#hockey love is truly the most pure kind of love and this year was a fairytale thanks @ our boysss

[39oa]

Talk Hockey To Me

tagged by beloved @txstars T__T <3 thank uuu as always

1. The thing that got you hooked on hockey

it's hard to pinpoint one moment because i honestly genuinely believe that it's the best sport in the world just in terms of pure mechanics and objective viewing enjoyment and live crowd atmosphere so it's easy to get hooked once you actually watch it... i've been on and off with hockey fandom itself and took a few years away from tumblr until recently but i'd say it was a mix of just watching games + discovering fandom spaces on tumblr/reading fic on ao3 + having a decent home team at the time + canadian tax etc.

2. Your first ever fandom friend

ngl i think most of the people i first met in hockey fandom eventually moved onto bts (or k-pop in general) lmfaooo but i met @regularseason when i was in 11th grade making connor mcdavid gifsets and now i am somehow 25 years old. we have seen so much on this vast internet together ❤️ 

3. The jersey you would most like to own

MOOTERUS BROS RISE UP ☝️🐮  absolutely my favorite jersey of all time i genuinely don't think any other design comes close. i also really love the stars rr 2.0 but i finally bit the bullet and bought it so that's out... another top contender would be sabres goathead 🐐 and maybe mighty ducks era pkariya, also i think the sharks rr 2.0 with the spin on the seals logo is sooo cute and i love the og sharks logo designed by terry smith as well... specifically the classic late 90s teal jersey. and my fav regular home jersey of current teams is the kraken :')

i have way too many opinions on jerseys honestly. if i could pick some from my warmup jersey database then i lovelovelove the habs 2023 bhm and pride designs (i have apparel for both of these...), the leafs indigenous celebration design, and the kraken women in hockey design. gorgeous girls!!!!!

4. YOUR player (you only get ONE so choose wisely)

:saluting_face: there is only one guy for me... jr21! (real talk like a big part of why i got into the stars and came back to sports tumblr was because of him despite having 0 geographical ties to texas LOL. admittedly there was some superficiality involved at first in seeing an asian guy achieve top-line star status against the restrictive pains of bones hockey but then i was like oh your game is actually efficient and understated as hell? and it kind of spiraled out from there. my favorite deceptively abnormal "boring" guy!!!)

5. A pairing that deserves more fic

i will echo 2124 💚 but i am part of the problem for having 4 partial aus in one doc and not actually writing anything of substance for them... otherwise there are a ton of rarepairs i could argue in favor of but i feel like i'd sound insane. where is the otter/woll boston goaliefic... where is mitch/nrob with robo being vaguely horrified but trying to be supportive of his brother's poor decision making skills. where is my sabresfic and kidsline shenanigans in general......... also if we're going back to the stars then 2141 honestly have so much untapped potential wrt Why Are You Both So Weird Can You Please [Redacted] About It. but you get the gist i'm sure!!!

6. Your favourite on-ice moment

my memory does NOT go that far back. whatever is the most embarrassing thing to have ever happened to some guy i hate is good enough for me

THEN

link someone else's art/fic/etc that you love & think everyone should check out

immediately the first thing that came to mind is that i still think zoe's 2129 primer is one of the most fantastic and comprehensive labors of love this fandom has ever seen... truly one of the major backbones of starsblr. honestly despite hockey fandom not being quite what it used to be on here i think there are sooo so many great creators making stars content and i am immensely grateful to all the gifmakers + artists + writers who constantly feed me no matter what time of year it is!!! i'm kind of shy but you know who you are... TT__TT

AND

link something you made & are proud of & want people to see

\o/ i desperately do not like any of the things i make and i am already grateful to the people who have looked at my measly creations before so thank you!

tagging @regularseason @iamidentical @pupuhintz @slagkovsky @supersoftsports... apologies if you've already been tagged and no pressure as always but pls feel free to if you'd like ❤️

[midnightsnyx]

Consequences - Matthew Tkachuk: epilogue

summary: you absolutely hate Matthew Tkachuk so it’s just your luck when you wind up pregnant with his child.

a/n: this is the end! i don’t even know where to start! i wanna say sorry real quick for how long its taken me to post the epilogue. i just wanted it to be as perfect as i could manage for you guys! 

i want to thank every single person from the bottom of my heart who read this little series i wrote and took the time to like, reblog or send me a message! it truly means to world to me and i hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as i did writing it. 

so thank you all, so, so, so much! 

also, here is a poll that @hannahmb​ did up for me because im literally a grandma when it comes to some stuff and it’s ideas for the next series im going to write.

anyways i’ll stop rambling now lol

- allie 

Epilogue

“Henry Eli Tkachuk!” You yell. “Get your little butt down here right now.”

The patter of tiny feet echos through the hallway and you watch your five-year-old slide into the kitchen, nearly crashing into the wall. He’s as clumsy as his father, which you didn’t think was possible.

He looks at you curiously, eyebrow raised and hands on his hips - the spitting image of Matt.

“Yes, mama?”

You point to a plate of cupcakes on the countertop. “There were twenty cupcakes here ten minutes ago.”

“Yeah.”

“There are only fifteen now.” You raise an eyebrow. “Do you know what that means?”

“That someone was hungry?”

“Henry.”

“Mama.” 

“Who ate the cupcakes?” 

He shrugs his shoulders and giggles before running off towards his bedroom. It’s possible that he ate them but there are seven other people in the house who could have. You can eliminate at least three, maybe four out of the seven which is why you find yourself calling out to your husband and his other half. Unlike Henry, Matt actually crashes into the wall when he comes running down the hallway. Though to be fair, you’re pretty certain that Brady pushed him. 

“Yes, dear?” 

“The cupcakes.” You raise an eyebrow, eyes darting between the two Tkachuk brothers standing in front of you. “Who ate them?”

“Not me,” Brady says, hands raised defensively. 

“I didn’t either!” Matt says and you’re pretty sure that one of them is lying but then Johnny walks into the kitchen, two cupcakes in one of his hands, and is taking a bite out of another one.

“Dude, these are-”

“Johnny!” The three of you exclaim at the same time. 

“What?” He mumbles around a mouthful. “They were just sitting there.”

“They are for Nell’s birthday!” 

“Ellie’s birthday party is today?” He asks in confusion and you sigh, shaking your head. Why did you think it was a good idea to invite a bunch of constantly hungry hockey players to your three-year-olds party? 

“Everyone, out.” You say, waving your hand dismissively. They all clear out with the exception of your husband who slowly walks towards you. 

“Will you hit me if I touch you?” He jokes and you roll your eyes but let him wrap you in a warm hug. The two of you have come a long way, you’re the perfect epitome of enemies to lovers story but you wouldn’t change anything. Especially because of what you’ve gained along the journey. 

“How’s the bun in the oven?” He asks and you pull away, raising an eyebrow.

“I hope you mean the baby and not Eleanor's birthday cake because I think it may have burned.” 

His eyes widen and he rushes over to the oven, pulling the cake out. Luckily, you caught it in time and there’s only a little black on top that can be brushed off.

“Why didn’t you just order one from the store?” He asks, picking up a cupcake and taking a bite. You sigh, realizing that you’re going to have to make more due to the fact that everyone is eating them.

“Homemade cakes are the best.” You answer quietly and he just nods his head, not questioning the vagueness of your answer.

“Attention everyone! I found a wild child in the backyard!” Brady calls, walking in the kitchen with your toddler sitting on his shoulders. She’s laughing loudly, clinging onto his hair. 

Curls as wild as Matt’s and eyes just as blue, Eleanor Ruth Tkachuk graced the world with her presence 3 years ago. After Henry, you weren’t sure you wanted more than one kid because life with just him and Matthew was absolutely perfect but you didn’t know that it could get even better until she arrived. 

“There’s my princess!” Matt says, taking Nell from Brady. She happily goes with him, grabbing a hold of his hair too. You watch your husband wince but the look of pure love in his eyes when he looks at her isn’t like anything you’ve ever seen.

“Warrior Princess.” Brady corrects and Matthew nods seriously. 

“Daddy, cake!” She squeals, pointing to the cupcakes and reaching towards them. Matthew spins around and starts walking away to get her attention off them. “Let’s go find nana.” 

You watch the two of them walk outside, hand unconsciously resting on your belly. Baby number three was kind of an accident. You and Matt weren’t exactly trying for another but you weren’t doing anything to stop it. You both decided that if anything was meant to happen, it would. And it did, obviously but you weren’t surprised because you’re pretty sure Matt secretly wants an army of Tkachuk’s due to the number of times you’d had sex before you became pregnant again. 

But it didn’t bother you, the idea of a bunch of mini you and Matt’s running around. It certainly wasn’t something you really envisioned in your future and you never realized how much you really wanted a family until after Matt.

“How’s Brady Jr.?” 

You grin at Brady who’s leaning against the counter.

“Still not named Brady Jr.,” you say, starting to get the cake ready to be decorated. “But he’s doing great.” 

Brady smiles and opens his mouth to say something but Chantal walks in the room, cutting him off. 

“Honey, go help your father finish decorating.” She says, shooing him out of the room before starting to help you get the last of the food ready. The two of you work efficiently and in silence, something you’re used to when getting things done with Chantal’s help. You’ll never be able to thank her for everything she’s done for you since she came into your life. Being with Matt meant gaining an entire family who was the most tight-knit, caring, and encouraging family you’ve ever known. 

They didn’t have to accept you as easily and quickly as they did and you’ll always be grateful for them. 

. . .

Long after the birthday party settles down after the kids are asleep, Henry curled up with his head in your lap and Nell tucked in Matt’s arms, and all the adults sitting around the fire pit in the backyard, you take a minute to reflect on how much your life has changed in the last six years. Longer, if you count how long you’ve actually known Matt. You never would have guessed that this is where life would have led you, how crossing paths with Matt changed you as a person, and changed your entire world forever.

How you learned, loved, and gained so much in these past years. 

How lucky you are.

“What are you thinking about?” Matt whispers, nudging you gently. You turn to look at him, his eyes warm and smile gentle.

“You. Us.” 

“All good things, I hope?” He jokes and you smile, pulling him close so that you can kiss him softly.

“Always.” 

[secretlittlerandezvous]

Intimidating - Victor Hedman

Summary: The reader is good friends with Alex Killeen and some of the other players. At a party, she meets Victor Hedman for the first time and immediately feels intimidated by him until he decides to surprise her with the sweetest thing possible.

Notes: I obviously suck at coming up with names for the stories - my apologies 🙈

Words: 1265

“And you, you scare people because you are whole all by yourself.” - Lauren Alex Hooper

Being close friends with a hockey player without a doubt meant many perks. I could go to any game whenever I wanted and it was never a problem for me to bring a friend because Alex got me a seasonal ticket every year and when I needed he’d make sure my company would get good seats as well. I could proudly smile whenever someone (be it in public or in the media) mentioned how good Alex was or that he scored. He liked to bring me to the empty ice rink whenever I was sad or sometimes purely because it was fun, and he loved to teach me how to play hockey. Most importantly it meant being in a good company of his teammates who were all nice and funny guys and one could never be bored with them. They’d randomly come knocking on my door and hang out in the living room and they’d text me to arrive to whatever bar or arcade they were at. Not only Alex but also Sergy, Cirelli, Point, and Erik became some of my closest friends.

There were still players I haven’t met. Usually, the ones who were married with children already and they naturally didn’t have time or interest in partying or playing video games or just hanging out while doing absolutely nothing. But that was about to change as Alex 31st birthday was coming up and everyone (myself included) was invited to the party.

“Happy birthday you old man!” I said cheerfully as I put the gifts on the floor next to me so I could hug Alex.

“I’m in a good mood so I’m gonna ignore the fact that you called me an old man.” He chuckled. “Glad you’re here Y/n.”

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” I smiled at him.

“Well, the food and drinks are pretty much everywhere as you can see,” he said as he pointed at all the tables in the kitchen as well as in the living room that were full of food, snacks, and all kinds of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. “The boys are in the living room and I asked them to introduce you to the rest throughout the night. So, suit yourself and have fun.” He smiled and ran away just as quickly as he came to me to greet the new quests.

And the boys did exactly what Alex told me they would do. For the first hour and it was just me and the boys hid in the corner or in the kitchen depending on which room was at the moment less crowded and we talked about life, what was new and what stayed the same, we joked around and drank and completely forgot about the rest of the people around us. Later others started to join us or stopped by to say hi and chat for a bit and that was probably the reason why the boys remembered they were supposed to introduce me to the team. And so, I met the entire team of the Tampa Bay Lighting. Or at least I thought.

One man still remained. The man who distanced himself as much as he possibly could, the man who never talked to more than three people at once and even then, he was usually quiet and let the other person talk. Victor Hedman. Of course, I knew who he was, and I adored him for his talent and loved watching him on the ice. From everyone, I knew he was one of the nicest and warmest people out there. But in real life, I felt quite the opposite. He was taller than any man I’ve met in my entire life, taller than anyone else in the room or in the team, generally bigger and stronger than others. Just watching him from the distance I felt smaller and shorter than usual and it didn’t feel nice. His face was beautiful however I couldn’t say if he was more sad or serious or even angry. He looked serious for the most part and when he randomly smiled I for some reason thought it was the saddest smile I’ve ever seen.

“And at least but definitely not last, Victor Hedman,” Sergy announced as he pulled Victor away from the people he was talking to and dragged him to us. “Hedy, this is Y/n, Alex’ friend we’ve been telling you about.”

“Hey,” he said, his voice was deep but still softer than I expected it to be.

“Hi,” I said back as I shook his hand. I felt my cheeks turn red simply from the fact that this man for many reasons felt so intimidating and I didn’t know how to deal with it. His huge figure and serious face made me lose all my confidence. I felt unsure, nervous, and slightly frightened in his presence although he didn’t do anything bad in fact the truly seemed to be nice to people, he knew.

