#bring back hockey players being active on social media

[hughesvolpe]

oh..i just realized :(

[starrybethany]

I’m Sure - Adam Boqvist Imagine Part 2

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Word count: 3.5K

I shut the front door quietly behind me. I step out of my heels, sighing in relief as my feet can finally breathe. My eyes land on the twelve-year-old on the couch and I can’t help but grin despite his cold behavior towards me lately.

I know he’s an adolescent so he’s going to go through mood swings and say hurtful things-but that doesn’t make it hurt less. It also doesn’t make me love him less. I walk up behind him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders slowly and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Mom,” he rips the headphones off of his ears, setting the controller and the headphones down on the coffee table. “You’re home.”

“Are you playing Call of Duty with the boys?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he mumbles, eyes still avoiding my own. I know he’s ashamed of how he treated me this morning before leaving for school, but he won’t admit it. I raised him to admit it when he’s made a mistake, but he’s a boy, and they naturally refuse to do so. He’s still young, too, so he feels like he’s somehow always right.

“What do you want for dinner?” I make my way towards the small kitchen, opening the fridge to look inside.

“Didn’t you get food with Winston?” Holden questions, giving me a confused look.

“Yeah,” I shrug. “But I’m assuming you didn’t eat.”

“No.”

I pull out the supplies to make a grilled cheese, looking up at him expectantly. “Grilled cheese, then?”

“Yeah.”

The fading sun catches the blonde locks in his hair as he looks over at me from time to time, trying to focus on his game but a thought obviously occupying him.

“Mom, is um, is Winston going to be moving in with us?” He questions.

“What?” I laugh. “No, honey, we’ve only been dating a few months. Why would you think that?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know.  You guys hang out a lot.”

“Well, I hope you know that I would have a conversation with you before doing anything that serious,” I reassure him, bringing over a Coke and the plate with chips and a grilled cheese.

“Thanks, mom,” he cracks a smile at me. A sign that it’s all better now.

“So, tell me about school today. How was art? Did you finally compliment Cierra’s painting?” I tease.

“Mom,” his voice cracks with the warning.

“I’m just teasing,” I giggle. “But seriously, Holden, girls love compliments.”

“I know,” he grumbles, returning to his game.

~

“How is Holden?” My sister asks.

I balance the phone between my shoulder and my ear, glancing up the stairs to make sure his door is closed so that he doesn’t hear the conversation. I lower my voice just in case. “I’m still worried about him.  He doesn’t have a lot of friends, he doesn’t hang out with the friends that he does have, he doesn’t want to join any sports or extracurricular activities- his grades aren’t the best. I’ve asked him so many times if he wants to go to therapy and he says no every time.”

“Well, maybe it’s time for you and Winston to get serious. That boy needs a father figure.”

I feel the annoyance rise in my blood and I roll my eyes, grateful that she can’t see me and scold me about the action. “I don’t want to push Holden to accept Winston. Holden will make his own decision of how to perceive him. Look, I have to go, I’m working late tomorrow.”

“Alright. Love you.”

“Love you too.” I quickly hang up, turning off the downstairs lights and making my way upstairs. I peak under my son’s door, seeing a soft light emerging, before doing my nighttime routine and laying down in bed. I scroll through my social media for a while- a habit I’ve been trying to break since Holden was born- seeing that all of my friends who are Flyer fans are getting excited for the game against the Blackhawks tomorrow.

Colorado was not a hockey place. They were all about their Denver Broncos and lived and breathed football. Holden and I moved to Philadelphia with my ex-boyfriend when he was a toddler, and we broke up when he started kindergarten, but we’ve stayed in Philadelphia ever since.

Philadelphia, however, is a hockey place. I understand why- Gritty is the embodiment of the city- but it was odd to be immersed back into the hockey life. Everyone here worships Claude Giroux and flashes of orange are worn everywhere we go.

I asked Holden when he was younger if he wanted to play hockey, since a lot of his friends do, but he quickly rejected the idea- something I was guiltily relieved about. He doesn’t know that his dad is a hockey player, in fact, he’s surprisingly never asked about his dad.

I thought he would want to learn more as he grew older and saw all of the kids at school with both of their parents, but he’s never said a thing to me.

I don’t know if he’s said something to someone else, though.

I set my phone down on the nightstand, exhausted from the long workday and the worry that constantly fills my body about my son. I know I need to do something to encourage him to increase his grades, make some friends, join some clubs- hell, even if it’s to spend more time with me, I wouldn’t mind that.

But right now, I just feel like a shitty mother.

~

I sigh, setting down the papers on my desk and rubbing my eyes. I hate ordering inventory, but someone needs to do it and since the owner of this coffee shop is never here, it lays on my shoulders.

I stand up, making my way to the front of the shop. “Do you guys know if Lia needs any more shirts?”

“I think she does,” Rachel’s voice falls on deaf ears as I notice the person waiting to order. The blood rushes to my head and my limbs run cold. All I can focus on is him. He’s standing in the coffee shop that I manage, a familiar, yet older Alex DeBrincat by his side, just like old times.

My eyes meet Alex’s first. He smiles at me, then I watch as it slowly transfers into a look of confusion.

“Do I- do I know you?”  He asks carefully.

“Y/N,” another voice breathes out. I turn my head, eyes meeting Adam’s. His face is frozen in disbelief, like he can’t believe it’s actually me.

But it’s me. And I’m standing in front of my child’s father, seeing him for the first time in about thirteen years. I hadn’t spoken to him since the day I left, Holden still a little bean in my stomach.

Staying true to my word, I did it on my own- with the help from some ex-boyfriends. But still, I was the one hugging him when he got vaccines at six months old, I was the one rubbing his back when he had the stomach flu at six years old, I’m the one kissing him on the cheek after parent-teacher conferences.

“Oh my gosh, Y/N, it’s been a while!” Alex chuckles, snapping my attention back to him. “I thought you were in Colorado, what are you doing in Philly?”

I force a smile. “Needed a change in scenery.”

It’s not a complete lie.

“How have you been? Is there a husband, any kids?”

Rachel, God bless Rachel, calls out Alex’s name and hands him his coffee before I can respond.

“How are you doing?” I inquire, keeping my eyes on the shorter man.

“Oh, I’m good, Lyndsey and I just had our second, our first boy,” he smiles proudly. He always used to talk about how much he wanted a family with her.

“Congratulations,” I smile.

“Thanks. Boqy here,” he slaps Adam’s chest, bringing him into the conversation. I reluctantly drag my eyes over to him, seeing that he’s already watching me. “Hasn’t changed a bit since you left.”

I nod, biting back the snarky remark that wants to escape. He’s what, thirty now? And he hasn’t changed a bit?

“Well, I have to get back to work,” I respond, wanting nothing more than to escape this conversation. I wouldn’t mind chatting with Alex for a whil- I’m sure he’d love Holden, but I don’t want Adam to know anything about my son.

I can’t help but feel guilty at that.

“Hey, let’s exchange numbers and hang out soon. We’re playing the Flyers and Penguins for the next couple of days, so we’ll be around for a while,” Alex offers.

I nod, pulling out my phone to exchange numbers with him. Somehow Adam thinks it’s his right to add his number into my phone, too.

“Well, it was great seeing you, Y/N,” Alex smiles before leaving, holding the door open for his companion. Adam spares me one last glance before leaving.

I cry in my office.

~

I can feel his eyes sliding between me and his plate. He pushes the corn with his fork, causing a scrapping noise to echo throughout the small room. He’s used to dinner being filled with questions about his day- what did he learn in science? Did he play dodgeball in gym class? But I’m not in the mood tonight.

The last thing that I wanted to do was make dinner and sit down and eat it instead of ordering pizza and crawling into bed, but I know I need to put on a brave face for Holden. He doesn’t need to know that anything’s wrong.

He coughs awkwardly. “I don’t like corn.”

I can’t hold back the rolling of my eyes. He looks shocked at that, like he’s not expecting it, but I’m not in the mood for his snarky attitude tonight.

“Then don’t eat it.”

He studies me before I can’t handle it anymore, shoving my chair back. I quickly throw the rest of my food away and throw my dishes into the sink before practically sprinting upstairs, locking my bedroom door behind me like a teenage girl.

I’m wiping the tears in my eyes furiously, my chest heaving with every breathe. I’m hoping that if I stop the tears from coming now, it’ll seem like they’ve never come at all.

And if they never fall, I’ve never cried over Adam Boqvist.

My phone buzzes angrily in my back pocket and I pull it out, practically groaning when I read Winston’s name. It shouldn’t be like that when I see that it’s my boyfriend calling, I know that, but really? Right now?

“Hello?”

“Hey, how are you?” Winston coos through the phone.

I furrow my eyebrows at the tone. “Uh, alright.”

“It’s just- Holden texted me and told me that you’re feeling kind of, um, off, tonight,” he struggles to explain.

I hold back my scoff. Sure, now Holden likes Winston.

“It’s nothing.”

“Come on, Y/N, how are we supposed to have a healthy relationship if you can’t talk to me?” He persists.

“I just don’t want to talk about it, Winston.”

“Fine. Be that way. But just so you know, if you can’t bother talking to me about this, then don’t bother talking to me ever again.”

I raise my eyebrows at that. “You’re going to break up with me because I don’t want to tell you what’s wrong?”

“It’s the principle of it, Y/N! If you aren’t willing to share your emotions with me four months into this relationship, where are we going?” He rants.

I’m dumbfounded. I know I should be willing to tell him what’s wrong- he’s supposed to be my partner, my confidant, the one I tell everything to.

But to be honest, I don’t really care. I’ve never felt an immense attraction to him. Really, when he asked me out the only reason I said yes was because I like his appearance. But we’ve never clicked, we’ve never had that fire, that passion- like, like what Adam and I had.

“Exactly,” he scoffs, reminding me that I’m still on the phone with my boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend.

He hangs up the phone and I sigh, gently resting the device back on my bedside table. I get ready for bed before climbing back under my cozy covers, scrolling through social media one last time before I decide to sleep.

My notification tab lights up, so I click on it, seeing that I have a new follow request.

adamboqvistt Confirm Delete

I stare at that in disbelief. After more than a decade of knowing my Instagram handle, and the fact that I’m the mother of his child, now he decides he wants to follow me?

Now he wants to get and stay in contact, just because he happened to see me at my job?

He took one look at me and decided he should be involved now. I told him when I told him that I was pregnant, it’s all in or all out.  And he decided all out, so now he has to live with his decision.

I close the app in fury, setting my phone down and turning over in bed, tugging the blanket harder than I intend to. Hopefully tomorrow is better than today. Hopefully Adam forgets about me and our child, just like he’s done for the past thirteen years.

~

Holden is slipping down the stairs just as I set his plate of scrambled eggs down on the table, giving me a hesitant look, like he’s unsure of what kind of mood I’m in and why I took the time to make him breakfast instead of hurrying out the door like I usually am with a reluctant kiss and hug.

“I start later today, I’m on the closing shift tonight,” I half-explain, placing the bowl of cut-up strawberries in the middle of the table.

He nods, taking a seat across from me at the table. I clear my throat as we begin to eat and he looks up at me, blue eyes wide like he got caught doing something wrong.

“Winston and I broke up last night,” I state emotionlessly.

“Oh, uh, sorry.”

I shrug my shoulders.

“Can I ask why?”

“I didn’t want to talk about my bad day and apparently that makes me emotionally unavailable,” I respond.

He pauses. “Well, do you want to talk about your bad day with me?”

This time it’s my turn to pause. I could do three things right now.  I could tell him that his father’s going to be in town for the next couple of days, giving him the opportunity to meet him if he really wanted to. Although he’s never expressed wanting to meet Adam, I’m sure there’s some kind of yearning in him to meet the man who gave him half of his genes.

Or I could lie. I hate lying to the kid- it’s not a value I want to raise him with. Plus, if he finds out that I lied, he would be pissed.

Finally, I could shut him out. I don’t want to do that, though. If I shut him out, when will he want to come talking to me? If I’m not willing to talk to him, it’s not fair to expect him to talk to me about things that bother him.

“I saw… an old friend, yesterday,” I say slowly, deciding to leave it at that. It’s vague but specific enough.

“My father?”

I practically choke at the words.

“It’s okay, mom,” he shrugs awkwardly. “I get it. That must’ve been hard for you.”

The deep blush on his cheeks shows me that he doesn’t want to continue this conversation much longer. I don’t know if it’s because of who it’s about, or because we’re talking about our feelings, but I don’t want to pressure him.

“Yeah. So, I’ll be home around eight o’clock tonight, I’ll pick up some McDonalds on the way home. Text me your order,” I inform him.

He nods, and that’s that.

~

I don’t know why a café is open until eight o’clock at night. Usually no one comes in past six o’clock, so the owner is paying someone to sit there for two hours on their phone. Around seven fifty-five, when I’m in the middle of turning off the lights to lock up and go home to see my son, the doorbell rings.

I curse in my head- what asshole comes in five minutes before closing time?

“Hello,” I plaster a fake smile onto my face, turning around to greet the customer. My feet stop moving.

His short curls peak out of the gray beanie, black jacket hanging loosely off of his body. His hands are shoved into his coat pockets and he stands at the door unsurely, deciding to take a confident step forward.

I compose myself, taking a step forward. “What can I get for you today?”

“Y/N-“”My recommendation is our house’s hot chocolate, it’s my favorite,” I give him a sugar sweet smile, relishing in the way that he winces.

“Look, I know that-“”Either order something or get out, Adam,” I break out of my customer service persona.

“If I order something will you talk to me?” He snaps.

I raise my eyebrows at him. “Are you really in the position to be making demands here?”

He sighs. “Get me that- what was it, a hot chocolate?”

“What size?” I snarl.

“Small.”

I grab the cup, reluctantly beginning the process of making it as he begins to speak.

“I requested to follow you on Instagram.”

I don’t respond.

“Look, I know that I messed up, okay?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” I mumble.

“I realize that,” he continues like I never interrupted him. “And I regret it every day, letting you and him- or her, I don’t even know what you ended up having, go, just so easily. I spent thirteen years missing all of the birthdays and Christmases and hockey games and focusing on getting drunk and my own hockey world. But don’t you feel like it’s fate, meeting again after all of these years?”

“Your total is $4.32,” I retort, setting the cup down on the counter.

