Written by u/GoldWhale & u/JD397
Thanks everyone for your patience with us getting this written up. Much appreciation to my co-author u/JD397 for his work, scouting analysis, and comprehensive background knowledge on where Demidov sat compared to historical players, and the international analysis. Please note, this analysis won’t focus on why Demidov>Levshunov. In terms of BPA, Demidov is nearly unanimously over Levshunov based on consolidated rankings. With the Blackhawks publicly saying they want to go BPA, we hope to establish a case as to why Demidov truly stands above the rest, by a good margin. We hope that this was worth the wait, and we haven’t disappointed anyone who may have wanted more. We’re amateurs, give us a small break 😉
When Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly flipped the decisive card to reveal the number one overall pick, Blackhawks fans were disappointed. They were going to miss out on Macklin Celebrini, the consensus number one center and number one overall player in the draft. After winning Connor Bedard the prior year, many fans were hoping for a one two punch down the middle, their own version of McDavid and Draisaitl, Crosby and Malkin; this was not to be.
Despite the initial dismay, fans were still happy. The Blackhawks won the second lottery, and with that, the rights to select a franchise player at number two overall. Immediately, though, there was debate. Swirling on social media there were rumors that the Blackhawks were predominantly looking at two high end prospects: Ivan Demidov (RW/C) and Artyom Levshunov (D). On one hand Demidov is an elite prospect at wing with excellent hands, creativity, and legitimate top line wing with PPG+ upside. On the other, Levshunov is a dynamic offensive defenseman with a stellar shot, solid size, dynamic skating, and most importantly right-handedness.
The Blackhawks, realistically, need both positions. Last year the Blackhawks iced one of the worst offenses in the entire league, scoring the second least goals behind only San Jose. They also had the fourth worst defense, surrendering 290 goals on the season. Neither are acceptable in the push for a playoff spot in the coming years, but ultimately with number two, you can only choose one of the two players. After our hours of analysis, u/JD397 and I believe there is no debate – as good as Levshunov is, Demidov is closer in skill and projection to Celebrini than anyone else in the draft is to him.
So who is Ivan Demidov? He’s an 18 year old forward playing for SKA 1946, a MHL affiliate of SKA of the KHL. Since the 2023 draft the big story out of the KHL was the dominance of Matvei Michkov. This was a kid who destroyed the MHL by putting up 38 points in 22 games and going PPG+ in the playoffs his D-1 Year. Michkov then outperformed Connor Bedard by putting up 16 points in 7 games at the IIHF U18s in 2021. Michkov was, and still is, borderline generational but there was someone else waiting in his shadow. In his D-1 Year, Ivan Demidov put up 62 points in 41 games, and scored 1.3PPG in the MHL playoffs. While putting up a lower PPG pace than Michkov, Demidov’s game was substantially more well rounded and scouts started to take notice of another potential franchise winger in Ivan Demidov.
Demidov exploded in his D-0 Year, putting up a literal 2.0 PPG pace in the MHL the highest pace ever for a player 18 or under, and the third highest PPG in league history. In the playoffs, despite an injury, Demidov posted a ridiculous 28 points in 17 games. This production was unheard of beforehand and bested Kucherov’s 1.87 point pace at 18. Not only did Demidov have better production AND two way play, but he also did it nearly 7 months younger. Demidov remains a bright spot who is able to elevate his play to the competition. Before talking about playstyle, strengths, comps, projections, etc. it needs to be noted just how dominant Demidov was on the scoresheet.
Now that fans know who Ivan Demidov is, let’s address the elephant in the room. Demidov is Russian and with the political climate worldwide, being a Russian is associated with an inherent risk of a prospect not coming over. Rest assured – there is no such concern in this case. Last year, rumors swirled around Michkov not coming over due to three factors:

1. Michkov did not meet with more than two teams and actively told specific teams he would not play for them.
   
2. Michkov was incredibly difficult to get ahold of predraft and it made scouts and front offices skeptical on his character and desire to come to the NHL.
   
3. Michkov had 3 more years left on his contract with SKA.
   

Demidov, on the other hand, is actively engaging with teams. He’s hosting a workout in Florida before the draft for multiple teams to attend, and is actively having his agent coordinate interviews and meetings with interested front offices. Demidov has publicly declared his intention to come over to the NHL as soon as possible, even venturing so far as to say he’s looking at options for getting out of his KHL contract to get to the NHL for the 24-25 season. Finally, Demidov only has 1 year left on his contract so there isn’t long term concern about losing the ability to develop him internally. An interesting note that we found during analysis was that Demidov’s agent, Dan Milstein, is “hated” in the KHL because of how consistently he pushes for his clients to leave Russia and transition them to the NHL. Even if Demidov is stuck in Russia all of next year, there’s almost zero risk he doesn’t come over.
On Demidov, the other large question that looms is his lack of play in the KHL, and SKA’s decision to play him in the MHL. Despite being the one of the best players in MHL history, Demidov only saw action in 4 KHL games and scored a total of 0 points which has also turned off many scoresheet watchers. Let us reassure you – Demidov was predominantly the 13th forward and played an average of 3-5 minutes per game with unfamiliar linemates. He did not have a chance to play enough to succeed, and built no chemistry with the teammates he was playing with in his limited time. SKA is notorious for handling their prospects poorly. Young players are consistently given limited ice time, especially when they’re expected to leave Russia. Michkov, despite his skill, couldn’t crack the SKA roster in his D-0 or D+1 simply because of this bias. All said, this is not a concern scouts have when it comes to the potential drafting of Demidov.
With the Russia question answered, we believe there is no doubt that Ivan Demidov is the pick to make in the 2024 draft. Ivan Demidov is really really good. He is the complete package for what you look for in a franchise winger. Demidov has excellent hands, dynamic edgework, elite hockey IQ, high end compete and energy, a relentless forecheck, creativity in the offense he provides, solid two way play, and finally rapid speed in terms of release and puck control. There is no one like him in this draft who offers such an elite skillset with no obvious flaws in his game outside of his build. He can also play center when needed which gives him additional offensive flexibility and adds even more dynamism to his game.
While analytics don’t tell the full story, they can often be a useful baseline to build from. The first item we want to call attention to is Byron Bader’s model, which projects Demidov as the best #2OA prospect since Eichel.. Let's again be clear, we don’t put much merit into this due to the low gradings of Carlsson and Laine, but it’s important to contextualize how Bader’s model works. It compares prospects to the league they’re in and projects them out. Demidov dominated the MHL to such a degree that the model favorably views him due to being almost untouched in play, and setting multiple records. Continuing with Hockey Prospecting and Bader, who is an active NHL draft consultant, they project Demidov to be an absolute STUD based on production. No forward who they’ve ever given 99%s to has ever been less than PPG+. Demidov has a very comparable offensive game to Celebrini, and is all but guaranteed to be a star due to his production and skillset. Alanen also projects Demidov to be elite in all 3 zones, and gives him a total RARE grade of 100, due to his next level offense and transition, and above average defensive work despite his assignments. Again, analytics aren’t an end all be all by any means. They’re just an exceptional base to build from when scouts, data scientists and NHL draft consultants unanimously believe a player to be elite. From our research, no prospects with comparable profiles have busted or not succeeded in the NHL.
Whilst reading multiple articles, watching videos on Demidov, and going through tape, we compiled the following scouting report.
Physical Attributes:
Demidov is not very physically imposing, or even one of the most physical players in the draft. He’s expected to show up to the combine around 6ft tall and weighing 170lbs. Admittedly one knock that some scouts have for him is his build and need to bulk up. Thankfully, this is easy to build at the professional level. Nonetheless, Demidov has sturdy base that enables him to dominate around the boards and in front of the net due to his rapid twitch movements and lower body power. Demidov is able to outskate and outwork larger and stronger players by being smart with his legs and driving to the inside consistently when in transition. His remarkable agility and lower-body strength allow him to outmaneuver opponents and maintain possession in tight spaces, or separate for quick attacks or desperation back checking.
Skating:
Demidov's skating is characterized by irregularities; while he exhibits great power on his edges, his transitions suffer due to a wide stance, leading to questionable but explosive pivot work. Despite this, his rapid acceleration and agility enable him to navigate through traffic seamlessly, while his powerful stride generates significant momentum, making him a constant threat in transition. Let’s clear up a misconception; Demidov is not a bad skater. He’s got decent speed, a good handle on body control, power on the inside of his edges and with quick crossovers, etc. His posture and stance need work, but this is something that looks completely fixable at the NHL level. It doesn’t require a rebuild of his skating style, rather a retool that can utilize his edgework as a base. Instead of hunching over at the end of a shift and losing speed and energy, Demidov can rely on quicker small movement cuts on for rapid movement and longer, albeit slower strides while holding himself higher to preserve energy while covering distance. While the 10 and 2 skating that Demidov employs isn’t conventional, it allows him to see a good deal of the ice, and when in close provide breaking speed towards the play. Fixing the reliance on 10 and 2 also offers faster top level skating and easier quick pivoting in a 200ft game, rather than a longer turn. Again, his skating is unorthodox – but it isn’t bad. It’s not mechanically sound, but it can be polished to a high level without a large amount of concern. Because of how unpredictable his skating is now, scouts across the board acknowledge that it potentially even grants an advantage as his body is harder to read.
Scoring Ability:
A natural sniper, Demidov possesses a lethal shot with pinpoint accuracy and a lightning-quick release that catches goaltenders off guard. Whether he's unleashing a blistering wrist shot from the slot or wiring a one-timer on the power play, Demidov consistently finds the back of the net with precision and finesse. One really underrated part of Demidov’s scoring ability comes from the aforementioned elite edgework. Due to how rapidly he can change directions while holding full control over the puck, he can create scoring lanes with almost zero room, and his accuracy is again one of the best we’ve evaluated as amateur scouts in the last few drafts. When there isn’t an immediate opening or shot, Demidov is patient, draws coverage where he wants, and again has no qualms about firing the puck to the net. If there’s one question about his ability to score, it’s his slapshot. He hasn’t had to use it in almost any occasion due to how the offense is structured on SKA 1946, and therefore it’s not as developed as his snap or wrister. This is a relatively minor knock, though. Demidov can take slapshots and find twine without much difficulty, it’s just the least refined part of his goalscoring ability.
Playmaking and Elite Hands:
Demidov has the best hands that we have scouted. Better than McDavid, better than Fantilli, better than Hughes, better than Bedard, better than Michkov, and yes, better than Patrick Kane as a prospect. Yep, that good. Hadi Kalakeche, one of Dobber’s lead scouts says, “…he has THE best handling skill I’ve seen… he’s the closest thing we’ve seen to Pavel Datsyuk since Pavel Datsyuk.” The rapidity of his movement, the purposeful puck placement, the astounding protection rate, and his ability to pull defenders off of him without moving his body is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Again, he has the most individual puck skill and innate offensive talent in the draft. These skills with his hands allow him to become an absolutely next level playmaker. Demidov is crafty, and has a history of faking shots to make a pass, or vice versa to help his team. He’s able to create lanes and take advantage of his puck control by having absolutely next level zone entry to set up the offense on a consistent basis. While his decision making needs some work when it comes to choosing the best move, he almost always makes the right one, and is able to think through solutions when there’s no apparent move forward. Whether it’s a drop pass, running the puck up the boards, a regroup, finding a teammate with a perfectly slotted pass, Demidov has no real ceiling. The only question remains is whether these skills will work as well at the next level. All said though, there’s no real debate between scouts that he’ll be a franchise winger.
Creativity and IQ:
Demidov is electrifying, brilliant, dynamic, innovative, transcendent, and any other adjective you want to use. There is no prospect in this draft with Demidov’s offensive upside, including Macklin Celebrini. As mentioned above, Demidov has been compared to Datsyuk: he is stellar at opening up lanes with his body or finding passes, even if they’re banked off the boards. While Bedard is a guy who was expected to shoot first, Demidov is a passer. This works in his favor, though. Demidov certainly doesn’t lack a scoring touch. His positioning and body will tell goalies and defenders he’s planning to pass and he’s able to quickly change direction using his edges to put a shot on net. His ability to think several steps ahead of the play allows him to execute highlight-reel passes and capitalize on scoring opportunities that others on his team might miss, or simply not have the skill to execute. He’s unpredictable because his vision is at such a high level. He’s got a game reminiscent of Jack Hughes and Patrick Kane, and the way he views the game has scouts absolutely over the moon about his pro projection. There really is nothing that Demidov doesn’t have the ability to do – this year in the MHL he took advantage of the strength of competition and tested it out. Demidov tried different reads, different styles, working more heavily down the middle, shooting, playdriving, etc. We’re blown away by the flexibility that he shows across every facet of the game. A really fun quote to mention from Lassi Alanen, EP’s director of Euro scouting is, “I still have like 100+ unused clips of Demidov's play from this season. He must be the most clippable prospect I've ever watched. Something eye-catching happening almost every shift during his second half of the season.” Demidov’s highlight reel isn’t really a “reel” – that’s just how he plays the game on most shifts that he takes.
Physicality and Defensive Awareness:
Demidov's physicality extends well beyond his height, as he isn't afraid to throw his weight (all 170lbs) around and engage in board battles to win possession. His defensive awareness is equally impressive, as he uses his size and reach to disrupt passing lanes and apply pressure on opposing forwards both in the defensive zone and in the neutral zone, showcasing a commitment to playing a complete, two-way game. As briefly mentioned, Demidov doesn’t exclusively play wing – he plays center too. While he’s not going to be Patrice Bergeron he is capable of handling both ends of the ice, and has consistently improved his defensive play throughout the year.
Work Ethic and Engagement:
While almost all prospects “work hard” to play their best on the ice, Demidov does that little bit more. Despite being a winger, he’s consistently one of the first players up and down the ice. He rarely coasts and drifts around but is engaged rather consistently all around the ice. One thing that’s often hard to teach prospects is how to be aggressive and assertive without being risky. Demidov never worries about challenging his opponents, fighting hard board battles, or giving his all to get back into a play after he’s low after driving to the net. This is something that the Blackhawks LOVE in their players, and should hopefully encourage GMKD to pull the trigger, if everything else didn’t sell him. As we see Demidov continue to improve in skating with NHL coaches, this should only give him more energy to expend in the 200ft game, and improve his engagement across plays. He’s an absolute workhorse, and consistently pushes to improve which evidenced by the massive improvement across this season in the MHL. There’s no reason to think this same drive can’t come through on the NHL level.
Areas to Improve and Questions:
With all the hype around Demidov, it’s hard to initially understand why he’s considered a lower end prospect than Celebrini. Digging in, though, it becomes more clear. While Demidov has the higher ceiling, he also has a much lower floor. The number one factor that limits Demidov is his exposure to higher end competition. The MHL is a good league, but Demidov was ready for the KHL last year. Since he wasn’t exposed to higher end competition there is still question on how much of his skillset will translate when playing higher level men’s hockey. There isn’t an expectation of a problem, but when a player lacks that experience, it undoubtedly makes them more challenging to project. Remember, Demidov didn’t really play meaningful KHL minutes when he got 4 games this year. He got 13th forward exposure and didn’t play with the same linemates that he worked with in the pre-season. Nonetheless, he wasn’t perfect. He did see some questionable decisions while trying to adapt to higher competition. There’s little concern that this is an actual issue, but Demidov needs to grow and play against men, even for a few games, before coming to the NHL. Thankfully, he should have the entire season in 2024-2025, and I haven’t read a single scouting report that expects him to have an issue putting up Michkov+ numbers.
The second factor is skating. Demidov is a good skater, but he’s unorthodox at best. While this skating relies heavily on his edgework which gives him amazing playmaking ability, his pivoting, high end speed, position and stride could all use refinement and improvement. While these are all skating mechanics that are easier to fix, skating is NOT a guarantee. If he’s unable to improve his skating with NHL skating coaches, it could limit his upside. He is still expected to be a top line winger, but it could be the difference between 70+ and 100+ points if skating doesn’t develop. Remember, some scouts view his skating as a “hidden” upside in his game, but improving skating not only gives him more offensive flexibility, but also defensively. There’s room for improvement, and it could be an easier lever to correct to see high rewards from.
The third factor is decision making. Demidov is creative to a fault, but just like in art, not every project works out. With such an advanced toolkit, Demidov needs to work with video coaches to better understand which moveset is appropriate in which scenario and when to deploy it. There’s a difference between decision making and IQ. Decision making is hard to fix when a prospect is set in their ways based on playstyle, but if playstyle is more flexible, then there’s much less of a concern. IQ, on the other hand is uncoachable, and Demidov has arguably the best offensive IQ in the draft. There’s no reason to believe that he can’t fix this, but due to being stuck abroad, and potentially even the MHL again next year, it could take him a bit longer to get up to NHL speed.
The final factor is defense. While it seems that every single forward prospect has a knock on their defense, we can qualify Demidov’s specifics a bit more easily. Demidov is a competent defender, and a very good well rounded player, but again decision making plays a factor in the challenge of projecting him here. While players like Celebrini are dominant both ways, Demidov often doesn’t make the right choice when defending – he has a lot of offensive instincts which have him sit higher on the blue, and while he is always engaged on the puck, he needs to be more responsible in coverage rotations. Off the rush, Demidov doesn’t always read the play correctly, and the inconsistency can create shooting lanes for his opponent. Just like Michkov, he can also cheat on plays where he finds himself a bit further away from a play and loses sight of his defensive assignment. He’s extremely energetic and consistently pushes to get back, but working with him on understanding when to cheat will be important for his development as well. We again want to reemphasize that Demidov plays solid defense and a good two way game, especially for a wingecenter. But there’s room for improvement in terms of bridging the gap between him and other recent prospects like Celebrini, Carlsson, and Johnston.
Pro Projection:
While he doesn’t have the skating that Jack Hughes had, he’s still a great projection and comparable. A smaller but nimble player who isn’t afraid to get involved on the rush, around the boards, or in transition. Demidov’s offensive upside is similar as well – like Hughes, the defense isn’t the best, but he’s able to run an entire offense both on the wing and playing center. He’s creative to a fault, has a great set of hands, and the toolkit to be a consistent top 5 player at his position in the NHL. Pro projections are always hard because you can never guarantee how a player will turn out, whether they’re undrafted or a #1OA, but Demidov is truly all but a sure thing. His creativity rivals players like Nikita Kucherov and Mitch Marner in their ability to think ahead of where the play is, his handling rivals Kane and Datysuk, his defensive play is above average for a winger, he has a great shot comparable to players like Matt Tkachuk, and is a bitch to get off the puck. Even when Demidov is literally on the ground, he’s consistently able to hold possession and find a play with no room left. With a toolkit like his, decent size at an estimated 6ft, there should be no reservations that Demidov should succeed at the next level. Most scouts see his floor around 65-70 points, and his ceiling closer to 120. I stand by the Jack Hughes comp I made earlier. While they differ in skating, they play very similar games, and should expect similar success at the next level.
Quotes:

