#the wild is not a healthy place guys what a miracle we have this space at all

[magpie-trove]

yikes

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I A VENOMOUS INTERLUDE

Did y'all know symbrock is canon? Well, now you do. Reader's favourite deadbeat surrogate uncle is in town and he brought a... Friend. No warnings, just a boatload of crack and fluff, as usual. Reader being mouthy. Takes place a little bit into the future - around after chapter 32: spoiler alert is useless because we already know a tonybrucestrange/reader quartet is the endgame. 💖💝✨

"What," I had to pause for a second for my brain to catch up with my eyes. "The fuck?!"

It was truly a miracle I could say anything out loud, at all. Words weren't valid enough to describe my shock and confusion. The scene unfolding in front of me resembled and unholy cross between a B-rated horror movies about demonic possession and some deep-sea Eldritch monstrosity.

The eight-feet tall black, oozing dude in front of me? Yes, you, with the teeth. Ctulhu called, he wants his tentacles back.

The creature honest to god rippled, like some nightmare-fuel goth Jell-O, rapidly shrinking in size within seconds. As more of the black tar-like substance receded, a much more human form started to appear under it. Worn jeans, leather jacket, ungroomed beard and the look of a biker gang member coming off a serious bender.

"Uh, Princess?"

"Eddie. Fucking. Brock. Uncle Idiot." I punctuated each word with an increasing widening of my eyes. The world was fucking nuts. Two and two did not compute - Eddie might have looked threatening to some people - like white suburban Karens - even without the... Gooey squid-on-steroids thing he had going on. The man was built like a fucking brick shithouse, but I knew him way too well. Eddie couldn't be that badass to save a life.

"You two know each other?" Tony shrieked indignantly, a coarseness in his voice that indicated only one thing: my boo was well into his third drink. Hell, I didn't blame him - that gaping toothy maw was fucking gnarly.

Hands on my hips, I caught myself slipping into a mute rage, storming over to the 200lbs worth of pure dumbass and knocking him right in the face. "You! Didn't tell! ME!" A black tendril wrapped around my wrist, carefully but firmly securing it and preventing me from causing my non-related uncle any more physical damage. Although I must admit, my knuckles probably were more affected than his jaw. "You! Are! A MUTANT!!! HOW COULD YOU?! How could you NOT tell ME?"

I trusted the man with my soul and most embarrassing drinking stories. Hell, I called Eddie in a stoned haze the very same night I lost my v-card. I just thought we were bros, you know? I saw his whole fucking life implode more than once and personally flew to California to ice his injuries and his hurt ego countless times. I was done dirty in the worst way.

"I'm not-" Eddie's sigh was long-suffering. "I, uh, I have a parasite..." He sounded meek, in the same way he used to describe his drunkenly misconduct when I made our family driver bail out his ass outta jail in the morning.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" A deep gravelly voice thundered, seemingly coming out of his chest?

"Okay, okay," Eddie smiled. It was strangely soft and un-eddie-like. The only person he smiled like that was... used to be Anne. "This is Venom. They're an alien and we're, uh, a thing. It's a recent development." The tentacle unwrapped itself from me as I took an involuntary step back.

Even barring the fact that Eddie was dating an alien, this was way too fucking weird for 3 o'clock on a Sunday. I always knew the reporter was, for the lack of a better word, a little weird but he really took it to new heights. With Thor and Loki looking... Like that, I could see a human dating some sort of a hot alien. But with Ctulhu looking the way he did just minutes ago? Did Eddie seriously let all of those teeth in close proximity of his dick?

I had a "ERROR 404, common sense not found" hanging over me for the longest time. The others were quiet behind me, too, even Tony - one of my boyfriends, the most likely to cause utter chaos, was hanging back and expecting me to do something.

"Venom," I clarified, just to fill the silence with some noise while my brain processors re-synced.

"WE ARE VENOM." The tentacle that was sleek and black now had two completely white eyes and a smaller-scale version of the toothy grin that had drooled all over the common room carpet. Their voice had an interesting effect: it was so deep, the air around them vibrated slightly when they spoke.

I tilted my head examining the appendage. It was considerably less terrifying when it wasn't five times my size. "What are you?" And most importantly, are you a threat to my favourite non-related family member? I left that statement unspoken although it was obvious I was ready to fight it? Them? If need be.

"A SYMBIOTE," They replied, swaying the head-tentacle slowly. "WE LOVE EDDIE AND KEEP HIM ALIVE AND HEALTHY." So, they understood the actual question.

"Which is fucked up because Klyntar usually behave in the opposite way." Hearing Thor swear was, perhaps, even more unsettling than finding out about the symbiote-alien-boyfriend thing my uncle had going on. The thunderer himself was nursing a jug of golden liquid. The good Asgardian stuff, he must've been really fucking bamboozled.

"Okay. So anybody wanna fill me on the details before I beat up my favourite idiot?" I sighed, pointedly looking at Tony.

"I thought I was your favourite idiot!" He immediately retorted, hurt, but nonetheless opened his arms to give me a grounding embrace. We may have sucked face for a few seconds, because why the hell not, Tony was an amazing kisser and his tongue down my throat was very calming.

"Hold up, what the fuck?" Now it was Eddie's turn to act all offended. "Aren't you a little too young for him?"

"You and your most likely carnivorous goth space pudding can fuck right off if you're not going to be supportive of my very inappropriate, very polyamorous relationship with three incredibly hot boomers," I shot back, slipping into some resemblance of normalcy. Me and Eddie go way, way back and shitting on each other's bad life decisions was the founding stone of our bromance. Hell, he was the guy who showed me the wonders of sarcasm at an early age! Wonderbaum!

"There's three of them?" Eddie's voice pitched and he gaped, palming his face.

"SHE HAS A POINT, EDDIE. WE EAT PEOPLE. BEING UNSUPPORTIVE WOULD MAKE US LOOK LIKE AN ASSHOLE." Eddie's buddy stated, sounding almost fed up. So, they were sentient enough to recognize how much of a pain in the ass Eddie could be. I could work with that, disregarding the cannibalism comment, of course. What the fuck was up with that?

"Yes, Eddie, I also periodically bump uglies and trade disgustingly sweet text messages with the Hulk and a badass wizard," I rolled my eyes at the reporter's following gasp and angry muttering. "Venom, I like you."

"WE RETURN THE SENTIMENT. YOUR CHOICE IN MATES IS VERY WISE, CONSIDERING YOU ARE A WEAK MORSEL. THEY CAN PROTECT YOU."

"Shut up, Squid. I'll still kick your motherfucking ass if you hurt Eddie."

The emo space goo laughed, a terse scratching noise, showing way, way too many teeth for me to feel comfortable but I allowed myself to be placed on the couch between Tony and Eddie nonetheless. The initial shock of seeing a talking octopod with fangs passed quickly - I've seen Stephen's "trophies" he brought from his otherworldly journeys and Lovecraftian horrors were, honestly, pretty low on the gross/creepy scale.

"Both of you, explain. For the love of fuck," Tony sighed, emotionally exhausted and drained of his usual bravado.

"Eddie was my dad's friend until he moved to Cali, I've know him for fifteen years, give or take. He taught me how to ride a bike and bake the best pot brownies," I shrugged. There wasn't much to say. "I visited him whenever I could but you know, with school and then you guys, there wasn't that much time to iron out the details." I have Eddie a death glare, pointing to Venom's floaty head with my eyes.

Eddie nodded. "What she said..." And then launched an elaborate tale about some company called Life Foundation, some evil dude named Drake and his own alien pudding named Carnage, who was one ugly motherfucker judging by Eddie's and Venom's combined "ew" face, their aching need for human brains to survive and other, more trivial things, like mental breakdowns in a lobster tank and getting dumped by a fiancé and eating their way through a HYDRA base after being captured and tortured. What a wild fucking ride.

"Sounds like you had a rough year," Everybody's dumbfounded silence was ended by Tony who took a slow swig of his whiskey before speaking.

"Yeah, no shit," Eddie muttered, twisting his black coated fingers in elaborate but frankly pretty shapes. His alien wrapped around his neck like a tube scarf and additional tentacles appeared between Eddie's hands, gently prying them open and enveloping them in a sort of a hug? It was hard to compute, the black mass appeared to be totally amorphous.

"How's your anxiety?" I asked, damn well knowing Eddie's mind tended to run like Tony's: zero to sixty in point five with no clear destination. Having an alien inside of him must've really thrown Eddie for a loop.

"It's, uh, better. Venom helps," The reporter admitted, still staring at his hands but the crease between his brows had disappeared and the expression he wore was kind of fond.

"Good. You know, Venom," I thoughtfully addressed the definitely sentient creature. "Eddie is a bigger dumbass than me, which is saying something. You ought to keep a really close eye on him. If not for me, he'd probably be dead from alcohol poisoning, like, years ago."

"WE ARE AWARE. WE CAN ACCESS EDDIE'S MEMORIES." A head manifested itself on a thicker tentacle, floating over to look me in the face but maintaining a respectful distance and staying out of my personal space bubble. "AND WE ARE THANKFUL. EDDIE IS THE PERFECT HOST. WE LOVE EDDIE."

I felt the corner of my mouth tilt upwards at the alien's proclamation. It was child-like in its blunt honesty but carried a certain weight with it. It told me whoever tries to separate those two in any way would get eaten faster than they could say "SIKE!". And honestly? I would help Venom hide the evidence.

"I literally had you for thirty minutes but I would kill everybody and then myself if you two got hurt. This is too soft, I can't." I snorted, extending a curious hand towards Venom. They looked so shiny. I had to touch them.

And they let me. Venom butted their head into my palm and let me gently run my fingers over their slightly cool, slippery flesh. It felt like putting my hands on a surprisingly sturdy yet bouncy piece of flubber. I purposely avoided the small maw and the endless rows of sharp teeth but managed to accidentally brush against something rough and scratchy - as it turned out, the Symbiote had a very long, very dexterous tongue. And didn't that give me a bunch of interesting mental images.

"Oh my God, NO!" Wanda moaned from somewhere, the voice mortified and disgusted.

"Why are you touching the people-eating alien?" Bruce yelped, entering the room with several people in tow. The scientist looked worried, a little bit green around the edges. The tablet in his hands beeped periodically, signifying the ongoing sciencing bender he was in process of.

"WE WOULD NOT EAT THIS HUMAN. WE ARE FOND OF THE MORSEL." Venom defended, well, venomously. Eddie wisely choose to stay silent, trading a knowing look with Tony.

Stephen Strange sighed, briefly closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with a jagged movement. "One day, Princess, one day you will stop collecting people that are obviously bad for your health and your future. That, or space in the tower will simply run out." With a deeper, calmer sigh, the sorcerer landed in front of me on the floor, sitting cross-legged and subtly begging for a head scratch. Which meant just placing his always neatly trimmed curls under my free hand. His jealousy was about as subtle as a foot in the face.

"I'll just ask Tony to build more floors, duh," I rolled my eyes with force at the obvious solution, giving into Steph's demands, beginning to card through his hair. It was calming both of us, really.

Bruce came over to give me a kiss and my other boyfriends didn't even grumble about the scientist placing himself in my lap, crawling over both Tony and Stephen to get comfortable.

Our dynamic was unconventional and more than a little weird, but it worked for us and the rest of the team most certainly didn't complain about the vast decrease in conflict that came with the territory. Come to think of it, all of us were more tactile than just a group of friends sharing a house and I was very much on board with that. None of us except select few (looking at you, mister doctor) were hugged enough as children and we were making up for it in spades right fucking now.

"Girl has a type," Wanda remarked, like the messy little shit she was. I stuck out my tongue in retaliation.

The Avengers' brain trust began talking about Venom's slightly inconvenient diet that directly resulted in multiple felonies for one Edward Brock, and as much as I tried to follow the flow and make my own, however feeble, contributions to the scientific side of the conversation, the new life form was much more interesting. I asked Venom several questions and they deemed them acceptable enough to answer - which evolved on both of us absolutely geeking out over the differences in our physiology. The space pudding didn't hold back one bit, insulting the inferior human biology with gleeful gusto.

"They need a chemical called phenethylamine," Bruce sighed, having deduced it through discussion since Venom and Eddie both protested aggressively against any kind of invasive testing. "I can synthesize it. No more head-chomping, no more murder."

It made perfect sense. Except it didn't. "Brucie-bear, you're a brilliant fucking scientist but a shit psychologist." I interrupted whatever came next. "Venom is a person, like me and you and, yes, even Hulk. Tell me this: if you found a way to get rid of Hulk, would you stop sciencing in the gamma radiation field?" I looked my boyfriend straight in the eyes, hoping for a spark of common sense. "Do you see my point? You science, Tony engineers, Steve draws and Clint bakes. Venom hunts. It's who they are, you can't give them a pill to make it go away."

The weight of my word landed in the room like lead, heavy. The only source of sound was the TV, playing the news quietly in the background for the longest time. Those few minutes felt like hours until Thor expectantly turned towards Eddie/Venom.

"IT IS SO. WE ARE AFRAID WE CANNOT INFLUENCE OUR INSTINCT TO HUNT PREY. KLYNTAR ARE APEX PREDATORS." The little black goop sounded almost apologetic. It was hard to hear undertones with their voice being so deep and grating. "BUT WE CAN TRY." Okay, I could totally hear the hope. Finding out the Eldritch horror could make puppy eyes was... Terrifying, to be honest, because they fucking worked.

"Got any better ideas?" Tony asked me sarcastically.

"I do, actually." I leveled a look with Natasha. She understood. "HYDRA goons. The aliens that, for some reason, keep invading New York every month or so. Stephen's adventures in Hell. Do I need to continue?"

"Wait, hold on," Steve raised his palms. "We don't kill HYDRA, we deposit them in SHIELD custody."

I snorted at the naïve Captain. "And what do you think happens to them there? Did you honestly think they just let torturing, murdering, world-domination planning psychos back on the streets?"

Steve frowned in confusion. "They go to prison?"

