#TO ME it is mcstrome. because to me everything is mcstrome

[msmargaretmurry]

idk if you listen to the rural alberta advantage but they're performing at the heritage classic and i feel like much narrative can be drawn from their songs (like the one literally called edmonton lmao)

i'm not like a super avid rural alberta advantage listener but i am Familiar With Their Work™️ and anon, you are so right. great music for rotating concepts and spinning narratives. also hometowns is just a banger of an album as a whole. especially if you want to capture that particular ennui/angst that's baked into the prairies. that feeling of being a speck of humanity in the great wide nothing under an impossible sky. of being so so far away from everything except for what's within arm's reach. (honestly i think that driving straight from winnipeg to edmonton just one time changed me as a person; everyone should do it) (do not do it in the winter)

anyway this is a connor mcdavid song. someone make one of those pretty graphic sets with the lyrics overlaid on hurtful photos

[thatsnotbuddies]

g’s hrpf recs

okok this blog exists bc one day I clicked on a tknp fic in some random person’s bookmarks just because it seemed interesting and the rest is history

so it’s only right i make a list of my fave fics I’ve read since then

here goes

⭐ = ultimate faves

I’ve got about . 200 hrpf bookmarks on ao3 but these are the ones that I think about a lot/have re-read more than twice. there’s soo much more I could rec, if you want a list for a specific pairing lmk??

TKNP

colours i can't see (with anyone else) - (E, 7,357 words) ⭐

Travis gets the call about two weeks before he stands before the team, helmet dangling from his fingertips and heart beating against his chest like it wants to crack through his ribs.

“I’m moving to Toronto.”

The silence that washes through the locker room is deafening. No one says anything for a long 30 seconds. The only sound is that of skate guards squeaking against the floor.

Nolan is the one who breaks the silence. “What the fuck? They can’t trade you.”  And Travis winces and Nolan widens his eyes like a deer caught in headlights and someone to his left sighs. “Oh.”

Notes: The conversation in the second to last scene gets me Every Time 😭

vision trick - (E, 21,528 words)

Pat’s new house is haunted.

Notes: I’m an Interstellar (2014), Contact (1997), love-transcending-all-dimensions-including-time girlie so this is. everything. to me.

JOEL FARABEE/MORGAN FROST

letters from allentown (T, 4,539 words) ⭐

“Hahahah the flyers are shit,” Morgan tweets, sometime in early November of 2013. He's probably not expecting a pissy pre-teen from Cicero, New York to slide into his DMs and start up a four year argument over whether or not the Flyers suck, right up until Morgan turns eighteen and gets drafted by the Flyers himself.

Notes: This is THEE quintessential joel/morgan fic to me

in my defense, spring - (T, 2,764 words, Magical Realism) ⭐

Morgan gets called up a month into the season. He arrives in Philly with three suits, two duffle bags full of gear, and a very large potted basil plant.

Notes: I went on a magical realism bender for a bit and this is one of the faves. Frosty as a spring witch born into a winter witch family :’) Taking care of all his plants :’)

MCSTROME

The Next Next One (M, 71,275 words) ⭐

No, Dylan has not picked up a copy of the book, nor does he plan to anytime soon. No, he has not talked to Connor about it. He hasn’t talked to Connor about anything in a long time, but the media does not need to know that.

Notes: This is number one all time fave. It turns me inside out every time I read it. So well written down to the fake book snippets!!!! You could take this and make a movie adaptation of it and it would kill at the box office.

MATTDRAI

how lovely are thy branches (M, 5271 words) (also Tim Stutzle/Brady Tkachuk)

“What is it about my family that makes us so damn irresistible to you Germans?”

Notes: This is just such a laugh, I love it

JOEL FARABEE/CARTER HART (you know when you’re not that invested in a pairing but some of the writing for it is just so good? this is me with this)

pour some sugar on him and blame it on the rain - (T, 5,719 words, Magical Realism)

Carter is a witch working the convenience store night shift. Joel is a regular customer who just can’t seem to stop getting cursed. Morgan is mostly along for the ride.

Notes: Fun! Shenanigans!

You look so sweet in the heat of the summer (E, 5,319 words)

Carter's fed up with feeling like he’s wasting his summer, out of sync with his friends, watching the days dwindle down with nothing to show for it.

He’s not sure what he expects Joel to be able to do about that feeling, but at least he’s a promised distraction.

Notes: This is so great at capturing a Very Specific summer vibe. End notes changed my whole opinion on ‘Tis The Damn Season, lmao. I cry now.

