#this was sitting in my drafts waiting for you all!

[tooearlyforthis]

Owner of a Lonely Heart

Pairing: Steve Harrington x reader

Synopsis: (4.4k wc) Steve didn't want to ever attend another Halloween party. Especially since this is the second time he's spilled a drink on a pretty girl.

Warnings: fluff, angst, implied smut (I tried to write the scene I really did but I just don't think smutt writting is for me)

masterlist || steve harrington taglist

This has been sitting in my drafts unfinished for over a year and I somehow finished it lol who wants a halloween fic!

The last time Steve was in Chicago, he threw up. 

He had been nine, excited to visit the new city his cousins had moved to for Thanksgiving break. If he was being honest, he was happy at first. They went sightseeing, met up with their family, and had an overall great time. 

That was all quickly ruined by Thanksgiving dinner.

Looking back on it, that day was the beginning of the end. His mother had found out that his father was cheating, resulting in what could only be described as a food fight mixed with a WWE match. Steve remembered sitting at the dining room table, sick from all the commotion - the pumpkin pie he had eaten just minutes before coming right back up.

His parents never ended up getting a divorce, thus beginning their unhappy marriage and his shitty childhood. He stopped believing in love that day, stopped believing that anyone could be happy with a significant other. But then Nancy came along and fuck, he had fallen fast. Things were looking up, despite the interdimensional monsters they faced. Life was good. 

And then Halloween happened.

It was safe to say it was now his least favorite holiday — yes, even beating Thanksgiving. So when his best friend, Robin, asked him to visit her up at Northwestern for Halloween, Steve didn’t think things through. Blindly he said yes, wanting any excuse to see her after months apart. So there he was on Halloween night in Chicago, wearing a very uncomfortable costume. 

“The people a few floors up are throwing it,” Robin told him, walking out of her room and toward the elevator. 

Steve trailed close behind, itching at the upside down funnel on his head. She somehow convinced him into a group costume, the Scarecrow and Tinman from The Wizard of Oz. 

The only reason he agreed was because he wanted to see his best friend and she agreed to assemble his costume. She chose the Scarecrow, her nose pink from lipstick and wore a patchy shirt and pants. Steve was of course then the Tinman, a flipped funnel on his head and adorning a silver suit. 

As the elevator doors closed, Robin swatted his hand away from itching his head. “Hey stop that! I worked hard to paint it silver.”

“You know I don’t do hats, Rob, it flattens my hair,” He said, dropping his hands back to his side in defeat. 

Other students filed in as they began their journey up to the party. Steve gave a polite nod, shifting closer to his friend to make room for everyone. 

Robin squished into his side, leaning up to whisper in his ear. “She likes the movie, okay?”

“Oh you’re doing this for Becky?” Steve asked, a little too loud for Robin’s liking.

She shushed him quickly. “Jeez, say it louder huh?”

The doors finally opened, letting all the occupants out onto the party floor. “You really like her huh?”

Waiting until everybody else was out of earshot she replied, “Yes I do, okay? So wear the stupid funnel and look happy.”

“Yes, mom.” 

Robin snatched his hand, pulling him down the hallway toward the party. Steve would’ve been lost without her. Every door around them was open, people funneling in and out whenever they felt like it. They passed people in every type of costume from current pop culture characters to almost every slutty thing one could think of. People were making out, dancing on beds, smoking near a cracked window. 

It made Steve envy them. Not because of what they were doing but because of what they were getting to experience. He was bummed when he didn’t get into college and slowly developed a routine over the past year that made him more confident in his decision. But now, seeing the rambunctious young adults having the time of their lives, he was beginning to doubt his life choices.

“Be polite if we see her okay?” Robin said as they passed through the entrance of the official party.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“I don’t know, I'm just nervous!” She began shaking her hands, trying to get all her jitters out.

He planted his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “Just calm down, we’re gonna be fine.”

Nodding, she took a breath. Steve let go of her shoulders, facing toward the party next to her. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s rock this party.”

Madonna, Blondie, and Bowie shook through the speakers, young adults dancing like there was no tomorrow. And for once, Steve felt like there was no care in the world. 

He danced with Robin to the groove of the music, not caring about the bodies bumping all around him. It was…good? It was good. The thoughts of his ex were pushed to the back of his mind and instead he focused on having a good time with his best friend.

“I’m gonna go get us drinks!” Steve yelled over the music. Robin only nodded, continuing to sway to the beat of the music.

Pushing his way through the impressive number of people at the party, he finally made it to the kitchen. He had to guess that whoever owned this dorm was the RA having an almost full sized apartment compared to the standard room Robin had. 

There was a bowl of punch and he poured a glass for her before grabbing a bottle of beer for himself. Taking a moment, he leaned against the counter sipping on his cold drink. 

It had been a while since he had been happy, truly happy. Hawkins just wasn’t the same without her and the younger kids needed him less now that they were sophomores in high school. Hell, Dustin just got his learner's permit. Soon he wouldn’t even need a ride. 

Looking up from his drink he spotted Robin walking over to him, a girl trailing behind in a Dorthy costume. He had a pretty good guess at who it was.

“Steve, this is my neighbor, Becky,” she said, trying her best to not add a weird inflection in her voice. Still, Steve could understand what she was trying to say. 

Smiling, he nodded at her. “Nice to meet you, Becky.”

“You too,” the girl responded. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Same,” he replied and in his peripheral vision he could see Robin’s cheeks getting red with embarrassment, regretting introducing them in the first place. 

“We,” Robin swooped in before more could be said. “Are gonna get out of here.”

That time she made no effort to hide what she meant. Steve’s eyebrows raised. How had she gone from barely being able to flirt to getting a girl back to her place?

“Okay,” he said calmly. Becky began to walk away, a coy look on her face as she dragged Robin close behind. “I’ll find someplace to go!” He yelled after them. 

“I owe you one!” Robin yelled back before disappearing out of sight. 

Chuckling to himself, Steve went to take another sip of his beer to find it was empty. Without looking too carefully he turned around bumping into someone who in turn, spilled the punch spoon all over their shirt. 

“Oh shit!” Steve exclaimed, moving fast to grab a napkin.

This was too eerie, too familiar. His heart began to race, handing the napkin over to the stranger he bumped into. It was a girl, about his age, then again everyone at the party was. She murmured a thanks as she dabbed the napkin into her shirt. 

“I’m so sorry,” Steve said quickly. “Like really, really sorry. I’m pretty sure vinegar can get it out? I don’t know if there’s vinegar here.”

“I don’t think there is,” the girl responded plainly, clearly still pissed off. “It’s fine, I'll do it in the morning.”

“I’m really sorry.” 

She looked up at him, her brows furrowed. “You said that already.”

“Right…” Steve trailed off. He tried to calm himself down but it was just too much. The Halloween party, the punch, the girl…He didn’t even know her name and yet it felt like he was losing control of everything… like that night with Nancy was creeping back up to haunt him for the rest of his life.  

She definitely could tell something wasn’t right because instead of him consoling her, it was the other way around.  “You okay dude?”

“Y-yeah,” he stumbled to say. “I’m just - I wasn’t looking where I was going and, gosh, you’re wearing white that’s hard to get out-”

“I’ll be fine,” she interrupted him. “I’m just gonna go clean up in the bathroom.”

Without another word she turned around, and Steve instantly followed. “Here, take my jacket,” he said, shedding it off his shoulders. “It’s silver, not sure if it’ll match but it can help cover the stain.”

Finally finding the right door, she placed a hand on the door knob, the other pushing the jacket back toward him. “It’s okay, my night was pretty shit anyways.” Opening the door, they could spot two people inside making out. “Get out of here lovebirds some people actually need to use this place.” Detangling themselves, the couple left, stumbling back into the party drunk. 

The minute they left, Steve began rambling again, his panic working faster than logic. “I’m still really sorry that I-”

“If I let you help me would you stop apologizing?” she asked, interrupting his sentence.