Natasha choose that moment to step up. "It's not uncommon for them to possess certain enhancements to be deemed too dangerous to be released back into society. Some of them are low-tier mutants and inhumans. Trust me, Steve, the lethal injection is a much more humane treatment than solitary life imprisonment in a ultra-high security prison." Romanoff stated with a trace of compassion. "And some mutants, we can't contain for prolonged periods of time." She added quietly, looking away.

Rogers was staring blankly into the wall, mulling over the information in his head. His intensive thought process was plainly visible on his face. I heard about some kind of fiasco with HYDRA agents suicide-bombing a city in Europe few years ago and Steve was there, along with Wanda and Sam.

"Venom is a whole person, and even if they look like they could be the main character in Call of Ctulhu video game, we can't just disregard them like they are some kind of badly behaving pet. They're my honorary uncle's boyf-sorry-significant other, for fuck's sake," I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation. "Y'all should know I don't fuck with people who give shit to one of my own. Don't disappoint me like that." I finished, feeling more tired than I had in months. I didn't regret giving into the found family dynamic, however I didn't exactly sign up for hard choices like them vs my long lost uncle, y'know?

Great, now I had a headache and three very concerned boyfriends glaring at me for unknown reasons. The urge to pace always manifested strongly within me as the emotional atmosphere rose in the room. With Bruce dangling off my lap, I couldn't do even that and I felt the restlessness blossom into irritation more and more with each passing second of my existence.

Eddie remained silent, looking down. Venom had mostly receded into the reporter's body, save for a few tentacles tightly wrapped around Eddie's palm.

"Alright," Steve suddenly said. "We can work with that."

"Princess, you look like you're either going to cry or yell any second," Bruce said softly, squeezing my shoulder and pulling me closer.

I immediately hid my face in his chest, taking several deep, shaky breaths. "Eddie is family. Y'all are family. It's terrifying to have to choose between the two." I said, after a brief moment of hesitation.

The reporter made some sort of a choked gasp, quickly masking it with a cough - I knew him way too well to miss the way he was fighting back tears of his own. Bruce understood, he really did understand me - hopped off my lap and let me hug Eddie properly, my happy-sad tears soaking through the collar of his tee.

"You're, uh, welcome to stay. I'll have a guest room prepared." Tony cleared his throat, passing his half-finished glass to Stephen who swallowed the liquid in one gulp. My boyfriends were so fucking emotionally illiterate. Disaster humans.

Huh, I really did have a type.

Later that night, I made the mistake of barging into Eddie's room with a bottle of really fancy whiskey I liberated from Tony's overstocked liquor cabinet. Visiting my uncle and boozing and smoking on the balcony, for old times sake, was my plan and...

I failed the mission successfully.

I didn't bother knocking. As soon as I saw a pair of bare feet, my eyes traveled further up on the couch on their own volition. There were so many tentacles, a writhing, oozing silky black mass and Eddie was making sounds, unmistakable noises-

"UNSEE. UNSEE. OH MY GOD, UNSEE, UNSEE." I stumbled back into the common room shivering.

"What happened, is everything okay?" Bucky stood up as soon as he saw me enter the doorway with my face scrunched in a grimace of regret. I felt like I've gone through the five stages of grief in the shortest time possible for a human being.

Somwhere, I heard Wanda's sudden moan full of pain and misery. "Please, stop THINKING about it!"

"Brain bleach, oh my God," I cringed. "Where's the Clorox?! I have decided I don't need my eyeballs-"

"Oooh," Tony's proverbial lightbulb lit up. The engineer sounded like he was about five seconds away from building a space ship and permanently moving to another planet. "They're together-together..." Tony intercepted me nonetheless, doing the most effective thing to make me stop speaking and thinking bullshit. He kissed me. With lots of tongue.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps ​ @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie @mikariell95

[seriouslyhooked]

Feels Like This (Part 3)

Emma Swan is a once lost girl who is now making good. She has made a way in the world for her and her young son, Henry, and after years of hard work, Emma is in her last stretch of schooling for the career she’s always wanted. Unexpectedly, she finds herself in a tiny nation no one’s ever heard of for her last year of study. She knows nothing about the place except that it’s beautiful, has a world-renowned child life program, and is filled with possibility. Meanwhile, Prince Killian is hardly happy with the title he received at birth. As the second in line for the crown, Killian has long tried shaking his royal duties. He built a career in the royal navy, and has stayed out of the limelight, but his ship has been called to port indefinitely at the request of his brother, the King. Fate (in her many forms) brings Emma and Killian together and the resulting fic is a cute, fluffy, trope filled romp featuring heart felt moments, a healthy dose of insta-love and an assured happily ever after. Story rated M and will have 12 parts. Part 1 Here, Part 2 Here. Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.

A/N: Hey everyone! So thank you so much first and foremost for the love you guys have shown this fic. I have been so excited to write this and have been waiting ages to share it all with you. This is the kind of fluff and cuteness I personally need in my life right now, and I know a lot of you probably feel the same. Strap in for my usual dose of CS feels, and yes, for those of you asking, this is the moment CS will meet. Hope you all enjoy and thank you all so much for reading!

“And you’re sure you’ve got everything?” Emma asked, looking at Henry and knowing that he was ready to head into camp. They’d been over this numerous times, and at this point they were already out of the house and in front of the hall where campers congregated every morning. Still, Emma couldn’t help trying to soak up the moment with her kid just a little bit longer, and if that meant running through their list once more, so be it. “You have your lunch?”

“They give us lunch there, Mom.”

“Oh right,” she said, still shocked at how much was provided seeing as this program was free through the University. The children of all faculty and students were allowed to come, and it completely eradicated a need for her to find alternative childcare. Back in the States they had nothing like this built in anywhere. Getting Henry to camp previously either took a funding miracle, an insane amount of luck, or extra shifts at a second job. Usually he stayed with Mrs. H and Emma tried desperately to make it up to their neighbor. But now community sponsored help was becoming a given way of life, and every kid in Montenarro, no matter their background, seemed to have at least one path to a bright and happy summer.

“You’ve got your bag? How about water?”

“Yes and yes. We ran through this already, remember? I told you everything I had while you made breakfast.”

Emma smiled, knowing he was right, as crazy as it sounded. It was wild to her that on a weekday she would have the time, the patience, and the extra bit of cash to afford the spread they ate together today.  They had eggs, fruit, bacon, oatmeal and there were fresh pastries if they wanted. It was like their special holiday brunch, which happened on Christmas or on one of their birthdays, but they’d had this or something similar every day for nearly two weeks. It might seem over the top, but between the later starting hours here in Montenarro, her reduced work schedule with a generous stipend, and the fairer prices at the markets, Emma finally felt like she could give her son what he deserved. For years they’d chowed down on discount cereal, and now, in an attempt to enjoy themselves and resemble their new neighbors, they were taking a slower, and far and away more luxurious approach.

“I remember, kid. So I’ll be back here at four, and if I’m a little late -,”

“I just hang out a while longer, I know,” Henry said, looking to the doorway. A grin appeared at his face as he spotted one of his new friends. The other young boy waved in their direction and Henry waved back, causing Emma’s heart to melt. Her son not only had friends here, he was thriving. He was so happy, and seeing him this way made her happy too. “You don’t have to rush, Mom. I know your work ends early now, but maybe you could do something just for yourself.”

“Are you trying to tell me you’d rather stay later?” Emma asked, and Henry looked embarrassed for a moment before nodding.

“Not too much later, but Michael and Talia stay until five, and we’ve got this cool game going that we made up yesterday. It’s kind of hard to explain. But I can come home at four still. It’s okay, I’ll just -,”

“No, no, Henry, I am thrilled that you’re having a good time. I’ll be here at five.”

“Cool! Thanks, Mom!” Henry exclaimed, giving her a quick hug before heading for the door. “See you at five!”

She watched him get in safely, and the director of the camp who she’d met last week wished her a fond hello as she checked in Henry. Her greeting was pleasant and polite, and Emma knew if she had time the woman would talk her ear off about what it was like to be from America or the upcoming summer festivals. As it was though, Emma had to get going. She wasn’t late for work or anything, but she was eager to get there. Her work at the JR foundation was shaping up to be amazing. She was learning a lot, but she already felt like one of the team. Everyone who was there appreciated her, not just for working and helping out, but for her ideas. They were so responsive to suggestions, and always willing to try out any new concepts Emma had only really read about in books.

Their director, Marco, wasn’t like a normal boss. He didn’t hover or micromanage or come across as inaccessible. In fact, despite all the other calls on his time, Marco was with them all helping the kids and participating in their activities as much as he could. That leadership was so amazing in a space like this, and from everything Emma had experienced, the precedent he set was entirely reflective of the culture at large. Every person at the institute was determined to do right by these kids, and the children, despite the sad circumstances surrounding most of their lives, were doing so well and seemed so happy despite it all.

It was only a few city blocks from Henry’s camp to the center, but Emma let herself linger in the walk. She moved more slowly, matching the pace of the people around her, who never seemed to rush, and instead just enjoyed each day as it came. People were always smiling and laughing, and even the fighting was good natured. The streets were bustling but not full. They were cleaned regularly, maintaining the gorgeous cobblestone walks and the beautiful vintage architecture. It was warm here – a quintessential coastal retreat in the Mediterranean that she’d only ever imagined in her dreams or seen on travel TV. Everything considered, it was the opposite of New York, and despite having lived in the city she and Henry called home for more than ten years, Emma had to admit she didn’t miss it… at least not as much as she thought she would.

Don’t get too attached, Emma. This is temporary. Enjoy it while you can, but your real life is nothing like this.

The voice in her head was negative, but had a point, and Emma had no choice but to heed the advice. She would enjoy every bit of this she could, but she couldn’t get too comfortable, otherwise she’d miss this when they left. Even thinking of the heartbreak that may come if Henry continued to love it here so much left her reeling, but Emma carried on, pushing down that worry as she made her way past the institute’s front gates. It was important that she be in the right headspace when walking through these doors. The kids deserved her at 100%, and that was what she planned to be for them. Shaking off the worry from moments ago she moved inside, and as soon as she arrived, she was greeted by the sound of children running and laughing.

Some people might look at this place right now, apparently filled to the brim with kids who were wired and excitable now that it was officially summer and the school term was over, and think that this was chaos, but Emma knew better by now. Every child here ranging in age from six months to sixteen was attended to and accounted for. They had a large brood of kids, with sixty-seven at last count, and this was the biggest home under the JR foundation, though there were half a dozen more around the small country. Many children who were here would eventually be adopted, or would merge into part of a nationally funded fostering program, known for being one of the best systems in the world. In their last two years of school, older children went to special homes or foster placements designed just for them, to give them the attention and time they needed (instead of leaving them to the wayside for the sake of younger, needier children), and to prepare them for life outside of the system. Emma would eventually shadow a center that worked with those young adults, but for now, she was enjoying the hustle and bustle of the general group.

“Look, Char, it’s Emma!” one young boy named Thomas proclaimed to his little sister Charlotte from across the room, and in seconds every child had turned and was excitedly greeting her. Some of them came right up to hug her or give her a high five, but at the very least they all nodded in her direction and chirped out a fond hello.

“Good morning everyone,” Emma said, noticing the bags along the doorway and how the older kids were dressed in a uniform of navy colored shorts and florescent green shirts. “Did I miss something?” Emma asked aloud, not really to anyone in particular, but an answer came from one of the institute’s most trusted sources.

“Flora is taking the older children to the seaside today for a science lesson.”

The woman who filled Emma in was named Elsa, and despite the humidity in the air and the exuberance of the children all around them, she was totally put together and looked completely unstressed. Her hair was tied back in her usual braid, and her turquoise colored summer dress flowed in a way that looked poised for a summer catalogue. Elsa was effortless in an enviable way, but she was so kind and eager to be of help that Emma couldn’t begin to muster jealousy. In a short time Emma had begun to consider Elsa a friend, but though the two of them were roughly the same age, Emma was still a student and Elsa was a fully-fledged child psychologist who lived at the institute full time. She, and her sister Anna, who also worked at the institute, but as an activity’s coordinator, were two peas in a pod, but they’d done everything they could to include Emma and help her get her bearings in this new world.

“Lessons? In the summer?” Emma asked, not surprised that the institute was providing supplementary schooling year-round. She’d seen as much since starting here, but she was more taken aback at how excited these kids looked. Every child aged ten and older was gathered down here, no doubt waiting to fill the two institute vans out back. Still, how fun could a science lesson be?

“We use the term lessons lightly. For the rest of the morning the children will explore the tide pools at the national endowment’s shoreline about an hour north. There are some very unique ecosystems there, and so there is a whole lot to learn. But Flora will have them break for lunch and Anna takes over in the afternoon.”

“What’s she got in store for them?” Emma asked and Elsa shook her head.

“Well I can’t exactly say, as I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” Her smile grew at how silly that sounded, and she looked over her shoulder to check for Anna, but gave a little more when she saw that the coast was clear. “Let’s just say it’s going to be a jam-packed day that will go out with a blaze of glory.”

The emphasis Elsa used on the word ‘blaze’ made Emma think that there would likely be a beachside bonfire included, but before she could get confirmation, things started moving quickly. The older kids were summoned to the shuttles to go out for their day, and Emma meanwhile saw the clock and realized it was time for her to report to Marco’s office to get her assignment for the day. Moving through the playroom and the sunroom, which had the younger children and the babies respectively, she finally found her way and after knocking she walked into the brightly lit hub of all things here at the institute.

“Ah, good morning, Emma,” Marco said with a big smile, waving her in and gesturing that she should take a seat beside one of the other workers at the institute, Marie. Marie was Marco’s second in command, and though she never used the phase herself, the children had taken to calling her Nana. She had a maternal way about her, and every child seemed to love her as they might a favorite grandmother. “You’re here just in time. I’ve been talking with Marie and we think that today would be a perfect opportunity to try one of your intervention measures.”

“Really?” Emma asked, surprised, but excited at the thought. This would be the third that they had tried, and the last two had gone off without a hitch. “Which one?”