“Come on, just let me meet him. Or her, you haven’t told me what you ended up having yet,” he pleads, chuckling dryly at the end.

“That’s because you don’t deserve to know. $4.32 please, and cash transactions are closed at this time,” I stare pointedly at him.

He swipes his card silently.

“Thank you, come again,” I state as I hand him his receipt. His fingers brush my own. The softness of them sooth the rage in my body, something I curse at internally.

I, so badly, want to be mad at Adam. I want to scream at him for missing all of our son’s childhood and my whole pregnancy.

But the worst part is that I can’t really blame him. He was a young guy, barely surviving in a league that sucks the players dry of everything they can give.

He knew he couldn’t give everything to raise the child- he knew better than to promise that he could do that.

I know he probably beats himself up for letting this go on so long- as he should- but I know that he’s probably ashamed of what he’s done and how much he’s missed.

There was never a right time for him to reenter Holden’s life. When Holden was a toddler, Adam still barely knew himself, as a kid Adam was teaching the younger players, and well, now- now Holden wants nothing to do with him.

Adam’s fingers glide gently up my arm, eyes double-checking to make sure the action is alright. It is.

It slides down to my waist and the other hand lifts up slowly, softly brushing my jaw. His face moves closer and closer to mine before our lips meet.

It’s like they’ve never left each other. They start out slowly, then move faster, more passionately. I tighten my eyes, cherishing this moment. Who knows when it will come next? The hand on my jaw moves down to my other hip and he tugs me across the counter, moving so that he’s standing in between my open legs.

“This is so unhygienic,” I breathe out as he begins to kiss down my neck. He chuckles, the hot air making me grow more and more needy for him.

“Are there cameras in here?” He questions, looking around- looking out for me to keep my job.

“No,” I respond, pulling his lips back to mine. “But we have to go into the office. I don’t want anyone walking past to see.”

He nods, grabbing onto the back of my thighs to pick me up. The office door shuts behind us.

When I see the, now cold, hot chocolate still sitting on the counter the next morning, I can’t help but wince, regretting everything that happened the night prior.

I just can’t resist when it comes to Adam Boqvist.

[atlanticcanada]

P.E.I. hockey player fires back after suspension for social media post about racism on ice

On the ice, Keegan Mitchell considers himself to be a tough player who can score and stick up for teammates. But it was taking a stand off the ice that got him suspended from the game he loves - possibly for good.

In a Junior B game between the Sherwood Metros and Kensington Vipers on Dec. 17, Mitchell said an opposing player made an anti-Asian comment to one of his teammates. Mitchell was later suspended two games for slashing that player with a stick - who received the same two-game punishment for his alleged comment.

In a Facebook post on Jan. 5, Mitchell wrote a two-game suspension for a racial slur wasn't enough.

"I don't think it was inappropriate in any way”, Mitchell said of his social media post.

The next day, Mitchell received a letter from Hockey P.E.I. telling him he was suspended indefinitely for violating the league's social media policy.

The letter said his post was publicly critical of officials, Hockey P.E.I. and made reference to a Kensington Vipers player, adding that they've been made aware the Vipers are seeking legal counsel.

All of this isn't sitting well with Mitchell.

"It's showing Hockey P.E.I. cares more about what my social media post said, than the racist comments that were made”, the 20-year-old said.

Gordon McNeilly, the first black man elected as an MLA on Prince Edward Island, agrees. He views the indefinite suspension as an unfair punishment.

"It completely sends the wrong message”, McNeilly said.

"You have to look outside of your bylaws when you're dealing with issues this big. If there's bylaws issues, then they have to be changed. If there's leadership issues, then we kind of have to look at them and we have to get a better sense of what Hockey PEI is doing at this time."

CTV Atlantic reached out to Hockey P.E.I. for comment on Sunday, but did not hear back as of this publication.

McNeilly said one of his next steps will be to bring the matter forward in the P.E.I. legislature.

"This is a poor reflection on Prince Edward Island and I think that we all stand against racism”, said McNeilly.

Mitchell said he's been receiving messages of support from across the country. He said that if this ends up being the end of his junior hockey career, it wouldn't be the way he pictured.

"If it was to end on this note, I'd be upset”, said Mitchell. “But I'd know I'm going down for the right reasons. I'm fighting something that needs to be changed."

For now, Mitchell is banned from all sanctioned Hockey P.E.I. activities.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/34EU2Ql

[scifrey]

WORDS FOR WRITERS: The Value of Fanfiction

There’s been a lot of chatter on social media these last few weeks, recycling that trashy, self-aggrandizing, tired old “hot take” that reading and writing fanfiction is somehow bad for you as a writer.

Before we go any further, let me give a clear and definitive answer to this take:

No, reading and writing fanfiction will not make you and does not make you a bad reader or writer.

 Period.

 Why? Here’s the TL;DR version:

1)      Reading and Writing, any kind of reading and writing, will make you a better reader and writer. And it’s enjoyable, to boot.

2)      Fanfiction has been around as long as Original Fiction, so we’d know if there was any negative impact by now (spoiler alert: there isn’t.)

3)      Practice is Practice, so matter what medium you get that practice in.

4)      Comprehending and writing fanfiction is harder than writing original fiction because you have to hold the Source Media Text in your head at the same time as you’re reading/writing a different story. It improves your understanding of storytelling.

5)      No hobby, no matter what it is, so long as it doesn’t harm anyone else or yourself, is bad. And that goes double for if you decide to keep it a hobby. Not every fanfic writer wants to write original fiction, and that’s just fine. Not every hobby has to be monetized.

 Okay. But what do they mean by “fanfiction”?

 “Fanfiction is fictional writing written by fans, commonly of an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settings, or other intellectual properties from the original creator as a basis for their writing.”-- Wikipedia

 Basically – it’s when you take elements (setting, characters, major themes or ideas) of a Media Text (a novel, a movie, a podcast, a comic, etc.) and create a different story with those elements. You can write a missing scene, or an extended episode, or a whole new adventure for the characters of the Media Text. You can even crossover or fuse multiple Media Texts, or specific elements, to create a whole new understanding of the characters or their worlds.

 Similar to fanfic, you can also create fanart, fancomics, or fansongs (“filk”), fancostumes (“cosplay”), and fanfilms. These are called Fanworks or Fancrafts.

 Fanfiction is usually posted to online forums, journals, blogs, or story archives and shared for free among the public. Before the advent of the internet, fanfiction was often printed or typed, and hand-copied using photocopiers or ditto machines, and distributed for free (or for a small administration fee to cover materials) among fans at conventions, or through mail-order booklets (“zines”).

 Fanfiction has existed pretty much since the beginning of storytelling (A Thousand and One Nights, Robin Hood, and King Arthur all have different elements attributed to them by different authors retelling, twisting, adding to, or changing the stories; there’s no single-origin author of those tales.)

 There are billions on billions of fanfics out there in the world—and while a majority of them are romance stories, there are also adventures, comedies, dramas, thrillers, stories based on case files, stories about the emotional connection between characters when one is hurt and the other must care for them, historical retellings, etc. There are also stories for every age range and taste, though be sure to take heed of the tags, trigger warnings, and age range warnings as your browse the archives and digital libraries.

 As a reader, it’s your responsibility to curate your experience online.

 So why are people so afraid or derisive of fanfic?

 People who are hard on fanfic say that…

 ·       It sucks.

o   Well of course it sucks! As it’s a low-stakes and easy way to try out creative writing for the first time, the majority of fanfiction is overwhelmingly written by new and young writers. Everything you do when you first try it sucks a little bit. 

I’m sure no figure skater was able to immediately land perfect triple axels ten minutes after they strap on the skates for the first time in their lives. No knitter has ever made a flawlessly perfect jumper on their first try. No mathematician has ever broken the code to send a rocket into space after having just been taught elementary-school multiplication. So why on earth do people think that new writers don’t need to practice? I can promise you that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first rap was probably pretty shaky.

·       It’s lazy or it’s cheating.

o   Listen, anyone who tells you that writing anything is lazy clearly has not sat down and tried to write anything. Writing is tedious. It is boring. It takes hours, and hours, and hours to get anything on the page, and then once it’s on the page you have to go back and edit it. UGH. There is nothing about being a writer—even a fanfic writer—that is lazy.

o   And anyone who tells you that trying to tell a fresh, new story within the limits and confines of a pre-existing world and have it make sense is cheating, then they have no freaking clue how hard it is to be creative with that kind of limitation placed on you. It’s harder when you have a set of rules you need to follow. What you do come up with is often extremely interesting and creative because of those limitations, not in spite of them.

o   The argument that using pre-made characters, settings, tropes, and worlds to make up a new story is cheating is also complete bunk. Do those same people also expect hockey players to whittle and plane themselves a whole new hockey stick from scratch before each game? No, of course not. And yeah, a baker can grow all their own wheat, grind the flour, raise the chickens and cows so they can get eggs and milk, distill the vanilla, etc. Or a baker can buy a box mix. Either way, you get a cake at the end of the process. Whether you write fanfic or original fiction, you still get a story at the end of the process.

·       It makes you a worse writer.

o   * annoying buzzer noise * Practicing anything does not make you worse at it. And reading stories that are not edited, expertly crafted, or “high art” will also not indoctrinate you into being a bad writer. If anything, figuring out why you don’t like a specific story, trope, or writing style is actually a great way to learn what kind of writer you want to be, and to learn different methods of constructing sentences, creating images, and telling tales. Or you know, just how much spelling and grammar matter.

·       It’s not highbrow or thoughtful enough.

o   Sometimes stories are allowed to be just comfort food. Not every book or story you read has to be haute cuisine or boringly nutritious. You are allowed to read stories because they’re exciting, or swoony, or funny, or just because you like them. Anyone who says differently is a snob and worth ignoring. (Besides, fun silly stories can also be packed with meaning and lessons—I mean, hello, Terry Pratchett, anyone?)

·       It makes you waste all your time on writing that can’t be monetized.

o   No time is wasted if you spend it doing something that brings you joy. Not every hobby needs to be a money-maker and not everyone wants to be a professional writer. You are allowed to write, and read, fanfic just for the fun of it.

·       It’s theft.

o   According to Fair Use Law, it’s not. As long as the fanfic writer (or artist, cosplayer, etc.) is not making money on their creation that directly impacts or cuts into the original creator’s profit, or is not repackaging/plagiarizing the original Media Text and profiting off it’s resale, then Fan Works are completely legal. So there.

 How, exactly, does fanfic make you a better writer?

 Fanfiction…

 ·       teaches you to finish what you start.

o   The joy of being able to share your fic, either as you’re writing it, or afterward, is a big motivating factor for a lot of people. They finish because they get immediate feedback on it from their readers and followers. Lots of people have ideas for books, but how many of them do you know have actually sat down and written the whole thing?

o   Fanfic is also low-stakes; there’s nothing riding on whether you finish something or not, so you have to inspire yourself to get there without the outside (potentially negative) motivation of deadline or a failing grade if you don’t get the story finished. You end up learning how to motivate yourself.

o   Fanfic has no rules, so you write as much or as little as you want, stop wherever you think is a good place to end the story, write it out of order, or go back and write as many sequels or prequels as you like. Again, it’s totally low-stakes and is meant to be for fun, so you can noodle around with what it means to write a “whole” story and “complete” it, which teaches you how you like to write, and how you like to find your way to the finish line.

·       teaches you story structure.

o   Before you can sit down and write a story based on one of your favorite Media Texts, you’re likely to spend a lot of time consuming that text passively, or studying it actively. Either way, you’re absorbing how and why Media Text structures the stories it tells, and are learning how to structure your own from that.

o   Once you’re comfortable with the story structure the Media Text you’re working in is told, you’ll probably start experimenting with different ways stories can be told, and find the versions you like to work with best.

·       teaches you how to write characters consistently.

o   Fanfic is really hard because not only do you have to write your fave characters in a way that moves the story along, but they have to be recognizable as those fave characters.

o   This means you have to figure out their body language, verbal and physical tics, their motivations and they way the handle a crisis (fight, flight, or fawn?), and then make up the details you may need for your story that you may never see on screen/the page, like how they take their eggs or what their fave shampoo is, based on what you already know about them. That takes some top-notch detective work and character understanding to pull off.

o   Once you know how to do that, just making up a whole person yourself for original fiction is a breeze.

·       Teaches you how to hear and mimic a character/narrator voice.

o   You have to pay close attention to how an actor speaks, or how a character’s speech patterns, dialect, work choice, etc. is reflected on the page in order to be consistent in your story.

o   And all of this, in turn, teaches you how to build one for yourself.

o   I have a whole series of articles here about building a narrative voice, if you want to read more on constructing an original voice for your narrator.

·       Teaches you how to create or recreate a setting.

o   Again, like achieving character consistency, or mimicking a character or narrative voice, it takes work and paying attention in order to re-create a setting, time period, or geographical region in a fanfic—and if you’re taking your characters somewhere new, your readers will expect that setting to be equally rich as the one the Media Text is based in.

o   Which, again, teaches you how to then go and build an original one for yourself.

·       teaches how to take critique.

o   Professional writing is not a solitary pursuit. In fact, most writing is not entirely the work of an author alone. Like professional authors work with editors, critique partners, and proofreaders, some fanfiction writers will sometimes work with beta-readers or editors as well. This are friends or fanfic colleagues who offer to read your fanfic and point out plot, character, consistency, or story structure errors, or who offer to correct spelling and grammar errors. This is a great way to practice working with editors if you decide to pursue a professional career, and also a great way to make friends and strengthen your community and skill set if you don’t.

o   Many fanfic sites offer readers the opportunity to leave a comment on a fic, rather like a reviewer can leave a review on GoodReads or Amazon, or any other online store or blog, for a novel they’ve read. Sometimes these comments/reviews are 5 star and enthusiastic! Sometimes they are… not. The exact opposite in fact. As you get comments on your fanfic, and learn to ignore the ones that are just mean rather than usefully critical, you gain the Very Important Skill of learning to resist firing back at bad comments or reviews, while enjoying the good ones.  It also teaches you how to ignore drama or haters.

·       Teaches you how to exist within a like-minded community.

o   While the actual writing part of writing is solitary and sometimes tedious, nothing is ever published into a vacuum, whether it be fanfiction or original. Besides your editing/critique/beta reader group, you will also likely develop friendships, a support network, and mutuals. It’s always great to uplift, support, cheer on, and celebrate one another’s accomplishments and victories, whether the writing is fanfic or original.