Pausing, he nodded, not knowing if he could say anything else. She nodded back, propping herself up on the sink while he closed the bathroom door. The loud noises were muffled as they were enclosed, music softening in the distance. Taking a wash cloth that was folded next to the sink, the girl ran it under the water for a moment before handing it to him.

Steve was hesitant to take it. But this is what he wanted right? To help get the stain out? It felt important to him. Like helping this stranger would fix the wrong doings in his past. Taking a deep breath, he took it. He started on her arm, washing away as much of the reddish liquid as he could. The movement of his cloth on her top was almost cathartic.

“I’m Y/n by the way,” the girl finally said. He looked up at her. “In case you were wondering.”

“Y/n,” Steve repeated, feeling the way her name sounded on his tongue. “That’s really pretty.” Y/n raised an eyebrow in skepticism. “Uh, I mean my name is Steve. Yeah…”

Chuckling at his awkwardness she asked. “What major are you?”

“Oh uh, I don’t go here, my friend does.” Nodding, she let the room fall back into silence. But it felt like a dam had opened between them. “You uh, said you were having a shitty night?”

She let out a long sigh. “Yeah I was. And then this happened.” She raised the arm he was cleaning slightly. 

“Do you mind sharing? I’ve had a pretty shitty night too,” he asked, earning a glare from her. Wrong move, definitely the wrong move. She didn’t even know him. Why would she share with him? It was weird enough, he thought, that she even agreed to let him help her.

Not daring to look up, he continued to clean her arm, wetting the wash cloth again as it started to dry up. “What the hell,” she said with a sigh.

Oh so maybe not the wrong move.

“I got my midterm back this morning,” Y/n began. “Didn’t do so hot. My roommate thought the party might cheer me up but then I saw my ex with someone…we, uh, broke up a month ago so…now I’m here.”

Steve responded softly, letting his thumb graze over her arm in comfort. “That does suck, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah…” 

Feeling satisfied with the amount of punch he got off on her sleeve, he moved up to the next affected area. He paused, realizing it was her chest. Looking up at her, he found her eyes were already on him. They looked soft, a stare unlike the more stern ones she had given him before.

He felt like he could get lost in them, the intricate colors shining brighter than any eyes he had seen before. She gave him a slow nod, an indicator that it was okay. He smiled back reassurance as he gently touched the wash cloth to her chest. Moving it gently, he tried not to think about how intimate the situation felt. Then again, it was better than having her take her shirt off for him to clean.

“So, you’ve been having a shitty night too?” she said, probably trying to distract herself from the almost stranger standing between her legs. 

And Steve had no problem with distractions. 

“Yeah, it’s been, not the best.”

“Care on sharing?”

He met her eyes for a moment but instead of getting lost, they both erupted into giggles. It was such a weird situation laughter felt like the only option. 

“My friend, the one I came to visit, she went off to hookup with someone she’s been crushing on so I’m kind of homeless for the night.”

“Oh,” Y/n began a softness to her voice, like two longtime friends confiding in each other. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he retorted. “It’s nothing compared to your day. I shouldn’t even be complaining, it's just…” 

He debated on talking about Nancy, about how she was the first one to break his heart on a night very similar to the one they were currently having. It felt easy to talk to Y/n. He wanted to pour his heart out to her. But then again, they had only just met. 

Instead he said, “Halloween is just a sore topic for me so when she left-”

“-it felt like she was abandoning you,” Y/n finished. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

Steve nodded. When had anyone understood what he was feeling so fast? She was able to summarize his emotions in so few words, it made him wonder how he never thought to describe it that way before. Pulling back the wash cloth from her chest, he tossed it into the sink. 

“There, uh, not the best but better than before right?” He scratched at the back of his neck, watching her hop off the counter and turn to examine her shirt in the mirror. 

With a smirk, she turned to him. “Not bad, Steve.”

Shrugging, he said, “I tried my best.” 

Their interaction was coming to a close and Steve didn’t know how to react. He liked this girl way more than he should for just having just spilt punch on her. But she could relate to him, made him feel okay in a situation that would otherwise have him searching for his anxiety meds. 

But with her shirt cleaned up there was nothing more to say. Smiling, he inched toward the door. “I guess it was nice meeting you-”

“Do you wanna go steal pudding?”

He cocked his head to the side, letting out a breathful laugh. “I’m sorry what?”

“Do you wanna steal pudding? From the cafeteria? Sorry just we’ve both had shitty nights and this party doesn’t seem like a cure. Plus, pudding is like the only good thing in the caf.”

Steve couldn’t help but smile, feeling flustered at the mere mention of spending more time with her. He opened the bathroom door, the volume of the party increasing to a blaring height. Over the noise, he shouted, “Lead the way!”

“Hmm” Steve groaned, taking another scoop of pudding. “How is a cafeteria pudding this good?”

Y/n chuckled in her seat across from him. She was leaning back in her chair, her feet planted on his lap as a makeshift stool. “I don’t know man. Every other food in this place stinks. But this? I could eat it forever.”

He laughed at her statement, trying not to spit out his mouthful of pudding. Looking around the dark cafeteria that was only lit by the moonlight pouring through the sky roof. Taking a more in depth look, he noticed the lack of security.

“No guards?” he asked.

Y/n raised her eyebrows. “You’ve really never been on campus huh?”

He shook his head as she took her feet off of his lap. Y/n placed down her pudding and scooted her chair closer to him, their shoulders almost touching. He tried not to blush but felt himself failing miserably. 

Why was she so easy to talk to? He wanted to blurt out his life story to her. Talk through what he felt was wrong in his life. He wanted to hear about her too. Console her from the ex boyfriend, make sure that neither of them ever feels broken again. 

Caught up in his own world, Steve blurted out, “My girlfriend dumped me on Halloween.”

He felt Y/n stiffen next to him.  

Retreat, retreat, RETREAT!

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said, placing her pudding down. Turning in her seat, she tried to get a better look at him. “I’m sorry she dumped you.”

“It’s okay,” he said, facing her. His gaze was toward the cup in his hands and he forced himself to set it down and look at her. “It was two years ago just- she called me bullshit. Our relationship was bullshit, even though I loved her and-” He stopped himself, trying to think back to the point he was trying to make.

“What I’m trying to say is I don’t like Halloween that much so I really appreciate this.”

There was a look in her eye, like something changed but Steve couldn’t point out what. “Y/n-”

He couldn’t say anymore as she pressed her lips to his. It was a shock, something that took him a moment to recover from before kissing her back. He wrapped a hand around her waist the best he could in their awkward seating arrangement. She felt her hand cup his chin guiding him in a way that was more dominant than any other kiss he had had. 

Breaking away, both of them let out a long sigh. But despite the smell of alcohol on their breaths, they remained close, foreheads almost touching. Steve was still in shock, watching as a smile crossed Y/n’s lips. 

“You know,” she began, “My roommate isn’t going to be home tonight.”

He knew what she was insinuating. And while in the past he would want to take a girl on a date before his bed, there was something about Y/n that made him rethink his rule. 

The sun shined through the blinds of the dorm room, a beam of light hitting Steve perfectly in the face. With a groan, he lifted his hand, trying to block the exposure while scrunching his face. 

As his hand lifted he felt something shift next to him. No, not something, someone. Y/n, to be more specific. The room slowly came into focus as the events of the previous night flooded his mind. 

Stumbling into the dorm. Her lips on his. The pull on his hair, the moans she let out. The weight of her on top of him… He smiled at the memory. 

Y/n turned into his side, her face snuggled into his side as an arm landed across his stomach. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes, scrunching her face the same way he had moments before. 

“Morning,” he said in a soft tone.

As her eyes landed on him, a smile etched at the corner of her lips. “Morning,” she replied, a slight seductive tone to her voice. Steve thought she would turn away at the sight of him. Usher him out of her room and say it was all a lapse of judgment after a difficult breakup. But she didn’t do that, quite the opposite in fact. Y/n leaned more into him, letting her face linger in the curve of his neck. “I had a lot of fun last night,” she told him, her voice a little hoarse. 