“The ‘Music Makes Me…’ one seems like a good choice. We have a few children who, to now, have been less responsive to our normal socializing measures. Their either shy or hurting, and we’re hoping to help them open up. Elsa’s our counselor on shift today and she’s eager to help oversee this. You’ll take the lead, but she’ll be there for any help you might need. We realize it’s a long-term project,” Marco said, looking down at a piece of paper to check his facts. “You wrote here three times a week for eight weeks. Is that right?”

“Yes, sir. Ideally. Positive identity work can start yielding results as soon as three weeks, but the Princeton Psychology Review did a study this winter that showed children’s habit forming reaches its peak effectiveness after the eight-week mark.”

“And this is one of the projects you modeled off of your own parenting experience, correct?” Marco asked as Emma nodded. Her throat grew tight at the genuine emotion behind this tactic, but this was a place with people she trusted not to judge her. As such, she shared what sparked the idea.

“When Henry first started school, he was one of the only kids that wasn’t in a two-parent household. Even the other single parents had some sort of family behind them, like grandparents, aunts and uncles, or other kids. I’m not exactly sure how long he struggled with being different in that way, he’s an independent kid and he kept his pain over that closed in, probably to spare me from being worried. But when his teachers gave me their assessment and told me what they thought was happening, I set something not dissimilar to this up. We tried painting and crafting to express his emotions, but the music seemed to help so much more.”

“It’s really remarkable, the way you’ve melded your experience with your son and your own past in with all of this cutting-edge research. It’s one of the many reasons we’re so thrilled you’re with us this year,” Marie said cheerfully and Emma warmed at the comment. Telling the story of her son’s pain at not having a father, however vague she had kept it, was hard, especially because Emma lay awake many nights wondering if he was missing something fundamental by not having a father. She wondered if it may hurt him in the long run. But she was reassured by the fact that she always did her best for Henry, and that her experience could help not just her son, but the children here who had no present parents at all.  

“Given that it’s rather late notice, do you think you can manage? We’ve got a window right now for a few hours. Elsa’s already selected the children who may need the intervention most. She kept it in the 5-8 age range as you suggested.”

Emma immediately assured them that she could pull this together, as the concept was not hard. Basically what this practice/exercise included was playing music that was grounded in emotion. Some that were happy, some more subdued, some fast, and some slow, and encouraging kids to do what they wanted when they heard that. For Henry he’d always loved to run around and dance at the fast-paced songs. Then the slower ones were always more interesting. Sometimes he picked up a favorite toy, drew a picture on the supplies she left out, or created his own little imaginary game. All the while, however, Emma’s job was to engage, support, and ask questions.

The questions always started mildly. What’s your favorite color today? (she’d learned early not to box her son into ultimate favorites). If you could have any snack in the world what would you choose? What animal makes the funniest sound? Then the questions would evolve. Her son, like many kids, was a vivid dreamer and Emma often asked about those night time visions. Sometimes they meant nothing but sometimes they told her a lot. She wanted to include that with these kids, but also include more focused questions to them about how they felt here at the institute, what they felt like when they told people from the outside about living here, and what they dreamed of for the future. She’d always ended each session with Henry in two parts. The first was to ask Henry what his biggest wish was for someone else, and the second was to ask his biggest wish for himself. Kids at his age were filled with wishes and wants, but Emma knew from personal experience, that that may already be flickering away in kids without parents. She’d been seven years old when her hope truly started to fade away, and she believed if she’d had these kind of positive affirmations and people who were working to see her happy and well situated, her relationship with the world and herself would have been much easier.

In the end, Marco, Marie, and Elsa decided that there were five best candidates for today’s intervention. Stella and Timothy were a biological brother and sister who had been at the institute for about a year. They were eight and six, and both of them were doing pretty well despite their parents losing custody of them from continued problems with substance abuse. They were likely moving into a fostering situation by the end of the summer, but they had been here a bit longer than normal because they were bonded together and making that accommodation took patience and the right placement. According to Elsa, Stella’s teachers a few times had mentioned her shyness, especially when people brought up her home life. Malek was a seven-year-old boy from a similar situation, though his father was in the process of getting clean for his son. The institute was always cautious for replacement with parents who struggled, but if his father could demonstrate stability and stay clean a full year, the legal system would grant him custody again. Malek, understandably, had mixed feelings about going back, and Emma wanted to try and help him with those through this process. Carlos, meanwhile, was a rambunctious six-year-old who had been given up at birth. He was shaped by his status as an orphan, and had a few close adoption calls that ultimately fell through. Luckily, though, a new family with sincere interest and the means to take care of him was stepping up, and they had exactly eight weeks before the system would process their filing for adoption, a perfect amount of time to help Carlos with some of these image issues before he settled into his new home.

The final child in Emma’s care today, however, was Cecilia, or as the other children called her, ‘CeeCee.’ Cecelia was a newcomer to the institute, and at just barely five years old, she was the youngest in Emma’s group today. She was quiet and withdrawn, but given her background that was all to be expected. At such a young age Cecelia had already been through so much. When she was two her parents had tragically passed in a car accident, and she’d moved in with her grandmother. Her grandmother was loving and did everything she could for her, but she was in poor health, and was now in need of care herself. Emma wasn’t here on the day that Cecelia came to the foundation, but Elsa had mentioned it with tears in her eyes a few days prior.

“I’ve seen so much heartbreak in this job, but watching that little girl realize she was being left behind… It was awful. She cried so quietly and for so long. It took us weeks to get her to say anything at all.”

Even now Cecelia was always quiet. She’d blended in a bit more with the other children, but she wasn’t particularly bonded to any of them. She had grown to be more trusting of the adults, but not in a really promising way. With Emma she’d always been sweet and well-tempered, but Emma hoped that this process might help her, and might get her to a place where she could be better socialized and cared for.  The next few hours proved to be even more promising than Emma dared to hope. All five children not only had fun, but made good steps towards progress. They all confided a little bit in Emma and Elsa, and they all responded well to the method. When Emma asked them if they’d like to do this again in a few days, all five of them were thrilled, and little Cecelia, who was normally so shy, was the biggest shock of all. Over the course of the few hours she’d opened up so much to Emma, and by the end of the session she was holding Emma’s hand tightly, intent on going with her through her day. Emma was so happy to see this little girl doing so much better, and she had to admit she was invested in this child, perhaps more than any other she’d met so far at the institute.

“Do you think it’s all right?” Emma asked, motioning downwards, but not saying everything aloud. The last thing she wanted was for Cecelia to not feel wanted when she’d made such tremendous progress, but she was worried about what might happen if she grew too attached.

“This happens sometimes. Kids have a sense for safe spaces. She was already responding really well to you before,” Elsa said, crouching down and waving at Cecelia, sharing a soft compliment for the toy rabbit she was carrying with her today, which made the little girl smile and chirp out a gentle ‘Thank You.’ Even that little show of gratitude and the genuine smile was an improvement, and Emma felt a burst of pride seeing this young girl come out of her shell. “We’ll keep an eye on it, but I think it’s best to see where it goes. She’s showing no signs of dependency, and hopefully you’ll be the perfect gateway for her to let the rest of us in.”

Emma hoped that Elsa was right, and as everyone in the center gathered for lunch, Cecelia stayed close by. Emma did her best to stay attentive to all of the kids who choose to eat with her today, but she also wanted to lead this lost little girl towards others who may be her friends. She was making good progress with another five-year-old named Ava, who was eager to be friendlier with Cecelia, when Marie approached, appearing frazzled and a little shaken.

“Is everything all right?” Emma asked, careful to keep her words calm and her tone even so as not to scare the kids. Her instincts were that something bad must be happening, but Marie shook her head, quickly dispelling her of that notion.

“Everything is wonderful, dear. We just have an unexpected visitor – actually I guess visitor is the wrong word. He’ll be staying on here for a while to work with us all. It’s a bit unexpected, but I dare say it’ll prove a delight in the end, for us and for the children.”

“Who is it that’s coming?” Emma asked, and Marie looked poised to blurt something out, but then caught herself and weighed her words carefully.

“One of the members of the family who run the foundation.”

Emma now began to understand the sudden rise in stress. Whatever JR stood for, and whichever family it was that could afford to spend so much on these resources, they must be both terribly rich and powerful. Being so new here, Emma didn’t know any background about the endowment, but she hoped that whoever was coming would be a help and not a hindrance. Surely they’d come here and see how much good work was being accomplished. She hated to think they’d be coming to make cuts or roll back funding.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Emma asked and Marie shook her head.

“Oh no dear. You’re doing a wonderful job. This isn’t an assessment of any kind. I believe it’s a genuine act of charity. You see he’s been in the military, and now he’s come home. His family’s no doubt pushing him towards some kind of occupation, and he’s chosen this as his pursuit.”

Emma wanted to ask more, about if this mystery man had any experience with kids or why, even if he was so very rich, Marie displayed school-girlish enthusiasm at his coming, but the older woman moved on to handle something else. Instead Emma waved Elsa over and asked her if she knew the man who was coming.

“Of course I do, everyone knows him,” Elsa said, thoroughly adamant that this stranger was of some notoriety. Then her features softened and she took on a thoughtful expression. “Well I suppose we know of him. We’ve never met, you see. But it’s impossible not to know him.”

Emma nodded, but she was still somewhat surprised. To this point she hadn’t gathered a sense that the family who ran the endowment was exceedingly involved in the day to day of the center. But then again, Elsa had been here far longer than her, and so she probably needed to keep track of the important players who were their most generous donors. Emma could have remained hung up on the strangeness of it all, but instead her mind wandered to the few details she did know. He was a military man, newly home, and he was coming here to make a difference. She thought about that and what that meant, and she found that she already liked him, or at least his attitude. Serving in the armed forces meant a life of service – to come home from that and still want to help others was admirable, and she hoped it would provide a good role model for the children, no matter what his actual child life background might be.

From the window in the great hall where all of the children and staff took their meals, they could all see down the back drive where a second entrance to the center was located. At that moment three black SUVs began their ascent, and the children’s attention immediately perked up as they ran to the windows. Emma felt the growing anticipation at the new arrival, and she wondered why there would need to be three SUVs. It reminded her of the protective details that sometimes came in the city, when big time politicians made their way to city hall where she worked for some sort of meeting or photo op. But what would be the reason for such a display today? Why would anyone need one of those when coming to a children’s center? It was hard to grasp, but then she questioned her instinct. The men who exited from the vehicles weren’t in high profile suits. They were more casually dressed, just like any workers here at the center. She wasn’t able to see all of them, but soon enough there were voices in the hall. Marco and Marie greeted the newcomer, and Emma only caught a snippet of the conversation.

“We’re thrilled to have you here, Sir.”

“Killian, please.”

“Killian. Right, sorry. That may take getting used to.”

“Not a problem. We have time.”

Emma was caught up in the sound of the new voice. It was distant, but even from here she felt an impact at the gravel in the tone and the lilt of the accent. It washed over her, sparking a sizzling sensation that was foreign to her, and after weeks in this country she’d always found the accent pleasing, but never responded like this. She found herself wanting to know what this man looked like, to see what kind of appearance could go with a voice that enticing, but she was getting ahead of herself. What did it matter what he looked like? He was going to be a coworker, right? This was hardly the time or place to be interested in someone. Still her stomach swooped with the tell-tale flutter of butterflies and she shifted in her seat. The action, along with the new voice in the hall, sparked something in Cecelia to change from comfortable to tense. The young girl grabbed at Emma’s shirt, latching on for a sense of perceived safety. Emma’s heart reached out to this poor, sweet girl, and she took her hand gently, trying to assure her as swiftly as she could.

“It’s all right, honey. You’re safe here. I promise.”

“I don’t like strangers,” Cecelia said and Emma tried not to get misty eyed at the sense of uncertainty this little girl held so tight.

“I was a stranger once, wasn’t I?” Emma asked and Cecelia considered that before nodding. 

“But you’re nice to me. You read us stories and play us music. You’re my most favorite friend.”

“And you are my friend too, honey. So let’s wait and see what kind of person he is before we decide if we like him, okay? You never know – he could be your favorite too.”

Cecelia looked skeptical but ultimately agreed, and Emma was glad to have that sorted. She had been so focused on curtailing Cecelia’s worry that she forgot where they were. Now she noticed everyone else was standing, children and staff alike, so she helped Cecelia down from her seat and stood up herself. The sounds of people walking in played out around her, but Emma took a moment to make sure her young charge was settled before looking back up. She patted Cecelia’s hair and brushed her full brown curls from her face, with care. Only then did she look up. But when she did, she never could have expected what would happen. 

As her eyes took in the stranger, their gazes met, and she was struck by a sense of recognition and realization that she’d never felt before. Something clicked for her in that moment, in the first few seconds of their seeing each other, and her awareness grew stronger and stronger. So much bubbled up to the surface, emotions and feelings and desire and interest. It was like something was opened within her, and she felt drawn into this man and unable to resist. This stranger had blue eyes, intense but warm all at once, piercing in a way that they seemed like she knew them and they knew her. Instinctively she looked to the rest of him - Killian he said his name was - but it didn’t help her sense of disorientation. His face was remarkable, strong and sure. His hair was dark, and his figure was no doubt honed for the expectations of his years of military service. She felt herself taking him all in, and then caught herself and thought about what a scene she was making. This wasn’t appropriate. Oggling this man just because he was hot – okay more than hot, he was… god was it lame to say perfect – oh Christ she was doing it again. She needed to stop, but when she looked up at him, she caught him doing the same thing to her. It was incredible to feel his interest, and for a moment it was like the world stopped spinning so the two of them could find each other. 

Find each other? Jesus, Emma, get a grip. The thought ran through her head as Marco began to address them all.

“Everyone, this is our newest friend here at the institute, Killian.”

“You’re big,” a boy named Seamus called out, unceremoniously and for a beat Marco and Marie looked concerned, but Killian only laughed.

“You should see my brother.”

