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equallyshaw · 6 months

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nova scotia princess | nico Hischier

nico hischier x oc marchand

warnings: swearing, mostly fluff and some sweet moments between her and her siblings.

word count: 4.3k

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marie celine marchand had been in new york for the past year, much to brad's dismay. he hadn't seen her since christmas, and was shocked to see her at his doorstep up north. it was now july during the off season, and marie had decided to head on up to nova scotia, for her birthday no less.

◦

the youngest of the five, she could not have been more different from the rest. she never engaged in hockey (i know! a sin!) never took any inkling towards skating or snow sports, but instead towards soccer, her first love. she was enamored with it and it took her to faraway places with team canada and for her college years at the university of stanford. she had a very hard time leaving california but knew it was best to start fresh, and it just so happened that she loved new york. at the time, it was only a 40 minute drive to her long time childhood friend, ryan graves before he was traded to the pittsburgh penguins. the day he was traded, he gave her a phone call and she was completely gutted. yet she understood the business side of the league, though brad had gotten the better part of it his entire career. after he was traded, she hadn't thought about the new jersey devils as the season rolled around. she no longer had something tying her to them, so she moved on and supported her friend's ryan and sidney on the pens from afar. it wasn't until she found her self in upper manhattan meeting up with some girls from work at a little known and upscale restaurant, that she had saw some of the people she'd grown close to over ryan's stint with the team. she walked past them towards her table, most certainly garnering some looks once they heard the familiar name of marie celine from the group of girls. she got a text from a few of them night, restarting the snapchat groupchat she had had with some of the younglings. most notably, hughes', nico and dawson. she rolled her eyes as messages flowed in that evening as the girls took some wine back to the girl's apartment.

that evening all of the caught up with one another, and then she received a text from nico askin if they wanted to get some coffee for old times sake. what did she have to lose? and so it began than, secret dates and then group dates with the team, spending weekends at a time with nico at his place getting up to whatever came about. throughout all of it, she kept it a secret from everybody besides her older sister rebecca; nobody needed to know. at least not yet.

◦

marie walked up to the front door of brad's lake house and she mentally prepared herself for the all the pestering and bombarding that would happen once she'd set a foot in the house. she pulled out the key he had given her the year he finished building it, and she quickly made work with the lock and pushed open the tall door. "brad! im home!!" she called out, smirking to herself as she heard dogs running towards her and footsteps. she looked up to see brad with wide eyes and then his famous smile. she took her hand off of her small suitcase, and met him halfway for a hug. "who's here?" "who's that?" "if its jr im gonna cry" and that made marine giggle, already knowing it was ryan. "you good?" brad questioned pulling away just a bit and she nodded, "yep! are you? you forgot to invite me for my birthday!" she said faking a pout. "kat!" he called for his wife and marie slapped his arm, "don't go blaming it on your wife you hooligan!" marie said as katrina walked in and she squeled. "i thought you were going to sw-" and then katrina cut herself off. brad looked at his wife then to marie and then they were both gone and off towards the kitchen. "we have a surprise guest!" katrina called out towards the open back door and a group of heads turned towards her. she saw her siblings, ryan, sid, nate, patrice b, pasta, their partners, a few childhood friends of the siblings and a few aunts/uncles. "damn got the whole fam i see..." she whispered to kat who giggled. "uh yeah you could say that." she said looking down at the girl as some of the guys came to say hi. "hi guys." she said looking at some of the nova scotia greats as ryan rested his arm on the brunettes head. she looked up giving him a playful dirty glare, "ah hem." she said garnering a few laughs. "well if you'll excuse me-" she paused pushing ryan's arm off of her head, "ill be down soon, i need to do a few things." she said smiling at everybody before she was off towards a guest room that was designated hers.

she sat down on the edge of the bed as she put her head in her hands, cursing the world. her phone buzzing like no tomorrow with texts from nico, the hughes brothers and dawson. she had been dodging their texts and calls after (what she thought) was nico cheating on her. they were on facetime a week ago and she could have sworn she heard somebody in the background as she heard a muffled voice and nico look in front of him one night. so when she didn't show up to the airport in switzerland the day before, nico was freaking out. which in turn freaked the other boys out. she heard a soft knock on her door, and she looked up to see ryan. she sniffled, wiping her tears as he stepped in and shut the door behind him.

she broke down even more, and ryan quickly sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. he had no idea why his best friend was hurting, yet he kept quiet until her sobs became softer. "mc....whats going on?" he asked as he pulled back just a bit to look at her, her cheeks stained with redness and moisture. she sniffled, "he-he's cheating on me." she said and ryan knew exactly who she as referring to, besides her sister she ofcourse told him. they were two peas in a pod, through thick and thin. ryan sighed, growing heated with anger. "and they wont stop texting me...they are worried as to why i didn't make it to switzerland but i don't wanna talk to them." she said pushing her head into his chest. ryan kissed her head, trying to calm himself. she needed her best friend, he'd take care of nico later.

◦

the next morning ryan left the marchand house early to get some coffee for him and marie. the two hadn't left her room all day. she was too much in state of disbelief, shock, and grief as she explained to nico what had happened. as soon as he was turning onto the main strip her called nico up, ready to tear him a new one. nico picked up on the fourth ring unsure as to why he was calling, "wanna fucking explain to me hischier why the fuck you cheated on the very best thing that has ever happened to you and our universe huh? why you decided to hurt the very brightest light? you are so in for it hischier, you have no idea. you have a whole league about to give you hell." ryan spat breathing rapidly. nico was at a loss for words over in switzerland. "what?" he croaked in confusion and exhaustion. since marie hadn't been responding to anybody's calls or messages, he hadn't slept. too sick with fear and anxiety. "she caught you with a girl nico, on facetime. are you seriously that daft?" ryan growled. nico thought back to their last facetime and he went through the events of it. he'd been sitting up in bed shirtless, around 11:30 his time, he was just about to go to bed after finishing his sleep tea and he then realized. she had heard his sister in the background, as she had come to visit him and the two had just gotten done playing a round of Mario kart. "christ- didn't cheat. promise." he said standing up now and looking at flights to new york. "who was it then nico?" ryan questioned, "my sister. can get flight to new york today." he said and ryan chuckled, "yeah no she ain't there." ryan said turning into the drive through, " if you're gonna make things right, you gotta come to scotia." ryan stated.

ryan walked back into the house with his, brad's, kat's and marie's coffee with a few breakfast sandwiches. "wanna tell me why marie is crying on the dock?" sidney said as soon as ryan walked into the kitchen. "wait what?" ryan asked setting everything down before looking towards the dock, and now seeing nate making his way down it. ryan sighed, "misunderstanding." he simply stated taking the coffees out of the tray. "misunderstanding, huh? is that why you two were locked in her room all evening?" sidney asked sipping his hot coffee. ryan sighed again, "she thought her boy-boyfriend cheated on her." was all ryan stated sipping some coffee. "boyfriend?" sidney questioned, eyes going wide. "does brad know?" he questioned, and ryan scoffed. "like he need to know every little thing in her life." and sidney wouldn't buy it. "no no, you have to tell him! or at least get her too." sidney said with authority, and ryan rolled his eyes. "sid, she doesn't want him to know at least not yet." ryan said watching nate and marie interact. nate had his arm around the brunette, as she sobbed into his shoulder. "you know we all look at her like a sister, please do the right thing. we only want the best for her and that only happens if brad knows, and you know that." sidney said before taking his cup of coffee and heading out to nate and marie. ryan groaned as kat walked in with the young kiddos. "ou! mommy juice, thankyou ry." kat said thanking the defenceman. she saw the look in his eyes, and then she look towards the crowded dock. "oh no." kat said, "oh no? whats up?" brad said walking in rubbing his eye. he paused as he saw the three of them outside, huddled together, "whats going on?" brad asked now walking in front of ryan. "uh-" "spit it out graves." brad demanded and ryan hummed. "she thought her- her boyfriend cheated on her. but it was a misunderstanding." he stated and brad was angry. "boyfriend?! what do you mean misunderstanding graves? spill it!" he said as kat took the kids outside. "she thought her boyfriend of 10 months cheated on her but it was only his sister that she heard. i just got off the phone with the dude so its been all cleared away, i just hadn't had the chance to tell her." and then he said softer, "and tell you he's coming here." ryan said not meeting his best friends eye sight. "here? are you mad ryan! who is this so i can knock some sense into him?" brad demanded and ryan was in for it. he was cornered, there was no getting out of this. "i cant say brad, only marie can." ryan said defeatedly and brad rolled his eyes. "so you're saying that you really arent her boyfriend?" and ryan now met his eye sight in shock. "you're telling me that you two haven't been together at least at some point?" he said and ryan laughed. "oh god no, shes my sister brad. you know she hates me half the time, for good reasons but no. i couldn't ever go down that path and there has never been a moment ever for me to. ew gross." ryan said and brad sighed. "always thought it was you two against the world... man i gotta pay up." he said amusedly. "pay up?" ryan said cocking an eyebrow. "a long running bet with patrice." and now it was ryans turn to laugh. the nova scotia princess was never his and would never be.

on the dock, marie thanked nate for listening to her ramble and cry into his shoulder before sidney sat down. nate rubbed her upper back, trying to comfort the girl. sidney sat down and offered her some kind words, and she thanked him. "i just don't know what was not good enough for him? what did i do wrong?" she said looking off into the clear lake. sid and nate looked at one another, silently trying to get the other speak up. "nothing sunshine, nothing. its all him." sid said trying to reassure the young girl he'd seen as a little sister since the day she was born. him and brad had been in practice together when they got the call from brad's dad, urging the boys to head down to the hospital with sid's dad. the moment he had seen the young girl was how he felt when his sister was born, he'd protect and be there for her through everything. "how about a boat day?" nate offered up and marie smiled. she could never and would never pass up a boat day.

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it was around 10:30 pm and the original group that had been there when she'd shown up was back at the house, with all the kids passed out as they sat around talking, drinking and now making smores. ryan had been looking a this phone for the past two hours waiting to heard from nico, but nothing had come in since he had landed and was about to go through customs. marie had been having a great evening, her favorite people all in one place once again. celebrating her birthday that evening, and now talking like old times. ryan and marie sat with one another, cuddling up to stay warm now that a chill had set in. "dude, put your phone down for the princess' birthday." brad said annoyed that ryan and been on his phone for the better half of two hours. marie glared at brad, "its alright brad. no harm done." she sighed. she had a love hate relationship with the nickname, but most importantly when it was said out loud by brad. it made her cringe somewhat. "hows new york, mc?" nate asked and marie smiled then frowned softly before her smile reappeared. "its going great! work is going well and stuff. i even joined a soccer league for fun, it'll start up in august." she said swirling her drink. "we'll have to catch a game before we head to training camp." sid offered and the others agreed. she smiled softly, before ryan untangled himself from her after he got a text message. nico had arrived. brad eyed ryan as he got up and walked into the house. kat smiled softly knowing what was going to happen and nudged brad in the side a bit. "its fine, let them be." kat whispered and brad rolled his eyes.

marie shut her eyes softly, just basking in this moment, this evening and few days she had taken off of work to be here. it had been far too long since the last time she'd been home, always using her summers to train in san diego before returning to school. she hadn't been home in 6 years and promised herself that she'd make it up here more, now that she lived in new york. "oh princess!" she heard ryan call from the house and she sighed, standing up and throwing the blanket onto the seat before heading inside. "yes grumpy prince?" she asked giggling before she froze, seeing nico. he had a hopeful yet loving gaze on his face as she looked at him with tears beginning to form. what was he doing here? she turned towards ryan who had begun to make his way out, and she pulled him back inside as he was already through the threshold. "wanna tell me why he's here ryan?!" she asked upset. "ask him-" and she cut him off, "no, you tell me!" she screamed now alerting some of the guys outside. nico stood on the other side of the kitchen, with a defeated look on his face with guilt and regret spreading throughout his body. "he cheated on me and you're going to invite him here, ryan? tell me why that was a good idea, huh?" she pestered as brad walked in. "no fucking way." he muttered staring down nico, and nico took a step back. "answer me!" she yelled at ryan who held his hands up in innocence. "marie-" she cut off her brother, "you knew?!" she said stepping back away from the two. "let him explain himself." ryan said as she looked at the two people she thought she could trust in this world. thankfully, so far nate and sid hadn't given her any reason to distrust them. "let him explain, please. if you still don't believe him or want him gone- ill-we'll get rid of him." brad said pleading to his baby sister and she sighed, arms crossing over her chest. she turned slowly towards nico who had a pleading look, and her heart twinged just a bit. "fine." she said and the two smiled widely, backing out into the back and brad shut the doors.

"follow me." she said walking past him and they began their dissent up the stairs. she opened the door and let him walk past her into the room, and she shut it behind them. she then went to the window and shut the blinds, but not before flipping the group off. she heard groans and a few 'fuck' as they all wanted to hear and see the drama unfold. "i didn't cheat, schatzi. i promise." he began and she shook her head, "alright bud." she said rubbing her eyes. "i didn't baby, you have to believe me." he began again and she shook her head again. "who was it, huh? somebody like your ex? was it somebody better than me? what did i do wrong, ni. what did i do to hurt you?" she questioned through a strained voice. nico shook his head, "you've never hurt me, you've never done a thing wrong. promise. the girl-"he chuckled pulling her hands into his, inching closer to her. "the girl was my sister, nina." he said a bit amused now. his eyes crinkled as he smiled, his dimples on full display as he looked into the eyes of the girl, he loved. "wait what?" marie asked in disbelief. "your sister?" she asked and he nodded. she looked down and nico quickly diffused her guilt, "schatzi its ok, i promise!" he said pulling her chin up to look at him. she shook her head, "i - i mis read things and i feel like an idiot." she hummed tearing her chin away. "misunderstanding." he hummed and she frowned. "im sorry." she said with tears beginning to form, "im an idiot. oh my god." she said and he pulled her info a hug. he kissed her head, rubbing her back softly. "im a fool, im a utter fool how could i be so daft?" she rambled in french and nico chuckled, "you two have thing for the word daft?" and marie cursed the universe for him knowing french. "wait, two? who?" she questioned pulling back to look up at him. "nico yelled at me yesterday." he said laughing now and marie had a concerned look on her face, "how bad?" and that made nico laugh even louder. whenever she needed back up, he was there to give it. she looked up at nico as his laughs subsided and she stood on her tip toes to kiss him. he pulled her in closer, leaning down a bit so her feet could be flat. they pulled apart, resting their foreheads on each others. "so, how much trouble am i with the guys outside?" he questioned softly and now it was her turn to laugh.

