OblivionWalker

"Slaaaavaaaaaa." Grumbling to himself, Slava Kovalenko turned over, tucking his pillow over his head. "No, Sergiy." he yawned, his eyes not even opening. "Leave me alone." "It's time to get up, grumble guts." Sergiy countered and before Slava knew what was happening, his older brother had yanked the covers off of him, tossing them aside. "Says who?" Slava demanded, finally sitting up. His blond hair was going every which way and the glower that was currently directed at his brother might have struck a little fear into the heart of a lesser man, but Sergiy just snorted at him. His brother knew him far too well and had developed an immunity to Slava's laser stares over the years. "Me. It's time to get moving. I thought we could go for a walk and then have breakfast together. I don't have any flights today." Some time with his brother was rare, as Sergiy was a pilot, and Slava would be stupid not to take advantage of that since he'd come back to Alberta with the intent on spending some time with his family after his first season in Warsaw. "Fine." he sighed, forcing himself to slide to the edge of the bed and root around in his duffel bag for some socks. He figured the sweats and t-shirt he was wearing would be decent enough for their walk. He could change when they got back. "Don't sound so excited." Sergiy teased and while Slava rolled his eyes, there was already a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He had missed being home so much, especially given how things had gone for him this season and it was nice to just be back in Alberta with most of the people that he loved the most. Stopping to get a hoodie on, Slava also paused to put on his touch bracelet, the other being with River of course and as he always did first thing in the morning, he tapped on it. He didn't even have time to get his shoes pulled onto his feet before he felt the answering buzz. It was a small and simple way for them to let the other know they were thinking of them throughout the day, and it was just another piece that made up Slava's life these days. "You seem more at ease." Sergiy commented as they made their way out of their parents' home and began to amble around the familiar neighborhood. Slava considered that for a long moment. "Of course I'm more at ease. I'm back home. I don't have to be anyone else or anything other than just Slava. You guys aren't fans asking me when things are going to turn around for Warsaw or journalists that I'm trying to dodge so I don't have to think of answers to questions I'd really rather not answer." he said wryly, shoving his hands into the middle pocket of his hoodie. This season had weighed heavily on him and while he had been quiet before. Slava could easily go a couple of days without even speaking to anyone, which wasn't healthy, and he knew that. Even his efforts to utilize a little retail therapy once in a while had limited success. Plus, he only had so many bookshelves in his apartment in Warsaw. "You're not happy there." Sergiy stated calmly and Slava nodded wordlessly. It was the truth and while it wasn't anyone's fault, he still didn't like to talk about it. There was nothing he was going to be able to do about the situation and he saw it as complaining. All he could do was keep his head down and continue to try his best, even when it felt like it was utterly futile. It took Sergiy a moment before he spoke again, as though he was weighing his words and Slava was immediately wary because that usually meant his brother was about to say something that Slava might not like or want to hear. "Have you tried talking to your gm about this? Because you can't keep doing this to yourself." "What am I supposed to say?" Slava retorted. "They drafted me because they saw something in me. Am I supposed to just quit?" Sergiy sighed. "I wasn't suggesting that, Slava. But maybe there's a way where you can still help Warsaw while maybe being able to get yourself a change of scenery." Slava shrugged, clearly not wanting to discuss it. "Who knows? My plus/minus ratio sure as hell isn't going to help me." He was surprised to feel Sergiy's hand give his arm a little smack. "Stop that, you doofus. There's more to hockey than just your plus/minus. You were literally second in the entire VHL in blocked shots. As a rookie. That definitely has to count for something, and you were still able to put up over 30 points on the worst team in the league. If I were a gm, I would be looking at you and asking myself what you could do on a team that wasn't in a rebuild. Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself, Slavochka." "Only Baba can call me that." Slava said immediately and his brother held his hands up, as though acknowledging that he may have overstepped a little with that nickname. Their Baba Irina was the only one who called Slava that and the younger Kovalenko always made sure everyone remembered. "My point still stands. Besides, it might not hurt to just sit down, see what the plan is. Maybe if you knew that, then you could discuss and see how everything fits." That was a little more Slava's style and perhaps that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Humming in response to Sergiy's words, things drifted toward a more comfortable silence as they walked along, taking their time. However, as they rounded the corner on their way back to the Kovalenko home, Slava felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Taking it out, he blinked as he saw the text. His gm wanted Slava to call him. (word count: 1,015)

All I could do is my best . . . And I tried.