“Is he coming too?” Marie asked, looking like she might actually be done in by the news.

“No, ma’am,” Killian said with a small smile and Marie let out a sigh of relief. What was that about?

“Why do you stand so straight?” another boy asked and Killian explained.

“I was in the royal navy.” This was met by a chorus of oohs and aahs, from the girls and boys alike.

“Are you a good person?” someone asked, and only after a moment did Emma realize it was Cecelia. She was shocked at the display of bravery from her little companion, but then that was compounded by Killian’s movement towards them. He split his looks between Cecelia and her, but when he approached he crouched down so as to be eye level with the little girl.

“What’s your name, little one?”

“Cecelia.”

“Cecelia. That’s a beautiful name,” he said honestly and Cecelia swayed side to side a bit with the compliment. “Now as for your question, I certainly try to be good.”

“But you’re a stranger,” Cecelia said, looking at him with a furrowed brow, as if this was some kind of simple math he should understand.

“For now I am. But not forever, I hope.”

“My Emma was a stranger too. She’s a good person. Are you like my Emma?”

Now Killian rose to full height and he addressed Emma as much as he did Cecelia. “I do like her.” Emma’s heart skipped and then she watched his face shift in embarrassment as he realized what he said. “I mean I hope I’m like her, lass. But only time will tell.”

“Miss Emma, does time talk?” Cecelia asked and Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing as her eyes caught Killian’s again.

“No, honey. It’s an expression. It means that with a little bit of time you will know if he’s a good person. You just have to be patient.”

The look Killian gave her in that moment was packed with so much. Gratitude, interest, and something more. There was a charge between them that she just couldn’t deny, and she could tell he felt it too. But before he could say anymore, Marco called everyone’s attention again.

“Anyone have any ideas as to how we should welcome Killian?” he asked and a chorus of answers came flooding in.

“I know! I know! We should show him our giving tree.”

“No! We should show him our playground!”

“I want to show him my pirate ship!”

“We should feed him the turnovers Cook makes. She hides them in a secret spot but I know where they are!”

“Well that all sounds brilliant, especially the turnovers. Why don’t we do all of it?” Killian asked, before looking to Marco who nodded readily. The kids looked excited, and were eager to go, but before things got too crazy, Killian looked back at Emma and grinned.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Emma.”

And with that, and with so much swag and sexiness it made her a little dizzy, this mysterious new man set off, throwing himself into the deep end with these kids, and showing them all that he could hold as own, just as surely as he could hold her attention.

Post-Note: So there we have it! I know, I know, you’re probably mad I kept their meeting so short and waited until the very end, but next chapter I am planning to include this first meeting from Killian’s POV. This story, as much as any of my stories can, has a bit of a slower build, because there are a lot of elements I really want to include, but I promise there’s plenty of fluff in store and a lot of cuteness that yet to come. Thank you all so much for reading, and I really hope you’ll leave a comment or a review. I’d love to see what you all think and what you’d like to see going forward in this new fic. Anyway, I will do my best to update soon (probably next weekend), but in the meantime I hope you’re all well, safe, and happy in this uncertain time!

[jinmukangwrites]

Cub

((I promise I had this named Cub before Ort posted their fic!!!!! I swear I’m not purposely naming this fic after theirs, just the title “Cub” works really well with this fic and what im going for and i really dont want to change it. if ort wants me to change it i will))

Prompt: it's not exactly how the prompt wants it, but I had a lot of fun writing it so I hope you'll be happy with this.

Summary: He's the Hero of the Wild, it's only fair that the creatures get to know him.

Notes: this is the most fluff you guys are going to get out of me. There is angst, but not a terrible amount. I had to put a certain hc in this fic... I had loads of fun with the perspectives, it's interesting trying to write in the mindset of creatures instead of humans.

Warnings: brief mentions of physical/emotional abuse towards a child from a parent, extreme fluff, both emotional fluff and animal fluff, Jin struggling to write happy things, Jin struggling to not kill Wild, Jin being Jin.

-o-o-o-o-

On a clear, bright, and beautiful night, something magical happens. There's a house sitting in the middle of a field of golden wheat, miles from any cities or civilization. The castle is a far off dream, though the people who live in this house don't mind one bit.

Animals don't usually come here, the scarecrows warn against the birds and the men have bows and arrows. The wolves know by now that the sheep in the barn are off limits, the foxes know that the cuccos are well protected, the rabbits don't dare to nibble on the crops for fear of an arrow piercing their hearts. They make their homes in the forest and they don't go near that house, but tonight… they get a feeling. Something important is happening.

The stars are bright as the stag and his herd step carefully through the golden fields, the moon glitters in the alpha wolf's eyes as his pack approaches through the shadows. The birds land on the roof of the house and bats flutter around. Not a single animal attacks each other, not even the mother bear who arrives with her cubs give the boar a second glance. A squirrel scrambles up the wall of the home and pokes its nose against the glass window from the ledge it sits on. The inside of the house is bright and warm, and across the room is a cracked open door, a man sits besides it with his head in his hands. There's yelling and swearing on the other side of the door, though it's not terrified, it's full of pain but also love.

A beautiful creature jumps up besides the squirrel, it's fur glows and it's eyes are bright and wise. It tilts its head the moment the screaming turns into an infant's healthy cry. The man jumps from his chair and runs into the room, and there is a glimpse of a woman laying exhausted in her bed as a dirty and red baby screams as a towel is wiped across it's squirming body.

Oh, the animals think, this is very important.

-o-o-o-o-

A child, just a toddler. His hair is growing long, the owl thinks. Too long for normal Hylian boys his age, though the owl supposes that's nothing out of the ordinary, the child is very special.

The owl sits upon an apple tree branch and watches with wide and very wise eyes as the child swings a wooden sword against a scarecrow in the field. He has gotten the sword as a present from his father just a few days prior and already the child is exceptional at swordplay. The owl thinks that one day the child will grow up one day to become a very, very strong man.

"Link!" The mother calls from her house, her stomach is round, heavy with another miracle, "you're father is leaving! Come wish him goodbye!"

The child looks up from his swordplay and grins before it sprints away towards his home. He dances around the fathers legs, lifting their tiny arms and tugging on the tunic of the father. The father smiles and riffles the boys hair before he fixes the sword strap around his shoulder. "You be good to your mother," he says, "and maybe someday you'll come with me."

"Honey," the mother says, there's a tightness to her smile but the father laughs and kisses it away.

"Bye daddy! Bye bye byeee!" The child sings and the father runs a knuckle over his head kindly. The child grins and waves the little wooden sword in the air.

"When I get back, I'll teach you how to use that, okay?" The father says. "You'll become a knight like your old man."

The mother's lips thin but she doesn't say anything because the child is cheering now and hugging his father's legs tightly.

Then the father leaves not long after, and life continues as normal. The owl hoots and flies away.

-o-o-o-o-

The boy is hurt, the fox relizes. She was going through bushes, looking for a rabbit hole or an easy mouse to grab, when her ears perk up to the sound of a cry. Now, she's no fool, she would never approach a child of any species. Mothers can get furious easily, and fathers are quick release their fangs and claws. Hylian children are on a whole other level.

Yet, this boy is alone. She can see him curled up in front of a tree sobbing into his hands. The smell of blood hits her nose and sends the hairs on her back standing. She gently pads forward, careful to not step on any twigs and let herself be found quite yet. As she gets closer she can see where the smell of blood is coming from; there's a long slice going down his arm, allowing precious fluid to escape and stain his sleeves. It looks painful, she wonders what could have hurt a child so small.

The boy continues to cry and no mother or father are coming to comfort him, so she decides it's safe to do so herself. She lets her paws drop more firmly onto the ground and the boy looks up at her with the bluest eyes, rimmed red from his tears. She continues towards him and lays down next to his head, he continues to watch her with silent tears streaming down his face.

She yips at him, trying to tell him that he will be okay, but Hylians cannot understand animals. He seems to calm down though and he smiles at her. He hesetatly reaches out and she allows him to stroke her head. She lifts her snout and gently licks at the wound on his arm, he doesn't move away from her.

After she's content with cleaning his wound she scoots forward. The boy takes the invitation and gathers her into his arms and cuddles her close to his chest.

"Thank you," he says, and his voice is so mature for a Hylian his age.

They stay like that for quite awhile, comfortable and content, his eyes slowly drying, until a voice breaks through the air.

"Link!" A woman calls out, sounding worried.

"Link! Get over here!" A man shouts.

The fox jumps out from his arms and he makes a distressed noise, but the fox knows she cannot be around when the parents find their cub. They will think she hurt the child, and they'll lash out without any hesitation. She jumps into the bushes just as two adult Hylians come into view, sprinting. The mother grabs at the child and cups his face, talking quickly and worriedly as the father stands off to the side, breathing hard and looking angry.

The father's hand lashes out and grabs the child's arm, looking at the exposed wound roughly, too roughly. The fox almost jumps out and snarls at him when she sees the child wince.

"I taught you how to block that move," the father growls and the fox feels her hackles rise. She doesn't like how the child looks down, as if ashamed.

"Don't get mad at him," the mother snaps and tears the child away from the father. She looks at the cut, more gently. "He's three-years-old, he can't use the sword like you."

The father glares down at the woman. "If he's going to be a knight, he has to start now and work hard."

The mother returns his glare and gathers the child into her arms, picking him up and placing him on her hip. "Who says he has to be a knight?"

"If he's my son he will be," the father says. "You want to be a knight, right Link?"

The small child nods slowly and the mother frowns as the father grins triumphantly.

The mother and father begin to walk away back towards where there house must be, arguing back and forth, and the fox is left sitting there, watching as the child pokes his head over his mother's shoulder, waving sadly.

-o-o-o-o-

Goats are not very intelligent creatures, but they do really love their owners. They love the grass they get fed, they love their haircuts, they love their exercise. As long as they have space to roam and a source of food, they will love most everything. The farm they live on belongs to a nice family of four. They see the oldest woman and her youngest daughter the most, but sometimes the male and his son come into the fields to fix the fences or pull weeds.

Right now, the big male is holding up a bit of the fence as the son wraps a strand of wire around it to keep it standing. The goats all shift with each other and look at the fence with little interest as they continue to munch on the yummy grass.

"We will leave to the Zora's Domain next week," the adult male speaks, his voice is low and gravely, some of the goats flick their ears to it.

"Harvest starts next week," the son says softly. It's a bit deeper than the last time the goats have heard it, though not like any of the goats care. The grass is too delicious.

"And?" Male asks.

"Well… I was thinking I could stay this year… and help Mom and Angie out."

There's… some sort of tense atmosphere that blankets the land. Some of the goats lift their heads nervously as the grass somehow doesn't taste the greatest anymore. One goat looks at the two owners in anxious curiosity. The adult male is staring at the son with a tight jaw. His posture almost reminds the goat of a wolf or something like it.

"Your relationship with Princess Mipha is very important," the adult says slowly, "it is why the Captain invites you every year."

"Yeah but-"

"Don't interrupt me," the adult snarls and the son backs up with his hands raised in surprise. The wire snaps and the chunk of fence falls to the ground with a crash. Both the adult and the son fall silent. The goats look to and from each other, some making nervous baying, others kicking the ground. The adult rubs his face and takes a deep breath. "You are coming."

"I want to help mom-"

"Link, you're coming."

"But the harvest-"

"LINK!" The adult snarls and a goat jumps and runs a few feet in a random direction. The son falls silent, his mouth shuts with a snap. The adult glares at him before he sighs. "You have to go on these things if you want to be a knight, son."

The son looks down to the ground. Mumbles. A goat flicks its ear, though it's not like the goats are interested in what has been said anyway.

"What was that?" The adult asks.

"I… don't want to be a knight… anymore..."

Smack.

The goats bay loudly in surprise and a few jolt as if they're about the run away in terror as the son falls to his backside, his hand on his reddening cheek and eyes wide.

"You will be joining me to the Zora's Domain," the adult says, his voice eerily steady and calm, "do you understand?"

The son nods and slowly stands up. A goat goes down to munch on the grass again, thinking that maybe the weird tension has finally calmed down.

"Tell me the rules."

"D-don't get in anyone's way."

More goats go back down to the grass.

"And?"

"Don't talk unless told to."

The grass is very good.

"And?"

Very, very good. All the goats are eating again, as they should.

"Make you proud..."

-o-o-o-o-

The stable dog's name is Cherry, and he's a very good boy. That's at least what his master has told him. He likes to spend his time laying in the sun and getting pets from guests. The horses are all very nice to him though the cuccos are a bit rude. He once tried to play with one and he got his nose pecked. Cuccos are mean.

He hears movement behind him and he opens his mouth, panting excitingly. He loves guests. They like to pet him and give him food. He gets up and spins around to see a blond haired boy swinging a sword back and forth in silence. The boy is very interesting, he looks almost like a kid but he acts like a grown up. He's always standing quietly and doing what he's told, though Cherry has caught the boy staring at him multiple times.

Right now, the boy is alone. The sun is going down and most guests are getting dinner or going to bed. Cherry wants to play with this one.

Cherry shakes out his fur and pads over to the boy. The boy blinks down at him and swings his sword again, though he stumbles just a little. His jaw tightens and he looks above Cherry to an imaginary target and ignores the dog.

That won't do. Cherry wants to play.

Cherry jumps in the air and barks, but the boy just scowls and continues his practices. Won't do. Won't do at all. He lets out a whine and falls onto his back, kicking his legs in the air and letting his tongue loll out cutely—the way most guests find adorable—and he wags his tail when the boy looks down at him again.

Finally, the boy smiles and puts the sword away after he looks around him and sees that there is no one else around. Cherry squirms in victory when the boys hands go onto his stomach and start rubbing gently. Cherry can already tell that the boy is very kind. He loves this boy already.

"Link," a deep voice growls.

The boy jumps up like he's been burned and spins around. Cherry twists his body to see a man standing a few feet away looking very angry. Cherry rolls to his feet and whines but the boy ignores him and folds his arms across his body. Cherry instantly quiets down, knowing something bad is happening.