·       Teaches you that it’s okay to write about things important to you, or your own identity.

o   You can change a characters ethnicity, cultural background, sexuality, religion, or disabilities to match yours, and talk about your lived life through the megaphone of that character. Or, you can insert original characters based on you, your desires, and experiences.

o   Once you’re comfortable writing in your #ownvoice in fanfic, you can approach it in original fiction, if you like.

o   See my article titled Your Voice Is Valid for more on this.

 What if I want to be a professional writer?

 Notice how I didn’t say “real writer”. Any writer who writes any kind of story is a ‘real’ writer. I mean, pinch yourself—you’re real, right? The difference is actually between being an “amateur” writer (a hobbyist who does not write for pay), and a “professional” (who is paid for their writing). Just because you only play shinny on the street with your friends, or in a house league on the weekends, it’s doesn’t mean  you’re not still as much of a hockey player as someone who plays in the NHL.

 Writing fanfiction before or at the same time as writing original fiction that you intend to sell is a great way to learn, or practice, everything I’ve mentioned above. If you read it widely, it will also expose you to different story telling styles, voices, and tropes than your reading of published fiction.

 ·       Can I sell my fanfic?

o   No. For fanfiction to remain under the umbrella of Fair Use Law, you cannot profit off your fanfiction. There’s some grey-area wiggle room around things like charging a small amount for a ‘zine or a PDF to cover administrative costs, but zero wiggleability around, say, selfpublishing your fanfic and charging heaps for it.

·       Can I “file off the serial numbers”?

o   “Filing of the series numbers” is when you take a fanfic you’ve written and essentially pull it apart, remove everything that’s clearly someone else’s Media Text, and reassembling the story so that it’s pretty much a completely original piece of creative writing.

o   Yes, you can sell these, provided your filing is rigorous enough that you aren’t likely to be dinged for plagiarism. It’s widely known that Cassandra Claire’s Shadowhunters was once Harry Potter fanfic, and that Fifty Shades of Gray was once Twilight fanfic. But did you know that my Triptych started life as an idea for a Stargate Atlantis fic? There’s lots of stories out there that were once full fics, or the idea for the novel was originally conceived for a fandom, but written as original instead.

o   So long as you’re careful to really rework the text so that it’s not just a find-name-replace-name rewrite, you should be fine.

o   Be aware, though, that the agents and editors you might pitch this novel to know how to Google. They may discover that this is a filed-off story, and depending on their backgrounds and biases, might be concerned about it. There’s no need to inform them of the novel’s origin straight off in your pitch/query letter, but you may want to have a frank discussion with them about it after it’s been signed so they can help you make sure that any lingering copywrited concepts or characters are thoroughly changed before publication.

o   Should you take down the original fic-version of the novel while you’re querying/shopping it? Well, that’s up to you, and whether you’re comfortable with an editor/agent potentially finding it.

·       Should I be ashamed of my fic, or take it down, or pretend I never wrote fic?

o   What? Why? No! I mean, I have hidden some of my most immature work, but I’ve left pretty much my whole catalogue of fanfic online and I don’t deny that I was/am a ficcer. Why? Because it’s a great repository of free stories that people can read before they buy one of my books, so they can get a taste of how and what I write. Also, you will be in good company. Lots and lots of writers who are published now-a-days started in fandom, including:

Steven Moffat

Seanan McGuire

Rainbow Rowell

Claudia Gray

Cory Doctorow

Marissa Meyer

Meg Cabot.

Naomi Novik

Neil Gaiman

Lev Grossman

S.E. Hinton

John Scalzi

The Bronte Sisters

Andy Weir

Sarah Rees Brennan

Marjorie M. Liu

Anna Todd

...and me, J.M. Frey

 How fanfic can harm.

 Like with anything else, there are ways that reading and writing fanfiction can actually harm you, or others, but it has nothing to do with the reading or writing of fanfiction in and of itself.

 ·       Some creators may prefer that you don’t (and may or may not follow up with legal action).

o   Anne Rice famously went after fanficcers in the 90s who wrote fanfic of her work, handing out Cease & Desist notices like confetti.

o   99% of creators don’t care. Those who do will generally have a notice on their websites or social media politely asking fancreators to refrain. Mostly this is due to their general discomfort over the idea of anyone else getting to play in their worlds. The best thing to do is respect that request, and find a different fandom to write in.

·       Flamewars and fandom fights leading to bullying and doxing.

o   Regrettably, just like any other community filled with people who have different favorites, opinions, and preferences, there will inevitably be clashes. It’s up to you to decide how to react to negative interactions, and how to model positive ones.

o   Don’t forget, you curate your online experience, so don’t be afraid of that block button.

o   Also, don’t be the jerk who goes after people for liking different aspects of the fandom. Everyone is entitled to interact and like a Media Text their own way. “Don’t yuck my yum,” as they say.

·       Trying to make money on other people’s IP/Media Text (law suits, etc.)

o   It doesn’t belong to you, so don’t try to make money on it.

o   There’s a grey area here in terms of selling prints/plushies/jewelry/etc. and there’s no hard line about where one copyright owner will draw the line, and another won’t. Warner Bros. owns the film rights for both Harry Potter and Hunger Games, but I’ve seen Harry Potter-themed bars spring up while fans wanting to make Hunger Game fanfilms have been shut down. A friend of mine sells hand-made fandom-inspired items at cons—there is no rhyme or reason to what she gets told to stop making and what she’s left alone on.

o   Best thing to do if you’re told to stop is just so stop, move on, and find a different fandom to be active in.

·       Writing Real Person Fanfic (“RPF”) can be considered a violation of consent.

o   This article sums it up pretty well, but basically… if you decide to write RPF, be aware that they person you are writing about is a real person, with real thoughts, and emotions, and they may feel violated by RPF. If you decide to write it, never send it to the people it’s about, and always clearly tag it so other can choose to engage with it, or avoid it.

o   Also be aware that it could ruin their love for what they do. For example: the friendships between the members of 1Direciton became strained and the band eventually disintegrated because people wouldn’t stop sending band members smutty stories or art of them having sex with one another, and it made them too uncomfortable to continue in the band.

·       Showing/sharing fanfic & fanart outside of its intended context. Fanworks are for fans, and there are definitely issues if…

o   It’s shown to celebrities/actors/creators.

  Shoving your fantasies onto the people who create or portray your fave characters is rude, and wrong, and also kinda gross. If they seek it out themselves, that’s one thing, but the same way you wouldn’t throw it at a complete stranger, don’t throw it at them. You may love the characters these people play, but they are not their characters, and they are not your friends.

  It may also really weird them out and ruin their love for what they do.

o   it’s shown to writers working on the series.

  There was a famous case where a fanficcer sent a story to a novelist, and the novelist was accused of plagiarism by the ficcer when their next novel in the series resembled the plot of that fanfic. There was a whole court case and everything.

  Because of this, writers of TV shows, books, etc. don’t want to (and often times, legally can’t) read your fanfic. They don’t want to get accidentally inspired by what you’ve written, or worse, have to throw out something because it resembles your fic too closely. Just let them write their stories the way they want, and if they choose to seek out fic, they will.

o   it’s mocked by celebrities.

  I’m not letting Alan Carr and Graham Norton off the hook. If it’s super rude and gross to shove fanworks at actors/writers/creators when you’re a creator, then it’s doubly rude for anyone to take a story or art made for a specific audience (the fans), by a specific community (the fans), lift it out of it’s context, and invite the public to mock it while also shoving it at the actor/celebrity in a place where they are literally cornered and can’t leave (i.e. the chat-show sofa). Man, it really steams me up when they do that. It’s rude and it’s tone-deaf, and it’s not fair.

  And most of the time they do it, they don’t even ask the artist or writer for permission, first, which is just…. Uuuuugggghhhh. It may be fanfic, but it was still created by someone, and you should always ask permission before publicly sharing something created by someone else.

  Grrrrrrr.

 In Conclusion

 If someone tells you that reading or writing fanfic is bad for you as a creator, tell them to get bent.

Famous Fanfic

·       Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda

·       Wicked by Gregory Maguire

·       Wicked: the Musical by Stephen Schwartz

·       The Phantom of Manhattan by Fredrick Forsyth

·       A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman

·       Sherlock by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat

·       The Dracula Tape, by Fred Saberhaugen

·       Paradise Lost, John Milton

·       Inferno, by Dante

·       The Aeneid, by Virgil

·       Ulysses, by James Joyce

·       Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare

·       The Once and Future King by T.H. White

·       A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain

·       The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas

·       Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, by Seth Grahame-Smith

·       Phantom, a novel of his life by Susan Kaye

·       …and so many more.

[pcssessicn]

☆ . · . miguel bernardeau, twenty-one, male, he / him . · . ☆ fitzwilliam 'fitz' phénix-alvarez lives in that huge mansion over there! no, not that one. look for white stucco walls & terracotta shingles and that’ll be it. the nhl defenseman has offered occasional glimpses of soft yellow walls and an impressive collection of plants in the background of social media posts, but all of that is nothing compared to seeing the opulence in person. they’ve remained protective as ever since moving to tercet court two months ago, but it seems like they might’ve gotten a little more mistrustful too. maybe that’s why they’re rumored to have such a distant relationship with everyone else who lives on this street. ☆ . · . ooc info: ollie, they / them, 21, est . · . ☆ career claim: cale ma/kar.

BASICS

Full name: Fitzwilliam Phénix-Alvarez Nickname: Fitz Birth date: September 29th Languages: English, Spanish, Quebecois Francois Hometown: 

PHYSICAL

Age: 21 Weight: 196 lbs Height: 6′2″ Body build: athletic, lean Eye color: grey-blue Faceclaim: Miguel Bernardeau Glasses or contacts: neither 

Tattoos: a raven in flight over his left shoulder blade, monochromatic vines winding up his left bicep

Scars: most predominantly a thin scar near the base of his neck where a skate slashed him when he was fourteen ; several other smaller scars of less note, especially on his hands --- much less noticeable

PERSONALITY

Good personality traits: observant, calculating, protective Bad personality traits: mistrustful, dishonest, aggressive 

Fitz comes across as very confident and in control, and at ease in his skin. The truth couldn’t be farther from it. He works hard to put forward the easy front he does --- and some days he can’t tell which one is more real. He has a dishonest smile that masquerades as honest, and a tendency to manipulate those around him when necessary to shed suspicion off himself. He can be almost charming at times, at least extremely amiable. Despite all this, Fitz is not rash or impulsive -- in fact everything he does is carefully calculated, though he goes to great lengths so it does not come across as so. The one place he feels truly effortless is on the ice.

He finds it hard to truly allow people close to him and to really see beyond the most superficial layers of himself. Furthermore, there is a deep-seated fear of not being enough and being forgotten ; he finds it easier to not let anyone close so there’s less chance of this happening.

THE STORY ( i rly was gunna try to write this nice and eloquently but... u get this instead 😔 )

— fitz was born to up and coming spanish actress reyna alvarez in chicago. the result of a messy one-night stand, but reyna ultimately decided to keep the baby. he is indeed named after fitzwilliam darcy from pride and prejudice��bc his mother’s first breakout role was in a film adaptation of the book and she loved the book after reading it. how unfortunate for him.

— his birth father was never in the picture, but the man he would come to know as his father came into the picture a year or so after his birth. already one of the top architects in north america, paul robert phenix was in chicago for a conference and he and reyna fell in love. fitz has been told it’s was all very romantic. so then the happy family moved to pittsburgh where his father’s architecture firm was based.

— despite growing up with two parents who raked in a fair amount of cash, they made sure nothing was just given to fitz. they’d both had their humble beginnings and big believers in tough love, they made sure not to spoil their son. they did however make sure he was sheltered from the media when it poked around and the two things they did pay for without question were his education and sports.

— he started playing hockey when he was six after seeing a pens game on tv while they were out at dinner and knowing he just had to do it --- and never stopped. he got recruited to the us national team development program when he was sixteen and spent his last two years of high school in michigan living with a billet family most do who are with the program, which gave him a huge sense of “normalcy.” but really he was far from normal, his development taking great steps over those two years leading up to his draft year.

— queue the cale ma/kar career claim lads aka all the hockey development & logistics u can probably skip if u don’t care laksdjf: 

 one year before graduation and a draft, he vocally committed to playing at university of massachusetts - amherst. he went fourth overall to the la kings in the 2017 draft ( yeah technically irl that pick belonged to the avs but sh ), and proceeded to remain loyal to his commitment and play two years at umass despite his new top five prospect status. he was put into a first pair role from the start of his freshman year ( 2017-18 ), was a huge part in bringing the umass team up from the bottom of the standings. he plays for team usa in world juniors 2017 and 2018.

his sophomore year ( 2018-19 ), they make it all the way to the frozen four. fitz gets announced as the hobey baker winner and the day after they get knocked out of the tournament. not long after that he signs his entry contract with the kings and finishes out the season with them. he scores his first nhl goal on his first shot in game 3 of the first round of playoffs irl the kings don’t make playoffs but again shh. they get knocked out in the first round and fitz goes home and trains harder than ever.

he come back to kings training camp the next season ( 2019-20 ) more determined than ever to make the team. he does so out of camp and has an incredible rookie campaign. he gets injured in december and misses a few games but is back mid-january. fitz is given the calder ( award that goes to the best rookie in the nhl ) at the end of the season. technically cale hasn’t won this yet but we all know he will.

— la is a bustling city and fitz is a fan of one night stands : he just doesn’t feel like he has time for a relationship and hookups scratch that itch. he’s not an asshole about it, really. there is typically that understanding that this is a one time, no strings attached thing. but this one girl he sleeps with in march obviously does not get this memo and continues to not get the memo. she starts seriously stalking him in the following months and eventually he gets a restraining order against her ( use ur imagination kids ). he’s not really comfortable staying in his own apartment downtown for the time being though after he still sees her around. he stays with a teammate until the season ends, which then brings us to his connection to tercet court.

— paul robert phenix, now world reknowned architect, had a hand in designing several of the homes on tercet court, including one in the style of old money spanish mediterrianian villas that he designed with his wife in mind to be their new home. fitz’s mother had loved the house and moved in for a few years after the court opened but with her taking fewer roles up in the movie industry and getting exceedingly more lonely, she decided to embrace the more nomadic livestyle of her husband and moved out about a year and a half ago. since then the home stood vacant ( though certainly still cared for by several paid landscapers and maids ) until fitz’s dilemma arose a few months ago.