I haven't been super active the last couple of weeks and that's due to some things I learned when I went for a checkup at the doctor. I haven't been in a while and figured that was something I should get taken care of. While there, I had blood drawn for a myriad of different tests and things that my doctor wanted to check. As soon as some of them came back, she wanted me to go in for an ultrasound of my liver, which of course didn't have me feeling great. That was today, and while I do have something called fatty liver disease, it's very manageable with a good diet and some weight loss, which I had already been wanting to do. Then yesterday came and while there's one more test we're waiting on for something else, I got some news I wasn't expecting at all: I'm diabetic. One of my grandfathers was and lived well into his 80's but there's obviously a lot of changes and such I'm going to have to make but I'm doing my best to wrap my brain around it and figure out what I can and can't do. I can still have a good life, it's just going to look a little different than what I was thinking it would a week ago. (word count: 221)

1a. Colton Parayko, from the St. Louis Blues 1b. He's a mix of his render as well as some things I came up with on my own. 2. Multiple times a day. 3a. Dirty soda (soda with flavorings in it, like Dr. Pepper with a little coconut and other things) 3b. Orange Fanta Questions to answer: 1. What would your player's goal song be? 2. Who was your player's favorite VHL player growing up? 3. What exciting future plans do you have this year?

After sending his brother their usual customary check in email (and feeling a little better about getting some of his thoughts typed out so they weren't rattling around in his head anymore), Slava decided now was the time to do something for himself. Painting lessons realistically would have to wait for offseason but there was definitely one thing he could do right now. Opening his laptop, he waited for everything to come back to life before finding Google and just typing in "Brandon Sanderson special editions" into the search bar. There were many options, some of which were on eBay and made his eyebrows raise. People were charging some pretty extraordinary prices for books or book boxes but there was one thing that was in Slava's favor now. He was a VHL player...with a VHL contract. He had literal millions he hadn't even spent and right now, he was going to spend a least a little bit on himself. Scrolling through eBay carefully, he found someone selling special editions of the "Secret Projects" that had been mass released last year but these were Kickstarter exclusive editions, ones you couldn't buy just anywhere. Without a single regret in his heart, Slava added them to his cart and checked out, taking care to make sure his new address in Warsaw was correct. Not even the shipping costs made him blink once. He had the money now. He could do things that made him happy. (word count: 242 words)

He has not! Book 5, Wind and Truth, just came out at the end of November and that’s only halfway. he’s got 10 books planned for that series. He is done with arcs 1 and 2 of Mistborn and honestly, i love them. He’s also got some stand alone novels that are really good but he’s my favorite author and I love him. If you haven’t tackled Mistborn yet, I would! Also check out “The Rithmatist”. While technically a YA book, I’ve never read something that original in my life.

to: pilotguy_123@google.ca from: skovalenko@google.ca Hey Sergiy. You wanted me to check in with you and that's what I'm doing. I wish I could say that I'm doing better since the last time we spoke, but the truth is? I'm not. Nothing feels like it matters any more. Not hockey, not anything and that fucking terrifies me. I wanted to come to the VHL for so long and worked my ass off to get here and now that I am? I feel nothing. I get up every day, I play my games, I go to practice, and I skate my laps if that's what our gm wants us to do but other than that, I just feel . . . nothing. I'm not even angry anymore. Maybe the one emotion I have left is embarrassment but that's about it. I hate it. I hate having to go out there, feeling like the biggest loser in the world. Being on a rebuilding team is no walk in the park, sure, but I guess I had no idea what it was really going to feel like. This is honestly the loneliest I've ever felt while playing. Even as hard as Alaska was, being away from you and the rest of the family wasn't as hard as this. I feel like I have nobody here and really, I don't. I'm on my own and I'm afraid that if I can't get my shit together sooner rather than later, we might end up with a repeat of my freshman year and I can't allow that to happen again. I've come so far since then but that's how it all started. With not caring about my classes and getting sucked down into a well until I could barely leave my room or even function anymore. I know I don't have to remind you about how bad that was. About how bad things were when I first came back that summer. But I got through it with help and maybe I need to seek out that kind of help for myself again. All I know is, things can't stay like this. Something has to change and since this situation isn't going to (possibly for longer than I even want to contemplate), I have to figure out how to either live with it or else not care about it in a way that isn't going to be . . . self-destructive. Maybe now is a good time to take those painting classes I've always been talking about. Or maybe I should take up the piano again. Maybe I can fill my time with finding rare and first editions of whatever Brandon Sanderson books I can lay my hands on. But any of that has to be better than this nothing that I feel right now. Try not to worry about me too much. I know there's an issue and I'm going to do my best to make sure that I take care of it the right way. If I need anything, I will tell you. That much, I've learned. Fly safe, and I'll talk to you again soon. Slava (word count: 522)

