#and I will not speak about the JT icing I will not

[toasttt11]

training camp

September 21, 2023

Ophelia fiddled with her bee ring as Quinn drove them to the rink. Today was the first day of training camp and they were meeting early in the morning at Rogers Arena before flying to Victoria for the next few days.

Quinn parked the car and glanced over at her nicky her fiddling with her ring, “Nervous?” Quinn spoke softer having noticed its soothes her.

“Weren’t you?” Ophelia said back making Quinn smile a bit because Ophelia might not have notice but she has a bit more sass after spending a summer with them but mostly because of Jack.

“I definitely was.” Quinn told her honestly making her glance at him with a nervous look, “But it all worked out no matter how nervous i was.”

“I got you Bee i promise.” Quinn softly reassured her squeezed her arm gently and she let out a nervous breath nodding.

Quinn nodded back and they got out of the car together and Quinn handed her suitcase as she slipped her backpack on.

Ophelia followed right on Quinn’s heel as they walked into the rink towards one of the open rooms near the kitchen and saw a lot of the players there, some chatting with others, some sitting alone and some eating.

Ophelia watched as many players immediately to Quinn hugging and talking.

“Ophelia this is Petey, Thatch, Brock and Jt.” Quinn introduced her to the four first.

Elias and Brock shared a look having both heard a surprising amount about her from Quinn.

Demko was immediately giving her a bright and kind smile and he noticed how she was staying glued to Quinn’s side, Quinn got his rookie.

Ophelia smiled softly back as she shook Demko’s hand first.

“Hey kid.” Jt gave her a crooked grin and a fist bump, it is a bit odd she is closer to age to his kids than his age.

“We’ve heard so much about you!” Brock said looked very excited as he softly shook his new teammates hand.

“Quinn hasn’t shut up.” Elias smirked a bit as Quinn fondly rolled his eyes, Elias is not use to Quinn talking a lot about something or someone so he wasn’t letting this go.

“He talks about you too, all of you.” Ophelia spoke softly glancing at all four of them, she has heard the most stories about them and Conor Garland from Quinn.

“Huggy!” Thatch put a hand to his heart with a teasing smile.

Jt started chuckling at her words loving that she just said that. Elias immediately smirked more and Brock gasped reminding her a lot of Jack.

“Bee.” Quinn gave her a playful look as he just rolled his eyes playfully at his friends teasing.

“Sorry.” Ophelia shrugged softly.

“Huggy bear.” Conor cheered as he walked into the room and over to Quinn as Quinn spun around and smiled softly hugging Conor.

“You must be Ophelia!” Conor was smiling widely as he turned to Ophelia and shook her hand excitedly making her laugh softly and give him a smile back.

Ophelia stayed right on Quinn’s side just listening to the conversation not that comfortable yet to speak up.

Ophelia just followed Quinn onto the bus and Quinn smiled gesturing for her to sit down first and he sat down next to her.

Once the bus got to the airport she followed him on to the plane.

Quinn had already talked with Elias if he okay with him sitting with Ophelia and not Elias.

Elias was fine with it as long as he gets to sit across from them and gets his own row, which he is happy to get his own row.

Ophelia blinked in surprised that Quinn sat down next to her but smiled to herself.

Ophelia pulled out her iPad working on editing some photos from the summer during the thirty minute plane ride.

“Ohh that’s a good one.” Quinn said as he looked at her screen seeing a photo of Jack tackling Luke off the boat and Quinn was in the shot laughing at them.

Ophelia smiled shyly at the compliment.

After the flight they headed to the hotel and all checked in, Ophelia got roomed with Quinn and soon they were at the rink about to head on the ice for the first practice.

Ophelia was nodding a long to one of the coaches as she was apart of one of first drills and when it was her turn she just was flying down the ice.

“Holy shit.” Brock whistled as he stood with Elias, Quinn, Conor and Jt watching Ophelia do the drill, she might easily be one of the fastest on the team.

Ophelia kept the team on their toes for the rest of the practice and Quinn looked proud the entire time.

September 22, 2023

Ophelia followed Quinn into the banquet room for a team breakfast and Quinn got pulled into a conversation and Ophelia wanted coffee as she knew there wouldn’t be hot chocolate.

Elias was standing by the coffee pouring a cup and glanced up as Ophelia walked over and he held a cup and she nodded, He poured her a cup of coffee making her mumble out a soft thank you and quick to start drinking the coffee.

Ophelia didn’t realize she ended up following Elias but they both grabbed breakfast and she sat down next to him and they ate in silence.

Quinn walked over a few minutes later and smiled a bit seeing the two just sitting together eating, he knew they would get along well. They are both people who like quiet time so he had a feeling they would enjoy that about each other.

Elias spared her a small glance and his lips quirked up, it’s about time he gets a quieter teammate, he’s looking forward to being teammates with her.

September 23, 2023

Ophelia was standing in between Quinn and Brock as she was on a team with them for the scrimmage. There was only a minute left and they were tied.

Ophelia nodded at Brock as he skated to the center, Quinn leaned over whispering, “We can do our play?”

Ophelia quickly nodded back and skated to her side.

Brock won the face off and passed right to Ophelia, Ophelia brought the puck up and skated behind Brock dropping the puck for him and he took the shot.

Ophelia grabbed the rebound and quickly darted around the other team players and brought the puck right to Quinn setting him up perfectly for a shot and Quinn took the shot getting a goal.

“What a beauty that is SJ!” Brock cheered as he skated over to her hugging her tightly. He gave Ophelia her first team nickname and the one that would stick the most, SJ for St. James.

Jt, Elias and Conor were on the other team and they skated to Ophelia, Quinn and Brock once the scrimmage had finished after Quinn’s goal.

“SJ.” Jt hummed nodding his head, “I like it.”

Conor gave her a pat on the head and Elias gave her an approving nod.

Demko skated over to the group standing on the ice, “That was an incredible shot you had.”

Ophelia perked up at his compliment, a praise on your shot always means more coming from a goalie.

“It was nothing compared to your save.” Ophelia complimented him back making Demko beam at her.

Ophelia was really liking her team so far.

September 24, 2023

Quinn laughed softly as he came out of the shower after their last day of training camp seeing Ophelia sprawled out on her bed looking half asleep and her phone just laying next to her.

Quinn knew she had been face timing with Luke and Jack when he headed to shower and just catching up with them.

Quinn walked over plugging in her phone sitting it on the nightstand, he pulled the blanket up over her shoulder.

Ophelia barely stirred as she was cuddling her penguin and blue bunny stuff animals and sleepily blinked up at Quinn, making her look young.

Quinn sat on the bed next to her gently brushing his hand scored her wet waves, “You liked it?” Quinn asked her now that training camp is officially over.

“I loved it.” Ophelia softly breathed out with a tired but happy smile. It’s been a difficult few days but a good difficult and she felt like she leaned a lot.

“Good.” Quinn smiled softly, “Get some sleep Bee.” Quinn softly pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Night Q.” Ophelia mumbled half asleep as her eyes stayed shut.

“Night.” Quinn kept brushing his hands through her hair until she fell asleep.

[3416]

I know you love Auston Matthews, but what do you think of him as a captain? He wasn’t there for a good part of the season so we can’t say a lot. He’s a great player and has good communication skills (although some might not like that he’s sassy and sarcastic but I love that about him 🤣). He is very popular among fans and he was in the leader core (assistant captain). While I love the guy, I can’t grasps him as a captain. I don’t have any issues but I am not thoroughly impressed? Or I don’t seem to hear much or see his leadership.

I know it was rumored (I mean it’s basically confirmed) that he was supposed to be captain back in like 2019 (but he had those charges against him from when he was intoxicated and tried to enter the car of a female security guard from a building in Arizona). It went to John Tavares instead.

I don’t expect him to be a loud leader. And I have enjoyed the leadership of more “quiet” leaders. For example, I was very impressed from start with Quinn Hughes. I know right now the team is in shambles, but as a young captain, he’s dealing with it so well. Nick Suzuki is another one that you feel a shift even if the team isn’t the best, we can feel is involvement. Nick and Quinn also seem to have great relationships with the whole communication team and the coaches. I haven’t heard anything from Matthews talking a lot with the coach and everything…

Again, love him, I always saw him as a great assist captain and being in the leadership. And I don’t expect him to be some loud leader. However, I always thought Mitch or Mo would be the next captain if JT left or did not want to take the captaincy again. Especially Mo, to me he always was the next captain….

Anyway, without any biases, what do you think? It’s something that I can’t decide on. I don’t want to follow the discourse online that says “he’s shit” and all. But I have to say, I am not getting much. I hope something changes my mind or he evolves (and we should let him take his time). On a brighter note, I must say I love Berube as a coach.

i think being a captain in toronto is an inherently private thing at this point. we do not get to see the vibe actually in the locker room hardly ever anymore so there is exactly 0 way to evaluate this aside from inexplicable Vibes. esp bc he HAS missed quite a bit of time and it's not even been one full season... i think if you look at jt, most of what we got as him being a ~leader~ was stories of him housing rookies at or how much he showed his leadership in his process and through example. like i'm not a jt expert so i can't recall specific stories but idk i think auston will follow similarly in terms of professionalism and being a leader On The Ice and in his performance obv.

i think we've already heard stories about the way auston's a leader in general, especially the past few years. last year he hosted everyone at his house in arizona for a chill day before their last game against the coyotes. he's bought team gifts for everyone (but is reluctant to linger on it to media obv). there was an article back when zach aston reese was on this team a couple years ago mentioning that auston pulled him aside and basically told him to focus on being at 1 good thing a night... like check 1 box where he could say he went out there and played his hardest to do that one thing and it helped zar, who is an otherwise v quiet background type player, feel more comfortable. i think those are all things a good leader does, even if they're not flashy or we don't hear about them. he's done a good job speaking to the media almost daily imo. he's straightforward and doesn't take the shit but will still give all the usual answers.

i don't really think comparing him to other captains like quinn hughes is necessarily fair. i think auston has a solid relationship with the owners/gm/coach as much as anyone on the team. we just don't get to hear a lot about that in toronto tbh, and ESPECIALLY since brad's been here... there's been a real attempt at a shift in the team's ~culture~ if you can say that, lol. changing the whole 'honour, pride, courage' to 'no grit, no grind, no greatness' or whatever the hell it is now... a lot less focus on individual milestones, at least outwardly... it's all deliberate imo but it's not bc of auston being captain. i think the org knew they had no plans to change the core and wanted to try to signal a shift of Some Sort so they hired a coach like berube and changed the leadership a bit and try to shift focus from the ~core 4~ to the whole team and idk. i don't think we were gonna see any significant change from the outside going from jt to auston (and we haven't really?) and our personnel has gotten worse imo this year compared to last, so i really think... we haven't hit the points where leadership will really be shown. if we lose in the playoffs, i want to see what auston has to say. i want to see how he approaches the summer and next season. i haven't necessarily liked these changes to the team, i think they're leaning away from their actual talent and skill on teh team, but i think it has very little to do with auston and it's not totally fair to put the vibes of the current team on auston as captain not even 6 months in.