Steve didn’t wanna fuck this up. Mess up the first good thing to happen to him in months. So, he went with a simple yet still effective response. “Me too.”

He looked down at her. She looked ethereal, like an angel sent down to earth specifically for him. The hand she had curled around him pressed softly into his side. Like she was making sure he wouldn’t leave her. God, he wanted to kiss her. It would be so easy to lean down and connect their lips. To savor the taste of her against his mouth. But he wanted to be better than that, to set boundaries. Was this just a casual fling? The very thing Steve told himself he would avoid? Or did she want more than that, to keep in touch, to see him again…

He got his answer as she leaned closer to him, capturing his lips on hers. It was a lot slower than it was the night before, less urgency. Now, he really had time to savor it. The cracks in her lips, the taste of her mouth - cherry lipstick mixed with morning breath but he didn’t mind one bit. 

Just as they began to pull away, to discuss the logistics of what was going to happen next, the door flew open. A gust of air hit them as Y/n ducked into his side, Steve pulling up the comforter to cover them. How did someone get inside? Weren’t these dorm rooms supposed to be locked?

A girl stumbled into the room, not drunk but clearly not sober. “Hey Y/n, you won’t believe what happened last--” She paused, taking in the sight before her. 

Steve in her bed, her huddled into his side. The girl’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god!” the girl gasped. 

That seemed to pull Y/n out of her haze. She peered up from her place wrapped in Steve’s arms to look at the intruder. “Gosh, Becky! Don’t you knock?”

Becky. Where had he heard that name before? No, it couldn’t be…

“I live here,” the girl -- Becky -- exclaimed. “Plus you didn’t put a sock on the door.”

That made all three of them realize that the door was still wide open, students passing by for morning classes and showers. Some turned to give a passing glance as they walked by. 

A voice called through the crack of the door, becoming louder and clearly heading in their direction. “Becky, is everything okay?”

Robin rushed through the open door, holding on to the knob to brace herself. She looked disheveled and a little out of breath, like she had rushed over to make sure no one was hurt. 

“I could hear you from all the way down the hall,” Robin continued before turning to look at Y/n and Steve, both too shell shocked to say anything. Robin’s mouth formed an O, her eyebrows raising the same way Becky’s did just moments before.

“Steve? What the fuck are you doing?” Robin shouted, arguably louder than anything Becky had previously said. 

“Uh, sleeping with Becky’s roommate apparently,” he responded. He didn’t know why he said the joke, but everything about this interaction was making his brain falter. Y/n giggled into his side. With every laugh, his arm wrapped around her shoulders bounced. 

“This is Steve?” Becky said to Robin, pointing a finger at him.

Robin groaned. “Unfortunately.” 

“Hey!” Steve said, slightly offended. It wasn’t like he knew he was sleeping with Becky’s roommate. 

“Oh my god, okay,” Y/n interrupted, sitting up in bed. She pulled the blankets up with her to shield her, exposing more of Steve’s bare chest. “You two are going to go back to Robin’s room and get dressed okay? Then we can go to that diner on 3rd for breakfast and we can all talk about…” She gestured to all four of them. “This.

Robin and Becky agreed, walking back out of the room, not without a couple of glances at Y/n and Steve. Once the door was closed, Y/n slumped back into the bed, her head resting on Steve’s arm across the pillows. 

“Well,” Steve began, trying to calm his heart. “That was interesting.”

Y/n reached over, putting a finger up to his mouth. “Nope, we’re not talking about this right now. She slowly let go, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling. “I just wanna stay here with you for a few more minutes…is that okay?”

Is that okay? It was more than okay for Steve. He would never leave this bed if she told him to. He had only known her for approximately 12 hours, but it felt like his entire world had shifted. There was something in their conversation the night before that just clicked for him. It felt like a new chapter of his life was starting and he wasn’t scared by it. In fact, he was jittery with excitement for it to begin.

“Y-yeah, that okay,” he said, trying not to sound too happy. 

He rested his head back to look up as well, closing his eyes to ground himself. He felt Y/n lean back into him, fitting perfectly in the slot between his chest and shoulder. Her arm circled his waist, putting just enough pressure for him to know it was okay to scoot closer. 

If this was the start of the next chapter of his life, that meant he needed to do the things that he was scared to do before. And that included being upfront about how he felt and wanted.

“I don’t want this to be a one time thing,” he said plainly. His eyes were still closed as his words drifted into the air, nothing being said back. 

A moment passed with no response. Steve opened his eyes to look down at her. She was already looking up at him, a smile forming on the sides of her mouth. In lieu of a response, she slid her arm up to cup his jaw, pulling him in for another kiss. It was just as good as the last one. Sweet, slow, good. 

When she let go, her hand drifted back to rest on his chest. “Me neither.”

Now Steve was the one smiling. “Cool,” he said. “Uh, not cool. I mean it is cool I was wanted to say something that wasn’t lame--”

“Steve?” Y/n said, interrupting him. He looked down at her. “Kiss me.”

He didn’t hide his smile this time. 

Taglist: @Afraidofshrimp @lovesanimals0000 @cilliansnostalgia @hollandweather @Nix-rose @halflifejess @Palmtreesx3 @superlegend216 @sweetdazequeen @blckburd

[toasttt11]

allison

June 28, 2024

Allison shared a look with Ellen hearing Luke and Jack bickering in the room.

They were all currently in Las Vegas for Quinn and Allison. Last night was the NHL award ceremony and Quinn won the Norris and today was Allison’s draft.

It’s been ten weeks since Allison got her surgery and she has been fully cleared from her abdominal surgery and she doesn’t feel any pain there at all, her collarbone has been stubborn and still not fulled healed.

With her bone not being fully healed she has only just started more intense PT two weeks ago, normally around 3-4 weeks she would have started but she had to wait till the eighth week meaning her timeline to getting back on the ice would be longer.

Also meant if she got drafted she could not go to any Development camp.

She was getting more range of motion and starting to feel less and less pain but to be safe and not cause her any pain on her draft day Ellen did her makeup and hair for her.

Allison is able to dress on her own now and she put on a white lace long sleeve button up and slipped on her soft pink suit pants tucking the shirt in, she slipped on a part pair of matching lace sling back heels before pulling on her pink suit jacket and the lining of the jacket was a seashell pattern and under the suit pocket was an engraved goose holding a pink flower that was just barley peaking out of the pocket.

She left on A necklace, her pearl bracelet with Luke and she slipped on many rings that were pink or had pearls.

Ellen knocked on the door and walked in and covered her mouth softly, “Oh sweetheart you look perfect.” She couldn’t believe her youngest was getting drafted now and seeing her daughter making history filled her with a different type of pride.

“You need one last thing.” Ellen softly handed Allison a little box, “My mom gave them to me and i wore them on some of my most important days, one of them being my wedding day.”

Allison pulled out a pair of dangling earrings with three stars and pearls on each stars, “They are beautiful.” Allison said in awe.

Ellen simply smiled and stepped forward and put the earrings in for Allison, next to the two studs Allison had her two other piercings in her each ear, pearls and pink studs.

“Thank you.” Allison mumbled softly gently touching the earrings.

Ellen kissed her cheek in reply and they walked out of the bathroom together.

“Woah!” Jack exclaimed seemed her suit as Allison kept it secret not letting anyone see any of it expect Ellen saw a bit.

Luke paused and stopped shoving his mouth with a muffin and smiled softly.

“You look very beautiful Covey.” Quinn said softly feeling bittersweet this is the last Hughes to be drafted ever or for a very very long time.

Allison gave them all a small smile as Jim walked in and his face softened seeing his only daughter, “Beautiful.”

“Wait is that a goose!” Jack quickly got up seeing something under her pocket and went over seeing a little goose holding a pink rose in it’s in mouth.