Shortly after the encounter, I went outside to get some fresh air, pick up my confidence, and put myself together so I could return back to the party without being nervous and intimidated by a man who just happened to be as huge as he was but did absolutely nothing wrong. It was irrational and rude of me to get scared and be frightened when there truly was no other reason than his figure to make me feel this way about his. I always tried not to judge people by their looks and I never did for the most part and happily got to know the people before forming a certain opinion on them. But Victor Hedman didn’t make it any easier for me.

“Hi,” a low voice said behind me, making me shrug a little because it caught me off guard and I immediately turned around to see who it was. To my surprise, it was Victor standing a few feet behind me with a nervous look. “Alex started cutting the cake so I thought I would get you a piece before it’s all gone.” He said with a smile and nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

“Oh,” I breathed out from a shock but quickly got my act together and walked closer to him to take the cake from him. “Thank you,” I said smiling back at him.

And so we stood there in silence, in the dark as the warm summer wind gently brushed against our skin. I stood right next to him no longer scared and nervous but rather curious about this man and what he was truly like. From that moment I wanted to get to know him more than anyone else and couldn’t get this huge man out of my mind.

“Where are you going?” He asked with a slight Swedish accent when I turned around and reached for the door.

“Just wanted to get us a drink or something,” I mumbled and, in my mind, cursed myself for thinking it was a good idea to leave without saying a word.

“So, you’ll come back?”

I nodded, my cheeks turning red once again but this time not because he made me feel intimidated but because I took an interest in him and wanted to spend time with him alone. “I will.”

“That’s good,” he reached out for my hand and gently stroked it with his thumb. “I’d like to get to know you more.”

“That’s good,” I repeated after him. “Because I want the exact same thing.” I smiled.

[youtiaoshutiao]

i just finished "the romance of tiger and rose" and i have nothing to watch now :( do you have any cdrama recs?

hello!!!! sorry i got to this a week late my tumblr is like... neglected currently

anyway i’m so glad u enjoyed tiger and rose!!! i love it so much too :D for cdrama recs, omg it really depends on what u’re looking for!!!! i find it so hard to narrow down dramas that are my faves to recommend because i actually watch very little HAHA and i only watch to completion dramas that i really like anyway xD anyway i’ll just list a few that i’ve watched recently (meaning like... from mid 2019 till now) and really enjoyed!!!

period dramas:

- joy of life 庆余年 (2019): hard to describe this tonally because it’s v irreverant and hilarious yet moving and deep and suspenseful?! the first 15 episodes are fun and enjoyable but i think i really really truly got into it after that and became invested 100%. in my eyes it felt like a fervent love poem to life and the human condition especially towards the end. the characters are all very fascinating and there’s a lot of twisty plot twists. excellent acting and script writing. only caveat is that it’s the first season out of a planned 3 season series so it ends on a cliffhanger, and the female lead doesn’t really have as much agency compared to the other supporting female characters (mainly due to her circumstances and the role she plays i guess).

- young blood 大宋少年志 (2019): YOOO THIS is a huge lovelovelove for me, you have the most lovable squad consisting of 6 very different and generally lonely teenagers who get roped into this secret services thing where they deal with top secret government plots and stuff. and they start off all on the wrong foot and grow to LOVE EACH OTHER and RELY ON EACH OTHER and HAVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. *sobs just thinking about it* has many supporting characters that are interesting and whom u also get invested in. It’s an original script written by Wang Juan 王倦 who also wrote the joy of life script, except young blood is 100% original and not adapted from a webnovel! just like tiger and rose’s script, which is also an original script written by Nan Zhen. this is SUPER SUPER rare nowadays in cdramaland which is why i stan these 2 dramas so hard hahaha. caveat: young blood also ends on a kind of cliffhanger/open ending, but it still felt like the arcs that the entire series covered in terms of character development were well completed so i was okay with it. plus there are lots of hints that there’s also gonna be a season 2, though I think Wang Juan is still writing the script for that.

- under the power 锦衣之下 (2019/2020): this is the drama that tiger and rose is sometimes compared to in terms of how it became so popular unexpectedly. i would wholeheartedly recommend this 100% solely for the OTP which is a Tsundere Embroidered Uniform Guard (Ming-dynasty secret police) ML x Bubbly/talkative/street smart Constable FL. they are SUPER SUPER cute and the leads (who are both my faves) play them super well and their romantic development is presented really organically. the outfits esp the male lead’s are A+++ also and make him look super super hot. i like the OST too. however everything else is quite mediocre lol especially the special effects and the meandering sideplots and there was a whole plot arc that didn’t really make much sense because a lot was edited out because of censorship. STILL VERY ADDICTIVE THO

- the story of ming lan 知否知否应是绿肥红瘦 (2018/2019): a very long drama (but quite normal by cdrama standards lol) basically about the ~journey~ and ~growth~ of our protagonist minglan, unfavoured daughter of a concubine of a relatively high ranking civil servant. it’s a very different vibe to a lot of other cdramas in that it’s very slice-of-life and slow paced, but i think it’s fascinating how it showcases how women deal and work with the internal dynamics of a household in a patriarchal society, and how that affects societal and political affairs as well. her OTP with an unfavoured son from another family (lol) is also very very delicious as it’s basically 2 people who have gone thru a lot of Trauma as children treasuring each other/learning that they too are treasured by the other and them building their own family and household against all odds and evil family members. it’s v long and slow paced as i mentioned earlier but it’s very very rewarding!! and i think many of my tumblr mutuals would agree it’s quite a favourite :D

modern dramas:

(i’ll admit that i’ve only had the brainspace the past 1 year for fluffy brainless modern dramas so all these are just for the FLUFF)

- skate into love 冰糖炖雪梨 (2020): uni drama where the FL re-picks up her true love speed skating after abandoning it for Reasons and gets back into it competitively. her OTP is her primary school deskmate who is an ice hockey player. the otp is very very fun!! the ML has a lot of resentment towards FL initially because FL was quite the bully in primary school but i really like how they resolved it and eventually the ML falls first and falls Really Really Hard and it is Delicious. the career aspects was quite well done also and i really rooted for the FL to rediscover her passion and pick it up again, and also for the ML to become better at his craft. caveat: i actually still have 10 episodes to go as i stalled because i know there’s a couple of episodes coming up that are going to be frustrating because of typical Misunderstanding and Miscommunication blablabla. but that’s pretty common lolol and overall it’s still a cute watch.

- the 致我们 series consisting of 3 dramas : 

1) a love so beautiful 致我们单纯的小美好 (2017): high school drama basically tsundere male lead x bubbly female lead, they’ve been classmates since young and are next door neighbours, female lead has a crush on him since forever

2) put your head on my shoulder 致我们暖暖的小时光 (2019): set in uni, female lead’s doing an internship far from her school, male lead is a physics student and his parents have a flat for him that is near female lead’s internship place, BAM THEY ARE FLATMATES!

3) the love equations 致我们甜甜的小美满 (2020): uni drama, female lead is a chinese language major who loves writing forensic novels online, male lead is a forensic science major.

all 3 are really cute lolol. i put these 3 because i just watched the third one two months ago and i feel like i have to mention it in the context of the first 2 haha. the first 2 were definitely hits both domestically and internationally. i feel the 3rd one kind of flopped? in terms of reception compared to the first 2 and a lot of my drama mutuals couldn’t get into it, and i can understand why because it did feel more unpolished? in terms of directorial choices/the editing/the acting/the script. but i still somehow really loved it for some reason, i think some parts of the ML’s life esp his relationship with his mum really resonated with me, and i loved FL and her friendships with her dormmates so so so so much. so i really rooted for the OTP.  i think objectively in terms of quality i would rate them 2 > 1 > 3, but in terms of feels... i loved them all. and it’s all just pure fluff anyway at the end of the day HAHA.

ok i’m running out of time writing this hehe but also a quick shoutout to my 2 favourite youth/high school dramas forever - With You 最好的我们 (2015) and My Huckleberry Friends 你好旧时光 (2017) which are sister dramas/set in the same universe and imo, are the pinnacle of youth dramas and what it means to capture the anxieties/stresses/mundane joys/pain/beauty of the Chinese/Asian high school experience. 

there are many others from before 2019 that i watched and enjoyed but i didn’t put them in hehe. and i’m sorry HAHA i actually don’t have much trust in my own taste LOL but i hope it helps!!

ohhhh and i’ve been trying to avoid starting on new dramas because of Exam Prep but there’s been SO MANY airing lately that i’ve been interested in:

The Bad Kids 隐秘的角落: apparently super well done suspense/thriller drama that’s receiving rave reviews everywhere!!

Love A Lifetime 暮白首: an original wuxia starring ren jialun (ML in under the power) whom i love so much and zhang huiwen

My Girl 99分女朋友: this is a modern day cdrama written by nan zhen!!! (who wrote tiger and rose) so i think it might be worth checking out :))

[daymansbingerecapsandrankings]

(Originally written on October 8, 2020)

🎵Bang, Bang Bangedy Bang

I said a Bang Bang Bangedy Bang🎵

My How I Met Your Mother Thoughts

I just spent the last nine seasons in New York with the gang that spends all their time in MacLaren’s Pub. SELF FIVE! I have to say, this binge of How I Met Your Mother brought me so much happiness. I started watching this show for the first time back in high school, and I ended up watching the last six seasons as they aired. I remember loving this group of characters, and now I am reminded why. There’s so much chemistry between the five, and it makes for one of my favorite Comedies/Sitcoms of all time. If you’ve read any of my previous Show Thoughts, then you know I’ve been watching several over the course of this lovely Pandemic That Will Just Keep Going. After this rewatch, I’ve decided HIMYM is my third favorite Comedy/Sitcom, right after Boy Meets World and Scrubs.

Now, I know that the Finale is infamous. It’s in the Mount Rushmore of Terrible Endings, and people end up getting a sour taste in their mouth when they bring up the show. Well, it’s been some years. There’s been time to reflect and look back. And, while I’m not in favor of the Finale, I also don’t hate it anymore with the passion of a thousand suns. I just loved watching and growing with the gang, seeing them experience their highs and their lows, their triumphs and their failures. It just hits harder as an adult, like most of these shows assuredly do, and I cherish so many of these episodes and moments.

And now, my rankings for the seasons!

Seasons Rankings

1. Season One

2. Season Four

3. Season Two

4. Season Six

5. Season Eight

6. Season Five

7. Season Three

8. Season Seven

9. Season Nine

My rankings for the girlfriends, purely on how much I like them as a character

The Girlfriends Rankings

1. Robin

2. Tracy

3. Victoria

4. Zoey

5. Stella

6. Jeannette

And now, a ranking of my favorite episodes. From 1-50, these are the ones that stand out above the rest. I consider every single one of these enjoyable.

Favorite Episodes

1. Slap Bet (S2E9)

2. Come On (S1E22)

3. The Limo (S1E11)

4. The Best Burger in New York (S4E2)

5. Ten Sessions (S3E13)

6. The Pineapple Incident (S1E10)

7. Bachelor Party (S2E19)

8. Game Night (S1E15)

9. Oh, Honey (S6E15)

10. Glitter (S6E9)

11. The Duel (S1E8)

12. The Pilot (S1E1)

13. Arriverdverci, Fierro (S2E17)

14. The Over-Correction (S8E10)

15. How Your Mother Met Me (S916)

16. Intervention (S4E4)

17. The Magician’s Code, Part II (S7E24)

18. The Autumn of Break-Ups (S8E5)

19. The Ducky Tie (S7E3)

20. The Best Man (S7E1)

21. The Leap (S4E24)

22. Blitzgiving (S6E10)

23. Three Days of Snow (S4E13)

24. The Scorpion & The Toad (S2E2)

25. Bass Player Wanted (S9E13)

26. The Final Page, Part 2 (S8E12)

27. Duel Citizenship (S5E5)

28. Happily Ever After (S4E6)

29. Farhampton (S8E1)

30. Bro Mitzvah (S8E22)

31. Robin 101 (S5E3)

32. The Magician’s Code, Part I (S7E23)

33. Last Words (S6E14)

34. The Playbook (S5E8)

35. The Time Travelers (S8E20)

36. Splitsville (S8E6)

37. Subway Wars (S6E4)

38. Showdown (S2E20)

39. Drumroll, Please (S1E13)

40. Front Porch (S4E17)

41. Twin Bed (S5E21)

42. Who Wants to be a Godparent? (S8E4)

43. Girls vs. Suits (S5E12)

44. Something Borrowed (S2E21)

45. As Fast As She Can (S4E23)

46. The Wedding Bride (S5E23)

47. The Bracket (S3E14)

48. The Sexless Innkeeper (S5E4)

49. Third Wheel (S3E3)

50. Spoiler Alert (S3E8)

And now, just some thoughts on the show and on the gang!

Ted - I know people don’t like Ted. I don’t actually like Ted all that much. And yet, I found myself rooting for Ted just like I did the first go around. He’s not the worst person in the world, and I would be scared to see half of the decisions we’ve made in the dating game stringed together into a TV show. I know people wouldn’t like me very much for those decisions. Then again, I also don’t get super crazy about details about buildings, I don’t pronounce encyclopedia that way, and he tends to stick his foot in his mouth with this White Man confidence that I just don’t have. With all that being said, I still find Ted being a great friend, a man who is just trying to find the love of his life, and someone who really drives this story with great tales and narration (Bob Saget is the Sixth Man of the Show for just always bringing it). I think Ted does stupid things and he pretty much admits it after the fact. He learns, sometimes, and also doesn’t much like most of us. When he finally found the Mother, when he finally found Tracy, I cared. I cared so much, and I still do. Even though they just shit on her character and don’t give us enough time with her, I almost wonder if that’s a metaphor for the fact that you won’t always have enough time with your loved ones.