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it was the next morning now and marie woke up to an empty bed, groaning before getting out of bed. she made her way over to the blinds and opened the blinds to see kat, patrices and david's girlfriend, and the kids on the patio eating breakfast while all the guys are missing. she squinted over towards the lake and she did a double take before seeing her brother's boat. it was a crowded boat, with all of them sitting facing one another. she spotted nico and prayed that the guys weren't going too hard on him. after the two spoke last night, they made there way downstairs for a bit before nico was on the verge of passing out due to the time difference. she quickly changed into a white t-shirt and linen pants, before heading down he stairs. "ti!" she heard rue screamed as she walked outside, and quickly made her way over towards the older girl. she wrapped her arms around the girl's legs before rue pulled her up for a hug. "good morning my girl." she said speaking in french as the two shared a small moment in the morning sun. "hows my favorite god daughter?" she hummed and kat laughed, "your only god daughter." she mused. marie giggled, "that's why she's my favorite." she said setting her back down in her height chair, and sat down on the bench with noah , patrice's son. "ouu cinnamon rolls!" the girl overly gushed, garnering some giggles from the kids. "ever the oldest child." kat teased and marie winked, "i take my role very seriously." she hummed.

the boat was on its way back now after a very stern talk with nico, unfortunately. basically threatening his very existence if he were to ever step out of line. the usual. oh, and that there was somebody or two on every team who would not hesitate to teach him a lesson. nico and the guys all got off onto the dock, with ryan running in front to get some cinnamon rolls- steal is more like it. "hey! that's for us." marie said swatting his hand away as he came up behind her, "i swear to god grumps, im gonna cut off your hand." she said quirking an eyebrow between the two's showdown. "good morning princess!" brad said placing a kiss on the girl's head before stealing a cinnamon roll himself. "hey, not fair!" ryan said and marie mimicked him, earning a chorus laugh from the kids. "im the one that brought them." brad said shrugging, "no i did." sid said and patrice shook his head, "you brought the original one's, i was told to pick up another dozen." patrice said picking up his youngest, felix. "yall are too much in the morning." she mumbled in french, standing up and walking inside to get some coffee. nico followed her into the kitchen to get a refill on his, to which she happily poured him some. "how bad was it?" she questioned, peering around him quickly and then looked back at him. he shrugged, "theyre just as scary in life as on ice." he said and she giggled. "yeah...they have no filter." she said pushing a strand of hair behind his ear. "tell me about 'nova scotia princess'." and she rolled her eyes, "the fairest of them all." he added with a grin and she growled loudly. "you inconceivable fools!" she yelled out, making her way outside. "im going to kill you all!!!!" she said looking at sid, nate, ryan and brad. she did a fake start towards brad before going after nate, "come here nathaniel!" she screamed running after the man, who was, unfortunately, being outrun by a 5'4 semi-retired defenceman. "somebody help me here!" nate called out and sid began his dissent, but she was too quick and made her way after him. "you are so getting in that water!" she screamed, referring to a tradition the 5 of them had. a surprise morning swim in the cold water. "its cold!" one of the kids screamed and marie laughed. "perfect!" she grinned. ryan tapped nico, "lets get our girl." ryan said nodding towards the brunette and nico smiled. "lets get her." and the two made their way towards the water where she was running after the two. "no!" she screamed as ryan almost grabbed the girl. "don't you dare!" she said jumping a few feet away from him. thankfully with sid and nate being neighbors, she freely began her way towards their places with the group following her. nico was the one closest to and almost grabbed her as well but she took a step to her right and was out of reach, "alright i gotta do it myself!" brad announced jogging over and marie knew it was game over. "not the old man!" she gasped, earning a few chuckles.

it was not brad who got the girl but nico, who was immediately instructed to drop her off the dock and into the lake. she screamed, cried, and kicked but unsuccessfully as she felt water hit her back. as she came up, everybody else decided it would be a great idea to also jump in. she covered her head momentarily before splashing water in all directions, "you! you traitor!" she said with astonishment as nico tried to get closer. ryan dunked her before she could say anything else, and nico laughed with the rest of them. she came back up and pushed ryan, "rude!" "the princess of nova scotia is officially home!" brad said as he made his way towards her, ready to splash her as well.

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hope you all enjoyed!! pls like and reblog if you did!

random tags: @hischiershoe @nicohischierz @cuttergauthier @skatesnstuff @fallinallincurls

#nico hischier #nico hischier x oc #nico hischier blurb #nico hischer fic #nico hischier imagine #nhl #nhl imagine #nhl blurb #hockey burb #hockey imagine #ryan graves #sidney crosby #brad marchand #nathan mackinnon #boston bruins #boston bruins blurb #new jersey devils blurb

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doc-pickles · 3 months

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sent to save me | sidney crosby (ch. 6)

series masterlist

summary: vivie goes to her first figure skating lesson

warnings: none :)

author’s note: here’s a little filler chapter for ya! enjoy!

xoxo

nina

“Go Vivie! You’re so fast!”

As Vivie skates across the ice Nikita’s voice rings out from the bleachers of the rink. Vivie’s first figure skating class had turned into an event as Sid and Annie as well as the Malkins squeezed into the bleachers. Nikita was in his hockey gear and skates, set to practice with his hockey team after the figure skaters wrapped up.

Nikita’s observation is true, Vivie is flying across the ice twice as fast as the other girls in the class. Sid can’t help the grin that’s permanently etched onto his face as he watches his daughter skate circles around her peers.

“Do you guys come down here often,” Sidney turns and looks at Annie who’s sat next to him, her legs positioned so that their knees softly brush. “She’s amazing.”

Annie nods, her eyes never leaving Vivie, “We come here at least once a week. She’s been on the ice since she was three. I help the owner's daughter with her math homework so that Vivie can skate for free.”

Sid knows better than to make another comment about how Annie could have asked him for help, instead nodding as he turned back to the ice. Vivie took another careful spin around the ice and Annie’s hand found his, squeezing lightly as they watched her move.

A few minutes later a whistle blows and the figure skaters are replaced by hockey players. Vivie and Nikita hug as they pass each other, then Vivie is flinging herself into Annie’s arms.

“Mommy did you see me?”

“I did baby you were so good,” Annie brushes back her curls and presses a kiss to Vivie’s cheek. “You looked like you were having a lot of fun!”

Vivie nods and smiles at Annie, “It was so much fun! Can I do it again?”

Annie chuckles as Vivie bounces excitedly, “Yes, we’ll come back next week. You get to take lessons every week.” Annie pauses and turns her gaze from Vivie to Sid, swallowing thickly. “Actually I think you owe a big thank you to Sid. He’s the one who paid for your lessons.”

Vivie’s eyes widen and before he can react she’s flinging herself into Sidney’s arms, her own wrapped tightly around his neck, “Thank you so much Mr. Sid!”

Sidney meets Annie’s eyes over Vivie’s shoulder, both of them with unshed tears welling in their eyes. His hands wrap around Vivie as he hugs her tight, eyes closing as he smiles widely.

“You’re welcome Vivie,” Sidney chokes out, attempting to get his words to not sound so strained. “Your mom told me how much you love skating so I figured I’d help out.”

Vivie nods as she pulls back to look up at Sid, “Mommy says that my Daddy really likes to skate too and that’s why she brings me here all the time. Do you like skating Mr. Sid?”

“Yeah,” Sid chuckles, his chest constricting as Vivie looks up at him with her wide hazel eyes. “I used to skate with Geno a long time ago on a hockey team.”

“Sid best skater ever,” Geno slings his arm around Sid’s and gives him a small squeeze. “He go out and people cheer so loud for him. Chanting ‘Crosby! Crosby! Crosby!’ Everyone love him.”

Vivie’s eyes are wide as she looks from Geno to Sid, her jaw slack, “Wow! You must be super famous Mr. Sid.”

“He is, he’s very humble about it though,” Annie chuckles and lightly nudges Sid’s shoulder. “He always has been as long as I’ve known him.”

Vivie settles between Annie and Sid as Geno relays a story about their time on the Penguins, Sid’s nose crinkling as he laughs at Geno’s horrible impression of him. Vivie smiles up at him, a perfect mix of him and her mom, and everything feels so right between all of them.

“Mr. Sid do you want to come to my birthday party,” Vivie asks as she looks at her mother, who quickly nods her approval. “It’s going to be a tea party and mommy and I are going to make tiny sandwiches and use fancy plates and everything, just like a real tea party.”

“You know I’ve never been to a tea party,” Vivie gasps at Sid’s admission which makes him laugh. “But I would love to come to your birthday party.”

Vivie squeals in excitement and begins chattering about details of the party with Annie who reaches over and squeezes Sid’s hand as he watches his girls.

#sidney crosby #sidney crosby fic #sidney crosby fanfic #sidney crosby imagine #hockey imagine #hockey fanfic #nina writes

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goaliekisses · 1 year

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we had a breakdown over some Unwholesome slutty sid content yesterday so here’s some wholesome content from the athletic on sid

It was 2016 in Minnesota and an aggravated coach Mike Sullivan was searching for the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins following a loss to the Wild. Sullivan needed to speak with Sidney Crosby and was walking briskly on the event level of Xcel Energy Center.

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Around the corner outside of the Penguins’ locker room, Crosby, minus his jersey but otherwise still wearing his equipment, was sitting on the floor. Speaking with a child in a wheelchair, Crosby sat so that he could better make eye contact. He often does this. Sullivan executed a U-turn while his captain sat with the child for 20 minutes, a scene that unfolds countless times across North America every season.

Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.

“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”

The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.

“You always hear that saying,” Bobby Orr said. “You know, that so and so is a better person than he is a player. Well, the great thing about Sid is, he’s one of the five greatest players in history. There’s no question about that. But he actually is a better person than he is a player. Now, think about that. I love him.”

On the ice, he is a living legend. The massive legs, the impenetrable ability to protect the puck, the greatest backhand ever, the cannon-like burst of speed through the neutral zone, the rare playmaking ability, the tenacity, the intelligence, the determination, the precociousness as a teenager, the longevity as a thirty-something and the ability to score goals on hockey’s biggest stage are all indelible trademarks of his greatness.

The mythology of Crosby off the ice, however, may be even more worthy of inclusion in the history books and it is very much rooted in reality. He’s not just an ambassador for hockey, but an ambassador of kindness.

“He was like that even as a little boy,” said Troy Crosby, his father. “He was getting so much attention when he was little, and then as he became a teenager. It could have gone to his head. He could have gotten a big ego. All Sidney ever cared about was taking care of other people.”

Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, in New Jersey. It was a zoo after the morning skate. Hockey was back after a year-long lockout, Crosby’s debut was being made in the New York area against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and it was Mario Lemieux’s 40th birthday. While he was the center of attention, Crosby, who had turned 18 two months earlier, wasn’t concerned about himself.

“He was giving these interviews and there were people everywhere” said Tom McMillan, the former Penguins’ vice president of communications. “But he noticed, in the hallway outside of the locker room, that his mom was being surrounded by reporters. He was worried about her. She was fine, but he was worried about her. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you make sure my mom is OK?’ From the very beginning, he was worried about everyone but himself. He never changed.”

Including his salary and endorsements, Crosby has earned in the neighborhood of $200 million in his career. His father isn’t the only one who says Crosby hasn’t changed. His teammates agree. Team employees agree. Even living legends like Orr agree.

There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.

“I don’t think money ever gives you the vehicle to treat anyone differently or to be disrespectful,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative of that. I don’t take that for granted one bit, regardless of what my pay is. I get to do what I love. The least I can do is treat people well along the way.”

Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.

Literally.

“I always say that he’s like a child of God,” former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald said. “That’s how I’ve always seen him. He has a certain light in his eyes that I always notice. He’s a genuinely good soul. People often give credit to a person’s parents for raising a great kid. I totally get that and they did a great job. But I also see a natural soulfulness to Sid that is innate and not necessarily learned.”

Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.

“I’ve been around a while and I’ve met a lot of people,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He only does things for the right reasons. And he cares about people so very much. Other players of his stature don’t always act like this. But he’s different. And you see it most when it comes to the way he treats children.”

The Penguins are the NHL’s oldest team, thus, many players have children. During the Stanley Cup years in 2016 and 2017, it was commonplace for Matt Cullen’s children to be hanging on Crosby after playoff wins, as they would naturally gravitate to the best player in the world who just happened to be the nicest guy in the room.

Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.

One story lives in Crosby lore.

It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.

While sitting on the bus, Crosby noticed a handful of teenagers standing behind a fence, which was located on a steep hill beside the Saddledome. They were chanting Crosby’s name and had signs wishing him well in the Olympics.

Upon seeing this, Crosby, dress shoes and all, sprinted up the steep, icy hill. He not only signed all of their jerseys but talked hockey with them for a few minutes before slowly coasting back down the hill.

“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”

Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.

“The way he treats children is the single most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Rutherford said. “When you see those groups of people who want autographs, you have to be careful. A lot of those groups have people that are there every day and looking to sell autographs. But I’ll tell you this about Sid: Never, not one time, has he ever passed by a child who wanted an autograph. No child is ever left behind. I’ve seen him sign autographs and then get on the team bus. Then, he sees a kid pop up who didn’t get his autograph signed. So, he always gets off the bus and makes sure the kid has an autograph and a picture with him. He understands the effect he has on people, but he’s the farthest thing from arrogant you could possibly imagine.”

Crosby is a regular at the UMPC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. While the Penguins do occasionally orchestrate team visits that Crosby naturally takes part in, he’s a regular at the hospital. He does so on his own time.

No cameras. No reporters. No attention.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Troy Crosby said. “That’s the way he wants it. It means a lot to him to spend time with kids, just him and the kids. He doesn’t want people knowing about it and he goes to lengths to keep it that way.”

Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.

“Treating people the right way has always been important to me,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s your teammates, people you see at the rink, fans, kids, whatever. You’re supposed to be good to people in life. You’re supposed to be respectful. So, that’s what I try to do every day. It’s always been a very important thing to me.”