[19871997]

stromer tess and chucky isabel.... oh what a beautiful morning. the sun is rising. life is vibrant and joyful once again. the bit in 11 where tess runs after danny when he's getting arrested again but as mcstrome is actually gonna make me crazy if i think about it for too long. so of course i will pivot to imagining leon climbing out of matthew's window and breaking his heart and neither of them really getting over it, surely that will avoid the crazy. (it will not.)

(also if we Really want to 2015 draft class it up we need a place for minchy, if he doesn't have one already)

dylcon as exes where they cant stop coming back to eachother and hoping each other has changed even tho they know they havent but they still mean the world to eachother and connor will say anything to get dylan back (i only lied about being a theif and i dont do that anymore (lying about not theiving)) and dylan wanting the truth/an honest man (i dont want to have to make that distinction) and also like connor lying about truly everything except loving dylan and dylan’s trust waning over time and obviously he deserves better and he deserves an honest man but connor’s so fucking bright just pulls everyone into him and compels everyone (something something about dylan previously thinking that he’s better, somehow, than any crew connor’s ever run with because he can tell when connor’s lying and which promises to trust and which to throw out and disregard but it turns out he’s not any better because he keeps coming back ?) AND SIMILARLY w mattleo like of course matthew (ans leon) act like it was a whatever one night stand bc that’s what they’re used to but like. it wasnt. not really. and the drunkest leon’s ever been he confesses to connor that he’s been in love twice in his life and climbing out matthew’s window broke his heart and he’d had half a mind to convince matthew to run away with him and build a life together but he’d had the job to do and that’s when he knew that he wasn’t really made for ‘build an honest life together’ type of love (connor also reminds him then that he didnt even tell matthew his real name, and what? you were going to have this great life and the whole time he’d be moaning out tim?) connor and leon here are like. noone else gets us/noone else deserves our nonsense/the least amount of collateral damage because theyre kinda as bad as eachother but they have so much trust in one another that they know they’re liars and thiefs and the way theyre living has a time limit and somethings gotta catch up to them eventually but until then. they’re together in this and they’ll go down together too. also an argument to be made that here connor and leon are like a binary star system orbiting eachother feeding off eachother not really able to survive without one another and absolute hell on anyone around them

[stupidsexyseguin]

I’m fairly sure I have you to blame for being obsessed with Tyler/Jamie so would be up for a fic rec for them (though admittedly I’ve read everything in the tag so maybe you just have to produce new content 😏). Or I found you through sid/geno so a fic rec for that would be good too!! OR considering I’ve probably read everything featuring both of those, if you had recs for any other ships I should consider that would be good too. Thanks for everything 🌈🙌😍

i’ve done a jamie/tyler one that i think still stands as my favourites from the archive, and there are some really great sidgeno fics but i’m not feeling it right now. so. i’m calling this list

“pairings you should give a chance because i swear they’re adorable as fuck”

some are tiny ships, some are beginning to rival fandom giants like bennguin and sidgeno, but here’s some of my favourite fics from ships to consider if you’ve run out of fic for your own teams.

all that by LottieAnnamikey/nater. soulmate au. friends to lovers. lots of mutual pining. these two are fucking cute and i fucking love it and you should really give them a go.

and underneath, it should say “i win” by nebuliapaulie/nealer. i think these two were actually the first ship i got into after i started getting into hockey. i love it. anyway- james neal gets a drunk tattoo and it is, unfortunately, a love letter to his best friend.

We wish, we wish, and all we do is wait by MamaWouldBeSoProudmcdraisaitl. leon is in love with his liney. slow burn, pining, happy ending.

Pop them bottles and drink that up, man by Honeymull and arzoensisjoe thornton/tomas hertl. um. so like every fic for these two is kinky as fuck and i love it. please read them all.

Stay by hapakitsunesergei bobrovsky/nick foligno. rule!63 slow burn pining. this pairing is so wholesome and i know this is rule!63 but i love this fic and you should also read all the other fic that exists for them

A Save Situation by oflightsbenntuzzo. okay look, i’m a slut for friends to lovers, i admit it. basically bros in love and pining for each other post bortz’ trade.

