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songmingisthighs · 2 months

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Wanbelyn

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

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ch. lxxiii - nAWt

neurosurgeon!hongjoong × reader

buy me coffee ?

genre : dad!au

rating : mature; crude jokes and filthy language

warning : medical situation

wc : 1.6 k

where love and peace is held, i never expected for this to happen. i planned and i planned, i expected, and i hoped, but it was never you. you held what i wanted hostage to make room for you, the thing that i needed but has no means of acceptance. deny me, live your best life.

"Thank God you're here, go- go there! I'm trying to get ahold of (y/n)'s cousin!" Wooyoung hissed frantically as he rushed to the nurse's station.

The first thing Hongjoong noticed was chaos, in one section of the ER. Usually, as bad as 'the emergency room' sounded, there wouldn't be this much commotion so it caused him dread when saw people rushing accompanied by the sounds of his son crying and his nanny trying to calm him down. It not a good sign when patients screaned loudly to no end and it was never a good sign when healthcare providers act frantically.

His legs took him immediately to his son's bed where the little boy was thrashing against the doctor and nurses who were trying to examine him but failing as they didn't want to hurt him accidentally. "Kijoong!" He called out, rushing to his son's side who upon noticing him, wailed louder and tried climbing onto his dad. "God, what happened?" Hongjoong asked the ER doctor who sighed, "The boy fell and we're trying our best to see if there's anything wrong with him but he's being difficult. As you can see, he had a couple of scratches and bumps due to the impact but since he fell off of the elevator, we wanted to make sure," he said. Hongjoong's eyes widened at the revelation and his heart dropped to his stomach, "What the hell did you mean he fell off the elevator?" Kijoong, who was already calming down slightly from his dad's presence, got pulled back slightly so Hongjoong could examine his condition only to see that he didn't look bad at all considering the description of what happened, "H-how did he fall? Where's-"

Hongjoong's words were cut off by the sound of the curtain being pulled back to reveal your form, looking like you had gone through hell and being held back by the nurses who wanted you to remain still. "That's not what happened," you stated, shifting your gaze from Hongjoong to glare at the doctor, "You're making it seem like he was running amok all by himself so let me tell you what actually happened." The nurses tried to get you to lean back but you shrugged them off and even tried to sit up but the pained look on your face as your body started to fold proved you had rather major injuries.

The way you winced caused Hongjoong to let go of Kijoong, knowing that he had to make sure that you were alright much to Kijoong's disappointment and he let it show by screaming for his dad. Hongjoong told him that he'd be right back soon but Kijoong kept wailing, watching as his dad started to conduct a neurological examination on you. "Fuck, what the hell happened, (y/n)? W-why-" he was trying his best to see your pupillary reaction but you kept trying to push him off, "You go tend to your son, Hongjoong, please, I'm fine!" And that ticked Hongjoong off, "Fine? Fine!? Look at you!" his eyes started to water when he looked you over. You had a small bandage over the corner of your left forehead, nasty long and deep scratches on the side of your left arm that looked red, inflamed, and still slightly bleeding, and the left side of your pants that was rolled to your knees, revealing friction burns and bruises added with two broken fingernails. "You looked like you just fought a fucking bear, (y/n), this is- you're not okay! You need my help!" he scolded, shutting you up momentarily and the sternness of his voice caused Kijoong's wails to momentarily stop. "What happened?" Hongjoong asked, this time slightly softer.

After a moment and with a deep breath, you told him. "Kijoong ran past me after his session with Mingi, I didn't even get to ask Mingi about the assessment because I knew I had to get him and I did. I got Kijoong but he tried getting away from me," you said, pausing to take a shaky breath as you eyed Kijoong, "He was trying so hard to get away from me and all I could think about was getting him away from the escalator but then he pushed me and lost his footing." Hongjoong subconsciously settled to sit by your side on your bed which seemed to trigger something in Kijoong as he began to call for his dad, calls that fell on deaf ears as Hongjong was too focused on listening to what happened to you and his son while his brain was trying to assess the possibilities of internal injuries in you and his son. "So I did what I could think of first and dove right with him, I grabbed him and try to shield him from the impact, I'm sorry," you hiccupped, getting emotional as you felt guilty for letting Kijoong get hurt. Hearing you say that, Hongjoong chuckled tearily and grabbed your face in his hands gently, "Sorry?" he smiled, "You saved his head from cracking open like coconut, (y/n), you did what you thought you had to and you did it so well," he said, really grateful for you and your actions. Your shoulders slumped in relief over realizing that he wasn't mad at you nor did he blame you for the incident.

Meanwhile, seeing you two in such a state, Kijoong grew even more agitated and had even tried to claw the nurses and doctor off fo him, He wanted to jump in between you and Hongjoong and he wanted to do it right then, no more delays, In his childish mind, he there was nothing more important and no other situation is as important as this one. In his childish mind, he had to do something for his dad who had done so much for him. But being held back like this was preventing him from doing anything about it, from doing what he wanted. And no matter how much or how loud he shouted, no one was taking him seriously and it was infuriating, it was frustrating.

And then it happened.

Within a split second, Kijoong's eyes rolled back into his head and his body tensed, his jaw slackened and his fingers curled into tight fists. The voice that wailed loudly suddenly stopped which caught the attention of Hongjoong but by the time he got a good look at Kijoong, Kijoong was already spasming on his bed.

It was then that another hell broke loose.

Hongjoong let go of you almost instantly and rushed to Kijoong's side, not that you could blame him. In fact, at that moment, you suddenly didn't care about anything else, not even about yourself or your injuries as you ripped your IV off and rushed to Kijoong's other side. Though they could have helped, you shooed the doctor and nurses away, getting to immediate work of putting Kijoong in the position he should be in as he rode out his episode.

"Why? Why is it back now- he was doing just fine," you muttered to yourself. Somehow, in this situation, you were able to assume your role well as the caretaker while Hongjoong was doing his part as the concerned parent but still trying his best to keep his composure calm. Or, well, as calm as he could because what kind of a parent would just be okay seeing their child in such a medical situation.

It took a while but Kijoong finally came to. His body stopped spasming and his eyes rolled back to their normal positioning, his muscles relaxed and he began testing his vocal skills again. "Dad, daddy," he called, whimpering with tears slowly brimming in his eyes. "Hey, bud," Hongjoong smiled leaning in to hug his son gently, "I was so worried seeing you like that, are you okay? How are you feeling?" Although his dad was talking to him, he couldn't help but block his voice and focus on seeing you, Or, more specifically, your hand that was resting on Hongjoong's shoulder.

The next moment shocked everyone as Kijoong jumped up and pushed your body away with such strength that it made you stumble back, hitting the nearby tray which caused you to wince when your injured side got the brunt. "GET OFF MY DADDY!" he yelled loudly, his face growing red and although you were already at a considerably further distance, Kijoong was advancing on you like an animal before Hongjoong got a grip on him. "Kim Kijoong, what is the matter with you? You don't talk to an adult like that, you don't talk to (y/n) like that!" he scolded which didn't bode well for him as Kijoong began thrashing in his grip, screaming for you to leave his dad alone and for you to go away at the top of his lungs. His screams echoed through the area and the next and it frightened you- no. It broke your heart to hear him saying that he didn't want you around, telling you to leave. The usually sweet boy had turned on you and you didn't know what you did.

Despite your injuries having yet to be properly checked, you stumbled back and staggered out of the ER, as if listening to Kijoong's instruction.

"Hey, hey, hey, where are you going?" Wooyoung called, slamming the nurse's station phone to end his call before rushing to you, "Excuse me, miss, your cousin is coming so you need to keep your ass- hey!" you didn't listen to him, maybe you couldn't but who cared? You simply walked out, leaving Wooyoung worriedly following you but not before he stopped in Hongjoong's line of sight, mouthing 'what the hell?' but not waiting for a reply.

As much as he hated to admit it, Hongjoong didn't know what happened or what was going on and it was worrisome. It felt like a subtle afternoon breeze had crumbled his concrete castle down and there was nothing he could do to salvage anything. Worse of all, it felt like he had managed to hurt you all over again but this time, he couldn't go to you.

Fantastic.

network :

@cultofdionysusnet @sandsofire @kflixnet

taglist :

@strawberry-yeo @luvt0kki @allisonleannn @dinossaurz @khjcs @blackb3ll @aloverga @at1nys-blog @itsbeeble @potatomountain @axo-l0tl @green-thots @intancollins @galaxypox @11glitch11 @maddiebabyxoxo @alyssajavenss @mirror-juliet @gxlden-bxbyy @charreddonuts @dreamlesswonder86 @mayonnaisehoeshit @kodzukein @teenyfinds @dear-dreamie @mitchloveswriting @soobiverse @satsuri3su @phenomenalgirl9 @guess-monst3r @dimeb29 @ka-ni-ma @yayaistime @angelicyeo @kyume02 @thedistractedwriter @surveilenceysystem @ateezourstars @aursmrt @mismatchfluffysocks @puppyminnnie @nycol-ie @yungilia @writingbarnes @worcesheshestershiresauce

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fairuzfan · 2 months

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shalom sister. i love your blog and your writing. reading your posts always fills me with fire, i can tell you have a good heart. donating to your campaign makes me feel so good because i trust you and truly you are doing gds work. anyway i wanted to ask you a question!

when i hear new things from gaza, stories of hamas doing X and IOF doing Y, i ask around and i’m not sure what parts of that story is true, if any. anyway idk what to believe all i know is that israel is committing acts of genocide and while the rest of the world is allowing this greatest evil, israel pretends that to be jewish is to be a colonizer. anyway some of my family are zionists, but i cannot sway them because they only know farsi persian and hebrew, aka only trust extremely biased sources.

anyway i am fluent in english farsi and hebrew but my arabic is trash ): so i feel like i can’t get the full picture from palestinians. all i can read are bonkers iranian papers and the disgusting zionist articles, it’s horrible because i know they’re both lying, just about different things. a palestinian opinion is the only opinion i care about right now! anyway it got me thinking. i just wanted to know if you have tips for verifying online research? or go-to non arabic websites? or even a translation app haha. i just want my family to see the truth!

shalom<3

shalom! thank you so much for reaching out, i really appreciate it.

personally, i use different sources for different material. i use middle east eye (specifically maha hussaini) and also mahmoud abusalama for videos of what it's like in the north. i use the electronic intifada interview podcasts to learn about specific things happening (i just finished watching this one about the collapse of healthcare in gaza). i would check out @northgazaupdates on here too. there's euromedmonitor as well.

and really, there are a lot of diaspora palestinians who are relaying what their family tells them, and they post on twitter a lot. someone i know does this is samah fadil. there's also @el-shab-hussein who translates things from Mona. here's mohammad smiry who is in gaza and tweets primarily in english. dr. mustafa elmasri also tweets in english too.

i would use al-jazeera, i have a fact checking guide here about any news source really. i don't use it as much but there's also the palestine chronicle. sometimes i use quds news network.

i really don't know much about hebrew media so i can't really tell you about sources i recommend there. i don't know if @bringmemyrocks or @rodeodeparis can perhaps provide some input?

i will say, if you're looking for hebrew palestinian media, i dont think there's too much because there's a ridiculous amount of censorship in '48 right now (honestly it's been going on for years atp) but what a lot of palestinians are doing is relying on internal networks. if you want, there are some israeli historians like Ilan Pappe and Avi Shlaim but I'm not sure if they write in hebrew. but they for sure write in english and provide a historical perspective from within israeli society itself.

this is what comes to mind rn honestly, but i haven't even touched on instagram because i haven't been on it in a while. i might add on later if i remember any really vital ones that i recommend.

#palestine

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sleepynegress · 8 months

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THIS ISN'T COMMON KNOWLEDGE BUT SHOULD BE...ABOUT MEDICAID....

If you ever find yourself in the position of living in the home of a parent who is disabled and requires full-time care and you are their primary caregiver for at least 2 years, and they intend to leave their assets to you after they pass, make sure to transfer ownership of their assets, home/land in your name ASAP...or they will require you to pay back any benefits received and claim those assets even out from under you, as soon as your loved one passes. This is yet another way that generational assets /wealth are easily taken out of marginalized communities. It is a loan.

