#hockey! Gale

[shanediomorrissey]

A sneaky right winger and a sniper left winger exchange some words.

#balders gate 3 #bg3 #baldurs gate astarion #baldurs gate gale #astarion bg3 #astarion ancunin #gale bg3 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #baldurs gate fanart #astarion/gale #dio draws #my art #whaaaat me be lazy w backgrounds? nooooo #hockey!au #hockey! Gale #hockey! astarion #gales taking slap shots from the blue line like ovi #astarion is that bastard who can pull of a Michigan goal- we’ve all seen his dagger tricks

[swifty-fox]

Harry Crosby your crimes will never be forgiven

Doodle requests from the other day!!! I’ll probably open them up again soon!

#swiftyart #buck x bucky #John Egan #gale cleven #Harry Crosby #mota #masters of the air #mota hockey au

[1343-40]

He finds out Brady is gay. Well— Brady tells him, compelled by something as the both of them escape the chaos of the lounge room their teammates have taken hostage and settle on the back porch, heads thrown over the back of the sofa to watch the starry sky. Gale is silent for a long time, at a loss for words. He wouldn’t have guessed—he doesn’t know any other gay guys in the league, always shied away from the opportunity to find out, to seek them out. Not like there’s a fucking group chat he could join, anyway, just a careful word of mouth at best, one Gale has carefully steered clear from in his attempt to avoid self-sabotage, utterly futile in the end.

He doesn’t end up telling Brady what he would’ve two years ago, when the tone of Brady’s voice when talking about Blakely finally starts making sense. Doesn’t think Brady would appreciate it, anyway. He must’ve seen something in Gale, to take a gamble this risky. So Gale tells him he’s gay too, even though he suspects Brady already knows. He vaguely hints why he didn’t get re-signed with the Jets—figures Brady deserves to know. In response, Brady gets weirdly passionate about it, in his own way. Tells Gale he has his back, says fuck ‘em more times than necessary, but Brady’s drunk and Gale would feel bad making fun of him. He tells Brady he has his back, too, blushes embarrassingly when Brady places an arm around his shoulder and squeezes and doesn’t let go. He’s eternally thankful Brady is still staring at the sky and doesn’t notice—Gale feels too naked, bare under the weight of the confession, too unused to sharing this part of himself with people.

Curious, Gale asks him about Blakely and watches the way Brady’s usually impassive face transforms. Wonders, distantly, if he would look the same if somebody asked him about Bucky.

They spend the rest of that evening shittalking past teammates that never grew out of saying faggot and calling things gay, until one of their defense rookies finds them and tells them there’s a mandatory game of Monopoly starting in ten minutes.

Gale puts a hand on Brady’s shoulder when Quinn leaves and they muster up the strength to get up. He gets enveloped into a tight hug, immediately. He laughs, tells Brady that he’s too drunk and Brady agrees with a scoff, slaps him on the back one last time and promises not to steal any districts from him with a smirk.

- another excerpt from the running out of guts to spill. @swifty-fox sold me on brady/blakely so hard i had to include them lol. are brady’s feelings mutual? guess we’ll never fuckin know (we’ll know. we’ll for sure know. i’ll shoehorn it in idc. what the fuck is this ship. douglass i’m sorry for stealing your boyfie)

#gale cleven #john brady #mota #hockey au #roogts tag #clegan #< obv #everett blakely #only mentioned but still

[clevenhq]

the strong urge to write the most random au’s ever

#masters of the air #like why am i thinking of a single dad!john and preschool teacher!gale au #minor hockey league coach!john and single dad!gale #maybe it’s just single dads #like wtf is movie theatre cashier!gale and customer!john #buck x bucky #clegan #mota #mota fanfic #gale buck cleven #john bucky egan

[sbbarnes]

Hockey Romances. Why?

So I was taken out of work a couple weeks ago due to ~pregnancy stuff~ (mostly just stress, the baby and I are fine) which has left me with a lot of spare time on my hands. And as one does, I have been filling my time reading lgbtq+ romance novels. Because I can.