I could be wrong, I could be ready by 12ways (yourblues)les gally. fake dating. accidental outing. slowburn pining. gally gets outed and chucky accidentally gets roped into being his fake boyfriend. a pairing i like to call #assholesinlove

The Zoo of Toronto by Bellsastuffphil kessel/carl hagelin. hell yes very wholesome love. this fic is a really interesting concept and this ship has some real gems to read.

must be love on the brain by crispierchipnolan patrick/claude giroux. um. very unhealthy relationship. dubcon. gangbang. i wish this pairing had more wholesome fic, but like, what exists is pretty fucking hot.

out of the blue by Iddaymceichel. assumed identity. in which jack keeps hate fucking connor mcdavid, while falling in love with a guy he met on twitter using an assumed name.

give the game away by somehowunbrokenmarner/strome. um undiscussed bdsm disguised as hate fucking? good shit yo.

while making the most of the night (i’ll love you) by cawlidge_hawkeymcstrome. dylan didn’t expect connor to take him seriously when he said he wanted to fuck. he also didn’t expect it to fuck them up so much.

ever dreamed we even could be by vienna jonesnico/nolan. rookies in love. these two could be so wholesome!!! need me more as they play and grow! 

[winnipegpatty]

I'm the flower anon now and 🥺 would you mind telling me a little about mcstrome? bc I don't know shit abt them, they- played together I guess? I'm kinda lost in the timeline here but I'm kinda new in the hockey fandom and don't rlly follow the oilers or the hawks, if you can't thats ok too! AND MATT'S A DAD? SIGN ME UP FOR THIS SHIT PLEASE!!! and look I'll not @ you abt the 'willy/kyle' thing but I'll not NOT @ you either fkasdçlkfas thank you for talking abt them I'm already super pumped! 💐x

my first and only named anon 🥰

akfkfksks i also don’t follow the hawks or the oilers so no worries. So Dylan Strome and Connor McDavid (aka McStrome) played together in juniors for the Eerie Otters. So they spend some time in Pennsylvania. Connor is captain of the otters. some great things they’ve said. Connor “strome is a person” 😂 Dylan: “See that? doesn’t know what he’s doing. just plays hockey” “if you would have listened to the instructions you’d know” also dylan when connor asks how he’s doing for a photo shoot “well, can’t do much about the face so” they both think each other are the best leaders 🥺 they go all the way to the OHL finals and then lose 🥺they are SO AWKWARD on draft day oh my god. So obviously, connor famously is drafted number one. but when he’s herded away he asks the big dudes in suits if he can stay and watch. because he wanted to see dylan’s pick 😭 so dylan is drafted 3rd to the yotes. dylan goes through some hell (imo) bc the yotes draft him, give him seven NHL games and then send him down to the minors. So Dylan goes to the Eerie Otters again and Connor is with the oilers. Dylan is Captain this year, and they go to the finals and win whatever cup the win in the OHL I forgot the name of it. Dylan goes back to the yotes and is eventually traded to the hawks where he’s played consistently and had decent numbers. There’s like....no proof of then still talking at all really other than when Ryan Strome got traded to the Oilers, Connor was asked about it as captain and he said “obviously their family was really great friends to me in eerie, dylan was and still is a really good friend of mine.” but uh the oilers lost to the hawks in the qualifiers and connor and dylan didn’t even look each other in the eye. it was fucking sad. 😭🥺. but basically everything connor and dylan do is angsty and makes me emo.

yeah dude i made auston the dad of precious little mexican baby that he’s gonna yeah spanish to. and i’m so excited. who the hell knows when i’ll get that one done but 🤷🏼‍♀️

listen.....i know willy and kyle is..........questionable. i simply do not care. and i will talk about them in private a lot lmao. not sure i’m ready to put myself like that yet 😂😂😂😂 BUT i love this fic. and frankly it will probably be the first of the three to be finished.

[lottswrites]

Hi! You're one of my favorite hockey writers and I'm always super excited to see that you've posted something new. I was wondering if you have any fic recs? It's been a slow summer and I've gone embarrassingly far down the ao3 tag so I was hoping you could give me some good ones. Thanks! :)

I feel that. AAAH okay this will be a mishmash of random fics I love (randomly selected from my bookmarks), mostly hockey RPF but with some other stuff thrown in just ‘cause

Nate/Mikey in electrumqueen’s animal transformation ‘verse. I think it can be read as a standalone pretty well (even though it’s the 7th in the series), and I also reread it three times yesterday because I was just so taken aback. Here’s the first fic in that same ‘verse, and here’s@frecklebombfic‘s podfic. Honestly just read all of them. 