Robin - Let’s go to the mall! Yeah! Robin Sparkles is a Canadian Treasure, and so is Robin Scherbatsky. She is one of the best things about this show, and I love her so. Played by Cobie Smulders who I need to see in more stuff, Robin is who we all wanted Ted to maybe be with first. Then we go through all the loops of the HIMYM roller coaster, and a lot of us still wanted them to be together. I was one of them. Yet, she was more than just a romantic plot line for Ted. She was a part of the group who we got to see join it and evolve into a member of their family organically. Robin is fun, loud, full of fun quirks that we get to learn over the course of the series. I was heartbroken when we found out she can’t have children. I was loving the back and forth between her and Barney (the first time), and kind of mad at Barney about being such a crazy ass prankster the second time. Robin shows us just how amazing some gun loving, hockey obsessed Canadian news anchor can be, and how much she cares for her friends.

Lily - Justice Aldrin ends up being one of my favorite characters, even if that gets some curious looks. Yeah, she left Marshall for a summer. Yeah, she had some hesitancy with the marriage and everything. That happens. Lily was also always there for her friends, even if she ends up going a little overboard. She wants Ted to find happiness, and does whatever she can to help. She is there to listen to Robin at all times, and her and Marshall are easily one of the best relationships in TV I’ve ever witnessed. Then we have Lily and Barney which is honestly super underrated. Barney trusts Lily, even though she can’t keep a secret, with all of his emotional problems. Lily is who thought Barney could change before anyone else, and I love seeing their friendship grow from eye rolls to eye tears.

Barney - Oh, Barney. He honestly brings so much annoyance and fun to the show. He’s the friend of the gang who everyone tolerates. He’s the one in the gang who everyone ends up loving just as much as everyone else. Barney shows such a terrible face to the world, sleeping with over 250 women and lying to most of them. He has all these rules that aren’t very ethical. He gives us most of the Misogynism in this show, which is definitely prevalent and makes the show not as strong as it was in the first watch. Still, we get to see Barney grow into someone who wants real love and a happy life. Sure, they show us that his marriage to Robin only lasts three years, but at least they tried. Barney just couldn’t make it work, and that’s honestly who Barney really is. A person who just enjoys sleeping with different people. I was very warmed to see the baby reveal and that Barney becoming a dad was what would change him more than anything. Barney is an underrated friend, and his importance to the gang is legendary.

Marshall - I. Love. Big Fudge. He’s just so fun, caring, goofy, loyal, and everything that I aspire to be in life. For some reason, when watching the show the first time, I related to Ted the most. I was definitely a bit more selfish then. But now, I see that I am a Marshall. He wants to do good in the world, and it drives him so much. He only loves Lily, and his loyalty to their relationship is just Goals. He is also the most fun to watch having a crisis. He gets the big eyes and covers his mouth and just gets obviously super uncomfortable. Some of my favorite moments of the show are also Marshall’s talks with Ted about his feelings for Robin. Any one-on-ones with Marshall and someone else are probably my favorite moments. And yes, I will always root for him over those damn machines!

Last Thoughts:

Sure, the writing wasn’t as sharp or as witty in the later seasons, but I loved the story lines and seeing the gang just live.

Tracy was an amazing character as The Mother, and I truly wonder what could have been if they had given us two full seasons of story with her instead of any episodes of Jeannette.

I really can’t believe Ted told his kids all those stories. A fun premise for a show, but really, not very realistic telling them all that jazz.

Ranjit and Carl are such fun recurring characters that I always enjoyed seeing every time they popped up.

Out of all the recurring jokes and gags, which there are many (y’all said Community has so many, but HIMYM really swings for it), I love the Major/General salute joke. Idk if I just didn’t care for it the first time around or forgot about it, but I just love how silly it is and how they kept it through to the very last episode.

Watching the gang sit at their table in MacLaren’s just hanging out will always make me smile.

[paymeincashnottears]

Evgeni Malkin wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire. 32 years of age and acting like this? Stalking him and his wife on Instagram while low-key living through her. Obsessing over her and how she parents. Obsessing over what kind of relationship he has with his child, it's fucking weird. It'll never be you. Never.

It's also pure 🤡 behavior that you'd even fix your fingers to shit on the 'Hockey Diversty Alliance', espically when it's made up of men who have documented their struggles of being black and poc in the sport. Your precious "Russian Bear" Geno has done jack shit for our black asses so stop. It's a promising start, and hopefully as they grow they will add women hockey players, espically ones of color.

Reading through your blog is sad @obsessiveshayme . It reads as someone who truly has a lot going on and is in need of help. Please love yourself, and I mean it whole heartedly.

_

Sidney is the LeBron James of the NHL, the Tom Brady of the NHL, naturally people wanted to hear from him the most. And when he was getting lapped by the likes of Auston Matthews the cuddling and excuses started, and that's just the truth. I understand he likes being Switzerland, but neutrality doesn't work all the time. Espically in a time like this. It had NOTHING to do with "stanning". Its definitely not a competition. Again for the daft bitches in the back: NO ONE IS ABOVE CRITICISM 🗣🗣🗣

And if you can't take that I can criticize someone and still appreciate them as an athlete, that's on you.

_

Maybe I should enable my anons so you guys can come tell me how you feel instead of taking screenshots and blocking me. But I guess that is what cowards do.

[alyssamski1320]

Breaking the Ice

Platonic Prinxiety (just your traditional “enemies to best friends” trope)

Warnings: None

Word count :1737 words

Summary: Figure skater/hockey player AU; Roman is a star hockey player and Virgil is a talented figure skater. They have always had this turmoil between them, but can that all change?

A/N: Ok so I had to write a creative writing piece for my first english paper. I saw this as a challenge to write my first fanfic. It is also kind of super descriptive because my professor said to keep the dialogue to a minimum, so I am sorry about that. I accept constructive criticism, so please dm me or comment anything if you want to!

Virgil Sanders opened the front door to be greeted by the brisk morning air. The start of a new season was ready to be tackled with no limitations holding him back. He was five foot nine with a raggedy purple fringe and deep brown eyes with black eyeliner smudged underneath. The teen hurried down the driveway with autumn leaves crunching beneath every step his black Converse took. He excitedly threw his purple backpack, covered in pins and patches, into the back seat of his black Jeep Wrangler.  After rolling his windows down and plugging in his phone to play some Mayday Parade, Virgil sped off to the rink for practice.

Immediately upon opening the metal double doors, Virgil was hit softly by a rush of cool air. Walking into the warm room of the rink to be greeted by familiar smiles and friendly faces was already making his day. He eagerly unzipped his bag and pulled out his pitch black skates with a new set of sharp purple Paramount blades attached. In the background, conversations between the other skaters could be heard, but he wasn’t paying attention enough to decipher them. The loud music playing in his single earbud was enough to take him away from the world, even if it were only for a moment. All he wanted was to hear his deep edges rip into the freshly cut ice as he shifted his weight from the inside and outside of his blade. Before that, Virgil would appreciate the smooth glide that he could flawlessly hold on the bright, pristine ice prior to the hockey teams that would soon come to dig and chop it up. He had nothing against the local hockey teams, but the disrespect they showed towards the rink staff, figure skaters, and even the ice itself was maddening. The holes they left were almost the sizes of baseballs, the ridges they cut so deep that simply gliding over them could no longer be an option, and the constant mouth guards left along the boards, still dripping soggily with warm saliva. The thought of the latter making him shudder with complete disgust.

Even with the cool chill radiating from the ice’s surface, Virgil was still fairly warm. Being a figure skater, you become almost immune to the cold and learn to never forget a jacket. The boy had forgotten only once and now arrives prepared wearing his trademark hoodie every practice, his favorite article of clothing in his closet. It was a black zip-up hoodie covered in purple and black plaid patches. The patches were scattered among the hoodie, lazily stitched on with white thread and on the front was his club’s logo, a storm cloud, embroidered with purple thread.

Eventually, the teen stopped by the boards to take a break, but that was when he felt eyes on him. He knew he wasn’t the only skater on that session, but the piercing stare he could feel, even with his back turned, was too much to let go. Virgil whipped around, stumbling over his skates as an old friend startled him. He didn’t even know if he could call Roman a friend because Roman Prince wasn’t a figure skater, he played center forward for the Sudro City Knights. The teen stood tall at six foot one and had neatly groomed mocha locks, his light brown eyes staring down the anxious boy. The cheap, damaged practice jersey he was wearing reeked of pure body odor from the weeks of wear without wash. After the couple seconds, which seemed like forever for poor Virgil, the taller boy leaned in close with a smug look plastered on his face.

“Hiya Dr Doom and Gloom.” Roman teased, leaning his stick up against the glass and sitting back onto the benches. “What is the purple ballerina going to dance to this year?  Hopefully another song from Beetlejuice the Musical! I do enjoy you looking even more edgy than usual.”

Virgil rolled his eyes, clearly not amused. “Oh, what a laugh Princey. Ya know, I would love to really see you try what I do.” The purple clad boy stated, folding his arms and leaning his chest against the boards. “I don’t even think you’re coordinated enough to do a two foot spin.” The stunned and anger-filled look that washed over Roman’s features gave him the exact answer he needed.

“Alright, that’s it mister Jack Smellington!” Roman rapidly stood up, grabbing his stick and towering over the smaller teen. “Meet me back here after hours and we’ll really see who the best is!”

“I’ll be back don’t you worry. As long as you don’t pull a Tonya Harding on me, I’ll be glad to show you how to really skate!” Virgil grabbed his now empty water bottle from the boards and skated away, shooting the star player a shit-eating grin. By the time he got off the ice and closed the heavy door behind him, the scratches of the rest of the team could be heard as they jumped the boards for practice. He quickly unlaced his skates, swiping the snow off of his blades and wiping off the excess water droplets with his old, black rag.

The skates were packed away as he walked out of those same metal double doors and climbed into his car. Before pulling away, Virgil checked his phone to see an unusual text: I’ll pick you up for our little match up later. You’re on my way to the rink, so be ready by 7 or I’m leaving without you. Shocked by the text, he closed his phone, rolling his windows down again and proceeding to play the rest of his Mayday Parade playlist on his drive home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Virgil was waiting for Roman to pull up, he pulled out his phone to play Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional while he scrolled through Tumblr. Right when he opened the app, the hockey player in his beat-up silver Chevy Cruze, blasting Brave New Girl by Britney Spears, rolled up into his driveway. Roman screamed before Virgil could even close his front door, “Get in loser, we’re going to the rink!”

          Virgil threw his backpack into the back seat and hesitantly hopped into the car. Although Roman played hockey, his car was fairly clean and his front seat had a very distinct smell compared to the back, where their skates were lazily thrown. The front of the car had a small hint of vanilla while the back seat had a scent of exactly what you can imagine, pure body odor from his balled-up practice jersey. The short drive to the rink felt like ages passed as the boy silently watched the scenery unfold outside of his window, laying his face in the palm of his hand. Upon stopping at a red light, he was startled out of his awkward, yet serene state he was in from a light nudge at his ribs. He looked over to find Roman kindly smiling at him, which was very unusual between the two.

          “Are you okay, Hot Topic? You’ve been pretty quiet the whole ride.” Virgil was stunned by the sudden change in Roman’s attitude. He was just insulting him early that same day. “I know we fight and all, but the least you can do is keep me a little company.” The smaller teen almost frowned, feeling a little bad for his actions. Maybe he genuinely wanted to change?

          He forced a small smile onto his normally brooding face, although the other could not see this with his attention on the road. “Yea I’m ok, don’t worry about it.”

          Upon arrival, they both grabbed their bags and walked into the rink, smiling at each other. Roman was wearing a white hoodie with a knight on it, his mascot, and black Adidas sweatpants with three white stripes straight down the sides. Virgil matched Roman, except he was wearing his traditional black and purple patchwork zip-up.  They stepped onto the ice and without a word Virgil set himself to work. He started at one end, gliding and connecting with the ice. With every bracket, twizzle, and step he took throughout his footwork, he let the ice take control. Each edge was deep, delicately ripping into the ice and sending him closer to the opposing side. Right before reaching the boards, he pushed into an outside mohawk, gaining speed as every crossover sounded through the rink. Roman was still standing at the door, astonished by the normally quiet and anxious boy. Lastly, Virgil was set, gliding on his back outside edge, and leaped into an axel, landing the one and a half revolution jump in a solid landing position. The teen flawlessly turned forward and slid into a sharp hockey stop, hitting Roman with a spray of cool snow. “So, can you top that Dr Do-The-Most?” Virgil looked up at him with a playful gleam in his eyes despite the antagonizing smirk that plagued his features. The taller teen was still in shock, but he eventually snapped out of it and smiled at the other.

“Now I see why you always made comments about out skating me. You truly are amazing Virgil!” The smirk never left the other’s face, the satisfaction from the statement only making it grow.

“You could always quit hockey. I know you may not want to and this is a bit of a stretch, but at least take this into consideration” Roman’s attention was gripped by the bold statement the smaller boy just made. “You’re pretty strong and you already know the basics of skating. You would make a great pair skater with some practice.” Virgil’s anxiety peaked and the other could tell. Now, he was not opposed to skating with Virgil, but hockey was his life. After a minute or two of silence, the taller teen lightly gripped the anxious boy’s shoulder, forcing his eyes off of the ice and into Roman’s. A steady gaze connected the two alone on the ice.

“Would you be my partner if I quit hockey?” Virgil was in complete shock, leading him to just rapidly nod his head and immediately wrap his arms around Roman, closing the gap between them. Their shared warmth made the cool air seem almost nonexistent.

He took back his statement from earlier about the taller boy. After years of fighting through high school, Virgil Sanders realized he definitely could call Roman Prince a friend.

