting heads, they don’t let it get in the way of doing what needs to be done. hell, skarlet even points out that she wouldn’t be giving rho such a hard time if she didn’t respect the hell out of rho, if she didn’t think she was tough enough to take it. there’s a sort of unspoken bond between them, a slow orbit that they’re both caught in. at the end of the series, they part way on relatively good terms, and with the hope that maybe, just maybe, that orbit might become something more than just professional acquaintance.

also their oppositional dichotomy of cardinal fire/water signs is an awesome aesthetic that i really wish was brought up more than it was in canon :( 

11. If you could record a Snow Globe, what would you put in it? only A snow globe? you’re not exactly giving me a lot of slack here in all seriousness, if i had to choose one moment to record in a snow globe, probably the moment i first came up with the idea for the urban fantasy project i mentioned above, tales from omphalos. i’ve never been devoted as much time to or invested as much energy in a project as i have with tfo, and i’d like to keep an easily accessible record of my original vision on hand. and hey, if by some chance i manage to follow in romina’s footsteps, get tales from omphalos professionally published, have it become a big success with a respectable fandom, i’d like to look back every once in a while, and remember how it all began.

12. If you had the chance to tell Rho anything, what advice/encouragement would you give her? - lies, especially lies of omission, are necessary a lot of the time to get ahead in politics and life in general use that being ahead to help out the people and groups you care about - don't trust the immortal child-aristocrats or expect them to behave in a way that won't inevitably screw you over - if you must play nice with them, figure out how to decrease gemini’s horrific income inequality, and see what you can do about exporting cell rejuvenation therapy to the wider zodiac - ferez is right, risers are the future and you need to acknowledge that going forward - skarlet is excellent at garnering support and bridging generational gaps, and while fernanda purecell is a bougie running dog, she’s got her head screwed on the right way regarding politics and institutional riserphobia; together, the three of you should be able to make some headway towards making amends for past wrongs - i don’t care if family heads have suffrage, matriarchal aristocracy (aristocratic matriarchy?) is NOT a democracy or a form of government that looks out for the rights of men/NB people/agender people/multigender people/intersex people/you get the idea - romance is by no means an exclusively two-player game, and skarlet has said she would be open to an arrangement; however, if you MUST insist on ignoring that polyamory is a thing, go for the six-foot risers' rights activist - i’m sorry about all the bullshit with your mom. whatever the end result was, whatever her intentions, it does not excuse the way she treated you and your dad and stanton. it’s okay to feel like shit because of what she did to you, and not being able to wall it off doesn’t make you weak or anything dumb like that - you’re already far stronger than she ever was. i know how much it sucks - i was in the same situation as you once - but believe me when i say that things do get better. you’re not alone here, rho. - please you gotta fight the gender binary you live in the FUTURE you gotta do it you gotta-

BONUS QUESTION 13. How would you react if your friend became a Riser? let them know that I love and support them no matter what their house, that being the way that they are is totally valid, and that anyone who says otherwise will have to answer to my fist in their face. if they’re unbalanced, make sure they have access to any resources they need (possibly including memory recap vlogs, definitely including medication and therapy to help out with any health issues they may develop).

[regularbeans]

Best Albums of 2017 (10-1)

Here they are \o/ 

10 Imagine Dragons: Evolve

A bit like in Hurts’ case, I didn’t think something more perfect than Smoke + Mirrors could be created. And I was right, Evolve can’t even live up to Night Visions let alone Smoke + Mirrors. But is it good? Sure. Is it awesome? Ehh, not awesome, no, but it’s good. It sort of reminds me of what a first album would be for a band that doesn’t quite know what to do with themselves yet. It’s a bit all over the place, not quite a unit even though the songs individually are all enjoyable. There’s a disconnect there between the title and the material as it doesn’t quite feel like evolution just yet. Sure they’re stretching out their wings, trying to see what they can do to not be forever put into the radio hit factory box. The best example of that is Thunder but there are other efforts here that are worth a listen. At the end of the day I love the kindness of this record, the lightness in some songs and the brutal force in some others. I’m interested to see where the road takes this band from here.