Mitch/Auston established relationship pwp with communication and fun, healthy kink exploration between bros

Mitch/Dylan future fic, featuring a lot of Strome-centric positivity

Have you ever gone into the tag for a rarepair and discovered 54k of road trip fic? It’s a great experience. (Here’s a Law/TK primer to help out)

This pond hockey au ‘verse, particular the third story, which is Mitch/Auston (but also the whole thing)

Willy/Kappy fake dating friends to lovers. It’s like, everything I love in a fic, but more? 

Zach/Dylan ft. sweetness and mutual support. Also, the podfic by ofjustimagine is really, really great (much like any podfic by ofjustimagine). And Zach/Dylan secret marriage, also with podfic by ofjustimagine. 

This McStrome is the second one in a series but it makes me believe in love. The first one is also great. Also just, all of Meg’s stuff (@bisexualnylander)!

I couldn’t pick one by theundiagnosable so have five Mitch/Auston recs.

This is some good SidGeno, with podfic. There is lots of good SidGeno, if you like SidGeno. There are also many great SidGeno podfics! (I love SidGeno)

Random Sterek faves! Some Check Please faves! Dunno what you’re into, yo. 

Fic rec tag

Hope you like these!!!

[msmargaretmurry]

brasy/quinn for the ship ask

they DO make sense and they DO compel me!!!!

i don't know what it is that some friends to lovers ships i'm like, it makes sense but doesn't compel me, and others make me feel so deeply feral, but brady and quinn make me feel deeply feral. they seem like opposites in so many ways except for the very important ways that they're exactly the same. they were boys together. they're both from these intense hockey legacy families that love each other so much. they're highly competitive, they're both young captains in canadian markets, they tell each other everything, they say i love you constantly, publicly. brady is huge, quinn is small. quinn is quiet and introverted, brady is loud and annoying. quinn loves to read, brady can't read.

i love that when they're in interviews or videos together you can just sense the fondness they have for each other and what a fun dynamic they have. like, you know that post about how it's important for a couple to be in cahoots? they are ALWAYS in cahoots.

i have said in the past that for friends to lovers ships to hook me there needs to be some sort of inherent conflict or potential conflict that piques my interest but maybe i'm a liar because i don't think that's really true with quinn and brady? they don't really have an inherent conflict that's specific to their relationship the way that, for example, mcstrome always did (and we know how feral i am about mcstrome). but i find them both individually so interesting and endearing and their bestfriendship so good that i am compelled to put them in SO many kissing situations.

[msmargaretmurry]

Okay but where is my mcstrome futurefic where Connor is obsessing over Dylan, as one does, trying to make up for the years of minimal contact and lost closeness (that he’s only just recently realized are things that bother him) by reading everything he can about Dylan, and he comes across Dylan saying he wanted to go where he was wanted… and feels some kind of way about it… maybe at some point (perhaps after Dylan is politely distant or wary or pushes him away) starts to put together that it wasn’t just a team who he thought didn’t want him… something something learning what he wants that can't be taken for granted and learning how to show it and that he must show it... where is it?? (Not putting this on you, of course, between grad school and the mortifying ordeal of possibly running into people about whom who you’ve written porn, but I’m sure you understand my dismay at this cruel, cruel deprivation)

anon are u inside of my brain because i do want this so badly. i love futurefic where it's just like... both parties are fucked up about what happened in the past and they both have to go on a character journey to get that sweet sweet reconciliation and second chance romance, but obviously someone has to make the first move. someone has to decide to do the scary thing and make the effort! and we all know i love any fic about the mortifying ordeal of being connor mcdavid, so a really good long slowburny character-driven connor-centric mcstrome futurefic would be sooooooo good for me.

unfortunately it is true that i probably won't be writing any new mcstrome novels while he's in dc due to the weird fourth wall situation of it all. and since i want him to stay here forever that does create a conundrum 😂 (i MIGHT be able to turn my brain off long enough to write something short, but absolutely no promises.)

however i do know that some fellow mcstrome scholars have been working on futurefics lately — i don't know if any of them totally fit the bill of what you're looking for, but, friends and countryfolks, if you've recently posted or are working on anything like this please let us know! ❤

[msmargaretmurry]

music anon here!!! hiiii 🤍 hope your week is going well!! with an actual music rec/ very vibey song!! it’s called why did you invite me to your wedding by kevin atwater and. oof! i don’t looooove his voice but damn can the boy paint a picture. something swiftian about it. i feel like this one could be applied to like… anyone ? again, so specific but so generic, so swiftian.