#he’s so GOOD 😭😭😭😭#sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins

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rowanrowlandridley · 1 year

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can we know more about your jasico kids?

Sure~ first, we have Holly, she was adopted by jason and nico when she was 6. She was a little orphan girl daughter of Demeter, who was saved on a mission, and along the way Jason and Nico became very fond of her. She spent a few months in an orphanage in New Rome, until she was adopted. She's kind and sweet, and amazing with flowers and other plants, Demeter often visits her and likes the idea of one of her daughters staying "within the family." In "the present" she's 23.

secondly we have Bruno, a son of the goddess Khione, he was rescued by Piper on a mission too where she was engaged in a battle against Khione, the goddess was eliminated and only the baby in her womb was left, even though everyone thought Piper would adopt him she felt she couldn't take care of a baby yet. So Nico and Jason adopted him and he is constantly visited by his favourite aunt Piper. Hes very calm and cool, his hobby are hocky and figure skating. He has ice and snow powers. In the present he is 17.

Jason and Nico's biological children, twins, are one year younger than Bruno. Orpheus, who is actually named Niccolo like his father, was named "Orpheus" for mysterious reasons by Lady Juno, who gave him her blessing and favouritism because "he is identical to his daddy (Jason)" Despite this he was not claimed as her champion as everyone (especially his parents and his aunt Thalia) feared. He gets along with Anne Jackson and he's very close to Ethan Jackson, Percabeth children. He was very close to his twin until the age of 11, then they went their separate ways. He has underworld powers (to Lady Juno's disappointment, but she won't deny that he is strong) He's 16.

Theseus, who is actually named Alexander (as Jason's middle name according to headcanons), is the younger twin, was named to his regret "Theseus" by Lady Juno for whom his presence is annoying because he is the same as her aunt Thalia. He hates his name, because he hates the questionable actions of his namesake the original Theseus, and because his nonno Hades also hates the name and constantly mentions it. He shortens his name to simply "Thes" he doesn't like the name "Alex" he gets along with Ethan, but doesn't get along with Anne. His favourite aunt is Thalia who has a lot of influence on him. He is no longer close to his twin. He has the same power as Jason. He's 16.

Maria another biological daughter, named after her late nonna, is lady Juno's favorite and champion, she has a lot of weight on her shoulders because she has to meet her grandmother Juno's expectations (Maria is the only one lady Juno lets call her grandmother) she is a sweet girl and willing to make friends, but will not hesitate to swing a sword if her loved ones are in danger. She is very close to her brother Thes even though they always argue. Her best friend is Luke Jackson another son of Percabeth, with whom she shares birthday. She likes magic and is a self-appointed priestess of Circe. Her favorite aunts are Reyna and Hazel. She has the same powers as Jason. She's 14.

Leone, the penultimate biological son, is a serious and quiet boy and quite wise, so he wins the favoritism of Lady Athena. He is also the favorite of his nonno Hades because he is identical to his father (Nico). His uncle Percy Jackson is also very fond of him for the same reason, he reminds him of the little Nico he once knew. He can get a little arrogant from time to time because he is smarter than his older siblings, but most of the time he behaves like a normal, average kid. He has a fixation with tarot cards to divine the future of others. No one knows what powers he has, as he doesn't use them and has never shown any indication of anything. He's 12.

The last and smallest (and who I really thought a lot about adding or not) Bianca, or simply Bi (Bee), is the last biological daughter, she is kind of sickly and weak since she was born. She tends to have horrible nightmares and is always by her father Nico's side at all times. She doesn't like adventures and quests like her siblings, and prefers to sit with her father reading or playing cards with Leone. She is the only one of the Jasico children who is not as white as her siblings or her parents, has olive skin and no freckles, moles or dimples. Nonno Hades says it's because she looks more like her nonna Maria. Her aunt Thalia spoils her a lot and is her favorite. Lady Artemis often visits her for "mysterious reasons" that Nico doesn't like at all. No one knows what powers she has, as she doesn't use them and has never shown any indication of anything too. She's 10.

#jasico #jasico children #jasico fanchildren #fanchildren #fanchild #my art #fanart #pjo #hoo #jason grace #nico di angelo #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus #answered #answers #questions #thunderworld

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carpehistoryandthepens · 9 months

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Legacy (what is a legacy?) Part 5

It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song someone will sing for me

Hamilton, the world was wide enough. LMM.

one, two, three, four

Summary: Mike is 13. Born May 2009. Sid didn’t know he had a son. All Mike had was hope and a prayer for his and his half-sister’s safety.

(Sid is a dad of a teen he didn’t know about AU) Sidgeno.

Warnings: (for the total story) post-child abuse (all off-screen but it affects things and is spoken about often), learning how to parent, panic attacks, anxiety, based on last season, OCs?, realization about sexuality. Post breakups. Desperate lack of in-depth research for CPS in both PA/CA, melodrama?, kidfic, angst, slowburn, playing fast and loose with the law for drama/storytelling purposes.

Zhenya exchanged a quick look with Tanger over the top of Sid's head as they helped Sid into the chair. Both were thinking the same things: This kid was Sid's, and Sid had no idea this kid existed.

And more importantly, this kid was so fucking scared.

Tanger quirked an eyebrow up in question, and Zhenya shook his head. He didn't know why the kid was so terrified, either. But then again, he had never met his father for the first time after thirteen years - that sounded terrifying on its own.

The kid started talking when Sid looked less like he would keel over and get some color into his face. His name is Michael. He's 13. Born just before their first cup win in 2009. His birthday is May 30. His sister is three. Her name is Marisol. They are half-siblings. They are from Anaheim, California. He had a faint Spanish accent. There, but not prominent, like Nikita's accent when he spoke English. The kid spoke two languages.

Zhenya thought about what Michael was saying. Thirteen years… or really. Fourteen years, given how long a pregnancy lasts. It might have been before Sid and Kathy got serious, but only just before.

Sid and Kathy had refused to put a name on their relationship for years and were always going back and forth, whether they were on or off. It had been worse than him and Oksana, to be honest. But so much funnier. The team had spent many roadies chirping Sid about it. Sid had turned the same pink he always did.

It was in December of 2008 that Kathy finally came to a holiday skate after a fraught on again off again summer, and together they announced they were officially dating. Of course, that year, they won the cup, and until the start of last season, Sid and Kathy had been the "it" couple when it came to the Pens. But this kid. He was conceived just before all of that.

By Sid's sharp intake of breath, he was doing the same math. "You're…. from where?" Sid croaked out.

"Anaheim," Michael muttered, eyes glued on the floor. "In Orange County, California."

When Sid only nodded and said nothing else, still staring at Michael, the kid continued, voice quiet. "Mama always said she had no idea who my dad was. Just that he was kind and had a smile that made his eyes crinkle." The kid - and oh god, he was only a kid, wasn't he? - paused momentarily, glancing at Sidney before looking down at his feet again. "She thought... I sounded like him when I laughed."

Zhenya got a flash of 21-year-old Sid and that bright, broad grin he got when he was happy and laughing. Zhenya hadn't thought about how much work he would do to keep that smile going for years. After that cup win and before the concussions, Sid just smiled more.

"We watched a Ducks game on TV a few years ago, just before COVID, when I was 10. And she said you looked like my bio dad." Michael said in a rush to fill up the silence in the room. "She also said she thought his name started with an S. Something short."

That got a stifled snort from Tanger. Geno and Jen glared at Tanger because his laugh caused the kid to shrink down in the trainer's room single chair. His sister watched as everyone talked, clinging close. She hadn't said a word, and Zhenya was a little worried she didn't know how to talk - dispute being three.

"But before you guys could come out to play again, the pandemic happened and… yeah." Michael trailed off, watching the group of adults wearily.

Sid kept staring at the kid, apparently unable to do anything else. Sid opened his mouth several times, trying to form some form of speech. It was sporadic that Sid wasn't able to talk. His many years in front of the press ensured he always had something to say, even if it was just empty bullshit.

"What makes you think Sid is Papa?" Zhenya asked when it became clear that Sid wanted to ask something but couldn't. There had to be more of a reason than 'his mom thought Sid looked like his dad.' Even the most hopeful kid wouldn't just run away, travel across the country, and throw himself and his sister on a whim or a hope. Michael had to have another reason.

"I have a picture," Michael said, rushed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny iPhone. The phone was far from the newest version; it looked like a used phone even before the kid had gotten his hands on it. Zhenya hadn't seen a model that old in years.

Jen leaned over Michael's shoulder to watch as he found whatever he sought. Michael opened the phone to the photos app and quickly scrolled past some pictures that made Jen's face cloud over with anger and concern as she leaned over his shoulder.

"Can I ask about those photos?" Jen asked as evenly as Zhenya had ever heard her. Including, of course, that time when he had a Twitter mishap that had Anya laughing at him for months.

Michael froze. He didn't move for a heartbeat at all, and Zhenya was worried he would also shut down. Then Michael took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "Let me find this picture first." He didn't move much; he just resumed flipping through pictures.

Jen stepped back and took a deep breath. "That's fine. When you're ready." She said eventually. Then she glanced at the care worker, saying something with her expression alone that Zhenya couldn't read. It was a little too complicated.

It's a boundary, Zhenya realized, as Michael's back relaxed slightly at Jen's acceptance of his words. The kid was drawing a boundary. How much he trusted everyone in this room depended on how they reacted to his attempt.

The care worker looked like she approved of Jen's reaction. But then again, from where she was leaning on the wall, she could also see what was on the phone over the kid's shoulder. She had also gone red with anger when he was scrolling.

Whatever the kid was scrolling past had to be bad. Tanger and Zhenya exchanged another look over Sid's head. Zhenya was glad that the core knew each other so well. A kid learning to draw boundaries like a scared and burnt rookie? That wasn't a good sign at all.

Sid didn't seem to notice the look exchanged over his head, too focused on the kid before him. He did seem to register the boundary drawn, but Zhenya wasn't sure - Sid could be observant.

The sister, Marisol, Zhenya did his best to remember, squirmed from under his jacket, and pulled herself up to see his phone. He had a feeling that he would know these kids very well.

"Mama!" she said with a smile when Michael stopped swiping. Zhenya felt some of the worries leave his gut. She could speak; her voice was even more accented than Michael's.

Michal stared at the phone for one long moment before flipping it around to show Sid.

Jen and the Care Worker had both gone from angry to surprised. Jen recovered first, pulled out her phone, and typed some things into it. Then, she showed the care worker, who looked between Michael and Sid, the phone in Michael's hand and nodded.

Zhenya turned his attention back to the phone in Michael's hand.

The image on the screen was a scanned photo of a Polaroid. In the Polaroid, Sid leaned against a bar table, talking to a dark-haired woman. He gestured with his hands, a smile and a minor flush on his face. In front of them was a glass with a dark drink in it. Zhenya assumed it was rum. He was dressed in a tight t-shirt, tight pants, and a ball cap that hid his face slightly.

Sid looked happy. He also looked like he was on the prowl. Zhenya remembered that look fondly. When Zhenya had a passing crush on Sid (and most of the team had one at some point or another), Zhenya loved that look on Sid.

The dark-haired woman sitting across from Sid smiled back, just as entertained as Sid was. She was holding a beer and taking in whatever Sid said with interest. She was dressed up, looking very much like she wanted a good time. She looked faintly like both children in front of Zhenya. Clearly, their mother.

"Mama said her friend at the time was always bringing a Polaroid camera around, and this was the only picture she had of my bio dad." The kid said, his hands trembling slightly around the phone.

Sid hadn't taken his eyes off the phone. Instead, he reached out to touch the screen, then jerked his hands back before contacting the phone. "Can I see?" he asked instead.

Michael nodded slowly, still nervous. "You can't delete it." He blurted out when Sid took the phone from the kid's shaking hands. "It's pass locked."

Sid blinked at the kid; clearly, he didn't even think about that option. "I wasn't going to." he said, then took a deep breath, "But thank you for protecting it."

Pass-locking a photo was something Zhenya had seen many teammates do to prevent embarrassing images from being erased. However, this was a little more important.

"Are all of the photos pass-locked?" Jen asked gently.

"Yes," Michael said, looking around. Then, he met the gaze of Charlie, the equipment guy, "He showed me how."

Zhenya took in Charlie and Anthony for the first time since they entered the room and their upset but determined faces. He had nearly forgotten they were there. Both men looked grim, flanking the doorway. Zhenya realized they had already seen the other pictures on the kid's phone. They had been the ones to pull in Jen and the care worker.

"Good," Jen said approvingly to Michael.

Michael relaxed a tiny bit at the praise.

Tanger leaned over to look at the phone with Sid. "That looks just like you." He told Sid. "Stupid with that haircut." He chirped as if by rote.

"It is me," Sid laughed, sounding far away, responding out of habit. "I remember that bar." He made a complicated expression that Zhenya chose to mean that Sid remembered her too. Finally, Sid turned his attention back to Michael. "When did you realize that was me?"

"I hoped, after, well, Covid. But….” Michael trailed off, looking away. "I played hockey for a long time. And before… Before my parents died, I was on one of the traveling teams, the Anaheim Eagles. One of my coaches worked at a camp you were at. He had photos. You looked the same."

Sid reached out with a hand before returning it to his side, unsure if his reassurance would be wanted.

Michael took a deep, shaky breath, some of the composure that got him to Pittsburgh from Anaheim unraveling. "Mama only said you looked like him. She didn't know. I don't know. But… after… they hit Marisol, we had to leave. I took Marisol with me, packed my largest bag, and left. I had to." He was nearly crying, eyes liquid and red-rimmed. "They could hit me. I'm a hockey player. I'm tough. We play through pain." He said desperately, looking around at the players, nearly desperate for them to believe him.

"Of course," Zhenya said, reassuring the kid. "Hockey players strong."

Sid nodded firmly to back Zhenya up. Tanger made a noise of pain.

This wasn't something a kid should have dealt with. Of course, Zhenya hated it, but that was in the past, and the best they could do was help the kid.

Michael looked so relieved at being believed. "But Marisol is so small. So we had to go." Michael said as if he was still explaining himself.

"Protect family," Sid said, sounding a little distant as he slid the photos over to see the rest of the files. They were all pass-locked, too; a person could see them but couldn't delete them.

The slide show played was one of the hardest Zhenya had ever seen. The photos showed Michael and the little girl's bruises and marks on their limbs. They were clearly taken in a train station or bus stop bathroom.