[goaliegossip]

Yeah, I must say I never understood the argument of Pete or even JT as captain. When Horvat left, I remember the discussion revolves around those two.

JT I could see why people would advocate for him because if you think about it simply: he’s more outspoken and puts his heart on his sleeve. People often think of leadership = who is the loudest. However, it’s often more complex than that and JT is known for being outspoken but also we know he has some outbursts in the locker room, and has picked some fights. With that, we are seeing certain traits that could get into the territory of a “negative leader”.

I honestly never saw Pete as captain material. Like I genuinely was so confused when people were shocked that Quinn got chosen over him or they guessed him instead of Quinn. People were so confused about the Quinn choice. People were saying that Quinn was a quiet guy, but Pete was never a big speaker either. So, I never really understood the point.

Even as a rookie, Quinn has been a great public speaker and was great a dealing with the reporters. Maybe on the ice or just the way he looks, it might look like he’s shy and all. However, his off rink and media interviews and the way he carried himself way before he was named captain, he showed great maturity and knowledge and I honestly thought that he could be a great captain. I knew that at some point he would be a captain in his career (but I didn’t think it would happen so soon and at a young age). As a captain, you HAVE to be good at dealing with the media and at building good relationships with others which might be lacking in JT and Petey (JT might be too “aggressive” while Petey might be too “passive”).

There are some louder personalities out there and it might seem like they are the best captain, but being a captain in the NHL is way more than just loudly yelling some encouragement and speeches about how good or bad they are doing, NHL captain do a lot of behind the scenes work such as deciding some aspect of the schedule, meeting with the coaches and other people in the organization. You have to have good people skills. You have to be intense, have a great work ethic and be competitive and push your team and yourself, but you have to be calm and collected because you’re the one the team looks for support and stability.

Now, I love Petey and JT. However, you can’t have someone who can be at times “nonchalant” and just too chill. But also, you can’t have somebody who has a big ego (that might get bruised easily) and that is known for being too intense and has gotten into arguments with his fellow teammates. You cannot have someone who you might fear or you know you have to walk around on eggshells as a captain. It just will not work.

HOWEVER, adding those type of personalities into the leadership is actually GREAT! I think they each reflect a side of the captain (in maybe a more intense way) and can help him shape the leadership of the team. And that is why you have assistant captains: you want to balance your leadership, and bring different roles and styles. The captain also needs some outside opinions from other teammates and can give certain roles to those with the A.

Any way, hope it’s some media over exaggerating certain aspects. I hope they get it together. I mean last season was such a game changer for the team. This season has started off to a bad start compared to last year. Hopefully, they pull some kind of bounce to secure a space at the top, but yeah.

^^ I agree with everything you said. at the end of the day these are two grown men who need to find a way to coexist and keep their personal issues off the ice. I think what makes quinn such a good captain because he’s a good mix of both. he knows when to speak up and be that leading voice but also knows when to let those around him step in. It’s cool watching quinn grow as not only a player but a leader especially because he’s still young and will only grow from here

[philomenacunt]

i watched firebringer :)))

i ne need ti kiss jemilla or i fear i won't make it

i'm wathcing with the captions on WHYY is that dude named smelly-balls wtf?? nvm it just got explained. idk what i was expecting

"keeri just invented dancing" hell yeah !!!

nooo molag don't go i liked u :(

poor tiblyn imagine holding your arms up for your entire life cause someone told you that lowering them would have disastrous consequences. if this wasn't a comedy they really should've gone into the mental effects of that cause that cannot be healthy for the mind. in this essay i will—

at first i thought it'd be weird for my brain that there's a character named zazzalil but it's not that difficult actually. however i fear you and the chara may be melting togeher in my brain srry

keeri is so me you're so right we're so them we're literally them

i love the feathers on zazzalil's tunic ..,,,, (zazzalil (the character) angelkin headcanon ,,,, mayhaps)

"progress doesn't come from the dEsIrE tO uNdErStAnD like jemilla says. it comes from the need to be lazy." so correct actually

schwoopsie telling The Joke is almost indistinguishable from any random standup comedian on yourube shorts lol

"keeri?" "i'm ready!" sounds like. sounds like smth i'd do yeah. friends can always test their new inventions on me

took me a moment to realize the mammoth was speaking what jte what

"we could find someone to blindly follow together!" i if i may proposw,,,, hbc

i would never betray you like that

"it's the opposite, ice cream cones are cold and delicious" actually,,,,, i used to eat lit matchsticks as a kid. maybe. maybe that's why i turned out like i did (yes it fucking hurts idon't know why i kept doing that .i was a weird kid)

i thought snarl was gonna be something stupid like a fucken squirrel or smth boy was i wrong

"let's... eat... jemilla.?" fun fact the dutch people have actually eaten their prime minister (or some equivalent of that) before. in like the 1600s. i believe we're the only nation to have cannibalized our leaders so slayyy (literally)

because of the way the joke was set up of schwoopsie suggesting to eat jemilla,,, and then the way they all said "fuck her!" and keeri said "hey,, i got an idea" ,,,, i'm not even gonna say anything

keeri having a crisis over the environment is so relatable.

"no one is forcing anyone to drink water!" you tell 'em!!

noo keeri and zazz don't fight D:

MOLAG DOMT DONT ASACARE ME LIEWKETHATKAGAIN IWLIL DO HORRIBLE THIMSG TOYUI . jemilla... <3

i like grunt and emberly but i. have no thoughts about them

"i must be given a certain amount of luxury." L + ratio + don't care + didn't ask + your hat is ugly + i bet your duck fucking died + you talk weird + i bet you smell bad + your makeup is wonky + no one likes yiu

YES LIGHT HIS ASS ON FIRE

NOO they're fighting again :(

"all this can be yours all night every night" spit oit my drinmk you can;t jus say thatr

to me jemilla is the woman ever actually. peacemaker more like [CENSORED]

"neanderthals" WHAT. oh alrighty

AAHH name jumpscare

not snarl talking. i. wha t

huh. finally let my guard down now there's aliens? i. do not know what to make of this

chorn can sing DAMN consider me very impressed

i fear i may like firebringer more than hatchetfield. or at least an equal amount. is that. is that controversial

YIPPEEEEEEEEE YAYAYAYAYAYYATA IM SK GLAD YKY LIKED JT firebringer is my all time favorite . more than hatchetfield more than anything i love it i love ig i love it

[stereax]

What’s up with the Canucks? I know their cap situation has historically been tight - do you think it got better this offseason?

The cap situation is the LEAST of the Canucks' worries, honestly. That whole team is a dumpster fire.

More under the cut. Pardon the delay in getting this out, but this is a long one!

So first off, the cap situation is bad. It honestly looks better than it is, mostly because of the LTIR. Plus, there's a ton of players whose contracts are expiring next offseason, most notable of which are Pettersson and Beauvillier that the Nucks really need to keep. The main problem is, management keeps swinging at bad players and overpaying them, then floundering on contracts for good players.

So, uh, that Bo Horvat trade, huh? Let's start with that. You signed JT Miller, a 30 year old, to a 7 year extension that would end when he's 37, for $8m a year with NMCs for the first few years and M-NTCs for the rest, going off a career year that he regressed from (predictably). This is a guy who we know has some character issues as well (see: him screaming at Collin Delia, his goalie teammate, for being unsure whether to leave the crease). And you traded your captain away to make the cap work for him? What did you even get for Horvat anyway? Beauvillier, Raty, and a top-12 protected first? Why didn't you trade Miller instead?

Speaking of a swing and a mess, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Got signed to an 8x8.25, got traded from Arizona to Vancouver, and... got bought out. Now they're gonna have to deal with that on their books for eight whole years. Just another Benning-era flop. I guess it's still better than paying him for that amount, though.

They did pick up some guys, though, with the cap space they acquired - Teddy Blueger, Pius Suter, Carson Soucy. Oh, and extended Kuzmenko. But none of them move the needle enough. None of those players are going to propel this frankly lost team into the playoffs.

Now let's look at the LTIR list, or should I say LTIRetirement list. We've got Tucker Poolman, who played a total of three games last year and promptly disappeared off the map (and NOBODY knows what's wrong with him - and I asked! - but it's speculated to be concussion-related and possibly career-ending, and migraines - yep, like Nolan Patrick migraines - might be a part of it too). And Tanner Pearson. Oh, Tanner Pearson. Tanner Pearson had a hand injury in November, immediately got surgery, and the Canucks said he'd be out 4 to 6 weeks. Fast forward to January 12, Pearson is undergoing his third surgery and is not expected to return for the season. When Quinn Hughes is asked about this, he says "it wasn't handled right," essentially blowing a whistle to point to some form of incompetence from either the Canucks management, their doctors, or both. The Canucks launch an internal investigation and clear themselves; the NHLPA is also reportedly looking into it. Currently, it's been reported that Pearson has undergone 6-7 surgeries on the hand in question (possibly due to infection) and is working to regain quality of life. Yikes. Here's The Hockey Guy (Shannon), a known Canucks fan, lamenting this:

Okay, let's move on from that depressing stuff with a Stereax story. See, one of my very first hockey memories was seeing Thatcher Demko clutch up for the Canucks in the 2020 playoffs against the Golden Knights. That man was ice cold. I was telling myself "no WAY he doesn't become a star tendie". And then... Vancouver broke him. Oops, I think we're back in depression territory. But the stats don't lie - he went from 64 games (33-22-7) played last year with a .915 save percentage to 32 games (14-14-4) played and a .901. Oh, and he got injured with a lower-body injury (LBI) on December 1, was out "6 weeks" apparently got reinjured in training February 17, and was out another 10 days? Yeah. I mean, the defensive structure in front of him being Quinn Hughes Playing 30 Minutes a Night doesn't help. Plus the whole botching injuries? Not a good look for the Canucks organization. Hell, players could have been knowingly playing injured or hiding injuries because they didn't want to deal with that shitshow.