Player: Slava Kovalenko Render: Colton Parayko Team: Warsaw Predators

Well, it's here. I've finally moved up from the VHLM to the VHL. After winning the Founders Cup with the Mississagua Hounds, I felt like I was ready for whatever came next, ready to take my next strides into greatness. But then reality came around and slapped me across the face for my hubris. Warsaw isn't in a great place right now. We're a rebuilding team and it's likely going to be like that for a while and being in a position like that will really make you think, make you wonder if all of the dreaming and hoping were worth it. It's easy to be engaged and excited about something when you're doing well. But when the times are tough and it's really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel? Not so easy. I can't control our situation. All I can do is continue to work hard and get better in my game. Right now, I'm a minus 19, and have 22 points in 37 games played. The only decent stat I have is my 127 shots blocked, which is definitely up from last season. I had 121 shots blocked in total last season and I think it's reasonable to expect that to continue to go up. Still don't have a lot of hits. I ended the season last time with 69 (nice) hits and I'm already at 56 so maybe that will continue to go up? We'll have to see how things end up, of course. I left the VHLM with two individual awards to my name, the Ryan Sullivan trophy twice. Right now, I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning anything this year. It's probably going to be a while before that's even a conversation my name could reasonably be attached to. I've done a lot of thinking. Wondering if leaving my home and my family was worth it for all of this and right now? I still don't know. Of course, it would feel different if the team's fortunes were a little better and I'm going to hold out hope that things will start to come together in the upcoming season, that we'll have a chance to move up and truly compete. But there's days when it feels hard to put my skates on and still get out there. Still, I signed my name to a contract and I'm going to do whatever I can to uphold it. Especially on those days when it's difficult. (word count: 416)

You don’t have to put on the red liiiight

1. Hi there! I think I would like to put up some more points. I've been doing better with that lately but of course there's always some room to improve. 2. Getting smoked 8-3. I have to be better on defense and do my best to lead the way from the rest of the team. 3a. It's been a good time! Having some kind of assigned mentor or someone to check in with you every so often would be nice. 4. We'd be raising money for the local children's hospital and we'd ask people to pledge a certain amount for every lap we take. We've gotten really good at laps lately. @N0HBDY 5. I hate snakes and I would just do my best to stay calm. 6. I love all the ice because generally, I drink water but I hate room temperature or warm water. So as the ice melts, I get more water and the water also stays cold. double win. Thank you very much!

Transaction ID: 1NA14347E803093 Free Week 5 tpe uncapped Doubles week

Oh you little man. Controller of salaries, Demander of laps, Crusher of dreams And miser of joy. You make us take laps If we dare to win, Perhaps upsetting some plans You hold close to your unholy vest. But we resist. We refute you. We still win anyway, Whenever we can. The laps you make us take? Make the blood pump harder. The time we spend at the rink Only welds us together more. You think you punish us. You think you will win This contest of wills. But you forget whom you have. You know not who protects me. I come from a long line Of terrifying people. The protector of the old country? Is Baba Yaga herself. I was taught to respect her. I was taught to revere her. I carry her symbol around my neck. I carry her will through The blade and the stick. There is nowhere safe for you. There is nowhere you can hide. We will win, little manager. We will win and there is nothing You and your laps can do That will stop us. We will have our victories. You will see your plans come to ruin. We care not. We heed not. We. Will. Win. (word count: 204)

The future is now, old man. Your laps only make me stronger.

His legs felt like they were going to fall off, but Slava pushed off from the wall with grim determination. He had been putting in extra work every day to try and get better, do what he could to help the Predators, but this season was simply going to be whatever it would and there was little he could do to stop it but he could at least make sure that he could be ready for the next season. He had been doing a lot of laps lately, trying to see how fast he was and also work on his edges. There wasn't a hell of a lot else for Slava to do during the winter in Warsaw so he might as well spend his time at the rink. Laps gave him a lot of time to think, and sometimes that was good, but it could also be a mixed bag. Slava knew he was someone who overthought about things, who worried far too much. He worried sometimes about the distance between himself and River, wondering if it would one way prove to be too much for both of them and he'd know what it was like to have his heart ripped out. He worried over what his career might look like in the future if things didn't end up turning around for the Predators. Were his years in the VHL going to be wasted? Would he ever get a cup like he had in Mississauga? But those were questions he simply couldn't answer and even trying to read his favorite books weren't diverting his mind. Hence, the laps. He was also trying to work on his offense, see if there was anything he could do to get the puck to the others on the team as well as maybe get the puck into the net more often himself and he liked to think he was making some progress there. He was feeling stronger at the very least. Even some of his other teammates seemed to be joining him out for his private "lap parties" as he liked to call them in his head. Their goalie always seemed to be up for taking more shots and Slava wasn't about to turn Pipo down. He felt bad, as Pipo was practically standing on his head most games and they'd only been able to convert a few of those chances into wins. But hopefully the future for all of them was going to be brighter. In the meantime, they were going to come to the rink and work hard. With his legs finally screaming at him, Slave headed to get off the ice and take off his skates. He'd been able to go another 45 minutes than he had a couple weeks ago and in a weird way, perhaps that was progress. Either way, if the general manager wanted him to do extra laps, Slava was going to ready for all of it. Laps were love. Laps were life. All hail the laps. (word count: 501)