[eusjason]

                                                         ʷᵉ ᵃʳᵉ ⁿᵒᵗ ˢᵘʳᵉ ᵒᶠ 𝓼𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀,                                                              & 𝕛𝕠𝕪 ʷᵃˢ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ˢᵘʳᵉ ;

› 𝟎𝟎𝟏: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵?

          in the northern reaches of canada, playful outdoor hockey on frozen lakes known as shinny is as sure of a past time as huddling up by the fireplace. never one to be bothered by the cold, jason spent most of the young childhood skating out on some lake or another, usually with friends or teammates until they eventually called it quits when the sun started to sink lower and the even colder night chill began to roll in. he should’ve left with them, really, his mother was going to worry as she always did — though never as much as the other mothers, not out of any less concern, but perhaps she knew that water would not harm jason. all the times he’d gotten picked out of the frigid saguenay fjord and didn’t get so much as a cold were probably a dead giveaway.

          so he’s alone when it happens, probably for the best : it means the mist doesn’t have to work overtime to alter the memories of his friends. winter is just starting to break into the warmer season of spring, the worst time of year if you ask jason. it just signals the end of outdoor hockey, soon to be moved to the confines of a temperature controlled rink. he’s stubborn, intent on getting every hour out of the frozen ice on the lake that he possibly can, even if that means avoiding certain spots of the lake. but he must miscalculate because he hears the telltale cracking of ice beneath his skates — and not the comforting deep cracking sounds that accompanies a freezing lake. this is the bad kind of cracking, the one that proceeds plunging into freezing water and possibly dying of hypothermia. tyler’s mother had showed them all a video of someone falling through thin ice when they were all old enough to want to skate on the lake, probably to shake fear and caution into them ( it’s worked, for the most part ). for the first time out on the lake, jason is terrified.

          it’s probably this terror that unlocks what will become his specialty in the years to come. he never plunges into the icy depths of the lake ( even though if he had, he would’ve remained dry and unaffected ), because he freezes the whole thing solid. he then passes out because of it, the volume of water he just changed something he won’t have the stamina to repeat for quite a while. his mother and the father of one of his friends find him on the lake much later, burning up from fever, his eleven year old body trying to cope with the excess energy it just absorbed.

          it’s a mystery what happened exactly, to everyone but his mother had known eventually the godly part of his blood would demand to manifest as more than an ease on ice or the way beluga whales always seemed to come to whatever boat he was on. it’s on a boat in the middle of the saint lawrence that she tells him the truth. jason takes it pretty well, for someone just told his father is the lord of the sea. if anything, he knows it to be true the moment his mother tells him, the final piece of a puzzle falling into place.

          not long after his twelfth birthday that summer, instead of staying in saguenay, he’s shipped off to camp voreios even further north in canada.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟐: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥?

          leila goldhirsch never had any doubts of the child she carried for nine months and then loved from the moment he was born. she always knew it was a bit of inevitability that his godly side would present itself, much like the ocean never deigns to be ignored. there was always more to that man she had a brief but momentous relationship with, more than just the kinda captain of the ship she used for that whole summer studying beluga whales in the saint lawrence. she didn’t know whether or not to believe him when he said he was the lord of the sea, but like the ocean, the truth is undeniable. and so she did her best to raise jason normally, worried like any good mother though his father had promised to keep him safe.

          ( he still doesn’t know this — but one of those fisherman who picked him out of the fjord had been him ).

          — and she worried after the attack, wanting to protect her son but having no way of protecting him from the monsters that were inside his head. she’ll always worry, probably, though she’s happy that he seems to have found himself again at eonia.

          jason’s stepfather is a whole other story, just for the simple fact that he doesn’t know about poseidon, still believing jason’s biological father was simply the boat captain of a ship many, many years ago. jason and his mother never figured out a way to too tell him and well... it feels a little too late for that now.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟑: 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵?

          he’s just arrived at camp voreios, age twelve and fitting in even more easily than most despite his young age — sparking the rumor that he must be a son of hermes. he’d been aware of his godly parentage even for a few months now in an unofficial sense, though still officially “unclaimed,” not that it made a whole lot of difference at camp voreios who roomed attendees by age instead of godly parentage. he remains quiet to the fact though, appreciating the suspense of it all even at a young age.

          it’s a few days later after the first campwide game that things get official. jason’s fresh off scoring a game-winning goal when the glowing sea-green trident appears over his head effectively hushing the previously rowdy arena.

          camp voreios had never had a child of poseidon before : he was the first.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟒: 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱?

          camp voreios, the northern camp ( grammatically i think it should actually be voreios camp but to stick with pjo naming conventions... ), sits in some of the most remote reaches of quebec, far by pretty much all terms, and it is here that some of the most elite demigods are trained. obscured from mortal eyes as a longterm and extremely competitive program for only the most elite youth hockey players, there’s a bit of truth to that. most who attend that camp are between the ages of twelve and eighteen, the graduates commonly accepted into colleges with impressive hockey programs and a very select few like jason into the canadian hockey league. though almost all in attendance could easily fit in talentwise in the chl, most opt to not go through the additional testing and training into order to determine if they’re fit to go the professional route. their “recruitment” is a smattering of satyr scouts and coaches who scour youth hockey programs for demigods.

          the camp sits on the edge of a lake, something jason found incredibly satisfying and it was on this lake this he truly honed his abilities of phase manipulation of water and water sensitivity. he did dabble in the other aspects of hydrokinesis ( specifically, the manipulation of actual water ) at least enough to be respectable at it, but he found it more dull and less useful, preferring to explore control of water in its ice state. you’d never see him try to create a tsunami wave or something.

          a hockey centric demigod camp was as exciting as it came. though they would play against mortal teams to learn to exercise control over their abilities in the heat of a game ( and as a result, learn to control themselves in high emotion situations ), there were plenty of demigod hockey games that were almost a free for all. the only thing they didn’t allow jason to do was manipulate the actual ice of the rink, citing that was a bit of an unfair advantage even for them. camp voreios was also the home to the art of swordplay on ice, more for pure fun than any true necessity — though it was argued that the heightened speed of a fight on ice was good for developing reflexes and training the mind to analyze an opponent more quickly. there’s probably some truth to that.

          camp voreios, unlike many demigod camps, was not a summer camp. instead it ran around the hockey season, meaning it took students for the duration of the school year and released them to do as they pleased in the summer though many stayed the duration. occupants are schooled with a mixture of online and at local schools. jason was in attendance at camp voreios from ages twelve to sixteen almost year round, save for the month of july when he returned home to saguenay. the intent of camp voreios was to rigorously train their attendees for the real world — practically the epitome of tough love.

          at sixteen, jason knew he wanted to try to peruse hockey professionally if he could, the fourth of camp voreios attendees who expressed this intention. the camp only allowed the most elite on the ice and more apt at protecting themselves to enter professional leagues where there was a much higher profile and higher risk. jason passed their aptitude tests and so at sixteen, he was drafted to the rouyn-noranda huskies and left camp voreios, though he’d return in the summer occasionally as well as encounter and maybe help a little bit some on their yearly scavenger hunt.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟓: 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴?

          camp voreios didn’t get sent on an awful lot of quests compared to much bigger camps, though the directors of the camp often sent campers out on their own in an unofficial capacity in order to gain “real world experience” tussling with real monsters and getting a taste of real danger — call it that tough love. most common was a massive scavenger hunt that took up nearly three weeks every spring after hockey season ended where the entire camp was split into groups of two or three and sent out across north america to retrieve increasingly rare items.

          however, jason was sent on one official god-sanctioned quest at the tender age of thirteen. he’d been at camp for about a year and a half at that point and participated in one scavenger hunt and thus deemed ready. gotta start them young, right ?? besides, it was a quest for one of the missing prongs on the trident of poseidon, and as the only child of poseidon at camp voreios who else was supposed to go ?? he was dispatched with a daughter of aphrodite ( 15 ) and son of hermes ( 16 ), though jason’s leadership skills soon became evident even as young as he was. the quest took them two weeks to complete, and took them everywhere from the stiffling grand canyon ( not jason’s favorite place ) to niagara falls ( marginally better ), culminating with them on the coast of nova scotia, the first time jason had seen the real ocean. he’ll claim he jumped, witnesses claim he fell, but either way, he ended up deep in the atlantic ocean where he finally met his godly father for the first time.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟔: 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵?

          jason met poseidon when he was thirteen and he was nothing like he expected. he wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but much like the sea he supposes it depends. poseidon has never felt different than the sea on a calm day. he’d say his relationship with him is more the positive side of neutral then negative, despite the fact they’ve only spoken face to face a handful of times. 

          jason never was someone who needed words to know he was cared for and he recognizes the ways poseidon cares for him as his son in ways other than words : in the safe passages he grants him every fall and spring as he sails over the atlantic, the way he feels at home in the ocean, and the way he’d been soothed and in some ways healed by the ocean after the attack. he just takes their contact it as it is, seeing no reason to wish for things to be different than they are.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟕: 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥?

          the day jason learned about his water sensitivity was one of the best in his life. though it’s hardly as flashy as his hydrokinesis, the additional perspective is one his cherishes quite closely. there’s something to be said for feeling like you connect to the world, even in the oddest of ways. he can’t deny he loves freezing water though — there’s nothing like skating under and open sky and with a bit of work, his hydrokinesis ability made that possible.

          there is, of course, his prowess on the ice, though he’s not sure if he wants to contribute that to being a demigod. he’d like to believe that even without godly blood in his veins that he still would’ve been good enough to be drafted into the chl. 

› 𝟎𝟎𝟖: 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥?

          power comes with a cost, and sometimes jason thinks that price is too high. as much as he knows he can’t wring the godly blood out of him, there are days he wishes he could is only to save what he’d been building in rouyn-noranda. evan had been young, beautiful, talented, and very much mortal. there’s no reason he or any of the others of his team should have had to die because a pack of monsters were intent on slaying the son of poseidon. it’s an endless battle in jason’s head between what he knows to be true and the endless guilt he still feels constricted around his heart. because what’s the point of having power if it still wasn’t enough to protect the people he cared about ??

› 𝟎𝟎𝟗: 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺?

          it’s rare to see jason without osisko, his celestial bronze sword that also takes the convenient forms of a hockey stick or a bronze bracelet on his left wrist. it was a gift to him when he was drafted into the chl at sixteen ( visuals and more detailed information on osisko HERE ). it is without a doubt his main weapon, and the one he’s most trained at, though if he had to he could fight with a trident pretty well ( thanks dad ). given osisko’s ability to return to him even if lost in battle, he rarely has to default to other weapons, though at even closer hand-to-hand combat with daggers or knives, he’s proficient as well since the concept is quite similar. where he severely lacks is in any long range weapons like archery or spears — sadly his accuracy with a puck does not seem to translate to arrows or anything of the type.

          jason isn’t absolute top tier elite at swordplay, though he holds his own quite respectively and probably comes in the top ten percent, aided in part by his sheer athleticism due to the strong, active life he’s lived since he was quite young, training both to be a demigod and a good hockey player. factor in his hydrokinesis when available, and you can probably get him to the top five percent. he can get quite competitive in matchups, which also informs his ability to hold his own out of sheer will. there’s also something to be said that he attended a demigod camp practically year round for four years, allowing him a much longer length of training in his formative years than just the typical three month summer camp.

          he has extremely good endurance ( endurance and like... endurance 😉, y’know ?? alsdkfjlsks ) and often fights smarter, not harder, using his opponent’s weaknesses and the environment to his advantage. as a defenseman, he’s quick to analyze offensive players of the fastest paced sport in the world to hinder their plan by the time they get to the blueline   — this ability transfers beautifully to battle proficiency and fights. he has to work quite hard to get as good as he has, the observing part he was always quite good at, it was getting his fighting ability up to the level where he could actually do something to hinder the offense he knew was coming. he obviously most easily gains the upper hand when on the beach, a boat, or if someone foolishly decides they do want to face him in one of camp voreios’ created past times : swordplay on ice.

[39oa]

Robo/Otter for the ship opinion thing please

@kitnita and @penswriter also asked me this so thank you :') i will never pass up an opportunity to talk about robotter!

tbh zoe's post on them is already PERFECT and she nails the core essence of what makes them compelling so i feel like i don't have to tack on much more but. 2129 are my 2nd favorite stars ship (i'm just equal opportunity robo multishipper. i will reflect) and my main takeaways are that they're so much fun for 1) how their freak_guy mentalities are like... insanely similar despite documented commitment to midwestern "niceness" and 2) how much they embody entwined_legacy draft narratives. and also how much they patiently indulge the media by continuously acknowledging and answering for them.

like jake being the goalie the stars traded up for, robo being the guy who slipped down to the 2nd round and wasn't even interviewed by the team because they always knew they wanted him, etc... i think what destroysss me about robo saying that he and otter "grew up together" in the ahl despite it being literally One year is that for most guys (especially star players) the ahl is barely more than a transitory interval on the path toward their Real Careers, and while robo does characterize it that way most of the time — sometimes when people fish for those ~are you surprised you Made made it to the nhl~ soundbites he's kind of like uh... well not really because i put in the work at every step of the way so why wouldn't i get there eventually? — he still talks about the draft being that moment when he realized that like, Woah okay this professional hockey stuff is a whole different ballpark and the type of player i have to become requires way more sensitive calibration than cooking in juniors does. so in that sense the ahl really is where he officially Grew Up, and the fact that he credits otter as being an integral part of that is like 😭 IT MAKES ME WANT TO CHEW ON SOMETHING.

i also think their jr paths really inform their gamer_mentalities which is sooo interesting to me. like they're both nerds but in different ways: jake is extremely sentimental about his time playing high school hockey and had a very vibrant social life in minnesota and carries that ferda love (second to none but tydel of course) into every roster he plays with, wants so badly to hold onto the memories of every guy who skates for him each season 🥲 whereas robo's parents upended a ton of familiarity to homeschool him and his siblings and let robo focus uniquely on hockey and is sort of why he's much more romantic about the game itself than anything else (and yet otter is still Special and That Guy and the Backbone of the team to him! okay!). so those little nuances, despite their being very similar competitors, does beget intriguing dynamics.

also there's a quote pav had in his exit interview (03:29) that i keep coming back to and it's that "[robo] does have somewhat of a belief that this is his team, as do other guys—as a miro, a roope, and for me that's super encouraging. to see young players have that kind of intensity, that drive, that they want to be the guy out there that's going to make a difference." and i feel like honestly no one better exemplifies that pure raw Belief that they are (or have to step up and become) THE GUY more than otter and robo do. which is just. auUGHHH... so fascinating also because at the end of the day no position is less disposable than a winger and no position is more opaque and singular and coveted than an "elite" goalie. and yet.

i won't wax poetic much longer because i feel like this is all very obvious rambling but i just adore them! and tangentially i find the general existence of ty dellandrea incredible because truly there are so many ways to insert him into a robotter triangle. and when you can start throwing in wyatt or whomever else in there??? the possibilities are endless!!! i love 2129 as a baseline "it's us until the end and we want to win HERE and TOGETHER and NOW" ship so much and i'm obsessed with how much you can keep iterating on that to your heart's content.