Speaking of the shitshow, guess whose contract is up soon? That's right: Elias Pettersson is an RFA after 23-24! Think he's going to sign a long-term deal with this joke of a franchise? Or do you think he's going to pull a Matthew Tkachuk and essentially demand to be sign-and-traded? I wouldn't blame him if it's the latter, especially considering the lack of, well, anything the Canucks have.

First off, they have no prospects. Their farm system is nonexistent. They have one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL. And when they're not busy trading away their picks to acquire aging veterans, they're drafting badly. This is an old article, but it really, really drives the point home.

Okay, but like, the Pens and Bruins and Avs and Lightning have no prospect pools and they're still good, right? Well, yes, but actually no. See, the reason those teams have no prospects is because they're pushing all in for more Cup runs with their current cores. The Bruins traded away the future for one last Cup run in 2023. The Pens are close to doing the same for 2024. Ditto the Avs and Lightning. The Canucks are not these teams. Simply put, they're just not competitive. Even if they somehow eke out a wildcard next year (doubtful, given Vegas, Edmonton, LA, and Seattle are all also in the Pacific, but maybe it goes 5/3 and the Nucks get WC2), they lack the depth, defense, goaltending, and honestly offense too to make a deep run. That team is fundamentally flawed at its very core. It needs to rebuild, and rebuild properly this time. But the owners won't allow it.

Speaking of owners, the Canucks' owner, Francesco Aquilini, is a REAL piece of shit. Not only does he refuse to rebuild, he's as crooked of a "businessman" as you'll meet, routinely stiffing workers out of wages, raising rents to exorbitant levels (creating homeless seniors), causing the death of children due to negligence, and more. Wanna hear about the child abuse allegations?

And if none of this was bad enough, look at how they treated Bruce Boudreau. The Canucks were supposed to can him for months in favor of Rick Tocchet due to bad results, but left him to flounder like a sitting duck. Media was asking him what were his future plans for the team when he basically had the pink slip in his hands. Even if Bruce was trying to be a good sport about it, cracking jokes ("See you tomorrow - I hope"), this is no goddamn way to treat your coach. If you're going to fire the man, fire him and move on. (At least the fans understood what they were losing...) And of course this impacted the players down the final stretch of Boudreau's tenure - aware every day that your coach is going to be fired but not knowing when? That'll do a mental number on any team. Christ...

TL;DR - The Canucks are so fucked up that the cap isn't even their biggest issue. They're managing that okay enough, I guess, but they're mismanaging the team to hell and back so even good cap maneuvering means nothing.

If you want to know more, I recommend you watch the UrinatingTree videos on the Nucks. I took most of the main ideas of this from there. And ask your local Canucks fan friend if they need any support, I think they'll appreciate it. :)

[salubriousbean]

OHH MY GOSH THAT FINALE

IT MADE ME FEEL SO MANY THINGS !!!!!

(Spoilers below the cut)(very disorganized because I spewed this all out and then immediately went to bed bc it's late)

OKAY FIRST OFF THE MUSIC????!!!?!?!?!?!? LIKE HELLO THATS AMAZING I CANT WAIT FOR THE SOUNDTRACK TO BE RELEASED! LIKE AT THE BEGINNING THE MUSIC AND OHH MY GOSH THE E N D WITH OMEGA'S THEME?!!! WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE IT

AND ADULT OMEGA??!!!!!!!!!!! WITH THE REBELLION??!!! Okay but seriously her outfit tho like I desperately want that jacket, and her hair is so cute! And Hunter's bandana! AND GONKY! AND LULA! AND TECH'S GOGGLES! Oh you can bet imma be drawing a lot of omega over the next few months (or at least trying to every so often)

Okay anyways let's rewind a bit (these are all out of order) BUT LIKE CROSS'S HAND?? THAT CX WAS RUTHLESS OHMYGOSHH

AND THEN YES THE DRAMATIC BRIDGE SCENE IN THE RAIN!!! RIP Scorch but like DANG HEMLOCK GOT RIDDLED (he deserved it)

AND JT WAS SO FUNNY WHEN OMEGA JUST STABBED HIM LIKE BAHAHHA

Though, I did wonder why she didn't just make herself dead weight instead of running with Hemlock to the bridge. It would have slowed him down a lot more but maybe Scorch wouldn't let her (or I just didn't see, I know I missed some details).

SPEAKING OF DETAILS I MISSED, EVA TIED THE PRISON-LULA TO HER BACK??? Thanks for filling in the gaps tumblr lol

Also, I wonder how they made the Zillo's screeching bc I swear that was on another level like what the heeeck

Also I'm sad we didn't get to find out who CX-2 was, or if it was just another random clone (whoever he was he was kickbutt tho). And ngl the whole time Echo was talking to the prisoners (!!dramatic clone speech!! Like fives's speeches!!) I was peering for any sign of Dogma's tattoo

Also Hemlock, isn't that gas like a war crime or something? And the prisoner torture thing? I haven't read much of the Geneva Conventions but I'm pretty sure that's against international laws (well at least on Earth, you'd hope in the galaxy far far away as well)

ALSO!! THE C H I L D R E N !!!!! THEY'RE ADORAVLE AND I LOVE THEM SO MHCH AND I LOVE SEEJNG THEM AND THE CLONES ALL HAPPY ON PABU AND EATING SPACE ICE CREAM though Eva, Jax, Sami,Bayrn, and the other prisoners need new clothes lol

ALSO YES EMERIE I LOVE HER CHARACTER AND CHARACTER ARC ITS SO GOOD AND SHES AAAAHHH "You have my word" or something like that THE MANDO INSTINCTS KICKING IN

And I love her convo with Echo, about being free

AND THE SCENE UNDER THE TREE??*CHEFS KISS* BEAUTIFUL 10/10

That reminds me, the line "Clone Force 99 died with Tech" is so sad 😢

Gosh the voice acting is so good dsfjavlkakgsslsdgldgksdltdys

Also (sorry I'm using that word a lot lol) I totally though older Omega was Phee when she was going into the cave for some reason or like Phee with a different hairstyle BUT I LOVE OMEGA SO MUCH SHES SO STRONG AND UMM I ALREADY WANT HER ADVENTURES IN THE REBELLION

I'm so glad none of the batch died in that attack (but also their accelerated aging makes me so sad). Also I love how Hunter offers their help to Omega even though they're not in the physical condition they used to be. He's so loyal, they're all so loyal to each other. That's not a weakness (glares at Hemlock). I love the loyalty of the clones, built in shared experiences and trials.

Okay my typings getting worse so I'll maybe return tomorrow with more thoughts

[therealcocoshady]

It’s confirmed that he’s going to be there at the NFL draft as he’s said it himself. We just aren’t sure if he’s performing or not because another musician that’s less known, Brazzi, is performing as well. So maybe that’s who they were talking about performance wise but he could also be singing a few songs, which I don’t doubt and probably announcing a pick or two.

As for the album date, I don’t think there will be an announcement tbh. Maybe a day dbefire but our announcement is as that he’s making one and releasing it this year lol 😂 And it didn’t even coke from his mouth it came from Dre. That’s as close as we’ll get to an “actual announcement” I think.

And yea I agree with the Nicki comment. I don’t think they’re in the best of terms considering all her recent drama and how she stopped INCREDIBLY low and got exposed for lying about pretty much everything lol. That and also because he wasn’t in the album and she talks about how some people never got back to her about it… possibly him. And she didn’t publicly ask for anyone else to be there but him. Ice spice was there, JT, BIA, 50 cent, lil uzi, etc. and she didn’t ask them to show up publicly that I know of. So I don’t think she was able to contact Marshall and probably did so as her last resort, which he clearly ultimately declined.

I do personally think it’s a little shady from him tho 🤭 Just bc he’s going to the NFL draft a few days later, been out and about, and appeared at everyone else’s concert but hers 😂. Like I know she’s upset about that. And speaking of upset… I know they aren’t on the best of terms for the simple fact of music. The things that have been said in songs, on albums, etc, I don’t think they fuck with each other anyways! Nicki is very territorial for some odd reason and I don’t think after it all, she would work with Marshall anyways and he probably doesn’t want to. (I can go in depth on that too if u want lol)

Oh PLEASE go in depth and enlighten us 👀 I am here for the tea 🫖

It might be a little shady from him but… it’s Football and I’m not surprised he’d pick an NFL appearance over Nicki 🤣 !

Where did he say he’d be at the Draft ? Did I miss it ? 🤨 (I have to up my Stan info game !!!)

But my guess is : possible Lose Yourself performance and announcing QB pick for the Lions 1st round ?

And yeah, no album release date 😅

[sumarmzthesadseal]

Thinking about the time I made pm manifestos for two of my teachers to see if they'd hypothetically vote me over rishi sunak but they wrre both wildly different and I got caught lying

More details under the read more thingy bc I want to say a lot lmao

BASICALLY YEAH

my history teachers in a one sided rivalry with English bc English is above history in this like online hw app wr use called gcsepod and she's all "I bet English is booking computer rooms and forcing them all to watch gcsepods all lesson" (in actuality me and my friends played like 700 English pods collectively one night bc I have the most pods watched but my history teacher praised this guy who barely does his homework bc he did it one time but ignored my efforts so revenge) also no one has glue sticks at my school fun

ANYWAYS when elections wrre going on I went to all my chill teachers and said 'would u rather vote me or rishi sunak" qnd all of them said me obviously EXCEPT TWO. MISS BURNS (history teacher) AND DR WOOD (English teacher who me and my friend harass daily but he also left so now I'm sad) and Miss Burns was like "Well I don't rlly like rishi sunak but I'll have to see ur manifesto" then Dr Wood was like "legally I can't say (racist)"

SO I DEVISED A PLAN (making a manifesto for each of them that was different)

For Miss Burns it was like "ban English from watching gcsepod" "tax the English department" "make William the new monarch" "declare Miss Burns the best history teacher"

For Dr Wood it was "force Dr Woods partner to let him keep snails" "give English more glue sticks" and stupid shit basically, the history one was more hostile towards English but the English one was just "Oh u mentioned this one time So now it's a law"

ANYWAYS I give miss burns manifesto BUT she goes to the head of English whose like in the classroom besides her for some reason and is like "Mr Ford look at this" and he just looks at me like :| but Miss Burns is very happy and I gain her vote

Next i give it to Dr Wood and he reads the snail one he starts laughing and is like "I need to tell Jess about this (his partner)" and he's like "can I keep this???" And me and my mate are proper giggling bc it's so stupid and then I'm like oh yeah I'm remaking the national anthem and he's like what is it and my mates been singing this song all day to wind me up so I pat them and I'm like "Ziggy will sing it they've been singing it all day" AND THEY ACTUALLY DO??? BUT then he's like "okay guys where should u be" and we're like erm it's lunch mate and he's like ok go to lunch and I'm like awh he's sick of us