The pocket was right over her heart with a goose because what for brothers call her and a pink rose as that is the flower her brothers have always gotten her.

“Holding a pink rose.” Quinn said realizing, the choice was very sentimental for Allison.

“Awwww.” Luke teased just barely but gave Allison a touched smile.

“Alright alright enough.” Allison fondly rolled her eyes as their family was getting filmed and she liked her vulnerable and soft moments with her siblings not to be public.

She took so many photos and videos before they left for the sphere with her family and all the extended family and family friends that was at her draft.

Eventually Allison left the hotel with her parents and siblings and headed to the sphere.

Allison decided to sit next to Quinn on the way to the sphere knowing Jack and Luke called dibs to sit next to her at her draft.

“Excited?” Quinn asked her lowly knowing she was going to be making history tonight and becoming the first woman to ever be drafted in the NHL.

“Let’s go with that.” Allison mumbled back she didn’t want to start thinking about all emotions she had for today.

Quinn gave her an understanding look and didn’t push just set a hand on her forearm giving her a reassuring squeeze.

Allison took a deep breath closing her eyes and rolled back her shoulders before getting up and she walked out do the bus. She was immediately surprised by how many people wanted to take pictures with her and wanted her signature.

It took a while but she eventually got inside the sphere and saw her family waiting for her but she immediately smiled seeing who was there, Will, Ryan, Gabe, Zeev and James.

“Allie Cat!” Zeev beamed as she walked over and Zeev and Ryan both gave her a hug at the same time.

Allison hugged Will and Gabe next, “Hi Guys.” She gave them all a smile happy they are here.

She hugged James last and he gave her a soft hug, “Good luck Coco.” He murmured against the side of her head and for the first time since they met he was taller than her now.

Allison gave her a soft smile as she pulled back.

Allison talked with her friends before Cole and Hutson both found them with their own families and they all ended up standing in this big group chatting before the draft.

Allison said bye to her friends who were heading to the stands to watched and she walked with Cole and Hutson to the stands for the draft prospect.

Allison’s row was in between Cole and Hutson’s rows as they all saw down with own families getting ready for the draft to start.

Allison gave a tiny wave to Macklin, who was a lifesaver at the hobey baker and he also texted her to check up on her after he saw what happened during the frozen four final.

Macklin gave her a bright lopsided grin waving back making her let out an amused breath.

Allison fiddled a bit with one of her rings and looked around the sphere seeing all the team logos plastered around the screens and hoped that one would choose her because one of her biggest fears was going through the draft and being undrafted which could happen because she’s a women and who knows if a team will take a chance on her.

Jack nudged his knee against her letting his knee rest there as Luke set his hand over her hands that were fiddling as the draft began and the Devils were now on the clock.

“The New Jersey Devils are proud to select from Boston College Allison Hughes.”

Allison blinked in shock realizing she really did it and she stood up and was immediately pulled in a group hug by Luke and Jack who were both vibrating with excitement as they get their sister on their team.

“You’re a Devil!” Jack whooped shaking her back and forth with Luke.

“We get to play together.” Luke whispered to her squeezing her so tightly.

Once Jack and Luke calmed down they let her go and Quinn immediately swooped her into a tight hug, “I knew you could do it, i’m so proud of you.” Quinn mumbled softly to her and kissed the side of her head gently.

Allison squeezed his softly in return before letting him go and Jim hugged her next, Jim hair kissed her cheek and gave her a proud look.

Ellen cupped her face first and kissed her forehead slowly before hugging her, “I could not be more proud my darling.”
Allison clung to her hair as tightly back, she wasn’t only doing this for herself but also for her Mother.

Allison gave her family one more smile and headed back down the aisle seeing Cole and Hutson waiting for her, they both gave her a grin and pulled her into a group hug. Allison squeezed both of the body back.

She took off her suit jacket and handed it to Luke before heading down the steps and saw Macklin stand up, He gave her a grin and held out his hand, “Congrats Allison.”

Allison softly shook his hand giving a grin back, “Thank you, the Sharks will be lucky to have you Macklin.” She said sincerely back making him beam and incline his head.

Allison continued down the stairs and walked up the front steps to the stage and was handed a New Jersey Devils jersey and she noticed the number was 24 obviously for the draft but her name was on it meaning the Devils knew who they picking for sure and it only made her day better.

Allison slipped on the jersey and it was perfect, she smiled at the camera.

The entire Hughes family just looked on so proudly and if her brothers had to wipe their eyes discreetly no one had to know.

Allison smiled looking out at her family, she did it. She was now a New Jersey Devil.

[wosostories]

Heath Sisters PT 8 (USWNT x Teen!Reader)

Masterlist Heath Sisters Master List

USWNT X Teen!Reader

Y/N was asleep by the time they made it back to the hotel. Instead of waking her Tobin just lifted her on to her back before grabbing their bags. 

"Do you need any help with that?" Christen asks the older girl. 

"Uh no I've got it."

"Are you sure? It's no problem." 

Tobin nods slowly, "That would be great then. Thanks." Tobin hands off one of their bags and they make their way off of the bus. 

Most of the girls head straight to the meeting room where they would eat while going over some film. Tobin grabbed a plate for Y/N before bringing it up to their room. She left Y/N to sleep on the bed with the plate of food sitting on the night stand with a note reminding her to do her school work when she woke. 

After Tobin made her way back downstairs. 

"Is the superstar not joining us?" A Rod asks as Tobin grabs her own food. 

"No she's still asleep. Then she's got some school work to take care of."

"She's on vacation and you're still making her do work? That's just cruel man." Cheney says. 

"I might agree if she was actually on vacation. She's home schooled through an online program so she can work at her own pace. She's slated to be done with high school by this time next year, but she'll probably be done before summer is over if she has her way."

"What do you mean done with high school. Isn't she just started middle school?" 

"Life would be like a million times easier if that were the case. But no my sister stole all the smarts and is a genius both on and off the pitch."

"So what's she going to do about college?" 

"Well we haven't talked too much about specifics yet. We're waiting to see where I'll get drafted. And it's a lot of work to set up for a minor to be in college, no matter how smart they are."

"Aren't you being slated to go first over all? So you'll end up in Atlanta right?"

"That's the most likely case, but…" Tobin shrugs her shoulder, "you guys know the league. Players are getting traded left and right with no say. I can't leave Y/N in a city with out me."

Before either of the others could respond their attention was brought to the front screen. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y/N bolts up in bed. Sweat shining on her face and her breathing heavy. She frantically looks around the room for her sister hoping that Tobin will be there to help calm her down. 

After realizing that she is not there Y/N lies back down and curls herself into a ball trying to sooth herself. 

"Its ok. You're ok Y/N. You're ok. Everything is ok. Toby's just in a meeting she'll be back soon. It's ok." 

When Y/N finally controlled her breathing she started to smell the food coming from the side table. She peeked up at it and noticed the sandwich and the note. 

"Hey kid, hope you got some rest. I'm downstairs in the meeting room if you need me, but try to eat something and get some work done. Be up later. Love ya!"

- Toby

Y/N sighs and pulls the plate into her lap. She takes a few bites before getting up to grab her school stuff. She opens one of her note books and her computer. She finishes the rest of her sand which while she waits for it to decide whether or not it wants to boot up. 

The laptop was one that Tobin had picked up second hand at a garage sale and was about 12 years old. This meant that it was hard sometimes for Y/N to get her work done if the computer decided that it did not want to work. 

When Y/N finally got logged into her course she made a plan of everything that she wanted to get done during the two weeks that she was with her sister at camp. 

Once she is done with her plan she jumps in to her math work. She isn't a fan of the complicated statistics that she has to do despite being very good at it. 

Once she finishes the two lessons she wanted to get done for the week she pulls out her battered copy of The Great Gatsby. She started on the third chapter hoping to be over halfway done by the time Tobin came back to their room. 