My favourite songs from the record: Rise Up, Yesterday, Mouth of the River, I’ll Make It Up to You

09 Amber Run: For a Moment I Was Lost

I was surprised to see just how many of the bands I’ve been following were on the verge of breaking up or having to reinvent themselves in order to survive. It’s not that big of a deal, I realise, it happens to most artists I imagine and even though I’m glad we’re all okay I’m the happiest for Amber Run’s pulling through a hard time. They fall into this category of the best of all the worlds ever so nothing is really off the table with them from epic ballads to club bangers (okay maybe not club bangers but I wouldn’t be surprised) and because of Joe Keogh’s unique vocals and enormous range they really have nothing in their way to create whatever they like.

They usually like to create this dream-like almost vision of angelic plucks at the guitar and the piano, but then it turns into yelling and hammering away on the drums, every guitar the members could find simultaneously playing every note on the known scale and it’s beautiful, hectic waterfall of emotions. They have a fair share of lukewarm nowwhat’s but luckily they have enough of when they’re at their best too (I’m talking about the waterfall of emotions).

FAMIWL is a tad more dynamic than 5AM was but also more confident in the same time. This band is criminally underrated but I hope they keep making music because they’re such a unique spot in the current indie rock scene, it’d be a shame to rob the world of their sound.

My favourite songs from the album: Perfect, No Answers, Stranger, Insomniac

08 Ed Sheeran: Divide

I like fun. I also like Ed Sheeran. So when literally ALL SIXTEEN SONGS from his new album’s DELUXE EDITION was on Spotify’s Global Top 50 for so long Spotify had to implement changes to how they pick the top 50 so one artist can’t take up almost half of the list I thought it was fucking hilarious and I’m so glad it’s Ed Sheeran who achieved this.

Because he’s always been a “bit of this bit of that” kind of musician it’s hard to tell if he ventured outside his comfort zone on this record but I know that the first song on the record, Eraser, is part of why I like this guy so much. Every side of him, the ballad guy, the rapper guy, the nostalgic pub song guy, it’s all him, and all throughout the success he’s remained grounded. When I heard him name Damien Rice in Eraser, someone he’s idolised ever since he was little and literally followed around to pursue with demos of his songs, I knew he remained that honest guy he was back when he was just... a guy. I can respect that. I hope he keeps that up. And this album’s got hooks for days, all better than the one before.

My favourite songs from the album: Eraser, New Man, Nancy Mulligan

07 Window to the Abbey: Moving Around Bias

I wrote about this record in length here and I’m surprising myself with the placement of this album but it’s true that if one of my few problems with this album is that the songs are in the wrong order then it’s still a pretty damn good album. And it is :)

My favourite songs from the album: Break Up Song, Part Time, The Promise, Common Ground

06 Cold War Kids: LA Divine

(it was really hard to crop this without it including the expression ���Cold Kids”)

My love for Cold War Kids is endless and yet their albums are such hard hit and misses it’s incredible. I either love them to bits or I love like the lead single and nothing else. Dear Miss Lonelyhearts has my all time favourite CWK song on it but I couldn’t hum you another song from that album. However the singles released from LA Divine were very promising so I found myself hoping for a good one. And it was. I agree with critics that say maybe CWK wanted to chew off too big a bite with the needless intermezzos that don’t add anything to the overall experience but other than that you’ve just got these guys flexing their hit writing muscles. These songs are banger after banger, call it tryhard if you want but I’ll call the firemen cause... cause it’s lit......

I’m sorry.

My favourite songs from the album: Can We Hang On?, No Reason to Run, Ordinary Idols

05 Linkin Park: One More Light

I’ve loved Linkin Park for a decade which is a long time and 2007 wasn’t even remotely the beginning of their career. It was with Minutes to Midnight that the “they sold out” train started and more and more people jumped on all of the wagons every year especially with new releases and yet Linkin Park stayed not giving a crap, a bit like Fall Out Boy. My personal favourite of theirs Living Things was followed by The Hunting Party which I didn’t quite get but I never stopped enjoying their music. So when Heavy came out I knew the bullshit about them going pop would start and I wasn’t wrong. It’s true, One More Light is way milder, more quiet record than any of the records before but I feel like if you’ve been in a band for almost two decades you can kind of do whatever the fuck you want without having to explain yourself. I’m glad Linkin Park did exactly that.