In this time, I have fallen headfirst into the hockey romance novel subgenre, and I ask myself, as I have done every time I see these books advertised, why? I am not a sports fan. One time, my husband was watching football (European), and a team in red kits was playing against yellow kits, and I started laughing because "it looks like ketchup is playing against mustard". His expression was great, but he hasn't taken me seriously since.

So why is hockey of all things such a draw for the mlm romance subgenre? Especially given the NHL's apparent fear of rainbow tape? Why do I now know what the word "celly" refers to and what an "enforcer" is? Why why why?

Here are my answers:

Extremely organic way to set up some of the most classic romance tropes. Forced proximity? Being on the same team takes care of that. There was only one bed? Shared hotel rooms during away games. Enemies to lovers? Rival teams.

Lots of potential for drama given that players lead very transient lives in terms of the constant possibility of trades. In mlm love stories, even more so given that the NHL is so blatantly homophobic.

Perfect level of fame. Fame and wealth as a draw for a love interest are kind of staples of the genre, and NHL players are famous, sure, but not all of them, and they aren't as famous as football stars (either kind of football). They are still filthy rich, which makes great wish fulfillment. You can have the sexy penthouse and the anonymity.

I would go on to talk about how different roles on the team lend themselves to different tropes (goalie = tightly controlled dude who needs someone to help him cut loose; enforcer = misunderstood fighter with a heart of gold; coach for all your forbidden love/sleeping with the boss desires) but that would very quickly reveal my utter lack of hockey knowledge, so let's not. Instead, here's a quick reclist.

Rachel Reid's Game Changers series. It's a classic in the genre for a reason and it has everything. Forbidden love? Got that, maybe the definitive example. Redemption arc? Got that. Misunderstood bruiser with a heart of gold? Got that. Age difference? Got that. Also really excellent sex scenes, not gonna lie, and satisfying endings throughout - sometimes a happy end will come a little suddenly for me, but these books really delivered, and the nice thing about how romance series are structured is that you get a little peek at what comes after for the couples in the other books.

2. Him, Us and Epic by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. This one surprised me, I don't generally go for first person POVs, but I did enjoy this! Coming-of-age story turned coming out story featuring a budding hockey star and his best friend. Lots of fun.

3. Scoring Chances series by Avon Gale. This series is fun in that it doesn't focus on the NHL, it actually focuses on the minor leagues in the southeast of the US, a place almost no one associates with ice hockey. As such, there's a chance to tell different stories about professional athletes who aren't super rich and famous, which I appreciate a lot. TBH the first pairing wasn't entirely my cup of tea, but I'm glad I kept going because I especially enjoyed the later books, which tackle tough topics (including eating disorders, abuse etc., so content warning for that). These are still romance novels though, so rest assured that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. What I especially appreciate is that these books don't have relationship drama, in that the main couples communicate and work together instead of a third act break-up-make-up!

4. Hockey Ever After series by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James. These are just great. Lots of fun to read, lots of cameos from character in later books, just excellent mood all around. Also features my favorite ever trope (secret relationship, sorry, anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for it I just can't help myself) heavily, which is a win in my book. I especially enjoyed book two, "Scoring Position". Is that because Nico is German and I loved him? Is that because Ryan is my new blorbo? We may never know.

Happy reading and please give me recommendations for more books like these, I'm lowkey obsessed.

#lgbtq books #book review #lgbtq romance #mlm romance #hockey #hockey romance #mlm hockey romance #ashlyn kane #morgan james #winging it #sarina bowen #elle kennedy #scoring chances #avon gale #rachel reid #game changers #heated rivalry #tough guy #common goal #role model #breakaway #coach's challenge #empty net #power play #save of the game #scoring position #unrivaled

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: M/M Hockey Romance

Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei (YA) Gravity and The Rest of the Story by Tal Bauer On the Board by Anna Zabo and L.A. Witt Penalty Box by Ari Baran Scoring Chances by Avon Gale

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#A.L. Graziadei #Anna Zabo #Ari Baran #Avon Gale #Contemporary Romance #Gravity #Hockey #Icebreaker #L.A. Witt #m/m Romance #On the Board #Penalty Box #Scoring Chances #Sports Romance #Tal Bauer #The Rest of the Story

[hattrickeryreviews]

Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1) - Avon Gale

"Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He's put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship.

Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn, Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different points in their careers, and both men will have to decide what they value most."

Did I reread it? Yes

POV: 3rd person limited, alternating between Lane Courtnall and Jared Shore

Tropes: Rivals, Age Gap, Emotional Scars

My thoughts:

Characters/Character Development: 3/5

Lane: Lane is a 20-year-old character that I imagine you either love or hate; I happen to love him. He is absurdly charming, with about no people skills and the charisma to make up for it. He is autistic-coded, and the best part about him is that no one ever asks him or wants him to change. His own character arc is unrelated to any shortcomings of his own, instead following the tense relationship between himself and his parents.

Jared: Jared is a hardened 32-year-old who has seen the ugly side of hockey and is learning to live with it. He’s slightly grouchy and generally rough around the edges, except when it comes to Lane. His character arc revolves around self-acceptance and a difficult family.

Overall, the character development is… okay. We see some changes in the characters, but not much. Lane’s own arc is mostly glossed over and left to the background, and it doesn’t really involve any personal growth as opposed to the growth of the people around him. Jared’s own changes are so incredibly internal that at times it is hard to believe anything is actually influencing them. However, the characters themselves (both main and side) all have very solidly fleshed out personalities that are easy to distinguish and charming. At times, they can be a bit of caricatures, but they are still decently developed.

Believability (Hockey): 5/5

This book specifically follows the ECHL, with accurate depictions of what that means for the characters. The team names themselves are fake, but the structure of the games and league is very real. I can’t exactly say what an ECHL locker room really looks like, nor can I speak on the true personalities on and off the ice of players, but I imagine it could be pretty close to this. Is it a little idealized? Sure. But this is fiction, and I think it’s okay to make things a little better than they probably would be, so long as it’s near the realm of believability.

Believability (Plot): 2/5

This plot is enjoyable, but I didn’t quite believe it. We basically follow two rival teams, yet I’ve been to high school football games with more animosity. I adore happy endings in my romance books, as I’m sure we all do, but I think that anywhere in a book it is important for characters to struggle, and you don’t see much of that here. Additionally, we’ve got a story where everything all works out without really any work done from the characters. Couple in with that an immigration that is way too quick and easy, and you’ve got a book that’s just on the wrong side of realistic.

Uniqueness: 4/5

Every hockey book is going to be at least a little bit similar, so it’s important to look for details you don’t see in other stories. Here, we’ve got our focus on the ECHL, which goes against the common “top in their sport” theme of sports books. The characters have personalities that you don’t come by in many books, especially Lane. Some of the plot points are pretty common in other books, but there’s only so many ways you can write a romance book.

Trope Integration: 2/5

I love the tropes that we see in this book; however, they are criminally under-utilized. We’ve got a sizable age gap, where one character is in his 30s and another can’t even legally drink, but besides a couple ‘old man’ jokes, it doesn’t really play into the plot at all. They’re both on rival teams, but even the rivalry itself isn’t a factor in the romance. We’ve got traumatized pasts and potentially homophobic parents that don’t impact the relationship and are hardly visible in the characters. They are used as talking points more than anything else, but at least they exist in the story at all.

General enjoyment: 4/5

This book isn’t going to change the world, and that’s okay. I love some of the one-liners, especially the ones we get out of Lane. This book is upfront about what it is and unapologetic. At some points I found the humor to be a bit repetitive, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. I have read this book one time before, and I definitely don’t regret reading it again.

