eclectic

how‘s the water?

you‘re in it

African Clawed Frog aka Platanna (Xenopus laevis), family Pipidae, South Africa

I wanted to give Harrison Browne his flowers in what little way I could so here’s this quick portrait. What an inspirational human being. (And the only pro hockey player on the damn show.)

Best of luck in all of your endeavors. I hope Connors got his room service.

Ilya and Shane mostly stay quiet, giving each other pointed looks when Bood and Wyatt swap stories about their fucking awesome wives. That is until…

“Yeah but like, Roz and Hollzy have the most ideal situation.”

There’s a mix of eyebrow raising and general murmurs of agreement, half of the team unsure if this is Holmberg’s way of coming out.

“What do you mean?” Shane asks, ever one to ignore a social rule.

“You spend all day together kicking ass and being the best at hockey, and then you get to go home together and be and love and shit but also still talk hockey.” Holmberg sighs and stares into his locker a little wistfully. “I wish I was gay so I could have a hockey husband.”

The team is quiet for a minute, some of the younger members nodding in sage agreement. Bood even looks like it’s an intriguing idea.

“Why don’t you date a PWHL player?”

Wyatt says it with it much fuss, shoving his pads into his bag unceremoniously. Holms, however, looks like he’s just been struck by lightning.

“Say that again.”

Wyatt turns to the kid, eyebrows raised like he’s confused by the reaction.

“You know that the PWHL exists, right?”

Holmsberg is too thunderstruck to scoff.

“Yeah. The Charge. They’re…oh my god.”

Obviously some of them have met each other, at events and PR things and hockey-adjacent whatever, but it’s never been the entire teams together. Shane and Ilya, as Hockey Dads™️, take the planning very seriously, renting out a two-story pizza place and ensuring there’s enough music, food, fun, and pre-planned mingling activities to go around.

Shane admits to Ilya, very quietly at night when it’s dark and they’re nearly asleep, that he’s a little nervous. That he should have thought to be more publicly supportive of the Charge, they should have gone to more games, what if they hate him? And there will be so many queer people there Ilya and you know how bad I am at queer culture what if I fuck it all up?

But the day comes, and it’s almost too easy how the teams vibe together. Pitchers of beer, giant pizzas shared across tables, a small salad bar that Shane imagines he will be the only one frequenting.

Ilya takes hosting seriously from all angles. He makes sure he gets the rookies—especially Holmberg—situated with the younger Charge players. Bood and a player named Dylan talk about cured meats, and by the end of the first hour he has an invite to the Dylan family smokehouse, which he is beyond thrilled about. No one is particularly into superheroes, but Wyatt connects with Lydia and Em, who are big manga fans.

At the salad bar, Shane meets a Charge winner named Vanessa, who only goes by V. She stacks her plate with a slice of veggie pizza and a plethora of fruits and vegetables from the salad bar, calling it balance. V mentions Shane’s cottage, and explains how she’s building her and her wife a cabin in the woods. No, not having it built, building with her own two hands.

Shane is immediately enthralled, and by the time Ilya comes to check on him, he’s got a small crowd of butch lesbians at his table, talking about home renovations and what they leave to the professionals and how they maintain their progress during the season. Shane is all questions, and the ladies are happy to oblige him. And Ilya smiles from afar and leaves him be, because of fucking course his husband made friends. They’re basically the same person.

At the end of the evening, the tally is as follows: 46 pizzas and 52 pitchers of beer consumed; 1 confirmed date between Holmberg and Alicia; 2 shared notes of comic/manga recommendations; 14 recipes shared (between Bood, Dylan, Shane, and Nadia, the charge goalie who is also deeply into meal prep); 22 shots taken (Shane has no idea where Ilya procured a bottle of vodka but he shouldn’t be surprised); 1 promise of home renovation lessons; and 1 group picture.