Sid went further and further back. The photos weren't recent; some dated nearly six months ago. There wasn't anyone else in the pictures other than the kids. It was mainly of Michael; the few photos of Marisol were only at the start of the horrifying slide show.

Sid refocused back on Michael as he approached the photo scroll's end. "Protecting your family is a good thing."

Michael sat back in his chair, and Marisol hugged him. "We had to go. There was nowhere else to go." He said simply.

Zhenya believed him.

"What happened to your parents?" the care worker asked, voice kind. It was firm and practiced kindness. Zhenya had heard that tone before in parents who were controlling their emotions when something happened, and it wasn't (probably) the kid's fault.

Michael let a few tears fall then, despite doing his best to keep his voice even, "Car accident, over half a year ago. We're living with our aunt and her husband now." His voice was reedy and thin. Marisol flinched and tucked into her brother's side at the mention of their relatives.

He was sacred. So was she. None of the adults in the room doubted their fear.

"You did well. In getting her out. Gotta protect, eh?" Sid said. He met Michael's gaze evenly as he spoke, and like so many others, Michael was clearly entranced, his tear-swollen brown eyes meeting Sid's. They had the same eyes.

"I had to put her first," Michael muttered, breaking the contact. "I had to defend her."

They looked just like each other. While Zhenya would have missed it at first glance, he remembered the young Sid from all the tapes he used to watch. This kid looked just like Sid did at his age. The haircut was different, there was less confidence in Michael's frame, and the kid was definitely tanner than Sid had ever been, but the cheekbones were there.

The eyes were totally the same.

"Do you think your sister would like some food?" Tanger asked suddenly, breaking some of the tension. "We can walk to the player's lounge, talk to the chefs, and see if they have something for her."

Zhenya noticed how Michael's grip on Marisol tightened at Tanger's mention of taking Marisol somewhere without him. And Marisol hid further in Michael's jacket. By Tanger's grimace, he saw too.

"How about I text our chef what she would like, and we can get it and bring it back?" the trainer, Anthony, said. "You guys won't have to leave the room." Half the adults in the room, including Tanger and Sid, gave him a grateful look at the suggestion.

Michael hesitated, but Marisol leaned into his side, hiding her face; she was a little shy but caught the conversation. "Food? Like fries?" She asked into Michael's side, barely looking at Anthony out of the corner of her eyes.

"Do you like sweet potatoes?" Anthony asked. The Pens facilities might have fries in the concession stands, but what was available to the players was always a little healthier.

She hesitated, making a face like she didn't understand. Then, she pulled in closer to Michael.

“La Batata,” Michael murmured into her hair. “Te gustan mucho las batatas, Marisol.”

Her face cleared at the Spanish. "Si! I do!" she smiled brightly, all shyness and uncertainty forgotten.

Tanger said, "Let's go over to Anthony and talk to him about food for you, Marisol. Maybe we can pick something for your brother, too." He pointed at the phone that Anthony held up. "We'll be right over here on this bench." Tanger walked away from Sid's side and patted the trainer's bench on the other side of the room. Just far away from all for another conversation to occur, but still close. Still within eyesight. Anthony made sure there was a space between him and Tanger for Marisol so Michael's view would not be blocked.

Michael hesitated but put Marisol down on the floor when she squirmed. "I want something with rice and beans, Mari," he said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Marisol nodded. “Que tal una quesadilla? Como el de Mamá?”

“Por supuesto. Si tienen alguno. ” Michael said.

Marisol, Tanger, and Anthony all started talking in low voices. Tanger suggested items, and Anthony looked them up so Marisol could see them.

Zhenya turned his attention to the kid in front of him and Sid.

"What made you take pictures?" the care worker asked, still flipping through the phone.

"I dunno." Michael shrugged, tucking himself into the chair in another attempt to make himself smaller. "I was worried about proof. So it's not my word versus hers." He said, then muttered even lower so Zhenya wasn't entirely sure he heard right what he said next. "Or his."

The care worker frowned even more at the phone, catching Michael's worries.

"Can you promise she'll be safe if you're not my dad? Like, she can't go back to my aunt." Michael asked, voice small, focused on Marisol. "She's, like, not good for us."

Sid flinched. "....I don't know, Michael," he said slowly, like it pained him to not agree instantly. He sat back in the chair he had been placed into.

Zhenya's heart reached out to him. Michael clearly only wanted his sister to be safe. And clearly, he thought where they came from wasn't safe at all.

The care worker stepped forward before Sid could finish. "Mr. Crosby can't promise that, Michael. We can only do our best."

"I did my research!" Michael turned and stared at her kind of angrily. The first emotion that Zhenya saw from him wasn't worry or sadness. "Pennsylvania won't send us back. Not really. California will allow "Interstate placements if the child has family or is under four years old." Michael said that as if he was quoting something. "And Marisol is three. And my family. We're good if he - Sid - he is my dad." Michael tripped over Sid's name a little, but he glared at the woman, daring her to say otherwise.

The care worker took it in stride. "But what happens if he's not your father, Michael?" The care worker asked, her voice even. "What did your research say?"

"Pennsylvania won't send us back. Not without good proof, we'll be safe where we're sent. I looked it up! I promise. I got the librarian to help me and everything." Michael pleaded. "We'll be safe. We might not get to stay together, but we'll be safe."

"Ok, Michael…" The care worker sighed. "But it's more complicated than that. Honestly, the system would take a long time to get you both back to California."

Michael's shoulders relaxed at the care worker's words. Zhenya wondered how much of Michael's stress was based on whether he could save his sister.

God, Zhenya could remember what that type of stress and desperation what that felt like. It felt like being pushed into a corner, and there was no other way out. Zhenya took an enormous risk when he fled Russia, and Michael took one just as large. And Michael even took his sister along. But, Jesus, he's so young. Even younger than Zhenya was when he made his own flight.

"But, Michael, we can't promise you can stay together," the care worker said, sounding apologetic. "We can try, but no promises."

"I know that!" Michael said quickly. "I know it doesn't always work out the way people want. Of course, I wanna stay with her, but…." Michael shrugged. "As long as she's safe. I'm ok with that. But we can't go back."

"I don't care. I will take them if need be," Sid muttered suddenly. "I can't let them go back."

Zhenya was surprised to find out if anyone else heard him in the room, as quiet as Sid was. "Sidney," Zhenya said warningly. Of course, he didn't really know what he was warning against, but there was no way that Sid had thought this entirely through.

Sid frowned up at him. "Geno, I would want to help even if we weren't connected."

Zhenya sighed. Sid would want to help. That was who Sid was. Zhenya wanted to help; they had to do something.

"Please. I didn't know what else to do," Michael said, looking at his feet again. He twisted his hands in his lap. "I just need her to be safe."

"You did a good thing getting her out of there," The care worker said; Geno would have to learn her name at some point. "But let's see what happens next. You don't have to face it alone."

#'sid has a teen he didn't know about' au #sidgeno #8771 #i write?#this will take a while to write #working title: Legacy (what is a legacy?)

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andreisvechnikov · 1 year

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NHL99: Sidney Crosby, icon of his era, never strays from his greater mission

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since he was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.

“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”

The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.

At 35, Crosby is the hockey chief of the world, and he lands at No. 4 on The Athletic’s list of the greatest players of the modern era of the NHL. He has won three Stanley Cup championships, two Olympic gold medals, has registered 541 goals, 1,469 points and, quite remarkably, has lived up to every bit of the hype. His legacy is perfectly safe. He simply keeps going at this stage because he loves hockey and is obsessed with winning. Mike Babcock once called him a “serial winner,” which is the perfect description of Crosby. On and off the ice.

It was evident from the very beginning.

There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.

Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.

Literally.

‘No child is ever left behind’ Charles Barkley once made considerable headlines for a Nike advertising campaign that stated, “I am not a role model.”

Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.

Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.

One story lives in Crosby lore.

It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.

“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”

Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.

No cameras. No reporters. No attention.

Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.

On May 31, 2007, the Penguins made Crosby, then 19, the youngest captain in NHL history at that time.

The move seemed simple on the surface. He already had become the world’s greatest player and, as a teenager, had just claimed the Hart and Art Ross trophies. His maturity level was uncommonly advanced. He was already a rock star in Pittsburgh.

Easy choice, right?

“Not necessarily,” Crosby said. “It was quite uncomfortable, to be honest. I had never been a captain before.”

Say what?

Well, it makes sense. Crosby was only 16 and 17 when he played his junior hockey in Rimouski. In his younger days of hockey, he always played in older age groups because of his advanced performance. This was very much a new experience for him.

“I tried to learn things from other captains I had in the past and other people who had been captains,” he said. “But at the same time, I wanted to be my own person. I wanted to lead in a way that was natural to me. And you never stop learning. I’m still learning to be a captain to this day, honestly. But I think it was probably a good thing for me, looking back. It helped me grow.”

So did the presence of a fellow icon in the locker room.

Lemieux and Crosby played together in only 26 games before a heart condition forced the oft-injured Lemieux to finally retire for good. On the ice, they only had a few magical moments together, as they rarely played on the same line. Lemieux was slowing down and at the very end.

But before he left, he taught Crosby a few lessons.

“More than anything, he taught me how to stay calm. He was so, so even keeled,” Crosby said. “It didn’t matter what the score was, good or bad. Mario was always the same. He always looked the same, spoke the same. I watched him a lot and I saw how level-headed he was. I think that probably comes to him more naturally than it does to me. I’m probably more emotional than he is. I’m an emotional player. But he taught me how to find that sweet spot. Getting to play with him for a handful of games was a big deal for me.”

Crosby, many will tell you, is the best captain they’ve ever had.

“He’s unreal,” said one of the newest Penguins, Ryan Poehling. “When I got traded to Pittsburgh last summer, I had a text from him a couple of hours after the deal. I remember thinking that it was pretty incredible that Sidney Crosby is reaching out to me that quickly. Then you get to know him, and you immediately realize that this is a special person, that he’s different than anyone else. You can’t fake it. You’re born with what he has, the way he treats people.”

Nowadays, it’s understandable that young players would place Crosby on a pedestal. He’s not only one of the greatest players of all time, but he also treats them as equals.

What might be more noteworthy is that, even when Crosby was essentially a child, he had the respect of his locker room from the beginning.

“He was 22 when I signed in Pittsburgh,” Mike Rupp said. “He’s the best player in the world, this hotshot that everyone is talking about. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. … I could tell you so many nice stories about Sidney Crosby, and they’re all true. But what I realized right away was that, more than anything, Sid didn’t want to be treated differently than anyone else.

Given who he is, Crosby can’t possibly be one of the guys. It doesn’t work that way. He’s Crosby.

And yet, he is one of the guys.

“He just wanted to have fun. Wanted to play mini-golf on the road. He had that little kid smile. He wanted to play the handheld video games on planes,” Rupp said. “He likes to be one of the guys. I think what I’m saying is, he’s not a nerd. He’s not an introvert. But he wants nothing to do with the spotlight because he’s so damn humble. He’s the ultimate captain.”

When you’re a superstar in Pittsburgh, you have certain privileges. Lemieux and Jagr had their share of coaches fired. Some were certainly deserving, of course. But Crosby would never do such a thing. It simply isn’t his way.

He doesn’t demand his friends play with the Penguins. This, in no way, is a typical superstar.

“I was Sid’s GM for a long time,” Rutherford said. “And I can tell you, he never once complained to me about anything. He never once told me to fire anyone, or to trade anyone, or to get anyone in a trade. Never.”

Not until he was asked, anyway.

“Here’s how much respect I have for Sid,” Rutherford said. “At the end of each season, whether we had won the Cup or not, he and I would get together. I wanted his thoughts on certain players on the team and around the league. But he’d never tell me to get someone. He’d never be pushy or demanding. I’d ask him questions about people, and he would answer in his own very polite, very special way. That’s just the kind of man he is.”

Those who coached Crosby often had similar stories.

“He was a dream to coach,” Recchi said. “His relationship with Sully, you know, it’s really special. Those two have a bond. But for all of us on the staff, it was incredible coaching Sid. He asks you lots of questions. He wants your opinion. He’s not going to walk into your office and tell you what to do, or tell you what’s wrong. He asks so many questions and he loves feedback. Not many stars are going to be quite like that.”

Crosby has stated that he’d like to play for a few more seasons, perhaps until he is 40.

It’s unknown precisely when he will walk away or what he will do with his life once he hangs up his skates. Many in the hockey world hope Crosby will remain involved with the NHL in some capacity.

The hockey world, after all, couldn’t possibly be the same without him.

“He just makes you smile when you see him,” Rupp said.

Crosby entered our lives more than two decades ago, a child then. A man now.

A very, very good man.

“He’s just a nice person,” Steigerwald said. “A nice, nice person. The best of the best.”

#the athletic #sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins #nhl

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onlyforalwayswith · 4 months

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15 people 15 questions

thank you @crosbyism for the tag <3 <3 <3

1. are you named after anyone?

A local meteorologist... my parents liked her name :D And my great grandmother for my middle name

2. when was the last time you cried?

I'm not gonna lie I am weak for sports videos and web weaves etc so hockey-related crying probably like two days ago having something to do with Sid; real life crying... Christmas! My sister got me a sentimental poster/map thing for my new house, it was very sweet

3. do you have kids?

No! I have two fantastic nieces and I'm about to move about six blocks away from them. I ADORE them and my relationship with them but being an auntie is the perfect amount of motherhood for me. I used to think... maybe... and then I got a puppy and that answered that!

4. what sports do you play/ have you played?

Field hockey was my jam (though I was NOT good at it), and I was on the swim team forever. I've skied since I was about five, but tore my ACL in college and now I only really do it because my family is OBSESSED. But I was also one of those kids who tried everything for like... three weeks. So tennis, ice skating, soccer, basketball, softball, etc, nothing really stuck. I am... NOT athletic

5. do you use sarcasm?

never

6. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

This is a little weird, but... how good people are at conversation. I tend to feel pressure to carry conversations so I kind of instinctively assess right away what a person's conversational style is.

7. what’s your eye colour?

Blue-green

8. scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings <3 I can't watch horror movies, I literally hide my head under blankets. At my first sleep over I had to call my mom to come pick me up because they were watching Children of the Corn and my little self couldn't handle it. I haven't gotten much better since

9. any talents?

kind of a silly answer, but reading? I think I'm pretty good at it.