Overall Score: 20/30 or 3.3/5

#lgbt fiction #queer books #queer characters #lgbtqia #lgbt books #hockey romance #avon gale #breakaway #scoring chances #book review #book blog #hockey #echl #ratings #rivalry

[dandelionlovesyou]

Story: You Realize You're a Distraction

You Realize You're a Distraction by Buttercupbadass (BBA) ❤️❤️❤️

#that dancing with the stars was nice! #olympic skater!katniss #hockey player!peeta #everlark #thg #i enjoyed your gale here #he was kinder than usual 😅

[outbreaksurvived]

New muses (08.17.23)

DWIGHT "DEWEY" RILEY HAS JOINED @outbreaksurvived

--

"No, m'am. 'Cause of my boyish good looks, increased muscle mass has increased my acceptance as a police officer."

--

RANDY MEEKS HAS JOINED @outbreaksurvived

"See, the police are always off track with this shit. If they watched Prom Night, they'd save time!"

---

and JASON FUCKIN' VOORHEES has joined @outbreaksurvived

"Man, that goalie was pissed off about something!"

#out of ammo #muse announcements #i love dewey #shook af after S5 #guy had gale weathers all over him like pigs in mud 8 am day one #and randy *chef's kiss* #randy x sydney 5ever instead of that toolbox billy #and HOCKEY PUCK is back #been a while with him #dewey and randy will return as ghosts #or AUs where they lived #because i'm old school

[tlonista]

goddamn I'm not a huge bloodweave person but a Dark Academia AU for them would rule. middle-class teacher's pet Gale and tormented adoptive rich boy Astarion get stuck partnered on a project together and have to make out in the library about it. superstar prof Mystra leaves Gale in the lurch over the holidays for a conference and Astarion's one of the only other students left in the dorm. wyll is a disowned politician's son and mizora's the shadowy corporate patron paying his tuition. shadowheart matriculated from the world's most cultlike private religious school. lae'zel is a scary-devoted Officers' Training Corps prodigy. karlach is on the hockey team.

#bloodweave #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #gale dekarios

[coolseabird]

Baldur's Gate 3 Favorite Sport Headcanons

Gale - Ping Pong

Wyll - Fencing

Astarion - Archery

Karlach - American Football

Lae'zel - Soccer/Football

Shadowheart - Volleyball

Minthara - Ice Hockey

Halsin - Rowing

Dark Urge - Lacrosse

Tav - League of Legends (I said what I said)

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 headcanons #karlach #wyll #astarion #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #lae'zel #minthara #halsin #dark urge #tav #stupid but idk

[shanediomorrissey]

#hockey! Gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #gale bg3 #bg3 #balders gate 3 #bg3 fanart #Gale dekarios fanart #hockey #my art #dio draws

[swifty-fox]

Alexa play Levels by BigXThaPlug

Some NHL Gale while I continue plotting the fic

#swiftyart #gale cleven #mota hockey au

[1343-40]

the hockey au fic is 20k words long now and shows no signs of stopping so to.. bemoan celebrate it here's yet another snippet lol

also i keep calling it hockey au fic but it has a title - it's running out of guts to spill. from this absolute banger which everybody should listen to

also an obscene amount of this fic is porn which.. is whatever. i didn't plan for that. these guys just can't stop fucking ig

Gale just can’t get used to it, even though deep inside he’s always known there was…something there, some kind of potential. He would deny it if asked, but John’s chirps made him want to smile more often than not. He could never help himself but talk back, and maybe to a more observant eye he was obvious—taking any excuse to skate past John’s net, putting a little extra into his shots at the net every game John started in, answering questions about John during post-game media he could’ve ignored or been more careful about with his wording. That fucking goal back in 2019 that Gale, too, could never forget, because it was pure manifestation of his desire to get under John’s skin as much as John got under his.

Gale doesn’t think sex between two guys who are just teammates is supposed to feel like this. Maybe at first it did, back in the hallway. It would have been incredibly easy to write it off as blowing off tension and frustration from the season, the bittersweet giddiness of winning that game, the left-over adrenaline from the fight and whatever complicated feelings John was battling with, watching Gale lose his shit. Hell, it could have been something as simple as taking the opportunity to hook up with another guy you know for sure is gagging for a cock in his mouth.