"Did I tell you you can stop practicing?" The man asks. Cherry doesn't like this man. Cherry does not like him at all.

"I'm sorry," the boy says quietly.

It's silent for just a second before the man suddenly lunges and punches the boy in the gut, or he would have if the boy hadn't whipped his arms out and expertly blocked the blow. Cherry scrambles backwards in surprise and barks, but he goes ignored as the man continues to attack the boy.

"Da- sir," the boy grunts as he blocks another ruthless blow. "I'm tired- can we-"

"Did I give you permission to speak!?"

The boy shuts his mouth with a click and the brutal fight continues. Cherry's tail sinks down beneath his legs and fear makes him whine. The man is still attacking and the boy is slowing down and starting to get hit. Cherry likes the boy, and it makes his whole body flinch when the boy takes a blow to the stomach, bringing a whimper out of him.

Cherry is a good boy. Cherry doesn't bite guests. But something takes over him and suddenly he's launching himself at the man. His jaw snaps closed around an evil arm and the man howls in well deserved pain.

-o-o-o-o-

"You pulled the sword?"

Izzy, a cat who lives in the castle, stops when she hears the hushed voice somewhere down the corridor. Curious, she pads forward and sits when she sees a man talking down to a young man. In the young man's arms is the most beautiful sword Izzy has ever seen… not that it matters. It's just shiny. She kind of wants to go over and swat at it.

"You know what this means, do you?"

The young man nods, his fingers are trembling. Strange, though that's not important to Izzy.

"You will bring the family name fame for years to come. This is what I have been training you for. What has the King said?"

"I'm to become Princess Zelda's personal appointed knight."

The man laughs and rubs his chin. Getting bored, Izzy brings her paw to her face and licks at her toes.

"Amazing. The rules are even more important now, son, don't forget them. You must keep up the image I have made for you now more than ever."

"Yes, sir."

The man reaches over and ruffles the young man's hair, but the young man simply stands still and stoney faced during what should have been an intimate gesture. Okay, now Izzy has completely lost interest in what's going on. She yawns and turns to leave.

-o-o-o-o-

The vulture is a sign of death, and he thinks there is plenty signs of that right now, but he's not dumb. The thing bringing death is evil and it won't let him eat, it will just kill him too. The sky is red and fire blazes and he just wants to fly away, but he's blinded by a golden light as he flies, a strong, powerful, hopeful golden light. It scares him more than anything, he doesn't stick around to find out what the light was.

-o-o-o-o-

The wolf is the most powerful creature in the wild, or that's what this wolf thinks. He wonders alone and hunts alone and is perfectly content doing so. The world is so wide and he's the king of it. He owns the forest, he owns the ruins, he lives and goes where he wants because no one, not even the monsters, will dare challenge him.

He has his territory, anything that goes in it dies.

He's wondering his forest, looking for a bite of food, when he sees something he rarely sees anywhere. A Hylian.

It's male and skinny and wearing horribly tattered clothes, not providing a smidge of protection for it's ugly bare skin. It is walking like a newborn, stumbling and panting. The wolf narrows its eyes. He's seen starvation before, and this Hylian clearly is suffering from it. Many have, he's seen so many Hylians collapse and whither away in the past few years.

Yet, this one seems special, important, even as the Hylian trips over its feet and lands on the ground hard. Even as it stills and clenches it's fists and screams into the dirt in anguish.

The wolf should kill it. Put it out of its misery… but that feeling that this one is special sticks around stubbornly. He growls to himself and turns away.

The sun sinks lower to the ground by the time he returns. The Hylian is still there, completely still, just blinking. The wolf sighs through the dead rabbit in its jaws and walks closer to the Hylian. It looks at him, startled, but too exhausted to do anything. The wolf sets the rabbit carcass down and the Hylian does nothing but stare.

The wolf huffs. Of course. The Hylian needs a fire to eat meat. How pathetic.

He turns and picks up a stick in his mouth, feeling humiliated but also that he needs to do this, and sets it down next to the Hylian. He goes and picks up another, and another, and another, until there's a small pile by the Hylian. Now it's up to it to eat. The wolf can't start a fire, he can't bring the Hylian all the way there.

He sits down and stares as it slowly blinks, then it's hand lifts and it's pushing itself up so it's sitting hunched back against a tree. With hands shaking, the Hylian reaches into its bag and pulls out a small black rock and a dagger. It takes a few tries, but soon there's a fire and the smell of cooking meat.

The Hylian eats, and when it looks up again, the wolf is gone, having finished what he felt he needed to do.

-o-o-o-o-

The horse is annoyed. Here she is, just wanting to nibble on the grass when all of a sudden a skinny person jumps on her back and grabs her hair. She's strong, she's wild, and he's weak. She kicks him off and he goes flying. She huffs and glares at him, but he's grinning and standing up from where he's landed, mud splashed against his face, making him look untamed.

She snorts and trots a distance away and continues to eat, but that's interrupted by the same skinny body and impish grin. She bucks him off and is extremely satisfied when she sees his own face screw up in annoyance. Good. He better be annoyed. It's only fair since he's ruining her lunch.

She trots away again, third time's a charm. Or it should be. Because once again the small body jumps on her back and clutches onto her hair. She doesn't even react. She just turns and glares at him.

He gives her a look, letting her know that she's not going to get rid of him.

Sighing in defeat, she shakes her head and let's him soothe her hair behind her ears. It kind of feels good... Though, the moment the small body gets off hers she's going to sprint away. She'll let him think he's won for now.

He rides her all the way to a small stable in the middle of the field. She can feel him get ready to jump off and she's about to bolt when he suddenly loses balance and tumbles hard onto the ground, an apple rolls from his hand.

Intrigued, she goes towards the apple and ignores the little person as he scrambles to his feet and brushes off his pants. He grabs the apple before she can get to it and holds it up in a teasing manner.

"If you want apples, you have to stay with me."

She glares at him. Who does this boy think he is? Does he really think she can be bribed with apples?

She eats it. Gets a new saddle. He calls her Zoie. As long as she gets apples she doesn't care. No, she doesn't care for the small person at all…

-o-o-o-o-

The cub is freezing, the bear thinks. The clouds rush above them and rain pelts down, soaking the world. Even she is cold, and she has thick fur to protect her. But this cub doesn't have fur, he's naked except for the strange cloth on his body. She can see him shivering beneath a tree canopy, rubbing his hands and glaring at the grass. The poor cub, she thinks.

She's about to leave it at that, she has her own cubs to think about back at the cave. She has to get food for her own, not this strange cub who looks like he won't survive the night with this rain.

Oh whose she kidding?

She goes through the undergrowth and approaches him. The moment the cub sees her his eyes widen and he jumps to his feet, a sword is drawn.

Not that it would do anything to her, he's weak and she's strong. The fear in his eyes confirms that he knows this. The wolves think they own the land, but the bear owns the wild. Nothing is stronger than she is.

She continues to approach and he sinks down to the ground, as if accepting his fate, but she doesn't bite his head off like what he must think. No, she grabs him by that strange cloth behind his neck and starts to drag him like she would with any other cub. He makes a surprised noise and a strange protest, but she ignores him and continues to gently carry him over to her home in the face of a cliff.

Her cubs make excited noises when they see the one in her mouth and they accept him willingly when she lays down and pushes them all against her, trying to keep them all warm. The strange cub stays very still for a very long time before she feels him relax and slowly fall asleep. She huffs and memorizes his scent, he's hers now. A child of the wild. He has a long road ahead of him, she's sure. But… she just knows he'll do just fine. Call it a mother's instinct.

-o-o-o-o-

The birds love to fly, but there is one place they never go. It's that really tall pointy thing in the middle of the fields. There's evil that lives there and strange monsters that like to shoot fire from their eyes. No way, they would like to keep their feathers on their bodies thank you very much.

But one day, that evil goes away with a grand explosion of golden light. It's so pure, and so beautiful. They watch as the great beast is taken down and destroyed, as light returns to the land. They fly, fly towards that structure and they wonder why they thought it was evil. It isn't, it's just a building. As they fly, they see a small Hylian. Two of them. One with a beautiful sword on it's back and the other with the face of a goddess.

Something special has happened, they think. Something very, very special.

-o-o-o-o-

"Wild, don't-"

The sound of a Hylian's voice is all the warning the stag gets before he's pounced on. Legs straddle his body and hands grab at his horns and he runs.

There's laughter coming from the person on his back, but the stag isn't happy at all.

-o-o-o-o-

For all of Wild's life, he has known the animals. They have always been there for him when people weren't, they have always brought him comfort, food, shelter, something to kill the boredom. He feels connected to them, even the ones he kills for food. He whispers thanks to them as he ends their lives, and he promises not to waste a single bit of their bodies. It's the least he can do, he thinks.

He's the Hero of the Wild, after all. The wild is his home, and the creatures that roam it are his brothers and sisters. It's strange, he knows, but he wouldn't ask for it to be any different.

[slasherscream]

yo I dunno if this is asked or not but can you write some headcannons of Billy and Stu with a super chill Latina?

A/N: anon i’m actually so happy you sent this because i want to make it super clear that i do not just write for black readers like myself. i want to write imagines for other poc as well. we all deserve to take up fandom space not to be sappy or anything-

     billy loomis x latina!reader x stu macher       ft. that's it .... that's the whole concept 

                                                     ——————– 

What did you ever do .... to deserve this (meeting them). An unanswerable question. But there aren't many people of color in Woodsboro, CA         so they first noticed you at school, the new kid, just keeping to herself. People are already talking about you and how chill you are. You don't seem to notice. 

People tend to like things that are shiny and new in small towns which is exactly what you are. The fact that you're so unflinching about it makes you just seem even cooler. 

Stu is the one that gets caught up in the hubbub as he's one of the most popular guys in school. Billy is also popular but he doesn't        care about it. Or about anyone else who's popular (sans Stu), really. So Stu talks to you first.

Blown away by your personality. You're not sitting in the cafeteria even though you totally could and your table would fill up with people who want to get to know you instantly. Instead you're sitting in the grass under a tree .... straight chilling. Headphones on and eating your lunch in total quiet. 

Don't even get mad when he comes up to you with all his ...loud ass energy. Like he's not even being particularly loud (cause he saw how chill you were being and even he couldn't fuck up vibes like that) his energy is just loud. All you do is take off your headphones and give him a small smile and nod from your place on the ground, "sup?" 

He forgot what he was gonna say for 0.5 seconds. You turned off his extrovert, always talking brain for a solid 0.5 seconds with your cool and pretty, little smile. The talent! His brain rebooted and he'd never sat down so fast in his life. Too close to your personal space for a first meeting tbh ... shoulders... touching. But he's cute and tall so ... you let it slide. 

He talks to you the whole lunch period and Billy is wondering where the fuck he is honestly. Y'all are late to class and you all happen to have the next class together. Billy watches you walk in together. While you're talking to the teacher and making up some excuse for the two of you being like ... ten minutes late (which they're buying?? somehow??) Stu turns and wiggles his eyebrows at Billy. 

You sit down in a free seat that's unfortunately not near Stu and Billy (Stu woulda kicked the guy outta the seat next to him for you but you saw him about to and you shook your head as if to say "nah     i'm solid"  and how can he argue with that?). 

Billy watches Stu make heart-eyes at you the whole rest of class and when it's over he watches Stu pout about the fact that his next class is nowhere near yours but you insist he just head to his instead of walking you. Billy's class is your next class. Determined to see what could have made you so intriguing in what?? A fucking half hour? He offers to walk you. You know your way around by now but you shrug because why not. 

The walk to class is five minutes and yet somehow Billy gets it. Took Stu a half hour and it took Billy five-fucking minutes. Billy gets a text from Stu halfway through class that's just the smuggest ... most unbearable ...  fucking ':)'. He's going to bash Stu's fucking face in later but before that they GOTTA trap you. 

They are going to TRAP YOUR ASS. Oh my gosh you have no idea how hard they're gonna trap your ass. When they are working together to achieve a common goal they're incredible. 

The work begins immediately. Can they drive you home today? Can they carry all your shit for you? Don't talk to that guy. They've been to parties with that guy --- he's a total jack-ass. Wanna go to the mall? They'll bring you. Told Stu you wanted to watch a movie tonight? What a coincidence that Billy wanted to have a movie marathon tonight with him ... you can just tag along and join them! 

Much as they think they're the smartest people in the room you do know what they're doing. You're on one of your many "so not a date-dates" when you just come out and say it, "are we all dating?"

They freeze like deer in headlights. They have been #Caught Red-handed. Billy tries to be cool about it and lean into your space like, "do you want us to be?" and somehow ....you stare down that smolder and just raise your eyebrow with a chuckle because you already asked your fucking question and you're not answering his dumb "answers a question with another question" ass. 

Stu jumps in eagerly like "Hell yeah we are!" ruining whatever tension Billy thinks he's establishing. You laugh and kiss Stu's cheek. Billy is enraged...If you don't...give him his cheek kiss- But too late you already moved to give Billy one too. Well then....back to the movie I guess. 

They are very aggressive against any perceived slight against you because you notice them but don't react to them because you have more important things to spend your time on. Guess what babe? They don't have anything to do but fight people all day long! 

This ...is all of you. You're straight chilling and they'll be flipping their shit over any and everything.

Billy pretends to be the calm level-headed one but he's actually not        you are. In private it makes him worse for awhile because like. He can just lose it with you! But then it makes him calm eventually because oh .... accidentally talked out my feelings. He can just rant in a room with you for twenty minutes and then his blood pressure is normal again. 

Your Stu's rock too. You get him to be just a little less on with you but he can also be on allllll the way and you can handle that??? Just as well. He loves you! Loves that you can love and handle him!  

You mediate between the two of them a lot and there are less fights over-all. So you both have a great relationship with the two of them and made their relationship with each other better. What can they give you for this miracle you've given them? New clothes? A movie night where you don't watch only horror movies? Orgasms? Can they give you some orgasms? An actual human heart? anYTHING, babe! 