About an hour and a half later Y/N closes the book at the half way point. Tobin wasn't back yet, but Y/N was done doing her work for the day. 

She goes over to her backpack and pulls out another note book. This one is a little smaller and more resembles a journal. 

She flips it open to the next blank page and makes a list of every player at camp. She then writes down notes and observations about each one of them based on what she saw at the first training session. 

Tobin Heath- Needs to come in for crosses to Wambach. She is a taller player so it needs to be higher when headed. Stay wider for passes to Press, need to connect right in front of goal. 

Abby Wambach- Most goals are scored by headers. 5'11, hangs out in front/to side of goal waiting for crosses in. Big goal scorer and always has some one on her. Need to see more. 

Most of the players have a 'need to see more' note ending Y/N's observations of them. She gets through five players before the door opens and Tobin walks in. A few very loud teammates following behind her. 

"Hey kid. Get some work done?" Tobin asks ignoring the girls following her. 

"Ya." Y/N nods. "Got a few stats lessons done and got about half way through my book for english." 

"Awesome. You working on your notes now?"

"Ya there was a lot that happened at practice today and I wanted to get it down before I forgot." Y/N looks up, "What's the loud one's name again?" She points to Kelley who is standing behind Tobin.

"Kelley?"

"Ya her. I was just about to start her page. I know coach has her playing in the midfield, and she's great at it and all, but I think if we at least moved her a little bit higher on the field it would be better. I also think having her on the wing is good. She's fast and has a lot of energy so if her positioning is tweaked and we get her to have a better read of the field she can literally just appear where she is needed before the defense can catch up."

.

.

.

"Who the fuck even are you kid? Where did you come from?"

Y/N flinches a little at her tone. "I came with Toby."

"That's not what I meant."

Y/N shrugs and goes to write everything she just said down in her note book. Before she can though it is snatched out of her hands. 

"H-hey…"

"Holy shit kid! Do you have notes on every person you have ever seen play soccer?"

Tobin takes the book out of her hands and gives it back to her sister. "Kelley if you are going to hang around my sister you have to be nice and respect her stuff. If you can't I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Yeah Kelley be nice." A Rod says sarcastically. 

"I just wanted to see. And what if I don't want her taking notes on me?"

"Trust me Kelley you want her taking notes on you. It might seem like she takes notes on everyone, but that's not the case." Tobin explains. 

"Ok then who does she take notes on?" Chaney asks.

Tobin looks at Y/N but she simply shrugs. 

"Is there some type of criteria that needs to be met or something?" 

Y/N shakes her head. "No… well kinda I guess. It's just a feeling I get. When something or someone might be important. So I write it down. It's kind of different right now though. I'm taking notes on all of you cause you're my sisters teammates, so I guess that automatically makes you important. No feeling needed."

Kelley wraps her arm around the kids neck, "So you think I'm important. Hear that guys? Wonder kid said I'm important."

"She thinks we're all important." A Rod says. 

They continue to bicker between the three of them. They are so caught up that none of them notice that Y/N stopped breathing the moment Kelley put her arm on her. 

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to keep herself as still as possible. 

"Kelley! Kelley can you not?" Tobin tried, but her teammate was not listening. Once realizing that the other girl was not going to listen Tobin resorted to pulling her arm off of Y/N. She then pushed all three of the girls out of the room angrily before slamming the door in their faces.

[alicelillianshaw]

It was all so perfect.

Everything was so fucking perfect, the weight of Jack atop of her, Jack's voice in her ear, his eager hands and mouth and words, stoking the fire in Alice like was dousing straight kerosene into the flame.

'I’m going to. Yeah. I’m going to fuck you right here. Oh, fuck, I need to fuck you.'

Needed to fuck her! Fuck. The tight heat in Alice clenches, and for a moment she wonders if Jack could get her to come just from his voice alone.

That was hot, right? The idea of that was really hot. And it sounds like a fun experiment, except Alice is very, very desperate to feel his dick deep, deep, deep inside her. And it's clear Jack is too.

And that's what makes the interruption all the more crushing. Both of them were burning up, twin infernos going to blaze together, and now this?

Now fucking this!

Alice watches as Jack leverages an elbow underneath him, panting hard, staring at Alice's phone as he tries to process the interruption.

'What is it? Can it wait?'

Alice's lips quirk at that, because. Yeah. Yeah, that's what she was wondering too. It felt as if her abdomen was on fire, and she knew, for obvious reasons, how hard Jack was.

An exhale escapes her.

'Sorry, shit, yeah. Take the call if you need to. Of course.'

It's like the loss of the sun, when Jack shifts off her, moving to sit back down on the couch. Man. He'd felt so perfect atop her, and see how perfect he looked now! Hair mussed. Panting. Aching hard and ready. Alice was so certain he'd been about to show her something fucking insane. About to rearrange her insides and take her to heaven.

Alice feels mortified, at the interruption from her boss, and almost delirious with heat. Fuck— she was aching.

"My boss, he like— called me all these times, and now he's messaging me, he's talking about fucking probation if I don't answer? I don't get what his fuckin' problem is—"

Breathless, and startled, Alice reaches over and squeezes Jack's wrist, eyes hungry and remorseful and pained. There was nothing she wanted to do more than to finally, finally, finally lay down with Jack and let their bodies meld together. She wanted to lose herself into those eyes. Aegean-blue eyes. Summer sky eyes. Eyes like that absolutely singular fluorite stone sitting at her desk.

She can feel his hand at her ankle— perfect and warm.

God, she needs him! Needs to drink in every inch of Jack.

"I'm sorry."

"He never flips out like this, I don't—"

Alice lets out a long noise of frustration, bringing the phone to her ear with whitened knuckles.

"Hi, Ron."

Her tone is clipped.

"Oh! Hello to you, Alice. Been having a pretty fucking hard time getting a hold of you."

And look— Alice typically likes him as a boss. He's usually fair. He's been good, about letting Alice crawl her way up the ladder despite her relative inexperience. But in this moment? In this moment, as she stares at Jack, admired his panting chest, the tented bulge in his jeans, there's nothing she wants to do more than to throw Ronald right into a category 5 tornado and let the wind and debris tear him apart.

A deep breath. Alice stiffens.

"Well. As you can guess, I've been busy with, uh, journalism, which would explain the reason I haven't been able to answer any of your—" a beat, and Alice's release some of the tension in her shoulders "—Three calls, in the last five minutes."

There's an unimpressed noise on the other end.

"First of all: It's not just that. Where are the email updates, Shaw? I have no idea how this is going. Why is it taking so long for you to send me rough drafts?"

"Because it's more abstract! You know my first impressions are always abstract— I don't want to send anything until I've refined it, you know, have a really clear direction for the piece, it took me a minute to establish the tone—"

Ugh. More fucking bullshit. And then Ron asks about Jack, and how he's been, and Alice wants to reach through the phone and throttle him. Don't even ask about Jack! Don't ask about Jack when her mouth was kiss-swollen because of him, when her heart was racing because of him! And he interrupted that! Who cares that Alice hadn't actually written anything for the article!

"— It's been great. He's been great. Been such a wonderful host, been really great, I really can't say enough about how nice he's been... I think he and I connect really well..."

A beat, and Alice's eyes can't help but flash to Jack. Connect. Fuck— that's all they had been doing, hadn't it? Connecting, and connecting, as Alice and her heart fell harder for him.

Deeper. The waterfall. Deeper. The patio dance at dusk. Deeper. The theater and the movie and the tears and the looks and the shared secrets and the need to be happy and him.

Not kissing him right now, not feeling Jack inside her? After everything they'd been sharing with each other? It was painful.

Alice turns to Jack and makes a face of agony, mouth curling into the shape of deep frustration.

"I'm sorry," she mouths.

"I hate him," she mouths again.