“He’s got the best hands in the draft… and has made more one-on-one skill plays so far this season than almost any prospect I’ve scouted for any draft. He’s also a pretty engaged off-puck player who keeps his feet moving, hunts pucks on the forecheck, and can turn a steal into a game-breaking play in an instant.”
Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
“Demidov is already a game-breaking forward who can move the puck effortlessly and there’s no question he’d be a fantastic partner to some of the best prospects in the NHL today. His production in the MHL is comparable to Patrick Kane’s 2006-07 season with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights… Demidov is a bonafide first-line winger who will score tons of goals.”
Dayton Reimer, The Hockey Writers
“In a vacuum he’s the most talented forward this draft class has to offer outside of Celebrini. Demidov possesses many of the same traits Celebrini does, only his track record is against younger, more unproven talent."
Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet
“The talent of Demidov is impossible to deny. His raw skills might be the best in terms of offense in the entire draft. His puckhandling, shot, passing, and even skating makes him a unique hockey player and prospect. There are many great offensive players, but not many quite like Demidov. Especially who will also have a great drive and motor to play a strong 200 foot game… he could easily be a point per game player in the NHL on most teams first line.”
Frederik Frandsen, Last Word on Sports
“At the end of the day, what you get in a player like Ivan Demidov is a generational offensive dynamo with the mind of a master chess player. Each time he gains possession of the biscuit, his ability to think many steps ahead of the opponent, find creative solutions involving his puck handling abilities, as well as creating tremendous execution at creating space with his skating or precisely hitting the net is considered to be up to par at the NHL level.”
Tyler Ballesteros-Willard, Draft Prospects Hockey
“Any forward that has ever had the type of equivalency we’ve seen from Demidov in his pre-draft year and draft year, going back to the ’80s, has turned into a point-per-game-plus superstar over their careers… You need stars to compete and contend in the NHL, and Demidov is almost guaranteed to be that.”
Byron Bader, Hockey Prospecting
“Demidov is the most dynamic, verstatile, and creative [puck] handler we’ve seen come through the draft in recent years. Elements of his on-puck decision-making remain raw, but his upside as a 100-point top-line winger is supported by decent off-puck and defensive engagement and lightning-quick processing of the game. His elite-level of on-puck intelligence and his trifecta of dynamic handling, playmaking, and goalscoring tools give him the foundation to become an electrifying creative force and offensive driver.”
Sebastian High, Dobber
“Demidov breaks defences. He spots a tiny gap in coverage, bursts right through, and blows it open. He plays mostly a finesse game, but does so hyper-aggressively, attacking everything he can. Demidov succeeds at pulling off plays that most prospects can't. He plans, processes, and anticipates faster than he can stickhandle. He's a pure creator with the puck, making plays out of nothing.”
David St. Louis, Elite Prospects
“Demidov is the more dynamic and flashy prospect [Than Michkov].Demidov is the single-most gifted handler in the entire 2024 class. He projects to be the superior one-on-one attacker…someone who can single-handedly create out of thin air. When it comes to passing ability…Demidov’s ability to chain together handling sequences into following passing plays is second to none.”
Lassi Alanen, Elite Prospects
“It’s a no brainer[at #2OA]. It’s Ivan Demidov all day, every day, 24/7. You run to the stage and pick him… if you ask me, Ivan Demidov is better than Matvei Michkov… He’s the only prospect in our rankings who we gave a 10 grade to for a specific ability. It’s not just the handling skill in isolation it’s the creativity. He comes up with solutions no one can expect.. his motor is underrated, puts in work defensively… it’s a no brainer there.”
Hadi Kalakeche, Locked on NHL/Dobber

Our Scouting:
Clip 1:
As we talked about prior, Demidov has a great IQ and the ability to create lanes and plays out of nothing. Demidov pushes up the ice and enters the zone with pressure closing onto the side. He uses his hands to pull in control, but more impressively, puts his body between the defender and the puck. He uses his edgework and breaking speed to push past the defender, then is patient enough to draw 3 defenders towards him, away from his teammate. When he sees the trailing defenseman waiting, he immediately finds a tight pass for a wide open teammate to capitalize.
Clip 2:
There’s a difference between a safe move, and then there’s an insane move. Watch as Demidov comes up on the left side. He sees that the defender is getting desperate and goes for a large poke. Demidov slides the puck under the Dman’s stick and once again shows off his patience. Instead of going for a quick shot he reads that the other defender is slowly coming across the crease to prevent a passing lane. Instead of just shooting like most players, Demidov baits the goalie into thinking he’s going to run into the defenseman, and in that second, puts the puck in the net.
Clip 3:
Small play, but this is just about how slick his passing is. He slides the puck through a very tight lane while baiting the defenseman into sliding due to not knowing where the play is going to be.
Clip 4:
While we can put on nonstop highlights, it’s also important to see how smart Demidov’s game is. Demidov and the other SKA players move the puck around a bit trying to find an opening until they give it to Demidov. Demidov reads an open play and passes the puck down, but instead of immediately following the puck or staying at his spot, Demidov uses his high engagement to instead move to the other side of the net down low to offer accessory support for his teammates on his anticipated cross crease pass, should there have been a rebound.
Clip 5:
Not every highlight is going to be a goal. One really underrated part of Demidov’s game is how well he’s able to read the offense. As he holds high initially, he’s able to help move the puck out in order to reset the offense when the play fails. His motor keeps him in the play and with his excellent edges, he’s able to make a quick pivot after rushing around in order to step up and create an open shooting lane. While his teammate can’t make the pass to get the puck to him, Demidov read where the play WOULD be, not just where it was. Those IQ aspects really can’t be taught, and are part of what makes him so special. By anticipating the open play rather than following the puck, he establishes himself as a play driver by creating options rather just following and executing structure at a high level.
Clip 6:
We're not even going to analyze this one. It’s just fucking fun. Talent oozes.
Clip 7:
This video has a ton of highlights, which I’d definitely recommend watching, but we’re going to focus specifically on the play at 0:45. We can post clips of Demidov scoring goals, finding breakaways, etc. all day long, but when thinking about translation to the NHL, IQ and decision making is what we’re really drying to drill down on. Demidov arrives in the zone through to middle and pushes the initial F1 to the F3 spot and changes the rotation. The puck is dumped to him and the initial F1 leaves a drop pass for Demidov approaching the goal. As soon as Demidov gets the puck, at 0:47, you can see him primed and in a good shooting position. The bigger defender misread the play and has drifted too far towards the center of the ice, leaving Demidov with a nearly unobstructed shooting lane as the netfront defenseman is also too far toward the middle. Instead of taking the shot, he instead waits to draw over the netfront defenseman, and the bigger defenseman closer towards him, leaving his teammate literally untouched across the crease. Demidov trusts his hands and ability with an extremely quick and accurate pass through the stick range of three defenders to find his teammate wide open. His decision making has been progressively improving and his ability to look off the shot to find an elite pass will translate extremely well to the next level.
Clip 8:
Another play where you can just be excited about Demidov. The puck is wrapped up around the boards and the defenseman sitting at the top of the blue just pushes the puck back into the zone without a clear target, or a player who has an explicit opening to the puck. If anything, the puck is put in the middle of all 5 Karpat skaters. Despite starting on the outside, Demidov’s engagement shines through where he uses his edgework to get a rapid explosive burst of speed, and pushes through both defenders in front of him to gain possession. Once he gains possession, his ability to control the puck, and his handles help to demonstrate just how strong of a prospect Demidov is. Even when the defender is falling onto him, Demidov is patient, makes the netfront defender bite to believe he’s going wide, creating a lane (effectively bypassing 3 separate Karpat players) to get to the goalie unobstructed. Then, his hands come out and he absolutely undresses the netminder with moves that the video literally cannot fully capture. He makes highlights like this look routine, every single game.
Clip 9:
Sometimes when you see a play it’s hard to say anything but wow. Demidov leads the rush through the neutral zone and reads the coverage a much less conventional 1-4 scheme. The offensive rush is a bit unconventional as well, but can offer a smart solution. By having 3 attackers, two concentrated up the middle and one wide, it allows for quick movement up the middle, and post defensive collapse onto the puck, a pass to the outside for a clear entry lane and shot. Demidov passes to his teammate directly across the center of the ice as he expects that teammate to immediately get puck to their teammate on the outside as coverage collapses. Demidov gauges where the openings are pre pass, as evidenced by the head movement. Unfortunately, instead of immediately passing again to the outside for an open lane, his teammate runs into pressure, and panics. He passes back to Demidov who is less than 8ft away and will inevitably will run into immediate pressure as well. Somehow, this is no problem for Demidov. He collects the puck with the literal tip of his stick, uses his body push the defender off, and then pulls the puck in while facing the wrong direction to slip past the defender. Despite being placed in a no win situation his hands and creativity shine through and he creates a clean lane to shoot the puck at the net. It’s almost inhuman what he’s able to do with his hands. When he gets to the net, he’s patient, baits the goalie, pulls wide, and then puts in a clean backhand. Some of these highlights are literally awe-inspiring.
Closing Thoughts:
If this scouting report doesn’t get you excited for Demidov, we don’t think anything will. He’s truly the most electric player in the draft with absolutely ridiculous hands, compete, dynamic play, and highlight reel performance. His IQ is next level, and his hands allow him to do truly amazing things with his skillset and competency. Demidov’s vision is absurd; he consistently makes passes to his teammates without looking, or sends a pass before a teammate has a clean break by using anticipation. These RARELY lead to a turnovers and are often not only creative but unorthodox methods to continue to move the puck up ice. Although his skating is unorthodox, he’s explosive, able to create comprehensive offensive maneuvers due to quick transitions, and make off angle passes with ease due to his edgework. He is elite in transition and able to run a breakout, an offense, and play any of the F1/F2/F3 roles when the situation calls for it. Despite his expected size of “only” 6ft 170lbs, Demidov knows how to use his body and hands. He not only protects the puck on offense but can draw defenders away from his teammates in predictable patterns, once again opening up space for him to capitalize. The same goes for defense where he's able to use his positioning to get the edge on his opponents for a rapid takeaway or a box out off the rush.
As we mentioned earlier, Demidov’s game isn’t limited only to offense, he has a decent understanding of the two way game as well. He’s a relentless forechecker, aggressive on the boards, and also always willing to use his high running motor to jump back into a play that leaves the zone, even if he’s right next to the net. Demidov has the most skill and raw talent out of any player in this draft, including Celebrini. Had Demidov not been demoted to the MHL due to SKA’s poor management, there is almost no doubt that he would be considered nearly neck and neck with Celebrini. As it is now, Demidov is ranked #2 on most boards, and the overall #2 in the consolidated ranking. Demidovs don’t come around often; people last year were genuinely considering whether Michkov was at Bedard’s level. Demidov rivals Michkov if not exceeds him.
You can nitpick the analysis we have of any one single aspect of Demidov. Not everyone buys analytics. Not everyone buys playmaking in a lower league. Not everyone likes irregular skating. Not everyone is on board with the MHL stat sheet, our hype etc. etc. We get it. Really, we do. But at the end of the day, when you step back and appreciate the full body of work, the comps, the analytics, the rave scouting reports, unanimous love, models, stat sheets, skill, work ethic, and more that ALL say that this kid is elite, there’s fire beyond the smoke. Demidov is THE guy. There should not be a debate at #2.
For those of you who made it to the end, thanks for reading! Ultimately we know there will be inevitable debate about a prospect, but we appreciate you hearing us out, and at least letting me, u/GoldWhale, spam the sub over the last few weeks in love of Demidov. Whether or not you agree with our analysis, we encourage you to do your own scouting, read from the authors we've included, watch through all the highlights in the linked videos, and draw your own conclusions!
We appreciate everyone in this community, and will try to answer any questions that you may have in the comments. If you so choose, please feel free to crosspost to other subs, edit, or utilize this writeup anywhere you like (forums/blogs/youtube etc.), just link back to our original post! For those in professional media who have contacted us with the hope of utilizing our writeup, feel free, again just link back to the original post as well. Thanks again!

Currently I'd say they're the main reason I end up out of position and whacked by missiles on the bot front.
They're horrendously tanky and yet absurdly numerous.
How are you beating them?
Currently my most reliable answers are:

• Autocannon (1-3 shots)
  
• Anti Materiel Rifle (to the crotch: 2-3 shots?)
  