I'm content with myself I'm like yeah I pulled it off I got two extra votes and it's sports day so I'm selling drinks bc yes BUT THEN miss burns walks up to me the interaction was like

MB: "hello"

Me: "what have I done now"

MB: "you've been deceitful that's what"

Me: "is this about the manifesto"

MB: "yes-"

*me laughing for a solid like two minutes while ppl get mad at me bc I'm not selling them ice lollies*

MB: "I went to the printer and found it was paper jammed so I went to look and I saw your manifesto, but for Dr Wood"

Me: *still laughing*

MB: "that is deceitful! That is lying! I feel betrayed! I had a little word with Dr Wood as well and he's not happy"

Me: "awh man"

And that's jt rlly then I speak to Dr Wood and he's with the head of English and we're talking about it and he's like "yk I was rlly happy to hear we're getting more gluesticks but I was less happy to hear that it was coming out of taxes from the English department" and I was like well I'm lying I'm omw to becoming a real politician

And yeah that's the story it was funnier irl

[juergenklopp]

DAYCARE SHENANIGANS feat. JT

BRYSON STOTT 4 for 5, 1 RBI, 2 R @ Tampa Bay Rays (July 5, 2023)

[jostystyles]

jt being out for a month was the icing on the cake and i’ve decided to become the joker

[kailyn-writes]

this is quite literally the most self indulgent request ever & know you’ll write it amazingly! but i start my first real official job tomorrow (the one i’ll have after graduation) and i cannot get the idea out of my head about how nate, as your boyfriend, would be the absolute sweetest about it!! how he helps you feel less anxious, packs your lunch for the next day, hides little love notes in your things, makes you a specific playlist to listen to when driving over there. not to mention how he’s just as excited for you before you leave in the morning! anyway lots of rambling but a cute little blurb idea!

First of all: I am so proud of you!! Congrats on the job and congrats on graduating!! I hope it’s going amazing so far!!

Word Count: 978

warnings: none. it is very fluffy and cute

Starting a new job was terrifying. In the days leading up to your first day, you were so anxious. It felt like no matter what you did, you couldn’t shake the nerves. It didn’t help that your boyfriend was currently playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs and had been so busy, you’d barely had time to see him since you graduated. 

When Nathan told you that he was going to be in Nashville on the day that you would be starting your new job, you wanted to cry. It was stupid, because you were so proud of him and so excited for the team, but you really wanted him to be in Colorado with you, helping to ease your nerves. That didn’t stop Nathan from trying his hardest to make your day easier, though. 

The morning of, you woke up before your alarm could even go off. It had been a restless night, tossing and turning into the wee hours of the morning. It was no secret that when you were nervous, your sleep schedule was affected. You’d barely gotten up and started working on fixing your hair when there was a knock at your front door. Confused, you made your way through your apartment before opening the door. Sitting on the ground in front of your door was a coffee and muffin from your favorite coffee shop, the one on the other side of town from you. 

You pick up the coffee and muffin before heading back into the apartment. Your stomach was in knots and you knew that any attempt at eating would be unsuccessful, but you took a bite of the muffin and sipped on the coffee. 

Grabbing your phone from where you’d left it in the bathroom, you see that Nate had texted you a couple of times. Opening it, you were surprised to see a video pop up. You press play and watch, grinning, as Newy appears in front of the camera.

“Hey, Y/n! We’re all super proud of you and we know you’re going to kill it at your new job!” Newy grins at the camera as he skates in front, waving. Next is JT, who has finally shaved that ridiculous mustache.

“Hey, Y/n. Super proud of you for getting this job and graduating. We can’t wait to see what you do next. Maybe now, Nate will actually shut up about you and this new job after today.” JT laughs, grinning at the camera. You can see Nate’s hand come up as he flips off his teammate, who chuckles. You can’t help but giggle as you watch a couple of the other guys wish you luck and cheer you on all the way from Nashville. The video ends back on Nate, who’s cheesing at the camera.

“Hey, baby! Just wanted to wish you good luck as you get ready for your first day today. I know how nervous you were, but you are going to do amazing and I am so proud of you! I can’t wait to see you when I get back!” You grin at the screen as Nate speaks, skating around on the ice in the Nashville Arena. 

“I love you so much, baby, and I can’t wait to hear all about your day later.” Nate says, finishing off the video. Your heart swells as you click out of it, seeing another text from him. This one is a link to Apple music and you click it, smiling when a playlist titled “Kick Ass Today!” pops up. You look through the list of songs, grinning when you see a few of your favorites, and several you don’t know. 

You sigh when you see the time and rush to get back to getting ready, not wanting to be late. You finish getting ready and head out for work, totally forgetting to pack a lunch for the day. Between the surprises from Nate and the nerves of the day, it had totally slipped your mind. 

It’s not until your stomach starts grumbling halfway through the day that you realize you forgot it. The day is going smoothly enough, you’re really just standing back and taking notes on what to do and when. Your trainer asks what you’re going to do for lunch and you chuckle a bit as you admit that you forgot your lunch so you’ll probably just order something. They’re about to respond when there’s a knock on the door of the office you’re in. The door opens and the receptionist, an older woman,  says your name, smiling at you. You turn around and see a bag from one of your favorite places in her hand. 

“This is from Nathan. He seems like a sweet guy, you’re a lucky gal.” She says, grinning at you. 

“Yeah, I am.” You murmur, taking the bag from her. Your cheeks are pink as you turn back to your trainer, who’s smiling.

“Well, looks like you don’t have to worry about lunch after all.” He says, and you nod, smiling softly. 

When you get home that night, you fall into your bed, grinning. It was a great first day, you could not be more excited to gp back tomorrow. You’re just about to get up and change when your phone rings, a facetime call from Nathan coming in.

“Hi baby!” You grin as you accept it.

“Hey, there’s my rockstar! How was your first day?” He asks, grinning back at you.

“It was amazing! Thank you so much for everything you did today. It really made my day so much better. You’re the best, baby.” You smile softly at Nate, whose cheeks pinken as he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.

“Anything for my biggest cheerleader. I’m glad it made you feel better. Now, tell me everything about today!” He grins and you laugh, nodding, launching into a story about your trainer. 

[flashyfucker]

i have SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT JT BEING PISSED AT TYSON ! like … after tyson opens the door thinking it was you’re takeout being delivered? maybe tyson just blinks a few times and jt just sees fucking red but just mutters “jesus fucking christ”, closes the door and leaves. i think you would maybe hear the slamming door and go see to the door to see tyson turn white and then maybe a little argument breaks out between the two of you? or maybe not but it’s a little tense because neither of you know how to proceed. you’ve been spending the night together for the couple of weeks since the events in longshot but you send him home that night anyways despite his protests. things are a little tense between you two for the next couple of days until tyson shows up at your door after morning practice the day of his next home game with fresh bruises on his face ?? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

so in my head like u said jt went over to your place to try to reconcile after their last home game, so maybe there was a day off for them and then an optional skate before their next game, so jt and tyson don’t see each other (nor speak at all of course) until the morning practice of the next game. maybe word spreads through the locker room about what jt saw at your apartment or maybe not but the tension in the air is THICK at ball arena and everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop, to see who will snap first. mikko and burky and the rest try to keep the mood up even when the usual best friends aren’t even looking at each other, but maybe landy is putting two and two together as to why jt and tyson wouldn’t be speaking. he’d probably try to come up with a mature way to speak to each of them privately and separately before things get out of hand but oh wait ! gloves are dropping, and im picking up the vibe that jt just goes after tyson but tyson just kinda sits there and lets it happen ?? tyson can only imagine how it would feel if someone he trusted went and dated his sister but at the same time he does feel really strongly for you and respected boundaries for such a long time, and he never expected something to come out of an innocent swipe on tinder but it did and you were just as into the idea as he was. so maybe he takes a few hits, tries to defend himself a little just yo avoid any serious injury, but is mainly just letting jt get his anger out. landy probably lets this go on for a few minutes while everyone else is quiet and jt can be heard yelling at tyson. nothing exactly coherent but it’s mainly swearing and “why her?” until landy pulls them apart and tyson gets up off the ice while jt is still mouthing off about how “you could have any girl you want, why the fuck her? why my fucking sister?” and i don’t know i’m bad at dialogue so i’m imagining that logic procedes here and either coach kicks em out or they just continue practicing like nothing happens BUT ANYWAYS i just have a lot of feelings of protective jt not knowing how to properly deal with his desire to keep you from getting hurt from pain he knows hockey guys can inflict while tyson is simultaneously trying to deal with his growing feelings for you as someone he’s dead serious about while also wanting to respect your relationship with someone who is basically your brother

the "why her" part ?????? why does that physically hurt me????? i shld go to therapy /:

if we wanna turn up the angst, tyson's showing up at your place after getting his ass beat literally only because he doesn't wanna be alone. he doesn't wanna resolve conflict. he's upset and in pain and doesn't even wanna think about jt, he just wants to nap with you. he just wants your company.

and you open the door, stricken by the sight of him, obviously, bruises and cuts starting to darken and he's already been cleaned up, so there's nothing productive you can do other than hug him, bring him to bed, but your mind's rushing thoughts of how you can fix this mess.

and a half-formed thought falls from your mouth stupidly, dies in your throat halfway through by virtue of tyson's visible disappointment: "maybe we should pause this, with each other," the sight of him, busted lips falling open as he sits on the bed, slumps defeatedly, makes you panic, finish your thought quickly, "till we can sit jt down and talk to him. just till we can talk to him." and you don't know what difference pausing it would even make, it's a dumb thought, but it's all you can think of while you're flustered and angry at jt but understand why he's upset, all while the guy you think you could be in love with is bruised and it's partially your fault. you don't know how else to make this better.

"okay. can i still sleep here?" tyson's voice pits you, how small it is, how he's just going along with what you've said. and you nod, move to pull the curtains across while he climbs under the covers, but you're joining him in bed before you think better of it, humming when he tries to sound playful with "thought we were on pause?".