10. where were you born?

The keystone state :D

11. what are your hobbies?

I love hiking--I actually did a walk-about for about two years where I visited a lot of the national parks for a month or so each, and it was just the most magical experience of my life. Hiking pretty much became my part-time job and it was fantastic

12. do you have any pets?

I do! I have a dog who is a couple months shy of his second birthday, he's a (high energy, playful, adorable) wirehaired pointing griffon which is a very pretentious name for essentially a very cute trash muppet. His name is Jinx and he drives me crazy and is also my bestie and I am very much that 'i would kill everyone in this room' brooklyn 99 meme about him

13. how tall are you?

a very average 5'5

14. favourite subject in school?

Religion! I hate everything it's done to the world but I loveee studying organized religion, I almost minored in it, actually, but went with English instead. I kind of realize now that it's because I like socio-psychology so much... why people do the things they do is pretty much the thing I'm fascinated with the most. And the answer to that for a lot of history was religion.

15. dream job?

I actually have my dream job! I'm a writer (novels) and I feel very privileged and lucky to have been able to make it work. There are times it very much feels like a job of course, but mostly I get to do what I love every day (very Sid coded) and I don't take that for granted.

I'm late to this, so I feel like everyone I know has been tagged lol! But if you see this and you haven't, consider yourself tagged! I love reading all the answers!!!

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malk1ns · 2 years

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happy birthday (in advance) it's bec and you know what sounds fun? rookies sidgeno but one of them comes out without the other knowing

you are so right, @beggingwolf, that DOES sound fun. warning for i guess period- and environment-typical homophobia, kind of? nothing overt but there are hints.

also this is...idk what this is. the vibes are sorta weird here, guys! i dunno!!!!

The summer Sidney wins the Hart, the Pearson, and the Art Ross, he tucks himself away in Cole Harbour.

It had been a long season, and after the spotlight that came with Geno's arrival, and them making the playoffs for the first time, and the slew of individual awards they'd been nominated for...Sid thought he'd gotten used to the media, but his team suddenly starting to live up to the potential, and the pressure and the questions accompanying that success, had him scurrying back to Canada immediately after getaway day.

He goes to Toronto for the awards, a little overwhelmed at the nominees he beats out, and escapes back to his lake house right away. It had been nice to see Jordy, at least, even if Geno hadn't made his way over from Russia to accept the Calder, but Sid needs some time to himself to recharge and prepare for next year.

The team is coming together. The raw talent is there—they just have to work on putting it all together now. Sid thinks they can do it, and he needs to be ready.

He's never been much of an internet guy anyway, so it's easy enough to disconnect, to get the local papers as his way of keeping up with the relevant news, and immerse himself in training and spending time with his family until it's time to close down the house and head back to Pittsburgh for training camp.

He's got the C on his jersey, and he finally feels ready. This is going to be their year.

The locker room, when Sid walks in, is not at all what he expected. Instead of a group of loud, chattering guys excited to start the season, it's practically funereal, with a few quiet conversations off to the side, but that's it. Everyone's focusing on getting changed, and everyone seems to be purposely avoiding looking toward a certain spot in the room.

Geno. They're all avoiding looking at Geno, who's tying his skates with his head down. His ears are red and his shoulders are stiff.

Sid chews on his lip. This is his first season as captain, and it's up to him to set the tone. He doesn't know what the hell happened before he got here, but they can't start the season off this way.

He's about to make his way to Geno's side, to clap his shoulder and say—something, he doesn't know what yet, but something that will make it clear that whatever's going on, they're a team and they need to act like it, but the door opens behind him, and before Sid can say anything to his team, he's being ushered back out into the hallway by Shero and a phalanx of front-office suits.

"Sid," Ray says, brow creased. "I was hoping to talk to you before you got here, to make sure we're aligned on this. I'm going to need you to set an example in the room—we cannot have rumors starting that the Pittsburgh Penguins are anything other than a tolerant, welcoming, inclusive environment. I don't know if you have your own thoughts about this all, but I'm going to need you to set them aside and help us out here."

Sid shakes his head a little. "I'm...what? What rumors would be starting? What's 'this'?" He does his best to school his voice down a register, but he's starting to panic a little. What did he miss this summer?

Ray looks at him for a minute. "Sid. Did you not see? Geno did an interview over the summer in Russia about winning the Calder, and he came out. He's gay."

---

Sid doesn't know how, but he manages to put on his 'let's do that hockey' face and get practice going. He doesn't remember a thing: not the drills they run, not the speeches from Coach, not the welcoming words he doled out to the newcomers. All he can think about is 'he's gay he's gay he'sgayhe'sgayhe'sgay'.

In the locker room after, there's no mad rush for the shower like usual. Geno, who'd played through practice like his skates were on fire, looks small now, slumped into his stall, only halfway out of his gear. His shoulders are up by his ears again.

Sid swallows around the lump in his throat, squares his shoulders, and strips down, wrapping his towel around his waist like usual. "Hey G, good show today, eh," he says, detouring on his way to the showers to smack Geno on the arm companionably.

Geno jerks his head up and stares at him with wide eyes. Sid resists the urge to pull his towel up—it wouldn't mean what everyone would think it meant, and he doesn't think he could take any more of Geno's hurt. "Yes, of course," Geno says cautiously. "Is always good show, I'm playing."

Sid laughs, kicks at his shin gently, and heads to the shower room. "What are you all doing?" he asks, glancing back at the team. "You wait much longer, Dana's gonna make you do your own laundry."

Alone in the showers for the moment, Sid takes a deep breath, listening to the noise in the room pick up as the team scrambles out of their gear. He thinks he handled that the right way.

He hopes.

---

Only a few of the guys are weird, but in the face of Sid's unrelenting cheeriness, Gonch's frankly terrifying glares, and Max's habit of hanging all over Geno picking right back up where it left off, everyone—well, they maybe don't accept it, but they deal with it, which is more than Sid had expected.

It's more than he's ever thought to hope for, when he's dared to think of how this might go for him.

He thinks about the bravery it must have taken, for Geno to do what he did. He hasn't been able to bring himself to watch the video, but he caught Flower and Kris whispering about it, so he knows the gist—the reporter had asked Geno what it meant, to be the runaway Calder winner, and Geno had said that it was an honor, a privilege, something he never dreamed he'd be able to have, not as a kid growing up gay and terrified of anyone finding out.

Sid wonders what made him do it. What finally broke, to get him to spill a secret he'd no doubt guarded so carefully for so many years.

He watches Geno in a way that's probably obvious, but he can't stop himself.

Geno's gay.

So is Sid.

It's something he thinks about.

#birthday drabble #sidgeno #hockey rpf #my fic #my writing #asks #anon

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rinkrats · 3 years

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🥺 that mike lange story. But also those tags #sid loooves christmas #he loves giving presents #looks good in red #piles on the pounds fast #post hockey career as santa 😂😂👌🏽👌🏽

he loves his mementos and presents and is COMMITTED to them. scrapbooking. matching jackets. little pills with hidden motivational messages~*~ his love language is gifts and neck smooches and stalking geno. relevant right now are some anecdotes i sent a friend earlier this year for dorky sid gifts fic fodder:

1. Crosby's constant thoughtfulness would be impressive from anyone, much less someone of his stature.

"Sid always texts me happy birthday, he's always asking me like, how's Russia?" Evgeni Malkin said. "We talk and message all summer. He asks me how my skates are. He knows, like, everything. He follows my Instagram, I think (laughs)."

In addition to having a handle on those little details, Crosby is constantly providing those around him with memories and mementos. If the team is on the road and goes, say, sightseeing or to a sporting event and takes a group photo, Crosby will later send a framed copy to everyone.

When Ron Hextall and Brian Burke watched their first Penguins game in person, Crosby is the one who approached head equipment manager Dana Heinze and asked for two used game pucks to give to the new GM and president of hockey ops.

After the Penguins won in 2009, Crosby had jackets made for the three players on the team who had scored a Cup-clinching goal in Game 7: Talbot (Pittsburgh), Ruslan Fedotenko (Tampa Bay) and Mike Rupp (New Jersey).

"They were blue jackets with gold buttons, and each one had a patch on it that said 'GWG Game 7,'" Talbot said. "At one of our first team meals the next season, he presented us with the jackets and did a big ceremony with the music and stuff. We had a private room in the restaurant. I still have the jacket."

-The Consummate Teammate, Captain and Ambassador, Feb 2021

2. Merz: My first interaction with Sid was when we were on the bench, guys were talking about a teammate, and the first thing this 15-year-old says is, “Hey, guys. Let’s keep everything positive. Don’t talk about your teammates that way.”

Salcido: When we were getting ready for nationals, he found these little pills that you could put a hidden message inside. They unscrewed, and inside was a tiny scroll. He gave one to every teammate. … He had everyone fill one out. He didn’t tell anyone what to write, but he made it known that we all knew what the goal was: winning nationals. So we wrote on our scrolls, rolled them up and put them in the pill thing. We kept them with us everywhere we went.

-‘Is this real?’: Stories of Sidney Crosby’s year at a Minnesota prep school, May 2020

3. On “Butterfly Boy” Jonathan Pitre:

Though the Senators are his team, Sidney Crosby has always been Jonny’s favourite player. After the TSN documentary airs, Tina gets a call from the Penguins. Sid needs Jonny’s measurements. He wants to have a suit made for him by his personal tailor, Domenico Vacca.

“It’s the kindest, sweetest gesture,” Tina says. “Sid heard that Jonny went to a lot of games, so he wants him to look like he’s one of the guys.”

“I want him to feel like a pro,” Crosby says. “Here’s a guy who is going through something so painful, and his first thought is always, ‘How can I help others?’ When I was young, I’d watch on TV the players coming to the rink in their suits. That was a cool part of being an NHL player. I want him to feel that, to make it as real as possible for him.”

Tina tries to discreetly measure Jonny while she’s changing his dressings. But he’s way too smart for that.

“Um, Mom, why are you measuring me? Am I going for surgery again?” he asks.

“No, no!” Tina replies, trying to reassure him and come up with a good lie, all in the same breath. “The doctor needs them just to make sure they have proper dressings next time you are in.”

A few weeks later, the sharp navy blue suit shows up at their front door, along with a couple of ties, an autographed stick and a handwritten letter from Sid.

“His eyes just light up,” Tina says. “Jonny always liked to be well-dressed, and he just loves having his own suit. It fits perfectly. He looks so good in it.”

-Beauties by James Duthie (2020)

4. Pascal Dupuis inspired his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates on their run to the Stanley Cup, and Sidney Crosby found a special way of driving that message home.

Dupuis retired in December with lingering health concerns because of blood clots. Despite his NHL playing days coming to an end, the veteran forward remained an integral part of the Penguins and was in uniform to hoist the Cup after Pittsburgh's six-game win against the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Final.

On Sunday, Dupuis brought the Cup home one last time as a player to share a special day with his family, friends and hometown fans.

"Yes, it does feel bittersweet a little bit," Dupuis said. "You get the Cup, you want to celebrate. But at the same time I got a gift by the mail [Saturday]. Basically, it's a book of all the pictures of all the good stuff we went through. It came from Nova Scotia, so you guys can figure out who it came from (Crosby), but he couldn't give it to me during the season, he saw me skating a little bit.

"And he sent it [Saturday], before my day with the Cup, so he knew what he was doing to get me right here," Dupuis said, putting his fist over his heart.

-Pascal Dupuis shares Stanley Cup with family, friends, Aug 2016

5. In 2011, Crosby was out of the lineup with a concussion, and the Penguins made their annual visit to Children’s Hospital.

Crosby got along so well with one boy there and was so touched that he later asked Bullano to go back... just the two of them, no cameras, no attention.

When Bullano and Crosby met for the follow-up visit, Crosby appeared clutching a pair of Toys “R” Us bags, filled with a Transformer toy the two had discussed.

“He literally bought every type of this toy they make,” Bullano said. “[Crosby] had never seen it before and thought it was so cool.

“There are no pictures of this. There’s no video. He was laying in the bed with the kid. They were just playing. We were there for over two hours. I got to know the mom really well because we were just sitting there.

“The kid had no idea. Didn’t expect it. They had no idea he was coming. We got there and he said, ‘Hey buddy. hope you don’t mind that I came back.’ The kid couldn’t believe it.

“[Crosby’s] crazy cool about stuff like that.”

What’s crazy is trying to recount the many times stuff like this has happened with Crosby:

• The Little Penguins Learn to Play program has been around for nine seasons, outfitting now 1,200 kids with free head-to-toe hockey equipment. Not only does Crosby serve as the face of the program — which the NHL has now adopted — but he helps fund it, too.

“There’s an awareness of what a person in his position can bring,” Penguins vice president of communications Tom McMillan said. “I think he activates that as much as anybody I’ve seen during his playing career.”

• After a recent practice, Crosby noticed a local family in the Penguins dressing room, approached them, introduced himself, learned their story and wound up giving them a signed stick.

Nobody asked Crosby to do that, and he wanted zero credit when discussing it a couple days later.

“For people who have the opportunity to come in here, people dealing with certain things, if you can brighten their day a bit or spend some time with them, it’s something that’s special for all of us,” Crosby said.

• A few years ago, through a team charity event, Crosby befriended a 4-year-old Amish boy with cancer. Crosby remarked to Bullano how much he loved talking to the boy because of how engaging the boy was and how he wasn’t consumed with technology. Crosby even tried to visit the boy but learned he had passed away.

• He learns the first and last names of the kids who attend his hockey school in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

“Two kids came from Japan its first year,” Bullano recalled. “He was so blown away by that. He couldn’t wait to meet them.”

• Earlier this season, the Penguins welcomed Grant Chupinka, 24-year-old cancer patient, into the dressing room. Crosby chatted up Grant and his parents, Steve and Kim.

He spent his usual time — about two or three times the requirement. Gave the tour. Then found out the Chupinkas didn’t have tickets for that night’s game and decided he would pay for them to go.

“I’m sure he could just give them an autographed puck or something, but he takes his time to go out and see them and talk to them and get to know them,” Brian Dumoulin said. “It speaks volumes for him and who he is as a person.”

Spend any length of time with Crosby during his visits with those less fortunate, and a few things become obvious.