• An Entire Senator Drum
  
• Stun Grenades && An Entire Primary Magazine
  

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard might be getting all the hype for Norway this draft season, but DMan Stian Solberg is someone that rightfully so is finally getting the attention he deserves.
The 6’2 & 200 pound defender is anchoring the first pair for Norway at the World Championships and his play so far has definitely improved his draft stock both with public scouts and I’m sure NHL teams looking for defenders in the late first-early second, so good in fact that Solberg was mocked to go in the middle first by the Athletics Corey Pronman who believes his blend of mobility and physicality alongside an improved offensive toolkit makes him one of the sneakier more NHL built players in the class.
Much the same way as the often mocked to the Sharks Adam Jiricek, Solberg hits like a semi barreling over grown men in Norways top league. A league that sees him already playing top pair minutes in both 5 on 5 and special times on the penalty kill. The left shot defender was averaging just over 25 minutes a night at the World Juniors where his stock first started to rise, and he was a crucial part of both special teams units.
His skating is solid especially for a defensive defensemen, he has fluid hips and uses his long strides to pick up quick straight line speed. The way he is able to read a play and then use his quick feet to get into position to punish opposing skaters keeps those playing against the Norwegian with their head on a swivel.
His hockey IQ is his strongest asset as he knows when to successfully close gaps, and has become stronger at timing when to throw the body and when to attack with the stick. He almost camouflages his reach drawing forwards in closer than they should prior to attacking with the stick, analyzing his spacing and then laying them down with a thunderous hit. He is a mean presence in front of his net and isn’t afraid to take a shot at forwards posting up in the crease for high danger chances.
The offensive game will take a while to develop but you’re not grabbing Solberg for that first, instead you’re taking him for the physicality and strong defensive abilities and just hope that the raw tool kit of offensive skills grows alongside his game as they appear to be doing.
He’s set to head to Sweden to play with Farjestad in 24/25 which will allow whatever team grabs him to see him against far tougher competition than the Norway league. Though the Regina Pats reportedly are also interested in bringing the rugged defender to the club after selecting him in the 2nd round of the Import draft in 2023

During the course of my career as an alpha Sasquatch hunting, Dogman destroying, pussy crushing, luxury watch loving dude, I have run into this particular woman a few times. She is one part uber sensuality, and the other part deadly. Yes, I am speaking about the lovely, Anna Conda. I bring her up because I had another run-in with her last year.

Anna and I first joined forces, so to speak, when she acted as a go-between in my business deal with the Chinese to sell them bigfoot parts. See, I would hunt and kill the critters, cut them up, deliver the parts to Anna, who in turn gave me a suitcase containing unmarked American hundred-dollar bills, then she would transport the bigfoot parts to the Chinese. I was never really sure of what the sneaky-ass Chinese were doing with the body parts. All I knew for sure is that they are extracting certain materials from them, then synthesizing them with some other shit, creating some sort of drug. Whether it then becomes a bio-weapon or a dick stimulant, I do not know. Neither do I care. As long as they kept the hundies coming, I was good.

Now, while Anna is of Russian descent, she is a freelancer. She will work for any sick, skeevy motherfucker out there. She does not care. She has no conscience, at least not in the traditional sense as we understand it in western civilization. Today she is working for the Chinese, and tomorrow she may be working for Hamas. She is a slippery motherfucker.

So here is how it went down. At 11:32 p.m. on a Friday in September of last year I get a call on my cell phone. When the call came in I was balls deep into this hot little lass I picked up at the bus station a little earlier in the evening from an old swarthy chap named “Colorado Joe”. He wanted to sell me the girl. I was assured she was over 20 years old. I told him I needed to take her out for a test ride, which he agreed to.

So, there I was, balls deep in “Bing Bang Yun”, and my phone rings. Of course, I silence all incoming calls not in my contacts list. Thus, I knew that I must know the caller. In mid stroke I reached over to the nightstand to retrieve my cell and looked at it. It was a call from “Sergio”. I thought, “Oh shit…. I am going to have to cut the Oriental bang circus short.” When Sergio calls, I have to respond…immediately. He has the best blow on the east coast!!

“Hey, Serge! What’s up?”, I asked. All he said was, “Hooters. 2:00 a.m.”, then hung up. This was obviously the rendezvous for the transaction. Now, understand that Serge was not talking about the chicken wing restaurant. Hooters was code, in case the feds were listening in on the line. “Hooters” meant the titty bar out on Highway 69 called “The Plump Rump”. We had a communications code we used.

It was a long haul to the titty bar, so I needed to get moving. I had no time to return the girl to Colorado Joe, so I took her with me. I had her blow me on the way to the meeting with Sergio, telling her that her performance would make the difference on whether I save her from Joe or not. Of course, after she was done I tossed her out of my speeding truck and down, over the bridge, and into the Wendigo River below. I did not need any complications in my life right now.

I arrived at The Plump Rump at 2:00 a.m. on the dot. I saw the manager, Lou Skunt, sitting at the bar when I walked inside. I nodded. He walked over and said to me, “Use my office for the meeting The parties are already in there waiting for you.” I nodded and then headed to Lou’s office. Then it hit me: Lou said the “PARTIES” are already here. That is, parties, meaning more than one person. It was not just Sergio. It was 2 or more people! Lou was probably in for a cut of whatever was about to go down.

Something was bad fucked up!! I know for a fact that Sergio never brings anyone with him on a deal, at least not with me. He is too distrustful of people to do that, and too fucking mean to need protection. Something was wrong. I was just as likely to get whacked when I enter Lou’s office as anything else. I needed a moment to think things through.

I took a spot in front of one of the performance poles to watch a young, swarthy Mexican lass perform. My mind quickly strayed from the problem at hand to this brown chick’s ass and tits. She was not a great looking chick, but her body was smoking!! I quickly became aroused. I thought to myself, “Goddamn Asian bitches!! They are just like Chinese food – after 2 hours you are ready for some more!!”

When the little Mexican chick went on break I motioned her over to my table. “Hola Senior!!”, she said. I pulled out a clear plastic baggie of blow and dropped it on the table. Her eyes grew wide and slobber starting falling from her mouth. Blow is like catnip for strippers. Thus, she fell under my spell immediately.

The next thing I know, this brown girl was on my lap, dry humping me like a feral bitch dog in heat. I had to bang her. I NEEDED to see my wang penetrating her. Just then, someone taps my shoulder hard. I look up to see Lou standing over me. He bent down and said, “Did you forget about my office, asshole?!?!?!” I replied, “Damn, Lou!! You read my mind!!!” I arose, with the little Mexican bolted onto my mid-section, and hastily retreated to Lou’s office. I figured Lou would prefer me to stain this chick in private rather than out in the open.

The door to the office opened easily. The lights were on inside. In a lustful haze, I set the little Mexican chick on her back across Lou’s desk and started pumping the shit out of her, completely unaware of the others in the room with us. In a moment I heard someone call my name. I twist my neck around to see Sergio sitting on Lou’s jizz crusted couch. I think to myself, “Oh shit! I forgot about that shit!”

I figured I would just move forward with the deal as it was proposed to me. “Hey Serge! What ya got for me, dude?”, I asked. He replied, “I have a very special deal for you. I need, uh … yeah, ……Hey, Rod, you want to stop for a moment so we can talk?” I picked up the little tamale and laid her down onto Sergio’s lap as I continued to plow her. She stayed on my cock the whole time. I told Sergio, “No, man. I’m good! Lay it on me!” Slowly, Sergio lowered his face into his palm.

Then it happened. The voice cam from behind me, in the dark corner of Lou’s office. It was velvety yet hard as steel. “Rod. Went need to talk”, it said. Even though I did not stop pumping the little brown chick, a chill went down my spine when I heard those words. It was the thick timbre of the voice, I think, that alerted me.

I turned to look across the room. There, sitting in a red leather captains chair against the wall was the source of the sultry voice: Anna Conda.

I picked up the little taco yet again and turned her around so I could face Anna as I continued pumping her. At this point the Mexican girl was merely a masturbation toy I was using. I increased my pump so I could dump my load and get this over with. Then BAMM!!!, it was over. I removed the lass from my huge rod, after which her body crumpled to the floor. I did not know if she was dead or injured, or what had happened to her. But I did not care either, so I did not dwell on it.

I tried to compose myself the best I could, then walked over to stand before Anna so I could get to the bottom of all this business. “Well, well, well. Anna Conda. We meet again. Tell me, what brings you here, to my little neck of the woods?”

Anna replied, “Rod, put your dick away.” I looked down and, indeed, I had forgotten to stow my cock. Out of pure curtesy, I packed it away. Then I returned my attention to Anna. “Alright, Anna, what’s going on here?”

Anna launched into a startling tale about what brought her to me. As she spoke I became lost in her wanton beauty. She got up from her chair and walked about the room as she relayed her story, presumably to make it more dramatic and demonstrative. I got a full-on view of her body, and it was fantastic!!

She stands 5’10’’ and weighs 105 lbs. She is lithe. She was showing it off too, wearing a black, silk dress that landed just about her ankles. The top was low-cut, betraying just a bit of cleavage from her C-cup wineglass titties. She was not wearing a bra. Anna never wears a bra. Her nips were perfectly outlined through the silk. In fact, I think her nips were hard. It was probably something she did on purpose in an attempt to influence me. It was working.

Anna’s ass was perfect. It was not at all fat, but round enough not to be skinny. It was a fit figure skater’s ass. As she walked, I could see a tiny bit of jiggle emanating from her ass flesh, and then reverberated in the silky black dress she wore. My cock began growing hard again.

Her face was beautiful. Think Scarlett Johanson and Phoebe Cates rolled into one. But any sweetness this may evoke is quickly dispelled by Anna’s throaty voice with its thick Russian accent. I have known Anna for 20 years. Yet, she still does not look a day over 25. Jesus Christ!!! If ever there was a chick to die for ….. If I was one to delve into the belief of the paranormal, then I may conclude that Anna made a deal with the devil. But, I am not such a person.
And literally, Anna Conda is a chick to die for. She is deadly as fuck. She will kill you in a split second without a thought just because she does not like the shirt you are wearing. She can do it too. She is always armed and she knows how to use her weapons. Moreover, she is a total psychopath. This makes her doubly dangerous.

Anna and I have always gotten along for the most part. Like Anna, the dollar is my primary motivating factor. Such a mindset allows for understanding and predictability among people, which are elements that are sorely missing in many business dealings today that go on in the color of darkness.

Suddenly, Anna snapped me out of my thoughts. “Here’s your gun, Rod. Now let’s get started”, said Anna. She and Sergio were halfway through the door exiting Lou’s office when I said, “Hey, wait a damned minute!!! What are you talking about?!?”

They both stopped, and Anna walked back in and looked me in the eyes, saying “The plan, Rod. Let’s get on with the plan.” A little embarrassed, I sheepishly asked, “What plan?” Anna folded her arms and looked cross at me. After a moment to allow me to simmer in my shame, she asked, “You were not paying attention, were you, Rod?” I shook my head and looked down.

I heard a hammer cock. I jerked my head back up to find myself staring down the barrel of a pistol pointed at my head that Anna was holding. I protested, “Look, it is not my fucking fault!! Put that fucking gun down!!!” I continued, “You were distracting me with …. Well.. you know, how you are dressed, and that hot, sultry voice…. You know?”

“So, instead of paying attention to the plan, you chose to eye-rape me. Is that what I am to understand your position is, Rod?”, she asked. Knowing that my life was on the line, I said, “Anna, look, you know I am horny to a fault. Then you come in here, swinging them tits around, wearing that silk dress showing off the crack of your ass…. WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU EXPECT TO HAPPENED?”

Anna lowered her gun. She knew that my explanation of being a total cocksman was truth. “Let’s go”, Anna curtly said. I obeyed.

Anna explained the plan to me again on the drive from The Plump Rump. She made me wear a blindfold so that I would not get horny during her explanation. Here is how it went:

Anna Conda was now working for the Russians. It seems that Putin caught wind of the Sasquatch project that the Chinese were working on. He also knew that the American government have been fucking with sasquatch for decades. Thus, he was very concerned about the existence of a bigfoot gap. He ordered the acquisition of a Sasquatch specimen immediately.

Moreover, said specimen must be prime. It needed to be the biggest, baddest sasquatch of them all – a true alpha – so as to speed things along. Putin did not want some weird shit-creature, is-it-a-sasquatch-or-is-it-a-dogman, kind of monstrosity. He wanted purebred, badass sasquatchery, and preferably from the American Pacific northwest.

Anna got in on it because she sold the intel to Putin about China’s Sasquatch operation. She then told Putin she could produce sasquatch corpses for him. She told him she had a contact (i.e., me). Thus, with Putin’s blessing and promises of riches to come, Anna set out to America to find me.

Now, here is where things got a bit squirrely. See, I agreed to procure some more dead sasquatch. I have no problem with killing sasquatch because, in my opinion, they are an abomination on this Earth. I kind of feel like I am doing God’s work by wiping out as many of them as I can. And given all the not-so-Godly stuff I have done, I feel like killing Sasquatch kind of offsets that to some degree.

But Anna, she was stuck on Putin’s instruction that she must supply him with apex Sasquatch. So she did not want to take my advice of heading to the Pacific Northwest or Alaska. Instead, Anna claimed to have pinpointed the whereabouts of a particularly gruesome sasquatch beast that she KNEW would win her a fortune from Putin if she brought it to him.

“So, where is this beast?”, I asked. Anna replied “Martha’s Vineyard”. I paused. Then I asked her to repeat herself. It turns out that I was not mistaken about what Anna had said. I continued, “Uh, Anna, there are no sasquatch on Martha’s Vineyard, just a lot of wealth New Englander schmucks.”

Anna looked at me and told me I was wrong. Then she decided to attempt to taunt me. “Oh, Rod, mighty slayer of Bigfoot! Yet, you fail to take notice of where the biggest, most foul and rotten beast of them all makes its home. Jesus, Rod!! What kind of bigfoot hunter are you, anyway?” Anna then spit at my feet and wondered aloud whether she even needs me for this job.

I decided that I needed to straighten out the hierarchy here in order for this here deal to move forward. I said, “Well, Anna, feel free to truck on over to Old Whitey Beach and battle that beast. But, if there is a big old mangy sasquatch lurking around over there, then it is probably a fucking Nazi-Squatch. You know, those fuckers out there hate the Jews.”

The work “Nazi” visibly shook Anna. Her great grandfather died defending Leningrad. Her entire family there died of either starvation or cannibalism during Hitler’s siege during Operation Barbarossa. Anna despised Nazis. But she feared them too. After landing that punch, I decided to push my luck.

“Now, I am still willing to help you catch this here Nazi-Squatch, but you have to do something for me”, I said. Now Anna’s eyes were on me, and they were narrowing. I continued, “I want you to get bare assed naked and pleasure yourself while I stand over you and jack it.” Anna stared at me silently for a long moment. Then she replied.

“After the job is done, and you can get none of your … fluids… on me”, she said. I shook my head and countered, “Now, and I will ‘try’ to not get my spunk on you.”

However, Anna then turned the tables on me. In fact, she picked up the table and bashed my head in with it. She looked me in my eyes, then matter-of-factly said, “You get the beast, and your prize shall be a night with me, anything goes, darling.” Well, since this caused all of the blood to immediately drain from my brain, I had a lapse in judgment. “DEAL!!”, I said. Then we shook on it.

“OK, tell me more about this supposed monster sasquatch on Martha’s Vineyard”, I said. I still was not ready to believe there was a monster out there. “I show you photo”, said Anna. She took out her phone, scrolled to find the photo, then handed the phone to me. “There. Sasquatch”, she said.

I stared at the photo and remained silent. After a long moment, I turned the phone so that Anna could see the photo and asked, “Uh, Anna, is THIS what you intended to show me?” She replied. “Yes! There…Sasquatch! The biggest, grossest monster around.”

Now, I could not argue with Anna that the image on her phone is a big, gross monster. Hell, it could actually be a sasquatch, and THE UBER sasquatch. It is most certainly the grossest thing on Martha’s Vinyard. But I somehow do not think this is what Putin is expecting.

I turned to Anna and said, “Anna, this is a photo of Michelle Obama. I know it looks vile, and has a huge, hulking body with large appendages where a woman should not have them. But, sweatheart, that ain’t no sasquatch. That’s a big, hairy Chicago street negro.”