another rec but you might know this one: this flight tonight by joni mitchell!! feels very matthew/leon deciding to meet up (maybe after the trade?) and being scared but he’s on the plane now, he’s all in. “you’ve got the lovin’ that i like, all right” WELP! ;)

last one!! thru these tears by lany. just heartbreak babes but like with a beat and also. the bridge is mcstrome to me: “you said it was over / but when we got closer / you cried on my shoulder goodbye” it is such a poignant image: them breaking up but like… they were also best friends. whose other shoulder would they cry on? just… crunchy.

also!!!!! quite on theme with the whole music anon shtick but!! saw your tags about your type by crj x girl!quinn and now i’m. FOAMING at the mouth i neeeeed to meet her!!!!! the implications!!!!! (hope this doesn’t come across as like pressure or anything, it is pure excitement!!!!) if i can ask, would you please share more from the playlist? would love to feel The Vibes!! dw if not!

ok this got very long sorry!!! wishing you a greaaaaat next of the week!!! 🤍🤍🤍

hello music anon!! i hope you're also doing well! thank you as always for the song recs! 💕 i must say FIRSTLY the cover art for this kevin atwater song !!! sorry for making everything mcstrome but to me this is mcstrome

joni is of course a queen and that is a great song ❤ i can definitely see where you're coming from with the long-distance matthew/leon of it all! i am going to be honest though, although i do have some ideas on the backburner i cannot think too hard about them right now 😂 the scf has me toooooo stressed. come back to me in 7–10 business days when it's all over. kind of the same for mcstrome tbh due to the connor of it all 😭 i just have too many real life sports feelings right now!!!! but don't worry i am saving all of these songs so i can rotate concepts and scenarios to them on the metro over the summer. i appreciate the preemptive offseason inspiration!!!

i CAN talk about girl!quinn though because she is far, far away from these real life playoffs 😂 i'm so happy you're excited about her!! i'll share a full soundtrack when i finish and post the fic but that isn't going to be for ages so here are some of the most important songs from my writing playlist:

demi lovato - ruin the friendship

briston maroney - it's still cool if you don't

kississippi - around your room

landon coranth - 2am

maggie rogers - shatter

the accidentals - michigan and again

thank you again for writing, it's good to hear from you! 😊❤

[msmargaretmurry]

Connor x Dylan “long time no see”

for some reason this title is giving short fic energy — well, short for me, so like, a tight 10–15k or whatever, lmao. a bittersweet little fic set in Our Current Tragic Era of mcstrome, over the course of a few days at an all-star game.

because where else is there to stick them together for several days in a row when they wouldn't do that voluntarily? obviously connor is going to be sent to every all-star game until he dies. until recently dylan was at a point of resignation trying to accept that he was never going to be great, but then he got a real shot in dc, and things have completely turned around. the asg's not somewhere warm and balmy, so ovi does the thing where he gets mysteriously lightly injured right before all-star weekend so he can take the family to a nice tropical island or wherever instead, so the league taps dylan as his replacement. dylan's been having a really good season, but he still wasn't expecting it. he's still in a daze about it when the jet touches down in toronto.

he knows some guys at the game, obviously, but it's still intimidating. he's twenty-six years old; he thought he was over being intimidated by big-name players, but all of them in one place? woof. it's a lot. but everyone's very nice and welcoming and it's just — it's really cool. it's really, really cool. dylan's parents are there, a bunch of local friends and family are there, and he is finally starting to not feel like a failure.

but also connor is there. dylan knew he would be. connor's parents are there. dylan figured they would be, but he hasn't seen them in so long, he kind of hopes he doesn't run into them. it would be kind of awkward, now that he and connor aren't close anymore. it's not like he and connor are totally estranged or anything. even recently, when their relationship has come up in interviews, dylan has said they're still friends, because there was never, like, a breakup or a falling out or a hard stop. they're just not close the way they used to be. they don't hang out; they rarely text. their careers put physical space between them and it turned into every other type of space, too. there was a while when dylan thought, perhaps uncharitably, that he wasn't worthy of connor's friendship anymore, when he was several years into his pro career and barely clinging to an nhl roster spot and connor was already winning trophies. maybe he hasn't quite shaken that feeling. but, hey. they're at the same all-star game now. dylan earned his stop here just like everyone else.

they run into each other early on, navigating the media day festivities. the capitals social person trailing dylan asks to snap a picture of them together and they dutifully pose and smile, and afterward connor claps him dylan on the arm and says, "hey, let's grab a drink at some point while we're here, eh?" while leaves dylan feeling so off-balance, because it's not something connor the teenager would have ever done.