Whatever it could have been, it wasn’t, in the end.

What it was—it was John kissing him with an irrefutable intent, it was them touching each other like the both of them had been yearning for it for months on end, it was Gale’s tears and John’s unbidden affection.

It’s Gale letting John spoon him and kiss his neck, it’s Gale lying there, mind and heart racing, as he listens to John’s quiet snoring.

It’s Gale realizing he’s fucked up, because if John leaves him in the morning, if he acts like they’re friends after, Gale wouldn’t be able to collect all those pieces of himself John had so deliberately picked apart, into a shape that could even closely resemble a human.

#clegan #buck x bucky #gale cleven #john egan #hockey au #also gale cries yeah lol oops #ignore if there are any typos #roogts tag #ww2 yaoi #mota

[writing-rat]

Loneliness and Agony

Pairings: Tara Carpenter and Gale Weathers

Content: Paranoia, Chronic Pain, Tara needs a hug, Motherly Gale Weathers

Summary: Tara is home alone. Gale decides to check on her.

WC: 1383

It had been 2 years since Sam left and a year since her mother left for days at a time. She was currently in London as usual and Tara felt… lonely. Her friends helped her whenever she went to school but apart from that she had no interaction. Friends did offer to stay, especially Amber and Mindy but she never wanted to bother them so she never agreed. She was currently on her bed as she was watching random films as she was bored. She hated feeling like this. She missed her friends. After a while, she started to go to the kitchen and was quick to get some noodles. Her diet had changed drastically ever since she was left alone. It went from a healthier diet to just pasta (plain) and noodles. She was more tired nowadays but she didn’t care. She slept after doing homework anyway, not wanting to annoy her friends outside of school. Her mother did say she was after all… 

After the Ghostface attacks though it changed, she was never alone and always had someone around. Mindy and Chad were at their mother's house, Danny was on a business trip, Sidney was back with her family and she knew Gale visited now and then. Sam was away, however, and that was frightening Tara. The night that Tara left, Sam made sure she had food for sandwiches, salads and other meals. There was no pasta or noodles, Sam did not want Tara to have the same diet as before. They also had a takeout pizza so she would have some pizza slices for lunch if she ever craved it. That night Tara also was with Sam in bed, both sisters cuddling as Sam knew that her sister was nervous. She would be back in 5 days though. She just hoped Tara would be ok and had texted Gale to check on her once every few days.

The first day Tara was nervous. She had scoured the whole house, finding every gun that Sam owned and also getting all her potential weapons. There were hockey sticks and bats too. She had seen Sam hide a gun in her closet the same night she stayed there so she quickly got that one the instant that Sam left. She had nodded at the stack of weapons before she sat on the couch, looking at the door as she had also checked if it was locked and it had been. She was thankful for that. She admitted the guns that Sam owned, feeling more comfortable. She got herself some water as she kept staring at the door, her grip staying on the gun. She proceeded to put on a film as she was glancing at the door every so often. She felt paranoid about Ghostface coming back when she was vulnerable. She had arthritis on her bad leg, her back ached way too often and she had asthma. Hell, her hand didn’t work as well as before too where she constantly dropped items in the affected one. She hated how everything ached and was in pain. 

Before long it was night and Tara was staring intently at the door, not sleeping at all. She stayed awake the entire night, staring intently and startling at every noise in the apartment. She didn’t even get a drink at all and every time she went to the bathroom she kept the door open. It was in direct eyeline of the door after all. She was keeping herself on the couch though. She was aware of the footsteps, the noises. She tensed whenever she heard boots, reaching for her asthma and taking a puff before she became even more vulnerable.