All of the perfect little noises that Alice made were driving Jack crazy. He was certain he could get off on the sound alone. No friction or contact needed. It was a crazy thing to think, but already, Jack wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life drawing out those noises from her. Inventing new ones, too. Documenting and filing away the ones he loved the most in some corner of his mind.

Jack listened very intently. Alice mirrored his feelings. She’d wanted him, too. When they danced. Last night. In bed. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The thought of Alice in bed. What did she sleep in? A big t-shirt? Underwear? Did she wear pajama shorts and a tank top? Did she wear nothing at all?

What was she wearing beneath her clothes right now?

Jack had to find out.

"Yes. Yes. Please do.”

He was going to. He was going to fuck her. After three long days, he was finally going to be inside of her. Alice had said yes. She wanted this. Jack bit his bottom lip when Alice wrapped a leg around him. She looked fucking perfect — lying there like that, with the little red spots flourishing at her neck. Little marks that Jack created. Yeah.

“I’m going to. Yeah. I’m going to fuck you right here. Oh, fuck, I need to fuck you.”

Jack was nodding his head. It was a promise that he fully intended to keep. He captured her mouth one more time, same desperate, hungry kisses. Alice’s phone was still vibrating. Jesus Christ. He wanted to toss that thing into another fucking dimension. Funnily enough, Jack couldn’t remember hearing her phone go off at all during their time together. It had to be right now?

Jack pulled away from her mouth to give her neck some more attention. Specifically, the center of her neck, then down, right above her shirt’s neckline. Meanwhile, he slid his hand in between both of their bodies. He created just enough space so he could unfasten his belt, undo the button on his jeans, slide the zipper down, when —

"….What the fuck?"

No, no, no, no, no, no! Jack was panting, his eyes darting up to Alice’s face. He moved his hand, propping himself up on the couch. He remained on top of her, still half hopeful, despite her expression. He stared at the back of her phone. Fuck you, he thought.

“What is it? Can it wait?”

Aaaaaand Jack sounded like the scummiest guy in the world! He wasn’t that type of guy, no matter how fucking horny he was. No matter how long it’d been. What if it'd been an emergency? Or bad news? Jack felt bad for his initially reaction, so he pulled himself off of her, giving Alice the space to take the call or answer the message if she needed. By the look on her face … well. Jack didn’t feel very hopeful anymore.

“Sorry.” He cleared his throat. His face was red. His shirt was crinkled. He was still fucking hard. He sat back on the couch, hand on Alice’s ankle. He rubbed at her skin, as if his touch alone would somehow convince her to turn the phone off for good. Please, his eyes said.

“Sorry, shit, yeah. Take the call if you need to. Of course.”

[hermitblurbs]

A continuation of my Steampunk AU (7)!

Grian had grown to accept his weird attachment to Scar, if with a bit of hesitance. The other was good conversation in a town where everyone else was incredibly boring. It’s why he stuck around with broken machines so often; there’s nothing to predict about them.

Scar was fixed up, no sign of glitches like in N.P.C or Grumbot, and Grian couldn’t predict him if his life depended on it. Whatever AI in the bot’s brain was fascinating, and the strange logic it followed always managed to keep him enraptured.

It quelled that bored drawl in the back of his mind, on a good day.

Today, even with Scar by his side, seemed to crawl along at a slug’s pace.

The wastes were turning up useless scrap after useless scrap, Mumbo too busy with a commission to entertain him, even the ticking of his wings was the same as ever. They didn’t even ache. At least then, complaining or not, wouldn’t leave him bored.

If he’s being honest, he probably shouldn’t have gone out to scavenge.

Days like these are best kept in line by staying in a place with overarching rules, a guarantee he won’t overstep anything and end up missing more than a chunk of wing.

The wastes don’t have that. They have metal, radiation, rust, and scavengers.

“This is a lot further than we’ve travelled before,” remarks Scar, frayed gas mask making him seem bizarrely human, bizarrely out of place in one of mumbo’s white button up and a false corset. He knows by the whirl of Scar’s fans, that the green metal would be warm to the touch.

He climbs the hill anyway.

There’s the clanging of other scavengers, only two of them at the foot, and they’re pulling something out of a shaking pile that’s large and expensive.

“Ooh, a lucky find for those fellas!”

Grian says nothing in return.

His wings click. Once. Twice.

Take it from them.

He widens his stance, careful not to make a sound on copper and aluminum and iron.

Imagine how excited Mumbo will be.

His wings spread like butter across the sky.

And he jumps. Dives, towards the two.

What should’ve happened was a simple wrap of his hands around the machinery and an arc back into the air and away. What should’ve happened would have been enough to satiate his boredom. What should’ve happened, is that he should have been faster.

What did happen, is that he gets his hands curled around the machine. He’s on the upbeat of his wings, when a hand wraps around his ankle.

He registers the impact. He registers the stars. He registers how the metal crumples beneath him, denting and damaging the scrap.

And then he registers the pain of being slammed into the ground.

“What the fuck, you little asshat!” The nearest one sounds. Their mask is colored the same white as the gleam of a jawbone. They raise a foot and stomp on Grian’s hand, grinding it into the dry dirt with the heel.

He has half a mind to scan the hills for Scar, but the android is lost among the shadows and the piles of scrap encircling them. His heart sinks.

“Hey, dude!” Comes the second one—their mask is layered to look like a growing of fungus. “Take it easy, they’re already down.”

“Their mask is cool,” remarks the third, the one his missed and the one who grabbed him. Their mask is simple and plain, a stark contrast to his own, hooked in the shape of a beak. They’re dressed in dark browns, almost blended completely against the ground.

“That doesn’t matter, they tried to *steal* from us. Why I oughta—“ And they grab his wing.

Something in his mind goes a little haywire. The bones there are fragile, half-molded to metal and muscle, and he does his darnedest to bash their faces in with the prosthetic.

He manages to clip Shrooms across the temple, drawing his knife and lunging at another, but it doesn’t last long. It was never going to last long, three against one. But he gets some good hits in, spills enough blood.

He ends up fully pinned, a boot against his back and his racing heartbeat prominant in the pressure from a steady, constant pull of his wing in a scavenger’s hand.

“What’s going on here?” Comes a familiar voice, and Grian feels like crying. If they leave him alive, at least Scar can get him back to Mumbo.

“Are you with this vulture,” one of them spits.

“I am, and I promised he’s very much learned his lesson—“

“He sliced my arm open,” they growl. And yeah, he did do that. The drip of blood fills him with a cruel pride that they’re going to need to go home after this and waste the day away.

“You deserved it,” he calls back, and is rewarded with a particularly painful tug on his wing.

“Fellas, I promise you that if you let him go, you’ll never see us ever again. Heck, we’ll even leave you little things for yourself to improve profits! How’s that for a deal?”

“How about instead we slice his throat?” And he knows it’s a bluff. Killing someone over a single piece of scrap is ludicrous, and these guys don’t seem insane enough to do it to a first-time offender. They’re farther than typical from their bubble, and while Grian’s had his own fair share of death threats they’ve only ever been serious in total nowhere. It’s got to be a bluff. It has to be.

He’s going to die if it’s not.

Grian looks up, eyes following metal legs to Scar’s face to find the other staring directly at him.

He doesn’t know what Scar sees in him, but he hears his fan kick on just beneath the noise of the wastes.

The android steps forward, steps closer. Grian can’t tell a single thing about what he’s thinking, but he knows his neck is starting to ache from the angle he’s keeping it at to keep Scar in view. Something about the quiet won’t let him look away. Scar rears back a fist.

And then he hears the crack of bone.

The weight falls off his back, his wing, and Grian is left staring into empty space as Scar takes measured steps behind him, and out of view.

The impacts behind him begins to sound wet, like the repeated thump of a hammer against drowned wood.

Grian has dabbled a bit, long before he met Mumbo, in engineering himself. It was more buildings than robots, trains instead of anything that breathes. But there’s one thing he still remembers, clear as day.

A robot may not injure a human being.

So what does that make the thing in front of him?