anyway, all-star weekend stuff, blah blah blah, stuff happens, they don't really see each other again until the skills comp. they both do the accuracy shooting and neither of them win but dylan gets a better score by like .4 seconds and is quietly extremely proud of himself for it. he mostly hangs out with the other metro division guys on the ice but he's so aware of where connor is all the time that it's kind of painful. the only time he's been around connor for more than a few minutes in years has been while playing against him, and he forgot what it's like, just being near him.

the thing is, it's really weird, knowing there's someone out there in the world who knows every single thing about you from a certain period in your life, who you know everything about from that same period, but the current versions of yourselves are practically strangers. it makes dylan feel strangely vulnerable.

they do get that drink, but not on purpose — they just wind up at the same club. teenage connor could barely stand clubs, but adult connor seems comfortable enough. not at home, exactly, but he doesn't look like he wants to bolt. he's sticking close to draisaitl, like he has been the whole weekend, and dylan thinks, perhaps uncharitably, that maybe he's not so different now — he's just found someone else to attach himself to. but when they both go for refills at the same time, they start chatting, and it's a little awkward at first, but then it gets easier, and then suddenly they've been talking for like half an hour, and, yeah, maybe the alcohol is helping, but there's this feeling in dylan's chest that's like his insides are unravelling with relief that they can still have a conversation. they can chat about their families, their seasons so far, about funny moments from the skills comp today. they lean against the bar watching their colleagues making fools of themselves dancing and stuff, heads together, elbows bumping, and it's almost like it used to be, when wherever they went they would carve out a space for just the two of them.

"hey," connor says at one point, touching the knuckles of his drink hand to the knuckles of dylan's drink hand. "i'm glad you're here. you deserve it."

the thing is, connor was the first boy dylan ever kissed. dylan was the first person connor ever kissed, period. they never did more than that, but that doesn't mean dylan never thought about it or never wanted it. there were plenty of complicated reasons why things never went further, back then. but now he's thinking about how many firsts connor has to have had with so many people since they left erie that are none of dylan's business, and how connor keeps looking at dylan's mouth and his hands instead of meeting dylan's eyes. he has the exact same nervous tics as he did when he was seventeen.

"do you want to get out of here?" dylan asks.

so they go back to dylan's hotel room and have sex. it's kind of awkward and kind of surreal but mostly it's sweet and soft and good. dylan feels very grown up, deciding he can handle one night of this and never have it again. they doze a little bit afterward, but connor does go back to his own room instead of spending the night.

dylan spends the whole next day trying to figure out how he feels about it. does he regret it? he doesn't think so, but maybe it just hasn't hit him yet. it didn't feel like the start of something, but it didn't feel like the end of something either. connor doesn't text, but then again dylan doesn't text him, either. they're in separate locker rooms for the game that night; the metro advances but the pacific doesn't, and then the metro loses to the central for the all-star title, so it's not like either of them come away with bragging rights. but it's fine — it's fun. dylan has fun playing in the all-star game. on the flight home, he goes back on the capitals' twitter account and finds that picture from the other day of him and connor at media day and posts it to his insta story. connor likes the story. the end.

[msmargaretmurry]

music anon here!! hi!! how’s it going? heard you were kinda stressed so!! hope everything’s better!!

idk why but i’ve been on a weird mcstrome mood this past few days, and so i had to make a mcstrome blues playlist, because well. they were besties and now they’re not anymore.

i thought i’d share some songs with you as a token of gratefulness for your general existence <3 the vibes are kinda sad tho ngl. it’s a vision of their relationship that is just… bleak. so without further ado, mcstrome blues!

now that we don’t talk by taylor swift. “did you get anxious though?/ on the way home / i guess i’ll never ever know / now that we don’t talk” i’m just. there’s a post floating somewhere on swiftie tumblr along the lines of “this song is for the girlies with a dramatic best friend breakup” and. yeah that’s mcstrome to me

still got it + can’t go back baby (one right after the other) by troye sivan. his new album is full of bops btw but these ones…… man. cant go back baby is actually about being cheated on, so not really applicable here but. the hurt? phew 😮‍💨 (from the same album how to stay with you gives me matthew and leon getting together after matthew fucked off to florida vibes!!! “i feel my mother might like you / just not in the same way i do” that’s tthe tkatchuks baby!!! but i digress.)