And the sharks circle as soon as your loved one passes. Here's an article about it:

Decided to add context. I don't like to talk about it here, because ehh, social media is for my vapid entertainment thoughts for me. It's a hobby/getaway/ place to get semi-social with strangers and online friends with shared interests, but I don't want anyone else to go through what I am... Of course, this applies specifically to the U.S.'s broken healthcare system. So, for those who don't know, my mom passed recently. I am an only child with no siblings or children. My whole life during that time was 24/7 care. She had insurance, but it wasn't enough to cover everything that she needed, so Medicaid was the obvious solution, right? The government takes care of our disabled elderly who have worked until retirement, right? It seemed like the routine thing to do, I had never heard anything during the process about having to pay it back,but sure enough, less than 12 weeks after her passing, I was hit with a warning (which I followed up on and was told I would NOT be charged because of my caregiver status) and then 2 weeks later the "bill". The lady I spoke to, totally changed her attitude from the first time I spoke to her to the point where I felt scammed. Out came a patronizing voice certain people use with children, that measured whiny thing (it's always a red-flag to me and makes me instantly dislike you if you do this even with kids, btw... speak to kids like PEOPLE). I feel like an idiot. I have been doing this for over a decade and didn't think to transfer any assets of hers during that time because it *was* hers. I wanted her to feel as empowered about that as possible.

Not a single soul said I should transfer those assets to keep this from happening and now I'm facing down what feels like some kind of weird conspiracy to take the land and house.

FYI, there have been weird inquiries, the census came to mark down my mother's death literally *immediately* after she passed...and odd timing called the day of the notice to "help", with all the southern Christian signifiers (bless your heart we'll be praying for you).... It feels so seedy. Anyway, all this to say if you find yourself in a similar position....

TRANSFER THOSE ASSETS INTO YOUR NAME 2 years into caregiving or they will take them from you, house etc..

#medicaid #currently dealing with this #hoping to get a waiver #I'm doing what i can to navigate the system...I hope to negotiate a lower settlement or something... I can pay part since I did save some #I am terrified and coming off some illnesses myself #I am working on it with someone (s) who has some knowledge of the system #whatever happens I'll keep you updated...again if/when there's a solution I'll share to help others PASS ALONG this knowledge #to all you know this could potentially effect

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weaponsofclairvoyance · 3 months

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Wafaa is a 21-year-old dentistry scholar from Gaza. Her family includes both parents, two brothers (one of whom suffers from macular dystrophy), a pregnant sister in her third trimester with her 3-year-old son, and her husband.

Wafaa’s main concern is the safety and well-being of her family, especially her young nephew and pregnant sister. She dreams of a better future for them, where they can live without fear and have access to basic necessities and healthcare.

She says, “We have endured so much hardship and uncertainty. It breaks my heart to see my family suffer. We are desperately seeking a way to reach safety and provide a better life for our children. Your support means the world to us and gives us hope. We are eternally grateful for any assistance you can provide.”

All the funds raised through this campaign will be used to pay for the fees required to cross the border into Egypt (6000$ per person), where Wafaa and her family hope to find safety and stability. Time is of the essence, as their current situation is dire.

#palestine

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postitforward · 1 year

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Mental Health Spotlight: Jasmine Marie, Founder of black girls breathing®

Jasmine Marie is a speaker, breathwork practitioner, and the founder of black girls breathing®. Her work is innovating the wellness, healthcare, and research industry by making mental health services accessible to Black women while filling in the gaps of data and research available on this underserved and underrepresented demographic. Marie plans to impact one million Black women and girls with her work by 2025. She is a serial founder with a past life in global haircare brand marketing and an alum of NYU Stern. The impact and range of her work to date is expansive—ranging from underserved minority communities to stressed-out college students and executives. She’s brought her expertise to elite colleges such as Harvard Business School, Columbia University, and Cornell University, and her client list includes corporations such as Estée Lauder Companies, Under Armour, Capital One, Ford Motor Company, Facebook, and Twitter. Marie has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Good Morning America, VOGUE, Forbes, Harper’s Baazar, Marie Claire, Glamour, Nylon Mag, Wall Street Journal, and Black Enterprise, to name a few.

What is black girls breathing®? And why was it created? black girls breathing® is a safe space for Black women to manage their mental and emotional health and heal trauma in their bodies with breathwork and community.

I created black girls breathing® after finishing my breathwork training and seeing so few facilitators that looked like me yet knowing how much chronic stress and trauma (generational, societal, etc.) and decided to create it. I used my background in business to help me develop a model where we could provide this work accessibly.

Do you have any secret hobbies, skills, or interests?

I don’t think I have any secret hobbies but for a while, I would always feel embarrassed whenever anyone asked that question, as a lot of my hobbies can maybe seem boring to others lol. But I love to read. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I love having quiet time…any activity that allows me to feel refreshed, sit with my own thoughts and enjoy my solitude. I think because I deal with so many people’s energy that in my spare time, I just like to spend time with self. I love to cook though…it’s a very meditative activity for me that allows me to unwind from my day.

How did you get started in this work? And why is it important to you?

As mentioned above, after my breathwork training, I realized there were so few Black breathworkers. But before that, I found breathwork while being stressed out after graduating from business school at NYU and working in beauty in NYC. My nervous system was so fried I began having physical symptoms…rashes and an inability to sleep. The doctor would see me and always say, “This is stress. How can you reduce your stress?” Fast forward to me finding my first breathwork class and falling in love with the way it allowed me to just feel more space in my mind and body.

WOW — ONE MILLION Black women and girls breathing by 2025 what an ambitious goal! What impact do you see this having?

It is an ambitious goal, but in 2020, we fundraised $55k to make our work accessible for one year. After the year was done, it was so clear that we couldn’t stop there. So many Black women needed this work, and we would hear that over and over again. So I decided if I was going to do this work, I was only interested in creating real impact and a goal that would signify that. Imagining 1 Million Black women using breathwork as a tool to regulate their nervous systems, heal from compounded trauma and reduce the effect that chronic stress has in our community (health challenges linked to chronic stress: heart disease, high blood pressure, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fertility issues, and the list goes on) will not only affect them but our community as a whole. Ending the passing down of generational trauma and normalizing healing.

What would you suggest to people who feel like they cannot find the time to breathe or practice mindfulness?

I would first affirm that it’s okay they feel that way. Western society has done a great job of making us feel that anything outside of productivity is not only a waste of time but the least important thing we should make space for. Making time for yourself for any mindful activity can be eased into and it can start with being more aware of the present moment and practicing that action on a daily. Maybe you create a routine where every morning for 3 minutes right when you get up, you take a moment to be still, notice your breathing pattern and focus on each and every inhale and exhale.

Why is Black representation important in this industry?

The wellness industry isn’t unlike other industries where Black representation is lacking. I think it’s important to see other Black women caring for themselves because, historically, we’ve been taught to do the opposite for oh so long.

Where do you find joy?

I find joy with my family and my loved ones, in intimate moments with friends, in good food and conversation, and in being able to create something and see it grow, shift, and evolve.

Want to learn more about black girls @blackgirlsbreathing?

Check out their website!

Breathe with us on March 27th @12pm EDT during their Mindful Monday Breathwork for Anxiety session on Tumblr Live

Ask black girls breathing all the questions on your mind for IssueTime on Navigating Anxiety in an increasingly digital, lonely world

Take the pledge with black girls breathing®

#meditation #mindful monday #mindfulness #mental health #well being #tumblr live #black girls breathing x tumblr #black girls breathing #self care #healing #take the pledge #mental health matters #menhealthmatters

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bioethicists · 1 year

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hm i really hope that someone has said this better than me but the betterhelp ads (specifically the video ones, as the podcast ones tend to be less scripted) are such poignant examples of alienation + the role of 'go to therapy' in perpetuating that alienation. keep in mind that, if you personally found a therapist who is genuinely healing for you + that therapist happens to be through betterhelp- i'm genuinely happy for you + that experience does not invalidate anything i have to say below! (but jsyk they're trying to sell your shit to facebook lol)

starting strong w/ the fact that betterhelp is essentially the uber of therapy (aka using an independent contractor model which is harmful + predatory towards its providers), rushing in to fill the market on largely uninsured and/or uninformed ppl who want the ease of a concierge system without the cost + lacks a meaningful supervision system (which led to one gay man being recommended a conversion therapist when he asked for someone to help with his identity struggles, btw!). smarter people than me have written about the ways in which these trendy independent contractor apps strip people of labor rights, fail to provide adequate wages, + in the case of healthcare apps, increase digital surveillance + decrease accountability demanded from providers while exploiting the failure of the US healthcare system in order to churn a profit w/o actually creating sustainable, equitable change.

the betterhelp video ads all circle around a theme- a millennial starts talking about some form of emotional pain or worry, usually relatively standard existential worries ("do you ever think nothing has meaning?") or life worries ("i hate my job" "i think i'm gay"). their friends or the ppl around them respond blankly + coldly, looking at them like they're crazy. while i understand these ads are supposed to be tongue in cheek, they demonstrate the crushing reality of our alienation from one another- the solution to your friends responding to your evident pain with confusion + apathy is to confine that pain to a therapy session! nobody wants to hear your struggles or understands them- come generate profits for us by facetiming a newly graduated 24 year old who can barely make rent!

this theme fits well with what already put me off about betterhelp's marketing- their goal has never been to provide access to therapy for those who want it or to altruistically fill in some healthcare gap. their goal, bolstered by the rise in emotional suffering following, you know, the worldwide pandemic, is to generate + increase demand for therapy as a commodity. their earlier podcast ads focused on convincing others that therapy "isn't just for crazy ppl" + "everyone should be in therapy". regardless of if you personally agree with that statement, it should be evident that this is a blatant marketing tactic in which therapy is a commodity to be peddled, not an offer of support or healing. in fact, they're probably actively shying away from treating "crazy people", bcuz their flimsy support systems could not possibly handle an influx of ppl regularly in crisis or experiencing breaks with a common reality. their target audience is your average millennial under late capitalism + post COVID - anxious, lonely, vaguely depressed, unhappy with their jobs, worried + hopeless about their futures.

i'm not here to tell anyone not to get therapy. that's a personal decision + is none of my fucking business. it's about questioning the total alienation we feel from one another, such that pouring our heart our unexpectedly to a friend + being met with a blank stare is framed as "haha you need therapy" + not "it's crushing that this is how distant we are from one another". it's about a company noticing that (unfortunately very real) distance + fear of vulnerability + using that to direct our emotions into the confines of a business transaction under abusive labor conditions. it's about a world in which we are not engaging with one another emotionally (despite, or i guess bcuz of: widespread suffering, recent mass death, class warfare/untenable working conditions, increased pressure of fascist politics, generational trauma + abuse, etc etc). commodifying therapy isn't going to make that loneliness go away- it's going to normalize it.

#anti psychiatry #smh i write all these on the toilet then my wife is like charlie it's been a fucking hour

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misshoneyimhome · 24 days

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you’re interning with the maple leafs athletic training department after graduating university in the health field. you’re new to the city & don’t know anyone. ur quiet and only engage with players when spoken too. it’s obvious ur intelligent and very career driven. you have an independent vibe. it’s clear ur not impressed or starstruck by players, but not in a rude way its just u aren’t interested in hockey as a sport only the health aspect as it relates to ur career, so ur vibe gives off very much *professional only here to get paid*😂….anyway willy thought you were stunning initially,but he was caught off guard since ur not his usual type and don’t have the same physical or aesthetic look as any other gf/vibe in the league. ur appearance is very feminine but u dress streetwear tomboy. ur slim but with an hourglass build athletic legs /big butt. u have big long curly hair that u let flow wild and don’t wear makeup but ur skin glows and thick dark eyelashes /rosey lips are striking. its clear willy is not the only one that finds u intriguing bc he’s noticed few players act “different” when u come around -and he can tell they’re crushing on you. they’re harmlessly flirtatious with u but ur oblivious. he knows someone will ask u out soon. how do you think willy reacts? does he make a move? does he feel jealous? he hasn’t even had a chance to introduce himself, yet he’s seen other players find an excuse to interact with u. he knew he was interested but didn’t expect to have to act so soon. does chill willy feel like he has competition or nah? can you write something to add or finish the plot or just take this concept and create ur own magic 😅 i have the vision but definitely not the skill or outlet lmao

Absolutely, babe! So, this was more than just something and I definitely enjoyed it 🤍 You provided me with so much inspiration, and I hope I've managed to convey your vision at least to some extent 😉

Perhaps there's room for a sequel, but I also believe it stands strong on its own - either way, my wish is for you to enjoy it 🤗

Warnings; none, it's pure fluff 🌺 maybe some language, but nothing out of the ordinary;

Word count; 5K

Song inspiration; "Lovestoned/ I Think She Knows" by Justin Timberlake

Taglist; @couldawouldashoulda50 @findapenny @justwanderingbutneverlost

・✶ ｡ﾟ

She’s got me Lovestoned I William Nylander 🖋️🌺

“She looks like a model Except she's got a little more ass Don't even bother Unless you've got that thing she likes I hope she's going home with me tonight”

Your heart raced with excitement as you followed your manager through the busy corridors of the Maple Leafs' training facility. The sound of skates scraping against the ice and the reverberation of pucks hitting the boards filled the atmosphere, adding to the tangible buzz of the surroundings.