[zylphiacrowley]

Fear

<previous - next>

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

ID: clips of azula set to "caesar on a tv screen" by the last dinner party, emphasizing her ambition and her desire to be loved. end ID.

when i was a child, i never felt like a child / i felt like an emperor with a city to burn

[riacte]

being a fan of false/ren/both atm is kinda weird and surreal in these times because you have to carefully tread around in your mind to avoid thinking about upsetting things (which consist of like 50% of the total stuff in your head) and you have to rewire your longtime neural pathways but it’s necessary and doable lol

[bonefall]

Don’t know if this is the right place to ask, but could you talk more about zoos? I’ve seen many people say that zoos are inherently exploitative and that we should instead focus on advocating for wildlife preserves, etc., but I’m not sure what to think of that. You seem to know a lot about wildlife protection, so what’s your opinion on this?

There are folks faaaar better than myself to talk about the issues of zoos specifically and I'll try to toss in some sources so you can go and learn more, but let me try and explain my mindset here.

Summary of my opinion on this: BOTH of these things can be poorly managed, and I broadly support both. They should exist in tandem. I am pro-accredited zoo and am extremely sensitive towards misinformation. I also do think the best place for animals to be is in their natural environment, but nature "preserves" aren't inherently perfect. They can also be prone to the capitalist (and colonialist) pressures that less informed people believe they're somehow immune to.

Because of the goal of my project being to make the setting of WC accurate to Northwestern England, my research is based on UK laws, ecology, and conservation programs.

On Zoos

On Nature Reserves

An Aside on Fortress Conservation

On Zoos

The legal definition of a Zoo in the UK (because that is what BB's ecological education is based around), as defined by the Zoo Licensing Act of 1981 (ZLA), is a "place where wild animals are kept for exhibition to the public," excluding circuses and pet shops (which are covered by different laws.)

This applies equally to private, for-profit zoos, as well as zoos run by wildlife charities and conservation organizations. Profit does not define a zoo. If there's a place trying to tell you it's not a zoo but a "sanctuary" or a "wildlife park," but you can still go visit and see captive wild animals, even if it's totally free, it's a marketing trick. Legally that is still a zoo in the UK.

(for fellow Americans; OUR definition is broader, more patchwork because we are 50 little countries in a trenchcoat, and can include collections of animals not displayed to the public.)

That said, there's a HUGE difference between Chester Zoo, run by the North of England Zoological Society, which personally holds the studbooks for maintaining the genetic diversity of 10 endangered species, has 134 captive breeding projects, cultivates 265 threatened plant species, and sends its members as consultants to United Nations conferences on climate change, and Sam Tiddles' Personal Zebra Pit.

Sam Tiddles' Personal Zebra Pit ONLY has to worry about the UK government. There's another standard zoos can hold themselves to if they want to get serious about conservation like Chester Zoo; Accreditation. There are two major zoo organizations in the UK, BIAZA and EAZA.

(Americans may wonder about AZA; that's ours. AZA, EAZA, and BIAZA are all members of the World Association of Aquariums and Zoos, or WAZA, but they are all individual organizations.)

A zoo going for EAZA's "accreditation" has to undergo an entire year of evaluation to make sure they fit the strict standards, and renewal is ongoing. You don't just earn it once. You have to keep your animal welfare up-to-date and in compliance or you will lose it.

The benefit of joining with an accredited org is that it puts the zoo into a huge network of other organizations. They work together for various conservation efforts.

There are DOZENS of species that were prevented from going extinct, and are being reintroduced back to their habitats, because of the work done by zoos. The scimitar-horned oryx, takhi, California condor, the Galapagos tortoise, etc. Some of these WERE extinct in the wild and wouldn't BE here if it hadn't been for zoos!

The San Diego zoo is preventing the last remaining hawaiian crows from embracing oblivion right now, a species for which SO LITTLE of its wild behavior is known they had to write the book on caring for them, and Chester zoo worked in tandem with the Uganda Wildlife Authority to provide tech and funding towards breakthroughs in surveying wild pangolins.

Don't get me wrong;

MOST zoos are not accredited,

nor is accreditation is REQUIRED to make a good zoo,

nor does it automatically PROVE nothing bad has happened in the zoo,

There are a lot more Sam Tiddles' Personal Zebra Pits than there are Chester Zoos.

That's worth talking about! We SHOULD be having conversations on things like,

Is it appropriate to keep and breed difficult, social megafauna, like elephants or cetaceans? What does the data say? Are there any circumstances where that would be okay, IF the data does confirm we can never provide enough space or stimulation to perfectly meet those species' needs?

How can we improve animal welfare for private zoos? Should we tighten up regulations on who can start or run one (yes)? Are there enough inspectors (no)?

Do those smaller zoos meaningfully contribute to better conservation? How do we know if they are properly educating their visitors? Can we prove this one way or the other?

Who watches the watchmen? Accreditation societies hold themselves accountable. Do these organizations truly have enough transparency?

(I don't agree with Born Free's ultimate conclusion that we should "phase out" zoos, but you should always understand the opposing arguments)

But bottom line of my opinion is; Good zoos are deeply important, and they have a tangible benefit to wildlife conservation. Anyone who tries to tell you that "zoos are inherently unethical" either knows very little about zoos or real conservation work, or... is hiding some deeper, more batshit take, like "having wild animals in any kind of captivity is unlawful imprisonment."

(you'll also get a lot more work done in regulating the exotic animal trade in the UK if you go after private owners, btw. zoos have nothing to do with how lax those laws are.)

Anyway I'm a funny cat blog about battle kitties, and the stuff I do for BB is to educate about the ecosystem of Northern England. If you want to know more about zoos, debunking misconceptions, and critiques from someone with more personal experience, go talk to @why-animals-do-the-thing!

Keep in mind though, again, they talk about American zoos, where this post was written with the UK in mind.

(and even then, England specifically. ALL UK members and also the Isle of Man have differences in their laws.)

(If anyone has other zoo education tumblr blogs in mind, especially if they are European, lmk and I'll edit this post)

On Nature Reserves

Remember how broad the legal definition of a zoo actually was? Same thing over here. A "nature reserve" in the UK is a broad, unofficial generic term for several things. It doesn't inherently involve statutory protection, either, meaning there's some situations where there's no laws to hold anyone accountable for damage

These are the "nature reserve" types relevant to my project; (NOTE: Ramsar sites, SACs, and SPAs are EU-related and honestly, I do not know how Brexit has effected them, if at all, so I won't be explaining something I don't understand.)

Local Wildlife Site (LWS) Selected via scientific survey and managed locally, connecting wildlife habitats together and keeping nature close to home. VERY important... and yet, incredibly prone to destruction because there aren't good reporting processes in place. Whenever a report comes out every few years, the Wildlife Trust says it often only gets data for 15% of all their registered sites, and 12% get destroyed in that timeframe.

Local Nature Reserve (LNR) A site that can be declared by a district or county council, if proven to have geographic, educational, biodiversity, or recreational value. The local authority manages this, BUT, the landowner can remain in control of the property and "lease" it out (and boy oh boy, landowners do some RIDICULOUS things)

National Nature Reserve (NNR) This is probably closest to what you think of when someone says "nature reserve." Designated by Natural England to protect significant habitat ranges and geographic formations, but still usually operates in tandem with private land owners who must get consent if they want to do something potentially damaging to the NNR.

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) (pronounced Triple S-I) A conservation designation for a particular place, assessed and defined by Natural England for its biological or geographic significance. SSSIs are protected areas, and often become the basis for NNRs, LNRs, Ramsar sites, SACs, SPAs, etc.

So you probably noticed that 3/4 of those needed to have the private ownership problem mentioned right in the summary, and it doesn't end there. Even fully government-managed NNRs and SSSIs work with the private sectors of forestry, tourism, and recreation.

We live under Capitalism; EVERYTHING has a profit motive, not just zoos.

