#between the teeth

[broresteia]

david and jake sketch

[mothinflamesdoodles]

Smoke

Fanart for @sophtopus

Alchemical magical kr infused smoke stuff Dust uses later good for clearing out/suppressing nuisances on his missions.

Gotta love the new additions to his arsenal based on events in the between the teeth fic. But ye this is the sans from the golden quiche fic by sophtopus.

[poprocksromance]

Autistic 2nd in his draft year hockey star who falls in love with his rival, the 1st place draft pick and golden retriever bisexual who plays for a dirtier team, who falls madly in love with him.

No wonder I liked Shane, he reminded me of my OG blorbo David.

Currently re-reading Between the Teeth and didn’t remember that David is also Like That about his clothes until I hit this scene:

Can totally see Ilya doing this with Shane too.

Anyway, I desperately need to find the other people who’ve also read both Between the Teeth and Heated Rivalry because I’m having a lot of emotions about it and will probably continue emoting about David while I complete my reread.

[codename-adler]

this is actually the shit like oh my god

[ilyapasta]

Book Recommendation: "Between the Teeth" series by Taylor Fitzpatrick

I know this author is present on tumblr (less so now than maybe in the past) and has an avid following on ao3 as well as being commercially self-published, but I wanted to recommend this series from my POV as someone brand new to the hockey romance genre since Heated Rivalry took off. I really enjoyed this 3-book series, it definitely offers something different while being grounded in the genre. I like romances that follow a single POV, I think it focuses the narrative. This series follows David Chapman, number 2 draft pick, who starts up a fling/romance with his rival, number 1 draft pick Jake Lourdes (that's about where the similarities to HR end for me, this is a very different story in tone and style). I really enjoyed how character focused this book was, and it felt more like a coming of age tale or life story than a traditional romance. I like when people play with the romance genre or blend it with other conventions.

The relationship between David and Jake, while complex, is very sweet. This doesn't mean that everyone always ACTS sweetly though. There's a really rough moment in the first book that I won't spoil, and it haunts me. In a good way! David as a character is sometimes very single-minded, goal oriented, and lashes out with some very brutal honesty in this situation where he is navigating being a closeted player, but through Jake coming in and out of his life we see that there is a different side to him. One that wants love and companionship, despite his "I need no one" attitude.

But even more than the romance I REALLY enjoyed the side characters in this series and what they added to the narrative. David's parents, both ambitious career people, divorced, who can barely be bothered with their only son even as he rockets to the top of the NHL and gets multiple awards. This is such an interesting contrast to most stories about athletes/child stars who have over-involved parents or sports-obsessed parents. The lack of love and affection paid to him by his parents leads to one of my favorite moments, where David must witness the warmth and familial bond between Jake and his family, which makes him uncomfortable.

This series is also about friendship as much as it is a romance. David bonds with his captain, Oleg Kurzamov, and another player he trains with in the summers, Kiro Volkov. Both of these relationships show the life-changing power that a quiet encouraging presence (Kurzamov) and an extroverted fun-loving golden retriever friend (Volkov) can have on a reserved main character who struggles to connect on his own. Both of these characters add to David's journey of self-acceptance of his queerness, and just his overall development as a person who can be a person in love and be comfortable with it. I love both of these characters so much!

I'm not an authority on hockey at all, but if you are looking for a hockey romance that slows down and takes its time with the hockey itself, and the life of an NHL player, this is definitely a series to check out. It's very specific and hones in on a lot of details, but it never felt forced. It just felt like you were in David's mind.

All in all, I really enjoyed this series! The ending felt warm and deserved, not because of contrived drama, but because David had gone on a true emotional journey towards self-acceptance.

[jqteee]

A bit of David Chapman and Jake Lourdes from Between the Teeth.

I always pictured David with a tight buzz and I’m not sure why to be honest, maybe it’s a personality thing. Though longer boyish hair would be cute too. Love these two to death though.

[distractedbybyrne]

be careful

[gabemarkson]

— you’re here because i don’t like you?

— i’m here because i want to know why you don’t like me.

congrats on the blowjob david