Anna did not believe me at first. She was hard in her conviction that Obama was a sasquatch. “I have seen the Sasquatch beast you deliver to me for China. This … Michelle Obama …. It is big, and hairy, and ugly like the sasquatch beast, but worse.”

When the truth finally set it, I could see that it had kind of broken down poor Anna, if only just a bit. I put my arm around Anna and told her, “Look, Michelle O fooled you. Hell, she and her Hamas Hubby fooled millions of Americans, twice! At least you saw Michelle for what she is, to wit: a big, gross sasquatch, and NOT some kind a retarded leftist messiah.”

After that, things took a rather dark turn. “What if we still take her to Putin? We can make deal; sell her to Putin!!” At this point I held up my hands and said, “I’m out”, then turned and walked away. Anna followed, trying to get me to stay. At this point, I could tell that Anna was coming undone a little.

See, she had to produce for Putin. There is no telling what kind of secret deal she actually had with him. She had to deliver a big old mangy Obama …. Er, uh, I mean … Sasquatch, to Putin.

“Ok, Rod, we do your plan. We go out west to kill bigfoot. Huge, monster bigfoot. she said. I turned and looked Anna in her eyes and said the following: First, we bang for 48 hours straight, right now, so I can get my fill of you. Second, you pay me $10,000.00 cash upfront. Third, upon delivery of the dead bigfoot, you pay me $1 million immediately.”

Anna agreed to everything, but noted that at the present time it was her “time of the month”. I grimaced, as I will absolutely not go there (and she knows that). “Fine, next week we bang”, I said. She pointed out that I would be in the woods next week hunting sasquatch. “Fine, once I come out of the woods, then we bang – 48 hours straight”, I said. “Of course, darling!”, she agreed.

Well, it took several days to set up the hunt, but it finally happened. I was in Washington state at high elevation based on intel I has acquired that indicated that there was a monstrous 15’ tall sasquatch on the mountain range that had been murdering and eating hunters and hikers. After 3 months in these mountains without a trace of the creature I began to lose hope, thinking that I probably got some bad intel, or bad coordinates.

I got my satellite phone out to call for an extraction. Winter was setting in fast, and if I did not get off this mountain soon, then I would freeze and/or starve to death. Unfortunately, my contact did not answer. I tried for 2 days. No answer. I had been fucked. I wondered what had happened back in civilization that caused me to be abandoned like this. I resolved that I would get off that mountain and get to the bottom of this shit. There would be hell to pay for this betrayal!!’

I was able to get in touch with contacts from back home. I got old Billy Ray from Ellijay and Rattler on the phone and got them to come out here to Washington State to extract me. Rattler use to fly helicopters in the Army. He has an old Huey sitting in his front yard, to the chagrin of his HOA. He fired that sucker up, and him and old Billy Ray flew out here to my coordinates and extracted me.

After landing at a convenience store to buy some beer for the flight home, we headed east. Through the skies a way, Billy Ray said, “Well, Rod, I guess you is bout ready to git back home to Georgia, eh?” In fact, I was ready to go home. But I had to take care of some business first. I told them both to take me to New York City. They were both perplexed. All I said to them was “I have an old friend there I have to see before I can go home.”

I have intel on where Anna Conda stays when she is in the United States. She stays at certain hotels depending on what month she is here, and whether her check-in date is an odd or even number. This is for undercover work. I came across the code for her stays while doing the sasquatch work for China. She an I were caught in a snowstorm one night in Buffalo, NY, and had to share a room at the Holiday Inn near the airport. We had like 10 big Igloo ice chests with iced down sasquatch body parts with us in the room.

Anna was like, “No hanky panky, Rod. I am tired and I want to go to bed. Tomorrow we finish business.”

Frankly, I did not blame her for withholding her magnificent muff from me. I was tired as hell. But, I could not settle for nothing. So, when Anna was in the bathroom taking a shower, I started going through her suit case. I wanted to find some of her panties to jack off into. Instead, I found a little black notebook. Inside it contained her lodging codes, and some other interesting things. I photographed the contents with my phone and then put it back.

When Anna got out of the shower she was already dressed in her night clothes. She saw me lying on my back, nude on the bed, and jacking it. “Rod!! GROSS!!!! Go to the restroom to do that shit!!!”, she commanded. I just did it to get a rise out of her. LOL!!

So, if Anna is still inside the U.S., then using the codes I stole from her I can locate precisely where she will be that night. I studied it for a few moments then had my answer. Tonight she would be staying at the Dogman Inn on Hwy 95 South, Room 355. I told Rattler to get me there stat!

We had to stop several times for fuel and beer. Those Hueys go just a bit over a hundred MPH, you know. But eventually, we got there. I gave the boys some money and told them to go to the Waffle House for some coffee to sober up. Then they would fly me home.

I should mention that I also had Rattler’s fully auto Russian AK-74 with spare mags. During the long flight with 2 drunks from Washington State to New York City, I had worked myself up into a towering rage over how Anna fucked me on this Putin deal. She had clearly thrown me aside. But for what, exactly? I figured I would storm the hotel room, get some answers, then shower the room with gun fire.

I busted through the door of Room 355 at exactly 3:35 a.m. There she was. My entry roused her from slumber. I was pointing my rifle at her, center mass. She was shocked at the appearance of a gunman in her room at this time of night. However, she was not as shocked as one would think (this was not the first time something like this has happened to her).

I raised my face from the receiver just enough so she could see it was me. “Rod!!!”, she exclaimed. “What happened to you?!?!? I thought you had died up in those mountains when we never hear from you!” I replied, “Shove it up that cute little ass of yours, Anna. You fucked me. And not in the good way. What the fuck was all that shit about needing a sasquatch for Putin?!?”

Anna played dumb. But it struck me that I had been deliberately put out of the loop for 3 months. Why? Who wanted me away for that long, and why? What went on in my absence?!? I was just dying to know!!! I set my rifle down and pulled out my fixed blade knife, ready to get down to some real nasty work on Anna so I could get some truth. The pure evil of what I was about to do to her caused a wide death grin to grow on my face. Anna saw it. She knew what it meant. She swallowed hard and her eyes betrayed the shear terror she felt inside. I was engorged with blood lust. She knew she had fucked up one time too many this time!!

Suddenly came the sound of the toilet in the bathroom flushing. I was momentarily shocked. I did not expect anyone else to be there with Anna. Anna saw it in my face. I glanced at her and saw that the terror in her face was replaced with pleasure, a slight smile creeping over her face.

I was going to have to face off against this person in the bathroom, who would be out in a split moment. When I do that, I will have to turn 180 degrees from Anna, thereby making me vulnerable to her. I had only once choice: Shoot Anna first.

Just as this came to me, but just before I could act on it, the bathroom door opened. I had to deal with that person before Anna now. I spun around to see that it was a completely nude, and fat, white man. He was a real oafish blob. He looked surprised to see me. He also looked sort of familiar.

I next heard the crack of something hitting my skull hard. I remember the immediate hateful pain that shot through my body and the sound of blood rushing through my ears. I remember the dizziness, then falling to the floor. Clearly, as I fixed on the man from the bathroom, Anna had cracked me over the head with a blunt object.

I came to the next morning, Billy Ray and Rattler had manage to track me down based upon coordinates I left in the chopper that said “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY”. Billy Ray filled up the hotel room ice bucket with cold water and doused my head with it to bring me conscious. I was disoriented at first. But after a bit, what happened in this room the night before came back to me.

Honestly, I am surprised that Anna did not just kill me. I presume that she thinks she can leverage her drop-dead hotness to get me to do more shit for her in the future. She is absolutely right about that too. Rattler then said, “Hey, Rod, that snake bitch left a letter fer ya.”

He handed me the letter. This is what it said:
____________________________________________

“Dear Rod:

Sorry about the boo boo on your head. Hope it heals soon. Also sorry about leaving you in the mountains. I was not running a scam on you Rod. Rather, an opportunity arose for me to acquire a sasquatch body from another person. You may know him since you are a sasquatch hunter. His name is Matt Moneymaker. Anyway, until next time…..

Yours truly,
Anna Conda”
_____________________________________________
I could not fucking believe it. That was fatfuck Moneymaker in the hotel room earlier. Anna fucked Matt Fatfuck Moneymaker for a Sasquatch! That fat son of bitch!!

Billy Ray asked, “You ready to go Rod?” I stood up and said, “Yeah, let’s go.” Then Rattler said, “Hey, ya wanna stop and git some beer fer the ride home?” I replied “Hell yeah.”

I felt like I wanted to die. Thank God for beer and buddies. I don’t blame Anna. She is a fucking snake, and I knew that before this started. Also, I cannot really blame fatfuck Moneymaker for wanting to get some of that hot poon pie Anna serves up. I guess I have to blame fate for fucking me over this time. I even started thinking that next time I will just avoid Anna. But I know I won’t, thus making me subject to this sort of shit again. I had Rattler set us down in Charlottesville so I could buy some hard liquor.

I know we were 2/3 on PP last night, which I’ll take any day, but I feel like we saw a setup on the 1st goal that’s worked far better than what we see most of the time. Even Juice said it wasn’t on purpose, but looks like it can be revisited.
If and when we can first get into the zone, I think Quinn should be on the left half-wall, where he could then have more time and space to get the puck low, into more danger-areas, drawing guys towards him. Gives him the freedom to cycle more. I know he’s been used to walking the blue line, but teams have keyed into that. Brock should be at the top, as his shot is an asset there. Lindy should stay in the bumper, and I feel like he’d get more quick feeds there if Quinn was closer down low. Millsy can stay net front with Petey on the other wall for one-timers. Needa see more from him and I know he can be more creative. But at least we’re not stuck having Quinn and him hemmed into one corner. The Oilers are able to have one of the best PPs, cuz McDavid is constantly moving. I’m aware Quinn’s not identical, but he damn sure can move like that.
Of course this leaves us a bit exposed as our best skater can’t recover pucks quicker, but we need to be more aggressive and threatening. The more time the pucks in the o-zone, the more tired their guys are, more looks we can get than what we’ve been used to. Enough of the predictability.

Background: I'm 34, have been playing as a skater for about 8 years, and just picked up goalie in the last 6 months. I got all my gear used from a few people on marketplace with the intention of upgrading as I go. My existing helmet is a Bauer NME5 which I realize is frowned upon, but I've taken a several shots to the mask, and haven't experienced any "ears ringing" that I hear people talk about with lower level masks.
Last night, I had a skater come hard as I was reaching down to cover a puck. In the collision, my helmet fell off, and I got a decent 1.5" cut across my nose; I believe it was caused by my helmet/dangler as it slid off my face, but I'm not certain if it was from the impact or otherwise. Upon inspecting the helmet, the velcro that holds the chin pad in place came undone in the collision which allowed the helmet to slide off. Even so, I was a little surprised that my helmet came off as, if anything, it has felt a little tight on my cheeks leading me to believe a larger size would work better - now I'm second guessing this. I have a couple of questions after this experience:

1. How can I ensure the helmet stays on better - is replacing the strap/velcro best? Or else, is it good that the helmet comes off in a hard collision rather than putting extra strain on my head due to being catching on another player?
2. Rather than simply replacing the strap, is replacing the helmet the best move - I'm reading that kevlar / carbon fiber helmets are the minimum I should consider? Again, I've been impressed at how little I feel any pucks off the mask so far, but maybe I have just been lucky so far.

Edit: This is somewhat embarrassing, but after some comments and playing around with the mask, I have definitely not been wearing it correctly. The chin strap was tucked in front of the chin cup, and I hadn't even noticed it was there. I never thought of it because goalies are always sliding up their mask to grab water between plays, and I thought it was normal to be able to slide it up easily. The back plate sits too high on my head if I don't intentionally pull it down (I think i need a size up in my current mask, but can't see the existing size on the tag due to wear which is probably a sign it should be replaced anyway). When I use the chin strap and pull the back plate down more, it definitely feels more secure on my head; however, there is still plenty of side to side rotational play if I try to shift the mask around once strapped in. It sounds like this may be more of a brand/model fit issue that I should find a store that stocks masks to find what fits best for me.

Here's a (very short) list of dudes I'm aware of right now that meet the criteria of: play center, are young, could fit stated goals of bigger, faster, more scoring on second line, and are rumored to be available for whatever reason.
1.) Kent Johnson from CBJ. Entering 10.2c (like Pinto) the CBJ kind of have a decision to make. Can he play center? Well he very vocally aspires to but most peg him as a play-driving winger. He's nowhere near a 2-way guy right now and his skating isnt amazing but to be fair he's 21 years old. There are rumors about his discontent in CBJ - he started the year in AHL despite a 40 pt season the previous year. There's a non-trivial chance this could be the guy who had the issue with Babcock. A trade for Johnson is a homerun swing on his high-level shot, elite hands and creativity while praying his frame is going to fill out and/or his 2way play will improve enough. This is the probably the biggest homerun swing the Wild could make with a Marco Rossi trade - the ceiling is an elite 1C but its probably not my favorite option bc I'm a bit skeptical and years of being a Wild fan has made me preferential to 2 way Corsi players like Mikko, Ek, etc. Russo did explicitly mention Johnson wrt to Rossi in a podcast recently though.
2.) Martin Necas - A two way player for the Canes who can and really wants to play center but most agree is better on the wing. A really good skater with decent size and good two way play. Just a generally good hockey player for the way the modern NHL game is played imo. Not the most physical but enough. Not the most skilled but enough. Not elite speed but pretty damn fast. The Canes are in a tight spot with their cap and thats the reason they may trade him. If you look at their lost of rfas and ufas theyre going to have to compromise their defense, two-way play (necas), or scoring (guentzal). They might not choose to part with Necas but they have already tried to negotiate with Marty over the course of last season and no contract was signed. This is probably my favorite target for a Rossi trade although this idea does implicitly rely on betting on one of Necas, Yurov, Haight, Heidt sticking at 2C (atleast) which isnt a safe bet and there's also a new rumored candidate I just saw who perhaps fits the Wild situation even better...
3.) Anthony Cirelli - I hadn't thought of him at all until I saw this: https://clutchpoints.com/nhl-rumors-lightning-could-trade-anthony-cirelli-this-summer but it makes a lot of sense. Cirelli, Tampa's 2C, isn't a huge offensive threat but he's a really good skater with good size. The sort of guy that belongs in the Selke conversation along with guys like Ek and Danault (behind Barkov who has that locked up now that Bergeron retired). Cirelli is rumored out of Tampa to make room for tampa to extend Stamkos and Hedman (has another year but sounds like extension is close). This option is the polar opposite of trading for Johnson. Here you know exactly what you are getting (a 40-50 point Ek-type C) and what the price-tag is (cirelli is 6.25 for the next 7 years - aka his prime). You will be relying on your 2nd line wings (Ohgren and Yurov most likely as of right now) to be driving offense in the future but wrt defense and controlling the puck in a pretty good place with Ek and Cirelli down the middle.
There are other options i've heard ofc. Anton Lundell's name is kinda out there but feels less real. And ofc there is always the option of just simply keeping Marco Rossi - which after all, isnt such a bad option at all.

Has something changed in recent patches or is my aim just bad? I used to be able to one shot automaton scout striders from the front by shooting them in the crotch with the autocannon. It's a 2 shot in a couple recent games I've been playing.
Is this a result of a reduction in explosion damage the scout strider bots take?