"i don't wanna be." is all you can manage, feeling a bit like you wanna cry for some reason, and tyson sighs "thank god. neither do i." as he pulls you close and it's so sweet but there's this nervy undercurrent of feeling like you're doing something wrong that's suddenly less sexy and more upsetting and UGH god u just want each other without hurting jt :/

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

captain’s best friend

summary: it’s a competition to see who is Gabe’s best friend, but is that really what you and EJ are focused on?

warnings: mentions of alcohol, drinking, I think like two swears, unedited writing 

word count: 3.6k

note from the writer: everyone say thank you @burkymakar​ bc she chatted with me through this entire thing (which I wrote in one day) 

Game days were some of your favorites. The electric crowd, a whole stadium cheering for the boys on the ice that you knew so well. Overpriced food and even more expensive merchandise. But no matter how much you loved it, it was after a good victory that you truly felt your happiest.

“What? No Johnson jersey?”

You playfully rolled your eyes at the sound of an approaching voice, turning around from your conversation with Aleks Zadorov Mel Landeskog only to come face to toothless face with none other than Erik Johnson.

“Oh, you know, gotta support my best friend.” You teased, tugging at the hem of the Landeskog jersey Gabe had gotten you years ago. The same jersey you wore every game day, so it really shouldn’t have been a surprise to him. EJ scoffed, his own playful grin taking over his features.

“I’m Landy’s best friend.” He stated matter-of-factly and you quickly shook your head at him. Mel, wanting to avoid yet another childish bickering match over who was her husband’s best friend, bumped her hip against yours while balancing a sleeping Linnea on the other side.

“What are you doing tonight?” She asked as more of the boys started emerging from the locker room. You glanced at EJ, having heard about tentative plans to go out to a bar or two if the Avalanche came out with a win, but before you could say anything either way, Andre had swung an arm around your and Erik’s shoulder.

“We’re celebrating!” He cheered, a little too loudly for Linnea sleeping nearby, before removing the arm that was around your shoulders and clapping EJ on the chest. “Two assists, man! I’m buying you a drink tonight.”

“Yeah, you better.” EJ responded goodnaturedly as Gabe arrived, sweeping his daughter into his arms and planting a kiss on his wife’s cheek. After greeting them, he pulled you into a quick hug as Mikko, Tyson, and JT arrived.

“You kids have fun tonight.” Gabe joked, before his gaze fell on you with a faux-serious look. “I’m putting you in charge of making sure they all get home in one piece.”

“You’re not my captain.” You teased, and Gabe narrowed his eyes at you playfully. He kept quiet, bidding you and his teammates goodbye as you made plans with Mel to get brunch the next morning while the boys were at practice.

“Who am I riding with?” You asked as the Landeskogs left. You didn’t have much of an opinion—as long as you didn’t ride with Andre, who acted as if he was in NASCAR each time he drove. Tyson’s face twisted up in a mischievous smile that you didn’t get to question before he started speaking.

“You can go with EJ.” He said, as if it was some big deal. Mikko chuckled then, too, while JT smirked smugly and you felt entirely out of the loop. You glanced to EJ with your brows furrowed, only to find him already glaring at Tyson. That only deepened your confusion, because as far as you knew, you had a pretty good friendship with the defenseman.

“I mean, if it’s fine with him.” You offered, figuring that if he truly had a problem with it, he’d take you up on your offer out. Instead, his gaze snapped to meet your confused one, and his look softened incredibly.

“Yeah, no, of course it’s fine.” He cleared his throat, and with one last glare at Tyson who was snickering, everyone made their way to the cars. The place Andre picked wasn’t far from the area, and it was only after a few moments of the radio playing softly did you gain the nerve to speak up.

“I could’ve made one of the other guys drive me, you know.” You explained, still feeling some of the awkwardness from the previous conversation. You weren’t sure why you were so concerned with making sure he didn’t feel inconvenienced by driving you, but you did.

“I’m sure you could have, but I don’t mind driving you.” He chuckled, turning to glance at you for a second before returning his attention to the road. You blatantly studied his profile, watching as the lights of Denver cascaded across his face. He probably felt your gaze, because the corners of his lips quirked upwards mischievously. Your attention snapped forward out the windshield as he opened his mouth to say something, probably about how you were staring. “There’s a team dinner at Landy’s next week, did he tell you?”

“Not yet.” You responded, practically hearing the smirk in his words as you admitted that Gabe told him something he didn’t tell you.

“It’s because I’m his best friend. He told me first.” He said proudly, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Or maybe, it’s because it’s a team dinner, and I’m not on the team.” Though factually, you weren’t on the team, it had been a long time since you hadn’t been invited to an Avalanche as someone’s plus one. Gabe had brought you around the team so much that they progressively became your friends just as much as they were his, and slowly it was just expected that you’d arrive at any and all team events.

“I’m pretty sure Landy would hate it if you didn’t show up.”

“Just Landy?” You asked without processing how flirtatious the question actually was. Your heart was beating in your chest as you waited for Erik’s answer, and you felt his attention flick to you as he pulled into a parking spot a short distance from the bar.

“No, not just him.” He said quietly but clearly. You nodded, missing the fond look he sent your way as you picked at your nails. The air in the car felt thick, and even though you had taken off the jersey, opting to wear the shirt underneath that you had on in preparation for going out, you felt incredibly warm.

You heard your name being called out, and you saw Andre and Mikko standing on the sidewalk in front of the car. You smiled, thankful for the distraction, and climbed out. You heard EJ get out, and he soon fell in step with you.

The bar was much more crowded than you thought it would have been, but then again it was a Friday after an Avalanche win, so people were in a good mood. Nate and JT immediately slipped away to get a table big enough for the crowd that had arrived with the team, while the other boys headed into the crowd. You had been momentarily distracted by the atmosphere and trying to decide what you wanted to do first, so when a hand settled on your lower back you understandably jumped.

“Easy there, killer.” EJ teased as you turned around to see who it was. You relaxed upon realizing that it was him, and not some stranger, and subconsciously you stepped closer to him. He leaned down enough to whisper in your ear in an attempt to speak over the clamor of the bar, and you reasoned that the heat rising to your face was a result of the crowd. “Do you want to get a drink first or sit down?”

“A drink.” You settled on. If he was going to be hanging on you all not—not that you truly minded—you would need some liquid courage. For a second, you saw his toothless grin widen in mischief before his hand slipped into yours and he used it to keep you close to him as he used his large frame to make a path through the crowd.

A strong drink, you decided.

And if it was a few strong drinks, who could blame you? Erik had barely left your side the entire night, warding off any creepy guy that approached and keeping you company. Even when you pulled Tyson and Andre to the floor to goofily dance around as your drinks started to hit you, you felt his eyes on you. Tyson must have noticed, because he gave you a shit-eating look no less than three times, but as the drinks kept coming, you found it harder and harder to care.

The end of the night came quicker than you thought it would, but the boys had practice in the morning and Nate was there to make sure everyone made it out of the bar by one in the morning.

“And to think you were supposed to be in charge.” He teased, watching as you giggled at seemingly nothing. You were drunk, not terribly so, but drunk nonetheless. Nate patted you on the shoulder and Andre pulled you in for an obnoxiously dramatic hug, and then it was just left with you and EJ at the bar, who you had seen nurse the same beer all night.

“Come on, I’ll give you a lift.” Erik offered, closing out his tab and yours, despite your protest.

“I’m fine, EJ. I can just get an Uber.” You shook your head, but he didn’t see, as he wrapped an arm around you and began the trek towards the exit.

“There is no way I’m letting you get into an Uber by yourself, while you’re drunk.” He huffed, rolling his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. You tried not to think about how your heart skipped a beat at his thoughtfulness, or how his touch on your lower back as he led you through the crowd set you aflame. “Landy would kill me if I let you do that.”

Oh.

“Yeah,” You chuckled, a little breathlessly as the cold Denver air pricked at your skin. You decided that sober you would have to deal with why you felt more than a little disappointed that the only reason he wasn’t letting you climb in an Uber was Gabe. “Landy would hate it if you left me, his best friend, to find my own way home.”

“C’mon.” He chuckled, surprisingly not taking the bait for your age old argument of who was the captain’s best friend. You found yourself wrapping a hand around EJ’s arm and moving closer to him in an attempt to both steal some of his body heat and not get lost in the crowd of people on the sidewalk, with the added benefit of making him slow his steps down so he wasn’t using his long legs to race ahead. “Let’s get you home.”

The next morning you woke up to an empty house and a dull headache. While it wasn’t that bad of a hangover, you still felt the effects of the one too many drinks you had the night before. The first thing you did upon waking up was check the time, seeing you still had a little over two hours before you had to meet Mel. After responding to a few texts, you rolled over in preparation to get up and make breakfast, only to see a glass of water, a bottle of painkillers, and a note that you certainly hadn’t left on your nightstand. Picking up the note—which really was a napkin stolen from your kitchen—you recognized the scratchy handwriting.

Drink up. —Landy’s best friend

You couldn’t help the smile that grew on your face at the simple note, and quickly took the medicine and water before busying yourself with getting ready for brunch with Mel. It didn’t work, and you caught yourself more than six times thinking of the tall, toothless blond that shared the spot of the captain’s best friend with you. Even as you made your way to the predetermined diner, you couldn’t wipe the dopey smile off of your face as a result of the previous night’s events.

“So, you and EJ?” Mel teased the moment you sat down at the table. You had been cooing at Linnea, but stopped abruptly upon hearing her suggestive question. There was no you and EJ. There was you and then there was EJ.

But why did your heart skip a beat at the idea?

“No?” You said, unsure what it was exactly that you were denying. She simply shot you one of her unimpressed mom looks that you had seen directed at Gabe more than Linnea, and you gave her a confused look of your own.

“JT told Gabe that you left the bat with EJ last night.” She explained, and you rolled your eyes at the redhead who apparently couldn’t help but gossip. Mel was looking at you expectantly, and part of you wondering what made her think that something would happen between you and her husband’s second best friend.

“Erik just helped me get home last night, so I wouldn’t have to take an Uber.” You explained, and you quickly regretted your word choice as her smile turned mischievous.

“Oh, so he’s Erik now?” She teased you for calling him by his name instead of his nickname that everyone called him. Linnea saved you from coming up with a response, deciding she hadn’t gotten enough attention and babbled loudly, gaining her mom’s attention.

Arriving at the Landeskogs later that week, you hadn’t realized it was wine night, until you spotted four different bottles on the island table. You shot a confused look to Mel, you gave an exasperated sigh.

“They’re EJ’s, he’s getting into wine collecting, and brought some over for Gabe.” She explained, and you chuckled. You remembered him telling you something along the lines of his new hobby, but after your conversation with her over brunch days prior, you weren’t going to readily tell her your communication with Erik had increased.