Lighter in its sound but just as emotional as ever, One More Light is different, but it’s a welcome difference. I didn’t want another Meteora or another Living Things, I wanted a new Linkin Park record with good songs on it and the band delivered. I love the sampling, I love the polished melodies, I love the rap parts just the same, I love it when Mikey sings :) if I could change one thing I’d just make the whole album longer.

My favourite songs from the album: Talking to Myself, Sharp Edges, Good Goodbye

I fucking miss Chester so much. Rest in peace, thank you for everything.

04 Misterwives: Connect the Dots

I’ve also written about this miracle of an album here so I won’t repeat myself (I think I’ve done it enough already). It’s bands and albums like this that remind me to try new things even if they don’t look like my thing. I don’t listen to stuff like Misterwives and yet this album brought so much joy into my life, I couldn’t be more grateful (to Spotify).

My favourite songs from the album: Only Human, Band Camp, Out of Tune Piano, Let the Light In

03 Everything Everything: A Fever Dream

I also wrote about why and how Everything Everything got onto the best artists list so late and the case isn’t different with the album either. Get to Heaven didn’t blow my mind and even though a friend of mine couldn’t have recommended A Fever Dream to me more I just missed out on it for a few months. But maybe it was fate, maybe it wasn’t my time to love it before. Now it definitely is. A Fever Dream continues the band’s tradition of singing fast-paced, weird songs overloaded by dissonant guitars and synths, accompanied by the singer’s wailing. I’m sorry I keep shitting on his voice, it’s a very unique voice, it’s kind of rickety and squeaky but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

However, there’s a strange, faimilar coldness about this album. I can’t explain how it manifests I just feel it. A sort of addictive loneliness I couldn’t get out of even if I wanted to. Either way, all of these together create what is definitely a perfect album. (Pretty much if I wanted to I could put this in the place of Enter Shikari’s The Spark and it would still stand, they’re both just so good.)

My favourite songs from the album: all of them, really... but if I have to play along, it’s A Fever Dream, White Wale, Good Shot Good Soldier, Night of the Long Knives

02 Enter Shikari: The Spark

Another review I already got out of the way, I think I summed up well why The Spark is so special. But I’ll quote the important bit:

“It sounds like a concept album but to me it’s rather a collection of specific ideas and topics with clear messages, expressing thought-provoking opinions without ever demeaning the listener or even sounding pompous or like Enter Shikari knows better because they’re not playing regular music, you know.”

My favourite songs from the album: Live Outside, Undercover Agents, Airfield, Take My Country Back

01 Nothing But Thieves: Broken Machine

Not that it needs more explanation because I’ve pretty much been on about this album the whole fucking year but Nothing But Thieves came into my life two years ago at a friend’s recommendation and their first album quickly became one of my favourites that year (I snuck it onto the best albums list at fifth place in 2015) and when Amsterdam came out it was just The Explosion I waited for. It rekindled my love for them and made me look forward to something in a year that wasn’t great. Singles kept being released and slowly the wait for Broken Machine consumed my life.

In this day and age, probably because of how cynical I’ve become, it’s hard to look forward to something in a “man this is gonna be awesome!” way, it’s usually that tense sigh of “I hope they don’t fuck this up” but maybe all the stars aligned and I just knew Broken Machine would be awesome. And it was.

I wrote more about the album here if you want to check out my 100% objective review, and please, please listen to Broken Machine if you haven’t yet (also listen to it if you have already listened to it) because it’s truly something special.

My favourite songs from the album: you know the drill, but if I had to choose a few to recommend, it’d be Sorry, Broken Machine, Live Like Animals, Particles, I’m Not Made By Design, I’ll stop listing every song on the album now. 

[thrashermaxey]

Terrible Twosomes

  The first time I ever wrote for this website some time ago, I did a piece on the advantages of owning linemates on your fantasy hockey squad. Owning the likes of Tyler Seguin/Jamie Benn, P.K. Subban/Andrei Markov, and Claude Giroux/Jakub Voracek across several seasons past, I was fortunate to go on and have success in the road to the league title(s). This is a topic that seems to see a fifty-fifty split in for and against and no side is more correct than the other, but this article is not to serve argumentative purpose. Here I want to address some dominant duos that were more than capable of being drafted in your respective drafts leading into the year and are certainly providing you with some healthy production.