One, Crosby is really good at these. Smooth but not in a slimy way. Sweet. You know how when you’re around someone talking and they go out of their way to make eye contact with everyone around? That’s Crosby.

He’s also humble, always introducing himself like those he’s meeting don’t already know. Holding a hand is no issue. And Crosby is the rare 20-something pro athlete without kids who acts every bit like he does.

“It is not an easy situation to talk to someone with terminal cancer,” McMillan said. “A lot of people couldn’t do that. He has an amazing ability to do that and make that person feel good.”

Crosby has welcomed several Make-a-Wish kids and tries, if at all possible, to schedule such events for practice days — to maximize the time he’s able to spend.

He’s developed a special friendship with Patrick McIlvain, a soldier who nearly died when he took a bullet to the head in Afghanistan. McIlvain actually does physical therapy with one of Crosby’s sticks.

A former club hockey player at Cal U, McIlvain comes by every year, and the Penguins don’t even bother to tell Crosby. Either he already knows or immediately stops what he’s doing to come say hello.

“He’s not doing it to leave a legacy,” said Terry Kalna, Penguins vice president of sales and broadcasting. “His numbers leave the legacy. He’s just a down-to-Earth, good guy.”

Before a visit, Crosby has Bullano email him what is essentially a scouting report on who he’s going to meet. He likes to learn about them, their situation and what they’ve been through. As much information as he can ingest. Crosby never just swoops in, shake a hand and leave.

“As much as anyone has ever seen, he accepts the responsibilities of being not just a professional athlete but a star professional athlete,” McMillan said. “He views it as part of the job. Like coming to the morning skate. That’s just what you do.”

Put another way, “he owns those moments,” says Kalna.

Said Bullano, “He’s just a good human being.”

-When it comes to giving, Sidney Crosby does as much as he can, Feb 2017

6. When Crosby received a generous signing bonus on his Reebok deal, he wanted to share it with everyone.

“He gave everyone on the bus gifts,” says Oceanic radio commentator Michel Germain. “Him sharing his bonus with all the people he’d been travelling with for two years, that impresses me greatly. I think the most important thing about Sidney Crosby is his personality and the kind of human being he is. What he exuded. The inner richness he’d already developed.”

-Superstitious and generous, Dec 2006

7. also this simply because it makes me ;w;

Even in defeat — no, especially in defeat — Sidney Crosby proved why he wears the "C" for the Penguins.

After the game, with his heart sinking and his season over, the Penguins’ captain bent over, sank to the ice to pick up the puck, took it to linesman Tony Sericolo and then skated to his team’s handshake line.

I immediately thought of a View from Ice Level I’d written on Crosby making sure a retiring official was sent away from PPG Paints Arena properly. I knew picking up the puck wasn’t for the same reason that was, but I also knew, in some way, it was connected to Crosby’s awareness and respect of the game.

“It was for the Islanders,” Crosby told me after the game, his eyes swollen from a first round exit – by way of a sweep to make it worse. He told me how the winning team always wanted the puck, and it was his way of providing it for the Islanders.

Crosby looked me right in the eye as he told me this, just as he did with every other member of the media to come to him after the loss.

I could tell from those swollen eyes and the way he sat at his stall, by himself with his hands folded as he stared blankly, that Sidney Crosby is much more used to being on the receiving end of a puck when a series ends than he is at retrieving it for the winning team.

That scene. His swollen eyes. Staying in the locker room until most had left – talking to anyone who needed him. Most of all, though, picking up the puck that prompted my question in the first place and making sure the right people got their piece of their own history.

It all adds up to one thing: In victory and in defeat, Crosby respects the game above all else – just as he’s always done.

-Even in defeat, Crosby shines, April 2019

#anyway this was a nice walk down memory lane after the disastrous game rip #sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins #hockey #text

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fruitcoops · 3 years

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Two of A Kind

I’ve been focusing on asks a lot lately because of everyone’s awesome ideas, but I saw a Cut video that was similar to this and just couldn’t resist. Hope you enjoy! Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for mentions of sex and endless simping!

“Are you ready?” Marlene asks behind the camera. Kasey sits alone on a stool in the middle of the room, drumming his fingers on his knees.

“Yep. What am I doing again?”

The video cuts, revealing the same room, this time with James Potter on the stool. “You’re going to be answering a few questions,” Marlene explains. “And then we’re also going to be interviewing your wife and comparing your answers.”

“Oh, God,” James laughs. “Okay, hit me with your best shot.”

A title card appears on the screen. First Question: What was your first date?

Remus thinks for a moment. “Like, our first official date, or something that was definitely a date but we were both too dumb to notice?”

“Kasey took me to an ice rink,” Natalie says. She is inexplicably sitting on a folding chair rather than the stool. “We spent about three hours there, drinking cocoa and talking. It was a ton of fun!”

“Ice skating.” Kasey grins. “She told me she could skate, but she had never stepped on the ice in her life.”

“It was at Sid’s.” Sirius smiles to himself. “We had been together for about three months at that point.”

“Remus asked us to define ‘first date’,” Marlene says, sounding amused.

“Is there a different definition that I’m not aware of? We hung out at Sid’s a bunch before we actually got together, but those didn’t qualify as dates.” He pauses. “Looking back, they kind of were dates. We just didn’t know it.”

The video transitions to Lily and James, whose interviews are lined up side-by-side. “Lily took me to get ice cream after we went for a walk in the park,” James answers with a bright smile.

Lily laughs. “Our first date was a disaster. It was twenty-five degrees outside and we got ice cream. I think our brain freezes lasted about three straight minutes, but I had a great time.”

Second Question: When and where was your first kiss?

“Our first kiss happened on our first date,” Natalie says. “Kase caught me when I fell over and I just leaned right in.”

Kasey’s dopey smile makes his eyes crinkle. “At the ice rink. It felt like something out of a movie.”

Lily frowns in thought. “Oh, god, maybe our sixth date? He dropped me off at my apartment and kissed me goodnight.”

“I pulled a move straight from a John Hughes movie.” James grins and stretches his arms out. “Walked her to the door and everything. It was perfect.”

“Pascal Dumais’ basement,” Sirius says with a light laugh. “Which is a surprisingly romantic place.”

“It happened right after Sirius’ birthday party, which I was tricked into attending.” Remus gives the camera a mock-serious look. “Always be suspicious of Pascal Dumais. Always.”

Third Question: Who said ‘I love you’ first, and what was your reaction?

Sirius bites his lip. “I said it first, but only by two seconds. It was a long time coming, to be honest.”

“Sirius said it first.” Remus smiles at the memory. “We were both kind of wrecks at the time, but it was…amazing. I think I just cried harder and kissed him.”

Lily rolls her eyes fondly. “James said it first. We were both super drunk and he just blurted it out in the middle of the club.”

“She ran away!” James practically shouts as the video cuts to him. “I told her I loved her, she gave me this shocked look, and then disappeared! I get a text an hour later saying she caught a cab and went home, and she signs it with ‘love, Lily’. What the fuck was I supposed to do with that?”

Natalie coughs slightly. “Um, I don’t remember who said it first.”

Kasey grins at the camera. “Natalie said she didn’t remember,” Marlene calls.

“Oh, she remembers.”

Fourth Question: How’s your sex life? Anything you can do differently?

Sirius, who was taking a sip of water, chokes. “Excuse me?”

Remus is dead silent for a second, blinking at the camera in shock. “It’s, uh, good.”

“If we gave you some alcohol, would your answer change?” Marlene asks.

“Probably. Does anyone else feel like they’re suddenly in danger?”

“What sex life?” James snorts. “We have a baby. There is no time or energy for anything anymore.”

Lily raises an eyebrow. “You think I want him anywhere near me after I just shoved a baby out of my crotch?”

“It’s damn good.” Natalie winks, uncapping her own waterbottle. “Pro tip for anyone looking for a hockey boyfriend: go for the goalies. They’re flexible.”

Kasey is laughing into his hands when his interview appears. “She said that?” he manages. “Oh, Christ.”

Fifth Question: Do you dirty talk?

“Yes.” Kasey and Natalie say at the same time. James winks, and Lily shrugs with a sly smile.

Remus gives the camera crew a disbelieving look. “Are all the questions like this? Were we lulled into a false sense of security?”

“Answer the question, Loops!”

Remus sighs deeply. “On occasion, yes. I’m going to regret saying that.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Sirius says, narrowing his eyes as he sets his water down.

Sixth Question: How well do you sleep?

“Not bad,” Remus says. “Better than I used to, that’s for sure.”

“I don’t sleep,” Lily scoffs. James just looks at the camera and wordlessly gestures to the shadows under his eyes.

“Pretty well,” Natalie muses, slinging one arm around the back of her folding chair.

Sirius nods. “I’d say I sleep well most nights. It’s more comfortable with another person, which was surprising.”

Seventh Question: Why do you feel obligated to share a bed?

“Obligated?” Sirius and Remus say with matching tones of incredulity.

Lily’s smile becomes softer. “I really like sharing a bed. It makes me feel safe.”

“Oh, I love sleeping next to Lily.” James’ gaze turns dreamy. “She smells nice, she’s so warm, and sharing a bed makes childcare much easier when the other person is within reach.”

“You can’t tell her I said this, okay?” Kasey looks around at the camera crew before answering, and his cheeks turn light pink. “Nat’s side of the bed faces east, so if I get up for practice and the sun is rising, she glows a little bit. I dunno, I like it.”

“Kasey is really warm and cuddly.” Natalie says after a moment of thought. “He’s like my own personal heater and I’m never cold if he’s there. Don’t tell him I said that.”

Remus bites his lip before speaking. “I’m not much of a cuddler, but I sleep better next to Sirius than I ever have before. It’s incredible.”

Sirius cocks his head to the side with a smile. “Hmm. Having someone there to hold, especially someone I care about so much, is the best feeling. If I ever wake up in the middle of the night, he’s just…always there.” He half-shrugs. “It’s sappy, but it’s true.”

Eighth Question: Rate your attractiveness on a scale of 1-10

“Eleven,” Lily and Natalie say in unison, as if it’s obvious.

“I’m going with a solid six,” Remus decides after a moment’s deliberation.

“Eight, maybe?” Kasey answers.

Sirius makes a face. “Six? Seven?”

James is mid-laugh when the video cuts to him. “Um, seven. Lily and I have talked about this before and I got in trouble for saying ten, that’s why I’m laughing. Sorry.”

Ninth Question: Rate your partner’s attractiveness on a scale of 1-10

Not a single one hesitates. “Ten.”

“Remus said he was a solid six,” Marlene says as the camera focuses on Sirius.

His eyebrows shoot up. “What? Where is he? Re!”

“What?” a distant voice shouts back.

“You’re a ten!”

“On what scale?”

“Nat said eleven, didn’t she?” Kasey asks with a grin as the clip changes. “I love it when she does that.”

Final Question: What animal is your partner and why? Give three reasons.

Lily gives Marlene a hard look. “Marley, I love you, but what I say right now needs to stay confidential from my husband.”

Sirius laughs quietly. “Oh, he’s going to hate me for this.”

“Lily is a lioness,” James says immediately. “She’s strong, fierce, and unbelievably brave.”

Natalie tilts her head. “Good question. I’m going to go with a bear, since he’s got a big, tough reputation but he’s all soft inside. He’s a pretty solid guy, too, and he likes cold weather.”

“Nat is one of those really colorful birds,” Kasey says. “The ones with big personalities and the pretty feathers.”

“James is a lion.” Lily thinks for a moment longer. “It’s not just that he plays for the Lions, but he really is one of the bravest people I know. He’s protective of his family and cares a lot about keeping everyone together.”

Remus grins at the camera. “Sirius is a dog, and I will happily tell you why. Number one: he loves going for walks. Number two: he is endlessly loyal to the people he cares for. Number three: peanut butter.”

“So, Re is either a cat or a dog, and I really can’t choose.” Sirius’ eyebrows draw together in thought.

“You can choose both if you have reasons,” Marlene calls behind the camera.

“Really? Alright, he’s a dog because he’s friendly, loyal, and brings people trinkets as gifts. Um, I don’t have a legitimate reason for the cat one, but do any of you know that one vine with the cat that’s being dragged around on a leash?”

The camera crew bursts out laughing, and a small picture of the cat appears in the upper left of the screen.

“Anyone who has tried to pick Remus up knows that he looks exactly like that. Goes completely limp, it’s the funniest fucking thing.”

The video cuts to Remus, who raises his eyebrows. “He said what?”

The title card appears and Marlene’s voiceover begins. “Thanks for watching, Lions! Special thanks to Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James and Lily Potter, Natalie Darcy, and Kasey Winter for being with us today. Like and subscribe for more!”

#sirius black #remus lupin #james potter #lily evans #kasey winter #natalie darcy #marlene mckinnon #social media #sweater weather #coops #jily #kat #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic

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thatravenpuffwitch · 3 years

Text

Character Profile — Adelia Selwyn

This incredible portrait was drawn by the very talented @cursebreakerfarrier

Full Name: Adelia Liliane Selwyn

Nicknames: Addy, Lia, Delia (by Teddy)

Birthday: 14th November 1880

Blood Status: Pureblood

Gender: Female (she/her)

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Nationality: British-American

Hometown: New York City, New York, USA / Chiswick, London, UK

Additional Languages: French and Latin

Personality

MBTI: INTJ (The Architect)

Strengths: Determined, intelligent, logical, creative, feisty, caring, resilient, confident

Weaknesses: Prideful, vain

Interests/Hobbies: Potions, alchemy, fashion, singing, ice skating

Appearance

Face claim: Dakota Fanning (child-young adult) / Naomi Watts (adult)

Height: 5ft 2in

Build: Petite, on the thinner side

Skin: Fair, clear complexion

Hair: Sandy blonde, usually styled up in a bun

Eyes: Sky blue

Witchcraft

Wand: Walnut wood with a dragon heartstring core, 10 1/2” and slightly springy flexibility

Highly intelligent witches and wizards ought to be offered a walnut wand for trial first, because in nine cases out of ten, the two will find in each other their ideal mate. Walnut wands are often found in the hands of magical innovators and inventors; this is a handsome wood possessed of unusual versatility and adaptability. A note of caution, however: while some woods are difficult to dominate, and may resist the performance of spells that are foreign to their natures, the walnut wand will, once subjugated, perform any task its owner desires, provided that the user is of sufficient brilliance. This makes for a truly lethal weapon in the hands of a witch or wizard of no conscience, for the wand and the wizard may feed from each other in a particularly unhealthy manner.