ivy by frank ocean. “we had time to kill back then / you ain’t a kid no more / we’ll never be those kids again” hello??? also along these lines. ribs by lorde. a classic of the “i want to go back to the past but it’s impossible and it makes me go insane” vibe

the exit by conan gray. oh my god this one . “you love her / it’s over / you already found someone to miss / while i’m still standing at /the exit / i can’t hate you for getting everything we wanted / i just thought that i’d be part of it” this one is tied to irl stuff which. eh i know. but oh my god…

hope this wasn’t too long and that you enjoy (if you didn’t know these songs before!!) 🤍🤍🤍🤍

hello music anon!! lovely to hear from you as always 💖 i am indeed very stressed right now but it's okay, i will make it through. just one more month of the semester! two more months until my biggest work event of the fiscal year! i have the veterans' day holiday off from work today tho so before i dig into the massive pile of homework and household chores i have been ignoring, i took myself out for coffee to sit at a cafe and catch up on tumblr asks 😂

i have ALSO been in a weird mcstrome mood lately, i think because connor mcdavid is so miserable right now, so thank you for sharing this little playlist, it really hits the mcstrome sadness spot. like even beyond the hrpf of it all, it makes me sad because to me friendship is one of the most important things in the world and it makes me sad thinking about them not being best friends anymore! obviously, drifting apart from your besties when you were a teen is a pretty normal part of life for a lot of people, but i am still sad about it. they were so sweet about each other, and now we don't even know if they actually still talk ever 😭

i knew some of these songs but not all of them! as usual they are all going directly on my playlist for disassociating to on the metro to and from work. i love a pairing or character or story concept playlist so much (if you couldn't tell by how i tend to post playlists with my long fics, haha). thank you for sharing!! 💕

[grittyreadsfic]

what’s up, everyone, i accidentally got into my mcstrome feels, so please have this rec list, lovingly crafted and dubbed sometimes a mcstrome fic can be something so personal of a bunch of my favorite mcstrome fics (minus ones i’ve posted about recently, like  burn the straw house down by theundiagnosable and  you have always been my ticket home by iwantthemtostay)

we are the ones (the ones you left behind) by idday

summary: So, like.

Dylan's having a shit year.

(It probably makes him an asshole, the fact that it makes him feel better that Jack is, too. And yet.)

why i love it: something that you don’t see enough in any media, is stories where the fwb/couple fake dating/etc aren’t the endgame. and i think that’s a super overlooked narrative that shows the complexities of human relationships. this fic is a great example of that, and also jack’s characterization? dylan’s complicated feelings towards connor? the way sometimes friendships aren’t easy anymore, but still worth it? all golden

i've never been a natural (all I do is try, try, try) by iwantthemtostay

summary:   In June 2015 Dylan gets drafted fourth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, in August his boyfriend breaks up with him. In July 2026 said ex signs with the Leafs. In the months that follow they work things out.

why i love it: you’d think that with my deep hatred for john tavares (life is only suffering when you’re an isles fan who ends up also loving the leafs) that this premise would just make me mad but honestly? it’s perfect. i love how the author kept dylan’s early years as rough, the way we see connor and dylan rebuilding (first their friendship, because that’s what’s most important) and how it’s so realistic, and the way that you get to see all the support systems dylan has in place and the way those dynamics just shine. absolutely wonderful, and there’s a podfic!

our ribs get tough by linebrawl ( @roopehntz​ )

summary: Connor’s face stares him down from a banner two hundred feet tall, and Dylan can’t do this. He can’t be stuck in a city that’d taken everything away from him.

why i love it: god, i just. you ever just find a fic that’s exactly what you’re looking for, like, tone, plot, ship, it’s all what you wanted to read like someone plucked it straight from your brain? that’s how i felt about this fic when it was posted and tbh i’ve probably read it like, six times since then. it’s just so beautifully written and makes me feel so much 

chasing a high, but it was always you, by nolanpatty

summary: Dylan get's traded to the Oilers when the Return to Play is ratified and has to spend the rest of the 2020 season as an Edmonton Oiler, alongside his ex Connor McDavid.

why i love it: listen ! listen !  i love trade fics more than anything else in the world (they’re fun! sometimes they hurt! there’s a lot of narrative potential!) and as a mcstrome fan, the idea of them playing together again? my poor heart can’t take it. i think it’s also one of those fics that does a great job of portraying the way emotions are tricky and complicated and messy and things aren’t always cut and dry.

the timing of you by jamesvanriemsdick ( @jamesvanriemsdick​ )

summary: “I need to let this go,” Dylan says, because he’s known for a few weeks now that he does. It’s pointless, this pining, and he might be in love with Connor, but he’s starting to fall in love with himself, too, and that’s more important, right now.