Didn't think you spoke Spanish at first until you pick up the phone to answer your Mom one day and there you go ...Spanish. They like the way you sound when you're speaking it. Your calm voice flowing even nicer when you're speaking a language smoother than English. 

Stu wants to learn now! He is determined and it is ...terrible. He cannot sound anything but white. It makes you flinch every time he says a word. Billy actually can speak it much better. His pronunciation is nearly perfect but he can't remember any of the fucking words. Together they're the perfect duo of butchering a foreign language! Please stop

They do not tell you! They do not tell you they kill people! You figure it out because you notice an overlap in times when they are not with you or they're having their separate date nights and the murders. You come right out and say it one day.

They're shocked but mostly waiting for a ...secondary reaction that one might expect when their s/o accuses them of something this wild. It doesn't come. Their silence is an admission but you're not doing anything ...else?? What the fuck .. You walk away and they follow you...You're in the kitchen now?? Going towards the fridge?? You ... pulling out three fucking cokes? You sit down and open them and gesture for them to sit down too. Time to talk like you're always insisting they do for a #happy and healthy relationship.

They're screaming inside they thought your calm nature had to have #A Limit. Everyone has a limit! But you love them and apparently haven't found yours yet. Could they be more in love with you? Congratulations! Two shadows for the rest of your life. 

                                                     ——————–

[pippytmi]

8 izwood

Daisie Villa is a nice person. A little energetic, a little wild, but nice.

 But, well-meaning as Daisie is, Pippy doesn’t understand why Daisie is here, in Pippy’s house, giving her advice about what to feed her baby. Annalise is here too, but she’s been talking to TMI in the other room about a case; Daisie, on the other hand, has made herself quite at home right next to Pippy at the kitchen table.

At first she stays quiet, watching as Pippy spoons food into Beaumont’s mouth, mostly smiling endearingly at him like everyone does. (He just has that effect). But eventually she studies the Gerber label—admittedly, a strange flavored goop of chicken and rice—and frowns.

“You know, I always thought babies shouldn’t eat these weird manufactured things,” Daisie says. “Have you tried giving him beans?”

 "Beans?“ Pippy echoes. "No, I don’t think so.”

 "See, that’s all he needs! Frijoles y arroz para ti, mijo, eh?“ Daisie says with a click of her tongue, squeezing Beaumont’s cheeks. "Just mash up normal foods really well and give them to him.”

 "We do give him other food,“ Pippy says, oddly defensive; she doesn’t want to assume Daisie thinks she doesn’t know what she’s doing, but also she doesn’t want to let the random (and unsolicited advice) bother her without saying anything. "We just don’t give him beans.”

 "I used to give Annalise beans all the time. It made her a little gassy. But she was okay,“ Daisie says, unbothered by the defensive edge to Pippy’s voice. "Is he still breastfed? You have to breastfeed him as long as possible, trust me. I kept feeding Annalise until she was a year old…how old is he now?”

 "He’s eight months,“ Pippy answers. "And he’s actually been using a bottle for a while now.”

“Ay, what a shame,” Daisie sighs. “Oh well. At least he looks healthy.”

 Pippy furrows her brow. “He is healthy, actually. And very happy too.”

 "Of course he is, he’s so chubby,“ Daisie coos. "Isn’t that right papas? You’re very chubby?”

Annalise and TMI finally come out of the living room, Annalise with a grim look on her face. “Ma, let’s go. We need to go talk to Rosie,” she says. “TMI’s going to tag along.”

“Wait, what happened?” Pippy asks. “You’re not sending my wife into anything dangerous, are you? ‘Cause she’s not allowed to die until I’m ready to.”

 "Aw, babe, that’s sort of sweet,“ TMI says, beaming even when Annalise looks between the two of them weirdly. "And also sort of morbid.”

 "Well I’m just going to drop her off at the lab, so don’t worry,“ Annalise says, grabbing her keys off the kitchen counter. "And Ma, please don’t lecture Pippy on baby food. We could hear you all the way from the living room.”

 "Lecturing, who’s lecturing? I’m just giving her advice! You’re so dramatic,“ Daisie says as she and Annalise walk out, reaching over to pinch Annalise’s cheek. "My daughter the dramatica. So when are you and Rosie going to give me grandkids?”

 "Ma.“

Their voices fade away as they leave. TMI sighs.

 "Okay, yeah, they’re going to notice if I don’t go too,” she says regretfully. “I know we said we wanted to have a movie night, but…rain check?”

“Rain check,” Pippy agrees, kissing at the edge of TMI’s mouth when she ducks down by them to fix Beau’s bib. “You go help Rosie. Beau and I will be just fine on our own.”

 "I’ll be back as soon as possible,“ TMI promises, grabbing her coat and moving to follow. She stops halfway out the room, turning to regard Pippy curiously. "Wait. What was Daisie saying?”

Pippy waves her off, flippant in one gesture. “Eh, nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

“You know, I’m not sure it’s safe to just…have him in the office,” TMI says.

“Hmm?” Pippy looks up from her microscope to see what TMI is talking about, but it’s just about Beau. 

It’s true that he doesn’t have a lot of space and there is a lot of expensive equipment around him, but all he’s doing is kicking forward in his walker. It’s a miracle he even let himself be put in there; lately all he’s wanted to do is crawl.

“Beau,” TMI clarifies unnecessarily. “What if something falls?”

 "Everything’s pretty secure,“ Pippy says, but she frowns. "You’re right. Should I move him to my mom’s office? That would be safer.”

 "You know, if we hired a babysitter this would work out better,“ TMI says, already plucking Beau out of his walker.

"With what money?” Pippy scoffs. “Rosie needs to come through with a raise first.”

TMI crinkles her nose. “You’re right. Kids are expensive,” she says, hoisting Beau up on her hip. “Can you get the walker?”

 "Yeah, just give me a minute,“ Pippy says, refocusing her telescope.

 She’s so lost in her work that she doesn’t notice when Mitchie comes up. At least, not until he cheerfully calls, "Hey Pippy!”

 Pippy nearly breaks the glass slide she’s taking out. “Mitchie, can you quit doing that? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

"Whoa, sorry,” Mitchie says, raising his hands in mock surrender. “I just came by to get your tox results. I know you said you were taking over for TMI, so…”

“Oh yeah,” Pippy says, reaching past him to TMI’s desk. “Here it is.”

Mitchie takes the papers but doesn’t move to leave, instead lingering by the desk, eyeing the walker. "So you guys brought little Rosie today, huh? Nice.”

 "Ugh, don’t call him little Rosie. Rosie doesn’t need anything else to inflate his ego.“ Pippy rolls her eyes.

"Why not? It’s cute,” Mitchie says. “Where’s that little guy anyway?”

“With TMI.” Pippy slips a different glass slide under the microscope for examination, pausing when she realizes Mitchie still isn’t leaving. “You know, I like to work alone, so…”

“Oh! Right, yeah, my bad.” Mitchie takes a step back. “But hey, I’ve been researching babies a lot lately, since we’re all basically family and I’m little Rosie’s uncle now—”

“Um,” Pippy blinks, “say that again?”

Mitchie ignores her. “—and I was wondering how your insurance is going? Because I know a guy and if you guys are struggling, he can get me a great deal. And obviously you guys have started a college fund, right? I don’t see why you wouldn’t, but I figured I’d ask just in case.”

“College—? Look, Mitchie, I’m busy right now,” Pippy says. “We can revisit the college fund we don’t have later, okay?”

“You don’t have a college fund yet? Well you have to get on that! If you guys decide to have another kid it will be much harder to start setting aside money in a couple years. Plus, the stock market is just—”

“Mitchie,” Pippy cuts him off. “How many kids do you have?”

 Mitchie stops. “Uh. None? But I do have a bird, if that counts.”

“It doesn’t. Now please come back to me when you do have a kid, because then maybe I’d actually trust your input,” Pippy says, turning back around to her microscope.

“Oh I don’t know, I don’t really see myself as being a father. A cool uncle, on the other hand…”

Pippy grimaces. “We are going to revisit that uncle thing later,” she says. “But can you please let me do my job now?”

“Oh! Oh, yeah. Sorry Pippy, I just get overexcited, you know how it is,” Mitchie laughs sheepishly.

“Right. Mitchie?”

“Yeah?”

 "Take Beau’s walker over to TMI for me, would you?“

TMI’s mom leaves them a voicemail about Beau.

 (Pippy deletes it before TMI can hear it too.)

"Beaumont sure moves quickly,” Donna says, eyebrow raised as she watches Beau from the kitchen table.

“Mm,” Pippy hums in agreement, sipping from her mug. “He’s very energetic.”

It’s a lazy Sunday today, having her mom over for breakfast. TMI is chasing Beau around the carpet, making sure that he doesn’t crash into the living room table or stick things into his mouth, and Pippy and Donna watch and drink coffee. It’s one of Pippy’s favorite things to do.

 "You two should consider removing the carpet,“ Donna says after a moment. "Beau needs to use his walker more.”

“He uses it all the time,” Pippy says. “At work.”

“That’s no place for a baby.” Donna swirls another spoonful of sugar into her cup nonchalantly, unaware that beside her, Pippy is biting her tongue as to not say something rude. “He needs to start building those leg muscles more. He doesn’t even crawl properly.”

“He crawls just fine,” Pippy retorts defensively. “And he’s strong, too. He’ll be walking in no time.”

Donna nods. “He’s so big already,” she says. “You’ll be up to your heads with that boy. I can tell.”

As if on cue, Beau decides to try and something into his mouth at that very moment.

“Beau! Beau, I saw that. Spit it out. Spit—” TMI sticks her finger into Beau’s mouth and fishes out a button. “I vacuumed! How do you still find things even when I vacuum?”

Donna shakes her head knowingly. “You should try limiting his crawling time,” she says. “Lord knows you and your brother gave me just as much trouble.”

“He’s young,” Pippy says instead of saying some much more choice like I’ll raise my son how I want. She knows, deep down, that her mother means well; but right now, at a time when she feels a little overwhelmed at raising a baby, it’s not as helpful as one might think.

(And besides, they’re doing pretty well, if she says so herself.)

Pippy keeps her thoughts bottled up for another week.

But it’s not until after a long, stressful night that ends with them finally getting Beau to sleep after three hours that Pippy feels angry hot tears prick at her eyes and she says,

“T, do you think we’re doing something wrong?”

TMI rolls over, half on her way to sleep already, but alert enough to pick up on the shaky edge to Pippy’s voice. “What do you mean?” she asks, quiet so they don’t wake up Beau, whose crib stands just a few feet away from their bed.

“Everyone keeps giving me advice on what to do and how to raise Beau and I’m tired,” Pippy says. “I’m tired that they think we need it.”

“We do,” TMI yawns. “They’re just trying to help, Pippy.”

“I know.” Pippy doesn’t look over at TMI, focusing instead on the ceiling, blurry as it is through her frustrated tears. “But it also feels like they’re saying we’re not good enough. And maybe we’re not.”

“Hey.” TMI slings her arm around Pippy’s waist, the weight warm and comforting, as she nudges her head against Pippy’s shoulder. “Don’t compare yourself to your mother. Or Villa’s mother. We’re definitely good enough for Beau because we love him and he loves us and that’s all we need.”

“You don’t think I’m overreacting?”

“You always overreact,” TMI says, “but it’s okay. It’s one of the things I love about you. And I know you’re just trying to protect everyone you love, but it’s okay to tell your mom you don’t need advice. She’ll understand.”

“Have you met my mother? Meddling is her middle name,” Pippy snorts. “She’ll keep on giving us advice up until Beau’s grown, trust me. And don’t get me started on Daisie, or Mitchie—”

“Mitchie doesn’t even have kids.”

“That’s what I said!”

TMI laughs into Pippy’s skin. “They love him as much as we do,” she says. “It’s sort of nice when you think about it.”

“It’s also been sort of annoying,” Pippy says, but she softens anyway, smoothing her hand over TMI’s back. “But you’re right. I’m too hung up on my own parenting skills to see that everyone’s just trying to help me out.”

“You’re doing just fine on your own, if you ask me,” TMI says drowsily, and when Pippy looks at her, her eyes are closed. “You’re the best mommy. Maybe I should get your mom to help me out instead.”

 "Good idea,“ Pippy says, smiling when TMI just hums in sleepy agreement. "I’ll redirect the complaints your way.”

(Eventually Pippy learns to appreciate the advice. But that’s not until much later, once they have their second baby on the way, because God knows how much she needs it then.) 