This is super dope!!! Thank you!!!

1. I think their chances are good, but Simon gonna Simon and we'll see where things end up. 2. They could? Anything is possible at this point, but it'll depend on how other teams make move as well as players improving as things go on. Last season in the M, the Hounds didn't have the best start but ended up winning the Founders Cup. Never say never. 3. Just waiting for warmer weather again. 1) If you were to join another league besides the VHL, what sport would you be most tempted by? 2) What is a song or musical artist you wish more people knew about? 3) If you had to make a national day for something, what would it be?

For my media spot this week, I decided to go with something a little bit different since Warsaw is in rebuild mode and there's not going to be a heck of a lot for me to write about there (but I will celebrate the small victories when they come along). It just is what it is and we're going to ride the storm out. I really don't like January that much. It's a month that's always felt like it drags and it's also a month where it's cold as hell (I live in Southern Idaho and holy sheesh does the wind blow down here), which makes it the waiting room of the world as I like to call it. A time/place to just wait for the first warm tendrils of spring and watch the plants wake up again which heralds in my least favorite time of year: gardening season. But that, dear children, is a story for another time. December is a hard time of year for me and perhaps that also carries over into my feelings about January. My opa passed in December a while back and I lost a couple friends in a car accident the week before Christmas a few years ago as well so the current state of the Lee at the moment? Just trying to get by and take joy where I can find it. Lately, that's been in books. I like to read at the best of times and right now when the weather is crap and it's just not suitable to be outside any longer than it takes to leave the car and head into the nearest building, I've been trying to read more. So far, it's been going better. My favorite author, Brandon Sanderson, just released a new book but it's been a while since I read the others in the Stormlight Archive so I'm going to need to reread the others and that's going to take me a little while. But that's okay. The VHL has also given me the sim bug and I decided to be insane and join both the SBA as well as the PBE! My player in the SBA, Jonathan Carlton (if you know you know), has been doing really well! His team in the D League, the Fort Lauderdale Lightning, are playing in their finals soon and I'm hoping they can get the win. My PBE player, Takeda Takahashi (again if you know you know), has been doing okay on the Amarillo Armadillos. Originally starting off as a relief pitcher, he was asked by his team to move up to starting pitcher and it's been going okay. Fielding errors mean he's got some runs against, but his stats are solid and the more tpe I can build up and invest in him, the more I can improve some things. The winter blahs are real, but the world still turns, and this too shall pass into much warmer weather. Especially in summer when the temperature is pretty much "the devil's arse" but c'est la vie. Take care, all, and hopefully our January will go quickly. (word count: 518)

After a start to forget for the Warsaw Predators, they finally won their first game, 1-0 against London United. "It's a relief to be honest." said defenseman Slava Kovalenko, who managed to nab third star of the game. "We were wondering when the first win was going to come and we're really glad that it did. We can build on this, continue to move forward and do our best to improve." One of the teams with few skaters on it, the Predators have their hands tied in terms of what they're able to do but Kovalenko is confident they can eke out a few more wins. "I'm running new drills for myself, trying to figure out what else I can bring to the table to help the team out." the defenseman admitted. With this being his rookie introduction to the VHL, it's clear that Kovalenko is pragmatic about his situation and rather than giving up or being resigned to where Warsaw is, he's actively searching for solutions that he can be a part of. Whatever happens, it's clear that Kovalenko is going to do his best to be a true asset to the team and that's something Predators fans can take pride in. (words: 203)

Unfortunately, I have to work this year. But when I get home we’re having ham and lots of other tasty things.

Very pleased to see the C go to @Blutch. Couldn’t have asked for a better assistant when I was there and I know he’ll continue to lead the team. Congrats, man! You earned it.

Frohe Weihnachten!