why i love it: oof. just. this is one of the first mcstrome fics i ever read and it just. struck a chord in me and made me so, so, so emotional. it’s a college au, which i love, and the focus of it isn’t really the romance, but to me, it’s about healing and finding a home for yourself and the families we choose and i’m just. it’s just a lot, and so lovely. 

the next next one by yourblues

summary: No, Dylan has not picked up a copy of the book, nor does he plan to anytime soon. No, he has not talked to Connor about it. He hasn’t talked to Connor about anything in a long time, but the media does not need to know that.

why i love it: personally i think there should be more fics where retired hockey players write autobiographies that are essentially love letters to someone they played with because it’s such a phenomenal premise. this fic is all you could want out of a future mcstrome fic, and it really just exists rent free in my mind always (one time someone posted two of the tags and the word count and i immediately knew they were talking about this fic, which says a lot about how much i’ve read it)

what a life, what a life, you and I, by heartequals (savvygambols) summary: “We’re domestic partners now, that’s basically it,” says Connor.

“Whoa,” says Dylan. “I got married and I wasn’t even paying attention.”

Dylan is assigned a final project with Connor and he catches feelings very quickly about it.

why i love it: college au! idiots to lovers! the over romanization of group projects! (this last one is something so unrealistic but brings me great joy, like coffee shop aus as a former barista) it’s honestly just a sweet fic that warms my little jaded soul and makes me smile every time i read it

[lottswrites]

Recs

For Rusta, who requested my top 5 Marnsthews recs and top 5 McStrome recs. These are just ten fics I love; I can’t rank all the fics I’ve read, I love so many of them. If you’re not on this list I still love you I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just chose 5 that I loved at random from each ship. I definitely forgot, like, some of my favorites, because that’s what happens when someone asks me to choose 5 of my favorites, I’ll forget something I read a while ago and then I get to rethinking and I’m like “wait what about that one” so I just chose the first 5 that came to mind and forced myself to commit to them. 

Marnsthews:

bring it to the top by theundiagnosable everything you could ever want out of fake dating. Hits everything a fake dating fic should. Every line is a gem. I love this fic so much. 

The Inevitable Decline of the No Sad, Big Smile Break-Up Service by luxover college au in the same ‘verse as “Pond Ice and the In Between,” features all of my faves interacting with each other. I read this last night and its just a Great Time™ that references a lot of real-life cuteness. 

as long as it's about me by Anonymous enemies to friends to lovers, again, the kind of fic every pairing should have one of. Does a Really Good Job with it too. 

colours and promises by theworldabouttodawn I mean... it’s just... so fluffy and soft... stuffed animals and snuggles. 

the a-to-z of you and me by capebretons I love this fic so much. If you want to see Auston pine, then this is right up your alley. There’s some sadness and a lot of love. Definitely a worthwhile read. 

McStrome:

gravel to tempo by capebretons angsty boarding school AU which was the first McStrome fic I read. There’s also a Marnsthews sequel! It has a happy ending, but you gotta get emo to get there. Which, like, is the kind of fic I need sometimes. Also, there’s a knitting club.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by CheapLemonIceLolly aka the fic with “data jesus,” where no matter what universe we’re in, Connor McDavid needs to be Extra Good™ at everything. Sidney Crosby too, tbh. A fun holiday AU about the temps trying to win an office Christmas decorating competition. Truly, I love it. 

take my heart and take my hand by somehowunbroken a soft d/s au. Dunno if that’s really your thing, but it’s incredibly sweet. Lots of warm and fuzzy feelings about this one. I read it, like, once a week.

all i ever wanted (was your sweet potato) by bluejayys, meerminne in which Dylan sees Connor in a grocery store at 1am and writes an adorable Missed Connection on Craigslist. It spirals. It’s great, wonderful, perfect, I love it.

Princely Reasons by forks I reread this recently and honestly it’s just. Really great. Connor’s a prince, Dylan’s a commoner, they’re roommates (oh my god they were roommates) and man if you want some friends to lovers, this will do it. 

I know you didn’t ask for Mitch/Dylan but it’s a really great pairing and I’m obsessed with it too. hand holding, and other habits of highly effective otters by electrumqueen is a masterpiece. It’s part of a spontaneous animal transformation ‘verse, called i wanna hold your hand, and literally every story in it is great but be special is very near and dear to my heart if you want some WJC2017 feels.