Keith's Transformation Ch 4 [M30s/M30s/F30s][crossdressing][femdom][chastity][first time bi][blowjob]
Friday morning came, meaning it had been a week since their session, and Keith couldn’t stop wondering about the surprise Jasmine had mentioned. His cock was still locked away, and though he had grown used to the weight, it served as a constant reminder. He had to laugh at the irony, the cage making him horny while also preventing him from so much as getting hard, much less getting relief.
As he started getting ready for the day, he was intrigued to find a pair of silk panties and a note in his underwear drawer. He could nearly hear the words written in Jasmine’s dominant voice. “I think you should wear these today. I want to make sure you’re in the mood for tonight.” His cock fought against the cage as his thoughts fought between sexy fantasies of what was coming, and the embarrassment of wearing panties all day. Nevertheless he pulled them on, leaving his folded boxers in the drawer.
His day passed in a daze, barely able to focus on the work he was doing. His heart skipped a beat every time someone came to his desk to ask a question, and through every meeting, sure someone would notice somehow. When the end of the day came, he rushed to pack up and head out, politely declining offers to go out for a drink from a few co-workers on his team.
Dinner was mercilessly normal. Jasmine gave nothing away, almost as if she hadn’t been taunting him about tonight for a week. It wasn’t until later, as he was bent over loading the dishwasher, that she made her move. She came up behind him, hand rubbing over his ass and whispered in his ear “When you’re done there, come upstairs so we can get ready for your surprise. You’ve been such a patient girl for me.” His cock twitched against the cage as she walked off and he hurried to finish loading the last of the plates.
He came into the room as she finished laying out his outfit for the night, but he was surprised to see she wasn’t dressed yet. She looked at him expectantly and he stripped and started to put on his outfit for the night. It started with a pair of black lacy panties that swallowed up his caged package, leaving just the hint of a bulge. This was followed shortly by soft fishnet leggings, though he left the heels for now. A lacy bra matched the panties, and he was surprised to find that some clever padding and positioning turned his natural, slightly flabby chest into a perky pair of A cups, complete with a hint of cleavage. Finally, he pulled the dress on top, taking a few moments to adjust the mesh sleeves and straps, and stepped into a pair of high heels.
Once he was dressed, she sat him on the bed and grabbed her makeup. This was new, but he sat obediently as she went at him with brushes and pencils. Satisfied, she gave his ass a slap before leaving to get ready herself.
Keith stared in disbelief at the woman he saw in the full-length mirror in front of him. A pair of crimson, three-inch heels started the outfit, giving way to fishnets running up her smooth legs. The centerpiece of the outfit was a black and red gothic Lolita dress. Fluffy ruffles and frills of lace gave a playful edge to the short skirt and revealing top. Transparent black mesh covered her arms below the shoulder. The top was low cut, dipping low enough to give just a peak of her small but firm cleavage. Straps ran from the top to a trimmed collar around her neck. Her dark hair was left down, falling just short of her shoulders, framing her face. Her lips were painted with a deep red that looked nearly black, giving sharp contrast to her pale skin. Light mascara and eye shadow drew attention to her piercing blue eyes that seemed to look through Keith’s soul as he stared.
The sight left Keith in a daze, there was no way he was looking at himself. There wasn’t a trace of himself in the reflection, no matter where he looked. No, this wasn’t him anymore. Sure, Keith was the one looking into the mirror, but Kelly was staring back at him.
“How the hell did I get here?” He asked himself, then shook his head to clear his thoughts as he heard Jasmine coming back.
His eyes widened as he saw her outfit for the night. She stood before him in a white suit that had just a hint of pearlescent shine. Matching pearl earrings glinted from among her flowing hair. The suit jacket was fastened by just one button right below her cleavage, showing and framing a lacy crimson corset displaying her impressive cleavage. The crisp suit pants stopped right above her ankles, giving clear view of blood red heels to match the corset. Her own makeup was impeccably done. Around her neck was a thin silver chain. Dangling on the end, resting just above her cleavage, was a small padlock key.
“Ready to go Kelly?” She asked, taking his hand before he could respond. His heart was pounding as she grabbed her purse and pulled him to the garage. She ushered him into the passenger side of the car and climbed in. She saw the panic clear on his face and took his hand, smiling at him.
“We don’t have to go out, we can just go back upstairs. But I want to see you suck a real cock, and I think you want to be a good girl and show me, don’t you?” His submissive urge to please her warred with his humiliation, the two feelings mixing and setting off a storm of desire in his chest. She whispered in his ear and his fate was sealed. “Are you going to be my good girl?” Keith nodded weakly. He, or tonight rather she, was Jasmine’s to command.
Jasmine drove them through the town, one hand resting on Kelly’s leg for support, pulling into the parking lot of a small local bar. Once again taking her hand as they entered the bar, Kelly could feel multiple pairs of eyes on them as they entered. She supposed they did make quite the pair. Jasmine led her to a booth in the corner, leaving her to sit as she went for drinks.
A few minutes into their drinks and chatting someone approached their booth. Kelly nearly jumped in surprised as he said hi, but Jasmine clapped in excitement. “John! You’re right on time. This is Kelly, she’s who I was telling you about. Kelly this is John, he’s going to help us tonight.” She said with a knowing wink in her direction.
A few drinks and a short walk later, the three of them found themselves in a hotel room Jasmine had reserved for the night. As soon as they got in the room, Jasmine grabbed Kelly by the hair and pulled her towards the bed. John pulled off his shirt and pants, but as he was hooking in his thumbs in the waistband of his underwear he was stopped by Jasmine. “Leave the boxers, I want her to get the full reveal.” He shrugged and came to sit on the edge of the bed in front of them.
Jasmine pulled Kelly’s head in front of his crotch then leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Now be a good girl and give me a good show.” Kelly shuddered, her dick fighting to rise in her cage, as she looked at the obvious bulge in front of her. Jasmine let her go and moved to sit in a chair off to the side, unbuttoning her suit jacket as she sat. “I’m waiting slut.” Kelly slowly pulled off his boxers, eyes widening as his cock came into view. Already hard, he was even bigger than the strap-on Jasmine had trained her with. Licking her lips, she opened her mouth and took the head in with no hesitation. She paused for a minute, not used to the taste and the warmth compared to the dildos she was used to sucking. John’s hand came to rest lightly on her head and she went to work.
She started slow, sucking gently on the head as she swirled her tongue around, then moving down his shaft slowly. She wrapped one hand around the base of his shaft and stroked slowly as she bobbed over the first few inches of his dick. His hand pushed lightly on the back of her head, fingers twisting in her hair as she sucked and licked. Her hand moved down to play with his balls as she lowered her mouth completely down his shaft. She looked up at him with lust in her eyes as she deepthroated his dick, reveling in his soft groans as his cock stretched her throat.
Over in the chair, Jasmine’s pants were around her ankles and her fingers were rubbing her clit furiously. Her gaze fixed on the sight of Kelly on her knees, her throat bulging around John’s thick cock. “God yes baby, you’re such a good girl.” She moaned out, slipping two fingers inside herself. “Show me what a good cock sucker you are.” Kelly redoubled her efforts and started to slide faster up and down his dick. John groaned, letting her go for a few minutes before tightening his grip and taking control. He held her head in place and started thrusting at a brutal pace. Drool dripped off Kelly’s chin as he fucked her face, using her mouth fast and hard. Kelly’s dick was leaking precum into her panties as she was used like a cheap toy.
It didn’t take long before John groaned loudly and pulled her as far as he could down his dick. She felt his dick throb as he pumped his cum directly down her throat and heard Jasmine moan out loudly as her own orgasm overtook her. John pulled her off his dick, causing the last few shots of cum to fill her mouth and splash across her face. Pulling her glistening fingers from her pussy, Jasmine smiled a wicked smile as she looked at Kelly’s cum smeared face.
“Good girl. You did so well. Now for the main event...”

The galaxy is likely teeming with life, even sapient life. Ever wonder why nobody drops by?
***
Geeltan scurried happily along one of the footpaths of the Grand Garden, his favorite place in all of creation. He paused to admire a ruglax, a lush blue-green shrub.
His antennae twitching excitedly, he quickly glanced about and took a sneaky little nibble, trilling happily as the complex, heady flavors washed over his palate.
Once again, he marveled at the fact that he could safely digest and thoroughly enjoy a plant from a planet thousands of light years from his humble little world. Only a few decades ago, most of the scientists, futurists, and science fiction authors back home firmly stated that such a thing was laughably improbable. But here he was doing just that.
Then again, those same people said they would likely never contact a sapient race from another star...
And now, he was here, at the very heart of a grand association of thousands of sapient species from all across the galaxy!
And it was all thanks to this...
He reached back with one of his antennae and stroked the small device attached to the back of his little chitinous head. It was the single greatest achievement of all time, greater than even FTL...
...The universal translator.
With it, all beings regardless of biology could freely exchange not only words, but thought itself. Somehow, it detected his brain waves and transmitted them directly to other translators in range, sci-fi telepathy!
It was, in a word, magic. While his kind could understand nearly everything else, its workings were a mystery, beyond their current grasp of science.
Then again, a hundred years ago, they were proud of the fact that they had harnessed electricity. Shortly thereafter, they used it to transmit messages along electric cables over incredible distances—hundreds of kilometers!
Little did they know that once they did that, they started leaking electromagnetic waves, the requirement the galaxy had set for first contact!
Those puny static-filled messages reached a little probe no bigger than he was which had been placed in their system a hundred thousand years earlier while his race was still building nests in trees.
They called out, and the galaxy answered.
Again, their futurists and sci-fi authors were wrong. What came wasn’t the steel-shod talons of conquest but a warm, fuzzy, loving hug. They couldn’t really be blamed, though. They had been warped by the unforgiving yoke of scarcity, something transcended by the galaxy long ago.
Resources of all kinds abounded in space. There was far more than could ever be used, and fusion technology provided each being their own personal sun, providing clean, limitless energy for all. Anything that the galaxy could take from his people could be had for free!
There were... adjustments... that their culture had to weather, but with the kind wisdom and guidance of the Galactic Community, they weathered them and now were taking their first tentative skitters into the galaxy as a whole.
He preened his antennae proudly. His was the first generation that was hatched fully integrated into this amazing new future of prosperity and wisdom. They might have been backward, but they were far from stupid. They learned the new tech and the new sciences as well as any! And now, his was the first generation to have the honor of fully joining the community to contribute to their wonderful future, to start to repay all of the kindness they were shown.
Heeding the urging of his parents, he had devoted his being, his very soul, to this. It paid off. He was the newest member of the Galactic Induction Committee, the very organization that had given his little people everything!
And now he was going to be the one who would give yet another race, shrouded in ignorance and scarcity, the same wonderful gift that his people received!
It was almost time for the meeting!
Taking another nibble, he rushed giddily to the Grand Chamber where his fellows had assembled at his behest!
He couldn’t wait!
It was going to be wonderful!
***
Ki-Van sent Geeltan a warm loving greeting as he approached.
“Greetings, Junior Associate,” he transmitted, bathing Geeltan with warmth and good humor.
“Senior,” Geeltan sent back with a happy chitter. “Good morning!”
“I congratulate you on your discovery,” Ki-Van transmitted, “Imagine, an overlooked species! How remarkable! Oh how I envy you, to make such a discovery!”
“I wish I could take full credit,” Geeltan replied with a humility that took just a little effort.
Ki-Van spread the eyes in his gelatinous anterior segment in a smile. Despite Geeltan’s best efforts, his undisciplined mind couldn’t help but leak the tremendous pride that he truly felt.
Such pride was a little impolite, but entirely justified. A “lost” race was a truly amazing find, indeed.
“It may be a little improper,” Ki-Van sent, “But indulge your beloved mentor with a spoiler ahead of the others. Tell me more of these beings and their world.”
“Oh, beloved mentor, I would be so very happy to do so!” Geeltan sent with excitement, “They reside in the X-32 system on their third...”
“Oh dear!” Ki-Van sent, interrupting him with a little alarm, “Geeltan, you are aware of what the ‘X’ in their system’s designation means?”
“Um...” Geeltan replied with an embarrassed twitch of his antennae.
“It means ‘proscribed.’ That system has been designated off limits.”
“But, Mentor, there is a class six civilization on that world, well beyond the requirements of first contact!”
“And they have been left alone for a reason, child. I am sorry, but I am cancelling the meeting on your behalf.”
“Senior! Those poor people need our help! They...”
“Those ‘poor people’ are beyond our help, Geeltan. They... They should be left to their fate.”
“But without us, they will never escape their system!”
“One can only hope.”
“But... But... The probes I sent...”
“You sent probes?!? Oh, Geeltan. You should not have done so, not without consulting me.”
“I didn’t want to bother you without more data. They were my personal probes. I built them with my resource allotments. I saw no harm.”
Ki-Van sighed. It happened with every new generation. At least one young, impetuous sophont took it upon themselves to “explore” rather than satisfy themselves with the provided data streams.
He looked at Geeltan fondly.
It wasn’t a bad thing and usually those individuals went on to be very accomplished members of the community. He couldn’t help but feel a little pride that it was “his” junior associate to be the one to claim the dubious “honor” of rediscovering the X-32’s this time.
The emotions of pride and amusement washed over Geeltan.
“The community is well aware of the X-32s,” he sent with a little flatulent chuckle, flooding the space with a spicy, floral scent. “You aren’t the first to ‘discover’ them. With every century, their noise spreads further. Last time, it was a freighter pilot. Before that, it was an astrographer. Before that, it was one of our own.”
“If they have been discovered that often, why have they not been contacted? They are well beyond the point of contact, hazardously so. They need to be inducted, for their own sake, before it is too late for them.”
“My dear friend and subordinate,” Ki-Van replied, “It was likely too late for them when they were still working stone into simple tools. It is a sad and hard truth that not all sophonts are suitable to join us.”
“But why?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Are they dangerous?”
“Very. They are far too dangerous to contact.”
“Are they too violent?”
“Not especially as compared to other pre-contact sophonts. There are certain... ‘solutions’... to the dilemma of scarcity and violence is one of the most obvious and most common. Your race was much like theirs in that regard, and mine... Oh... We were far worse, still are in fact,” Ki-Van said as he raised a stubby pseudopod to stroke a wide, discolored scar stretching nearly the length of his side, a “gift” from one of his beautiful wife’s many suitors...
...one that he brutally killed.
“Oh... Sorry,” he transmitted sheepishly as Geeltan shrank back. “I leaked a little there.”
“No apology needed,” Geeltan replied, “Customs vary as much as our biologies do. My people are far from blameless in that regard. My father’s mother still keeps a pistol in her quarters. She was in one of our last wars. It was a big one.”
“Most sophonts share a similar history. Thank the Creator that we were saved from ourselves. I doubt we would have survived another century before perishing at the points of our own fangs.”
“Are they a biohazard, like the Lavan?”
“They do have an aggressive microbiome and are riddled with parasites, some of which could be harmful, but not like the Lavan, creators no. Those things are death walking for the rest of us and we handle them just fine with the proper protocols.”
“Then... why? Why are we abandoning them and their world to almost certainly perish? What my probes saw...”
Geeltan shuddered, unsuccessfully suppressing his horror.
“It’s like something out of the galactic history books. Climate change, widespread pollution including ‘forever chemicals’ and microplastics and the sort of weapons that only a war-torn class six population can create. Do you know they have weaponized fusion?”
“So do we.”
“What?!?”
“We do have a military, Geeltan. It is only prudent. Just because we have never encountered another trans-stellar threat doesn’t mean that there won’t be one. Our collective histories show what happens to the unprepared. We have fusion weaponry and far, far worse at our disposal should the need arise, along with a small but very well-trained group that maintains readiness should the need arise. We don’t want to end up like the Andromedans.”
“The Andromedans?” Geeltan transmitted in surprise. “We have contact with other galaxies?”
“Just Andromeda thus far,” Ki-Van replied, “And not physically, of course. That is still just a little beyond us. However, we have detected and even exchanged messages from some races... or used to... It... It is not common knowledge because it is... distressing. It is truly unfortunate that their trans-stellar races do not share our values. When Andromeda touches us, we will be fully prepared to touch them back. Consider yourself fortunate that we will not be around when that day comes. However, when that day comes, our galaxy will prevail and endure. Our peace and prosperity gives us the advantage in both numbers and industrial capacity.”
Ki-Van couldn’t suppress his baser nature's darkness, causing Geeltan to pull back his antennae.
“Again, I apologize,” Ki-Van said, “Our race has such foulness bound to our very souls. It is so strong that not all of us are allowed translators.”
“No!”
“Another thing that is not common knowledge,” Ki-Van said, “And I would not share it now save for the fact that it is relevant. Such foulness is why X-32 shall be forever untouched and unnamed.”
“But you said they are not violent.”
“For the record, I said they were not especially violent. They are as nasty as the rest of us in that regard and far ‘nastier’ in others.”
“What is this nastiness you speak of.”
“In a word,” Ki-Van said, “They are horny. They are the most lascivious of any race encountered. It oozes off of them in waves.”
“Worse than the Kareel?” Ki-Van said, “I have learned to knock at any closed door around here for fear of what I will witness.”
“Smart move,” Ki-Van laughed. “Those things are irrepressible... But their depravity is limited to their own species. The X-32’s? Oh, dear creators in the void, they are impossible to deal with.”
“So we have contacted them?”
“Just as with your kind, samples were collected prior to official contact. Let’s just say that their madness is overpowering and dangerous. Every being that has tried communicating with their minds has been left worse for it. Even when the X-32’s tried to behave, they couldn’t help themselves. They call themselves humans, by the way.”
“They... They actually... um... I mean... What?”
“Any biped likely has a crotch,” Ki-Van replied. “Any being that nourishes their progeny directly likely has external glands. All of us have orifices.”
“You can’t be serious!”
“One of my kind was on one of the assessment teams,” Ki-Van replied. “Apparently, we resemble a tool that their males use to mate with themselves.”
“They... They mate with themselves?”
“Oh, yes. If a partner is not available, their lusts are so strong that they must mitigate them with self-stimulation to completion. Some other races do the same, but it’s not something that they advertise... obviously.”
“Does... Does your race...”
“No. Does yours?”
“Creators, no! It’s unthinkable!”
“Imagine having to think it, and you have what dealing with a human is like. My ancestor attacked and killed the human they were interviewing after the human looked at their mouth and imagined... um... ‘using’ it. They say that the human was unrecognizable when they finished with them. Of course, my ancestor was traumatized, both by what the humans transmitted and what they did as a result. They murdered an innocent pre-contact being who was not actually intending on doing anything amiss.”
Ki-Van clenched his mouth into a tight vertical slit.
“It was horrible. After they killed the human, they couldn’t reconcile what they did and returned to our homeworld, where they engaged in duel after duel until they fell, as is our way.”
Geeltan shuddered in horror, drawing his antennae close.
“And then there was poor Captain Vexel. He was the freighter pilot who took an ill-advised shortcut through their system against regulations. He discovered them, and while scanning the humans from his ship, planning to make a full report to us, he found that the human was suffering from a common ailment among developed races: uncontrolled cell replication. For us, this is not a major issue. Even a ship’s medical bay can fix it. Vexel couldn’t bear to let a fellow being suffer and die so he, against all reason, took the human aboard to extract the tumors. Unfortunately the tumors were in the human’s digestive tract, near the exit.”
Ki-Van took a moment to tightly control his thoughts.
“Vexel successfully was able to use a standard medical endoscope to eliminate the tumors, but it required inserting it...”
“Poor human, it must have been terrifying.”
“Terror wasn’t the feeling the human was consumed with,” Ki-Van replied.
“You can’t be serious!”
“And they blasted poor Vexel with their feelings. In essence, Vexel inadvertently engaged in an act that humans do to each other for pleasure even though the appropriate orifice is immediately adjacent. Vexel still lives, but in seclusion. They say he is doing much better.”
“And the human?”
“Vexel released it after saving its life. It spoke of its experiences, but the humans don’t believe it to be true, though Vexel’s species is now widely used by the humans as a ‘fictional’ depiction of trans-stellar life.”
“Oh, creators...” Geeltan gasped. “But without aid, the humans will perish and take their current biosphere along with them.”
“Tragic, but unavoidable. Based on our projections, there isn’t a single species that a human won’t find desirable in some way, even if most won’t, enough will. The Galactic Community decided long ago that humans cannot be allowed into our fold, even if this means extinction, even if it means mass extinction.”
Geelvan sagged and let out a soulful chirping, their version of weeping, as waves of inconsolable grief ravaged the area.
“Geeltan?” Ki-Van asked as he tried desperately to send soothing thoughts to his distressed fellow sophont.
“Sorry... Sorry...” Geelvan said as he struggled to restrain his emotions. “It’s just that humans aren’t the only sapient race on that world. They condemn another to share their fate.”
“What?!?” Ki-Van emoted, his shock drowning Geelvan’s grief.
“My probes detected advanced brainwaves, indicative of sapience, among another species on that world. Those poor innocents will die along with the humans! It’s... It’s too much! I... I can’t...”
“We didn’t know this!” Ki-Van mentally cried. “This changes everything! Tell me of them!”
“There is an aquatic being,” Geelvan replied, sending a visual image of a bottle-nosed dolphin.
“And they are sapient?!?”
“Without a doubt. They are class zero, but they are unquestionably sapient.”
“This changes everything!” Ki-Van exclaimed, quivering with excitement. “Oh, we are having that meeting! We must get samples of these beings and initiate contact immediately! While these humans may be foul beyond description, we must save these other sophonts!”
Ki-Van showered his beloved junior with praise and undiluted pride.
“You have done very well. This is the discovery of our generation!”
“Do you... Do you think I could be the one to reach out to them?”
“My dear friend and associate,” Ki-Van beamed, “We both will! I can't wait to find out what wonderful things these gentle, innocent beings will bring to our community!”
***
Author’s note:
Sorry for the long absence, but I’m getting back in the writing saddle. I am doing some freewrite “one shots” in a desperate attempt to get the juices flowing. Every now and then I kind of like the result and I decided to share it with you. Hope you found it amusing.
To those who adapt stories from here for TikTok and YouTube, as long as you give me credit for the work and supply a link to the original, feel free. Please let me know because I like enjoying the finished work!