  Sean Monahan/Johnny Gaudreau

  When I realized my good friend had united these two on his squad in our draft, I immediately texted him a very profanity laced tirade along with a well done to top it off. One of the more unheralded tandems in this league still if you ask me, Gaudreau and Monahan have been a force offensively this season with both well on their way to 70-plus points apiece by the end, Gaudreau with a good chance for 85-plus. In a 12-team league in ESPN, both were attainable in Rounds 5-7 making them each a respective steal for the draft price paid. They start this article off because there may not be a more locked in pair in the league and I don’t think Glen Gulutzan would separate them for anything which makes him a wise individual.

  Thus far these two have collectively provided 32 goals, 54 assists, 227 shots, and 26 PPP, while Gaudreau currently sits at plus-11 and Monahan at plus-12. Both are giving you a nice spread across the production board while doing nothing to hurt your team’s chances through the first half so there could really be no case against uniting the two on your roster. Beyond even strength they further their collective oomph together on the primary power play unit giving you opportunities for two-point plays quite often. As far as being the focal points of an offense, these two are about as locked into said roles as any player(s) across the league on a Flames team where the talent level drops off in significant fashion beyond the top line. With Micheal Ferland seemingly locked in to complete the trio and consistently scoring goals, expect this twosome to continue paying fantasy dividends for you the rest of the campaign.

    Bo Horvat/Brock Boeser

  This power duo needs to be touched upon because it has more than likely been forgotten with Horvat out injured. The continued ascent of Boeser in his absence has sent the fantasy world into a tizzy and rightfully so but one must not forget that a large part of his rise was being paired with the underrated two-way center in Horvat. Now as Horvat nears his return after a long absence, I put this duo here for if you’re a lucky owner of Boeser now is the time to target Horvat before he returns, and they go on a run. It would be doubtful as an owner of Horvat to acquire Boeser without paying a king’s ransom now, but if you’ve invested in this duo it paid dividends early on and such should be the case upon the center’s return.

  Boeser has remained a consistent option in Horvat’s absence alongside the likes of Sam Gagner as his center during this time. Kudos to Gagner in his journeyman ways, but he is far from a number one center therefore we should see Horvat and Boeser reunited once again for certain. Being they were playing together with an accompanying third piece 75% of the time at even strength, it’s a pretty sure thing to happen either immediately or in a short timeframe. Now with Baertschi already back, by the time Horvat rejoins the Canucks his familiar linemates will be in mid-season form. There’s no denying prior to injury Horvat was in the midst of a season seeing him take the next step, posting a 0.71 point/PG pace with 20 in 28 games played. If you have the potential to acquire the secondary piece to unite the two on your fantasy roster do so now and reap the rewards in the second half.

  Claude Giroux/Sean Couturier

  Whilst everyone is raving about Giroux’s revitalization, I am personally hexing him for after four loyal years of drafting him and watching those point totals decline season after season I am rewarded this campaign seeing him return to elite “Jagr-era” production on another squad….awesome sauce. Nonetheless the premier playmaker is back in force once again providing dumb founding power play production and thanks to his declining totals over the years, lucky fantasy managers found themselves getting the elite distributor in the sixth round on average this time around. He’s rewarding those savvy owners with a season that sees him among but a small handful of players working towards the 100-point barrier. Most impressive regarding Giroux’s production rate is his stark drop off in offensive zone starting percentage, going from routinely seeing above 50% since 2013-14 to now only 43.5% of the time. Despite this his pts/60 sits at 3.7 so the shift to wing although still receiving face-offs routinely is working wonders for his game.