[julienschuester]

INTRODUCING JULIEN SCHUESTER

[JOE KEERY FC, MALE, HE/HIM] who’s that? oh it’s {JULIEN SCHUESTER}. i hear they’re {16} and a {JUNIOR} at {WMHS}, have a voice like {JEREMY JORDAN} and are part of {NEW DIRECTIONS and HOCKEY and DRAMA CLUB}. they’re known to be {GREGARIOUS and TALENTED} and {INDECISIVE and NAIVE}. some people say they remind them of {BEING A GOOD TEXTER and SCUFFED UP TENNIS SHOES and BELIEVING EVERYONE IS GOOD AT HEART}. only one way to find out!

BASICS

Full Name: Julien Dean Schuester Nickname: Jules (family only) Voice Claim: Jeremy Jordan Birthday: October 8 Age: 17 Sign: Libra Hometown: Lima, OH Sexuality: Heterosexual Education: Junior @ WMHS  Activities: New Directions, WMHS Hockey, Drama Club

LIKES/DISLIKES

LIKES: hockey, performing, playing the drums, journey, classic rock, old cars, new iphones, iced tea, outdoor fire pits, big groups, loud rooms, being the center of attention, the smell of fresh laundry, his hair, pretty girls, ice skating rinks

DISLIKES: expectations, disappointing his parents, being alone, messes, pure silence, making decisions, getting yelled at, writing papers, stepping on the lines in between tiles

PAST PRODUCTIONS/ROLES

into the woods...jack

grease...sandy dumbrowski

mamma mia...sky

RENT...mark cohen

footloose...ren mccormack

the sound of music...rolf

FULL BIO

Julien Dean Schuester was born on October 8 to Will and Emma Schuester. He was the last of their “happy accidents,” and a true miracle baby due to there being a lot of complications with his birth, namely that he was premature. Once it it was clear to Will and Emma that none of those complications would have longterm effects, it was a huge relief. But Emma, ever the worrier, still coddled him which ultimately resulted in him being a tried and true mama’s boy. The fact that he suffered from the same condition as her, albeit less severely, only made his attachments to her stronger.

It was no secret that Will Schuester was a bit of a Lima legend. He was a good man who brought a lot of glory and an appreciation for the arts to their little Ohio town. Because of this, it was no surprise that his kids were all artistically and musically inclined. For a long time, Dan was the golden child. He was the oldest, he followed in their father’s footsteps, and he was seemingly the most talented. Julien didn’t mind this. He was happy to be the typical youngest child who was spared a lot of the parental pressure his siblings got. This meant that he got to just enjoy being a part of theater and learning how to play instruments. 

It wasn’t until Julien reached the eighth grade that he realized he really loved singing and acting. He wanted to do it in high school, and he knew on some level he was expected to, but there was one thing that scared him...the social repercussions of being a musical theater kid. Julien had been warned by his siblings about slushie facials and targeted attacks against the glee club, but ever the optimist, he believed he’d be spared. Once people saw what a totally fun and cool guy he was, they wouldn’t slushie him. 

Obviously Julien was wrong. McKinley was just as brutal (if not more) than everyone had said and he was not an exception. This meant that Julien had to figure something out...some way to protect himself. If McKinley worshipped jocks, then a jock he would be. Julien joined the hockey team his freshman year and although it did kind of save him from the wrath of other jocks, it didn’t save him from the wrath of his own team. The hockey captain and a few of his teammates still gave him crap for being involved in glee club and it was like a never ending game of tug of war. Glee club, the thing he truly loved, or sports, the thing that gave him popularity?

Julien’s high school career would be defined by this one looming question. What was more important...doing what he loved or being accepted by the masses? In the end, the choice won’t be easy, but Julien is sure that he’ll come out of high school with more clarity.

[thistidalwave]

fic writer meme!

I was tagged by @queercap​ <3 I truly don’t know who is on this site to tag, so if u see this, pls take it as an invitation to do this meme.

ao3 name:  thistidalwave

fandoms:  many, tho there are a few i haven’t written in at all. ones i Have written in for more than 2 seconds: hockey rpf, one direction, bbc radio 1 rpf, check please (kent stans ONLY), glee, teen wolf, supernatural. i’ve written a Little, but mostly read fic in the merlin and star trek fandoms. also, twilight, the one that started it all. i also still read insane amounts of fic in the avengers, xmen, and stargate fandoms.

number of fics: 95. every year i’m like “i’ll def hit 100 this yr” but then it doesn’t happen bc i’ve written, like, 1 fic a year recently.

fic i spent the most time on: it’s probably Coach Z. i spent most of a year writing that one. 

fic i spent the least amount of time on: there are quite a few that i definitely spent an evening on and then sent into the world. i’mma shoutout this lil wjc rarepair baby that i like a lot: i want to be every button you press

longest fic: this is also Coach Z, my magnum opus. runner-up is i suck, you suck, my love letter to grincham. 

shortest fic:  supernova remnants, a 449 word bones/kirk that i wrote as a birthday present for @disastershy​

most hits: something good and right and real, a benn/seguin fake dating/soulmarks mashup cowritten with blamefincham

most kudos: pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks, because the people are Into jack/bitty/kent soft zoo dates, apparently. seeing as i crowdsourced most of the events of this fic from my twitter feed when i wrote it, that checks out. (for a very long time my most kudos’d work was a scott/stiles i wrote in about five seconds, so i’m actually kind of shook to learn that it’s been beat out.)

most comment threads: Coach Z again. handily, because it’s my only chaptered work.

most bookmarks: also something good and right and real.

total word count: 827,978

favorite fic i wrote:  what an absolutely atrocious question. u want me to choose between my children? ok. i’m not going to count coach z, because that’s a whole different scale, or any of my cowritten children, and i’m going to pick more than one, because i can.

everybody loves pretty, everybody loves cool is probably my fave i wrote in checkpls. i wrote a lot of character studies of jack and kent and their relationship that all said things i thought were important, but this particular one has a story structure i’m proud of.

i write a lot of self-indulgent nonsense in hockey fandom, but carried away is one of my faves of the genre. pure curtain fic with slight angst so i can really get In My Feels, what’s not to like.

fic i want to rewrite/expand on:  i’m picking two for this one, too. first, bring us a dream, which i think deserves a quality of writing and time spent developing the relationship that i didn’t have the time (i had a deadline) or the talent to give it at the time. second, someone to you, which suffers from Telling Instead of Showing, probably also because of a deadline, and could really use some connor POV.

share a bit of a wip or story idea you’re working on: pfft, honestly, all my WIPs are in my abandoned folder at this point, except for a cowritten fic that i will not acknowledge aloud bc sekrits.

instead, a look inside my abandoned folder at the two fandoms (technically three, but 1D had an ideas document instead of many ill-fated individual documents) where i had the biggest number of unrealized dreams:

[the-ships-to-rule-them-all]

22!!!!!!!!!!!!!

from Greece to London to Los Angeles, it’s been a year of growth and change and I’m astoundingly grateful for everyone who has been here from the highs and lows and the screaming fangirl fits. thank you for making my life better

my favorite people on the planet, the ones who make my universe brighter just by existing

@goodqueenalys Mere you are one of the smartest most genuine humans I’ve ever met. I am in awe of the way you have nothing but kindness in your heart and that at the same time your spine is pure solid steel. your strength in your convictions, your passion, your willingness to educate, your creativity, the way you listen, the way you care. I am so so glad to call you my friend and to have you by my side.

@blyedeeks SOUL TWIN!!! can you believe that we only met 3 years ago? it feels like we’ve known each other our entire lives. Sometimes you meet someone who can understand you in ways that don’t seem real because they get you on such a deep level. I think I said something like that for the past two years but it’s still so true. And you are the kindest more brilliant star in sky Cams. I truly don’t know where I’d be without you, definitely not as confident or as loud. I love you a lot and I am so blessed to have your kindness and positivity on my side.

@marauders-groupie Lana’s words are spun starlight, she just captures something so instinctively human and tender with her poetry. She’s one of the kindest people in the world and she serves the universe. Oh, and she is determined and dedicated and passionate and she just believes so strongly in the goodness of a single person, in her own value that I can’t help but believe in myself more because of her strength and courage and beauty.

@astranautics Caroline!!! my girl, my wonderful amazing girl. I cannot believe that I was your Tumblr crush. There’s such a softness to your words, a willingness to share and that all too familiar desire to love and be loved in return. the fact that you send me stuff about my hockey boys legit has made me cry because you take such an interest in me and I just I feel so warm when we talk, I love that your life is so wonderful and yet mundane, I love hearing about your day and I love watching you believe in yourself

@koridick BABE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the amount that I love you is beyond words. You are so passionate and sweet and if I could save your messages when reacting to my poetry to just constantly brighten my day I would because every time I remember how you react I feel so inspired and worthy. I feel like my life isn’t right when I don’t talk to you and I’m so grateful that we both shipped Poly Rangers and got to sharing headcanons and writing fic and you are so talented and wonderful.  Your willingness to put up with my rants and the way you support me and love me is the greatest feeling in the world. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

@sometimesrosy there’s something to be said about having someone who has lived a life believe in you. I feel like I can go to you for anything, Rosy. You are so so smart that sometimes I read your answers and it takes me a minute to reorient myself.

@everybodyknows-everybodydies I’m so utterly proud of the person I’ve seen you becoming over the past year. You are so talented, so talented and you are so tiny and cute that sometimes I can’t believe how much passion you have in your body. Your art, your convictions, your passion, it’s so beautiful to see and I love you so so much

@thesnowyswan my darling Rae!!!! you have made me a so much better writer, a so much better person and I love you so so much. thank you for all your support and encouragement and I love talking any and everything with you. you are such an utter badass and passionate and dedicated

@bishops--knifetrick I LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH BABE!!!!! we talk almost every day and I don’t even know what I would do without you! you’re so incredible and beautiful and amazing and truly someone special 

other people who are absolutely incredible and whom I adore so so much

@harpermcintyre (Al, babe thank you for always being kind and generous) @scodelariokaya (Nik is brilliant and beautiful and she deserves the universe) @wellsjahasghost (Jade is remarkable and funny and her words are spun gold) @mego42 (Meg is one of the smartest, calmest people on this site and she deserves only good things) @wellamyblake (MJ makes me laugh on the daily and her understanding of nuances is only matched by her passion) @thatonekimgirl (Kim!! when we met at HVFF I didn’t think that we’d end up linking back so soon, thank you for dragging me into the spiral that is loving VirtueMoir) @bellamysprincessa (Katie, I love you. I love that you are so supportive and I adore that we always seem to watch the same shows as you scream about something in the chat) @head-and-heart (Kate is a gem, a smart supportive gem of a human whose tags I live for) @deadshotbellamy (Grace is a gorgeous girl who has two of the greatest urls I’ve ever seen) @tybowen (Jen is a badass, a beautiful badass but yeah, her best quality is that she is strong in her convictions and passionate about the things she chooses to give her heart to)  @bb-8(Cody, you are so talented and smart and genuine and I love you so much) @montygreen (Leila, you are so talented and wonderful and I love you so much and your gifsets are so beautiful they take my breath away) @ohmypreciousgirl (to think that five years ago your blog was one of the first that I followed, that your passion and intelligence were a reason I even joined Tumblr in the first place, the fact that we are friends is incredible. I’m so grateful to you) @cllarkegriffin (Hannah, you are so incredible and I'm blessed to call you a friend) @clarkegriffintitties (Julia, I love you so much) 

the writers who own my heart, whose ao3 pages I’m constantly refreshing, who make me fall in love with these characters all over again

@deadcatwithaflamethrower (HER WORLDBUILDING IS TO DIE FOR, she just is constantly reinventing the universes that she plays in and reinventing my own opinions of characters by making them so much more complex!!!! she’s just so incredible) @so-caffeinated/ @dust2dust34 (their verse of FICON is one of the most awe-inspiring things I have ever read and it’s funny and sweet and action-packed and so full of family feels. I fangirled so much when I met Bre at HVFF, it was great and I just, they are so talented and I love writing poetry inspired by their writing) @rongasm (Rachel creates such works of art for Stydia and Percabeth and they are tender and touching and I could read the Harry Potter au for the rest of my life) @welllpthisishappening (Laura is a master at creating perfect pieces that I didn’t realize I wanted, she’s so talented and passionate and her stories just cause me to have such a massive grin on my face and she definitely reignited my love of CS) @ink-splotch(creates such masterpieces of Harry Potter and Marvel in terms of character study and what ifs and it’s just, I sometimes read them and cry but also rejoice) @lostcap (Phia’s poetry is pure spun sunshine and steel, there’s such a force to her words as though she is channelling the greek muses and the moment that she named me as one of her favorite tumblr poets is quite possibly one of my greatest accomplishments) @jasonsmclean/ @bipercabeth (have created one of my favorite series EVER, and are worthy of all the praise they’ve ever gotten) 

some other amazing people who have made this year spectacular

@bellameblake @bellsblake @bellblake @asexual-mechanic @apirateslifeforsmee @jahaliel  @molliiholmes @nerdybellamy @prosciuttoe @jbuffyangel @turtlejustice @junebugninja   @missemarissa @rashaka @griffndors @grumpybell @kindclaws @weirwolves @dreamcourtrhys @cath-avery @stydixa @ofnailbatsandaxefives @llysandra @whoeveryoulovethemost @impvlsivee @stilesprefers-screamers @readymachine @bellarketm ​ @warriorsaralance

thank you, if you’re reading this, for making my year truly special

[trashforhockeyguys]

Wholeheartedly/8/ Auston Matthews

A/N: I HIT 400 TONIGHT SOOO SURPRISE...I was actually able to finish most of this during the drive back home earlier. I’m also getting really excited about what’s happening in the next new parts. 