I brushed over some of those factors in my Moorland Research Notes and DESPERATELY tried to stay succinct with them, but it was hard. The things that can happen to skirt around the UK's laws protecting wildlife could make an entire season of Monty Python sketches.

Protestors can angrily oppose felling silver birch (a "weed" in this context which can change the ecosystem) because it made a hike less 'pretty' and they don't understand heath management.

Management can be reluctant to ban dogs and horses for fear of backlash, even as they turn heath to sward before our eyes.

Reserves can be owned by Count Bloodsnurt who thinks crashing through the forest with a pack of dogs to exhaust an animal to death is a profitable traditional British passtime.

Or you can literally just pretend that you accidentally chased a deer for several hours and then killed it while innocently sending your baying hounds down a trail. (NOTE: I am pro-hunting, but not pro-animal cruelty.)

The Forestry Commission can slobber enthusiastically while replacing endangered wildlife habitats with non-native, invasive sitka spruce plantations, pretending most trees are equal while conveniently prioritizing profitable timber species.

I have STORIES to tell about the absolute Looney Tunes bullshit that's going on between conservationists and rich assholes who want to sell grouse hunting access, but I'll leave it at this fascinating tidbit about air guns and mannequins which are "totally, absolutely there for no nefarious reason at all, certainly not to prevent marsh harriers from nesting in an area where they also keep winding up mysteriously killed in illegal snares, no no no"

BUT. Since Nature Reserve isn't a hard defined legal concept, and any organization could get involved in local conservation in the UK, and just about anyone or anything could own one... IT'S CHESTER ZOO WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!

They received a grant in 2021 to restore habitat to a stretch of 10 miles extending outside of their borders, working with TONS of other entities such as local government and conservation charities in the process. There's now 6,000 square meters of restored meadow, an orchard, new ponds, and maintained reedbeds, because of them.

It isn't just Chester Zoo, either. It's all over the UK. Durrel Wildlife, which runs Jersey Zoo, just acquired 18,500 acres to rewild in Perthshire. Citizen Zoo is working with the Beaver Trust to bring beavers back to London and is always looking for volunteers to help with their river projects, and the Edinburgh Zoo is equipped with gene labs being used to monitor and analyze the remaining populations of non-hybrid Scottish Wildcats.

The point being,

Nature preserves have problems too. They are not magical fairy kingdoms that you put up a fence around and then declare you Saved Nature Hooray! They need to be protected. They need to be continuously assessed. They are prone to capitalist pressures just like everything else on this hell planet. Go talk to my boy Karl he'll give you a hug about it.

"Nature Preserves" are NOT an "alternative" to zoos and vice versa. They do not do the same thing. A zoo is a center of education and wildlife research which displays exotic animals. A nature preserve is a parcel of native ecosystem. We need LOTS of nature preserves and we need them well-managed ASAP.

We could never just "replace" zoos with nature preserves, and we're nowhere near the amount of protected ecosystem space to start thinking of scaling back animals in captivity. Until King Arthur comes out of hibernation to save Britain, that's the world we live in.

An Aside

My project and my research is based on the isle of Great Britain. The more I learn about the ecosystems that are naturally found there, the more venomously I reject the old lie, "humans are a blight."

YOU are an animal. You're a big one, too. You know what the role of big animals in an ecosystem are? Change. Elephants knock over trees, wolves alter the course of rivers, bison fertilize the plains from coast-to-coast. In Great Britain, that's what hominids have done for 900,000 years, their populations ebbing and flowing with every ice age.

Early farming created the moors and grazing sheep and cattle maintain it, hosting hundreds of specialist species. Every old-growth forest has signs of ancient coppicing and pollarding, which create havens for wildlife when well-managed. Corn cockle evolved as a mimic of wheat seeds, so farmers would plant it over and over within their fields.

This garbage idea that humans are somehow "separate" from or "above" nature is poison. It's not true ANYWHERE.

It contributes to an idea that our very presence is somehow damaging to natural spaces, and to "protect" it, we have to completely leave it alone. NO! Absolutely NOT! There are places where we have to limit harvesting and foot traffic, but humans ALWAYS lived in nature.

Even the ecosystems that this mindset comes from rejects it, but this shit doesn't JUST get applied to British people who become alienated and disconnected from their surroundings to the point where they don't know what silver birch does.

It's DEADLY for the indigenous people who protect 80% of our most important ecosystems.

It's a weapon against the Maasai people, stopped from hunting or growing crops on their own land. It's violence for 9 San hunters shot at by a helicopter with a "kill poachers on-sight" policy, as one of the world's LARGEST diamond mines operates in the same motherfucking park. The Havasupai people are kept out of the Grand Canyon that they managed for generations because they might "collect too many nuts" and starve squirrels, Dukha reindeer herders suddenly get banned from chopping wood or fishing, and watch wolves decimate their animals in the absence of their herding dogs.

It's nightmare after nightmare of human displacement in the name of "conservation."

That all ties back to that mindset. This idea that nature is pure, "pristine," and should be totally untouched. There are some starting to call it Fortress Conservation.

You can't begin to understand the criticisms of modern conservation without acknowledging that we are still living under the influence of capitalism and colonialism. Those who fixate on speaking for "animals/nature/trees who don't have a voice" often seem to have no interest in the indigenous people who do.

Listen. There's no simple answer; and the solution will vary for each region.

Again, my project is within the UK, one of the most ecologically devastated areas in the world. There are bad zoos that the law allows a pass. There are incredible zoos that are vital to conservation, in and outside of the country. There's not enough nature preserves. The best ones that exist are often exploited for profit.

I hope that my silly little blog sparks an interest in a handful of people to understand more about their own local ecosystems, and teaches folks about the unique beauty even within a place as "boring" as England.

But, my straightforward statement is that I have no patience for nonconstructive, broad zoo slander that lumps together ALL of them, and open contempt for anyone who tries to sell nature preserves like a perfect, morally superior "alternative." We need them BOTH right now, and we need to acknowledge that zoos AND preserves have legal and ethical issues that aren't openly talked about.

[purplepeptobismol]

The urge to quit my job and become a full time fic writer is strong. I was born to do this.

[spaceratprodigy]

[ 😇 ] — doodle dump from priv

just some smaller things while I have fun w friends and find my groove again :]

Commission Info | Ko-Fi | My Links

[seventh-district]

7am, eating cold leftover teriyaki stir-fry for breakfast and crying over blorbos

[hecatesbroom]

Another fic?? You bet! I almost finished this about 4 weeks ago, when I got sidetracked by the Dorothy gets dipped fic, so I finally managed to add the finishing touches here :) it's been in the works for about 3 months (off and on; many different projects got in the way) so I'm happy to finally be able to say it's done! (after that final edit at 3 am I posted about last night lol)

Summary

When Blanche announces that she thinks she's pregnant, each of the girls deals with it in her own way. (They find each other in Rose's bedroom in the end, for one reason or another.) // an exploration of S02E01: end of the curse, and what happens in between

[raycatz]

oh man,,,

[lingeringscars]

spell out your url using song titles. then, tag as many people as there are letters in your url. (or just tag however many people you want :D)

L - linger by the cranberries I - iris by the goo goo dolls N - new york state of mind by billy joel G - gone forever by three days grace E - everybody's fool by evanescence R - remedy by seether I - I'm still standing by elton john N - nothing by the script G - gone by kelly clarkson S - so what by pink C - castles crumbling by taylor swift ft. hayley williams A- all at once by the fray R- russian roulette by rihanna S- skin of my teeth by demi lovato

tagged by: @arghent <3 tagging: @reputahtion @abenzstern @asuffocator @feylived @gilmor @suhspiria @afterevers @literare and everyone else who wants to

[saiakv]

( upcoming metas I want to post : )

curse manipulation breakdown — remote control of curses & headcanoned potential expansions of the technique

kenjaku's technique reversal

how womb realm works headcanon

nanako & mimiko's relationship to geto meta