The only thing she wasn’t doing was taking her pain medication, her anxiety and depression meds too as well as her drugs for paranoia. She was more worried about Ghostface coming, getting more and more paranoid the more she didn’t sleep… 

The second day wasn’t too bad. However, the second night was the worst. She was starting to hallucinate due to not sleeping for close to 48 hours at that point. Her anxiety spiked each time she heard boots. She even thought she saw Ghostface in the window, ignoring the fact that no one would be there due to the apartment being on the 20th floor. Safe to say the glass was broken after she punched it, fear coursing through her veins. Her hand was bleeding but she didn’t care at that point. She was just wanting Sam back and wanted to feel safe. She was scared of Ghostface coming back… 

It was around midday of the second day when it all changed though. Tara, still staring at the door intently heard the sound of heels. She whimpered almost immediately as she was holding the gun up. It was around head level for an average adult. Hearing the door get unlocked, she also tensed up. It didn’t even hit her it was someone she knew until the door opened. Gale was standing there and immediately ducked when Tara hit the trigger out of fear before she saw who it was. She sighed in relief then fear when she realised what she had done. Her only saving grace was that the gun was on safety. 

“Hey, Tara. You ok?” the older woman spoke gently, sitting next to her. Tara at this point was hyperventilating, a panic attack coming on. Gale quickly grabbed the small girl’s inhaler and put it into her mouth. “It’s ok, it’s just me. It is ok. Take a few puffs and then breathe with me, ok?” she instructed. Tara nodded, doing as told. It took about 10 minutes before Tara was mostly ok. Gale just held her gently, rocking her at times as well. 

“I’m sorry…” Tara finally spoke quietly, her voice raspy from no sleep and no drinks. 

“It’s ok, don’t worry. I understand your fear. Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and get some food. We will need to clean your hand too,” she responded gently. 

“No… Don’t feel well…” she whimpered. Gale looked at her. 

“Come on,” she spoke gently. “I’ll get you your favourite food and some water. How about that?” she offered. Tara was about to protest but Gale carried the smaller girl, her being quite light for her age. She also got her some medication out, knowing that she wouldn’t have taken it. It was proven as well when Tara kept looking towards the door, panicking when it was out of sight. “Ghostface might come!” Tara was quick to yell in a panic. “Hey, honey, it’s ok,” Gale reassured as she was quick to get her some water and handed her some pills. “Take your medication then we can grab your stuff and you can stay with me,” Gale informed, making a ham sandwich for the girl. Tara did as told, wanting to protest but she knew that Gale was determined when she needed to be and she was determined here. 

As soon as she was done, Tara ate and got some clothes packed as well as one of Sam’s hoodies that she had worn before she left. Gale would’ve protested but she knew that the girl felt safe around Sam. She was thankful once they left without worries. Tara did have to bring a nailbat though just in case, that being the compromise for no guns. Gale was just happy Tara was going to hers with no issues. She would text Sam later to say she had Gale too.

-

It was the third night that Sam was gone but Tara wasn’t alone now. She was cuddled up against Gale as she was much more relaxed. She was even eating which she wasn’t doing when she was alone. She was not even glancing at the door now. She kept falling asleep though but Gale never woke her up. She knew the girl didn’t sleep at all while she was home alone.

She hoped that Tara would be ok after a while, she was sure that Tara would be independent in the future, but for now, she wasn’t able to do as much as she wanted to. For now, she would care for the girl whenever Sam would need to go. She wanted both sisters to be successful.

#gale weathers #tara carpenter #ratboy writing #ratboy writes #scream

[lgbtqreads]

Hiya! Do you by any chance have any sports romance fiction (preferably lgbt+ and centred around hockey or winter sports, but honestly I’ll read anything at this point lol) where there’s rivals to lovers? (And no questionable/suggestive cover art, but can have it in the writing idrc). Thank you so much for your help!!

Ah hello please allow me to make your day:

Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei (m/m YA)

Gravity by Tal Bauer (m/m)

Delay of Game by Tracey Richardson (f/f)

Unexpected Goals by Kelly Farmer (f/f) (and Calling the Shots, if you're open to hockey coaches rather than players)

Goalie Interference by Avon Gale (m/m)

Empty Net by Avon Gale (m/m)

And here's an upcoming f/f for your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157334159-wake-up-nat-darcy?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_20

#LGBTQReads #Sports Romance #Hockey Romance