Freshly graduated from university with a degree in the healthcare field, you had long imagined this moment. Securing an internship with the athletic training department of one of the most esteemed sports teams in the league was a dream come true – an opportunity to apply your expertise and knowledge in a practical environment.

As you strolled, you couldn't help but admire the cutting-edge facilities surrounding you. From the fully equipped gym to the medical treatment rooms, every aspect was crafted to ensure the players received optimal care and resources.

And your manager, sensing your admiration, offered you a warm smile. "Welcome to the team miss y/l/n," they said, their tone brimming with pride. "We're delighted to have you join us."

You reciprocated the smile, thankful for the chance and eager to demonstrate your abilities. This was your moment to establish yourself in the realm of sports medicine, to glean knowledge from the experts and contribute to the team's triumphs.

And as you continued to explore the facility, a surge of excitement pulsed through you. This marked merely the beginning of your journey with the Maple Leafs, and you were resolute in seizing every opportunity that lay ahead.

As you settled into your role as an intern within both the Medical and Performance teams, your reserved and composed demeanour became apparent to those around you. You'd always been one to let your actions do the talking, and this remained unchanged in your new environment.

Focused and resolute, you approached each task with unwavering commitment; whether it involved aiding in rehabilitation exercises or conducting pre-season screenings, you handled each duty with precision and diligence.

While some might have mistaken your quiet nature for aloofness, those who took the time to understand you soon discovered there was more beneath the surface. You were intelligent, determined, and fiercely independent – a formidable presence in your own right.

Unlike many others in your position, you weren't swayed by the glamour of professional hockey. While you respected the sport and admired the players' athleticism, your focus lay solely on the health and well-being aspect, aligning with your career aspirations.

To you, the players were not celebrities to be idolised but individuals to be cared for – athletes whose welfare relied on your expertise. And you simply approached your responsibilities with professionalism and purpose, recognising the significance of your role in the team's success.

Yet, although you kept to yourself, speaking only, when necessary, your influence permeated the facility. Your dedication to excellence and the players' wellbeing garnered the respect and admiration of your colleagues. And as you delved deeper into your work, you found a profound sense of satisfaction, knowing you were making a meaningful impact on the athletes' lives and careers.

As the first two weeks of your internship with the team flew by faster than you’d expected, you quickly became fully engrossed in the dynamic world of professional hockey. The days were a whirlwind of absorbing new information, making acquaintances with staff and players, and engaging in hands-on tasks that put your skills and knowledge to the test.

With the start of the regular hockey season on the horizon, the gravity of the job began to dawn on you. However, far from feeling daunted, you embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and resolve. This was the culmination of your training, the result of your hard work, and you were prepared to demonstrate your worth.

With each passing day, your confidence in your abilities grew, and you found your rhythm within the team. Yet, while your focus remained on your duties, you gradually began to forge connections with those around you, as the staff and players greeted you with open arms, fostering a sense of camaraderie that made it easy to acclimate to your new surroundings. Your initial intention to maintain a professional distance slowly faded, and you somehow found yourself drawn into the team's social dynamics.

As time went on, laughter and friendly banter became commonplace during the long hours spent with your colleagues, and before you knew it, you were joining in with the playful teasing.

"Come on, Lou," you chuckled. "Who's the trickiest player?" you quipped.

"I can’t say..." Louis Rojas, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, chuckled in response. "But there are certainly a few who need a gentle nudge when it comes to the rehabilitation aspect of training..." he winked. "And I won't name names, but it seems like the longer they've been on the team, the more inflated their ego becomes."

It was all good-natured banter, naturally. From your perspective, each player had their own unique traits, but you understood why – this was the results of their lifelong dream, pursued with sacrifices of social life and late nights for early morning training sessions and weekend games.

And despite the jests, you felt like you were part of a close-knit family among your peers.

Whether it was the late nights after a defeat or the shared jubilation following a hard-fought victory, every experience drew you nearer to your team. And when a player sustained an injury, regardless of how minor, you felt the weight of responsibility, knowing you played a vital role in the team's support structure.

Even the players, initially unfamiliar with your reserved nature, began to open up to you as they became more acquainted. Despite any unintentional distance, they valued your commitment and professionalism, gradually extending their trust and respect.

And as you navigated through the highs and lows of the hockey beginning of the season alongside your newfound comrades, you couldn't help but sense a feeling of belonging – a realisation that, despite any initial hesitations, you were precisely where you were meant to be.

“She shuts the room down The way she walks and causes a fuss The baddest in town She's flawless like some uncut ice I hope she's going home with me tonight”

As the months went by, more players gradually began to get to know your personality a bit better, noticing the subtle sparks you unintentionally ignited. And one player, in particular, found himself increasingly drawn to you.

William Nylander hadn't anticipated this turn of events, being entirely focused on his career and having his best season yet. However, as the young Swedish forward observed you carrying out your duties with quiet resolve, he couldn't ignore the growing sense of curiosity that stirred within him. Unlike the typical women he encountered in the hockey world, you possessed a unique charm and allure that captured his attention from the outset.

Your appearance defied convention, blending elements of femininity with a distinctive streetwear tomboy aesthetic. Your slender yet athletic figure, accentuated by your hourglass figure, toned legs, and shapely posterior, intrigued him in a way he hadn't expected.

Your long, untamed curls flowed down your back, framing your face in a halo of natural beauty. And though you opted for minimal makeup, your natural radiance shone through, with thick, dark eyelashes framing your captivating eyes and rosy lips that seemed to beckon him. Yet, it wasn't solely your physical attributes that intrigued him – it was your confident and graceful demeanour, your unapologetic embrace of your individuality.

To William, you represented a refreshing departure from the predictable stereotypes usually found in the hockey world. He found himself drawn to your authenticity, your refusal to conform to societal norms. And as he observed you navigate the challenges of your role with quiet determination, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was far more to you than met the eye.

Yet, amidst his desirable interest, he couldn't help but think of how you might respond to his actions and thoughts. Would you reciprocate his attention, or would you maintain your professional composure, unaware of the impact you had on those around you?

Only time held the answer, but one thing was clear—William was determined to find out. And one day, he resolved to take action and initiate a conversation.

"Hey there, I'm Willy," he introduced himself, flashing his trademark smirk as he encountered you in the physio room shortly after a session where the performance team had discussed nutritious foods and home recipe ideas.

And as you tidied up the materials from the presentation, a soft chuckle escaped you. "Yes, I'm aware," you replied with a gentle smile.

"You are?" he inquired, a small hint of surprise in his tone.

"Well, of course," you chuckled once more, a mischievous glimmer in your eye as you neatly arranged the papers. "It's part of my job - I'm familiar with all of you, including your current physical condition and medical histories."

William couldn't contain his amusement at your response, his smirk broadening as he let out a soft chuckle. It wasn't often that someone managed to catch him off guard, but there was something about your effortless confidence that intrigued him.

"Ah, so you've been doing your homework on me, eh?" he teased, leaning casually against the nearby equipment rack with a playful glint in his eye.

"You could say that," you retorted with a grin, a touch of mischief flickering in your gaze. "But don't worry, your secrets are safe with me."

William smiled, a sense of warmth enveloping him at your relaxed banter. "Well, in that case, I hope it's all just good stuff," he quipped, flashing you a charming smile, his eyes gleaming with genuine interest.

"Oh, absolutely," you replied, feigning innocence. "Only the finest gossip about your impeccable physique and stellar health habits."

William laughed, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Well, I'm relieved to hear I've made such an impression," he joked, his smirk widening as he leaned in a little closer, a newfound sense of connection sparking between you.

And as the conversation flowed, the playful banter between you and William felt effortless, each exchange infused with light-hearted humour and genuine warmth. Despite starting off as acquaintances, it was evident that this spontaneous encounter held the promise of something more, leaving a sense of anticipation lingering in the air like a whisper of exciting possibilities.

As the first few months progressed, William couldn't help but notice the subtle shifts in dynamics whenever you were present. He observed how other players' demeanours changed, becoming more animated and flirtatious when you entered the room. And despite your apparent obliviousness to their advances, William couldn't shake the twinge of jealousy gnawing at him.

As it was, your responsibilities extended beyond mere observation and monitoring of the players' physical and mental well-being; at times, you were also required to engage with them physically. Whether it involved carrying out a soft massage to their legs or backs, aiding with stretches, or similar activities with the purpose of facilitating their recovery, ensuring the were swiftly back on their feet was part of your role.

And truth be told, when a young, attractive woman like yourself interacted closely with young men, some of whom were not in committed relationships, their minds often wandered. And consequently, comments occasionally slipped out, their mouths moving faster than their rational thoughts.

"You know, you can press harder, I can handle it."

"We could continue this session later, when it's more private."

"Your touch is amazing – it's really doing wonders... anything else you're good at?"

To you, these remarks seemed harmless, playful, and merely part of the camaraderie. You were accustomed to the tone, unaffected by it, and accepted it as part of the team dynamic, which was likely why the management allowed you to work in such close proximity to the players.

However, for William, these comments carried a weightier significance.

For some time now, William had been trying to forge a closer connection with you, seizing any opportunity to get to know you better amidst the limited time available. Yet, despite his efforts, you simply remained a staff member while he was a hockey player under your care. And he wasn't the only one deserving of your attention. Your professional interest extended to all the players, regardless of their role on the team, and it appeared that some others were making rather direct attempts at flirting.

A part of him had hoped for more time to cultivate a deeper bond with you before making a move. However, with each passing day, he felt the pressure mounting as he observed other players finding excuses to engage with you.

Despite his typically relaxed demeanour, the young Swede found himself torn between maintaining his composure and the urge to stake his claim before someone else did. It was an unfamiliar sensation; one he hadn't felt before. Usually, it would be the women vying for his attention. But you were different. You exuded nothing but a sense of calm, confidence, and independence that simply captivated him.

And as he deliberated his options, William realised that he needed to take action, to seize the moment before it slipped away.

"And now I walk around without a care She's got me hooked It just ain't fair, but I... I'm love stoned and I could swear That she knows"

Fortunately for William, an opportunity presented itself one evening, and he was determined not to let it slip by. It was a typical Wednesday training session, with a match scheduled for the following day, and during the ice time, he inadvertently made a small movement, aggravating his existing back injury.

While not severe, the coaching staff still insisted on him being checked before the upcoming game. And luckily, you were still at the facilities, having just finished up a report when he entered the medical treatment room.

"Hey y/n," he greeted softly, walking with a slight crook in his step, the pain from his lower back evident.

"Hey William, what's up?" you asked, noticing his discomfort. "Is everything okay?" you inquired, concern evident in your voice.

"Just call me Willy," he smiled. "But um... yeah, I sort of did something... I mean... Kniesy tackled me, and now I can feel it in my back..." he explained with a light chuckle.

"Well, how about you undress a bit, and then we can take a closer look at it?" you suggested with a sweet smile, to which he simply nodded.

"Usually, I take the girls out before they ask me to strip," he cheekily remarked as he began to undress before you.

Raising a brow, you flashed him a grin and a questioning look. "Do you really?"

This was the type of banter that most of the players appreciated about you. You weren't afraid to push boundaries and test their comfort zones.

"Maybe not," William admitted with a chuckle as he stood in front of you, only the physio table separating you, in nothing but his short shorts before you directed him to lie face down.

"Well, at least you admit it," you replied softly, surprising yourself by engaging in a more personal conversation than usual. "Most guys just act like they couldn't care less."

William was slightly taken aback by your candidness. While you'd shared conversations where you got to know each other better, you hadn't delved into deeper opinions before.

"Why wouldn't I care?" William smiled as he shifted his head to the side, meeting your gaze as you stood beside the table. "I mean, she's still a person, right?"

"I don't know, I'm just saying what most guys do," you replied.

"Well, maybe I'm not like most guys," William retorted, his wink adding to his cheekiness.

His comment took you by surprise, causing you to pause for a moment. Though you hadn't exactly considered any of the players as close friends or thought about them in a romantic way, there was something about this Swede that suddenly had you reconsidering.

Was he flirting with you?

No, you dismissed the thought. You were definitely not his type, or any of the players for that matter. After all, you were just there to help maintain their health so they could perform at their best.

Yet, as you thought about it, you couldn't deny that most of the players were indeed attractive. And given that you'd seen most of them in various stages of undress, you knew what they looked like from head to toe.