Patronus: Octopus

Animagus: Snow owl

Boggart:Herself holding a baby, they’re both covered in blood, bruises and inky black seaweed.

Riddikulus: She has trouble getting rid of her boggart, but it would be her older brother Jasper wearing a gaudy, bright pink dress.

Amortentia (what they smell like): Parchment, sea spray, warm apple cider, lilacs

Amortentia (what they smell): Leather, spent matches, honeysuckle, gingerbread

Magical Abilities: Elemental control over water, ability to communicate with Merpeople in their native tongue.

Hogwarts

House: Slytherin

Best Subjects: Potions, Alchemy, Transfiguration

Worst Subject: Flying

Third Year Options: Alchemy, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy

Extracurriculars: Frog Choir, Prefect and Head Girl

Adult Life

Age 18 — 23: Alchemist Apprentice to Nicolas Flamel

Age 23 — 45: Potioneer at St. Mungo’s Hospital, Research and Innovations Division

Age 45 — 65: Professor of Alchemy, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

65+: Retired

Relationships

Father: Reginald Selwyn

Mother: Clara Selwyn (née Bellerose)

Older Brother: Jasper Selwyn

Younger Sister: Cecily Selwyn

Pets: Belle the owl

Love interest / Husband: Arthur ‘Teddy’ Ellison @cursebreakerfarrier

Children:

Lawrence Albert “Bertie” Selwyn Ellison and Violet Mabel Selwyn Ellison and Holly Sylvestra Selwyn Ellison

Friends:

Adelia is always open for new friends/interactions!

Gwen Archeron, Estrid Soelberg ; Jackson Knightly, Bat Varney @carewyncromwell ; Danny Gibson @catohphm ; Teddy Ellison, Montelimar Bloom, Galen Stagg, Benji Gerhardt @cursebreakerfarrier ; Tadhg Lynch, Niamah Kelly, Grant Kennedy @unfortunate-arrow ; Theo Abbott @smarti-at-smogwarts ; Lu Morrison @raes-place ; Siobhan Llewelyn, Bradford Pendleton, Oliver Gerard @kc-and-oc ; Gabriel Saphiea @slytherindisaster ; Roxie Haley, Charlotte Grant, Maura Devitt @weasleysandwheezes ; Roel Leeuwenhoek, Sid Honeycutt @fairywrenn ; Orla Atkinson, Victoria Montgomery @nightmaresart ; Carolyn Nyberg @lifeofkaze ; Ophelia Burke, Héloïse Perrault @the-al-chemist ; Cledwyn Ironwood, Marigold Sterling @that-scouse-wizard ; Leila Hellebore @whatwouldvalerydo ; Rionnach Dagworth @ellie-e-marcovitz

Rival: Cillian Lynch @unfortunate-arrow, Ophelia Burke (a frenemy)

Dormmates: Carolyn Nyberg, Marigold Sterling, Ophelia Burke, Maura Devitt, Leila Hellebore

Additional Links

Adelia’s Playlist

The Blood Curse

The Selwyn Family

The Selwyn-Ellison Siblings

#adelia selwyn #character profile #hogwarts legacy #hphl #hphl mc #slytherin

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awanderingdeal · 3 years

Text

This was a fic I wrote for Remus' birthday, that for some reason I never posted here.

CW: Sex, food.

Let me know if you think I need to add a content warning.

Rating: M

This is set in the sweater weather universe, for which we have @lumosinlove to thank!

Birthdays had never been particularly special to Remus. In recent years, he had found them somewhat stressful. He knew they were supposed to be a celebration of his birth, of the days he had lived up until now, but more than anything, they just seemed to be a mocking chime on the clock that ticked mercilessly, reminding him he had yet to achieve much in his life.

That was until this year. His 28th birthday. In the eyes of most people, it wouldn’t be considered a milestone, but it was his first birthday after so many firsts. His first year living with Sirius. His first year playing hockey professionally. His first year being truly himself. Something about it felt different, bigger. Remus wasn’t one for hyperbole, that was more Sirius' department. However, Remus couldn’t conjure a word to describe his morning other than, simply, perfect.

He had woken up to Sirius’ soft ministrations, gentle kisses and teasing touches, until he had been coaxed from whatever dream he’d been having. Remus had tried to initiate something more, but Sirius had been adamant that he be allowed to worship Remus’ skin with the tenderness it deserved. It was still hard for Remus to believe he deserved much, but Sirius repeated the words often enough Remus was starting to consider that maybe there was some truth to them. The venerations had seemed to go on forever, until finally Sirius had brushed his fingers against the small of Remus’ back and asked if he could fuck him. The mix of crudeness and the reverent tone Sirius had used had done things to Remus he couldn’t quite explain. They’d rocked against one another, slow and unhurried, Remus treasuring the way Sirius filled him.

Once Sirius had slipped out, they’d clung to one another, sated and sweaty, until Sirius breathed something about running a bath. The bed had felt cold in his absence and Remus had dragged the sweater he always kept by the side of the bed over his head before padding after Sirius. Sirius had squealed when Remus started to push the door open, shouting a spew of words that Remus loosely translated to mean he wasn’t allowed to come in yet. The display had been so uncharacteristic it had startled Remus for a moment, but then laughter had bubbled in his chest and he'd left Sirius to finish whatever surprise he was planning.

Sirius had implored Remus to cover his eyes when he was eventually granted permission to join Sirius in the bathroom. Remus had found the whole idea a little silly, but Sirius’ expression had been so sweet he’d obliged. Sirius led him through the door, whispering into his ear that he could look now. Thinking back on it, the noise that'd escaped Remus’ mouth before he'd thrown his arms around Sirius had been embarrassing, but he hadn’t known how else to express his gratitude. The bathroom looked serene in the flickering light of the candles Sirius had placed on every available surface. It had taken Remus a second to place the scent of honey, vanilla and almond. He had laughed, remembering being dragged around the store a few weekends ago, made to smell each candle and Sirius' need to know exactly which one was his favourite. Remus had salivated over this particular scent, the smell making him want to eat the thing. Sirius had protested the laughter, poking Remus playfully as he whined that picking candles for others was hard, and that Remus had a particularly fussy nose. There was some truth to that, Remus supposed. He'd let his eyes fall on the bath next; it was full of rainbow coloured bubbles.

“Rose petals probably would have been more romantic, but I figured you would enjoy this more,” Sirius had whispered.

Remus loved bubbles. He was sure he lost about 20 years of maturity when he saw them and his fingers had itched to play in them. He had forced himself to continue to catalogue the rest of the room first though. The happy birthday written in Sirius’ precise cursive on the mirror. The sound of the piano filtering through the speakers. Remus hadn’t known the name of the piece, but he’d recognised it from something he had heard Sirius practising before. Sirius’ cheeks had tinged pink when Remus asked whether it was him playing.

“It’s beautiful, thank you,” Remus had said, his eyes stinging as he fought tears. Sirius hadn’t replied, merely taking his hand and leading him to the bath. They’d stayed in it until the water had gone cold. Sirius hadn’t even complained when Remus had used the bubbles to form a beard on his face.

They'd ended up hurrying down a breakfast of smoothies and French toast, so they could make it to the rink on time. They hadn't had morning skate that day, but Sirius had needed to meet with the media at 11.00, so it had all ended up being a bit of a rush. He'd video called his family in the car, Julian almost deafening everybody as he’d screamed his birthday wishes. The call had been short, he’d see them all in a few days anyway.

The next few hours had flown by. Remus hadn’t been scheduled for an interview, but Marlene had grabbed him, talking him into doing a birthday piece for social media. Then it had been a quick run through some video, and a few last minute tactic talks with coach, before they’d been released to grab lunch and a nap before the game. The team had been fairly reserved in their congratulations, but Remus had figured they were all just getting into the zone.

That had been until he’d walked into Sid’s. The location wasn’t unusual, they ate there every game day, so Remus hadn’t even thought to suspect anything. It had remained relatively quiet as they rounded the corner to their usual tables, and Remus had been pulling out a chair beside Logan when the chaos had begun. Cheers, and party poppers rang out before the team burst into a song. Several versions of happy birthday, or at least Remus assumed that was what they were singing, because he could only understand two of the languages. Nevertheless, they were all terribly out of tune. Remus had buried his head in his arms, feeling his entire face warm with embarrassment. He had only lifted it once each of his teammates had thumped him in the arm wishing him happy birthday in their native language. Except for Nado and Kuny, who for a reason still unknown to Remus had decided to swap, leading to a fairly predictable squabble over who’s attempt had been better. Remus had eventually managed to choke out a thank you.

“We wanted to do it in the locker room later, but decided you and Cap would possibly die if we ruined your pre game ritual like that and that would have been unfortunate,” James had yelled from the other end of the table.

The energy hadn’t really reduced much by the time Sirius was clearing his throat an hour later, telling everybody they needed to leave to get their game heads on. Nate had called Remus’ name just as they were leaving, his face red as he pushed an envelope into Remus’ hand before scurrying away. Remus had teared up reading the message in the birthday card on the ride home. It still baffled Remus that people looked up to him, especially when that person saw his face covered in tomato sauce on a weekly basis.

Remus was lying in bed, holding a softly snoring Sirius close. He hadn’t slept much himself, content to just replay the morning over and over in his head until he felt Sirius stir in arms. They followed their usual game day routine, Sirius smiling at Remus’ occasional contended sighs. Before he knew it, Remus was looping Sirius’ tie around his neck, before handing over his own for Sirius to return the favour. They had integrated each other seamlessly into their matchday superstitions, and the thought never failed to make Remus smile.

He had almost forgotten about his birthday by the time he had stepped out onto the ice for their warm up, his routine working its magic to put him in a headspace where hockey, and only hockey mattered. Remus definitely hadn’t expected the wall of noise that went up as he came out of the tunnel. He froze as he took in the sound of his name being chanted, and the hundreds of banners in the crowd, emblazed with various messages for him. He only moved when Olli crashed into his back.

“Take it all in now baby, I need you on form tonight,” Sirius said, squeezing his arm as he skated past, fingers lingering for just a second too long for it to be platonic. Remus knew the cameras would pick the small display of affection up, and usually he didn’t like their relationship being analysed, but right now he found he couldn’t care less. He let himself take a moment to look at the crowd, glancing over the sea of people, dragging his eyes back to a familiar face. That was Jules pressing himself against the glass, his brother's small figure jumping up and down excitably. Remus skated over, pushing his hand against his side of the glass to meet Julian in a weird high five.

“Where’s mom? Dad?” he shouted, following Julian’s gaze to where his parents sat. His mom waved enthusiastically, and Remus returned it not tearing his eyes away until heard Sirius calling him over to join the rest of the team. “Did you know they were coming?” Remus asked once he was able to get Sirius by himself for a second. Sirius’ had merely given him a mischievous grin in response.

They won the game fairly easily, improving Remus’s mood even further. He doubted anything could really deflate him today. He hadn’t even tried to argue with Dumo about going back to his house for a little evening celebration. That little celebration was still ongoing at 1am. His family had already headed back to the house a while ago, with promises from his mom to make waffles in the morning.

“Excuse me, young man,” Celeste scolded him, just as he was about to stick his fork into the middle of the cake. Honey, vanilla and almond.

“It’s my cake,” Remus pouted, but allowed Celeste to cut the cake into a neat slice, taking the plate he was given. “Thanks.”

“Now, I believe a certain husband is looking for you upstairs.” Celeste winked, and Remus practically choked on the piece of cake he had just shovelled into his mouth. “Oh please, I was not born yesterday. You two are not so discreet. Just make sure you put the sheets in the hamper this time please.”

Remus didn’t think his face would ever return to its natural shade, but he took his plate and made his way to the guest bedroom he had a strong suspicion Sirius was waiting for him. As he climbed the stairs, he considered making Sirius wait until he had finished the divine cake, but as soon as Remus saw Sirius lying on the bed, dressed in nothing but Remus’ jersey all thoughts of food left his mind.

“Happy birthday, Re.”

#sweater weather #lumosinlove #remus lupin #sirius black #birthday fic #cw:food #cw:sex #rating: m #18+

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ilyasorokinn · 3 years

Text

pittsburgh penguins

* = from a prompt list

sidney crosby !

imagines,

✷ tiktok famous - sidney accidentally becomes tiktok famous after doing a tiktok dance with his daughter.

✷ gods and goddesses - y/n crosby, an actress, takes sidney to his first met gala.

✷ santa claus is coming to town - y/n and sidney spend the day with their children, putting up the christmas tree, decorating the house, making cookies, writing letters to santa, and most important of all, getting their hot chocolate. (part of “taylor’s 14 days of christmas” series)

✷ little giroux - y/n giroux is the little sister of claude giroux, the captain of the philadelphia flyers. so that means she's supposed to hate the penguins, especially their captain, right?

✷ not so alone - y/n and sid are staying in pittsburgh for christmas this year, with their families coming out to visit instead. y/n heard through the grapevine that some of the guys weren’t going home, so she decided to welcome them over so they weren’t so alone. (part of “taylor’s very merry christmas” series)

blurbs,

✷ can’t sleep - the crosby kids, as well as sidney, wake up and can’t seem to fall back asleep.

✷ protective dad mode - y/n gave birth a few weeks ago, and sidney goes into crazy-dad mode during a family skate.

✷ appreciation - y/n has a nail appointment, and sid volunteers to come along.

✷ the secrets out - sidney and y/n are expecting their first child. sidney wants to keep it a secret for as long as possible, being a private person, but y/n wants to let people know. (ig edit included) *

✷ work sendoff - mornings are hard so sidney gives y/n the little push she needs. *

✷ y/n y/l/n's hockey boyfriend - y/n y/l/n, famous singer, plays in the city she calls home, and finally confirms a years-long rumor people had been speculating on. *

series,

✷ the crosby clan - sidney crosby, and his life with his three kids, lucas, august and maggie.

ryan graves !

imagines,

✷ birthday twins - y/n and her daughter, charlotte share a birthday.