[a-pretty-nerd]

You're Bodhi Rook's Girlfriend Part 4

A Bodhi Rook x pregnant reader fanfic - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fourth months, and you were definitely starting to show. It wasn't a huge baby bump but, still. You could maybe shrug it off as weight gain if anyone asked, and wear more baggin clothing. But it was inevitable. You were going to have to be housed at some point, there was no way they would let a pregnant woman stay on base. Even if they did, Bodhi wouldn't. He wouldn't risk it. Not after the stunt you pulled a few months ago before the wedding. Oh yes, the wedding. A small ceremony that consisted of a short and sweet ceremony, and a long party. The whole base took a holiday for the most part to celebrate the occasion. It was a relatively simple wedding. Nothing over the top and wild, though, maybe you would admit that you certainly would have prefered things a little different for your big day. But when it came down to it, and you walked down that isle to see Bodhi, it didn't matter anymore. You watched him with the biggest smile on your face, as he watched you with an equally bright smile. Your heart began to race when you saw that tears were falling from his eyes and he struggled to wipe them away before you got there. He was crying throughout the rest of the ceremony sweet thing. The next morning, you rolled out of bed for work. You threw the covers up, and sat on the edge for a moment to let yourseld wake up. You felt a warm touch over your swollen belly, and you looked over to see him looking at it intently. "How long again?" "About four months, going on five." "Won't we know the gender by five?" "If we want but, I don't know how I'd get an ultrasound without another nurse finding out." Bodhi sighed. He was tired of it. Of hiding your pregnancy. Something he was so excited about and yet only your closest friends knew about it. If Bodhi had it his way, he would have shouted it through the speakers, and everyone would know. He wanted to celebrate it more than anything. He wanted people to know about the child. Know that he was going to be a father, and his excitement in becoming so. "(Y/N)...I don't want to hide this anymore. I-" "Neither do I! You think I like having to hide my bump? You think I like risking it, day after day? Watching the pregnant Refugees come through here, and having to help them, knowing I can relate to what they're going through. And not being able to say a word?" "You'll be safer in housing, and maybe they'll allow me holidays considering that you're pregnant." He was sitting up now with you, his hand never moving. "Bodhi...I love you...and I love our child. But I will not-" "I'll quit if you do." His eyes pierced yours, his voice was deep and serious. "What?" "I'll resign. We'll resign, the Rebellion will help us settle as citizens on another planet, safe from the Empire. I'll find a job, we can be a happy family. We'll be safe." "Bodhi..." "Please (Y/N)." "I'll think about it." He smiled and kissed you softly. That was a few weeks ago, and now you're a solid 5 months. Bodhi kept urging you to tell others, but you would shrug him off. You weren't ready to leave yet. You just weren't. Finally you gave in, and told one another nurse. A trusted coworker of yours, who swore she wouldn't tell a soul. When Bodhi found out that she knew, his first instict was to ask her for an ultrasound. Which she agreed to. Late in the night when hardly anyone was working, she met the two of you there, and walked you a private part of the hospital, where she pulled a curtain hiding everything. She did routine checks for pregnant women first, checked your health. Weight, height, etc. Asking a few questions, all with a sly grin on her face. She had always been encouraging of the two of you. She was particularly excited when the two of you started dating, and she loudly cried at your wedding. Everything checked out, and you layed down on the bed. She pressed a few buttons the machine, lifted your shirt, rubbed some cold goo onto your belly, and watched the screen. Bodhi held your hand as she searched for a moment, easily finding the infant, which was still quite small. But you could see distinct features, like they're little hands, and feet. You could even see facial features, like how it had Bodhi's nose. The father to be squeezed your hand tight as you gazed upon the screen. The sound of the heart beat played through the small space. Bodhi leaned over and kissed yours forehead. "Would you guys like the to know the gender?" Bodhi shook his head eagerly. Your friend giggled and looked back at the screen. "Well, it looks like it's a bouncing b-" "On s-second thought. I'd like to be surprised." You budded in before she could say anything else. Bodhi gave a puzzled look. "(Y/N)!" He complained. "What? I'd be a nice surpise!" He sighed, but nodded and helped you clean off the goo. "Well, everything seems good! Which is a surprise in itself." "What do you mean?" You asked your friend. "Well, after your adventure recently, it's 's a miracle you didn't have a miscarriage (Y/N). You're lucky that baby is still alive, and perfectly healthy." Bodhi helped you off the bed, and looked down at you. "I was thinking the same thing." He spoke. You looked down, and placed a hand over your belly. "You're in your second Trimester, how long are you going to keep this up. Its dangerous you know." "I know, we're announcing it...Monday." He looked at you with wide eyes, surpised, stunned even. "Really?" You nodded with a grin. His arms wrapped around, holding you close before kissing you passionately. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Note: What do you think? Should they stay? Should they leave? Should you stay, and he leave? Boy or girl? Lemme Know, and stayed tuned ❤

[paradoxicalca]

r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 7: Spicy Edition

/r/Hockey NHL Power Rankings Week Nov 11, 2019 - Nov 17, 2019Thank YouThank you to all of the volunteers doing the power rankings. Each ranker has their own system and have their own reasonings and analyis. It truly is a lot of work.RankersSpoilerOrganizersSpoilerVisualizationThe visualization contains historical data, so you can see how your team has done over time. Hopefully, we can run this for many years in hopes that we can see the rise and fall of teams by /r/hockey opinion.It automatically updates so feel free to bookmark. You can find it hereProcessHow does this work? Throughout the course of the week rankers are able to access an app that will allow them to rank teams. At the end of the period we calculate the average ranking for every team and collate all of the analysis provided by rankers.The app then generates a post that is first proofread and then posted to /r/hockey!Rankings (29/31 Rankers Reporting)Ranking (avg)TeamDeltaOverall RecordRecord This WeekComments1 (1.34)Washington Capitals-15-3-42-1-1Best team in the league, full stop.2 (2.2)New York Islanders114-3-12-0-0The magic continues. Point streak of 14 games, of which 13 were wins. It looked in danger down 3-0 in Philly, but the guys who have been really hot, Barzal and Beauvillier, stayed hot bringing the Isles back. Brassard is playing amazingly on Nelson's wing, currently looking like the best signing across the league this past summer. Goaltending showed some signs of regression this week but the team still found a way to win. Ladd looks to have returned to full health, or at least as close as he can get anymore, but is in Bridgeport for the time being. Will be interesting to see if he makes his way up to the NHL or gets hurt before he gets the chance.3 (3.69)Boston Bruins-112-3-51-0-2Well, at least it's a point streak as the injuries mount up with Krug joining the IR and Bergeron not playing against the Caps. I hope Bruce made the team bagskate penalty shots until they scored 3 each on Halak and Rask. In Bruce's tenure as Head Coach, the team has a record 3-14 in shootouts. I can't fault the goalies either but it's pretty much a given that if you take the Bruins to a shootout, the other team will get the W. I'm not expecting miracles there but at least near 0.500.4 (5.63)St. Louis Blues-12-4-50-1-2The Blues have been winning a lot despite relatively poor play for a while now, and this week they finally had some down games. Just from the eye test, they look good but not good enough. If they don't rebound in the next week expect them to severely drop5 (6.03)Edmonton Oilers-13-6-31-1-1This team needs to make up its fucking mind. Blown out by the Sharks then blowing out the Avs then tossing away a victory with an OT loss against the Stars. The team still lives and dies on the Powerplay. Best Powerplay in the league, but nearly all the offence is produced through the Powerplay. The 5-on-5 play needs substantial improvement. The bottom six is a disaster. And then the reason we still lead the Pacific: Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. WE ARE MERE MORTALS IN FRONT OF THESE GODS. Solid shout-out to Nuge, Klefbomb, Bear, Koskinen, Smith, Khaira and Nurse. 4 consecutive divisional games next week. If the Oilers do well here, they will continue to stand above the Pacific, but any faltering here and they will take a dive in this competitive division.6 (6.4)Colorado Avalanche-12-6-22-1-0Injuries yay! This week started off taking out Francouz and having us call up our 3rd and 4th goalies to play games. Also RIP Calvert hope he is ok. Adam Werner stole the show against the Jets, but he had a lot more trouble with McDavid and Drai. Bibeau was serviceable vs the Canucks, but we would love Grubauer or Francouz to get healthy, both are on the trip as we carry 4 goalies. The good news is the team looked good with solid chemistry and MacKinnon and Makar have just taken over. On the bad side the defense looks scattered and it doesn't help our young goalies. Next up is the second half of our Western Canadian trip and Saturday finishes with a Hockey night in Canada game against the Leafs in Denver. Makalder Watch: Cale Makar is amazing, on track for the best rookie season by a defenseman in decades. He had 6 points in three games with another Game winner against the Jets. His defense has also been getting better and better he had some great plays against the Canucks.7 (8.74)Carolina Hurricanes212-7-13-0-0Rob the Bod has the team back on track but the competition they faced wasn’t overtly difficult and they barely eked out wins against the Wild and Buffalo. For a team that is considered to have one the best overall defense in the league giving up a tying goal late each game is unacceptable.8 (9.23)Arizona Coyotes612-7-23-1-0The Yotes went 3-1 over the previous week, setting NHL history by becoming the first team to sweep the previous 2 Stanley Cup Champions in back-to-back games (of 69 potential times in history). The success is being driven by the rock-solid goal tending tandem in net, with Kuemper picking up a shutout over Calgary, and almost picking up a goalie fight as well. Defense has also been rock tight. It isnt consistently pretty, but this team is finding ways to win, taking 3 of 4 games this week (2 through the shootout).9 (10.77)Pittsburgh Penguins-111-7-21-1-1"I need to be fire," he said with a laugh. "I will be fire." This is Geno Malkin as we know him stepping up in the absence of Crosby who needed surgery and will be out for a couple months. Geno along with the rest of the walking wounded that is the Penguins lineup, struggled to finish their many chances in losses against the Rangers and Devils this week. The Pens controlled possession, got solid defensive efforts from the backend, and played tough and resilient for a team whose players are dropping left and right. Saturday the Penguins got their bounces and lit up the Maple Leafs unleashing the power of Geno’s fire straight to the seat occupied by Leafs coach Mike Babcock who got an earful from his home crowd. The Penguins are no strangers to playing without Sid, and with a continued effort to solid defensive hockey they will tread water until he can come back and lead the Pens into the playoffs once again.10 (11.29)Montreal Canadiens811-5-42-0-1After earning 5 of 6 points in an emotional week highlighted by a stunning road upset of the NHL-leading Capitals, the Habs cruise to the quarter-mile post in 2nd place in the fierce and unforgiving Atlantic division. They've done it with a high-octane and well-balanced offense that's been a nightmare to defend. Even slumps by Domi and Drouin haven't slowed the Habs down, thanks (in part) to Tatar's great start and Suzuki's emergence as the most exciting rookie east of the Rockies. If Price, Petry and Weber stay healthy this team could do some serious damage in the 2nd half. Keep in mind GM Bergevin has the cash (cap space), the credit (draft picks/prospects), and the biceps to make a major purchase at the trade deadline. This is a team to watch.11 (13.31)Dallas Stars1111-8-23-0-0Where has this team been hiding all season?? The stars seem to have suddenly figured how to do that hockey well.12 (13.34)Buffalo Sabres-210-7-31-1-1We are playing for a top pick right now. I can't honestly believe we beat Ottawa, let alone in regulation. This incredible trainwreck would be unfathomable in a vacuum, but given that this same sequence happened literally last year, I'm less shocked. If we don't have either Jack or Sam for any length of time, we can write this year off as a straight-garbage-fire loss. How many games has it been since someone other than them has scored? Our secondary scoring is so cold that if you lined Jimmy Vesey up in interstellar space, heat would flow from space into his body. We were first in the league!13 (14.03)Winnipeg Jets712-8-12-1-014 (15.09)Tampa Bay Lightning39-6-21-1-0Tampa looked amazing against NY, but meh against the Jets. Did a great job of capitalizing on PPs during the NY game, but went back to spending too much time in the box against Winnipeg.15 (15.74)Vancouver Canucks-310-7-41-1-1The Canucks went 1-1-1 this week, finishing off a four game home stand with a total of 3 points. Underlying numbers remain promising, but results are sporadic and it appears we are seeing the Canucks settle closer to what can be expected out of a young team. I've seen people discussing the DJ again, which usually says more about dissatisfaction with the on-ice product than it does about whatever cheesy tunes are being played. That said, the Canucks still potted 11 goals in their last 3 games, Hughes had 2 assist Saturday night, Demko remains solid (and at times brilliant), and the hockey is fun as hell for a bubble team. The power-play remains inconsistent, because this is ice hockey and nothing is consistent. After a too-good-to-be-true start, fans may need to re-calibrate expectations in order to enjoy the grind as the season wears on.16 (15.77)Nashville Predators-99-7-30-2-0Well this is the easiest blurb I've written in my time doing these power rankings: something is fucked with this team right now, and the fanbase is quickly turning against itself questioning what the problem is. Has Lavi lost the room? Is Pekka on the decline? Is the defense breaking down too much? Was Duchene worth it? What does it say that Bonino is our second leading goal scorer? Is our third D pairing holding us back? Is everyone just overreacting to a cold streak? What should our next banner say? I don't really have any answers, but I do know watching the last few games has not been fun. Also, we're currently on the outside looking in at 5th in the Central so that's cool I guess. Oh look, Chicago won another game so now we're 6th. Fuck.17 (16.43)Vegas Golden Knights-610-9-31-2-0The most recent win can't hide the fact that the Golden Knights were just in a 5 game winless streak. Underlying numbers suggested that the Knights are playing better than their record shows but blown leads, missed opportunities, and 3rd period collapses we're a theme during the team's slump. We'll see if the win against Calgary is a start of fixing those issues.18 (16.94)Philadelphia Flyers110-6-40-1-2I mean taking the top two teams in the league (Islanders and Caps) to the SO means we can Fly with the best of em. But losing in regulation to the Sens means that we can Die with the worst of em. We still need the veterans to step up a bit more, but the young guns have been doing well to keep us in games (TK, Lindblom, Hart). Also can the NHL STOP SETTING GAMES ON THE ONLY NIGHTS THAT I WORK LIKE COME ON GUYS I LIKE WATCHING HOCKEY TOO. Ted Talk over, Praise Gritty19 (17.49)Anaheim Ducks-310-9-21-1-1This season feels like a rerun. Looks like a losing home stand came 1 month earlier than last year. A poor effort against the oilers after 4 days off. Similarly poor effort against the wild. I don’t see the fight. I don’t see the ducks ready to start any game lately. Song of the week: Free fallin’ - Tom Petty and the heartbreakers20 (17.89)Florida Panthers110-5-52-1-0The Panthers had a fantastic comeback victory against the Bruins early in the week. They showed a lot of character and determination. This team doesn't quit when they get scored on and fall behind which is great because goaltending has been, let's put it nicely, garbage. Overall it was a good week with a rare regulation loss and win.21 (18.51)Calgary Flames-610-10-30-3-0Oof. The Flames scored 1 goals in 3 games this week, and conceded 12. They have not led at any point in about 220 minutes. In short... the Flames are a bad hockey team right now.22 (19.54)San Jose Sharks210-10-13-0-0The San Jose Sharks are 6-0-0 in the (2019-20) Radim Šimek era! In all seriousness, the team is looking much better than they did for the first ~15 games. The offence is getting more creative and it's showing, and the D has tightened up. I really like the line of Meier-Hertl-Goodrow and I hope PDB doesn't blend them too soon, and Kane-Cooch-Labanc have looked pretty good too. Karlsson and Vlasic have cleaned up their play since they've been together, and Šimek has really anchored Burns, which is exactly what we needed from him. The Sharks aren't out of the woods yet and there's improvements to be made, but we're playing much better than we have been. G23 (20.37)Toronto Maple Leafs-109-9-40-3-0The weather is getting colder, and the leaves are falling. Big time. After a rough start for the backup Hutchison v Chicago, he was waived on Monday and the Leafs called up Kaskisuo to backup Freddy Andersen. On Wednesday, the Leafs fell behind twice but only came back once, losing 5-4. Then, a 4-2 loss to Boston extended the Leafs losing streak to 4 games. This was further extended to 5 after Kaskisuo's NHL debut against the Penguins, as he got completely hung out to dry, as the Leafs got clobbered 6-1. Offensively, it doesn't look like there's much effort or care. Too many passes. Defensively, too many passes to the other team. It's bad. Be sure to check out r/leafs for any information you need about leaves!24 (23.54)Chicago Blackhawks29-7-43-0-0The Blackhawks beat the Golden Knights for the first time in franchise history. The Hawks are 5-0-1 since tweaking their system, scoring 4+ goals in each of those 5 wins. Kane has 8G, 9A and points in each of our last 9 games. Dach has 4G, 2A and points in each of our last 4. 5-on-5 goals by Hawks defensemen: 1 in our first 17 games, 4 in the last 3. The Hawks are 4-0-0 on the tail end of back-to-backs, thanks to an excellent goaltending duo.25 (24.94)New York Rangers-28-8-21-2-0Shitty week overall. Started off solid with a OTW against the Pens with Kakko scoring two goals including the overtime winner. After that, the Florida trip got real bad real fast. The Lightning blew us completely out of the water 9-3. Chytil scored two goals, but beyond that there wasn't too much good. In the game against the Panthers, Panarin attempted to carry us to a W singlehandedly, but we came up short. Hopefully once Zibanejad comes back, we'll find a little more consistency and we can pull out some more wins.26 (26.46)Columbus Blue Jackets-17-8-41-0-1"We are one god damn uptight team" - John Tortorella27 (27.37)Los Angeles Kings38-11-13-0-0The Kings had a perfect week- despite being against mostly low opposition. The lower half of the Pacific is getting spicy- although the Kings still sit at the very bottom.28 (27.4)New Jersey Devils17-8-42-1-0Suspicious shifty eyes * 2 wins in a row? All that did was probably buy Hynes more time before the inevitable. 3 games upcoming, Bruins, Pens, Red Wings. *The Good:** We won 2 games against decent opponents in the Pens and Habs, back to back, with Blackwood in net both games. Simmonds has 3 goals in the last 4 games and the goals seems to be coming in from all over the roster in general. The Bad: We dropped the game against the Sens and let Pageau walk all over us and get a hatty. Hall still isn't putting the puck in the net despite leading the team in points. His shooting percent has now fallen below 3%. The Ugly: Cory might as well not be rostered. He's played once since Halloween. His save% is 0.852, and his GAA is 4.59. It's really, really hard to watch the player who was the reason the Devils weren't the worst team in league for several years get hurt and completely fall apart post surgery. In a span where we've played 3 back to backs, Cory has played once and lost.29 (27.91)Ottawa Senators-18-11-12-2-0Another unexpectedly strong week. Even if the Sens did hand Eichel 4 goals on a silver platter on the 2nd stage of a back to back, they were still hanging in the game (albiet barely) right up until the final backbreaker goal. Beating the Flyers was also pretty huge. This team is starting to be defined by a "work insanely hard" culture which is exactly what we've been needing! Somehow we find ourselves closing in on the Leafs in the standings...I think most Sens fans would honestly rather have a high draft pick instead of making a playoffs push this year. Still, with the Sens looking less awful than expected and the Sharks on a winstreak thanks to Radim Šimek - the Czech god of the blue line - one must already wonder who will make it to the wildcard spots and what draft day is going to look like. Even with barely a quarter of the season played out.30 (28.8)Minnesota Wild-37-11-21-1-1The Wild aren't as good as they could be, and not as bad as they should be. The one thing that's been consistent over the years however is reigning as the league's worst 3-on-3 team, and it's not even close. Since the implementation of the arcade-style OT, Minnesota is a laughable 12-30. Translate those results over to the first 60 minutes and it's Lottery City baby!31 (29.8)Detroit Red Wings-7-12-31-0-2This is the worst Red Wings roster in some 30 years. A defense this week led by Dennis Cholowski(21) and Madison Bowey(24). Seriously read that again, that’s the first pair! Despite this, the Red Wings have finally made a return to playing the kind of games that makes any rebuilding team successful. Down to the wire, come from behind, and battling hard for each win even if they come up short. Andreas Athanasiou has picked up heat scoring a couple signature goals with his speed and quick hands. Larkin is still creating awesome chances and looks fantastic in the faceoff circle. This team actually does a great job in that department despite not capitalizing on many of the opportunities. Furthermore, the league worst PK has actually been getting extremely better in the last two weeks. While it sits at 70.6%, the last five games the Wings have killed 12/14 PP. Things are swinging back up for Detroit lets hope they can maintain this pace for more than two weeks. r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 7: Spicy Edition Source