And you probably couldn't deny the allure of the players. Each had their own charm – some were sweet and kind, while others were more playful and cheekier. Yet, none of them displayed any meanness or cruelty. Even Reaves, who often projected a rough and tough exterior, revealed a tender side when speaking about his family. In fact, most of the players with families exhibited a similar dichotomy. Despite their tough demeanour on the ice, they were remarkably different behind the scenes.

Then there were the younger players, some single, some in relationships, all equally playful and lacking a certain level of maturity. However, you found their antics amusing and entertaining. Perhaps only Woll, the sweetheart of the team, was less inclined towards playful banter, but lively, nonetheless.

And despite your bit of familiarity with these players on a personal level by now, they remained nothing more than the team you were tasked with caring for and supporting as needed.

So, pushing aside any lingering thoughts, you focused your attention on the player's bare back, beginning to apply pressure to his tender muscles to locate the sore spot.

"How's this?" you inquired in your professional tone.

"It's good, but maybe you need to go a bit lower... that's where the pain is worst," William responded, the cheekiness in his voice fading as he sensed your seriousness.

And as you continued to massage his back, applying pressure to different muscle groups before focusing on his lower back, a few minutes passed.

"Here?" you asked, indicating the area.

William nodded lightly, then hesitated, feeling a twinge of awkwardness as he tried to pinpoint the exact location of his discomfort.

"Uh, yes, but..." he cleared his throat. "Maybe even lower..."

You sensed his slight nervousness, understanding what he was hinting at. Yet, you remained professional, knowing exactly how to address his injury and provide appropriate care.

"Willy, are you referring to your sciatic area?" you asked.

"What's that?" he chuckled.

"Well, it's one of the largest nerves in the body, extending from your lower back down each leg," you explained, smiling even though he couldn't see it.

"Oh, so, uh..." he trailed off, unsure how to ask, and you couldn't help but chuckle lightly, maintaining your professional demeanour.

“It means I'll have to massage your glute - as in your bum. It's one of the largest muscles where the nerve runs behind, but it seems like yours is cramping a little, pressing onto the nerve, which causes the pain."

William understood your explanation, and a smirk crossed his face as he imagined your perspective on his ass at that moment.

"Well, I suppose there's nothing else to do but for you to go ahead," he chuckled lightly.

Sensing his slightly cheeky demeanour once again, you aimed to bring the situation back to a professional tone.

"Willy, it's nothing sensual. And believe me, it's probably a lot more painful than pleasant," you reassured him.

"I think I can handle it," he replied with a cocky smile.

"We'll see about that."

And with his understanding, you went ahead and placed your elbow onto his cheek and started to circle it in order to loosen up the cramp muscle.

“Shit!” William exclaimed as he suddenly felt the pain course through his body.

One thing in particular that you’d become known for amongst the players, was that you were rather strong compared to your size. And you didn’t hold back when you knew that their injuries required force.

“Told you it wasn’t pleasant.” You grinned softly, as you continued to massage his cheek.

And as more minutes went by, William’s deep grunts only grew more incoherent and out of breath. He was nothing but sore, yet as you released your arm from his body, he felt a newfound release washing over him. As if your massage had healing powers, the pain slowly faded into nothing, and he didn’t feel the twinge in his lower back any longer.

“Fuck…” he let out a deep sigh as he caught his breath.

“Need a minute, Nylander?” you mocked playfully and flashed him a grin as your eyes met with his.

“Maybe…” he softly admitted, still a little numb from the intense feeling you had caused him.

“That’s good, that means it’s working.”

You turned around to remove your latex gloves, and as your turned back, William slowly rose and turned to his side to face you, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over him. Despite the discomfort of the massage, he recognised its necessity and appreciated your expertise.

"Thanks, y/n," he said sincerely, meeting your gaze as you turned back to face him.

"You're welcome, Willy," you replied with a warm smile, appreciating his gratitude.

A moment of silence followed as you both remained still, and the tension of the massage easing away. Then, suddenly, William's expression softened, and he cleared his throat, as if preparing to speak.

"Listen, y/n, I... uh... I just wanted to ask..." he trailed off, his cheeks colouring slightly.

You raised an eyebrow, curious about what he was trying to express. "Yes?" you prompted gently.

But before William could continue, the door to the physio room swung open, and one of the team trainers entered, interrupting the moment.

"Hey, William, everything okay? I heard you were having some trouble with your back," Dean inquired, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine now, thanks to y/n," William replied, shooting you a grateful look.

Dean nodded, then turned to you with a smile. "Thanks for taking care of him, y/n. We appreciate it."

You nodded in acknowledgment, though you couldn't hide the slight disappointment you felt at the interruption, before he swiftly left the room again. However, William's reassuring smile lifted your spirits, sparking a sense of excitement within you. Perhaps there was more to his earlier words than you had initially thought.

And as William watched you, a surge of determination coursed through him. This was his moment, his opportunity to finally express what had been on his mind for so long. So, with a deep breath, he pushed himself up to sit, his gaze unwavering as he met yours. The lingering soreness in his back served as a reminder of your expertise and the connection they shared.

"So, this is it?" he asked, his voice soft yet filled with anticipation, a hint of vulnerability peeking through his confident facade.

"Well, for now," you replied with a smile. "But we'll need to keep an eye on you to ensure it doesn't happen again like that. Cramps like these often come back." You found yourself unintentionally delving into the details of the injury, your passion for health and well-being shining through. "And, um... it's good to have someone who understands the injury to provide follow-up care," you concluded, realising you had been speaking more than intended. "Sorry, I'm rambling," you added with a sincere smile.

But William simply chuckled softly, finding your passion endearing as you spoke about the injury. He couldn't tear his gaze away from you, captivated by both your expertise and your beauty.

"Anyway, we should probably get back," you suggested softly, your friendly smile causing a flutter in William's heart.

But he didn't want this moment to end, not yet. Summoning his usual confidence, William spoke before he could second-guess himself. "Y/n, do you want to go out with me?" he asked, the words tumbling out faster than he could skate.

You didn't quite catch his words over the echoing noise of the hallways. "Pardon?" you asked, turning to face him, curiosity flickering in your eyes.

Taking a deep breath, William tried again. "I mean, since you've already massaged my ass... I was just thinking... maybe you want to go out with me... sometime?"

His question caught you off guard, leaving you momentarily stunned. Frozen in your position, you struggled to process the unexpected turn of events.

“Willy…” you started, unsure of how to respond. Could you go out with him, a player for the team you worked for? Had you overlooked any contractual restrictions regarding such situations?

Truth be told, you hadn't paid much attention to those details before, as they didn't seem relevant at the time. Yet here you were, faced with an unexpected situation.

As you hesitated, William sensed your uncertainty, a twinge of fear for rejection creeping into his mind. Had he overstepped the boundaries? Perhaps he had misread the signals or been too presumptuous. Chiding himself internally, he realised that charming you and engaging in physical contact were not enough to win your affections. You were different, and he needed to find a way to impress you.

"I mean," he interjected, attempting to ease the tension he had created. "I just know that, uhm, some of the other guys were, you know, thinking about asking you the same... so," he sighed, "Just thought I'd try and beat them to it," he added with a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

Your confusion deepened at his explanation, feeling overwhelmed by the revelation. "Oh... wait, what?" you exclaimed, your mind racing at the thought of other players potentially having similar intentions.

You were baffled. Did the players talk about you when you weren’t there?

"You didn't know?" William looked at you, equally surprised, as his teammates hadn’t exactly been subtle in their flirting.

"Well, do I look like someone who knew?" you quipped, attempting to flash a crooked smile, causing William to simply let out a small laugh.

“Come on, they’ve all been flirting with you!” he chuckled.

“They have?”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Well, now you know.”

You needed a moment to process it all. As you contemplated how to navigate this unexpected revelation, feeling unable to simply ignore it and return to your usual routine, you gazed at the Swede before you.

“But... why?”

Again, William laughed. “What do you mean why? Come on, y/n – you’re good-looking, funny, smart, and most of all, you don’t seem desperate or starstruck whenever you're around us,” he explained.

“Why would I be that?” you simply asked.

“Well, a lot of girls are, I mean, we’re hockey players,” William grinned confidently.

“Oh wow, please work on that self-confidence of yours,” you rolled your eyes as you crossed your arms. “Seriously, I don’t get why women would just throw themselves at your feet… you’re just… humans.”

“Well, they do,” William laughed again, his confident smirk still in place. “But I guess that’s just what we all like about you... that you don’t...”

“Hmm, I suppose I don’t,” you attempted a smile, still uncertain how to react to it all.

There was another moment of silence as the two of you simply stood before each other, your thoughts still swirling. However, as William hadn’t received a clear response, he let out a soft chuckle and decided to press on.

“So, do you?”

“Huh?” you blinked a few times, slowly returning to reality.

“Do you want to go out with me?” he chuckled once more. “Just for a coffee or something?”

He seemed genuinely serious about this, didn’t he? You thought. As you gazed into his deep ocean blue eyes, you couldn’t ignore the unexpected attraction you suddenly felt towards him. It might have been there for a while, but amidst your own musings, you hadn’t paid it much attention.

“Well, wouldn’t it be inappropriate?” you asked softly, still maintaining your professional demeanour despite the stirrings of emotion within you. But William simply shrugged in response.

“I don’t know… I mean, I guess in a way…” he let out a small sigh. “I just didn’t want to miss the chance, you know, in case you did want to…”

Once again, there was a lingering moment in the air. You couldn’t deny the temptation, given that you were, in fact, single, and had been missing a man’s touch ever since you’d focused so much on your internship. But a part of you felt like it would be wrong.

In a way, you worked for William. You couldn’t go out with him. What if it didn’t go well, and he’d hurt you or vice versa? Then it would just be awkward seeing each other every day. Or what if it went too well, but the management wouldn’t approve of it, and both of you would end up being hurt?

Your thoughts raced at a high speed, causing you to lightly gasp for air. Yet, your train of thoughts was interrupted by the door swinging open again and this time Lou entered.

“Oh hey,” he smiled. “You guys all done in here?”

“Yeah sorry, we just chatted,” William explained casually, as you remained frozen in position. “I better go.”

And as he left the room and Lou started to talk to you, you suddenly felt a wave of disappointment wash over you. Watching William leave with your indirect rejection of his proposal suddenly caused you to feel a sense of unease, perhaps making you realise that there was something more to it all.

Then as you realised you hadn’t heard a single word of what Lou had said, you excused yourself and hurriedly followed the Swedish player.

“Hey, Willy,” you called after him, causing him to halt and turn around. Trying to maintain your composure, you met him halfway and flashed him a sweet smile. “I suppose coffee wouldn’t be too bad,” you spoke softly, earning a smile from the taller player.

“Well then, I guess I’ll buy you a cup whenever there’s time,” he chuckled lightly, feeling a sense of relief.

“I’ll look forward to it,” you said with a soft smile, then turned around and forced yourself to refocus on work.

And as you walked away, William couldn’t help but bite his lip as he thought proudly about being the first to ask you out and your positive response. Finally, he could acknowledge all the emotions he’d been feeling for a while, and perhaps, just perhaps, you felt the same for him.