“Is he here?” You asked casually, picking up the bottle that was closest to you. As if in response to your question, you heard Erik’s loud laugh fill the house and you couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on your face. You followed Mel into the living room, finding EJ and Gabe both sitting on the large sectional, with Linnea bouncing on Erik’s lap.

“Hey, you made it!” Gabe cheered upon seeing you, and Erik’s head snapped towards you, a smile on his face. Your heart skipped a beat momentarily at the sight, but you were dragged back to reality as Linnea cooed at you, making grabby hands.

“I was promised dinner.” You teased, dropping into the spot besides Erik. He seemed to be able to tell what you were after, and set Linnea in your lap. His arm went to the back of the couch behind your head, and you tried your best to focus on making faces at the baby in your lap instead of his proximity.

“You were promised dinner? I was just told to bring wine.” EJ joked, earning chuckles from everyone else in the room.

“That’s because I’m Landy’s best friend.” You said smugly, glancing at Erik out of the corner of your eye. He grinned, and from the mischievous glint in his eyes you could tell he was taking the bait this time.

“He trusts me enough to pick out a good wine, I’m the best friend.” He replied, and you heard Gabe and Mel groan in good fun. It wasn’t the first time you and Erik had gotten into the playful argument about who was Landy’s actual best friend.

“It doesn’t count as ‘picking out a good wine’ if you just bring four bottles. That’s cheating.” You grinned, your attention fully on him then.

“Oh my god, just kiss already.” Gabe groaned, earning an elbow from Mel, who honestly didn’t seem all too concerned with actually putting a stop to her husband’s comments. Your stomach dropped and your face warmed, and you turned back to Linnea, who had begun pulling on your shirt in a bid for attention.

“Why not?” Erik teased, surely he was joking, but his knee knocked against yours after a beat of silence. You spared a glance up to Mel, who had the audacity to look smug while you were freaking out.

“Why don’t we give you guys a moment.” Mel suggested, patting Gabe on the knee so he got the message and scooped up Linnea from your lap. You watched in confusion about why you and Erik would need a moment as they left, but just before Gabe disappeared, he turned and pointed a very captain-like finger at EJ.

“Just say it, man.” And then he was gone, leaving you even more confused and flustered as Erik moved his arm from on the couch behind you to his lap, where he anxiously fiddled with his watch.

“Say what?” You questioned, turning slightly to face him.

“Fuckin’ Landy.” He muttered, though you assumed he was speaking to himself as he had yet to look up to meet your gaze since Gabe left. “Alright, here goes nothing.”

“Erik—?”

“I like you. Like, a lot.”

And that truly was not what you thought he was going to say, so you said nothing out of pure shock. You weren’t upset that he had told you his feelings, far from it, but he had caught you off guard.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’ll just—” He started, and made to get up to leave, but your hand shot out before you could register you were moving and grabbed his forearm, causing him to stop his rambling.

“No, no. I just, I didn’t think you’d like me that way.” You confessed, and EJ laughed like it should have been obvious. He settled back into his seat, but you could tell he was still tense.

“Are you kidding me? I’m crazy about you. Whenever we go out, I’m stuck by you, and barely drink, just I can be the one to drive you home. When Landy first started bringing you around, he used to give me so much shit because I asked about you all the time. He still does, but it’s because I took forever to make a move.” He confessed. “But I was nervous, you’re so fun, and witty, and kind.”

“You’re all those things and more, too, you know.” You assured him. You were certain you had never met anymore more witty and fun than him.

And then it hit you exactly why your heart stuttered each time you saw him—why you suddenly had the urge to kiss him only moments before.

You had feelings for your best friend’s second best friend.

Erik called your name softly, and when you met his gaze, he was looking at you with a look of utter seriousness that you had truly never seen before on the lighthearted man. While you adored his playful smile and the mischievous glint in his eyes, you were incredibly grateful he wasn’t treating this as a joke.

“What’re you thinking?” He asked, avoiding the question you could tell he actually wanted the answer to. You turned in your seat to face him, tucking one leg under yourself while your knee pressed gently against the side of his thigh.

“I’m thinking,” You hesitated, trying to find the words that encapsulated how you were feeling, while still keeping true to the banter that defined your relationship with him. “that I wouldn’t mind sharing being Landy’s best friend if it was you I was sharing with.”

He chuckled at this, and briefly you could see relief wash over his features. But then he brought one of his large hands up to cradle your jaw and hold you still as he crashed his lips against yours. You hadn’t realized how long awaited the kiss was until he was pressed against you and you felt as if you were breathing for the first time. You felt blind for not seeing it before, how you felt for Erik and his reciprocated feelings.

“Neither of you will be my best friend if you keep doing that on my couch!” Gabe teased from the doorway, and you had your suspicions that he had been listening in the entire time. You tilted your head back with a loud, gleeful laugh as Erik exchanged some choice words with his captain. Gabe tossed his hands up in innocence before shooting you a wink and slipping back into the kitchen. Erik’s hand dropped from where it had been holding your face to link with yours, and he pressed a series of gentle kisses to your fingers.

“Softie.” You teased, but made no effort to stop him. In fact, you leaned forward in search of another sweet kiss and he readily complied.

“Want to get out of here?” He questioned, just as you heard Mel’s cheers as Gabe, presumably, told her what he had seen. You smiled at Erik, ready to go along with whatever he had in mind.

“Lead the way.”

Game days. Your favorite.

You were bouncing in your seat the whole night, and Mel rolled her eyes playfully at you as you jumped out of your seat to cheer for Erik as he scored the goal that cemented Colorado’s win.

“What’re you doing after?” Mel asked as you waited with her and the other partners of the players for the boys to come out of the locker room. You had kidnapped Linnea and had been making faces at her while she was perched on your hip.

“Movie night. It was supposed to be my turn to pick, but Erik scored, so.�� You explained. She didn’t have the chance to reply as the door to the locker room opened and the blond you had been waiting for emerged, his loud voice filling the hallway.

“What’s with the Johnson jersey?”

“Oh, you know, gotta support my boyfriend.” You teased, handing Linnea back to Mel as Erik approached, pulling you in for a quick kiss. You hadn’t told him you were wearing it, instead of your usual Landeskog jersey.

“Damn straight. I think it’s good luck.” He mumbled against your lips, before straightening back up and taking in your mischievous grin. He admired you, knowing that he was in for some comment or another, not wanting it any other way.

“But I’m wearing Landy’s next time, I still am his best friend.”

[hockeylvr59]

Honest Love Part 6 || Cale Makar

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note:  I finally got through this chapter!!! Happy dance!!! This first segment is one of my favorite pieces of this whole story so I hope you love it as much as I do. The other two were a little harder so I hope you enjoy what I came up with to flush this chapter out. 

Recap: Part 4 was the pregnancy announcement to Cale, Part 5 was Cale’s birthday. 

Warnings: cavities? This chapter is a little sweet. Mentions of drinking/tipsiness on Cale’s part. 