— a few phone calls and a begrudging agreement to pay the extremely steep taxes on the place for the year ( again, tough love and fitz may be a pro-athlete but he’s still making less than a million a year with his entry level contract ), and fitz moved in about two months ago ( say mid-may ).

MISC

— tri-lingual. father is french-canadian and his mother is spanish. needless to say he grew up a little confused. that worked itself out soon enough though. uses he uses quebois french in-season kind of frequently to talk to a couple teammates. really only uses his spanish to talk to his mother and family.

— since moving in fitz has filled the mansion with plants. he absolutely does not seem like a plant guy but he is... absolutely loves it. his major at umass was kinesology bc he thought it would be the most helpful and knew he wasn’t going to graduate but he snuck in some out-of-major classes on horticulture. truly just likes plants a lot. they don’t judge him.

— probably set up his own puck shooting pad in the backyard. why not there’s enough space. he had to retrieve a couple pucks from the bottom of the pool though which has been good incentive to not miss the net lmao. he also has revamped one of the rooms in the house to have synthetic ice.

— runs in the morning before it gets hot. skates a few days of the week in the afternoon. home gym in the house is definitely a perk but he prefers to work out with others because it feels more productive.

— probably drives like. a range rover.

— offensive defenseman. likes to jump up in the rush and is good at break out passes as well as zone entry. earned his place quarterbacking the first powerplay towards the end of the season. he can be quite physical when he needs to be though and don’t ever go after his goalie. ( his nhl.com player page )

— he’s not a recluse by any means, but he has no desire to built connections in tercet court so probably hasn’t actively reached out. they’re likely to have met outside of the small community or if your character forcibly came and introduced themselves. or if they knew each other already mayhaps??

— oh and he’s bi. like really really bi. obv not advertised given his career path but he’s not having some crisis over it either. it just is. probably has a stack of nda’s next to the condoms ready to go at anytime alsdkfj.

OOC

hey lads. i’m ollie !! for those around for round 1.0 of this rp i played alya ( the sports photog ). i am back and this time going back to what i do best : playing hockey boys 😔😔😔.

[puckngrind]

My favorite girl

So this is my first writing...let me know what you think!  

warnings: none really, maybe a swear word or two.

Word count: 2,643 

(edited again 8/29/20)

You met Josh years ago when some friends convinced you to go out to a bar downtown on a weeknight. You realized quickly as you walked into the jam packed bar that several Blue Jackets were guest bartending. While you loved hockey, the thought of pushing your way to the front seemed ridiculous. You spotted an empty corner high top and almost ran towards it not realizing it was already taken. 

 “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you sitting here?” You asked the tall man who was leaning against the table with his drink resting on it, fingers wrapped around the glass. 

 “Um, yeah. Sorta but you can have it if you don’t mind if I keep standing here?” You couldn’t stop staring at his memorizing blue eyes and pink cheeks. The smirk on his face was one of a kind. 

 “Yeah, sure. My friends should be over here in a minute. They went to the bar.” You pointed over to the chaos. 

 “And you didn’t want to go over there, meet the hockey stars?” 

 “It’s not really my thing. I’d rather watch them skate.” You stuck your hand out to shake his. “I’m (y/n) by the way.” He grabbed your hand and told you he was Josh and new to the area. While everyone seemed to have Blue Jacket shirts on you caught a glimpse of the emblem on his golf shirt as he shifted. “So, you like hockey then? I mean is that why you are here?” Josh’s smirk returned to his face and his head tilted to the side like he was trying to formulate an answer. 

“Yeah, you could say that.” Josh stated with a laugh.  Your friends joined, gushing about the new defensive man, Jones, and how nice Boone and Murray were. You introduced them to Josh and kept on the small talk.  You didn’t think you would see him again.

That fall, you were standing in line at Starbucks near the arena.  As you looked at the board debating on what you wanted you could feel someone leaning in behind you.  

“So are you PSL kinda girl?”  The deep laugh and voice sounded familiar.  You turned quickly on your heel ready to tell off the boy who thought you were just a basic midwest girl only to find that sweet face that you shared a table with staring at you with that same smirk on his face.  

“Only usually have one in October.  I don’t have a typical order. And you?  Pumpkin Spice your thing?”  You looked at him waiting for a response. 

“Not exactly.  So (y/n), what are you ordering for us today?”  He asked pointing to the board.  You were shocked he even remembered your name.  You ordered two of one of your go-tos and headed to a table.  He was dressed in Blue Jacket sweats this time and you still didn’t figure out who he was.

“So would you want to plan to hang out on purpose some time?”  Josh asked.

“Like a date?”  The words popped out before you could even stop them.  “Don’t answer that.”

“I meant like friends really.  I don’t have any friends outside of... uh... my job.  Plus you are pretty easy to talk to.”  He looked confused but you thought it was from the embarrassment from your comment.  You slid over your phone to have him put his number in.  You sent him a text with a face palm emoji and this is (y/n).

That was it.  You became best friends with Josh Anderson quickly and he loved that he wasn’t hockey player Josh Anderson when he would come hang out and take over your television and most of your couch.  You would watch all the Bachelor shows together and if he was home in Toronto or on the road you would FaceTime to watch together.  His commentary normally had you laughing so hard you were crying by the end of the show.  He would make fun of you crying while you watched Grey’s Anatomy or the latest Rom-Com that he secretly loved and swore if you told anyone he would stop coming over.  He knew you hated any horror movie so he would torture you with them especially around Halloween which is always his favorite.

Your friendship over the years was comfortable.  His mom frequently spent more time with you than him when she was in town and his siblings would take your spare room if more than one were in town.  Josh fit in with your friends and you somehow fit in with his teammates, even though they still gave you a hard time about not knowing who they were at first without their names and numbers on their backs.

You had been texting and snapping with Josh all day.  He was headed back to Columbus this weekend to get his place in order and start training camp.  You were dancing around the kitchen with the music up way too loud making cookies.  All of a sudden familiar arms wrapped around your waist and raised you off of the ground.  Whispering into your ear almost kissing it, Josh’s voice was strong over the music.  “How’s my favorite girl?  I’ve missed you so much.” You squealed.  Out of being scared half to death and excited that he was standing in your kitchen.  You turned around and slammed your hand to his chest.  

“You scared the hell out of me J!”  You yelled before turning down the music.

He threw his head back and laughed.  He wrapped you into another hug.  “But didn’t you miss me?”  He gave you that smirk you loved.

“I saw you a few weeks ago in Sudbury for Nick’s thing, remember?  And you DID come to Columbus a few times.”  Meeting his eyes with a smirk of your own.  Knowing he wanted a “yes of course” to come out of your mouth.  He reached over your shoulder to stick his finger in your batter and bringing it to his mouth.  

“So what do we have here?  Is my girl making me welcome home cookies?” He sucked the batter off of his finger.  “Ohhh... my favorite.  How’d you know?”  You elbowed him in his side and rolled your eyes.  While the cookies baked you caught up, which seems silly since you talked or texted everyday so catching up really was the same old banter.  You couldn’t help but notice that he kept calling you ‘my girl’ while you frequently used babe and honey and other nicknames over the years, this one was new.  You were always called his girlfriend on social media by fangirls and they would be up in arms with Josh was spotted with another women.  You eventually set your accounts to private to keep the comments from creeping on your page too.  You two didn’t seem to care and he would have you accompany him to events especially if they involved kids or dressing up.  Thing was you never dated and the topic was never discussed.  When you went out it was always with his teammates or your friends to group things like concerts, dinners, and other activities around Columbus.  Normally he would come hang out at your house because (according to Josh) the suburbs were so much quieter and you actually had food in your pantry and fridge.  You were pretty sure it was the entertainment system your brother set up and the fire pit on the patio that he really loved.  Josh was always there.  He would sling his muscular arm around you and pull you into hugs and when you were out he wasn’t more than an arms length away from you.  You were each other’s person.

The cookies were done and ready to be iced.  Josh decided he was going to help you.  Hunched over with his sleeves pushed up he started.  You looked up and saw the face you’ve seen so many times.  The face he made when he was stopped by fans around town or at a team signing event and even when he bought you some skates and re-laced them.  This face of concentration always made you laugh.  Josh’s tongue sticking slightly through his teeth and his eyebrows creased together.

“So, are you ready for the season?  Did your training go well?”  You asked.  He looked up from his focus on the cookies.

“Are you really asking me about my training?  Like you don’t know?  We talk every day (y/n).”  Your face turns red with the look he was giving you.  It was different just like the my girl comments before.  He moves around the island and stands in front of you.  “Why are you asking about my training?”  He was too close for your comfort.  He’d been this close to you countless of times but something was different.

“I... I... I...” words.  Words were not forming in your head because all you could think about was the words my girl that he kept using and the fact that he surprised you.  And you backed up from him towards the hall when you eye caught glimpse of the table by the door.  “Is that for someone?”  Your eyes were wide as you backed up further and pointed at the gorgeous orchid now sitting on your entry table which was not there before.

“Yeah, they are your favorite right?”  He smiles while rubbing the back of his neck.  He quickly brushes past you to grab the potted plant.

“um... yes... how? why? Josh? What?” You could not formulate a full thought to save your life.  The boy you loved to spend every free moment with was acting weird and it made you feel things that you ignored for years.

“(y/n), you okay?  You like it right?”  He looks at you with the face that all the girls at the bars swoon over.  You saw it so many times and he was usually oblivious to the looks he got from girls.

“Josh, yes.  I love it.  But why?”  You ask face the color of a tomato and thoughts cloudy.  

“To show you how much I missed you.  That’s all.  Stop being weird.  Let’s catch up on Bachelor in Paradise okay?”  As he takes your hand and moves towards your living room.  Making himself right at home he pats the seat next to him to encourage you to sit.  

While watching, you slip into your normal ways.  He has your side hurting so much from laughing that you are sure you pulled a muscle.  By the end his hand was on your knee as your feet were tucked under yourself.  You didn’t notice it at first but then you feel the heat from his hand as his rubs against your leggings.

“Let’s head to Forno’s tomorrow for brunch.  I haven’t had it since leaving and not exactly on my diet once the season really starts.”  He kept his focus on the screen and his hand on your knee.

“Oh, yum.  Who’s all going?  Who is back in town?”  You were looking at Josh and not the television.  

“Um, most of the guys are back but I meant just the two of us.  I guess we can invite some of the guys but there is the end of summer party at the Dubinsky’s next weekend and you will see everyone there.”  Still, not looking at you and confident as always when it came to your conversations.  The sometimes shy hockey player Josh Anderson that you saw in interviews was not the same man you had befriended all those years ago.

“Really?  Alone?  The two of us?”  Your voice cracked and he turned his attention to you.

“Is there a problem with us going to brunch alone?  Are you afraid to be out with me in public?  Do I smell or something?”  He sniffed his shirt and then poked you in your side.  You smiled and blushed again.

“I mean we normally don’t go out just the two of us.  And you’ve been... different... today.  Like something is up.”  You poked him back and his face matched yours.  He’s fully facing you now and his hand has moved to your hand while the smirk on his face is hard to read you feel like he is reading you like a book.  A book that Josh has been studying since he landed in Columbus after winning the Calder in Cleveland.

“(y/n), I love you.”  You looked at him and smiled.

“I love you too Josh but what is up?”  Josh stands up quickly from the couch and is now towering over you from where you are sitting.  He starts to pace a little.

“No, no, no.  You aren’t hearing me (y/n).  I fucking love you.  Like want you to be not only my best friend but mine.”  Josh stops and is looking down at you with his piercing blue eyes and flaming red cheeks.  You stand to up next to him and start to talk but he puts his finger to your lips to stop you.  “Look, I know we’ve been friends forever and I love our relationship but I was sitting with Seth in the Bahamas and the only thing I kept thinking was why isn’t (y/n) here.”  You are shocked at what Josh is telling you.

“Josh, that was May right? And...”  He cuts you off again.

“Yes, I know.  I didn’t know what to think about how I felt.  It changes everything.  Even just telling you all this changes everything and the thought of losing you makes me sick.  But here is the thing, I want all of you.  I want to be yours and you mine.  My family already loves you.  I’m pretty sure my mom likes you more than me most days.  Your family is seriously the best and has taken me in for all the holidays that I can’t go home for because of my schedule.  You are my rock.  The place I land.  I missed you so damn much this summer it hurt.  That’s when I realized that this friendship was way more than a friendship to me.  You are my girl.  If you will have me?”  He combs his hand into his hair as he stares at you.  Your best friend just confessed his love for you.  You couldn’t put into words what that meant so you did something better.  Stretching on your tippy toes and cupping his face with your hands you moved closer to him.  Josh takes the cue from you.  He dipped his head down and crashed his soft lips into yours.  His one hand landing on the back of your neck and the other at the small of your back to keep you close to him.

“So, I guess that’s my answer?”  He asks slightly winded.  Smiling at you in a way that made your insides turn to mush.  “So are we making this official?  You are my girl?” He slightly kissed your lips again and loosens his hold of you.

“Yes, J.  I love you too.  But can we keep it off social media for now?”  You batted your eyes at him and he laughs.

“I’m not sure I can keep the guys from telling everyone.  They’ve all heard my pro and con list all summer.  I’m pretty sure they will be more excited than me.”

“More than you eh?” You poke at his rock hard abs and attempt to sound Canadian with your midwest accent.  

“No,  I’m over the moon.”  Josh says as he picks you up and swings your legs around the living room.  He kisses your forehead before putting you down.  “So, Frono’s tomorrow?  When do you want me to pick you up?”  

“How about you just stay?” your eyebrow moves up as you pull Josh towards your bedroom.  Your boy wastes no time sweeping you off your feet and carrying you towards your bed.