#my asks #wn88 imagine #william nylander imagine #william nylander x reader #toronto maple leafs imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine

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wumblr · 2 years

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since everyone in public health is dead at the wheel, you should know: monkeypox has a r0 value of about 2 (omicron BA2 and measles are both near 12, which is about the maximum we know of, until we get clearer data on BA4/5 next month).

r0 value is number of likely infections per patient, so that also means monkeypox infections will likely double until it reaches peak infection. this could be a million people by the end of the year because it is 400 now (in the US).

it is aerosol and fomite transmissible. fomite viral particles survive in the environment for two months.

vaccination is currently available only for confirmed cases, and we will likely only be able to produce a million doses by end of year. they will likely not be distributed to the most at-risk people. this will likely not be enough to prevent widespread infection. i might recommend seeking testing in absence of symptoms, to catch any asymptomatic infections.

anyone born before 1980 is likely to already be vaccinated for it (smallpox vaccination seems to remain 85% effective with no waning, although the new vaccine recommended is jynneos and healthcare providers are hesistant to offer the older vaccine because it scars the injection site). if you're 40+ it might be a good time to get into volunteer outreach or hospice care.

it may have a fatality rate between 1-10%, more likely 1-3%, this is affected by factors like overall immune vulnerability, nutrition, and heatlh. severe progression is characterized by nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, and other systematic-failure indicators. the virus had already mutated substantially by the time it was detected, so this may be an indicator that there are far more unknown, mild cases (i.e. bringing the fatality rate down substatially, one would hope.)

it is distinguishable from chickenpox because the sores progress at the same rate, while in chickenpox each sore may be at different stages. any healthcare provider or sexual health clinic will likely be able to test for both. now is not the time to ignore symptoms. petechiae are also a post-covid associated sequala, i believe they also progress at different rates like chickenpox but i'm not sure if there's a clear clinical definition of covid sores yet. it's also possible these represent undetected pox cases. it was likely circulating as early as april.

monkeypox infection may cause as a few as one sore, which scabs and then peels. debridement or exfoliation is not recommended, precisely because viral particles can survive for two months, although it's believed to stop being transmissible after the first layer of skin heals. vitamin A is recommended during recovery, ideally from nutritionally dense foods.

chickenpox can also cause facial paralysis. hepatitis-associated liver failure in children has been essentially confirmed as a post-covid sequela (adenovirus was ruled out as a cause of hepatitis, if you heard about that, although it is also still endemic). dysentery, cholera, and polio are back. between 10-30% of covid patients are now likely immunocompromised from long covid, although severe cases are less than 10%.

our failure to manage this has damaged the collective immune imprint, things that used to be rare or eradicated can now gain a foothold much more easily. this will keep happening until we end capitalism, we didn't have to live with influenza or salmonella either, and they make bank off the 1.3m deaths of heart disease and cancer every year too.

correct me if i'm wrong but i'm pretty sure everything except that last part is stated in this PDF. also had to look up the r0 value separately, i don't think that's in there

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dromaeocore · 9 months

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@pisforpandemonium Absolutely!

So the first book I'm gonna recommend is Soteria by Loren Mosher and Voyce Hendrix. It's about the development of a home/intentional community for people with schizophrenia/psychosis. This home was very pro-autonomy, many workers had psychosis themselves, and they did use meds, but it was always the resident's choice and usually not the first line of treatment, as they found that psychosis often resolved on its own within a few weeks. Some of the methods used at Soteria were a little... wacky, being the 70s, but all in all it was very successful. There are now Soteria Houses all over the world.

Another one is Healing: Our Path From Mental Illness to Mental Health by Thomas Insel, MD. It's written by the former director of NIMH, and while I don't agree with every one of his takes, there is a great chapter about the Clubhouse Model, another peer support model created by a bunch of ex patients, by and for people with mental illness. People in the clubhouse are Members, not patients. They are assisted with vocational goals, food, etc, and most importantly, given community. It's a really interesting paradigm and there are hundreds of clubhouses all over the world now.

The Voices Within by Charles Fernyhough is a bit dry IMO, but it goes over the research behind voice-hearing and goes into the Hearing Voices Movement - another, you guessed it, peer support movement for voice hearers and other folks who have experiences not aligned with consensus reality i.e. psychosis.

Some others I haven't read yet are Geel Revisited after Centuries of Rehabilitation by Eugeen Roosens, and On Our Own: Patient Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System by Judi Chamberlin.

I'm also gonna rec a bunch of podcasts.

Heart Forward: Conversations from the Heart has a ton of awesome episodes about the US mental health system and alternatives to it. They have lovely episodes about peer respite and Trieste. It's such a compassionate and solution-focused podcast with a diverse amount of topics, I love it.

Patricia Deegan: Personal Medicine is a great one about Dr. Deegan's life and the Commonground Software she developed to help aid in joint decision-making with patients and providers, where patients have a solid say in their treatment. (I've listened to a ton of interviews with Dr. Deegan and she is an amazing, inspiring individual)

A Place of Safety? is hosted by an Italian psychiatrist who worked in Trieste (an Italian city with world-renowned mental healthcare) and he talks about a lot of problems with the NHS and how it relates to Trieste.

Alita Taylor - Open Dialogue is an episode about a highly successful mode of treatment in Western Lapland for people with psychosis and other mental illness. Here's a documentary I just found about the practice, haven't watched it yet but it looks cool.

Mad in America also has some interesting podcasts about many of these topics

Some articles:

Bethel House, basically Japan's version of Soteria

Hearing Voices Movement, as previously discussed

Hurdalsjøen Recovery Center, a "medication-free" hospital in Norway (meds are optional, not banned lol, and they also assist with tapering off)

Recovery Colleges, where struggling individuals, caregivers, and professionals all take an active role in learning about mental health

Obvs this isn't everything but I hope I've given you a good starting point!

#it's actually a goal of mine to write a book summarizing every one of these that I'm aware of lol bc afaik there isn't one yet #just every goddamn innovative and humane mental health practice there is :3 #pisforpandemonium #reply #psychiatry #mental health #psychiatry critical #healthcare reform

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ohtobeleah · 1 year

Note

ToE couldn’t come any quicker! I need that update girl! I’ve missed Dot soo much!!

I’m so excited to be back in the swing of things! Enjoy! It’s a fluffy ride with a steep slope at the end. Strap in! Terms of Endearment Masterlist here.

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~**

“We’ll change the wires out for something a little less complicated in a day or two Miss Y/L/N, but in the meantime it’s liquids only.” Nurse Cindy reminded you with a soft ‘listen to me I’m the healthcare provider’ tone you weren’t in the mood for.

“Can you do anything about the brooding bull rider in the corner of the room?” You huffed through your teeth, the wires had just been tightened. Rhett stood with his own groan as Cindy chuckled and tucked your legs under the blanket of the wheelchair you were perched in.

“Unfortunately I can’t, I’m under strict orders to make sure your supervised twenty four seven, having the brooding bull rider here just takes some pressure off my nurses—but you have your panic button if he ever steps out of line.” It wasn’t the answer you were looking for as you sat back and said not a word in response. Nurse Cindy took that as her sign to leave. So she did. “Her charts have been updated Mr Abbott, feel free to call Mr Bradshaw and let him know that all she’s responding well to the antibiotics.”

“Thanks—“ Was all Rhett replied with as he took it upon himself to take your wheelchair by the handles and push you out towards the door.

“What are you doing?” Rhett knew you were in a particularly foul mood today. You hadn’t said a word about why, and you weren’t about to cry on the shoulder of a man you didn’t know and did trust as far as you could throw him, why you were in such a foul mood. But he knew. Jake had told him during change over yesterday. “Rhett, seriously—“

It was your daughter's third birthday tomorrow and you were going to miss it. A milestone you’d never be able to go back and retrace. Gone, poof, into thin air. Rhett, albeit stubborn in many ways and probably a little rougher around the edges than most, didn’t understand what that pain was like. He didn’t have children.

But he could sympathise and he didn’t wanna leave you alone on a day that was hard enough to get through with people around you. Was he going to tell you that though?

Absolutely fucking not.

“I need a coffee but I don’t trust you enough to leave you here alone, so we’re going to get a coffee.” Just as Rhett was pushing you out of the doorway, a man with black curly locks and heart eyes you could see from a mile away came walking towards you with a bouquet of flowers. His smile melted your heart as he caught your eye, he waved as he called your name and pushed past nurses and physicians alike.

“Fe!” He beamed. “Hey! Sorry I haven’t been round to see you yet I’ve been caught up with Phoenix—“ Before Mickey Garcia could get another word out, Rhett was on him. Pushing him up against the nearest wall with his forearm to his sternum and a first tightly wrapped in the T-shirt he was wearing.

“Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?” Oh my god, as if this day couldn’t get any worse. Your eyes went as wide as they could at the sight. Rhett and Mickey pinned and pinned good.

“RHETT! Lay off!” You grumbled through your teeth as you tried to wheel yourself forward with one arm, the other was still in a sling. “It’s just Mickey—“

“Fanboy! I’m—“ Mickey panicked as he stared into the sole of Rhett Abbott. Bob had warned Mickey he may be in attack dog mode and to tread lightly. The warning went unheeded. A mistake Mickey learnt the hard way. “I’m Fanyboy, Mickey Garcia, I work with Felix, my Abuela made her biscuits once—“ Mickey found himself rambling until you reached out and tapped Rhett on his side. Only then did he back off. “Holy shit I think I crapped my pants—“

“You never mentioned a Mickey.” Rhett fixed himself up as he eyed down Fanboy. The nurses in the halls had gone back to minding their own business when they saw the situation had dissolved itself. For a brief moment you could have killed Rhett, but at the same time you saw first hand how quickly he’d come to your defense. There was some hesitation in your response—but you didn’t let the brief thought of heroism change your mind about Rhett Abbott.

Not this time anyway.

“I’ll provide you with a manifest of friends and family—“ All you did was roll your eyes. “Mick, you good?” Mickey nodded, he couldn’t stop staring at Rhett. This was some trippy twilight zone shit.

“You guys weren’t kidding when you said it’s Bob in cowboy cosplay, huh?”

***~***~***~***~****~***~

Odette Dolan didn’t understand a lot in life, she was just a little girl in a big scary world who loved her mother fiercely and her Tooster dearly. She loved her uncle Jake to infinity and beyond—but ever since Bradley Bradshaw came into her life? She knew, deep down, that he loved her just as much as you did. Sorry uncle Jake, but there was a new man in Odette's life.

And he had a mustache and a few tattoos that he let Odette colour in with markers.

“Happy birthday to you—“ Bradley mumbled as he felt the tiny tot that had been sleeping beside him in his bed shift and squirm. “Happy birthday to you—“ He mumbled louder as Dot crawled across the stroon pillows that littered Bradley’s bed like a minefield. “Happy birthday dear Odette—“ He smiled as he felt her crawl up onto his chest, plopping herself down directly on top of his exposed stomach as he stretched out and laid on his back. Her tiny legs splayed across his rib cage as she smiled down at him, her hands on his chest—that smile quickly turned into an early morning yarn. “Happy birthday to you, how old are you now huh?”

The sun had only just begun to rise, but Dot hadn’t been sleeping all that well with you gone. She had settled into somewhat of a routine, going back and forth between Jake and Bradley’s care like a ping pong. Some days were rougher than most but Bradley knew he had it taken care of.

If by consuming enough caffeine to kill an elephant and surviving on whatever food was readily available, like bio cheese sandwiches and peanut butter toast, then yeah—he had it taken care of.

“I’m free—“ Dot beamed as she held up three of her fingers. Bradley chuckled as she did so, holding his hands up to take hers in his. Pulling her down gently to wrap her in a bear hug so loving that she’d never forget how much she was loved again.

“Great, I have a threenager.” Bradley cooed as he kissed the squirming little girl's cheek. “Come on, I reckon instead of banana pancakes we do chocolate chip?”

“Mamma's not home yet?” Dot didn’t want anything for her birthday, she didn’t want new toys or a birthday cake or chocolate chip pancakes. She wanted her mum, she wanted you back. Bradley could see it in the way Dot's bottom lip quivered when he didn’t respond straight away, she looked him dead in the eye as she pulled back from their warm embrace. “Mamma's gonna come back for me, isn’t she?” The tears that welled in your little girl's eyes broke Rooster's heart. Fuck this was pure torture. For all involved, for you and Odette the most.

He hated himself for keeping the two of you separated, but he knew that one day you’d thank him for not subjecting your daughter to the sight of you in pain. Broken. You deserved to remain a superhero in Dot's eyes.

“Mums just a little sick at the moment darlin, as soon as she gets better, well go see her and you’ll light up her world more than you know.” Dot nodded, she’d been given the same answer enough now to understand that you weren’t well. She believed the adults in her life, Jake, Tooster, even Amilia and Payback that you were just trying to get better.

As Dot rolled onto her stomach, she reached out to place a gentle hand on Bradley’s scruff covered cheek—no work meant no beard regulations. He was gonna enjoy the little things with this unexpected time off.

“Whewe’s your mamma Toosters?” Bradley sighed heavily as he tried to think light of his feet about how to tackle that question. He didn’t have an awful lot of family—no parents, no siblings. The only cousin he knew about was just a stranger now. His grandparents had long passed before his dad left earth side and the uncles and aunts that were still alive didn’t care all that much to check in.

But as Bradley looked down at the little girl in her nighty, with her brunette ringlets and her heterochromia eyes—Bradley knew that your love, as well as your daughter's love, was handmade just for him. And that was all the family he ever needed.

“She’s with me everywhere I go.” There’s a ring tucked away in an old red ring box inside Bradley’s bedside table. He knows one day he’ll give it to you. “And she brought your mama, and you, birthday girl—into my life so I wouldn’t ever be alone again.” Dot smiled as she wiggled up onto Bradley’s stomach, she placed her ear to his belly and could hear the rumbles. Rooster ran his hand through the mess of bed hair he just knew he’d have to do something about before they went out today. “I’ll check in on your mama a little later today and see how she’s doing and hopefully you can see her at the end of the week huh?” Bradley cooed as he sat up, Dot giggled as he tickled her sides and folded himself onto her. Trapping her against his thighs and chest. “How does that sound, Dotty?”