The boys ran and jumped on Brian and Ema as if they hadn’t seen them in years. You weren’t sure either of them could breathe based off of how tightly your boys were clutching them. Auston couldn’t help but laugh as he watched his parents being attacked.

 The two of you were somehow able to pry the boys off of Brian and Ema long enough to say hello to them. But after that, the boys were right back on them. You found it adorable really. It didn’t matter how many time they saw their grandparents, B and Jakey always did this.

“Well, welcome home,” Brian told you and Auston.

 “It’s good to be back,” Auston replied.

 “Can you cook for us?” Jakey asked Ema.

 Ema glanced over at you and Auston, “They’ve been begging for it since you left,” You told her.

 She smiled at Jake, “I think you and I can make something. B, would you like to help too?”

 B quickly nodded and grabbed her hand, letting her lead them out of the airport. You talked with Auston and his dad, mostly about what your plans were for the summer. Auston’s sisters Alex and Bre were waiting on all of you when you got home.

 Watching the two boys attack them were more entertaining than when they got their grandparents. Jakey tackled Bre onto the ground, which was even better than the time he tackled Mitch.

 Both of his sisters were laughing as the boys clutched onto them. You often felt bad that they only got to see them for a few months out of the year, whereas your family could see them any time during the hockey season. Maybe it made your time together even more precious.

 “Boys, maybe try letting your aunts breathe,” Auson laughed, helping his little sister up.

 “Mommy, how long are we staying?” B finally asked you.

 “Until September, Bubby. We won’t leave until after your birthday this year,” You promised him.

 “Really?” B started bouncing where he was standing, like he was so excited that he couldn’t stand it.

 “Yeah Bubby, we don’t have to leave until hockey starts again,” Auston replied, messing up B’s hair a little.

“Can we sleep over at Grammy and Pappy’s?” Jakey asked.

 You looked over at Auston and shrugged. You knew the boys loved to spend time with their grandparents, and they hadn’t seen them in a while, so you didn’t really have a problem with it. Auston shrugged and then turned towards his parents.

 “Is that okay with you guys?” He asked.

 “Always Pappi. Why don’t we have dinner over at our house, and then you two can just leave the boys with us?” She proposed.

 “That sounds great mom,” Auston smiled.

 The boys ran right to the kitchen when you arrived at Brian and Ema’s house. You attempted to tell them to slow down, but it was no use. You couldn’t help but laugh at the way that they tried to push each other out of the way and fought to get there before the other.  

 Auston smiled fondly at both of his boys as they kept shoving one another. Ema finally told them to calm down and that there was plenty for both of them to help her with. So, they both settled on helping her gather ingredients before she actually started cooking.

 In their living room, Auston, his dad, and his sisters had all settled down and were watching golf, which you should’ve expected. You settled down on the couch next to Auston. The flight had drained all the energy you had, and it didn’t help that somehow both of your boys always remained hyper.

 In actuality, you’d been tried all week. Granted, the week had been long and emotional. The end of the season always was, and then it was stressful because of preparing to come back to Arizona for the summer. Trying to make sure Auston and both boys had everything they needed was always a major task.

 “You okay?” Auston asked, looking down at you.

 “Yeah,” You slowly nodded, “It’s just been a long week and I’m really tired.”

 “You can go up to my old room and sleep if you want,” He suggested, “I’m pretty sure the boys would be okay.”

 “Mmm, you mean in the bed with the hockey sheets?” You joked.

 Auston elbowed you slightly, a big smile playing on his face. Way back when you’d first started seriously dating, and he’d brought you to Scottsdale for the first time, he obviously brought you to his childhood home. Upon seeing his childhood bedroom, the very first thing you’d done was make fun of his bedspread, which had little hockey sticks and skates all over it. You still wouldn’t let him live it down, even after all these years. You poked fun at it every single chance you get.

 “Leave my sheets alone,” He grumbled, still smiling, “They are comfortable.”

 “Can you two stop the love fest over there? I get that you’re all married, but it’s gross,” Bree groaned, chucking a pillow at your heads.

 You stuck your tongue back out at her and threw the pillow back. She caught it and winked back at you. You loved Bree, not only because she truly was an amazing person, but she also reminded you a lot of your little sister. In fact, Bree and Erika had become best friends in the time that you and Auston had been together. Bree stated that she’d almost adopted her as another sister, which made you more than happy.

 “Isn’t your anniversary coming up soon?” Alex asked you.

 “Two weeks,” You replied.

 “So, Aus, do you have anything planned?”

 “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell either of you,” Auston told his sisters, “You can’t keep secrets.”

 You laughed, remembering the many times his sisters had spoiled something since the two of you had been married. You loved his sisters dearly, they were the only way you’d gotten through your first off season with Auston, but it was no secret that they.. well.. couldn’t keep secrets.

 “One time,” Bree grumbled.

 “More than once,” You reminded her.

 You nudged Auston slightly, causing him to look back down at you, “Can you go check on the boys please? Just make sure they aren’t giving your mom too much trouble.”

 He slowly nodded and shifted you so he could get up. You turned your head enough to watch Auston walk into the kitchen and scoop Jakey up to hug him. You smiled as you watched your boys start to explain what they were doing to Auston. Ema started pointing to various cabinets and food items, seemingly directing Auston in what to do.

 You settled back into the couch, knowing Auston probably wouldn’t return from the kitchen until dinner was ready. Above the sound of the tv, you could hear them all talking in the kitchen. Both B and Jakey were asking all kinds of questions about what things were, and what they were supposed to do with them. At home, normally the boys would be playing hockey in the living room while you cooked, but here Ema had their undivided attention.

 You loved watching them with her though. They loved to hear stories about their dad when he was younger, as did you. They loved to hear about what it was like for her growing up in Mexico, and how you’d met Brian. You had to admit, you still loved hearing those stories too, even after years and years of hearing them.

 An hour later, all of you gathered around the table for dinner. Auston and Jakey both hilariously fought over Ema’s secret sauce. You made a mental note of needing to get more before you left for Toronto in a couple of months. Auston called Ema begging for her to send more all of the time. The boys had gotten hooked on it too, they liked to put it on everything possible.

 Jakey nudged B out of the way to reach for another taco. You laughed as he made a face of pure satisfaction as he took a bite. He even went as far as to sink down into his seat, looking like he was in pure utter bliss. Auston took note of his youngest son and smiled, reaching over to ruffle his hair.

 After dinner, you and Auston hung out for a while. But once the boys started to fall asleep on the floor, you both decided it was probably time to go back home. You helped Brian and Ema get Jakey and B upstairs to Auston’s old room, which was where they always slept.

 After you and Auston got the boys tucked into bed, you said your goodbyes to Ema and Brian and Auston’s sisters. The drive back to your house wasn’t far. When you and Auston had bought it, you wanted to be close to his family. You both liked knowing that they were just a quick call away. You took advantage of that when the boys were babies, you called Ema all the time asking if something was normal.

“I missed it here,” Auston said at a stoplight.

 “I know you did,” You whispered, “The boys missed it too.”

 He smiled and looked over at you. You could see the joy in his eyes. He loved Toronto, and he loved living there, but you knew there was no place like home for him. You knew that these off-season months were some of his favorite, because of where he got to spend them.

 “I love you,” He suddenly told you.

 You looked back over at him. With his hair all messy, and a freshly shaven face, he looked much like he did when you’d first gotten together. Your heart almost seemed to melt at the sight. He was giving you a dorky smile as he reached over to grab your hand. You smiled and leaned over to kiss him. You felt your whole body relax into his, even though you were both awkwardly leaning over the center console.

 You felt him let go of your hand and rest his hand on your back, pushing you just a little closer to him. You threaded your fingers through Auston’s hair. You slowly started to tug on his hair, something that you knew drove him crazy. You could feel him grin against your lips. You both forgot you were even in the car, until another car behind you honked.

 You broke apart quickly and looked up. The light was green, and who knew how long it was green. You laughed and bit your finger as Auston finally stepped on the gas. You’d expected that to happen when you were teenagers, but not now when you were both adults.

 “Oops,” Auston laughed.

 “You are trouble,” You shook your head.

 “Me! No no, you’re the one who kissed me,” He stated.

 “Only because you were giving me eyes,” You argued.

 “I always give you eyes,” He laughed.

 You shrugged and turned to look out the window. The two of you arrived home a few minutes later. Auston graciously took your bags for you while you unlocked the front door and flicked on the lights. Everything was just as you’d left it last summer. Ema and the girls had offered to clean before you got back, despite the fact you’d told them that they didn’t have to. You did appreciate them coming and cleaning though.

 The two of you slowly made your way upstairs. He dropped the boy’s bags that didn’t stay with Ema and Brian in their bedrooms before joining you in your bedroom. You grabbed your suitcase from him and started to unpack the few things you brought back with you. It was always strange having two separate wardrobes that you split between Toronto and Scottsdale. When you’d first started spending the off-season with him, you’d brought everything but your winter clothes with you. But once you’d gotten engaged he started buying you pieces of clothing here and there. You quickly learned that Auston loved to spoil you with clothes and next thing you knew, you had two wardrobes.

 “You don’t have to unpack tonight,” Auston reminded you.

 “No, but I want to,” You shrugged, “It never feels like home until I unpack. I’ve just always been that way.”

 “I know,” He replied softly, hugging you from behind, “I just thought I’d try.”

 You shook your head and leaned back into him. He nuzzled into the crook of your neck and started to kiss random spots. You smiled softly as he held you a little tighter. You knew what he was trying to get at, and any other night you probably would’ve jumped on him at first chance. But you were tired and all you wanted to do was snuggle up next to him and sleep.

 You hummed when he moved his hands up higher. You knew he was testing the waters, because Auston never did anything you didn’t want him to. He was still careful and considerate. He was always looking for the green light. You appreciated that about him, because he’d always been like that. Even when the two of you were just fuckbuddies and nothing more.

 “Auston,” You sighed, “Can we just go to sleep tonight?”

 You felt bad for asking. You wanted him, you always wanted him. But tonight, your longing for sleep was going to win. Auston sighed slightly and pulled away from you. You could feel his disappointment, even though he’d never really show it. You felt awful.

“I’m sorry,” You whispered, turning to face him.

 He shook his head and stepped towards you, carefully cupping your cheeks, “Never apologize for not being in the mood. Okay? Never ever apologize for that.”

 You looked down at your feet. You weren’t sure why you felt this way, but you did. You felt guilty for not wanting to have sex. You almost never turned him down, because normally you were turned on. But tonight, you just weren’t. You couldn’t explain it, you just knew that it was the last thing you wanted to do.

 “Go change,” He said softly, “I’ll finish putting your things away.”

 “Auston-”

 “And then I’m going to hold you until you fall asleep, because I know you like that,” He continued.

 He pushed you slightly towards the bathroom and tossed one of his shirts at your head. You looked back at him, he had a soft smile on his face. Almost as if he was reassuring you that he was okay. You slowly made you way into the bathroom and shut the door. You felt like crying for some reason.

 Even as you changed your clothes, you had to hold back tears. You didn’t understand why. You could only blame it on how emotionally draining the week had been, and just how tired you really were. You normally weren’t like this, except for when you were pregnant. But you’d taken a test yesterday and it had been negative. So, you knew you weren’t pregnant. But that didn’t explain why you were so emotional all of the sudden.

 “Babe,” Auston softly knocked on the door, “Are you okay in there?”

 You snapped out of your trance. You shook your head to try and clear your head a little more. You just felt off, and you didn’t know why. You rubbed your face quickly and grabbed your dirty clothes before swinging the bathroom door open. Auston was standing on the other side, you could see the worry etched all over his face.

 “Yeah,” You replied, “I’m just really tired I guess.”

 “Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yeah, I really am just tired,” You explained as you walked towards your side of the bed, “I just need a good night’s sleep, that’s all.”

 You climbed into bed without another word. You really didn’t know what was up with you, but your mood did a complete 180 in less than five minutes. You could see Auston almost shrug out of the corner of your eye and crawl into bed next to you. He pulled you close to him, tucking your head into his chest. You wrapped your arms around him. Somehow just being close to him made it a little better.

 You felt him slowly stroking your back. He switched between rubbing It and drawing little patterns on it. You fell asleep a lot faster than you thought you would. You stayed cuddled into Auston’s side all night. Somehow you could still feel his arms around you in your sleep.

 When you woke up the next morning when you woke up, Auston was still right next to you. He was already awake and was watching you. You weren’t surprised, the two of you always seemed to watch each other sleep. You always liked to see how peaceful he was in his sleep.

 “Good morning,” You whispered.

 “Hi,” He pushed a few strands of hair out of your face, “Are you feeling any better?”