Other stories by TheMaskedOne2807: The Oil Chapter 1 (Getting Back)
[First] [Previous] [Next] [Wiki]
“How magnificent, wouldn’t you agree?! Jasha asked with excitement, swinging on a trapeze line. “I must say, when you fought that golden turd, and I made you see some sense in your idiocy, I had been hoping for this.
“No more lies of morality to hide behind. Just raw brutality as you fight for your life and, of course, so I won’t make you feel too bad since I think you deserve it, the lives of others.”
Sitting in the audience seat surrounded by shadowy figures, Kenneth let out a tired groan, hoping she’d fall. “Hey! Cirque du Soleil! Is there a point to this dream, or can you just let me sleep?!”
Smirking, Jasha picked up momentum and flipped toward another trapeze. With her arms outstretched, she only managed to scratch the trapeze with her claws as it became clear she mistimed her jump.
Falling toward the ground the crowd gasped while Kenneth yawned. However, from the obscured and shadowy big top of the circus tent, appeared on a trapeze line of his own, Kenneth’s younger self.
Reaching out his hand, he caught Jasha and tossed her toward the trapeze she’d failed to catch this time making it. “If you want to sleep, that can be arranged, but I thought it would be nice for the two of you to talk since it’s been so long.”
Eyes locking, Kenneth watched his younger self vigilantly like a hawk as he swung toward him. It may have been a while, but he still remembered their previous interaction, and he wasn’t looking forward to this one.
Letting go of the trapeze, his younger self hurled toward him as the crowd gasped with distinct screams of women and a few cries from a baby. With a heavy thud that destroyed the seat in front of him, his younger self glared at him.
Glaring right back, Kenneth couldn’t help but notice his younger self looked a bit older than the last time he’d fought him.
“Hey sucker, you are not as dumb as I thought, his younger self said in a surprisingly calm tone of voice. “You finally taught all of them a lesson they won’t forget. I might not have to lock you away at all.”
Leaning forward in his seat, Kenneth got right up in his face. “We both know what happened last time you tried that.”
His younger self narrowed his eyes as he stuck out his tongue. “Stupid frog-sucker, didn’t you hear? I said I might not have to. Just don’t forget they should fear us.”
“Is there anything more you want to say?” Jasha asked, hanging onto the trapeze with her knees. Grunting, his younger self ran off, disappearing into the shadows.
Arching her back, Jasha once again picked up momentum. The crowd held their collective breath as she let go of the trapeze and flipped through the air. However, her destination wasn’t another trapeze but Kenneth.
As the shadowy audience members that surrounded him fled, Jasha landed with a heavy thud.
“Was that supposed to scare me?” Kenneth annoyedly asked.
Standing above him with her legs spread and feet on the seats next to him, which were utterly destroyed, Jasha smirked. “So, how would you rate me on a scale of one to ten?”
With disdain, Kenneth rolled his eyes and adverted his gaze so as not to blatantly stare at her crotch. “It was shit.”
Placing her hands on his shoulders, Kenneth’s eyes went wide as Jasha straddled him. “Realy, only two? I’ll admit my form wasn’t the best, but the suspense and execution should at least award me another douche and a tinkle.”
Glancing at his shoulder, Kenneth’s heart raced. For the first time, he could feel her touch. Balling his hands into fists, he’d like nothing more than to punch her.
“Surprised? Jasha asked as she leaned back and started tracing her claw across his jaw. “To be honest, I think this is the first time I’ve been so close. You want to hit me, don’t you? Your eyes tell me as much.
“But I can also see you know it’s pointless, just like every other time you’ve tried. However, believe it or not, I was so entertained by the last episode that I’ll give you one for free. A bit of positive reinforcement.”
‘I-is she telling the truth? Kenneth wondered for the briefest of moments, his fists shaking with rage before falling limp. ‘Yeah, right. She’s just lying.’
“hm… nothing, really? Perhaps I need to annoy you a bit more?” Jasha smirked as she brought her finger to his lips, slowly pushing past them and wiggling it inside his mouth.
Regardless if she was lying or not, Kenneth wouldn’t take this from her as he slowly focused on her hand. With a sudden chomp, he bit down as hard as he could.
“AAAARRRGGG!!!” A sudden scream of pain erupted in front of Kenneth. In utter shock and disbelief, he was overcome with a sense of jubilation he’d never felt before. However, to his sudden confusion he could hear laughter.
Suddenly feeling himself slumped over, Kenneth sat up and rubbed his eyes through his mask, alleviating some of the blurriness that filled his sight. ‘Guess I woke up. Still tired as hell, but it’s better sleep than I expected.’
As everything came into focus, the first thing Kenneth noticed was Kila hunched over with a few people standing behind him. The second was something hairy in his mouth.
Suddenly realizing what he was biting down on, Kenneth eased up on his bite at which point Kila pulled his finger out of his mouth and subsequently yelled. “By Akina, how can dull teeth hurt so much?!! What's wrong with You?!! You don’t just bite someone!”
“What's wrong with me? Kenneth rhetorically asked. “Probably a lot, but at least I don’t go around putting my finger in people’s mouths while they sleep.”
Stepping forward, Fenik padded Kila on the back while she barely held back her laughter. “Don’t be so angry; your idea to wake up Kenneth worked, you brilliant genius. Now, wasn’t there something you wanted to ask?”
Groaning, Kila held up his other arm, showing Kenneth a decently deep wound. “Could you heal it?”
At a glance, Kenneth could tell it needed stitches to be closed, which wasn’t a problem, but he was a bit taken aback since if he remembered correctly, this was the first time someone had approached him to be healed as opposed to Kica. “Sure, no problem.”
Reaching into his bag, Kenneth got the tools he’d need. He was about to inject Kila with some local anesthesia when all of a sudden, he said. “Wait. I don’t want the pain to go away, pointy thingy.”
Feeling tired, having a headache from just waking up, and tasting a few hairs in his mouth, Kenneth didn’t see any point in arguing. “Just don’t complain about the pain, and try not to move.”
Getting to work, Kila made more facial expressions than he thought an Aki was able to while Kenneth’s mind had slowly begun the process of waking up.
With his dull senses getting a bit sharper as time went on, Kenneth, for the first time since he woke, realized he wasn’t home but in the great hall. ‘Oh right, I’m here. Hmm… why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?
‘Let me think. I woke before the sun rose from Nokstella biting me in her sleep. Forced myself out of bed and went to the well to get some water to clean my clothes. On the way back exchanged pleasantries with Hali, who was on his way to the great hall to prepare breakfast.
‘Then I got back home and accidentally woke Nokstella and ended up giving her a bath before washing my clothes. Still tired, I tried to get some sleep, failing miserably. Then Nokstella’s stomach started to growl, and I thought, why not? And took her to the kitchen.’
'I gave Hali a hand by cracking a few bones while telling him about how to smoke meat. We ate at which point the sun started to come up. Looking thirsty, I took Nokstella to the well to get her some water, where I met Selisio, who was bringing some to Jinki. We talked and walked while I tried to keep my eyes open.’
‘I don’t even think I remember what we talked about, but I’m pretty sure I ended up dropping Nokstella off at the nursery and then made my way back here before I fell asleep on the table. But then why do I still feel like I’m forgetting something…? Hmmmm… well, it couldn’t have been that important if I can’t remember it.’
Tieing the final stitch, Kenneth cut the threat, at which point Kila, who looked about ready to cry, jumped up in celebration, showing off his stitches to the people behind him. “Ha! Who’s tougher now?! I got one, too!”
Looking slightly pouty if Kenneth read the expression correctly, Fenik crossed her arms, turning her head away. “Fine, you are not a coward.”
To Kenneth's slight bewilderment, when he was about to put away his tools, the Aki that accompanied Fenik and Kila suddenly stepped forward with wounds of their own.
As any good doctor would, he stitched them right up, but just like Kila, they refused local anesthesia and celebrated when he was done.
Looking more so annoyed than anything else, Fenik stared at Kenneth, asking, “Did you do something different with me when you healed my wound? Because I know that liar couldn’t handle that. Why not do that pain sound thing again and see who lasts longer without shielding their ears?”
“Why so angry? Kila smugly asked. “It isn’t his fault. I’m just able to handle pain better than you.”
“Oh, I’ll show you pain, Fenik replied with a rather angry and annoyed look in her eyes. “You! Me! Sparring arena! Now!”
Before Kila even had a chance to reply, Fenik grabbed him by his neck hairs and dragged him away while he muttere “ow” over and over again.
“Guess I’m a way of proving your toughness now… It’s a step in the right direction, at least,” Kenneth muttered as he noticed Kica walking passed the small group toward him.
Sitting down right across from him, it was clear she looked just as tired as Kenneth felt. “I see you finally managed to give those three the slip. It must be annoying having…”
Looking at Kenneth, her eyelids halfway closed, Kica reached over and gently grabbed his hand. “Before you say anything more, I want to say thank you.
“I don’t remember much of what happened, but I know that without you, I’d be dead or worse. For that, you have my eternal gratitude… and my deepest apologies for putting you in danger.”
While her soothing words comforted him Kenneth couldn’t stop feeling a pang of guilt for what she had to endure by healing him. “Listen, that Nok just appeared out of the blue and took you. I might have taken a beating, but--”
“No, Kica interrupted, lowering her head and growing a bit teary. “It was after the Nok when I woke up. I told everyone I had lost my ability to heal, and Kiki started talking about killing you, calling you a traitor who worked for the Nok, and I said nothing.
“If Commander Jinki hadn’t appeared when he did, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Woah… woah… woah,” Kenenth said gently, caressing Kica’s hand, trying to calm her down. “Listen, a lot of things happened one right after the other, and you can’t blame yourself; I certainly don’t. If anyone is to blame, it’s me for giving you that caffeine pill.”
“What do you mean you are to blame? Kica questioned as she raised her head and dried her eyes. “That little white thing made me far better at healing. I was almost done with everyone before you returned.”
“I only realized this when I was lying in bed, and my head wasn’t filled with a thousand thoughts, but the caffeine must have kept you energized and awake; Kenneth explained, “You always fall unconscious when you heal too much, but the caffeine must have prevented that.
“And if I had to guess, the reason you couldn’t heal while still being awake was because you just reached your natural limit or at least as close as you can come to it. At that point, you probably just needed time to rest like always before you could start healing again.”
“Time and rest, Kica repeated in disbelief. “Was that really all I needed? Did I make everyone worry, put you in danger, and make Zilika hurt herself over and over all because I couldn’t wait? By Akina, how stupid can I be?”
“Kica, you shouldn’t call yourself stupid, Kenneth said in a reassuring tone of voice. “How could you have known this when every time you’ve approached your limit, you just passed out? This was new territory for both of us in the fields of medicine and magic.”
Looking at him, Kica gave a slight chuckle and smiled halfheartedly.“You sound so hap--"
“There you are!” Pilu yelled as she stomped across the room over to their table with her entourage in tow. “I don’t know if you’ve forgotten healer, but the commander’s orders were for us to escort you and ensure your safety!”
“Oh dear lord above, Kenneth sighed in pained frustration as he rubbed his head to reduce the Pilu-sized migraine he’d just gained. “Haven't your duties been made redundant after I fought off a Nok to save Kica?”
“Lie as much as you want; the commander is going to punish you eventually, Pilu replied with a smug expression. One which quickly faded into disbelief when one of the Aki standing beside her whispered into her ear. “Even so, that only proves we need to protect her at all times! Who knows what you’d do if given the opportunity.”
Wishing a mute button for people existed, Kenneth got to his feet. “I do think I’ve been given a fair few of those opportunities to do a lot, but hey, if you want to justify your lazy and redundant duties, be my guest.”
Growling, Pilu stomped over to the back room, kicked the door open while looking at Kenneth, and pointed inside. “I do my work, so go do yours right… YIiiiip!!!”
Jumping away in shock, Pilu drew one of her daggers and threw it into the back room. Landing on the wooden floor panting, her eyes lingered on what was inside as her tail stood standing twice its normal size.
Everyone rushed over with their weapons drawn, equally as shocked as Pilu to see a Nok lying inside the back room. All except Kenneth.
“Ohhhhh… that’s what I forgot, Kenneth said out loud in realization as everyone turned their eyes to him. “Honestly, how could I forget something like this? I must have been really tired.”
“What is this?! Pilu screamed, pointing at the Nok with her dagger. “Why have you brought a heretic inside these walls?!”
“Well, as you may remember, Kica and Aloko both expressed concern regarding their inexperience with anatomy. Kenneth replied. “And well, that was the most put-together cadaver I could find for today’s lesson.”
***
While Kenneth was being yelled at some more by Pilu for unintentionally scaring her half to death, something interesting was happening passed the thick foliage of the forest and a vast distance of land.
With gleeful excitement that only a child could ever experience, Kulo ran around inside the bumping wagon on all fours, yelling. “We are almost home! We are almost home!”
With a good eye and quick movements, Solk caught his son. “I know you are excited son, but only newborns still learning how to stand and beast traverse in such a manner.
“It’s important that you do not do something like that in front of anyone. We may be of the lowest standing among royals, but we must still present ourselves in a dignified manner.”
Still looking excited but also a bit saddened, Kolu replied. “Yes, Father, I won’t do it again.”
“That’s good, my son,” Solk smiled as he placed Kolu down on the wooden floor. Just as he did, the wagon went from bumping up and down to rolling smoothly. Overcome with excitement, Kolu started running around like before, this time on his feet. “We are here! We are here! The capital road!”
While he wasn’t being perfectly dignified, Solk couldn’t help but share his excitement, knowing they were so close to home. It wasn’t long before the wagon came to a complete halt, and Solk knew they’d reached the gate.
Stepping outside, he looked back at the line of wagons behind his. Of course, as per his instruction, the supplier wagons were just behind his, while the inventor and discovery guild’s wagon was all the way in the back.
Satisfied, Solk finally allowed himself to marvel at the gigantic wall that surrounded the capital. It was a feat of construction that had endured the test of time, spanning centuries before the war with the heretics.
Its stature was only rivaled by the king's castle as the only other construction tall enough to block the view of Ki when one stood before it.
As a child, he’d often wonder how many wagons he’d have to stack on top of each other to see above it, and even as an adult, each time he made it home, he couldn’t help but ponder that very same question.
“So you made it back in one piece again!” The green-furred and red-spotted city guard at the gate yelled. Like every other city guard, he wore a helmet with holes big enough for his ears to move around, along with a breastplate and two sets of Vambraces and Cuisses.
Meeting him with a friendly smile, Solk walked over to Heebee and exchanged the standard greeting, a formality more than anything between the pair. “And I see you are still guarding the gate. I’ll sleep far easier knowing you are still in charge.”
Heebee gestured for his surrounding men to move ahead and inspect the wagons. “I’m guessing you must have a few stories to tell. If I remember correctly, you used to have one more wagon and that Qsiosija wasn’t with you when you left.”
Chuckling, Solk glanced back at the massive creature pulling the wagon, feeling a slight bit of pride. “It was my son's idea. He somehow made friends with it and managed to convince it to pull one of our wagons.
“But would you believe it if I told you that was only the least interesting thing I’ve experienced on this journey?”
Raising an intrigued eyebrow, Heebee wiggled his nose. “Now, this I must hear.”
Gesturing for him to come closer, Solk whispered into his ear. “I met a man that had nipples.”
Pulling back in slight surprise, Heebee gauged Solk’s facial and tail expressions before he had to ask. “Like a woman?”
Reminiscing, Solk kept going. “He was quite the strange one and very slow to anger, but it was quite a sight to see him fight after being challenged to combat in the name of Giga’s blood.”
Going from surprised to shocked, Heebee exclaimed. “The goddess’s blood! You are not pulling my tail right now, are you?!”
Stroking the underside of his jaw, Solk smirked. “I dare not say any names, but it’s true, and I might tell you the whole story when the light of Ki leaves us at one of the local establishments.
“Of course, the more time I spend waiting here, the sooner the light will leave us, and who might know when my mate will let me out of her clutches? It might only be when Di trades places with Ki.”
“That eager to see that mate of yours again, even after mating season? Heebee chuckled as he called his men back mid-inspection and yelled with bellowing might.“OPEN THE GATE!!!”
Watching as the massive wooden gate slowly opened, letting the light of Ki shine through the slowly growing crack, Solk let out a little relaxed sigh. “I’ll see you at the Sharp Fang Tavern then.”
“Afraid not. Heebee replied. “Someone burned it to the ground during mating season.”
“Really?! Solk responded in shock. “I know the only reason anyone put up with the barkeep was because he had the best floor juice, but even so, I don’t see anyone wanting to burn that place to the ground.”
“From what I know, it’s much more than someone finally having had enough of the old barkeep or some simple accident, Heebee replied with a solemn expression. “I was guarding the gate like always when I heard yelling and saw the flames. By the time I arrived, the fire was already out of control, and all we could do was make sure it didn’t spread.
“Afterward, we searched through the rubble since no one had seen the barkeep or his family. All we found was a body so badly burned we couldn’t even tell if it was a man or woman with a dagger through their chest.
“Of course, we tried to investigate, but whatever clues there might have been were destroyed by the flames. For some time, it was the talk of the capital, and everyone had heard a rumor or had a few to tell themselves.
“Most seemed made-up, like the barkeep's mate and his oldest son having a love affair and running away after killing the old barkeep. However, one particular… well, not rumor, but whisper caught my attention.
“Some down in Underfoot are saying that heretic cultists are responsible for the fire and the disappearance of the barkeep and his family.”
With a slight expression of unease, Solk took a moment to digest everything he’d just heard. “Heretic cultists…? Are you certain…? I thought all of them had been killed decades ago.”
“They were, Heebee replied as his tail went limp. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring back old ghosts. The disappearance of the barkeep and his family, the dead body, and all those rumors. All of it has been weighing on my mind.”
“Sounds like you need to drink some floor juice and forget your troubles, Solk suggested. “As a thanks for letting me through so quickly, why don’t I buy the first few mugs.”
“Only the first few,” Heebee smirked as his tail slowly swayed from side to side.
“I know you, Hibi, Solk laughed. “If I paid for it all, you’d drink until I was poverty-stricken?”
As the gate finally opened, the wagons started to move; Solk bit Heebee goodbye until later as he made his way back into his wagon and sat down on his bed just as it started to move.
“We are finally going home! I can’t wait to see mother and sisters!” Kolu yelled with gleeful excitement as he once again ran around.
Grabbing Kolu again, Solk lifted him up in the air. His fur was rugged and unruly, with tuffs going everywhere as he was swung around. “Is this what you called Ero-sykansis?”
“Areodynamis father. Kolu corrected while giggling. “Kenneth taught me it. He’s so smart and wise and a great healer. Father, do you really think Kenneth will be the next great healer?!”
“Only the king can decide that, but I’m certain that once he’s made aware, Kenneth's standing will be greatly elevated,” Solk replied as he placed Kolu in his lab and reached for a brush. “Now I know you are excited, son, but we have to make two stops before we return home.
“And in the meantime, that unruly and rugged fur of yours is in need of some brushing. We can’t let you meet your mother looking like a wild child raised solely by nature.”
Excitement slightly dimmed, Kolu allowed his father to brush him, evening out the rugged and unruly fur, making him look as presentable as any high-born should.
Removing his son’s shirt and brushing his back for some time, Solk couldn’t help but think. ‘Kolu, I hope you never have to see the true ugliness of this world.’
Just as he finished his thought, the wagon came to a stop. Placing Kolu on the bed and getting up, Solk redied his friendly smile and stepped out in front of the inventor and discovery guild.
(Patreon): Get 1-3 weeks early access to future chapters. Also, a 100+ page story I wrote prior to the posting of The Plague Doctor for all members.