Word Count: 3,336

~~~~~

The fact that Cale’s birthday butted up against Halloween was always something you’d enjoyed growing up. It was almost like a perfect 2 for 1 deal - cake and ice cream one day, boatloads of candy the next. It was the innocent things you liked most about Halloween: the cute kids costumes, candy in excess, pumpkin carving, and corn mazes. Which was why today’s plans were perfect. Cale had gone for a quick practice and then around lunchtime the team was meeting at a farm that had a huge corn maze, hay rides, and lots of family friendly activities for the whole team and their families to enjoy. 

Then, after a break for trick or treating and dinner and naps, the adults were all having an adult costume party at Gabe and Mel’s full of drinking and just laid back fun. Of course, Cale was going to be the only one doing any drinking tonight, but you were going to play that off as just being the designated driver since it was kind of a birthday celebration for him in a way as well. Hopefully that would keep the team off of your scent as you and Cale weren’t ready to share the news of your pregnancy just yet, especially since neither set of parents had been looped in. 

Knowing it was going to be a late night, you were lounging on the couch trying to rest and catch up on some work you were behind on when Cale came sauntering through the door, a bright smile bringing those dimples alive. A short but sweet kiss on your lips made you smile and as you carded your fingers through his hair you felt him slide your computer out of the way, his fingers brushing against your shirt. Assuming he was just saying a silent hello to the baby you didn’t think anything of it until you felt him press something onto your skin before pulling away. 

Looking down, your face crinkled with confusion when you spotted a tiny pumpkin sticker attached to your flat stomach. 

“Why?” You asked softly, beyond confused by what was running through your boyfriend’s head right now. Cale’s cheeks flushed but his smile never wavered as he moved into the kitchen to grab a sports drink. 

“The guys were all talking about their kids costumes.” He mumbled softly between sips. “And they all sounded so cute. I thought about what we’re going to dress our baby up as next year but then I thought why wait. I know it’s a little bit big, but baby will grow into it. I’ve got skeleton stickers too but I figured that was a little too close to reality right now and therefore not really a costume.” He explained, shrugging. 

Immediately tears filled your eyes because that might just be the cutest damn thing Cale has ever said. He really went out and got stickers just so your unborn baby could have a ‘costume’ for Halloween. Wiping at your eyes you just looked up at him in awe. 

“You went out and bought stickers so our unborn baby could have a Halloween costume?” You repeated in confirmation. Cale’s cheeks flushed deeper and he mumbles that maybe it was a stupid idea. Shaking your head, you moved to stand and pull him into a hug and kiss, your shirt still pushed up to your rib cage. 

“It’s not stupid.” You assured him. “It’s endearing and probably one of the cutest things you’ve ever done.” Tipping up to kiss him you tried to reassure him. “Take a picture of our little pumpkin?” You questioned. “We have to capture baby’s first Halloween after all.” You urged. There wasn’t a bump or any physical sign that there was a baby growing inside of you but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t take a picture. Even if no one else ever saw it, you wanted to be able to look back at this memory because it would be your baby’s first picture and a reminder of how in love Cale had been with your son or daughter right from the very start. 

Though he seemed a bit reluctant, Cale nodded and moved to take a few pictures of your stickered stomach before putting his phone away. Tucking your shirt down over the sticker, leaving it intact, you moved to kiss Cale again asking if he was about ready to head out to the farm for the team family event.  With a few more reassuring kisses, Cale settled again and finally murmured that he just needed to change. You were ready yourself having gotten dressed earlier before you tried to talk yourself out of it by making excuses. You wanted to go spend the day with the team and with Cale and you certainly didn’t want to miss out on the inside jokes that were bound to crop up throughout. 

_____

Almost an hour later, Cale finally pulled the car into the farm where the team was meeting, and the feeling of the vehicle stopping for good pulled you from the little cat nap you’d been taking in the passenger seat. Cale looked over, familiar concern visible on his face, but you quickly assured him that you were good and you just needed a moment to fix your mussed hair before you could go join everyone. Cale cupped your cheek, kissing you softly before he moved to climb out of the car to stretch while you fixed a few stray hairs and flattened out your top, finally exiting the vehicle yourself. 

Though you’d just seen everyone last night, enthusiastic greetings were still exchanged and you hugged everyone before returning to your spot at Cale’s side, his hand resting along the curve of your spine. After some bickering from the boys about what they wanted to do, it was agreed that you’d start with hayrides before coming back down for the corn maze and everything else. You’d forgotten just how raucous team events could be, but it was definitely a good time, especially watching the kids run around laughing and having fun. For just a moment, you let your mind slip into daydreams about how that would be your little one laughing and exploring next year, hopefully with cheeks pink from the chill in the air. 

After the hayride which had you fighting back just a little bit of nausea, the Calvert boys pulled you and Cale into the smaller corn maze designed for kids making it a race to see how quickly they could get through it. Gabe, Mel, and Linnea joined in and you smiled watching Linnea toddle along through the corn amazed at how tall it was but fearless so long as her daddy was right behind her. Being that it was a kids’ maze it didn’t take long to complete but it was fun all the same as Gabe helped Linnea and Cale helped the Calvert kids get all their stamps to get their prize of a candy or small toy at the end. And thankfully being back on solid ground had quelled the nausea you’d felt, leaving you feeling good once more. 

As you finished the maze with the kids, Josty, JT, and Burky were racing over to pull Cale into their group to do the big corn maze as bets had been made that they could beat some of the other guys and their better halves. Assuring Cale that he should go, you murmured that you would hang out and maybe do some shopping of the farm fresh produce and that he should leave you keys. Looking over you saw Gabe and Matt being pulled to join other groups and you smiled to yourself as Mel and Courtney moved over to you with Mel holding Linnea but no sign of the Calvert boys who had insisted that they were now corn maze pros and had to go with their dad. 

“So how was Cale’s birthday?” Courtney asked, a teasing expression on her face. 

“It was good.” You replied. “He seemed to enjoy his dinner and presents so I’m happy.” Mel just sent you a teasing look like I’m sure he did enjoy his presents before speaking softly to Linnea who was babbling away. Ignoring the look you mentioned doing some produce shopping while you were here and when they both agreed, you headed over to the market portion of the farm to get some things for your respective households. Getting some fresh squash, apples, and of course some kale as well as pumpkin chai tea mix, apple butter, and some seasoned pumpkin seeds you loaded up the car before moving to meet back up with the girls. Courtney had three containers of ice cream in her hands while Mel held a tray of steaming disposable mugs in her off hand and they motioned for you to join them at a table. 

“Apple pie ice cream.” Courtney stated, answering your non-verbal question. “And then some chai lattes made with fresh farm honey to ward off the chill.” Mel added getting herself situated with Linnea. Both treats were incredibly good and you thanked them as you tried the ice cream nearly moaning at how good it was. Mel couldn’t help but laugh at the look on your face and she murmured that they sell it by the quart too if you wanted to pick some up on your way home to put in the freezer. 

“Yeah. I might have to do that.” You mumbled between bites because it was so good. 

Chatting with the girls about various things while you enjoyed your treats and waited for the guys to find their way out of the corn maze, you couldn’t help but think that this was a pretty great found family to bring a baby into. It wasn’t long before Linnea squirmed her way out of her mommy’s arms before toddling around the table to you asking you to pick her up. Snuggling the toddler happily, you teased your fingers through her hair murmuring that the only way Cale’s group wasn’t the last one out was if your boyfriend single handedly got them through it. 

Turns out that was definitely not the case and they were one of the last groups out following significantly behind Gabe and Matt’s group. You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself at that, still snuggling the baby girl who refused to move from your lap even when her daddy returned. You joked with Gabe that you were stealing her and he joked back that he was sure that his young defenseman probably wouldn’t have any complaints about that. Evidently it wasn’t just the better halves that were under the impression that Cale was thinking about kids. It made keeping the little secret growing inside you that much harder but also that much more worth it. 

You were chatting with Linnea about her current favorite Disney movie when your boyfriend appeared, dropping a kiss to your head as he flopped onto the picnic table bench beside you. The little girl’s face lit up at his presence and she smiled at him just watching him, everything that she had been babbling about forgotten. 

“Did you have fun?” You asked him, giggling softly when his response was primarily a groan. Reaching out to pick a piece of corn husk out of his hair you brushed a thumb over his red cheek murmuring that next time you’d have to go with to rein the boys in. Of course, next time you’d have a tiny baby with you so that may or may not happen but Cale got the point you were trying to convey. 

After mingling with the team for a little while longer, groups started to disburse and Cale asked if you were ready to head home for a bit. Nodding, you passed a sleepy Linnea back to her daddy murmuring that she was going to nap well on the way home. Then, taking Cale’s hand you pulled yourself up from the table and sighed softly as his hands grazed your hips because they were just a bit sore from the hard bench. 

“We need to get a quart of ice cream before we go.” You murmured, pouting softly when he commented on how it would melt during the drive. “Even melted it would be good.” You insisted, pleading softly until he gave in and got a quart of ice cream packed into an empty plastic flower pot with some ice. 

“Lucky I love you.” He murmured softly, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. 

“Once you taste it you’ll agree it’s worth it.” You assured him, stealing one more kiss before heading back out to the car. 

You fell asleep on the drive home, only waking when Cale unbuckled you and was moving to lift you out of the car. Though you murmured you could walk, he insisted that he had you and with your arms wrapped around his neck, it wasn’t long before you were settled onto your comfortable mattress while Cale pulled your shoes off your feet whispering for you to nap while he brought everything else upstairs. 

And nap you did. 

_____

The sun had set by the time you woke up to Cale’s lips kissing your temple and his fingers sliding along your side. 

“I made dinner.” He stated softly as you nodded and worked your way into a seated position. 

“Dinner sounds good.” You agreed, blinking at him tiredly. Cale offered a hand out to help you up and you took it, sliding onto your feet to follow him out into the kitchen. It wasn’t anything complex but it smelled good and that was really all that mattered to you. “Thanks for dinner.” 

Cale brushed your thanks off, directing you to dig in. After a moment he questioned whether you still wanted to go tonight or whether you wanted to stay home. You knew the choice was honestly up to you but at the same time you couldn’t not show because that would raise way too many questions you didn’t want to answer yet. 

“You know we have to go.” You replied softly between bites. “I promise I’m okay.” You added. “I’m just still waking up but that was a good nap. Let me get this food and a shower in me and I’ll be just fine.” The ever present look of concern was on your boyfriend’s face and you reached a hand across the table to squeeze his. “Promise. I’m good.” You repeated. “We’re going to go and you’re going to have a good time drinking with the guys so I can be the designated driver without any questions.” Cale hesitated before nodding and you knew that you were going to need to assure him again later that you were really okay. 

You asked him to tell you about his afternoon and you talked about shopping for produce and spending time with the girls and Linnea. 

“You’re really cute with her, you know that right?” He asked, taking a sip of his water. “Makes me excited to see you as a mom to our baby. She adores you.” 

“You mean like the Calvert boys adore you?” You grin. “Little pumpkin already has the best daddy.” The ways Cale’s cheeks flushed made you smile and you nudged your legs against his under the table before focusing on your plate once more. 

After dinner you moved to shower and then start to get ready for the Halloween party. Standing at the foot of your bed, you slid stockings up your legs before putting on a red skirt. Cale came into the room when you were pulling on the tight blue shirt with a maroon and gold ‘s’ emblazoned on the front. He had a similar shirt laying on the bed, but his costume certainly wasn’t as elaborate as yours. Once you had both the top and bottom halves of your costume situated, you wrapped the gold belt around your waist and grabbed the cape from the closet, leaving it on the bed while you did just a normal face of makeup with some darker lipstick. 

By the time you came out of the bathroom, Cale was dressed in black slacks and a white button up and he was slipping a partially undone tie around his neck. Stepping closer to him you reached up to undo the top few buttons of his dress shirt revealing the blue t-shirt underneath. 