“Tooster!!” Dot screamed as she laughed and giggled and squirmed around trying to free herself from Bradley tickles. He let her off the hook pretty easy. Sitting up to rid himself of the bed covers.

“Come on, chocolate chip pancakes, then we’ll go shopping for some stuff for your room.” Dot didn’t know it but Bradley had organised for just the two of them to spend the entire day together. Under the disguise of room decorating, the two of them were heading to the indoor play zone that was just out of this stratosphere cool—even Rooster was pretty pumped to get his flip on.

“Pancakes and paint—“ Dot nodded as she held her arms up and out as Bradley scooped her up, placing her on his hip, the hip that his sweats hung low off. Bradley didn’t know as they made their way out of his room and down the hall that there was a car parked across the street, just waiting to watch their every move.

“All for my perfect little princess.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~**

“Okay Little Miss, what pasta do we want?” Jake asked as he crouched down beside Dot in the pasta aisle of Ritchies Grocery Store. He held her close and tight as he kissed her cheek. “I’m thinking bow tie, how about you?” He looked towards the rows of pasta all lined up in their respective shapes. He couldn’t have been more tired if he tried. The bags under his eyes were darker than they ever had been.

“Mama likes sghetti—“ Dot beamed as she chuckled and leaned against Jake's chest as she lost her balance, falling into her uncle for support. “Can we do sghetti?” It was now Jake's turn to chuckle, like mother like damn daughter.

“Sure Dotty, we can do Spaghetti.” His knees cracked slightly as he rose to his feet again, red basket of groceries in one hand and Odette's sparkly nail clad hand in the other. “I think we got just about everything we need for dinner don’t you think?” It was Jake's night with Dot, they were growing few and far between now. Bradley was stepping into the role he was born to play with expert steps.

Jake would never let the guy know that he was proud of the dad Bradley Bradshaw had become over the last few months and even more so the last few weeks. He didn’t wanna give the guy an even bigger ego than he already had. He’d never live it down.

“Tooster likes the swirl pasta—“ Jake had almost reached for the packet of spaghetti when Dot spoke up, he froze in his place. “Is Tooster with mamma?”

“No baby, Toosters at work yelling at the Admirals for not keeping mama safe.” It had become a force of habit now. Jake cringed at himself for saying it but it just felt so natural. Tooster. “But he’s staying with mama tonight to help her get all pretty and ready to see you tomorrow.” Dot smiled, she’d missed you so much and over the past week she’d become overly clingy to the two men who had been tag teaming in and out of daddy duty. “So we want the swirls now huh? Is that where you’re going with this?” Jake looked to his left, the little girl who was just the spitting image of you was getting so big. Her third birthday had come and gone but they were all yet to celebrate.

You’d missed your daughter's third birthday. It was a rough day for everyone who came into contact with you to say the very least. But Bradley took her out on a date. Just the two of them. Which made your tears a little less painful.

“No, we still do sghetti.” Jake left it at that before the now three year old could change her mind. He grabbed the packet of pasta and dumped it in the basket full of spaghetti bolognese ingredients Jake Seresin and a three year old style.

“Alright, come on then let’s get home so we can get you in the bath.” Jake sighed as he started toward the checkout. When he rounded the corner, he nearly let out an audible gasp when he saw her. There she was in all her beauty.

Amilia Fisher—walking his way with a matching red shopping basket in her own little world.

“Woah, woah—“ Jake whispered as he ducked into the closet aisle, pulling Dot with him as she looked at him confused as to why he’d damn near ripped her arm out of its socket. “Dot, that's Amilia.” Jake had never asked a three year old for relationship advice on a relationship he wasn’t in—But he was about to. “What do I do?” He crouched on one knee and placed the basket down on the ground as he shook Dot gently to make sure he had her utmost attention. “Do I talk to her? Do I just ignore her? Or do we play it cool and run into her?”

“Well whatever you do, just don’t stay crouched on the floor holding that poor girl hostage.” Jake's heart nearly exploded out his ass as he jumped up and tried to act as cool as he could while Dot beamed up at Amilia. “Hi Odette, what’s Flyboy up to?” Amilia greeted the little girl before her by tussling her hair.

“He wikes you like my mamma like Tooster—“ Jake had never been thrown so hard under the bus before, he knew then and there Dot was two faced. What a little bi—

“Good thing I like him like your mama likes Tooster too.” Amilia smiled down at the little girl who turned to Jake who was now flushed red as ever as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He was usually pretty good at this stuff, talking to women, but when it came to Amilia though Jake defaulted back to a time where he didn’t know how to talk to girls.

Pre pubescent Jake.

“I uh—we’re making Spaghetti for dinner.” Was the first thing that came out of Jake's mouth as he scooped your daughter up onto his hip. “Snitches get stitches.” He whispered in her ear as she wiggled and squirmed. “What brings you here?” Fuck. Stupid question. Amilia looked down at her basket full of groceries before she looked back up at Jake.

“Pennys redoing the menu, said I could have a special—“ She shrugged a little. “Thought I’d do something like bangers and mash or a chicken parmi, throw a schooner on the side and call it a day—bring some Aussie culture to this gloryhole town.” Jake frowned momentarily as the slight insult. It washed down his back pretty quickly though. “Just wanted to do a test run of each first, needed some ingredients.”

There's a moment of silence between the time Amilia finished explaining why she was at the grocery store, something she thought was once pretty self explanatory—and the moment Jake finally managed to ask the all important question he’d been holding back on, too afraid of what the answer may be now that Amilia knew how chaotic his life was right now.

“I should probably leave you t—“

“Do you wanna go grab that coffee at Preston’s Pastries? Like tomorrow sometime?” Jake was praying he hadn’t left it too late, he’d been so caught up with you and everything going on that he hadn’t allowed himself the time to sit and wonder what his life post your apocalyptic crisis would look like.

But then he was looking at Amilia Fisher in the middle of an aisle at the grocery store and the thought dawned on him, he really really wanted whatever this was to work out in his favour.

Amilia did too. She bit her bottom lip momentarily to stop herself from squealing. Jake caught the glint in her eyes as they brightened to a new extreme. He was obsessed.

“I have work tomorrow at two but anytime before that is great.” Amilia nodded. “I’d uh—yeah I’d really like that.”

“Great, I’ll text you when I get it sorted. How about ten?” Jake crouched to pick up his basket of groceries as he held Dot on his hip. She was either getting too big for this or he needed to hit the gym more. Amilia looked at the little girl who was looking at her like she was a princess in real life. Something in Dot's eyes told Amilia that she was a special little girl to a lot of people.

“It’s a date.” Amilia left it at that before she turned on her heels. “Keep an eye on him for me, Odette.” She sent Jake a playful smirk over her shoulder before she disappeared—Jake hated to watch her leave but with the way Amilias ass looked in those tight blue jeans he loved to watch her go.

“God you and your mother are the same person I swear to god.” Jake groaned as he rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “What the hell was that for?” He asked as Dot grinned at him. Tucking her head down onto his shoulder.

Jake didn’t know it as he made his way over to the cashier that there was a man lurking in the distance over by the fresh produce—watching his every move. Waiting.

“Little snitch, my god.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***

“Are you asking for my personal opinion or my professional opinion, Sir?” Bradley asked as he sat across the table from the Secretary of Defense. All operations at Miramar had been suspended without a return to work date due to the ongoing internal investigation. Something like this hadn’t happened since the fall of the towers, when all air traffic was grounded. Military and civilian alike.

“Does it really make a difference, Lieutenant?” The Secretary of Defense asked as he looked at Jaidyn Dolans file. “One man has single handedly shut down an entire section of my Naval Operations and I need all the assistance I can get to have this place back up and running—until I get that the taxpayers are unknowingly paying you and your colleagues to sit on your asses twiddling your thumbs.” The Secretary of Defense sighed as he sat back in his chair, Rooster hadn’t taken his eyes off the man. “And I gotta say Lieutenant, I'm not the biggest fan of the fact we have no idea where the hell this guys gone, so—I’ll ask you again.” There was a brief pause, the atmosphere surrounding the few that sat in the conference room felt damn near heavy enough to drown even the strongest of swimmers. “Do you think that Admiral Simpson—“ Rooster didn’t need to hear the Secretary of Defense ask the same question twice.

“Lieutenant Y/L/N was nearly beaten to death in a janitor’s closet on base, she’s lying in a hospital bed with her jaw wired shut and can’t see her daughter who’s been crying in my arms nearly every night this week.” Bradley explained as he slammed his fist down on the table he sat at. “He came with the police to her room asking her to pick up the slack he dropped, so no—no I don’t think he should be able to to just pick up where he left off, because Fe can’t just pick up where she left off, Sir.”

It was a rough blow but Beau Simpson took it on the chin as he sat at the round table with Bradley Bradshaw, Pete Mitchell and the Secretary of fucking Defence.

“And another thing!” Rooster hissed as he stood and leaned over the table Cyones' way, pointing a finger laced with venom his way. “You had him, the police had him, everyone who could have done something to protect her from this had him! And you all failed her, every single chance you had and that’s on your shoulders.” It was clear to everyone in the room what opinion Bradley was giving. It was fucking personal. “She could have been another forgotten statistic and if someone doesn’t pull their thumb out and find this psychopath then she still very much could be and I will not be the only one who loses sleep over this woman and her daughter!”

“We’re using all of our resources to track Lieutenant Dolan down, Rooster.” Cyclone replied as Bradley sat back in his chair as steam poured out his ears. “But until Y/n presses charges—“

“She shouldn’t have to! you have the guy on tape beating her to death!” Bradley was tried, he hadn’t slept properly since you’d been in the hospital, the bags under his eyes were so dark that it looked like someone had punctured him in the face. “The Navy can have him reprimanded, the Navy can have him discharged for disorderly conduct, the Navy can charge him with assault and the Navy can—“ Before Rooster had a chance to tell the Secretary of Defense that the Navy could get stuffed, Mav was placing a hand on his shoulder and interrupting.

“I think what Roosters trying to say is that it shouldn’t be Felix’s responsibility to put her attacker behind bars—“ Mav smiled across the table at the Secretary of Defense, they’d never been on good terms, something about a run in a long time ago with his daughter. Mav didn’t know who she was until he was being shipped off to Bosnia. “At least until she’s ready to.”

“We hear your concerns, Lieutenant Bradshaw, we do, and be sure that we’re doing everything we can to get operations back up and running.” It was never about your safety or making sure you were doing okay, it was only ever about getting Mirimar back in business. “We’re in the process of checking over all the F-18’s on base that Felix may have come into contact with, we’re rewatching footage and actively reviewing policies that could be changed to prevent situations like this from happening again.”

“Sounds like you’ve got her under investigation too?” Bradley frowned, he was met with silence from the Secretary of Defense. His name was Allen Locke. “Hang on a minute—“ The room went silent as Allen squared his shoulders, the relisation had suddenly hit that not only was Admiral Simpson under investigation amidst the internal review, but so were you. “Why would Y/n be under investigation in all of this?”

“We can’t disclose that information.”

“Bullshit you can't, that's the love of my life and you’re telling me she’s under investigation after she was almost killed!?”

“If she’s the love of your life Lieutenant than I suggest that you file the proper paperwork to disclose whatever relationship you’ve been involved in—“ Allen, who had seen his fair share of combat over the years and had been involved with far more riveting investigations was growing impatient with the distressed man before him.

Bradley couldn’t take talking to a brick wall any longer, he had to trust that Mav would be his proxy in all of this because he couldn’t do it. Not today at least. Rooster scoffed as he stood, he needed to get outta this place, get out of this conference room with these guys who didn’t care about your wellbeing or that of your daughters. All they cared about was getting guys back in planes and feet on the ground and eyes in the towers and hands on the decks.

“For the record I filed that crap with Lucy in admin weeks ago—just find the bastard before I do.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***

You were going stir crazy. For one whole week you’d been stuck in the god forsaken hospital and more specifically this god forsaken hospital room.

Not once had you seen your daughter outside of the pictures and video updates Bradley and Jake had been sending you or would show you when they came to be with you. You appreciated what they were doing—the sentiment behind keeping you and your daughter separated was justifying enough. You did look like shit. But it didn’t make the heartache hurt any less than it did. And the cracks in your sanity were starting to show. Your daughter was your glue, your lifeline, without her you were starting to crumble.