[moneyshvt]

☆ . · . simay barlas, twenty-two, female, she / her . · . ☆ AYLA CLEARWATER lives in that huge mansion over there! no, not that one. look for THE LARGE NATURAL STONE FOUNTAIN and that’ll be it. the SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER has offered occasional glimpses of LIGHT GREEN walls and an impressive collection of EMPTY PICTURE FRAMES in the background of social media posts, but all of that is nothing compared to seeing the opulence in person. they’ve remained CLEVER as ever since moving to tercet court one year ago, but it seems like they might’ve gotten a little more of NARCISSISTIC too. maybe that’s why they’re rumored to have such a FRIENDLY relationship with everyone else who lives on this street. ☆ . · . ooc info: ollie, they/them, 21, est . · . ☆

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

— she was adopted when she was just under two years old from turkey, so the clearwaters have always felt like her family to her. she knew the greater part of growing up that she was adopted, it just never was an issue for her. it was a fact, but it really wasn’t an important fact. she has no desire to try to find her birth parents or family, though she has visited turkey.

—  the clearwaters are a triple threat in sports : her grandfather retired mlb player and coach, her father a retired prominent defenseman in the nhl and current dartmouth men’s hockey coach, and her older brother ( 26 ) is making a splash in his third year in the nfl as a wide receiver.  however, her parents made sure she and her brother had a ( fairly ) average “middle class” bringing up, though they had their fair share of money in the bank. didn’t have to struggle, really, but didn’t get everything she wanted either. had a summer job scooping ice cream for two years in high school.

— grew up in norwich, vt, real big on nature and hiking and all that jazz and lowkey misses it in the heart of la.

— when she was ten she got one of those kid’s polaroid cameras ( u know the ones where the film is only a little bigger than a postage stamp ) and she was obsessed. she worked her way up through cameras over the years, having a natural eye for it.

— one of the first games she ever shot was one of her brother’s high school football games which sounds sweet but it was actually because she was so bored out of her mind and wanted something to do. needless to say, though, that was the start of it. some might say it was kind of inevitable she gravitated toward sports somehow — she was a clearwater at heart. since then she has gained a lot of knowledge and respect for all different kinds of sports.

— for college she was torn between dartmouth and nyu. she ultimately chose nyu because it was somewhere new.

— she went to nyu for advertising and photography, shooting various nyu sports teams while she was there and throughout her years, managed to shoot a few rangers, knicks, and yankees games as well. she held two summer internships with the yankees ( on her own merits or because of her family name, she may never truly know ) and ultimately graduated from nyu a year early.

— she then spent the better part of a year after graduation road tripping as you do and ended up in california. it’s all about who you know, and in picking up a favor for a friend in cali she stumbled into the perfect opportunity. from there she landed a role on the company that handles the photography for staples center and other notable teams, most notably the kings, lakers, and dodgers ( photography company based on this irl one ).

— she moved into tercet court not long after she knew she would be in la for much of the time being. it’s definitely not her house, considering she makes just enough to live on. it’s a family home, purchased initially by her father who’d wanted to sink some money into tangible assets instead of the stock market and to have a west-coast home available for the family. hey, worked out pretty well for her.

— she has predominately been tasked with shooting the kings the past year or so, though she started with shooting dodgers games last summer and is doing so this summer as well. she’s also shot a handful of lakers’ games when a friend needs someone to cover. three of her photos so far have been used in large ads and banners in the city ( including most recently her current MONEY SHOT of the game winning goal in a come back win ) --- very cool moment for her. several others have been used by local publications and websites.

— she does a little freelance work as well ; mostly for friends or friends of friends, though she’s been considering lately trying to make her skills and business available in a more professional manner. she does do a lot of photographing for herself --- a lot of candids ; she thinks they capture the true spirit of a person moreso than when they’re posing or prepared for a photo. but not in a creepy way --- she’s been the victim of the paps enough times by association with her family to know the correct boundaries and limits.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂

— lowkey loves playing games with the paps, though she’s probably the only one that finds it funny. as a photographer herself she has a good eye for where they’re hiding and will also snap photos of them in turn just for her own amusement.

— she hopes someday to be the team photographer for a team, hopefully in one of the “big four” ( nfl, nhl, nba, mlb )

— she played field hockey and lacrosse through high school.

— ayla thinks she’s better at shooting people. part of what she loves about being a sports photographer is how active and unpredictable it is to shoot a game. she’s had to learn a lot to try to predict what she can.

— very much a morning person. has never had a problem waking up in the morning. who’s jealous bc i am. goes for a run at sunrise, and has showered, gotten ready for the day, and is at a local cafe shop editing photos / making graphics and drinking an iced mocha by 8. truly couldn’t be me...

— so desperately wants to be that girl with tons of cute aesthetic plants in her apartment but tragically plants always die in her care no matter what she does. probably has gotten one of those tiny tabletop sand zen gardens to make herself feel better tho she still keeps trying with plants. so far the only ones that have lived any length of time are the air plants.

— she really wants a greyhound but is afraid to make the commitment to actually adopting one.

— her personal insta ( the non-sports one ) has a modest following. a few thousand, probs.

— she has struggled a bit with people who think her opportunities have only arisen because of her family pedigree ( which some have gone so far to tell her they’re “not her family” --- which, don’t even go there, lads... ), and that has made ayla work all that much harder to prove that she’d gotten where she has on her own merits.

— she has a rule ( and in the case of the nhl there is a rule enforced by a signed contract ) about not getting involved with anyone she shoots ; it’s considered a conflict of interest. i imagine she has a really good relationship with the players though --- probably doesn’t hurt that she is pretty. at least one of them have hired her to shoot their wedding this summer even though she is wildly under qualified.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

alya is a chill and laidback person at heart. her approach to the fame attached to her due to her father and brother has been to laugh it off good-naturedly. she’s generally well liked, with a hint of sass and humor. she comes across as a bit of an air-head at times, but that’s part due to a persona she put on from a young age. she has an observant eye that drew to her photography in the first place and will often allow her to draw certain conclusions about people. she’s well versed in all the sports she shoots, something that tends to surprise a lot of people, but how is she supposed to be good at her job if she isn’t ? if she gets bothered during games she typically shuts people down with wide eyes and some obscure bit of knowledge in her cute, raspy lil voice. dareisay... elle woods, what like it’s hard ? energy ??

a few of her downfalls include her narcissism and need to be liked. she looks to look and feel pretty, by her own standards, and is a queen of the self-timer and remote self photography : has two instas because of it -- one for her sports photography and one that’s a “personal” and mostly just pictures of herself. her need to be liked is something she doesn’t even realize. she likes to be seen in a positive light.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

alya stands at 5′4″ with a slim but athletic build. her hair is naturally brown, but is dyed to have blonde highlights. she does not need glasses or contacts and has no tattoos.

she’s almost always wearing the same pair of beat up timberland’s she’s owned since freshman year of college. she likes to be able to move easily ( bc homegirl absolutely cannot walk in heels at all ). despite what the tabloids like to call her unfortunate choice in footwear, she likes to look cute, often pairing them with short, flowy sundresses or skirts + crop tops. when she shoots games, however, she’s dressed rather practically in skinny jeans, a crop top, and a cardigan. her hair is often kept down and loose, or in a messy bun.

𝐎𝐎𝐂

it me. ollie again. i also play fitz ( miguel bernardeau fc ). yes the overlap between fitz and ayla is not great but i truly only know one thing that that one thing is hockey asldfalsdjf sO. if y’all seeing me rping with myself on the dash bc i think it’d be fun to bounce fitz and ayla off each other mind ur own business...

[justlookfrightened]

Locked out, Part 7

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6

Eric’s first week at work was more of a challenge than he thought it would be.

Sure, he’d been vlogging and Instagramming and tweeting for himself since he could reliably type on a phone. Doing it for the Greenhouse was … well. How was supposed to make James and all the other people understand that social media was supposed to have personality?

It  wasn’t that he suddenly felt very young. It was more that he suddenly felt the adults he was sharing office space with were very old.

So he reviewed the content of the accounts that were already active, then decided he really had to show people how to frame a good Insta photo, He sent out tweets that were really just announcements, without any real voice. He organized sessions for the start-ups Greenhouse nurtured, explaining what would make engaging content and researching how to deal with privacy issues.

And he told people, over and over, that Snapchat was used for more than sending people nudes.

On Thursday, his last day for the week, James called him into his office at 4:45.

Eric went, wondering whose toes he had stepped on, or whether he’d have to end the week by grovelling. He really needed this job. Even if it was harder than he thought it would be.

Instead of a lecture, James started with a question.

“How was your first week? It seemed like you really hit the ground running.”

“Um, it was good, I think,” Eric said. “Busy.”

James smiled.

“It seems like most people spend their first week organizing their desks,” he said. “I really admire your enthusiasm.”

“Uh, thanks,” Eric said. “It will be kind of challenging, working with all the different groups here. I have meetings with the leadership of three of them set up for next week so see if I can help them with their social media strategies.”

“See? That’s what I mean,” James said. “I knew you were a go-getter when you came all the way to Providence for an interview.”

“Thank you,” Eric said again, wondering if the conversation was over.

“Anyway, I know we agreed you would generally have Fridays off,” James started.

Eric hoped his expression remained neutral as he thought, “Please, please, please don’t ask me to work tomorrow. I have laundry. And groceries to buy if I’m going to teach Jack to make pie. And we’re skating at four.”

“But some of the staff usually get together for a drink or two on Friday after work, and you’re welcome to join us,” James said. “I didn’t want you to feel left out. I know from your paperwork that you’re of age, so that’s all right. We’ll be down the street at Yesterday’s just after 5, or you could come here and we can go together.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” Eric said. “I have plans.”

“You’ve made friends here already?” James asked. “You could invite them to join us.”

“I really can’t,” Eric said.  

Because the last thing he wanted to do was spend more time at work -- or worse, doing forced socializing with work people.

“Monday’s Memorial Day, so I’ll see you Tuesday, right?” Eric said.

“Right,” James said. “Enjoy your weekend.”

Eric had two carrier bags of groceries and his hockey bag sitting on the Weavers’ front porch when Jack arrived to pick him up at 3:15 Friday.

He was pretty sure Mrs. Weaver was watching from behind the curtains. She had turned her nose up -- literally -- at Eric’s hockey bag and decreed it had to stay in the basement, a ruling he couldn’t argue with. She hadn’t turned her nose up at all at the bribery pie; in fact, she allowed that it was very good, and anyone who made a pie like that was unlikely to destroy her kitchen.

So now he was welcome to use it with 48 hours notice and only if she wouldn’t be needing it. And it was nowhere near as nice as Jack’s.

See if Eric made her another pie, as long as he had Jack’s kitchen to fall back on. Although it would have been nice to relax by baking at least a couple of evenings in the past week.

Eric put his things in the truck and climbed in without looking back at the front window.

“So how was the first week?” Jack asked.

“Okay,” Eric said. “My boss thinks I did fine, but it’s always a little nerve-wracking being the new kid, y’know?”

“I guess,” Jack said.

“It’s been a long time for you, hasn’t it?” Eric said. “You’ve been with the Falcs a while.”

Jack shrugged.

“There’s new players every season,” he said. “Always new people to get used to.”

“New people, new place to live, new city,” Eric said.

“I know,” Jack said. “It was harder my first year.”

“And now I have this new friend who expects me to keep up with him on the ice and throw myself at him over and over,” Eric said.

That got a smile, and Eric wondered if Jack thought the mild innuendo was funny.

But instead of chirping back, Jack looked at him, eyes as sad as they always looked, and said, “I’m glad you’re my friend.”

Eric felt the tension unwind itself from his neck and shoulders as soon as he skated out, and soon he was taking aim at Jack, remembering to keep his shoulders down and his elbows in as he tried to push Jack off the puck. He didn’t really succeed, but Jack had to slow considerably to fend Eric off and keep control while they skated.

Then, when it was Eric’s turn, Eric took the puck and just skated as fast as he could, because he knew there was no way he could just skate through it when Jack used his body weight against him.

Jack was always careful not to really hit Eric; instead he leaned into him, using his bulk to shift Eric toward the boards. Once Jack had him trapped, it was a simple matter to scoop the puck up and skate away.

But Jack couldn’t trap him if he couldn’t catch him, and there was something exhilarating about being chased by Jack -- a pro athlete who was roughly the size of a tree, who skated with skill and determination, who focused those eyes on Eric like he was the only thing in the world. It helped that Eric had absolutely no fear that Jack would hurt him, even accidentally. Eric let himself daydream about having Jack chase him in a more metaphorical way, and about letting Jack catch him in his arms and …

There was Jack’s warm weight, all along his side, pushing him inexorably toward the edge of the rink. Eric dug his blades in and pushed off with another burst of speed, dumping the puck in the net when he skated by and turning to grin at Jack, his arms raised in a celly.

Jack looked nearly as pleased as Eric. “You did it!” Jack said. “You skated through the pressure. That’s great, Eric!”

When they were done, Jack insisted on springing for dinner, bringing takeout chicken tenders (for Jack) and a burger (for Eric) back to his condo. They sat at the breakfast bar and ate while Eric told Jack all about his first week.

“And none of them use Snapchat,” Eric said. “Which, fine, I guess, if you don’t want to reach anyone under 25. But they think people only use it to send nude pictures!”

Jack swallowed and said, “I don’t know. What would you use to send nudes?”

“Jack!”

Jack was smirking at him.

“Stop chirping me,” Eric protested. “If you don’t have Snapchat, what do you have?”

“The Falconers said I had to have something, so I started an Instagram,” Jack said. “But I don’t use it much.”

“Fine. Let’s get  this pie going, and you can show me when it’s in the oven,” Eric said.