[dailyaudiobible]

02/19/2017 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 7:28-9:6 ~ Mark 3:31-4:25 ~ Psalm 37:12-29 ~ Proverbs 10:5

Today is the 19th day of February.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I'm Brian.  It is great to be here with you at the threshold of this brand new week that will unfold before us, and we’re doing the right thing by centering ourselves in the scriptures as we move into this week.  So steaming cup of Windfarm coffee to my left, and words in front of me, with a microphone, of course, to my right, and off we go, back out into the desert with the children of Israel as their customs and rituals and laws and festivals are all being put into place, things that will over time create a completely different culture than had ever existed, one chosen and instructed and informed by God himself.  Leviticus chapter 7, verse 28 through 9:6 and we’ll read from the God's Word translation this week.  

Prayer

Father, we thank you for another week in your word and as we move forward, the story begins to fill in and have texture and complexion and nuance.  These people that we’re getting to know, we find ourselves in their stories, and so we thank you.  As we move through this threshold into the next week, we invite you into everything about us, everything that we’ll say this week.  May our tongues be guided by the power of your Holy Spirit.  Everything that we have to think and process and reason out this week, we ask for your holy counsel, and all of the choices that we need to make, we ask for your wisdom. In every interaction that we have with another person this week, we invite your Holy Spirit.  Speak through us to our spouses.  Speak through us to our children.  Speak through us to our coworkers and those that we attend church with and everyone that we come into contact with.  We want your essence to be the main thing that people see about us. So we invite you fully.  We long for intimacy with you this week, to walk with you in a friendship that is loyal and true.  We want to be delighted by your presence in our lives.  So come, Holy Spirit.  We offer this week in advance to you.  Come Jesus, we pray in your name.  Amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It's home base.  It is where you find out what’s going on around here, what people are posting on the Prayer Wall, resources that are available, events that are coming up like the More Gathering for Women that we’ve been talking about that is coming up this April, April 6-9.  You can register for that now while there is still some space and we’d love to see you there at the More Gathering in April.  All the details that you would want to know are at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  Just look for the More Gathering.  You’ll find it pretty easily.  Every detail is there, so check it out.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you.  There is a link that is on the home page at www.DailyAudioBible.com.  If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner.  Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today.  I'm Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hi family.  This is Salvation is Mine in San Leandro, CA.  I was just listening to the February 12th podcast and heard Gigi. Oh my gosh, little one, oh, I am so, so, so, so happy for you, that you are healed in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and it got me to thinking the faith of a child is so strong and you could hear it in Gigi's voice.  You could hear how much she loves the Lord.  You could hear how much she believed that he was going to heal her and He did.  So who are we as adults to have such doubt?  I'm talking about me with my cancer diagnosis.  I have been stressing and having panic attacks and upset and mad and angry and just a whole bunch of emotions, then here comes our sweet little Gigi just knowing that God was going to take care of her.  So who are we as adults not to have the faith of a child? A child will lead them, right?  So Gigi, thank you for leading us older ones. Thank you for believing in our Lord Jesus Christ probably a little bit more than we do sometimes.  Thank you for being a light in this darkness that we are in. We just appreciate you and we love on you and we praise God for you and we want to continue to hear your testimonies and your call ins from time to time letting us know how you are. Family, God bless you all.  Take care.  I'm going to start stepping out on bigger faith, wider faith as of today. Thank you so much.  God bless you.  Bye-bye.  

Hello DAB family.  This is Joe from Connecticut, a long time listener and first time caller.  First, I would like to remind everyone to continue our financial support of the DAB.  Without our support, there would be no DAB community, so let's help Brian reach more and more people by supporting this great ministry as much as we can. If you haven’t made the commitment yet, pray on it and let God speak to your heart.  So l listen to the Daily Audio Bible every day and pray for those on the prayer line.  I never felt I was in a position to ask for prayer.  My family and friends are all physically healthy, so I didn’t feel worthy to call in just for my spiritual and mental health.  I'm finally recognizing that spiritual warfare we all face can be just as deadly if not more deadly than a physical illness and the evil one knows our weaknesses and never gives up, especially as we move forward into a closer relationship with God.  Now I'm coming to you, my DAB family, this incredible and amazing group of prayer warriors, to pray for me and my children, Megan, Caitlin and Ryan, that we may overcome all the spiritual warfare in our lives and rise above the lies, deceit and distractions that come into our lives every day. Please pray for my children to realize that they are perfect just the way they are, the way God created them, and that they would be less anxious about everything and be able to focus on moving forward in a positive direction and to a relationship with God.  And lastly, please pray for me and the men traveling to the Wild at Heart Advanced Conference this weekend in Colorado, that God will heal our hearts and lead us into a closer relationship with him. Thank you, DAB family.  I'm glad I finally called.  I love you.  

Hey Daily Audio Bible.  This is Billy from Montgomery.  I would like to put a prayer request out there for myself and my wife and my two boys, Billy, Natalie and Taylor and Connor, that we all come to know Jesus and God and all start listening to the Daily Audio Bible to get to know God better and to get to know Jesus better.  I have purchased the e-book of Reframe and I'm reading that now.  I would like to go back and buy the audio version of it to listen to it.  Just love listening to stuff, listening to Brian and all that.  Anyhow, I just wanted to put that prayer request out there, that we all come to know God better and Jesus better in my family and that is all.  I just want to put that prayer request out there.  I will talk to you all later.  Love you guys.  Talk to you later.  Bye.  

Hi Daily Audio Bible.  This is Lisa in Springfield, MO.  I'm a first time caller.  I just finished my first year with Daily Audio Bible and I'm so grateful to my sister Sherry for letting me know about it.  It has been a huge blessing, so thank you, Brian and Jill and staff for this ministry.  I have a prayer request.  My dear friend Christine is dying.  She has been diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which is a degenerative brain disorder and it has given her 6-12 months to live.  She is a wonderful wife and friend and mother and grandmother and this is not what she certainly wanted, how she wanted her days on earth to end, so we’re still believing for a miracle and I thought perhaps if the Daily Audio Bible family would join in prayer, we just might see that because our God is faithful.  Everybody have a blessed day and Brian, thanks again for this wonderful ministry. God bless.  Bye-bye.  

Hi everybody.  This is Alisha calling from Kansas.  I'm calling to ask for prayer.  Today is February the 15th and on February the 11th, coming home from church Saturday night I was in a major motor vehicle accident.  If you’d like to see the pictures, please feel free to go to my Facebook Page, Alisha B.  I hit a cement wall going 60 miles an hour after a drunk driver hit another car and that car hit me, sending me going in front of four lanes of traffic without being hit by a single car and then I could hear God telling me to get out of the car which usually they tell you to stay in the car.  I got out of the car, got away from the car and my car was struck again.  I'm praising God for don’t have hardly any injuries.  It's a miracle.  I'm just asking for prayer for quick healing and glasses.  My glasses were lost.  I'm wearing my sunglasses which are also prescription.  I thank you all so much for your prayers, for your faithfulness. I wanted to say real quick, Charles that lost his wife, the matriarch of the family, I'm praying for you.  David from Kansas, I’ve missed a few days. I’ve missed you.  Salvation is Mine, everybody, I love you all.  I'm so grateful for this ministry and for all of you. I hope you all have a blessed day. Thank you.  Bye-bye.  

Good morning Dabbers.  I'm a burning bush that will not be devoured for the glory of our Lord and King.  This morning I'm calling to pray for Reggie from Kenya, Charles from Florida and the loved missionary, Bill B., and also for Lisa's dad Martin.  Father God, we come before you this morning.  We love you and we thank you for this family.  We thank you, God, for the faith that you’ve given us, O Lord, knowing that whatever we ask you in your name you will grant it.  Father Lord, we commit Reggie before you, Lord. God, you have his life in your hands. I pray that you will give him favor, O Lord, that you will open doors for him, doors that were shut closed, Lord. That you will lead him into the job that is fulfilling and that is going to provide for his family, in the name of Jesus.  I pray for Charles from Florida, God.  I pray that you heal his heart and comfort his family after the loss of his wife. God, I pray that you will just be with him, be closer with him, bring him closer to you during this time of her departure, Lord, and remind him that he is not alone.  I pray for missionary Bill B.  Lord, I pray for healing of his body.  I thank you that he can continue ministering even though he's not feeling well, Lord.  I pray that in the name of Jesus.  That you will make your presence known in his life, that you will bring people around him to show him love daily and that as you’re healing his body, God, that you continue to pour into him, pour into his spirit.  I thank you for Lisa's dad, Martin, God, and I thank you, Lord Jesus, for salvation, in the name of Jesus.  Amen. I love you guys.  Victorious Soldier, I love you and I'm thinking of you today.  God bless you.