And you’d missed your little girl turning three. Three years ago you, two days ago, you welcomed your little girl into the world. As you slowly but surely made your way over to the door of your hospital room, you remembered that pain, what it was like to deliver your baby girl all the while Jake held your hand and whispered how powerful and strong you were.

The coast was clear as far as you could tell as you looked around your room, you thought Rhett had gone to the bathroom so there was not a better chance to take yourself for a leisurely stroll down the hall and past the nurses station. You could make a break for it.

As you opened the door of your hospital room, Rhett Abbott stood in the doorway sipping a fresh cup of coffee. Smirking as he raised an eyebrow at you.

“Going somewhere?” He taunted softly as he stepped back into your room, watching as you damn near jumped right out of your skin and the clothes on your back.

“Ah!” You gasped and opened your jaw just a little too much than you should have—the doctor had only just taken some of the wiring out and replaced it with something less ridged. Something super tough like rubber bands. “Rhett! Fuck what are you doing! You gave me a heart attack!”

“I went to grab a coffee while you were sleeping.” He explained. “Just what are you doing exactly?” He asked, waiting for you to explain yourself. He already knew what you were up to though. “The doors unlocked sweetheart always has been, but I’ll bet you a twenty you don’t even make it past the nurses station.” Rhett knew how much you missed your daughter, but what he didn’t get was what was going through your mind that you thought you could just up and leave the hospital without causing a scene.

“I don’t need lip from you, son of Satan—“ You mumbled as you pointed and crossed your arms over your chest. “That hat makes you look stupid too.”

“Oh good, I’ll tell my ma that shall I?” Rhett groaned as he sat back in the chair he’d practically been living in for the last week besides the times he went over to Bobs to shower and shave and sleep in peace without having to listen to you cry yourself to sleep. “She’s the one who picked it out for me.”

“Yeah, go cry to your ma about how I called your hat stupid.” You were being childish, but what else could Rhett expect from you when you’d been kept in this hospital room for a week. You were itching to get out.

“I don’t like your attitude this afternoon.” Rhett sassed as he watched you sink into your bed again, grumbling under your breath as you did so. “We’re all doing our best.”

“Yeah well I don’t like your dumb face.”

“You’re certifiable, you know that right?” Rhett did understand what you had against him, then again—he could see how you saw him as some sort of warden. He wasn’t the one who put you in the hospital though. He was just the one who’d been tasked to keep you company and keep you face when Jake and Bradley couldn’t. “I’ve dated a lot of crazy chicks in my life but you're goddamn certifiable.”

“God must hate me for putting me in this purgatory hell scape with you.” You sighed as you looked up to the ceiling and shook your head in disbelief.

“All religions is just a foolish answer to a foolish question—“ Rhett replied as he finished his coffee, watching as Bradley entered with a subtle knock and an all knowing smirk. “Ah good, my shifts over.” He groaned as he stood, tilting his stupid hat his ma gave him your way as you squinted your eyes at him. Dick. “She only tried to do a runner like twice today, needs a leash or something.” You could have strangled him if Rooster hadn’t placed a gentle hand on your good shoulder.

“Down girl, he’s on our side believe it or not.” You and Rhett had spent a lot of time together in the past week. He listened to you cry yourself to sleep and he’d listen in while doctors explained your condition and told you what you had to endure in order to heal. He reluctantly became an ear for you to vent to and a shoulder for you to lean on when you needed help. Even if you didn’t want to lean on him.

But he wasn’t your friend. He was still a stranger in his own way. You knew he didn’t like you—or he didn’t like being stuck with you. But for some reason he stayed, and he listened and he helped and he told Bradley and Jake what you weren’t telling them. That you weren’t okay. Rhett was your punching bag, and he took it with ease knowing that at the end of the tunnel you’d smile and he’d feel like he did something of import.

“You heading out?” Rooster asked the flannel wearing man who turned on his heels to send you a quick smile.

“Yeah, thought I’d head over to Rob's place for a shit, shower and shave.” You cringed as you sat up, holding your stomach where your spleen had been removed. It was still tender but you could walk.

“Nice Rhett, really nice.” He laughed softly, turning his attention back to Rooster.

““I’ll be back tomorrow morning to see the big reunion, Seeya round.” With that Rhett headed out—he’d sit in the carpark for another half an hour debating if he really wanted to head over to Rob's place. He liked bickering with you a hell of a lot more than he did with his brother. But he was pretty glad he did end up biting the bullet—because he met Natasha Trance. And by god was she as beautiful as ever.

“Hey there gorgeous.” Rooster cooed as he perched on your bedside. “How's your day been? How are you feeling?” Bradley already knew, Rhett had messaged him just after check in with the nurses, he knew that you were in a lot of pain since they changed out your wires for bands.

“I’m fine, feeling great, just tired.” Rooster knew you wanted to be strong for him, you didn’t want him to feel like you were some damsel. You wanted to give him no reason to push back seeing your little girl tomorrow. You’d waited long enough. “You gonna help me shower? I feel like crap.”

“Oh absolutely I am.” Rooster smirked as he placed a gentle kiss to your cheek. The bruises were at a stage where you could attempt to cover them with some makeup. “I brought you some new shampoo and conditioner, picked up one of the tree hut scrubs and a new razor too. We’re doing one of those—“ He paused, clicking his fingers together. “Ahh fuck what do you call them?”

“An everything shower?” You smiled, so grateful to have Rooster by your side. He was doing his best to keep you safe and warm and feeling loved. You could recover from this, you were strong enough to do it on your own but there was no shame in having help.

“Yes! That, we’re gonna have an everything shower.” Bradley stood as he picked up the bag he’d brought with him. “I’ve got a couple of changes of clothes for you, your makeup, I even packed your straightener but I can’t promise I won’t burn the tips of your ears off.”

You just watched as Bradley unpacked everything he’d brought over, meticulously organizing things around the room from pictures Dot had drawn you to the clothes he’d brought over to replace the ones you’d worn into the ground. You couldn’t have been more in love with someone if you tried.

“Hey Bradshaw.” You smiled, as you flung your legs over the side of your bed.

“Yeah Fe?” He called out from the bathroom that was off to the side of your hospital room, it wasn’t much but it was enough— a shower with a toilet and a sink to match. Bradley saw it as a good time to set all your new products on the shower caddy, for when you were ready to shower.

“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.” There’s no reply but you hear a clammer of products fall to the floor. “Rooster? You okay in there?” You asked softly as you pushed yourself off the hospital bed before you padded over to where Bradley was picking up the things he’d dropped. “Hey, you good?”

You didn’t know how to react when you saw Bradley Bradshaw down on one knee. No. He wasn’t. Was he?

“I’ve been in love with you since I first met you baby.” He finally replied as he pulled out a ring from his back pocket. “This was my mums engagement ring—“

“Bradley—“ You tried to interpret him as your voice shook, but all Bradley did was stand and press his lips to yours as softly as he could. He didn’t want to hurt you.

“I’m not asking you to marry me here.” Oh thank goodness you thought as he let his forehead rest against yours. “But just know, it has gone everywhere with me since the beginning of you and me and I will ask you, someday, soon, because I don’t want to spend a day of my life without you, and your mini me at my side.”

“Well for the record—“ You tried to smile the best you could without busting your jaw. Still talking through the teeth. “I’d say yes.”

“You would?” Bradley raised an eyebrow as you looked at him tauntingly.

You grew up poor. Poor of everything really. Money, food, friends, family, love. Sometimes you’d go days on end without eating until Jake would realise and pack you an extra sandwich. But now? With Bradley Bradshaw you were drowning in a sea of love and compassion and support and trust. He was your soulmate. Your guiding light.

You were rich in a wealth that was priceless.

“Yeah—I’d marry the shit out of you.” You teased as you slowly but surely dragged your open hand down his T-shirt clad torso. Sinking lower and lower until you were softly palming him over the top of his jeans.

“Ohh—“ It came out as a mere whimper that sent butterflies flying throughout your stomach. Even after everything you still wanted Bradley, and badly. “Oh honey I’d marry to fuck outta you.”

“I think I’m ready for a shower.” You nearly moaned as you felt Rooster growing under your palm. Straining against the confines of his jeans. “Will you help me undress Roo?” Like an eager child on Christmas morning Bradley swallowed and nodded in agreeable to your request.

“Yeah, yeah I’ll help you undress mama.” He knew he couldn’t do anything, he didn’t wanna risk hurting your jaw anymore than he knew it was already hurting. Or your shoulder. But he’d play your game, he’d let you tease and taunt him, he’d let you jerk him off under the stream of warm water that fell from the shower head above. He’d let you slowly work him over and he’d allow you to dance in the sound of his soft needy whimpers. Bradley would do anything to bring you back to life. And if having you milk him dry before he washed your hair and shaved your legs was that sacrifice?

Then that was just the sacrifice he was willing to make.

“Oh fuck mama.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

Later that same night as Jake had just settled Dot into bed, he had an eerie feeling that he couldn’t quite shake. He put it down to the fact that Dot was sleeping in his room—the room the two of you had once been crammed into was now empty. The only thing that remained was the spare bed Jake had in there before you’d showed up on his doorstep.

With Odette full of spaghetti and clean as a whistle, it was Jake's turn to wind down. A glass of whiskey and an episode of Lost seemed like a good pair.

“I still don’t understand what’s happening besides they crashed on an island?” Jake chuckled as he held his phone up to his ear. Amilia stood in Payback’s kitchen still trying to get the two dishes she wanted to make a special at the Hard Deck right.

“I’ve watched that show twice through now, trust me Flyboy it gets better.” Jake loved that nickname. Flyboy. If anyone else tried to call him that in a condescending tone the same way Amilia did he’d punch them straight in their throat. But Amilia was Amilia. “Just trust me on this one, you’ll be hooked.”

“Are we still good for brunch tomorrow? Ten, at Prestons?” As Jake asked Amilia if she was still all in, the power cut out, leaving him alone in the dark of his living room with just his phone torch to guide him.

“Yeah I’m good—“ Jake could practically hear the smile on her face.

“Did you guys just lose power?” Jake asked as he padded out of the garage to check the fuse box, he’d never had an issue with his electrical system since moving in.

“No—we’re fine here? Why did you?” There was a pit forming in Amilias stomach, a bad feeling had crept itself up her spine as she turned to lean on the counter. Listening intently. There was a frown prominent upon her face, she didn’t like this, not one bit. They were on the same block.

“Yeah just now, hang on for a second I’m gonna put you on speaker while I use my flashlight.” Jake was pretty convinced he had just blown a fuse somehow, he grew up in an old Texan homestead that had dodgy wiring from decades past. He knew a thing or two about amateur hour electrical circuits. “You there?” Jake cooed as he looked around at the fuses, nothing seemed to be out of place.

All except for one that had been flipped off.

“Yeah I’m here, everything good?” Just as Jake went to flip the breaker back on, he went down with a groan. A shape pain radiated across the back of his head as he dropped his phone and fell to the ground unconscious. “Jake?” Amilia gasped on the other line. “Jake are you there? This isn’t funny—“ Again, there was no reply.

But there was blood pooling out of the back of Jake's head from the two by four he’d been struck with so unexpectedly. It was a free pass into his home, up to where his favourite little girl was sleeping.

Amilia's heart sank into her stomach at what she heard next. Jake's phone had skimmed under the toolbox, out of sight out of mind.

“Sorry, Seresin—“ Jaidyn chuckled as he couched to wave a hand in front of Jake's unconscious face. “But that was fucking personal.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~****~***~

Tags: @a-serene-place-to-be @lilyevanswhore @thescarletknight2014 @blindedbythelightt @averyhotchner @emma8895eb @blairfox04 @caitsymichelle13 @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @teacupsandtopgun @aemondssiut @feltonswifesworld87 @akalei349 @notjustsomeblonde @americaarse @avaleineandafryingpan @phoenix1388 @xoxabs88xox @je-suis-prest-rachel @pono-pura-vida @rosiahills22 @starset21 @anarchyrising @caidi-paris @starkleila @criticalroleobssedperson @enchantingdreamergothprune @flrboyd @emma8895eb @endofdays56

#terms of endearment// bradley bradshaw #terms of endearment// jake seresin #rooster bradshaw #bradleybradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw #bradley x reader #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin x reader #rhett abbott fanfiction

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sparksinthenight · 3 months

Text

Have a Heart Day 2024

This is a letter I wrote to the Canadian Government for Have a Heart Day 2024. I am asking the government to stop discriminating against First Nations children, to stop giving them inadequate services, education, and support, to stop treating them unequally compared to non-Indigenous children, and to stop taking them away from their loving families. I really hope that you read my letter and that you either copy paste it or write your own, and email the Canadian government yourself.