“Pretty sure you have to have the buttons undone hun, otherwise this isn’t a costume at all.” You teased, reaching around him to grab the maroon heels tucked into the closet since you didn’t have the proper knee high boots. Sitting on the bed to slide them on you reached over to grab his glasses from the bedside table. “You’re also going to need these. C’mon, pretend you’re having a little fun. This costume was your idea.” You prodded, standing back up and sliding your palms down his abs. Cale was definitely a pretty sexy Clark Kent to match the superwoman - supergirl - that he always claimed you were anyway. 

Cale just looked at you making you laugh. “I know this is your least favorite part of Halloween.” You stated. “Because you’re boring like that but c’mon. We look hot.” You pressed, finally getting a small smile. 

“You certainly look hot.” Cale agreed. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” He asked, causing you to roll your eyes and nod. “Yes...now let’s go before we’re really late.” 

You were so going to pass him off to Josty and Burky and Mikko when you got there to make sure that they could get a few drinks into him and help him relax. He deserved that for sure, you just had to make sure he didn’t get so drunk that he started to get a loose tongue and spill your secret. 

____

Needless to say, your boyfriend was clingy and affectionate when tipsy, something you’d known all the way back from that time in the bar before you’d even kissed. It was crazy to think that was only seven months ago. 

Deciding that it was time to go, you left the party around 1am, dragging Cale back to the car and urging him into the passenger seat with the promise of a kiss. He’d lost his tie at some point over the course of the evening and you made a mental note to text Mel about it, sure that she would find it somewhere in her house. 

By the time you parked in the apartment garage Cale was half asleep from two days of excitement and you moved around the car after releasing his seatbelt. 

“Come on hun.” You urged, offering him a hand. “I may be dressed like Supergirl but there is no way I have her strength so you’re going to have to help me out here so we can get you to bed.” Cale looked up at you with a hazy alcohol fueled look before taking your hand, leaning into you as you guided him upstairs. 

“You’re so pretty.” He murmurs repeatedly, his word choice changing slightly with every repetition from pretty to beautiful to sexy and then finally gorgeous. Unlocking your front door you guided him in and kicked it shut behind you, locking it before dropping your keys and stepping out of your heels. 

“Time for bed.” You remind him, gently corralling him to the bedroom. He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillows and you carefully helped him strip down to the t-shirt and his boxers before moving to get yourself ready. It wasn’t often that you saw Cale as relaxed as he was tonight and you were grateful to the guys for giving him a good day and letting him forget about all those worrying thoughts you knew sometimes plagued him. 

A lot was changing in your lives but with the support system you have and the love you share, it was all going to work out just fine. 

[photon-bytez]

Ultra’s Ramblings: The Johnny Test Character Tierlist

While I’m thinking of ideas for what I wanna draw next (And waiting for someone to order a commission from me) I feel like revisiting an old meme of mine from last year. As many of the people I hang out with know, I actually like Johnny Test. Sure, the original series was mediocre at best (At least in the later seasons), but it’s a series I’m familiar with and have been for many years. After the warm reception the Netflix revival got with its two seasons, I’m hoping that it gets a continuation. For now, I’m revamping the tierlist I made for the JT cast, along with adding in a few new faces from season 2 of the revival. And to make this more exciting, I’m gonna lay down a ranking system where I write down the tier of each character within. Some of these guys are in the upper tiers because they’re my favorites outta this bunch of characters. And with some of the others... Let’s just say that I don’t have anything nice to say about them…at all.

We’re gonna be going from bottom to top in terms of the tiers, that way, I can mentally wash the Tickler from my mind…Speaking of which…

The “Why do you exist?” Tier: Hoo boy, this is gonna start rough. I know that I can be a bit crazy when it comes to the series, especially with the V-Twins, but the Tickler? His mere existence just feels wrong to me. Not only spouting a creepy and unappealing design (He just looks like a worse version of Wacko, if we’re being honest), his main thing is tickling, and I’m not referring to tickling as a comedy aspect, I mean a full-on OBSESSION with it, as if the writers themselves had some sort of tickling fetish (Yes, for those new to this site, that’s a thing). Like Wacko before him, the Tickler wanted to get rid of kids, this time targeting Johnny and his sisters. So, how does he do it? Why, by kidnapping the Twins by spiking their ice cream, locking them in his basement, and starts to tickle torture them… Yeah, that just screams “creepy old man”, and that’s coming from a weirdo like me. I have no idea what the writers were even thinking when they wrote the only episode that this creep appeared in. It says something when the nerd who was majorly obsessed with the V-Twins is disturbed by the Ticker. Seriously, I don’t mean to kink shame, but why is tickling a fetish!? It’s supposed to be all innocent and all, not whatever the Tickler tried to carry out. I’m honestly glad he never came back after his episode, because sheesh, he’s one of the few characters in any sort of media that I actually hate, and I don’t go out of my way to hate a character. He frankly should’ve never happened.

The Just Terrible Tier: As much as I don’t wanna be all negative, I still got 5 more characters I feel ill about, so let’s just get this part over with. The Truant Officer is the least offending of these guys, because I still don’t like him, he was just trying to do his job. Still, that ain’t savin’ him from the confines of this list. Wacko is less bad than his creepo brother, it’s just how the later episodes have portrayed him as a flat character. That’s the reason why he’s here, he just feels more bland than he was in earlier seasons, and the fact that his motivation for hating and targeting children is never explained. Monty Butterworth is just an unpleasant little twerp, Evil Johnny from the short-lived Lost Web Series feels bland and unnecessary, and Hugh? I could mention how he’s a cheap, abusive jerk, but what hasn’t the internet said that’s been already said?

The Meh Tier: Honestly, I don’t have much to say about these peeps. They’re either boring, not that interesting, don’t have enough to stand out, or haven’t thought alot about. I know that there are people out there who like some of these guys, but to be frank, I don’t have enough to say about them. Take Xeandra, for example. She’s just the JT equivalent of Kristen Stewart, that’s basically it for her. She doesn’t get enough lines or screen time in her only episode (Then again, when you have the V-Twins stealing the show, she didn’t stand much of a chance). I’m starting to get bored of these guys, so let’s move on!

The Nice Tier (>:]): Alright, now this is where we’re getting into the good ones. For starters, I like the main 4, they’re cool in my book. And speaking as such, while they’re not as high as their vampiric selves, normal Susan and Mary are still good characters. As for Bling Bling? After seeing all of the memes about him, I’m not as keen on putting in with the bangers, but he’s still iconic, so he has that going for him. The other characters here, like Brain Freezer, Gil, Joni and Dutchy, for example, they’re pretty good in my book. However, as much as I like these guys, they’re still in second place, and for a good reason…

The ABSOLUTE BANGERS Tier: Now this is where things get spicy, and in a good way! Starting off with the Vampire Twins (Especially with V-Mary), if anyone here knows even a slight pinch of me, you all knew this was comin’ from a mile away!  They’re honestly some of the most fun characters I’ve seen, given how much I’ve been talking about them for years. But, they’re not alone at the top, JT was kind enough to provide a whole list of bangers, both in the original series, and in the revival. Zizar, Mr. Mittens, and Albert are my favorite villains from the series, the two dinosaurs and Senor Crabo from the revival’s second season are bangers in their own right (Helps that I really love crabs), Gameroid is a nice tribute to tokusatsu and kaiju, Mr. Black and Mr. White are basically memetic legends at this point (The former did blew up Malaysia, after all), Repto Slicer is a whole weapon in his own right (Literally, in his case), Lila is a spicy kind of hot, and so on and so forth

And there we go, a nice, solid, updated tierlist of the cast of the JT universe! Sure, there are many more characters than these guys, but most of them would just remain in Meh tier, so I’ll leave it at that. And if you have an opinion of your own that you wanna let out, comment down below and I’ll be happy to answer your question, and if you wanna make your own tierlist, be sure to click here. I’m just glad we didn’t went through a single whip crack during this whole thi-

*WHIPCRACK*

AW COME ON!

[puckngrind]

Leave Her Wild: 1.1 - N. MacKinnon

Author's note: This is a parallel to chapter 1 but via Nate's perspective. I started it thinking this was the way I was going to write the entire series but got going and never came back. In honor of the birthday boy, I figured might as release this unedited blurb.

Warnings: swearing

Word count: 900

Series masterlist / Puck ‘n Grind’s masterlist

Swipe.

"Took you long enough!" Tyson groaned as Nathan manages to open and shut Cale's condo door with pizzas in hand.

"What's wrong with you?" Cale emerges from the kitchen.

"Nothin', birthday boy? Really, you jackasses put birthday boy as my pick up name?" Nate lied through his teeth at what was wrong with him. Cale clearly read his face well.

"I'd say it was the best name ever for the birthday boy!" JT chirps from the couch.

The boys eat a piece of pie each before deciding to head out to play spike ball in the park across the street first. Nate nods at the man they passed in the hall then turns when he swears he hears a tiny whistle come from the stranger. Shaking it off they emerge from Tyson and Cale's building. Nathan fishes the game out of his Jeep then looks up before crossing the street.

"You good dude?" Tyson asks.

"Yeah, totally man. Just thought I saw people staring out the window. Must've been nothing." Nate hands the bag to Tyson a tad harder than Tyson was expecting.

"Sure." He coughs out.

The game was intense specially with the unseasonably warm start to September they were having in Denver. The boys were drenched in sweat by the time they crashed back at Cale's. Gaming started after more pizza and drinks. You would never know these were grown men and not teenagers by the trash talking gaming that was being spewed across the living room. Nate was distracted by adding some "Damn dude." comments here and there until finally he didn't start the next game. He retreated to a corner and started tapping on his phone. "Fuck." He thought it was in his head but when all three guys turned around he realized it was not.

"Talk. You have been different since you got here." JT states.

"How the fuck does tinder work? Or I don't know, Bumble?" Nate taps on his phone again.

"Wwwwhhhhyyyy are you all of a sudden interested in dating apps? Nate looking to get some?" Tyson blurted out then got hit with a pillow by JT. "Sorry." He whispered.

"There is a girl I met. She lives here. I this building. So I thought if she was on one of those damn apps I could find her cuz all I know is that she frequents the pizza place, lives here, has the cutest twang but also maybe midwestern voice, and her name is MacKenzie." Nate looks up to see his teammates all with their mouths hanging open.

"Here." Tyson hands over his phone. "And I fucking swear if you swipe left on someone I would totally go for I may in fact hurt you."

"Like you could do that." Cale retorts.

"Fine, I would sent Z after you." Tyson shook his head verifying he meant business.

Nate started swiping. He was looking for any version of her name. Mac, Kenzie, MacKenzie, Kenz... but really he was focused on her hair and that sparkle in her eyes. He did not notice that all three were standing around him.

"Swipe riiiiggg..." Tyson starts looking at Nathan's quick swipes left on his account.

"You aren't important here Tys." JT scolded.

"Check Instagram, Twitter, Facebook." Cale suggests.

"I don't fucking have Facebook." Tyson announces.

"I do." Nate sheepishly admitted. The shocked sounds escaping the group made him laugh quietly.

The boys spent the next hour unsuccessfully sleuthing for MacKenzie with no luck.

"She's our age, right?" JT questions flipping through the multiple results for MacKenzie on Instagram.

"I mean... she looked like she was. You know I'm bad at that shit." Nate blew out in frustration. "I guess..."

"We can keep looking Mac or go to the pizza place..." Cale taps his forehead trying to come up with more ideas.

"Yeah, no. Yeah. It was a good try. Maybe I'll run into here again, but Denver is a big ass city." Nate lays his head back on the couch.

"But this building isn't." Tyson sing-songs out.

Nate threw himself into pre-season training the rest of September. A visit from his mother set mind into work mode. She always had a way of making sure Nate was on track even from thousands of kilometers away.

"I'll see you in a few month, eh?" Kathy MacKinnon hugged her son tight.

"Whenever ya want." Nate squeezed back.

"And whatever is nagging at you, please fix before the season is in full bloom." Kathy placed her hand on his cheek patting it slightly. How she read her son like a book was something Nate only wish he could understand. He nodded not sure exactly what she was speaking of but went with it. "Enjoy the youth event next week, Son." She loosened their embrace to head towards TSA.

"Will do." Nate waves watching fish out her passport.

Nathan and Cale walked out from their locker room area to the sound of about forty kids or so attempt to skate.

"This should be fun." Cale elbowed Nate. "Mac?" He waves his hand over Nathan's face.

"It's her." Nate whispers.

"It's who?" Cale tries to follow his gaze but only sees a very tall, brunette man surrounded by kids.

"Mac... Kenzie." Nate can hardly speak.

"Pizza girl? Where?" Cale almost yells out. Nate ignores him and makes his way to the ice feeling a tug and goosebumps explode over his body.