Problem - you want to shoot the automatons but they are shooting back, making aiming difficult and even damaging you, this is unacceptable
Solution - make your allies be the ones the automatons shoot at while you shoot the automatons

I present to you - the Full Sniper

Primary - Diligence CS - it one-shots the bot infantry and deals acceptable damage to chainsaw texans and simple devastators (one-shot headshot even)
Support - Anti-Material Rifle - of course the best way is to headshot everything, but it also deals acceptable body damage to the devastators, it is your only way of dealing with hulks and walkers (2 shots to the crotch will do, don't forget to finish the rider after that)
Secondary - up to you, I like the redeemer, grenade pistol is ok, any other is also ok
Grenade - maybe stun grenades but you should be crounching (not standing!) so far that you can't use them anyway
Armor - I prefer the 30% recoil reduction to help with aiming, not heavy armor - if they are shooting at you, you are not far enough from them
Eagle airstrike - to kill fabricators. It has more charges than 500 kg and you don't need to kill anything with it anyway. As for the walking fabricators - well, throw 2 eagle strikes!
Orbital railcannon - 1) for when the host lands you on top of a hulk, use this before calling in the AMR 2) for killing a hulk who runs behind the building in order to not waste time waiting for it to show itself
Mortar sentry - place it behind a rock or near a wall when you expect that your sttack on the base or poi will trigger bot drops. Also great for defending the extraction
My style that helps me get the most kills is as follows:
We drop, if there are enemies, airstrike and orbital first, maybe even mortar as well, then run away and get your amr
Follow your teammates and ALWAYS check the minimap, as soon as you see lone red dots, take your Diligence CS or AMR and shoot them.
When the teammates go in, you find a vantage point and just shoot whatever you see that has been triggered into attacking - don't randomly shoot patrols
When you see a bot drop - run away first. Never stay close to the automatons
Cleaning up poi by yourself can be done if you can find a place from where you can see all of the enemies, start with the comissar always (the guy that has only one blade). Otherwise never go alone

Sidney Crosby has taken 5 shots of vodka and he need to try and complete a race course on ice. It has turns and whatnot but it will be tough. Would the average skater beat drunk Sid the Kid?

Some background info: I am 33 weeks pregnant with my third. We are a military family newly arrived back to the States after leaving Germany in mid-March. I haven’t seen an OB since my 20-week anatomy scan and I am ANXIOUS.
This is my second pregnancy while PCSing (another term for moving with the military). Obviously my husband and I are phenomenal with the timing of our family planning, but I digress. 🫠
This is my third baby and my final pregnancy. I have yet to take a glucose test, Strep B test, or my TDAP shot. Our household goods were shipped in March and still haven’t arrived to where we are now on the East Coast. That means I do not have my baby clothes, crib, or car seat, nor any other helpful items like blankets or baby chairs.
I finally managed to get an appointment to see my PCM at the Army clinic to confirm that I am pregnant (yup, still had to take a pregnancy test!) for insurance purposes and am now waiting on my German OB to send my medical records to my new OB so that I can be seen.
Y’all — when I say that I spend every single day sweating bullets with anxiety, I mean it. Ten weeks without OB care and it wasn’t by choice, only due to the unique circumstances we are in. I’m in the very uncomfy stage of pregnancy, but every kick, roll, hiccup, and lightening crotch I get means that my baby boy is doing okay. I’m due around the same time as Morgan and I cannot understand why she hasn’t prepared because I’m anxiously thrifting baby clothes just in case he arrives early.
There has to be some kind of mental illness or medical description that explains why fundie parents or free birthers opt to avoid necessary medical examinations. I’m not talking about home births (if your doc signs off on it and you are having a healthy pregnancy, go for it!), but even just regular OB care to insure that baby is growing as they should. I am desperate to be seen and lucky enough to have a low-risk pregnancy but now I’m seeing about Kelly’s birth stories and then tiktok keeps spitting out late term st*llbirth stories on my feed…talk about an anxiety storm.
Anyways, if you guys could send out some good vibes, prayers, or cross your fingers for me to be seen by the OB next week and an email that our housing goods will be delivered soon, I’d appreciate it!