 You shrugged, “I guess? I really don’t know what was wrong with me last night.”

 “You’ve had a long few weeks. I know playoffs are never easy for you. I have travel a lot, and I know the boys aren’t exactly calm when I’m gone like that.”

 “Auston,” You sighed.

 “No, I should’ve thanked you a long time ago for all of the sacrifices you’ve made to keep our family going during the season,” He stated, “I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you by my side, you know that, right?”

 “I don’t know about all of that, I think you could manage,” You shrugged.

 “I wouldn’t want to do this without you,” He sat up, “YN, it wouldn’t mean a damn thing without you and the boys. I promise you that.”

 “Auston,” You sat up next to him.

 You tried to think of what to say. You tried to think of how to best express just how much you loved him, even though he already knew. You’d always told each other that if you ever forgot, you just had to look at either of the boys and you would instantly be reminded. You tried and tried to come up with something, but any sentimental words failed you.

 “You’re such a sap,” You joked, shoving him a little.

 “Yeah, I know, just don’t tell the guys,” He sighed, “Oh, and Alex said she’d take the boys for our anniversary.”

 “What exactly do you have planned?” You questioned.

 “You’ll see,” He shrugged, “Let’s go get some breakfast, yeah?”

 “Hey Aus,” You paused for a minute, “It wouldn’t mean anything without you either.”

 “C’mon, I’ll make pancakes now that Erika kind of taught me,” He laughed.

[thehauntrpg-blog]

Name: Reilly Joseph Carmody Age Range: 32 Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him Occupation: Priest at the Church of St. Anthony of Padua Status: TAKEN by jules

You are a Shepherd of God’s flock, and you lead yours lovingly, no matter how small your flock may be, no matter how far they stray. Sallybrook is a town further from God’s light than you had ever thought possible, but nevertheless, you persist. You always thought your faith unshakeable, a concrete foundation built on the skeletons you hide, protecting you from the world — God’s light keeps you pure. Following the Godly path was the less frightening of two evils, and you’ve always been more petrified of telling the truth than preaching it. You wrapped yourself in a clerical collar and locked out any truths you couldn’t bear to face. Maybe that makes you a hypocrite, but you’re still doing good work, God’s work. You want to save souls, but this place… this place is wicked, wickeder than you’d ever imagine, and when tragedy strikes, a tragedy that, for a town like this, is as inevitable as the sunrise, you start to wonder if there are shadows even He cannot reach.

Isaiah: You hate to think of anyone as a “black sheep”. No one is truly lost, just… led astray. And to you, they’re a member of your flock that’s wandered, that’s gotten lost, that needs love and guidance and faith to come back to Him. You’ve got a little collection of stray sheep, and it started with them. Your door is always open, and they’ve crossed that threshold several times, looking for spiritual guidance, spiritual conversation… solidarity. You can’t offer them as much as they need. You can’t offer them everything you have, and that makes you feel guilty — and you think, maybe they can see through you. Not clearly. You’ve learned how to keep different things close to chest, smothered under your clerical collar, but you think they’ve spotted some of your hypocrisy. If you want to serve Him, you have to bring them back to God, but you don’t think you can bring them back to God without betraying Him, and that’s an impossible choice to make.

Alice: They welcomed you to Sallybrook with open arms, making you feel at home in one of the most alienating places you’ve ever been. You held their hand while they held his, and handed them the paper that would make him theirs; you also held their hand as they waited for him to return, letting their nails dig into your skin when he didn’t. They’re devout, and that draws them to you, but you’re the same and worlds apart all at once. They shook your faith, and now, you can’t preach honestly. You've never hesitated in telling your flock that God is Good, God is Kind, God is Gracious — but how can you look them in the eye and say that when you know, firsthand, that what they've experienced is a Godless act?

tw: Internalized homophobia, religious homophobia, religious conflict.

You were the fourth of seven children — “Seven’s a lucky number, you know,” is what your father said when someone commented on his brood. Seven might’ve been lucky, sure, but it was an odd number, and you were the odd one out as long as you can remember. Your eldest siblings, Kiara and Dylan, the twins, were closer than close. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, your mother would tease affectionately. You remember hours of car rides spent listening to them bicker about which one Dum was. Your older brother Jamie was always popular, well-loved and athletic, playing hockey and football as soon as he could walk. Your little brother Conor was quiet but intense, as good a hockey player as Jamie, and took to mechanics even better than your dad. And then your two little sisters, Catherine and Chloe, close in age and in general, were too young for you to really relate to, and even if you tried, they seemed to speak their own language. So you stood alone.

Growing up, you weren’t… good at making friends. Not with other kids, at least. You were too sensitive and too independent for your own good — you sat inside with your Sunday school teacher, doing advanced bible study by yourself, while the other kids played outside, laughing and screaming so loud you thought it’d make your head explode. You always got along with older people, though. Your Sunday school teacher, your reverend, your regular teachers and your boy scout leader — they all adored you. But other children thought you were strange. When you were seven, your father told you why, and you’d never forget what he’d said: “You’re too soft. You’re too sensitive. You’re too… you. Be a little more like the rest of them, think a little more like the rest of them, that’s how you’ll get on.” He was right.

You were too sensitive when you were little, but you were smart enough to learn how to use it. Feeling for others was overwhelming, until you turned the dimmer down on your feelings; you built up a dam to stop it from flooding you. You quickly discovered that there was a power in knowing how others felt without feeling it yourself. You learned how to blend, how to act like they did, smother your own impulses and desires to follow the crowd, and combined with your quick mind and quirky charm, you started to lead the pack. You were never good at sports, but you were good at other things, and got as much as you could out of that — your magnetism and wit made you an ideal class president, and you were, six years running, all through middle and high school. You lead the school’s bible study, and was the go-to tutor for Religion class, your own devout nature making you a walking encyclopedia when it came to Biblical questions.

Devout was both an understatement and an overstatement, a duality that’s split you open your whole life. You were, unquestionably, a Catholic family growing up. Big, Irish, Godly. Church every Sunday, Confession like clockwork. You always had your shoes shined the shiniest, your hair the neatest, your smile the brightest of all your siblings, and your parents loved you for it. As far you fell short of their expectations, you were always their most faithful son. You’d never tried to miss Church, and you were always more than happy to participate, going from altar boy to leading the youth ministry. And you were a believer — how could you not be? You were raised to. God was in everything; He was ingrained in the fabric of your world. You truly believed, and you wanted others to feel as strongly as you did. But — you were also good at it.

You liked reading the Bible growing up. Your father’s den had a massive bible on this ornate golden stand, one you’re certain he rarely read, but one you spent countless hours flipping through. You liked hearing about Jesus’s teaching, liked reading the stories and learning the lessons. More than that, though, you liked the rules. You were the boy who always read the instructions booklet before starting a board game, who read the whole manual before daring to take a new toy out of its box — you liked to know. You liked boundaries, you liked guidelines, you liked how every piece of life could be codified, an answer to (almost) every question — it made sense, and it made a complicated, frustrating world make sense.

You were good at it, and you liked it, too. The pews of your church was more home to you than your living room couch. You never truly felt like you were part of your family — your father and siblings made sure of that. You were close with your mother, but she was exhausted, raising seven children, and only had so much time. But you were the only child who showed up early to Mass and returned late, just because you wanted to talk to the reverend for a little while longer. The parish staff became a second family; Mrs. Byrne taught you how to play the piano like she did for each hymn, and you would talk through lunch and halfway to dinner with Father Murray, asking question after question about anything you could think of. They paid attention to you. You realized you could find love, family, acceptance through the Church.

It was hardly a surprise when, at only fourteen, you first brought up entering the priesthood. It was a big decision, but it seemed almost natural for you, a born Biblical scholar. Your parents were encouraging, though your mother hesitated before embracing the idea fully. She, more than your father, asked you to consider your options carefully; to become a priest was not a decision to be taken lightly, it wasn’t just some job. She told you not to make any choices until after high school at least, though urged you to wait until you finished college before committing fully. You took her concerns to heart, and spent most of your four years of high school trying to make up your mind.

The final push came when your childhood best friend came out as gay. There’d always been something between the two of you — you had few friends, but he was your first, if only because of proximity. It started as the inevitable friendship of same-age next-door neighbours, but blossomed into something more; a meeting of kindred spirits, maybe. He was bookish and smart like you, but sweet, more easygoing than you’d ever been. You complimented one another, and that’s what made your friendship good. You first kissed at fifteen, tearful and afraid on the floor of his bedroom, door blocked by a chair. It was grazing touches, close-lipped kisses, so innocent it made you feel perverse. You couldn’t handle it. You couldn’t handle him telling people about him, because it could trigger assumptions about you — and if that happened, everything would come crashing down. The framework of your world, the rules you organized yourself around, would fall to pieces. For years, you kept the part of you that loved him and the part of you that loved Him completely separate, but when he came out, you had to give one up. You sacrificed him to stay in God’s light.

You’ve only acknowledged yourself as gay once. It was in your last year at Brown, applying to Harvard Divinity School. You were both an obvious Ivy Leaguer and absolutely not made for it at all. Your classic, Christian, all-American look and solemn, bookish nature masked the desperation you suspect lived in all of your classmates, the need for acceptance and prestige and recognition. You needed to go to HDS. You needed to become a priest. It was a key part of maintaining the elaborate net that was your life — if any strand broke, it would send you plummeting. You put a pen to paper, and for the first and only time in your life, you wrote: “I’m gay.” Maybe it was bullshit, pulling out your sob story, trying to use it to maneuver yourself to where you wanted to be, but that’s how you operated, and it worked. It worked, because you built from a kernel of truth. You did want to know how to balance your Catholic faith and your gay identity, you wanted to know how you could love God and He could love you when you also loved other men, you wanted to ask if there was a place for gay men in the Church, in the ministry, in the pews or in front of the parish. You wanted to know if there was any way for you not to hate yourself without losing your faith.

You wanted to know all of it, and that, you think, is why they let you in, but you weren’t brave enough to be the one to ask those questions.

Still, you excelled, and once you graduated with your MDiv, you started working in congregations around Massachusetts. Your first was in Cambridge, as a youth minister in one of the churches you did your practicums in; they loved you so much they demanded you do your practical training there. You excelled, your focus being reaching out to at-risk youth, providing programming, support and resources. From there, you moved to a congregation in Boston, and started an at-risk youth program that provided housing, food and educational supports in a faith-based environment. Your interest in social justice and social work made you a natural fit for that kind of environment, and you led with grace. Your superiors recognized your natural aptitude for working in difficult environments, and commended you for letting your faith lead you to those who needed you most. The first time you led a sermon on your own, your entire family drove all the way to Boston to see you, to pray with you, and you’d never seen your father so proud. It filled you, reinforced the feeling that you were doing the right thing. You saw your parents, your brothers and sisters, your nieces and nephews, all sitting in the pews, looking up at you with so much pride, and you realized this was the only path you could’ve taken. There never was any other option.

You spent six years in Boston, and whenever you came home to visit, you were your family’s pride. After all, there was no greater joy in a Catholic family than to have a priest for a son. You devoted your life to fulfilling a Godly path — and it wasn’t like your parents ever had to worry about grandkids, your siblings more than happy to take that on. The heat was off of you. As long as you kept the collar on, you would be the best son they could ask for.

Last year, your Bishop pulled you aside to speak privately. You felt a rush of panic when he asked to speak to you in confidence; while you’d gained the attention of your superiors within your church, you’d never been singled out by someone so powerful in that way, and for just a brief moment, you were afraid. You were afraid they found out… what? You were afraid they found something, anything, that could bring it all down — but it was just the opposite. Despite your youth, they wanted you to lead your own parish. The reverend of the congregation in question had just retired unexpectedly, and this church was… a special case. It required a delicate hand. Terrible things happened in this town, ungodly things. Witchcraft and devilry abound. You were surprised; you didn’t think this could possibly still be an issue anywhere in America, but he was gravely insistent when he asked you to take it seriously, and consider whether you were spiritually prepared to take on such a difficult task. You’d seen fifteen-year-olds come to you overdosing, helped countless homeless kids, watched your flock disappear to the streets or worse. You’d seen some terrible things, and you were still stronger in your faith than anyone thought possible. You were the only one they could think of to take on the Church in Sallybrook, and you agreed.

When you moved to Sallybrook, you weren’t expecting it to be… what it was. It was a normal town, sleepy, picturesque. But you knew what they meant. This place was out of God’s light. You felt a darkness as soon as you stepped foot in your new parish. But a woman greeted you, introducing herself as Alice, telling you she’d be your guide. She was your first friend, and helped you fall in step with this little town. You got to know your congregation quickly, and realized that it was an uphill battle you had to fight. People were afraid, they were grieving, they were hurting, and you didn’t understand any of it. You weren’t privy to a full understanding of the Haunt until it happened. By then, it was too late. You’d become entangled in Sallybrook’s weeds, and you couldn’t leave. Not after he disappeared.

Sam Davis was a sweet boy, one you saw often in Mass, heard running around the school. He’d grown close with Alice, and because of that, you got to know him too. He was part of the Church’s foster program, and it was your approval (in a committee, of course) that allowed Alice to adopt him properly. You handed her the papers yourself. And then, he disappeared. Whisked away, vanished without a trace. Gone, like he’d never been here in the first place. You stared at his empty seat in the first row of pews, the first Sunday mass after he went missing, and your voice shook. You spoke about God’s strength, His love, His plan — but for the first time in a long time, you questioned your faith.

It took you the year to build yourself up again, but now, you feel the same creeping fear as the rest of Sallybrook. You might not know quite what it is, or believe in the stories surrounding it, but you know it’s getting closer, and it’s going to take another child, ruin another family, whittle away at the hope and faith of this town. You’ve never known loss like this, and you can hardly bear being embroiled in it. You don’t want another one of your flock picked off. You don’t want to lose them. But you don’t know if you’re strong enough to lead.