*******************

Tagging @thehockeyhaus @cow-mow

Part 8

[nomorelonelydays]

Bee I just reread the not a captain au and had the saddest idea. What if nobody not even Geno finds out about why Sid is so distant from the team. They just continue to ignore him while his few friends from other teams watch and worry about him. He never asks for a trade and retires quietly after bringing the cup back to Pittsburgh a fourth or fifth time. Maybe he got hurt in the final game (a nasty check after his game winning goal) and the few people that do care think he’s just (1/?)

recovering for the next season but nope he’s done. He loves hockey more than anything but his body just won’t take it anymore (I imagine he got checked a lot because nobody cared enough to defend him) so he has to hang up the skates. Nobody tries to really keep in contact with him and the only times his old team hears about him is when some magazines try to interview him. Sid, of course, keeps up with the team because even if he isn’t playing anymore he wants them to win. Even though Sid (2/?)

was the best player in the league for years and has the highest numbers on the penguins in the last ten years nobody really cares except those asshole fans that blame Sid for all following losses because how dare he abandoning the team. Even though Sid doesn’t use social media (social media is something for people with friends, and Sid barely has any) he knows about the hate and becomes even more private. Barely leaving his house, getting all his groceries delivered etc. and only really (3/?)

interacting with his family. So a few years down the line, the majority of the pens Sid played with are still on the team or at least the league, there’s a new widely discussed hockey book on the market. Sidney wrote an autobiography. He had way too much free time anyway so he just ... wrote. He wrote about his childhood and how he was always bullied and excluded, about how that shaped him and made him anxious and shy, about that carried on into his adult life. He never writes anything (4/?)

bad about the pens though. He mentions that he always alienated himself and that they aren’t to blame. Putting all of the blame on himself and even apologizing for being such a bad teammate. He writes about how he has no idea what he wants to do now because his life was always just hockey and now his one constant was removed. He can’t really be around too many people without getting panic attacks so he can’t coach or even work in PR or something like that. He thought about doing (5/?)

anti-bullying work but he’s afraid of giving bad advice or being a bad role model because he handled his situation so bad. In the end of his book he just writes that he’s trying to focus on his mental health for a while and then maybe when it gets better he wants to help others. So of course his old teammates get asked questions about the book and Sid’s time with the pens but they’re confused at first because why should they read Crosby’s book. Until the hard hitting questions about (6/?)

bullying in the locker room start and they think hmmm maybe I should read it. Maybe a few of them do the rest just let’s their agents read through it. But slowly they start to understand. That the guy they always thought was an arrogant asshole was just too scared and shy to say something. That he wanted to be friends but didn’t knew how. That he kept away from the team because he knew he wasn’t wanted. But he still put them on a pedestal and blamed himself for everything. A few of them (7/?)

cried while reading it. Cue half the league showing up at Sidney Crosby secluded house in the offseason wanting to be friends. Also Geno coming and trying the hardest because he feels bad for being a shitty captain and not making him feel welcome on the team when he was one of the main reasons they ever even won. He tries his hardest and is nice. Which leads to actual communication (I know, I’m shocked too) which leads to Sid coming home from the therapist he’s working with and being (8/?)

greeted by his big Russian husband holding their tiny babygirl while their boys run around their legs and scream about daddy being home. (9/9)

-

I’m feeling so many emotions right now. I’ve always wanted to write that trope where Sidney secludes himself after retirement and writes an autobiography like he’s leaving breadcrumbs for Geno to find him because he’s doesn’t think he deserves to actively seek out Geno’s companionship, much less his love. But there’s definitely a fic like that already so i don’t want to step on any toes ; - ; 

[randomnoteforfuturereference]

Aftermath: Business Dealings

This has been an idea I’ve been mulling over for some time due to thoughts about Nursey’s family and how they’d react to a potential public coming out for Jack. 1800 words and takes place during episode 3.26. In any case, thanks to my ‘swawesome beta @kleeklutch, and I hope you enjoy.

Now has a companion piece that takes place in Maine.

“Thank you for making time on such short notice and during what must be a busy time for you.”

Mama’s words accompany a slow stirring of her tea as the morning rays reflected by the Financial District skyline bathe her in dappled light.

Opposite us, via projection on the drop-down screen, sits Georgia Martin in what I suppose is her office with Providence Harbor as the backdrop. “Don’t worry about it, Dr. Nurse,” she replies with a grin. “It’s a welcome change in pace from the reporters.”

Mama gives a smile of her own over her cup. “No doubt. In any case let me first congratulate you and your team on an amazing and well-earned victory. That was quite a nail-biter the whole way through.”

“Thanks. I have to say that we’re still running on that high.” 

It’s probably all they’re running on. That and coffee. Many probably can’t tell at a first glance, but I’ve been around enough power players to know that she’s probably keeping it all together by sheer will.

“Yes, you could imagine how ecstatic my son was at seeing his old captain make the winning shot. In overtime at that.”

Martin’s eyes aim in my direction. Pretty sure that she’s still wondering what a college kid is doing sitting next to his mother during a meeting of this magnitude. “’Nursey’, right?” she asks. “Number Twenty-eight? That was an impressive slapshot in your last game against Harvard. Amazing synchronization with Twenty-four as well; you two make quite the pair.”

I almost choke on my drink. “Thanks, ma’am.”

“Jack never hesitates to share highlights from Samwell with us.” Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. It would surprise me even less if ninety percent of the highlights involve Bitty.

“We’re quite proud of him,” Mama adds with a smirk. “But you know that just gushing over player performance is not why I called.”

Martin leans back and apprises both of us before putting all of her focus back on Mama. “You’re interested in sponsoring.”

“Or a partnership. Whichever is going to be a more effective use of our resources.”

“Well, I can’t say I’d mind. We’ve had people and companies lining up ever since we went to the playoffs,” she explains before blinking owlishly at us. “But that isn’t the case with your offer, is it.”

“You are correct,” Mama affirms while setting her cup down. “I’m not interested in any offer going into salaries or sports equipment. Overall, it was about the game, I’d have sponsored the Rangers a long time ago. They have history after all.”

“And are the home team,” Martin adds wryly.

That’s dismissed with an airy wave. “Yes, New York is my home and where we are headquartered, but we’re also not bound to a single metropolitan area… or nation for that matter. Some will throw a fuss in regards to us supporting an out-of-town team… but, well, it’s not like this company is a stranger to protests.”

“Hashtag ‘fight the power’…” I mutter under my breath while forcibly keeping my eyes from rolling.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m the first to criticize Mama for her business and r&d practices, but sometimes the vitriol put forward by others are downright ridiculous. That many of those protesters are hyper-privileged white dudes — “kale-munching, latte-guzzling tankies” as a certain ginger loves to say; to his credit, he stopped associating me with them before the end of our first semester — makes their motives all the more suspicious.

If Martin hears me, she shows no sign. “So why are you interested in us?”

Mama simply taps on her tablet to bring a single video up to view. The video is of Jack and Bitty kissing on the center ice; their full attention focused on each other despite being surrounded by strangers and the media.

In the wake of the game’s end, I was infected by the high of the win and dancing with glee. The moment I saw the two embrace however, surprise overtook that elation and—

Well, the details regarding me aren’t important.

What is important was the reaction from my family. Mama and Papa, despite being very hard to shock due to all they’ve witnessed and dealt within the boardroom and courtroom respectively, gaped wide-eyed at the screen. Even Sis, who never ceases to have a sarcastic quip regarding professional sports, was at a complete loss for words.

When they turned their stares towards me, I knew what the unsaid question was. Pretty sure they were legit impressed that we all managed to keep the secret for over half-a-year; not sure if I should be pleased or miffed at that.

In any case, the SMH group chat is still on fire. And it’s not all cheers.

Dex and Chowder, being the rays of sunshine that they are — okay, Chowder is a ray of sunshine a good chunk of the time; though many forget that sunlight burns — have already considered this old news and are now discussing with the older guys strategies to head off those who wish to intrude upon our lives.

Because there is already discussion in the media about the fact that “Zimmermann’s boyfriend” — there is no small amount of entertainment watching some sports commentators struggle saying that — is going to be the first out NCAA ice hockey captain. And with that publicity, there has already been a slew of… opinions.  

“The thing is,” Mama continues, “while this is spectacular news, it in itself is not what prompted me to make the call.”

She switches the footage to show statements from Martin and the older Falconers.

As the vids are muted, Mama asks, “Is Zimmermann scheduled to appear yet?”

Martin’s face goes blank. “Jack and Eric are taking well-earned time to recompose themselves.”

Translation: the Falcs have zero clue where the two are, and it’s probably driving management insane.

Well, we’re just as in the dark.

“Completely understandable, and we wish them all the best,” Mama notes. “So, were you serious about what you said in front of the cameras? It is a risky move.”

“Maybe,” concedes Martin. Then her eyes light up with the kind of fiery passion that must have caused opponents to wet themselves while she was in skates. “But this isn’t just PR. When Jack came out to me, I told him the kind of organization that I wanted the Falcs to be. One that went beyond what should be common decency and actually towards raising the bar for the League as a whole.”

A smile graces Mama’s lips. “And that’s why I’ve expressed my interest,” she states before turning to me. “And I will admit that, beyond general morals and principles, I have a personal reason for throwing in my support.

“Derek?”

Shit, it’s my turn already? Granted, I wouldn’t be here if not for the fact that I came willingly.

Still I turn my chill up to maximum in the hope that my jitters don’t show. “I’ll say off the bat that I’m not straight. Bi… Pan… Personally I’m not attached to labels. What matters is that I’ve been out and comfortable for some time now. Helps that Samwell’s welcoming.” A breath. “Hasn’t always been the case, and even if I was interested in going pro — with no disrespect, I’m not — the nature of the League is a major sticky point. Not just about my orientation but also… you know…” I wave my hand around my face for emphasis.

I know Martin gets the point when she lets her composure slip with a grimace and says, “Yeah. I take you’ve read some of the articles focusing on Thirdy. We crack down pretty hard on such behavior at home, but some away venues are more lenient about what’s said on the ice or from the stands unless the media is breathing down their necks.”

“And the media is sometimes the problem,” I add. After Martin gives a weary nod, I get myself back on track: “I have mad respect and support for groups like You Can Play, which I know the Falcs have been active in. However, considering how many times players have been disciplined, it’s clear that speaking out against bigotry reactively can only do so much. So while I do think advocacy groups are important, teams themselves should take the initiative.

“Ever since Jack came out to the Falcs, you and his teammates have shown it’s a real possibility. You’ve been walking the walk; including by making sure his secret was secure until the kiss. And when that happened, all the statements made so far have been matter-of-fact support.

“So while I’m a fan of the Falcs because of Jack, all of this makes me think that the team is a bar setter in all the right ways.”

I might as well been swimming underwater the whole while, considering the way I end my speech with a gasp for air. Mama uses that as a point to enter back in:

“Some may think that just means there is bias affecting my decision. I counter that bias informs a lot of our decisions. In this case, is it a bad thing?” she posits. “Overall, my hope is that our involvement the Falconers isn’t just to promote greater inclusivity in professional sports, but also to start other social programs.

“And while it may be hard to tell, know that I’m not just doing this for PR points.”

If anything, Mama’s taking a risk with this as not all of her clients may approve of her activism.

“Don’t worry about that, Dr. Nurse. If I thought you were just jumping on the publicity bandwagon, I would have told you to wait with the other potential sponsors as we get our bearings straight,” assures Martin. “So let’s just say you’ve had my attention for some time.”

“Excellent! And I must say, it’s not like we don’t already have the perfect symbol for such a partnership.”

To punctuate her statement, Mama pans and zooms the cam to focus in on one of the office’s windows. As if on cue, one of our Peregrines lands on the ledge with a freshly-killed pigeon to feed her fluffy eyasses.

The sight makes Martin bark out a laugh in wide-eyed surprise and delight. “Didn’t expect that. But you’re right; they are quite appropriate. I’m sure Tater would be delighted to incorporate them into FalcTV.”

“Once we finalize this, your team will be welcome here. Which reminds me: Derek, you may go.”

I take the cue to get right up, say my farewells to the two ladies, and make my retreat out of the office. As I close the door behind me, I hear Mama’s next few words before the rest get muffled:

“So… let’s talk business…”

[thatblondebelgiangirl]

Baby Daddy Part 1 - Tyler Seguin series

Pairing: Tyler Seguin x Reader

Mentions: -

Word count: 1871

A/N: I mention the All Stars Game of 2015, idk why. It was easy. I have been postponing on posting this series because I wasn’t so happy about it, I even have a couple of versions of the series, maybe I will use another NHL player for the other versions. I’m sorry I haven’t been uploading, I had exams and other problems and wanted to stop writing for a while. I hope you will like the imagine! Please check out my masterlist. Feel free to request, posting will be slow because I’m starting school soon.

Chapter One

“Can’t Masterson do it this time?”, you asked your boss on the phone. “No, I want the best to go there and you are the best, Y/N. You know what to do.”, your boss said. You sighed, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?”, you whispered under your breath. “What was that? I’d love to go, boss?”, she said. You sighed. “Alright, alright, Rachel, I’ll go. Don’t expect a full paragraph on him though.”, you said agitated. You were a sports journalist for the Toronto Sun and the All-Stars Draft and Game were coming up soon and you were chosen to do it. You were actually chosen to do it ever since you were hired there, but this year you definitely didn’t want to do it. “I know you have been avoiding him to see him in person but it has to happen sometime, it’s been a year and a half, Y/N.”, Rachel said.

The person you have been dreading to see is Tyler Seguin. You ‘dated’ him when you were doing an internship in Boston. Correction you had a sexual relationship with him because you weren’t into commitment at the time – a party girl yourself even though your feelings for him changed over time. At the beginning you thought it was weird he was into it, since he was a good friend of yours, from back in Toronto where you were born, and definitely not his type – or so you thought. Not everyone knew about the relationship – most people thought you were good friends going out and about. That all changed when you found out you were pregnant. That made your brothers – Patrick, Dylan and Michael [made up names] - mad, they’re all hockey players and one of them – your twin brother, Patrick -  was a teammate of Tyler at the time.

This happened three years ago, they didn’t make it easy for him on the ice during your pregnancy. Yes, you kept the baby, you would’ve felt bad if you would’ve done an abortion. At the start Tyler didn’t help you much with preparing or supporting you but you thought that was bound to happen. But his mother knocked some sense into him and he started going to the appointments with you and helped you buy some baby clothes and furniture. He even started developing feeling for you and he pursued a relationship with you. You really appreciated it that Jackie did that for you even though she didn’t approve your pregnancy, since you were only twenty years old. You actually felt bad you got pregnant but two people swung this tango.

It happened before the rumors about him sleeping with his teammate’s wife surfaced. You knew you weren’t exclusive with him but that drew the straw for you and ended things with him. He was allowed to see his son but you never wanted to be near him. When Tristan was born you announced it on social media – people talked about it, wondering who the father could be – knowing you were familiar with a lot of hockey players. You never announced who it was, only people close to you knew about it – your families, friends, your co-workers and his teammates from the Bruins and now also the Dallas Stars.