Now that the Flyers know they will be picking 12th Overall I wanted to take a look at who the Flyers could have the opportunity to pick there. As many of you may know, this draft is pretty topsy-turvy with little consensus beyond Celebrini going first overall, but as Bob McKenzie pointed out, that doesn't mean there isn't some agreement where some guys should land. There is some agreement that after Celebrini there are five players (Ivan Demidov, Sam Dickinson, Artyom Levshunov, Cayden Lindstrom, and Anton Silayev) that are typically seen as a tier above the next group. Not saying these guys will go picks 2-6, but they will all very likely be top 10 picks.
After that is when things get harder to predict with a large group of about 7 players that are all in a tier of their own. I'll also mention that Bob McKenzie on twitter gave an explanation as to why his recent draft ranking went to 15 and not 16, saying that he asks scouts for their top 10 and there was more consensus among the scouts he surveyed for those top 15 players. He mentioned he could have put a 16th skater, there were just fewer people that had that player in the top 10. I won't focus on McKenzie's 14th and 15th ranked skaters (late rising Beckett Sennecke and Trevor Connelly who comes some concerning off-ice issues), and instead focus on the players Bob McKenzie has ranked 7th-13th, but who could potentially be drafted anywhere between 2nd and 15th. I'll also add in one player who isn't listed on McKenzie's rankings, but I could see the Flyers picking up (if he is even on the board when they pick).
I'll list them in order of McKenzie's rankings but also give their Elite Prospects (EP) consolidated ranking, as well as the range of where they are ranked on other lists. I'll then give who I think who will be available when the Flyers pick.
Zayne Parekh - 6'0 RHD - Saginaw Spirit (OHL) EP consolidated ranking: 10, Range: 3-13 Parekh got on a lot of radars last year by setting the record for most goals by a 16 year old defenseman in the OHL. He followed that up with the highest scoring draft year for a defenseman in the OHL in over 30 years. Parekh is arguably the most offensively dynamic player in the draft after Celebrini. He has great speed that he pairs with very fluid skating, similar to someone like Cale Makar, and he pairs that with great hands and great shot, and amazing offensive vision and instincts. He can create offense on the rush, standing at the point, and reading the opportunities and collapsing in to overwhelm defenders. While is offense is off the charts his defensive zone play is quite the struggle. You see this narrative a lot with these types of defenseman, but with Parekh I feel like if he was even just a little bit better at D he would be in that next tier up where bigger guys like Levshunov and Dickinson provide high level defense as well as put up great offensive numbers. Parekh has drawn comparisons to Erik Karlsson, but there is a thinner line than you'd expect between Erik Karlsson and Tony Deangelo. And the line between those guys isn't as much about how they correct their defense, but if their offense can really reach another level.
Zeev Buium - 6'0 LHD - Denver Pioneers (NCAA) EP Consolidated: 9, Range: 5-16 Buium was a late riser coming out of a solid, but not exceptional 16/17 year old season with the NTDP. That changed when he got to Denver where he started taking minutes from more established players, eventually becoming the team's top D in route to a National Championship. He also played a major role in helping the US win Gold at the World Juniors. While he doesn't have the insane offense of Parekh, he is still likely the second best offensive defenseman in the draft. Buium has the added benefit of being much more sound defensively than Parekh, with Buium's defensive awareness that may not put him on a level of someone like Sam Dickinson, but it's still an attribute and it's highly likely he'll be able to improve his defense going forward. He isn't very physical and can lose puck battles against bigger and stronger opponents, and he doesn't have the nasty streak that sometimes pops up in Parekh's game, but beyond that it's hard to find holes in his game.
Konsta Helenius - 5'11 C - Jukurit (Finland) EP Consolidated: 8, Range: 3-19 Helenius is one of the most well rounded forwards in the draft. He has high marks in pretty much every attribute, skating, shooting, vision, defense, compete, even physicality with is a lot of an undersized guy who has spent the majority of the last two seasons playing in a pro league that has, of recently, not been friendly to underaged players - or at least to their draft stock. In the last ~5 years Finns would come in ranked highly then see their draft stock fall over the year as they didn't put up numbers in the SM-liiga. Aatu Raty famously went from a projected top 10 pick to being drafted halfway through the second round. Raty is now back to being considered a strong prospect and the guy who turned him around was former NHLer and Jukurit coach Olli Jokinen. Jokinen has done a good job reaching younger players, including helping Samu Tuomaala getting back on track, which explains why Helenius scored at a rate similar to former 2nd Overall picks Kaapo Kakko and Patrik Laine. One player that Helenius reminds me of from last draft is Dalibor Dvorsky, a player that has high marks in everything, but no one defining attribute (Dvorsky is also 2 inches taller). Dvorsky is a player I'd have been happy with the Flyers taking if Michkov didn't reach them, and if Helenius falls to them he could be a great steal.
Tij Iginla - 6'0 LW - Kelowna Rockets (WHL) EP Consolidated: 13, Range: 6-23 A lot of times, the sons of famous players don't play a similar style to their fathers, Max and Tie Domi being the most obvious example. Iginla, though, does have a lot the attributes that made Jarome a Hall of Famer. The most noticeable is the shot, while his name has always drawn attention to him, his shot is what has kept eyes on him. A heavy shot with a quick release and accurate to boot. Also like his dad, he's a hard worker, the kind of player that can be tough to deal with no matter where on the ice he is. He mixes with that a level of toughness that doesn't usually result in massive hits, but the ability to win puck battles and fight through hits to get to space. While he can snipe, he doesn't rely on staying away from contact to score goals. He also has a high hockey IQ which makes him a pretty dangerous player, even though he is not particularly fast. Of the players in the top part of the draft he is probably the one who is the most raw all around. This could be an attribute with a high growth potential (his dad also famously bloomed a little late), but it could also lead to harsher judgement of those shortcomings considering his name brings with it high expectations.
Berkly Catton - 5'11 C - Spokane Chiefs (WHL) EP Consolidated: 6, Range 3-15 Catton is on the top of a lot of people's wish lists going into the draft and it's obvious to see why. He's a dynamic skater with great both great speed and excellent mobility. He's got a great shot and a quick release which helped him score 54 goals in 68 games in the WHL this season. But he is likely a better playmaker than he is a scorer, as his great vision, crisp passes, and maneuverability could make him an elite player at the next level. He is closest player to Claude Giroux in this draft year which would immediately endear him to Flyers fans. But one issue could be last year's most Giroux-esc player, Zach Benson, who fell from being ranked in the 5-7 range to being picked at 13th Overall. This could show teams don't value undersized centers, but given Benson's immediate impact for the Sabres in his draft I think a lot of teams will be more open to taking this type of player. That said he has been slipping down rankings recently, partially because of a slightly underwhelming playoffs (he got 4 points as Spokane was swept) and was too old for the U18 tournament so he couldn't make a lasting impact.
Carter Yakemchuk - 6'3 RHD - Calgary Hitmen (WHL) EP Consolidated: 16, Range: 10-24 Yakemchuk is interesting, because while he should be right in the Flyers wheelhouse (Ranked 12th in McKenzie's ranking, 14 of 17 rankings still have him available when the Flyers picked) but I actually think Yakemchuk will likely go a lot higher than people may expect. The draft is stacked with defenseman, even defensemen that combine size, physicality, and offense, so it could be easy to see why Yakemchuk is slightly further down the list, but some of his attributes could make him jump over some of the guys in the next tier up. Yakemchuk was better than point per game in the WHL, he was also the first draft eligible defenseman in the league to score 30 goals in over 20 years. While not the most fluid skater compared to some of the other D, he has great puck skills and great straight, paired with his size and line speed that allows him to rush the puck up ice easily. He mixes this with good physicality that makes him tough to deal with in the defensive zone (but would likely bring the dread "they picked a Flyer" comments on the draft broadcast). There is some question in his decision making, whether that is an Achillies heel or just something to work through will be something the Flyers have to decide. But that is the big lynch pin, if it's a fixable issue Yakemchuk is a 1st pair D, if it's not he could be a NHL/AHL tweener.
Cole Eiserman - 6'0 LW - USNTDP EP Consolidated: 14, Range: 2-16 Eiserman is probably the most interesting name on the list. Coming into the season he was the clear number 2 with some even speculating that he could overthrow Celebrini by the end of the year. Instead he has a precipitous drop, in McKenzie's midseason rankings Eiserman was 4th, he's now sitting at 13th. So what happened? Eiserman is potentially the most unbalanced player in this section of the draft, he is great at somethings and below average in others. His shot is second to none and he could even up being a 50-60 goal scorer in the NHL, which is why he was ranked so high in the first place. But other things like his speed which is lack luster, his compete in all zones, and decision making are questionable. He can compete in board battles, has great hands, and a crazy fast release, but there are questions if he is too one dimensional or too much of a passenger at his current level, let alone the next level. There are some things to keep in mind, as a project top pick for a while now he is under more extreme scrutiny than other players. With very high expectations, if a player doesn't meet or frankly exceed those expectations their highs will rarely out shine the lows. It's comparing apples and oranges a bit, but someone like Silayev who rocketed up the charts this season won't face the same scrutiny. There is also something I've noticed a bit more lately out of the USNTDP, they undoubtedly produce excellent players, but their you rarely see them rounding out their games between their U17 and U18 seasons. Players skills are sharpened but the weak points in their games typically aren't fixed, and they don't start becoming more well rounded until their next stop. This usually gets overshadowed by the super high end skill in the players second year in the program, but for Eiserman who only did marginally better and was outshone by James Hagens, the issues are more glaring. I think there are areas of concern, being a passenger and having questionable decision making can be big red flags, if you can fix those issues he's Nikita Kucherov, if you can't he's Nail Yakupov. But you can't help but think about if another elite talent fell into the Flyers lap way later than previously expected.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard - 6'1 RW - Mora (Allsvenskan - Swedish 2nd league) EP Consolidated: 12, Range: 7-29 We get to the only player I'm discussing that wasn't on McKenzie's list, but that's not to say the Flyers won't pick him at 12, or that he can't go higher with some prognosticators bullish on him sneaking into the top 10. Brandsegg-Nygard is a well rounded, high hockey IQ player with the shot and skating to make him both an offensive threat and a defensive powerhouse. At the WJC he was the engine of the outmatched Norway team, able to make plays and win battles against some of the best U20 players in the world. Playing in Sweden's second league he's been able to carve out a role while putting up respectable numbers. Brandsegg-Nygard will be the highest drafted Norwegian ever, but his background is one of the things that I think make him a pretty intriguing pick. There are some rough elements to his game, but those are typically smoothed when you get to higher levels in most of North America and Europe, Brandsegg-Nygard already excels at the difficult parts of development like speed and smarts, making his mechanics more crisp and adding a little bit of physicality to his game could provide huge dividends. Another interesting aspect is that he is a good candidate to move to center, speed, smarts, good size on top of being a strong shooter and a good playmaker make him an idea candidate, but his pathway has made him more of a wing so far in his career. If Konsta Helenius is off the board, Brandsegg-Nygard is next best thing, if not having the potential to surpass Helenius.
So Who are the Flyers Taking?
Since the Flyers are at the back of the pack for this tier their actual decision for who they will pick will likely come down to one or two players. It will make the 30 minutes before their pick incredibly stressful, but it when it comes time to make a decision it will probably happen fast.
While this draft is going to be hard to predict, we can look at the young core/prospects of the teams directly in front of the Flyers to see if can show players they are less likely to take. I have a feeling the Flyers will be left with a choice between Parekh, Eiserman, and Brandsegg-Nygard, with a chance that Helenius falls to them. It depends what other teams prioritize either trying for a home run or trying for a safer pick, with the three teams directly in front of the Flyers likely prioritizing safer picks.
I'm not sure the Flyers would lean towards Parekh unless he has a big time champion in the organization. The reward is sky high, but there is also a high risk, and as I mentioned the difference between him reaching his peak isn't about correcting his mistakes, but whether or not he has generational offensive talent. He's also not typically the kind of defenseman the team takes so high. Also, not for nothing, there are a bunch of similar style defenseman available later in the round when the Flyers pick again but obviously no guarantees.
In previous years I worried about the Flyers passing over highly skilled players for safer or more "Flyers" picks. I don't really have that fear this year given the due diligence this front office put in to Michkov, as well as the whole Gauthier situation I think they'll put in the leg work to determine if Eiserman has the right head to be a 50-60 goal type guy, or another Nail Yakupov. If they pass on him for a safer pick I'll be fine with it knowing that they have a clear picture of the players future that you can't get from stat sheets and highlight reels.
That said, I think it ultimately will be Cole Eiserman the Flyers pick. I think the talent is there, the team has shown an ability to teach guys a more complete game, are establishing a strong culture, and have another high end piece to pare him with. If Eiserman is off the board I think the most likely guy to fall to them would be Konsta Helenius who I would also be really happy with.
Thanks for reading, I am planning on doing another one of these for the Flyers second pick in the first round when the Panthers season ends and we know where that pick is.

Long read, sorry in advance-
I've been pondering this a bit lately for a few reasons, the two that make this seem more and more likely are 1. That tRump is in fact managing to weasel out of his court cases - Document case in Florida is all but dead and delayed indefinitely, Georgia election interference case also delayed because of Fani Willis relationship stuff, will almost certainly delay until after election at this rate, hasn't had to pay out of pocket for EJC 2 case not to mention the bind was lowered by more than half, so basically nothing has touched him yet. The hush money case I'll IMO will end in favor of prosecutors, but the punishment will have no teeth, and only be monetary which he will of course not pay himself (cultists will flip that bill of course). 2. Half his family are now Florida delegates, i mean, he will get that nomination anyways, but he's now brought Barron into the fold, partially setting up the framework for my prediction.
So tRump wins, and the day after the inauguration the Supreme Court finds in his favor that presidents have absolute immunity, at this point he does whatever the hell he wants under this ruling and simply claims that everything he does going forward are presidential function therefore making him immune from prosecution.

• He starts to make all decisions unilaterally, bypassing Congress by making EVERY decision an "executive order" simply referencing his total immunity.
  
• under these executive orders, he does in fact start the massive deportation and migrant concentration camps he is already threatening, this begins the economical collapse.
  
• He fires en masse anyone that doesn't bend the knee, creates a Gestapo (there are plenty of psychos that will more than willingly fill these positions) that answers to him and him alone who start to go after anyone that does not bend the knee, who makes fun of him, or descents in any way. Press, protestors, comedians, news outlets, etc.
  
• gets rid of all economic advisers and makes all decision about the economy himself which of course will continue to crash the economy.
  
• starts to assassinate political rivals deemed as "enemies of the state" again under his absolute immunity. This will certainly be a real issue as the country falls to shambles, and opposition leaders start to apply pressure.
  
• now that so much of his family are involved in politics, he is setting up a dynasty, he will 100% NOT leave the Whitehouse in 4 years, again, making claims that the elections were rigged / massive fraud, and again, under his absolute immunity, he will announce that he is throwing all the election results out under the guise of national security, and remain the president for another 4 years. And at that point, his own Gestapo will be in place to make that happen. If congressional leaders or the very Supreme Court that put him there oppose, they will mysteriously die in car accidents, fall out of 10 story windows, etc. straight Putin tactics. And then he will assign one of his crotch goblins as his successor, and every year, there will be "election fraud" that will prevent a new president.
  
• There will be massive civil unrest (on both sides) violence against minorities, LGBTQ, anyone NOT showing absolute loyalty to tRump, the occurrences of violence against them will absolutely skyrocket, people in turn will start taking shots at tRump, his family, his supporters, the pro tRump police and Gestapo will start to be retaliated against and tRump will have no choice but to executive order ban all privately owned firearms, because you can't be a dictator AND have public ownership of guns, the two are antithetical to each other. This will set off a lot of the pro Trumpers against him since that's arguably one of the biggest issues for them, which of course will create more chaos, we literally will see shootouts in the streets as the tRump secret police start their confiscations.
  
• Trump will then attempt to mobilize the military against ....... everyone, this will split the military, and of course, start a second civil war, and that is all she wrote, the country will be in utter economic collapse, probably will already be in economic collapse because like Russia, we will be a country run by oligarchs that are loyal to tRump, and therefore reap all the wealth, but big tech can't run under that very well since it's largely made up of more centrist or left leaning people furthering the collapse since that sector is pretty much the largest sector. The rest of the world will have to choose a side, and it just gets worse from there.
  

Of course this all hinges on a lot of "ifs", but as i stated earlier, tRump has all but been untouchable, he has in fact identified every weakness in our legal system, and exploited the shit out of it to his own benefit. The sheer amount of tRump cult members out there willing to go along with and outright support his blatant psychopathy is nothing short of staggering, and that should worry the shit out of everyone.
If you have read this far, I'd love to hear your thoughts on IF tRump wins.

There are a lot of interesting things to talk about and experience in whiskey, which is why this group exists. Members post or link to interesting whiskey content, do reviews, ask questions, set up meetups to share with other whiskey-lovers, and generally try to add something of value to the sub and its members. Whether you’ve been into whiskey for a month or a decade or more, this is meant to be a good place for you to share something with other enthusiasts.
Of the very simple three rules for the sub, it seems like one of them, in particular, could be more well defined. “Tater behavior” includes actions that a novice or childish person takes related to whiskey (my definition is shorthand for what it generally means in the community). If you’re actually a member of any kind of whisky forum you will be well aware that posting attention-seeking pictures of the latest allocated (probably BT) bottle is at or near the top of this list of behaviors, as are “crotch shots”, generally (which is why this behavior is so widely mocked in social media groups), especially when the posts don’t add anything of value to the group. Open it, drink it, and then think about posting something interesting about it. If you firmly disagree and think that tater posts have value, then Facebook groups are always there for you