Hello. Our names are ____ and we are people from various parts of so-called Canada. We are writing to you to ask that you ensure the government stops discriminating against First Nations children, by signing a Final Settlement Agreement on Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle on Reform, and by following the Spirit Bear Plan and enshrining it into law.

First Nations children and families on reserves are being discriminated against in many ways. Most communities do not receive the same amount of and access to social services that non-Indigenous people receive. Most communities do not receive as good quality social services as non-Indigenous people. While there has been progress, Jordan's Principle, which is about meeting children's needs, is still not being properly applied. Most children don't have access to an equal quality of education as children off reserves, and many children receive very inadequate education services. And, very horrifyingly, children are being separated from families who love them and want to take care of them. This all needs to stop. We need to make, follow, and enforce laws that stop this discrimination.

First of all, let's talk about the fact that social services are inadequate on most reserves. As you know, the federal government funds services on reserves that the provincial or municipal governments fund elsewhere. The government generally funds services on reserves far less than services are funded off reserves. These include education, water infrastructure, housing, financial assistance, transportation, basic infrastructure, utilities, healthcare, mental healthcare, addiction support, job training, childcare, youth programs, cultural programs, recreation programs, libraries, child welfare, and more. These services are human rights and should be well-funded for everyone. It's not fair that non-Indigenous people have better services to better meet more of their fundamental human rights and basic needs while people on reserves don't.

The fact that people don't have access to the services they need is part of why there are high levels of poverty on reserves. Ongoing and historical racism, trauma, and discrimination have caused a lot of people on reserves to be poor. And this lack of services is part of that discrimination that is causing people to be poor. If people had the healthcare, education, housing, childcare, mental healthcare, addiction support, cultural support, job training, basic food and water, disability support, and other things they needed, they would be able to have the peace of mind, mental strength, knowledge, support, and resources necessary to pull themselves and their communities out of poverty. Also, since there is so much poverty on reserves, these communities need even more services to help meet their basic needs and human rights.

Services delivered need to be good and effective for the communities they are delivered in. This means that services need to meet each community's different needs. Because each community has different needs due to different connectivity to the outside world, poverty levels, local prices, etc. Service providers need to first see what services people need and how to best deliver them, then work out how much money is needed. Money should be the last thing considered. What each person, family, and community needs should be the first thing considered. And of course, services must all be culturally sensitive and relevant.

And part of why services are so low quality, as well as part of why so much discrimination and cruelty happens, is because Indigenous Services Canada has biases in its systems and people, and must be reformed. Indigenous Services Canada doesn't listen to experts about what communities need and how things should be done. They don't try to do their actual job, which is ensuring good services are provided to Indigenous people. They need to be reformed and communities need to lead their own service provision.

The Spirit Bear plan must be properly implemented and properly followed. It must be enshrined in law and the law must be completely enforced. The Spirit Bear Plan is the following:

"Spirit Bear calls on:

CANADA to immediately comply with all rulings by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordering it to immediately cease its discriminatory funding of First Nations child and family services. The order further requires Canada to fully and properly implement Jordan's Principle (www.jordansprinciple.ca).

PARLIAMENT to ask the Parliamentary Budget Officer to publicly cost out the shortfalls in all federally funded public services provided to First Nations children, youth and families (education, health, water, child welfare, etc.) and propose solutions to fix it.

GOVERNMENT to consult with First Nations to co-create a holistic Spirit Bear Plan to end all of the inequalities (with dates and confirmed investments) in a short period of time sensitive to children's best interests, development and distinct community needs.

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS providing services to First Nations children and families to undergo a thorough and independent 360° evaluation to identify any ongoing discriminatory ideologies, policies or practices and address them. These evaluation must be publicly available.

ALL PUBLIC SERVANTS including those at a senior level, to receive mandatory training to identify and address government ideology, policies and practices that fetter the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action." This information is from the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.

Another huge factor contributing to the inequality faced by many First Nations children is the fact that Jordan's Principle isn't being properly implemented.

The federal government, not the provincial government, typically pays for the services on reserves. But many times disputes arise about who should pay for a service, and the children don't get the services non-Indigenous children would get as a matter of course. Jordan's Principle is named after Jordan River Anderson, a young disabled boy from Norway House Cree Nation who passed away in the hospital after the provincial government and the federal government couldn't decide which one should pay the costs of his healthcare. The Principle states that if a First Nations child needs something for their well-being, they need to be given that service first and payment disputes should get addressed later. This includes medical, psychological, educational, cultural, disability, and basic needs support. Non-Indigenous children get these supports without having to ask because they have access to many more and better services. These supports are human rights that everyone deserves, especially children going through generational and contemporary trauma.

Jordan's Principle is not being properly implemented, and this is hurting kids. Though there has been much progress, Jordan's Principle requests, which are for things children need, are often denied, which goes against children's rights. Indigenous Services Canada, which runs the Jordan's Principle approval process, doesn't have an adequate complaints mechanism to hold to account its provision of the Principle. The government isn't making data available on whether they're meeting children's needs. Many children have delays in getting help, including time-sensitive medical, psychological, educational, and development help.

The application process, though easier than before, is still difficult and many families don't have adequate help and guidance through it. As well, most doctors don't know which children are eligible for Jordan's Principle supports, 40% don't know which services are covered, and ⅓ don't know how to access funding through it.

Long term reform is needed. An Agreement in Principle on long term reform has been drafted by the government and First Nations advocates, and it looks promising. It talks about increasing funding for Jordan's Principle services and trying to root out prejudice in the system. But the Agreement in Principle is not legally binding. It's not something the government has to follow, or is following, but rather what they claim they might do eventually. Negotiations for the creation of a Final Settlement Agreement based on the Agreement in Principle were underway but have been on standstill for months. A Final Settlement Agreement would be legally binding and would if done right increase the chances of achieving change.

The school system is also horribly unfair. Many First Nations schools on reserves get less funding than schools off reserve, with an average of 30% less funding per school. They don't have adequate funding for computers, software, technology, sports equipment, field trips, labs, lab equipment, extracurriculars, cultural learning, job training, and the list goes on. They don't even have enough money to have adequate heating, good quality infrastructure, adequate and safe ventilation, enough textbooks, and reasonable class sizes. Many schools don't have a safe and appropriate learning environment. All children, including First Nations children, deserve good education.

There is no clear plan to eliminate education and employment gaps.

The government claims it's negotiating with Indigenous groups but there's no evidence that they're actually doing anything to lower inequality. They also claim that they're funding education on reserves equally but all the evidence says they're not. You need to actually, genuinely fund education on reserves adequately and equitably, and make sure that children on reserves are actually receiving a good and equal and equitable quality of education.

A lot of communities don't have self-determination over their own education systems, meaning they can't teach about the history of their people and other important cultural knowledge. First Nations children need and deserve to learn about their culture, about the ecosystems their people are connected to and how to interact with those ecosystems, their history, their language, their traditions. And if communities have self-determination over their own education systems, and they have adequate resources and funding from the government, they'll be able to teach these things so that children grow up proud of who they are.

And what is perhaps the most horrible thing is that so many children are being separated from families who love them. This is the most traumatic thing that can happen to a child, and all children deserve and need to be with the families who love them.

At the height of residential schools, many children were separated from their families. Currently, 3 times as many children are in foster care, away from their families. One tenth of First Nations children have been in foster care. Children in foster care experience higher rates of physical and sexual abuse and do not get as much cultural immersion. Not to mention, even in the best circumstances, they're away from their families.

Most Indigenous children in foster care have loving families that try their best to take care of them, who they want and need deeply. But their families are poor or mentally ill or disabled, or have other factors that make it hard for them to meet their children's needs. Preventative support like financial, housing, health, and mental health aid could keep many families together. If child and family service agencies have the resources and the empathy to help families with what they need so that families stay together, that would be a great relief. Child and family service agencies need adequate money, infrastructure, and personnel to give families real help instead of taking children away. Most agencies do not have these. Programs that help the wider community such as healthcare, financial aid, housing services, mental healthcare, parenting classes, food support, community programs, youth programs, cultural programs, pregnancy support, and others would greatly decrease the number of children taken from their homes. Most communities do not have adequate levels of these programs.

Child and family service agencies need to be completely reformed, and should be led by First Nations communities themselves. Most child and family service agencies are not. This is especially important since there is bias against First Nations people in many agencies. Some communities are getting the opportunities to start their own child and family service agencies, but most communities do not have this opportunity. Canada needs binding laws to ensure child and family service agencies are led by First Nations communities and are based in the unique culture of each community, which they often aren't. Each community has unique needs depending on local prices, remoteness, poverty levels, and other factors. The way child and family services should be funded is by first seeing what services the children truly need, then seeing how to best deliver them, then determining how much money will be needed.

There is a promising Agreement in Principle on Reform, created by the government and First Nations advocates. It discusses increasing funding for child welfare services and trying to root out prejudice in the system. However this is not a legally binding agreement that the government has to follow. It's just something that they claim they'll maybe do in the future. A Final Settlement Agreement based on the Agreement in Principle would be legally binding. It would, if done right, enact more funding and reform. But negotiations for this have been on pause for months. Canada needs to implement evidence-based solutions to keep kids with their families. This means creating a legally binding and well-enforced Final Settlement Agreement on Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle on Reform.

Some communities are trying a new funding model for child and family services that may give more funding, allowing them to do more preventative services instead of taking children away. However, the results of this new funding model are not clear yet, and most communities do not have the opportunity to be funded by it. And there is no guarantee that the new funding model will be applied to all communities if it indeed does work. There is no guarantee that enough funding for prevention services will be given to all communities, whether or not the new funding model works.

The government often promises to create reform or adequately fund things, but they don't follow through on those promises. If the government does make progress, safeguards need to be in place to stop them from backsliding.

So here are our asks for you:

-Implement the Spirit Bear plan and adequately fund all social services on reserves.

-Make sure all services are available de facto just like they are off reserve.

-Fund cultural services and make sure all services are culturally-rooted.

-Eliminate all discrimination and bias in service providers.

-Listen to experts such as doctors and teachers, the community, and community-led service providers.

-Allow and help First Nations communities to lead their own social services rooted in their own cultural values.

-Keep funding flexible and adaptable to changing needs.

-Have adequate accountability measures for all service providers.

-Make a binding law to adequately fund all social services and have communities lead social service provision.

-Create a binding law to ensure that once you start adequately funding social services you don't stop.

-In a reasonable timeframe, reach a Final Settlement Agreement on Long-Term Reform that meets and goes beyond the Agreement in Principle.

-Make sure all Jordan's Principle requests in the best interests of children are accepted.

-Give presumptive approval for Jordan's Principle requests under $250.

-Support organizations and communities already providing Jordan's Principle services.

-Accept urgent requests within 12 hours and non urgent requests within 48 hours.

-Don't require more than one document from a professional or elder for making requests.

-Make data available on Jordan's Principle provision effectiveness.

-Make sure all supports are given in a timely manner without delays.

-Make it easy and convenient for families and professionals to make Jordan's Principle requests.

-Fund schools on reserves as much as schools off reserve. This includes funding for computers, libraries, software, teacher training, special education, education research, language programs, cultural programs, mental health support, support for kids with special needs, extracurriculars, ventilation, heating, mold removal, vocation training for students, and more.

-Make sure all schools have the resources, funding, and support necessary to teach culture.

-Make a clear joint strategy to eliminate the education and employment gap.

-Make sure all school staff are non-discriminatory.

-Make sure communities have self-determination to create culturally rooted education.

-Adequately fund child and family services on reserves, and make sure they can hire enough people and have good infrastructure.

-Stop discrimination within child and family service agencies.

-Allow and help all First Nations communities to lead and run their own child and family service agencies that are based on their cultural values.

-Enact evidence based solutions to keep families together.

-Don't take children from families that love them.

-Have and fund adequate preventative services so families can take care of their children and no child is taken away.

-Keep funding for child and family services flexible and responsive to each community's needs, and listen to communities to learn what their needs are.

-Have adequate accountability in child and family services so that any underfunding, discrimination, or failure is stopped and remedied.

-Family support needs to start at or even before pregnancy.

-Fund culturally-based healing of people who have been harmed and are being harmed by the government's discrimination.

———

Find your MP here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/en/members

justin.trudeau(at)parl.gc.ca- Prime Minister Trudeau

chrystia.freeland(at)parl.gc.ca- Deputy Prime Minister Freeland

patty.hajdu(at)parl.gc.ca- Minister of Indigenous Services

gary.anand(at)parl.gc.ca - Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

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