“… And then you’re going to the All Stars Red Carpet to interview them… Y/N? Are you even listening?”, Rachel asked you. You were pretty close with Rachel, she knew about your situation, allowing you to work from home if Tristan got sick. She was your mentor, she saw potential in you and she was right. “Yeah, it just has been awhile since I have really talked to him face to face.”, you said. “Yes, I know. I’m sorry about that but I want you. The players like you, they know you better than our other reporters.” There was a silence. “Well, I’ll send everything you need to know tonight and I’ll see you tomorrow?”, she said ending the call. Even though you haven’t seen him about a year and a half, you talked to him on the phone or Face Timed him but every call was for your son. In the beginning he would always try to talk about something else but you would shut him out. If he wanted to see his son, you would always find someone else where Tyler had to pick him up. He just couldn’t let go of his player ways.

 “Mommy, I want a cookie.”, you heard Tristan say, pulling you from your thoughts. “How do you say it nicely?”, you asked. “Can I have a cookie, please?”, he said cutely with a big smile on his face. “Okay, little guy.”, you said smiling at him, standing up from your desk you sat at. You walked to the kitchen following the little brunette three-years-old.

Anyone knowing the two of you were together would know in an instant that Tristan is Tyler’s. He had the same mesmerizing brown eyes and soft brown hair, he’s like a mini-me of Tyler. He loved it that he had a mini-me. Every time he would make that remark you would roll your eyes, even though he wouldn’t see it because you talked over the phone then.

You walked to the cupboard, grabbed the cookie jar and took one cookie out. “There you go, baby.”, you said, giving the cookie to Tristan. “Thank you!”, he said before munching on the cookie. You looked at the clock and saw that Tyler would call any minute. You had a scheduled time where he would call, to keep the routine up for Tristan. “Are you ready? Daddy’s going to call any minute now!”, you said feigning excitement for the little boy. You grabbed your iPad and set it up at Tristan’s spot at the dinner table. Tristan jumped up and down from excitement and climbed in his seat. Just in time for Tyler calling. The little boy tapped his finger on the green phone and Tyler’s face popped up. “Hey Tyler.”, you said before walking away, going to fold and iron some laundry in the connected living room. “Hey Y/N, can we talk later?”, he asked quickly. You turned around and nodded to the boy sitting in front of the iPad. “Mommy says yes.”, Tristan smiles. “So how are you doing, buddy?”, you heard Tyler ask. “Mommy just gave me a cookie so my stomach is happy now.”, you heard the little one answer. You smiled at the answer, the little one could become a comedian later. Tyler chuckled, “How’s kindergarten? Are you making friends?”, he asked, really interested. “It’s good, Mommy how many friends do I have?”, he asked you. You tapped your chin with your pointer finger, really thinking about it and counting the kids he talks about. “You made ten friends, Tristan.”, you smiled at him. “Did you hear that?! Ten is a lot!”, you heard him say. “Woah buddy, yes that is a lot!”, you heard Tyler say excitingly. They talked for a little while more, with the dogs and all that. “Hey Tris, can I talk to Mommy now?”, “Okay, I’m going to get her. Bye Daddy.”, you heard them say. “Mommy, he wants to talk! Can I watch TV now?”, Tristan says. “Yes of course.”, you said, putting the TV on and changed it to his favorite channel after you were done ironing.

You walked to the kitchen taking the iPad in your hand and walked over to your little office. “What’s wrong?”, you asked, a little agitated. “It’s just, I know you reported the All-Stars Draft and Game of the previous years – are you doing this year’s too?”, he asked with a concerned look on his face. “Yeah... Do you want me to bring Tristan with me?”, you asked. “If you want too, well we can do some activities together but... Only if you want too of course. I get that you don’t want too.”, he asked hesitantly. “I would like that Tyler, I know I have been distant to you the past year but you know why.”, you said with a serious look.

That statement hurt him, you could see it in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”, you said quickly. “No, it’s true. I’m still sorry about that but I’m changed now. You know I’ve been trying to be a dad for Tristan. What I did when I was in the Bruins was wrong. The coaches even say I have changed.”, he said honestly. “I know Ty. I appreciate everything you do, you know that too, right?”, you said, unconsciously using his nickname you used. He looked surprised, while you looked wide-eyed when you realize. “Oh, sorry. Must’ve slipped too soon.”, you said recovering. “Y/N, I never said you had to stop using it. I like it when you say it.”, he said smiling at you. “I guess it could make the situation more normal for the both of us, like we’re friends again. Before you had that internship back in Boston.”, he added.

You knew each other before you moved with your family to Toronto. Your dad used to be a hockey goalie with the Toronto Maple Leafs. You were good friends, occasionally playing hockey together – the boys not being rough on  you of course. In the off-season you would see each other back again – in the beginning though, after a while he had his own guy friends and he really didn’t want to hang out with you anymore. You saw each other again when your brother and Tyler got drafted to the Bruins. When you saw him, he was shocked to see you. You didn’t notice it but he looked at you in a different way – seeing you had grown up in a beautiful way. He always had this crush on you but he didn’t want to admit it, denying it even because he thought he would never see you again.

 You blushed a little and looked at the time. Oh, you had to start preparing dinner. “Well, Tyler. It was nice to talk to you but I have to start preparing dinner or there someone won’t be happy about it.”, you said chuckling and being honest with him. “Okay, I’ll talk to you in two days, same time?”, he said beaming at you. You liked his smile so much and it was weird you could still make him smile like that. “Yeah, good for me. See you then.”, you said ending the call.

You walked out your office with a wide smile on your face – a faint pink blush on your cheeks. You couldn’t believe Tyler made you blush or smile like that again. You did still had feelings for him. “Did Daddy tell when the next call is going to be?”, the little lookalike asked you, still watching TV. “Yeah, the day after the tomorrow.”, you answered smiling at him. “I’m going to start preparing dinner, okay. So can you stay in the living room so I can keep an eye on you?”, you said sternly. “Okay, okay, Mommy.”, he said with his hands in the air. The little one had an attitude, you thought to yourself while you chuckled at the sight.

[lhugbereth]

Ah hi i was that anon that send u the iceskaterau and omg thank u!(u might have noticed, but i usually send prompts ending with 3 pervyemojis(ﾟωﾟ)srry if i spam u sometimes and thank you for answering every one!)（╹◡╹）and i got a lot more ideas! They invite eachother to watch their contests. Some people foundout about them, they made it to the headlines: love on ice. Gladio getting jealous of Prompto skating partner.Gladio teaching Prompto hockey but he somehow made it look elegant while doing it

Pervyemoji Anon, I love all of your sweet ideas! Thank you for starting this whole hockey/skater AU idea

Cheesy Cheese under the cut!! v v v

- Gladio isn’t really sure what he should call Prompto. He thinks they’re “seeing each other,” which to him means they sleep over at each other’s places a lot, have a lot of really, really good sex, and watch each other’s games/competitions when they can. Yet he also knows there’s more to it than that. There’s the texting, late at night and early in the morning. The smiles and the meaningful glances, the lightness he feels in his chest when they kiss. Not to mention going out for coffee, movies-and-chill nights (which actually sometimes involve just chilling together), and all the little things in between that make him wonder how he ended up falling so hard, so fast.

- He’s hesitant to use the word “love.” That word only ever gets people in trouble.

- But when he walks into the rink one day to see Prompto already on the ice, his hands around the waist of a beautiful young woman as they skate together in perfect unison, Gladio doesn’t know how else to explain the sudden and overwhelming pang of jealousy. It’s all he can do to keep from rushing into the rink and pulling them apart.

- Instead, he settles for skating out toward them with his hands in his pocket and his mouth set in a frown. “Hey,” he says flatly, looking from the girl to Prompto and back again.

- The pair skate to a stop. Prompto flashes him an oblivious smile. “Gladdy! You were late this morning, so Luna and I got started without you.”

- Luna?

- The young woman smiles as she holds out her hand to him. “Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. You must be the special friend Prom keeps telling me stories about.” From the way she’s smiling at him, lips curved at the corners in amusement, it’s clear that Prompto’s been telling her a lot more than just stories.

- “I’m Gladio, yeah. Did I miss something here?”

- “Oh, Luna’s in town to watch the competition this week. Her brother’s back in the men’s solo cup this season since he got banned from...pair skate….” Prompto flushes, glancing quickly at Luna as if worried he’s said too much. But she’s still busy appraising Gladio and doesn’t seem too bothered by it. “We were doing some warm ups while we waited for you.”

- Gladio grunts. He’s still caught up in the shock of having walked in on them, of having seen Prom’s hands on someone else, and even though he knows it’s stupid, he can’t shake the feeling of jealousy.

- Luckily for him, Luna seems to read his tight frown. She excuses herself, skating to the other end of the rink to practice jumps while giving the two men some privacy. Prompto quickly takes over, his eyes and smile bright as he draws up Gladio’s hands in his and begins to pull him across the ice. “Luna’s probably the best skater in Tenebrae,” he explains while they move together, starting with their footwork routine. “She and her brother won gold in the pair skate Gran Prix last year, but…. Ravus got in trouble.”

- From what Gladio knows of Tenebraens (which comes from his games against their hockey team, the Oracles), that surprises him. Despite a little elitism, they’re usually known for their exceptionally good sportsmanship. “What’d he do?”

- Prompto flushes again, but his smirk speaks volumes. “He fucked one of the judges during the finals.”

- Gladio snorts. As they skate together, hand in hand and with Prompto’s smile on him, his mood gradually improves. They do some drills, some speed runs, and Gladio shows off just how much better he’s gotten at graceful stops. Prompto smiles and praises him, catches up behind him and wraps his arms around his solid waist in the same manner he'd been holding Luna when he arrived. "I'd love to really skate with you one day," he says against his neck.

- Gladio feels it again, that lightness in his chest, and despite Prompto being a good head shorter, he leans back against his frame. "If you've got the patience to teach me."

- Lips against the rough-shaven line of his jaw finally bring out his smile. "Only if you've got the time to learn."

- Gladio thinks that yeah, he's got all the time in the world for Prom.

- A sudden flash of light and the rapid click of a camera shutter startle them both out of the moment. They turn in time to see two figures, one tall and lean, the other short and portly, making a run for the exit. Luna is already shouting after them, her skates flying off at the edge of the rink as she starts to give chase.

- "Gladio, who was -- ?!"

- He doesn't hear the rest. Putting all his years of endurance and stamina training to the test, Gladio hops the side of the rink and goes barreling after the cameramen. His skates are going to be ruined, he can hear the metal scraping on the concrete floor as each foot comes down, but in the end it's all for nothing. He and Luna lose sight of the men in the parking lot out back.

- Prompto comes racing out a moment later. Gladio is sitting on the ground, swearing darkly as he tugs his skates off his feet, and Luna looks like she's going to cry. "Who the fuck were they?"

- "I'm so sorry, Prompto," Luna says softly. She reaches for him, catches sight of Gladio’s feral glare, and shrinks back. "Ever since the thing with Ravus… They've been following us. I didn’t imagine they'd be here in Insomnia, too, but…."

- Paparazzi. Gladio knows all about them. About how they once hounded his father after another player had been snubbed for the Hall of Fame in favor of Clarus. There had been heated tension among the NHL community for months. The dirty journalists had thrived on it.

- And how they had gotten a shot of him and Prompto on the ice. It was only a matter of time before that bomb dropped and their...relationship made public. What would happen then? Clarus had barely managed to hold onto his career in the midst of the rumors, even with Regis Caelum at his side. Gladio’s name might save him, but Prompto…?

- "What are we gonna do, Gladdy? What if that picture gets out?" Chewing his lip, Prompto looks frantically between him and Luna. His eyes are round, red, scared. He's holding back tears. He thinks that maybe they can deny it, claim the photo was shopped, but Gladio is well aware that there’s no quelling the rumors once they start. They really have only one option at this point - to beat the paparazzi at their own game. But they've got to act fast.

- And as soon as they're done, Gladio swears he’s going to find those assholes and rip them limb from limb.

- The photo does indeed get printed on the front page of the next morning’s sports tabloids. "Amicitia and Argentum heating things up on the ice!" reads the headline, but by then it's already old news. Between the three of them (mostly Luna), every social media site on the web had blown up overnight. A single selfie, much clearer than any paparazzi shot, showed Gladio’s smile pressed to Prompto’s ear and their hands curled together in a heart at the bottom of the frame. The hashtag #boyfriendsonice (also Luna’s idea) was trending in a matter of hours. Prompto (who had already come out publicly) wrote a touching message to his fans, thanking them for their support as he explored this new, wonderful relationship with his hunky hockey player.  

- Gladio, who was less active online, got his teammates to help spread the word. The homepage for the Insomnia Kings hosted the selfie, too, with the caption, “Love is love, no matter what team you skate for!” (This one earned Gladio a call in the middle of the night from Clarus, of course, but that was still preferable over the alternatives).

- In the end, the show of support was overwhelming. They were still getting heartfelt letters and gifts from fans days later, and tickets to Gladio’s game that weekend ended up selling out. He had to pull some strings to get rinkside seats for Luna and Prompto. But amidst all the cheering and the limelight, he was grateful to know they were there. Luna had quickly proven herself a true friend, and Prompto….

- Well, Gladio no longer had any doubts about what he felt for his brave, beautiful boyfriend. And he was certainly done with hiding it. 

[feralchildact-blog]

Head Injury Prevention in Ice Skating

Physical movement is a basic piece of being solid. In youngsters, movement helps fabricate solid bones and muscles, diminishes the probability of creating corpulence, and advances positive emotional well-being. Youngsters are prescribed to have a hour or a greater amount of physical action day by day.

In the United States, more than 30 million youngsters and teenagers take an interest in sports. Of that number, roughly 3.5 million youngsters and youths ages fourteen and under are harmed yearly while taking an interest in recreational exercises. In 2002, The National Safe Kids Campaign evaluated that 13,700 kids were dealt with in doctor's facility crisis spaces for ice skating related wounds. A significant number of these are preventable head wounds if defensive hardware, for example, protective caps or radiances, is utilized.

Coasting over the ice, with the cool breeze whipping over a skater's face is an invigorating inclination. One push can move a skater far down the shimmering, frigid surface. Stressing over a head injury is frequently a long way from a skater's psyche, the same number of members don't know about the likelihood of head injury from ice skating. The objectives of this article are to bring issues to light about potential head injury from ice skating and to advance the utilization of protective caps in skating, like what is required in cycling, skiing, and ice hockey.