[aion-rsa]

15 NES Games That Deserve a Sequel

https://ift.tt/3F3Kc7k

In the 35+ years since the NES changed the video game industry, we’ve celebrated pretty much every aspect of the revolutionary console (including that strange time when we all thought blowing air into an NES cartridge could fix them). However, it’s truly remarkable to look back at the NES’ incredible library of all-time great titles and realize that so many of them haven’t gotten a proper sequel. 

While it’s amazing to think that the video game industry has refrained from making sequels to some of these games given the sequel/reboot/remake culture that we live in, the fact of the matter is that there’s just something about each of the games on this list that make them tough sells for a revival. Some were too weird, some are stuck in licensing hell, and some have simply fallen through the cracks of history despite being exceptional.

Regardless, each of these NES games is worthy of a sequel either because the original experience was so incredible or there was just something about it that deserves to be revisited all these years later. 

15. Duck Hunt

Duck Hunt has gotten some minor upgrades over the years (and we’ve seen the game’s principal characters get an HD makeover in Super Smash Bros.), but we’ve never gotten a proper Duck Hunt sequel despite the original’s prominent role in the evolution of the industry. 

Yes, you’d probably have to update the basic Duck Hunt concept to make a Duck Hunt sequel engaging for more than a few minutes, but there is a simple joy to the original game that has survived throughout the years and could be used as the basis for an entertaining modern game (if it’s done well). 

14. Demon Sword

This is a mostly obscure relic from the NES’ considerable collection of classics, and, if I’m being honest, there are quite a few reasons why this game got buried by so many other memorable NES action titles.

However, I love the idea of a game that revolves around a weapon of destiny that the player upgrades as they progress. There’s a simple joy to this action title that is complemented by Demon Sword’s fantastic style, music, and world.

13. Blades of Steel

Due respect to every hardcore hockey fan out there, but I just feel like hockey games are better when they’re relatively simple. So far as simpler, arcade-like hockey games go, few have ever done it better than Blades of Steel.

With its fast-paced gameplay and memorable fight minigames, Blades of Steel is a gift that just keeps on giving. I know Konami doesn’t really make games anymore (at least in the traditional sense), but this purely enjoyable gem absolutely deserves a sequel.  

12. Journey to Silius

Journey to Silius began as a Terminator adaptation, but when developer Sunsoft lost the rights to that property, they were forced to change the project’s graphics, plot, and characters in order to avoid any association with the James Cameron film.

Despite the changes, Journey to Silius is arguably still the best Terminator game ever. This title’s brilliant 2D action and all-time great NES music make it one of the most simply enjoyable action games of the era. This game deserves to be remembered as so much more than “almost Terminator.” 

11. Vice: Project Doom

Essentially a Ninja Gaiden knock-off with a few driving and “light gun” sections thrown in for variety, Vice: Project Doom is kind of like a grab bag of the various trends that dominated NES action games at the time. 

However, there’s a lot of the game that simply “works” despite its obvious…influences. This is a tough-as-nails NES action game with a surprising amount of creativity and variety as well as a surprisingly detailed (if still fundamentally simple) storyline that could certainly be improved upon today. 

10. Bucky O’Hare

I can’t imagine the world in which a major developer decides to make a Bucky O’Hare game in the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean that this absolutely brilliant Konami action platformer doesn’t deserve to be revisited. 

This wildly creative NES game features some of the best level design of its era as well as some truly unforgiving gameplay. This almost feels like the game that modern NES-style indie titles are secretly trying to be.

9. Little Nemo: The Dream Master

I’ve heard some call Little Nemo one of Capcom’s lesser NES efforts, and I kind of see where those critics are coming from. Compared to some of Capcom’s other titles from that time, Little Nemo is slow and rough around the edges. 

Yet, the way that this title so wonderfully utilizes vastly different scenarios that essentially makes each new level its own game is the kind of idea that is just begging to be revisited, especially since there are so many aspects of the title that could clearly be improved by modern technology.

8. Crystalis

I completely understand why some still consider Crystalis to be one of the NES’ best “Zelda knock-offs,” but the fact of the matter is that this title did things that other games (future Zelda titles included) wouldn’t properly replicate for years to come.

This brilliant top-down RPG combines satisfying action gameplay with wonderful puzzles and truly fantastic dungeons. The way that this game so openly embraces traditional RPG elements more commonly seen in ‘80s PC games makes it one of the deepest and most complex titles in the NES library. 

Read more

Sponsored

How Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda Showcases the Franchise’s Best Innovations

By Aaron Potter

Culture

Link Tank: Win a Legend of Zelda Game and Watch Console

By Lee Parham

7. Faxanadu

As a side-scrolling RPG that’s not that difficult and surprisingly short, Faxanadu is something of an oddity among NES games. In fact, I’ve heard some people say that this game is far too simple compared to its competition to ever really be considered an NES classic. 

However, I honestly think that this is one of the best gateway RPGs ever made. For a title that was first released in 1987, it shockingly features so many of the elements we associate with more advanced video game RPGs (stats, medieval fantasy settings, NPCs, etc.), yet manages to wrap all of those concepts around a simply enjoyable NES action/adventure title. 

6. Monster in My Pocket

I briefly mentioned this game during my look at the best NES horror titles, but I don’t know if you can ever really talk too much about this lovely little Konami title that is essentially a Saturday morning cartoon version of the classic Universal monster films blended with some surprisingly bizarre imagery. 

Many of this game’s rougher (or stranger) edges can be attributed to some odd licensing issues, so I’d love to see what a modern developer could do if they somehow secured the ability to just go wild with the idea of pocket-sized monsters on a grand adventure. 

5. Little Samson

Little Nemo may be the “Little” NES game that tends to get the most love, but there’s a strong argument to be made for Little Samson’s status as the most underrated NES action platformers ever made. 

Little Samson is an excellent game across the board, but the thing that makes it stand out all these years later is its magnificent character swapping system that allows you to choose between four characters at any time (once their unlocked) and utilize their various strengths and weaknesses in interesting ways. I can only imagine what a few modern developers could do with the excellent framework of this true gem. 

4. Magic of Scheherazade

If The Magic of Scheherazade isn’t the best Zelda-like game in NES history (and it just might be), then it certainly has to be considered the most underrated, overlooked, and tragically forgotten game in that category full of classics. 

This title’s Middle Eastern mythology and setting help it initially stand out from the pack, but it’s really this game’s multiple time periods, strange blend of real-time and turn-based combat, and stunningly deep mechanics that make it one of the most unique titles on the NES. This game was supposed to get a SNES sequel, and it’s truly disappointing that we never got one. 

3. Clash at Demonhead

While this game is certainly best known as the inspiration for the name of the band in Scott Pilgrim, it arguably deserves to be better known for its incredible structure that no other game has ever properly replicated.

Clash at Demonhead is built around a much more complicated version of Bionic Commando’s “branching path” structure. Half of the battle in this game involves figuring out where you’re supposed to go, but there’s something about this structure that makes Clash at Demonhead feel like a truly epic adventure. The whole game is this simply amazing blend of Mega Man, Metroid, and NES RPGs that absolutely deserves to be revisited. 

2. Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight

I’ll echo what many people have said over the years by suggesting that part of the reason this game failed is that it was bizarrely associated with the Street Fighter series despite having almost nothing in common with that fighting game franchise. Many young gamers’ bad memories of this title are based on the idea that it was a “bait and switch” game. 

However, Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight more than stands up on its own all these years later. This punishingly difficult game uses constantly scrolling stages and an odd control scheme to keep you on your toes, but there’s something about its blend of platforming, boss battles, and that works in a way that I’ve never seen another 8-bit title (or 8-bit tribute title) properly replicate. 

1. The Guardian Legend

The Guardian Legend was, is, and will likely forever remain an odd title. It was widely criticized upon its release, and it has to be said that there are elements of this game that simply don’t work. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Yet, there is so much brilliance in the way that this game effectively blends The Legend of Zelda (or Startropics) with a top-down shooter that it’s pretty much impossible not to wonder what kind of games we would have gotten if this title had made more of an impact when it genuinely confused people in 1989.

Some of the games that most deserve sequels are the ones with a great idea that the developers didn’t quite get right, and I can’t think of a better example of that basic idea than The Guardian Legend. 

The post 15 NES Games That Deserve a Sequel appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3ldkaa8

[thebachelordiaries]

Freakin’ Hometowns: ‘The Bachelorette’ Ep. 8 Recap

I started writing this hometown recap about a week ago (or maybe two weeks ago; time is irrelevant anyway) and I just felt like I wasn’t writing anything entertaining, so I stopped.

However, some recent incidents in my life have re-ignited my self-deprecating humor, and I am once again ready to transfer that into this blog.

With that said, I truly enjoyed each hometown visit. We went to freakin’ Buffalo (as Jason would say), somewhere in California, and two random places in Colorado. So let’s review what happened:

Garrett’s Hometown

Isn’t there a psychological study out there that explains why individuals look for mates that remind them of their parents? I definitley have friends who mirror their parents’ relationships, including myself, because like, what relationship, you know? Zing.

Becca likes Garrett because he reminds her of her dad. With that said, I feel like this unconscious decision of wanting to marry her dad could backfire on her. But most marriages end in divorce anyway. That, along with the intense pressures of being in the public eye, make the chances of her relationship “backfiring” already pretty high.

So we arrive in the countryside of California and learn that Garrett's family is in the farming business. Becca and Garrett ride a tractor and do all that weird farm stuff that. Sorry Garrett and Becca, but Chris Soules and Andi Dorfman had the best tractor ride scene of all time.

Becca and Garrett talked some more about his ex-wife. And for good measure, we met Garrett’s family, who then also talked about his ex-wife. The only thing left is for Garrett’s ex-wife to arrive and talk about herself. Gotta hear both sides, you know?

Colton’s Hometown

I’m going to be honest here, I don’t remember the order these hometown dates happened. So I’m talking about Colton next.

My favorite part of Colton’s hometown date was seeing the relationship between his parents. First of all, his parents look extremely young and their house is one of the nicest homes to be featured on this franchise. My mom was actually complaining that we didn’t get to see more of their home. LOL.

“My mom and I have a best friend relationship and my dad and I are more like coach/player.” -Colton

Colton’s dad coach didn’t hold back and said the below regarding his son’s lack of experience:

Then Colton proceeded to talk to his mom about being a virgin and I truly wanted to die of embarrassment for him, and for myself because I was watching this episode with my mom.

Picture this: a giant NFL player who acts like a child and always asks for his “mommy” Yup, you got it. It’s Colton. 

It’s no secret that I don’t like Colton for Becca, and I’m kind of annoyed about all this virgin talk. However, this episode ALMOST made me like Colton because of his nice house and family dynamic. He had a big family and is so close with his younger cousin that he started a Cystic Fibrosis foundation in her honor. I mean, this guy is the definition of on-paper “Bachelor Material.” And yet somehow I still don’t see it happening for him.

Blake’s Hometown

Blake is a mountain man, or at least he grew up in the mountains. He must have strong lungs from living at altitude. *Mentally adds “strong lungs” to my “Why Becca Should Pick Blake” list*

I guess another consequence of living in the middle of nowhere is having nothing to show Becca for his hometown date. We went to his high school and I honestly zoned out until Blake talked about surviving a school shooting. Apparently a gunman came to the school and killed one person his junior or senior year of high school. After that story, I suppose I understood why we went there. Then Blake (production) surprised Becca with her favorite singer, Betty Who, who has the perfect name because I don’t know WHO the heck she is.

My mom went on a three-minute rant yesterday on why Blake has the best smile. I semi-agree.

I don’t remember Blake’s family being very noteworthy besides the fact they reaffirmed that Blake takes breakups very hard. Is this foreshadowing? Idk.

Jason’s Hometown

We finally arrived in freakin’ Buffalo and Jason’s enthusiasm was off the charts. I truly don’t know if anyone loves Buffalo more than him.

Jason’s hometown date was by far the most fun. They ate Buffalo wings, played hockey, made out on a Zamboni and arrived at his parents’ house looking like a young rich couple coming home for Thanksgiving.

We met Jason’s family, who was also my favorite. I just felt like I wanted his mom to be my mother-in-law. Is that weird? Plus, Jason’s brother follows me on Twitter, so maybe I’m biased.

Mother’s intuition: Jason’s mom didn’t believe Becca had strong feelings for Jason. Jason thinks otherwise. Hmm....

Jason’s is also happily married to another man, which isn’t seen much on this straight-laced show. They gave Jason advice and were basically like, “tell her how you feel, you moron.” And he did just that with the most genuine “I love you” I have seen on this show. Ugh, why is everything about Jason so pure? From the way he pronounces “confident,” to the way he refuses to curse. He freakin’ rocks.

And to top it all off, Jason is a LBGTQ ally. This tweet makes me emotional. 

Meeting With The Girls

Becca’s “Girl Squad” from Arie’s season consists of Bekah M., Seinne, Caroline and Tia. They’re all supposed to be supportive BFFs, or whatever, but the truth is they’re not. Bekah M. talks sh*t on everyone and Tia is always secretly plotting how to get more attention.

And for her next trick, Tia pulled Becca aside to tell her she still has feeling for Colton. Considering she failed to tell Becca this information week two, I feel like her feelings don’t matter. This is the final four. What a selfish thing to do. More of my thoughts on the “Tia has feelings for Colton” reveal can be found on this Twitter thread/rant.

Rose Ceremony

Whether Tia had any influence on this decision or not, Colton got sent home.

Pros: At least we don’t have to listen to more “OMG Colton’s a Virgin” talk next episode. 

Cons: We will most definitley hear about Colton being a virgin on the Men Tell All episode and on all of Bachelor In Paradise.

I guess I’ll take what I can get.