  Couturier is on pace for an eye popping 45-goals. Though not even I expected anything close to this ever from him, people should remember that on top of being a defensive stalwart he was an offensive dynamo in the QMJHL with back-to-back 96-point seasons in his final two years. Seeing ample time with Giroux and the likes of Jakub Voracek who is handing assists out like charity does play a part in Couturier’s uptick in points.  Still there’s no denying the fact he is taking the next step in his own right as he’s shown flashes of brilliance like this in the past. As with Giroux, the production is impressive being deployed primarily in the defensive zone. Much like Monahan and Gaudreau, anyone lucky enough to own this pair not only capitalize on shared even strength scoring but they also are out on the ice together on the primary power play unit. If these two continue producing at their current rates we are looking at 160 points combined between the two, as a floor. With a realistic ability for 40-plus of said points on the man advantage, owning this pair is criminal. Sit back and enjoy the production as Giroux is seemingly back at full health after years of injury plague and relishing in their undeniable chemistry.

  Aleksander Barkov/Jonathan Huberdeau

  Aleksander Barkov is the rudest player in the NHL. By rude I don’t mean in a manners sense, but by the embarrassment he causes goaltenders. If you did not see his recent shootout goal on Sergei Bobrovsky where he faked an in-between the legs shot and ruined his life please follow the link below and have a moment of silence afterwards for the poor netminder. (skip to 01:12)

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  Obscured from view in Sunrise, Florida, Barkov, Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck are never going to receive the love they deserve across the league. All three are playing defender minutes and scoring at an elite clip but nobody seems to praise their contributions. Alas let’s focus on the power duo that is Barkov/Huberdeau.

  Should he ever stay healthy I think Barkov is an essential lock for 75-points season after season. Yet with not one full campaign yet under his belt now in his fifth year, one has to hope this is it. So far so good with 41 games played and 40 points total. His pts/60 is directly in line with the season prior but his point/PG pace has risen from 0.84 to almost point per game at 0.98. This is a dominant player there are no if ands or buts about it. Now 22 years of age and filled out he is an absolute physical specimen with foul skill and elite intelligence that must be respected. Huberdeau much like Barkov has always had the ability to score but he too in all his years has never played 82 games. With 43 points in 42 games played to this point he’s on track to cross the 80-point barrier and should you own both you’re looking at a collective 150 points with over 30 coming on the power play between them. This is the most ideal pair to own when looking beyond the injury concerns as Barkov plays top pair defense minutes every single game while Huberdeau routinely sees around 20 minutes which is nothing to sneeze at. Like Barkov, Huberdeau sits now on the highest point/PG pace of his career and should this be the year they both contribute full campaigns we’re looking at the arguably deadliest duo of them all. To think these two were to be had in Rounds 7 and 8 in drafts and producing as they are makes any and all who possess the pair one wise manager.

  John Tavares/Anders Lee

  So does anyone still not believe in Anders Lee or are we finally done with that bologna? Dating back to the midway point of last season when these two started riding shotgun with each other this has become one of the most dominant tandems the league has to offer. Tavares with his elite vision, skill and playmaking capabilities coupled with the imposing power forward with great hands that lives for net front presence, they’ve been the driving force behind the Islanders offense. Not entirely sure of the stat but I believe it’s something along the lines of since the calendar flipped to 2017, nobody has scored more goals than Anders Lee besides the likes of far higher pedigree names in Nikita Kucherov and Alexander Ovechkin. Plain and simple Lee has become a premier goal scorer and yes Tavares absolutely plays his part in this, but they clearly feed off each other and Doug Weight knows what he has in this behemoth duo.

  The beauty of owning this pair is that both came at great draft prices with Tavares attainable in the third round and Lee beyond Round 10! One off year for Tavares shouldn’t have discounted him as so but now working towards 90-plus points in a contract year you have to be confident the bounce back will continue. Currently these two have provided 47 goals, 44 assists, 241 shots, 27 PPP and are minus-5 collectively. The only knock is on plus minus which is a trivial stat, but their combined scoring is obscene. You’re looking at a 150-point floor combined from the two going forth and a real shot at 50-plus PP points! For two players to provide that ability for double point plays at even strength and on the primary power play together makes them a strong deployment. The Islanders are one of the more potent offenses in the league today and should they ever acquire something above the mediocre goaltending they have currently you’re looking at a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Trust Weight to keep Tavares/Lee together until the end of time itself.

from All About Sports http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/frozen-pool-forensics/terrible-twosomes/