Audit of Injury Statistics

A blackout is a mellow type of head injury, more often than not because of a hit to the head, which may cause confusion, memory misfortune, or obviousness. Rehashed blackouts and loss of awareness can bring about horrendous cerebrum injury or TBI.

An expected 10% of all head and spinal rope wounds are because of games related exercises. Socially, competitors can feel undue weight from family, mentors, and colleagues to come back to play rapidly after a head injury. These impacts can keep a competitor from getting the restorative care he or she requires. Specifically, guardians and mentors can push their kids too hard trying to satisfy their own particular athletic yearnings. Competitors who come back to play too early or who endure rehashed injury to the head can create endless horrendous encephalopathy, or CTE, whose indications can incorporate hindered discourse, perplexity, tremors, and mental decay. Most as of late, CTE picked up media consideration when a settlement was come to with the National Football League, or NFL and a large number of players and families. The case, which included more than 4,500 offended parties, requires the NFL to pay for medicinal exams, pay, and research identified with head wounds managed while playing proficient football. Offended parties are focused on making the amusement more secure at all levels and to instruct general society; including guardians of the four million kids who play youth and secondary school football. Offended parties are focused on helping the attention on player security stream down to the young level.

Mindfulness and training are enter factors in injury prevention and come back to play choices. At the point when a competitor endures a head injury, a sideline evaluation utilizing the Standardized Assessment of Concussion ought to be finished by a medicinal expert. In the event that a doctor isn't accessible, the mentor can finish a fundamental appraisal, until the point when restorative consideration is accessible. The evaluation incorporates trial of eye reaction, verbal reaction, and engine reaction. Advising a tyke to "shake it off" could gravely affect the kid's long haul wellbeing.

Research presumed that security measures in sorted out games ought to incorporate head protector necessities. There are roughly 230,000 instances of hospitalization because of horrendous mind injury every year of which 80,000 endure long haul incapacity and 50,000 outcome in fatalities. Five to twenty percent of these wounds are acquired amid sports and recreational exercises. Composed group activities, specifically football, soccer and ice hockey, have high examples of blackout yearly notwithstanding recreational games, for example, skating and bicycling. Caps that are appropriately fitted and worn by members of these exercises can help decrease the danger of head injury among members.

Games and Helmet Rules

Cycling

In March 2003, proficient cyclist Andrey Kivilev crashed into two different riders amid the Paris Nice ride. Kivilev was not wearing a cap and launch head leading his bike. He fell instantly into a state of insensibility and was determined to have a genuine skull crack. Kivilev experienced surgery, however passed on presently because of the seriousness of the head injury. He was 29 years of age and the pioneer of the Cofidis cycling group. His demise set off the International Cycling Union, or UCI to actualize obligatory wearing of caps in all embraced races.

Caps secure the head by diminishing the rate at which the skull and the cerebrum are quickened and decelerated amid an effect adequately going about as a safeguard between the power of the effect and the mind. Upon affect, the polystyrene liner of the cap smashes in this manner dispersing vitality over a more extensive zone. Founding compulsory cap strategies in sports ends up being a troublesome and dubious issue. In spite of the fact that exploration has exhibited that protective caps decrease injury in low speed crashes, head protector prove isn't definitive as for fast crashes. Kivilev's mishap happened at roughly 35 kilometers for every hour or around 22 miles for every hour which is considered generally low speed. At the time, he was positioned among the best 100 racers on the planet.

Because of his prominent in the worldwide cycling group, Kivilev's demise lifted the protective cap wrangle into the media spotlight. Following this original UCI govern change, USA Cycling additionally modified their cap arrangement to give that with a specific end goal to have an occasion authorized by USA Cycling, all members are required to wear protective caps.

In recreational cycling in the United States, bike head protector laws can differ broadly. Right now, just twenty one states and the District of Columbia have established head protector laws for bicyclists underneath a particular age, which is by and large 16 years of age. California requires head protectors for riders 18 years and more youthful and just the Virgin Islands requires caps for all riders. Twenty nine states have no bike head protector laws at present set up.

Analysts directed an examination which shows head protector use. This examination specifically watched 841 youngsters in Texas who took an interest in bike riding, in line skating, skateboarding, and bike riding over an eight week time span. Though protective cap rules shift province to region inside Texas, most areas require caps for riders age 16 years of age and more youthful. This examination utilized an arbitrarily chose test of kids taking part in such exercises from groups with populaces equivalent to or more noteworthy than 1000. Kids under 6 years of age, females and those riding on determined bicycle ways were found to wear head protectors more habitually than other youngsters.

A few factors regularly add to youngsters not wearing head protectors. Amid hotter months, kids grumble about high temperatures and in like manner are less disposed or willing to wear their head protectors as riders feel they don't have legitimate ventilation inside the cap. Parental information and mindfulness is another contributing component. Guardians are frequently new to pertinent head protector laws nor are they educated of the potential dangers of injury coming about because of the inability to wear appropriate security hardware. In an examination looking at information from1990 2005, there were in abundance of 6,000,000 instances of youngsters age 18 years of age and more youthful treated in crisis spaces for bike related wounds.

Skiing

In March 2009, performer Natasha Richardson maintained a head injury while taking a standard, fledgling ski lesson. At first she rejected medicinal consideration, however after seven hours, she was admitted to the healing facility experiencing an epidural hematoma, a kind of horrible mind injury. She capitulated to her wounds and passed on the next day. Michael Kennedy, child of Robert F. Kennedy, passed on in 1997 after a skiing mischance in Aspen, Colorado. After seven days, Sonny Bono, TV star and government official, kicked the bucket on the slants of South Lake Tahoe. Richardson, Kennedy, and Bono were not wearing head protectors.

Analysts examined injury rates at the three biggest ski zones in Scotland amid three winter seasons. The examination found that first day members are at an expanded danger of injury due to a limited extent to low expertise levels among the learners. They inferred that first day members ought to be focused in instructive projects about rigging choice and defensive hardware.

An investigation of skiers and snowboarders was directed in Colorado where around 10 fatalities happen yearly. Among the lethally harmed, head injury demonstrated the reason for death in 87.5% of the cases and none were wearing protective caps. Of the 400 skiers and snowboarders admitted to the doctor's facility with horrendous cerebrum wounds, just five were wearing head protectors. In the most genuine case, the patient climbed off a 40 foot precipice, arrived on his head, splitting his protective cap into equal parts. While he maintained a serious blackout with obviousness, the figured geography, or CT examine demonstrated negative and with inpatient restoration, the patient has made a full recuperation and is going to school.

In 2011, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie marked a bill into law requiring all skiers and snowboarders under 18 years to wear protective caps with the goal to lessen head wounds on the inclines. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger marked a comparative bill in 2010 however the measure was invalidated after his veto of a buddy charge that would have required California ski resorts to submit security designs and reports to state authorities. At the expert levels, the representing collection of skiing, the Federation Internationale de Ski, requires a head protector as obligatory hardware for all declining and Super G occasions.

Ice Hockey

In 1968, Bill Masterson of the Minnesota North Stars landed headfirst on the ice in the wake of being checked by two players from the Oakland Seals. He was not wearing a cap and as an immediate outcome passed on because of the seriousness of his head injury. Preceding this occurrence, the caps utilize had been disparaged which added to an absence of far reaching use. Be that as it may, as an outcome of this episode, the shame encompassing the utilization of protective caps started to decrease and eventually in 1979, the National Hockey League, or NHL established a required head protector strategy. The arrangement did not have any significant bearing consistently at the start as certain veteran players were grandfathered out of the new necessity. Such players chose to keep playing without protective caps close by new players who were subject the arrangement. At first, the NHL and the players themselves confronted brutal feedback from fans and the media. In spite of the reasonable proof of dangers related without head protectors, some trusted the arrangement hurt the trustworthiness of the diversion and reduced the players' manliness.

Since the strategy was first founded over three decades back, huge research supporting the esteem and requirement for protective caps has been recorded. The hockey group has turned out to be strong of the control change especially as countless hockey fans have never encountered the game in which head protectors were not utilized and required. Likewise with numerous components of expert games, the cap approach was then established inside youth hockey. The young hockey representing board, USA Hockey, not just requires all players to wear head protectors, they have commanded that all caps utilized by the players must be affirmed by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council, or HECC. Furthermore, starting in 2006, USA Hockey stretched out the head protector necessity to mentors who must wear caps amid on ice hone. The prerequisite for mentors gives the double advantage of expanded security for all on ice members and additionally an open door for the expert figure to demonstrate proper wellbeing hones. This keeps on fortifying the esteem and significance of the utilization of wellbeing hardware and thusly limits any remaining shame related with wearing head protectors on the ice.

Keeping in mind the end goal to meet the necessities of the HECC, all caps must experience thorough testing methods including, without constraint, checking the adequacy of the scope region, the nature of the defensive material, and the level of stun ingestion. Beside the determinations, the age, measure of utilization and sort of every cap all serve to affect the protective cap's adequacy. The utilization of head protectors with facial security has demonstrated successful to altogether diminish player injury at the novice level. Though ice hockey is by nature a physical game and checking is a noteworthy reason for injury, the potential for injury is elevated further because of speed and surface pressure. An investigation was led an investigation of 192 secondary schools in which 7,257 games related wounds from 20 unique games were accounted for. From this aggregate example, 1,056, or 14.6% of wounds were blackouts, 24% of which were managed amid young men's ice hockey.

Ice Skating

In 1999, United Skates Pairs figure skaters, J. Paul Binnebose and Laura Handy were on track to make the 2002 Olympic group. While preparing at the University of Delaware, with Coach Ron Luddington, Binnebose fell on the ice, breaking his skull. He endured seizures, his heart ceased twice, and he was in a state of extreme lethargy. Specialists evacuated a bit of his skull, enabling his cerebrum to swell without weight and mend. He was given a 10% possibility of survival. Against the chances, he recuperated.

Despite the fact that the media broadly promotes big name sports related accidents, J. Paul Binnebose was not a notable star the world over. His story did not get worldwide media consideration, but rather it is notable inside the figure skating world. He and his mentor have been progressing in the direction of a cap manage in skating for over 10 years. They fight that a large number of the skating related wounds could be anticipated or limited with the utilization of a head protector.

Research proposes this idea is right. An examination of pediatric skating related wounds was led in the years 1993-2003. The specialists tested 1,235,467 kids from crisis rooms with skating related wounds. Non arbitrary, intentional inspecting was utilized as a part of this investigation. The information was gathered from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, or NEISS, and the U.S. Buyer Product Safety Commission, known as CPSC.

The NEISS framework has purchaser item codes for each kind of movement. Wounds were recognized as ice skating, roller skating, or in line skating related, and coded as needs be. Ice hockey, roller hockey, and skateboarding were prohibited from the investigation. Factors incorporated the tyke's sexual orientation and age, site of the injury, sort of skating movement, system of injury, utilization of defensive gear, and the injury determination. Further, the wounds were classified into 5 districts of the body.

The Centers for Disease Control report amid the years 2001-2005, more than 200,000 crisis room visits for blackouts and other awful cerebrum wounds were recorded every year in the United States. Of those, 65% were observed to be youngsters ages 5 18 years of age who were taking an interest in a game or recreational action. Kids are at a more serious hazard for horrendous cerebrum wounds with expanded seriousness and a drawn out recuperation. Thirty classifications of games and diversion head wounds were inspected. The vast majority of the games exhibited 2 7% yearly crisis room visits for blackouts and horrible cerebrum wounds. Be that as it may, horseback riding, off-road vehicle riding, and ice skating revealed the most astounding occasions of crisis room visits for awful mind wounds, with ice skating at 11.4%. Horseback riding and off-road vehicle riding are exercises where an auxiliary power conveys the member at a conceivably high rate of speed; ice skating is a self pushed movement.

Analysts examined 419 youngsters with wounds from ice skating, skateboarding, roller skating, and in line skating with the emphasis on head injury. Most wounds were to the face; 23 of 60 cases, 38.3%; and 12 extra wounds were to the head; 20%. Grown-up supervision was accounted for in 98.2% of the cases, and 78% detailed no defensive hardware utilize. The extent of head wounds among ice skaters was more noteworthy than the members in different sorts of skating, for which cap utilize is prescribed or required. At present, there are no formal rules with respect to the utilization of defensive gear in ice skating; in any case, ponders demonstrate head protector utilize ought to be commanded for kids.

An investigation of 80 patients who went to the Accident Service at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for ice skating related wounds found that 56% were apprentice skaters, characterized as having skated under 10 times. Eighty more than two percent of the patients were 11 to 25 years of age. The examination recommends that youngsters who are learner skaters will probably maintain injury than experienced skaters. Other research considers demonstrate comparative outcomes. In an investigation of 43 patients admitted to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital with ice skating related wounds, 65% were first time skaters. The examination discovered requirement for expanded open mindfulness about the danger of potential injury from ice skating and for protection measures to enhance security.

Insurance agencies unequivocally ask skating offices to post a notice capability of dangers at the passage of the structures, which discharges the offices from general risk. Notwithstanding, individuals going to ice skating arenas are not all around educated about the potential dangers of the action before landing. Frequently they don't read posted bulletins. On the off chance that gave the foundation learning, ahead of their visit to the ice skating arena, numerous visitors would have the chance to bring wellbeing hardware from home. A need exists for an open mindfulness battle.

Beneficial outcome of Sports Involvement

An ice skating arena is a place for youngsters to visit all the time, amid their out of educational time, to participate in positive, fun work out. The way to helping the tyke make the most of their experience, and keep on returning to the ice skating arena, is to ensure they have a positive initially encounter. This may not mean turning into a specialist skater, but rather getting to be noticeably capable on the ice that he/she can have a positive social affair and be "ice safe." all together for this to happen, the members must figure out how to skate with the best possible wellbeing hardware, including caps. When they take in the ability, he/she will keep on returning to the office with their companions. Having a positive place to go amid out of educational time will enable the youngsters to keep away from unsafe practices.

Conclusion

Cycling, skiing, and hockey have rolled out improvements in their security rules in light of the patterns and insights of head wounds in the game. As the overseeing body for skating, the International Skating Union, known as the ISU needs to make a move to require overall protective cap use for skaters. Once the ISU ventures out, nations can consolidate head protector rules into essential preparing projects and start an open mindfulness crusade. Decreasing the episodes of head injury will enhance the general security of the game. As security enhances, more individuals will keep taking part in the game of ice skating.