✷ 1 step forward, 3 steps back - a fic based on "1 step forward, 3 steps back" from olivia rodrigo’s sour album. (from the “sour” series)

[ wips ] [ masterlist of masterlists ] [ taglist ]

#pittsburgh penguins masterlist #pittsburgh penguins #nhl #hockey #taylor’s masterlists

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myhockeyworld87 · 4 years

Text

Not So Dangerous Liaison - Sidney Crosby - Part 3

Word Count: 2,340

POV: Reader than switches to Sid

Warnings: Language

Notes: I had planned on this being a bit longer but with everything that happened I didn’t get to write as much as I want. Also this was kind of unplanned, but since everyone wanted a prank included I decided to write it in. Hope you guys enjoy!

Not So Dangerous Liaison Masterlist

You stood there wracking your brain trying to figure out what you had done or said that first night you met Sidney Crosby. He'd done a full one-eighty in twenty-four hours on you. When you'd left the party you actually thought, that there was quite possibly something between the two of you, but since then it was painfully obvious that he'd changed his mind. It was never more evident than in this moment right now when he clearly could've cared less about the snacks and extras that you'd had delivered to his room, let alone the book you'd left. His simple, 'oh yeah, thanks,' made it evident that he just tolerated you and your job with the team.

You knew it was going to be hard with him. It was part of the reason why you added the book on Egyptian history for him, hoping that it would sort of be a peace offering, or at least some common ground for you both. If he didn't appreciate that, he was surely going to hate the one on ancient Rome that would be waiting for him in D.C. It was too late now, you weren't going to not send it. If anything it only strengthened your resolve to somehow get yourself and Sid to at least be friends, since there would obviously never be anything more.

The following morning you headed on the bus with the team to the arena for morning skate, where everything went great. You began to see why the guys took naps in the afternoon, as their schedule was super demanding. As you headed back on the bus, for the game, you didn't expect Tanger, to grab the seat next to you. "So, how are things going so far?"

"Really good I think." It was true all the guys had been super nice and so receptive to all that you'd been doing for the team, well everyone except Sid. You chose not to get into that with Tanger though, so instead, you added. "Unless you've heard something different?" It seemed like a smart way to see about Sid's indifference, without flat out asking him how Sidney felt about your new role.

"God, no. Everyone loves you. You really outdid yourself with the little care packages. We all appreciated them." Well, not everyone.

"Just trying to do my part and make the trip a little easier for you guys."

"Speaking of that. I was wondering if I could ask a favor." He ran a hand through his hair as if he was nervous, which seemed silly since you'd known Tanger for a while now.

"Sure, that's my job you know. I'm here to be helpful."

"Well, this is kind of personal. Alex's birthday is coming up and…well Catherine always does the shopping and comes up with something over the top for him. I was hoping that this time, maybe I'd have some great suggestion to give her. Obviously, I suck though, because I can't think of a damn thing."

"Oh, I can totally help with that." You took out your phone as the bus pulled into the arena, everyone filing out to get ready for the game. "Let me see what I can come up with and I'll get back to you."

"Yeah, that would be great." You followed Tanger off the bus, then went about a few odds and ends that you started helping the staff with. It was probably about forty-five minutes later that he found you again.

"Hey (Y/N), I had this awesome idea about Alex's birthday present."

"Oh yeah, what were you thinking." You asked as you made your way over to the locker room where Tanger was standing. He opened the door for you to come in. You tended to avoid going into the room unless it was necessary, not that you couldn't. Social media was in there all the time filming things, so it wouldn't be like you were the only female in there. It just seemed like a line you weren't ready to cross yet; though at the moment you had no choice but to follow him.

As you gazed around the room, you had to appreciate the way Dana Heinze and his guys made the locker room feel more like home. Each stall had a nameplate on it, and the Pens emblem was placed throughout the room. Most of the guys were in there, prepping for the game. They didn't even take notice that you were there. "Tanger, you're up." Hollered Chris, one of the team trainers.

"Shit, can you grab my phone out of my bag. I saved it in there." You wandered over to where his bag sat. It still amazed you how they lugged all this equipment around. You had a feeling it was going to be a challenge to find a cell phone in the damn thing with how big it was. Crouching down, you pulled the zipper back the whole way to shed some light into the black piece of luggage. That's when Marc-Andre popped out with a loud roar.

"Jesus Christ!" You screamed stumbling back, as your heel caught on some random piece of equipment on the floor. You would've landed flat on your ass if it hadn't been for someone grabbing you around the waist and holding you tight against their body. Even though you'd literally just been scared half to death, you somehow felt safe in this person's arms; like nothing bad could happen to you as long as he was around. It was a bad feeling to have considering this was a new job, and you didn't need to be developing feelings for a player. You took another minute to just absorb the feeling of being in this person's arms, as well as catch your breath.

He must have heard or felt your deep intake of breath, for the next thing you knew he was saying. "It's ok. I got you." You knew that voice, well you honestly knew all the guys' voices; you just weren't used to be held in their embrace. When you looked back, Sid's brown eyes were staring into yours. They were filled with concern, and well something else, desire. You could see it in his eyes as much as you were sure that yours reflected the same. It was dangerous territory and there was no exploring it as the whole team had their eyes on you.

"Thanks," you said righting yourself. You turned your full attention to Flower than. "What the hell, Flower! You just scared the crap out of me." You were laughing along with the rest of the room now, and Marc-Andre had the biggest smile on his face.

"Welcome to the team." He said coming over and giving you a big hug. "You're not an official member until we prank you."

"Oh my god, you should've seen your face." Horny came up and embraced you as well. "It was priceless."

"I got it all on video too," Tanger said holding his phone up, that you were suppose to be looking for.

"Wait…you guys were all in on this?" You looked around the room and about half the guys were nodding their head.

"We do it to all the new guys. Couldn't leave you out." Most of the guys came over and gave you a hug, saying that you were a good sport about things.

"You do realize I know where all of you sleep right? And I will get you back." You shot back with a little laugh before exiting the locker room. "Now get your asses ready or we'll see who scared of who." The moment you shut the door, you leaned against it heavily to stop your racing heart. To anyone else, it would look as though you were still recovering from having the wits scared out of you, but what you couldn't get over was the feeling of being held in Sidney's arms and the look in his eyes.

All this time you thought he was indifferent to you, but that look told you otherwise. You could still feel his hands wrapped around; it was like an imprint that couldn't be wiped away. There were so many things going through your brain at the moment, and yet this wasn't the place or time to think about it. You pushed away from the door, just as it opened; startling you once again.

"Hey (Y/N)," thankfully it was Tanger's voice and not the man who was at the forefront of your mind. "I don't need that present for Alex, Catherine has it covered." You rolled your eyes at him, you should've known that was part of the prank. He just shrugged his shoulders at you. "I had to sell it, didn't I?" You took a towel and threw in his face before, heading down the hallway to get back to work.

SID'S POV

What the hell had just happened? No one had told him they were going to prank (Y/N), for if they had he would've advised against it, but damn had the timing been right for her to literally fall in your arms. When she'd walked into the locker room, you couldn't breathe. It seemed like every time there was a game, the woman dressed in something to tantalize your dreams. There was nothing left to do but walk out of the locker room and get some air. That's when you had the misfortune or fortune as it were, to be in the perfect spot to catch her as Marc-Andre scared her.

Her body fit perfectly to yours, as your arms came around her mid-section to steady her. Your forearm had brushed the underside of her breast and just that small contact alone had you yearning for more. There was an undeniable spark between the two of you at that moment, and when she turned to look at you; you knew she felt it too. At least she had the sense to recover because right now you didn't give a damn that there was a game to be played in an hour. You wanted nothing more than to haul her off to some dark secluded corner and kiss her senseless.

The thoughts running through your head were pure madness. You shouldn't be thinking about the things you wanted to do to her body or how you wanted to know what she felt like under those layers of clothing. You needed to pull yourself together, you had sixty minutes of hockey and a team that needed your attention. So, when Rusty called out to see if you were playing soccer that's what you decided you needed to do to get your mind off of (Y/N).

Three hits into the warmup ritual, you were still thinking about her. Only this time it was about the last game and how she'd touched your hat and brought you good luck. That superstitious side of yours, kept an eye out for her so that you could do it again. However, this time she was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, with both yourself and your irrational tendencies, you headed into the locker room and tried to focus on the game ahead.

The first period you played like shit and Ottawa was up one to nothing. You were beginning to wish that you would have just asked (Y/N) to touch your hat, for it felt like you were now being cursed or maybe that was happening because you'd held her a little too close to your body earlier and your bad game was some form of punishment. By the middle of the second, you were sure it was the latter, for the Senators were up, three zip. Thankfully Horny was at least able to get you on the board with one goal shortly thereafter. You'd just spent a particularly long shift out on the ice and were skating back to the bench when you saw her on the ramp, nervously watching the game with such intensity as if by sheer will alone, she would have one of you to score a goal.

As you sat on the bench, something in you shifted and you stopped thinking about your silly superstitions and decided that if (Y/N) seemed to have that much faith in the team so were you. As you skated out on your next shift, the puck somehow found your stick on a pass from Horny. A spin to the left and a fake on your opponent and you tapped the puck into the back of the net, cutting the other teams lead to only one. As your teammates crowded you, it wasn't words of celebration you shared but ones of motivation. And when you made your way back to the bench, there she was smiling brighter than the sun. It was contagious and you could help but smile back when she caught your eye.

When the third period started the team was on fire, Carl Hagelin scoring shortly into the period to tie the game. There was a feeling deep in your chest that you were going to win this one, and somewhere in your mind, you acknowledged you want to do it for (Y/N). Things changed though, when Beau went down, after a bad hit from Zibanejad. The medical staff was on top of things as they took him back to the locker room and you saw (Y/N) disappear with them. She missed the rest of the game, and also the empty netter you put in sealing your victory. By the time the buzzer sounded, and you headed down the ramp; you could just make out (Y/N) and Beau heading out of the arena. Beau's arm wrapped around her as she helped him out. The rational part of you, told you she was just doing her job and helping him; though it was the irrational one that told you it looked more like a girlfriend tending to her injured man. Unfortunately for you this time, the illogical part of you won out as you found yourself jealous of your teammate the first time in your life.

#Not So Dangerous Liaison Series #Sidney Crosby #sidney crosby imagine #Sidney Crosby Imagines #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic

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hollenka99 · 4 years

Text

Now That I’ve Played SoulScape...

This will be a spoiler review so please don't read this if you plan on playing the game yourself. Will naturally also contain spoilers for SeptiScape too so the same goes for that game as well.

General Comments

(This was originally all bulletpointed but I decided it was easier to read as paragraphs instead)

It's so good to see the -Scape (Scapeverse?) boys again. It's been over 2 years so their face design looks slightly different but that's expected when it comes to continual development as an artist. My favourite new looks are Chase, Marvin and Nega.

Also voice acting???? Hell yeah! Marvin’s expressions give me the kind of vibe that they were inspired by cat memes and his voice acting seems perfect for him.

I was just wandering around the woods, exploring the area, when Angus makes a pun involving loss. It took me by surprise and I spent a full 10 seconds being super confused by this seemingly random comment before noticing the trees. Then I just wanted to flip my laptop. I can't remember if it was Dev Ritchy or Dev Blake who claimed responsibility but I want you to know I was glaring at my screen for a minute because of what you did. Have been lowkey wondering whether Lucky Luciano was there since this happened last night.

Straight up melted when Bing saw Angus in his true appearance and they started calling each other sunflower and angel etc. Their reunion during the good end and any/all interactions they have in this game send me every time.

I spent so long just wandering around Attitude City. Mostly because I was too dumb to realise the cliffs were to the side and you could get the bus to the skating rink. At least I got to explore the place thoroughly.

Loved seeing some characters from SPG making cameos. I saw Mack’s sprite and went “Surely not... oh my god it is!”. The dialogue with Billy where he makes references to chapter 1 of GITS were brilliant.

The only issue I had was in the church because for some reason it was super laggy and quite difficult to do anything in that room. But that it is just one small area that slightly dampened the experience. Everything else in the game ran smoothly.

Chad just showing up and being like "Well... how about I let someone of your exact description have all this weed of the dankest degree for free." was iconic.

Fuck Stacy. That's all I'm going to say. But it does go to show that men aren't the only ones who are capable of being abusers and thank you for showing that.

I had to take a moment when Jackie told his younger self that they were braver and stronger than they gave themselves credit for.

I am so glad Marvin has a friend like Beau who had his back while he was being taken advantage of. The world needs more Beaus.

I loved the art on Beau's cards. If it’s mentioned in the credits, sorry because I think I may have missed it but kudos to whoever designed those cards.

I could watch that empty room all day. I'm sure there might have been an easter egg if you chose to stay in the room multiple times but I didn't pursue it. Didn't even see Angus show up because I was anticipating a mild jumpscare from [OMITTED] so my hands were covering my face.

Not entirely sure what the cause of Emma's death is. When Henrik said he blamed himself, I originally thought he might have made the fatal mistake of letting a baby sleep in his bed. But I doubt Henrik would do something that dangerous, especially since he has a background in medicine. It's more likely to be an unfortunate case of cot death/SIDS, which just makes it sadder because sometimes that stuff can simply Happen and nobody is to blame, least of all the new father who simply left his daughter alone for a short while to get some sleep.

Bing's boss battle was so tough, I swear. He kept doing that attack where multiple people suffered a fair bit of damage. I lost to him once because I did not stock up properly. Classic case of not having enough BB when shops were available then not having access to shops when I did have enough BB to buy a bunch of white choc cookies and Jameson. 2nd time lucky though.

I found burn damage is your best friend with bosses. Now I will forever swear by this method whenever I replay this game.

I managed it on my first try but man, the fight between Anti and Angus was rough too. I couldn't get Angus' code manipulation trick to work with Anti so no burns to help me this time. Plus, the guy kept freezing time and healing himself like wow, who'd be mean enough to replenish their HP mid-fight. Anyway, it ended up being a case of them continually hitting each other with occasional misses and me feeding Angus cookies whenever his HP grew yellow.

When it came to the scene where Anti gets his souls back, I honestly thought Angus would give up his chance of feeling whole with nothing to fall back on because of the card Beau showed us where someone falls off a tower. I'm really glad Angus got to have a good ending too. Both he and Anti deserve to be whole and happy.

BAD END SEAN BAD END SEAN BAD END SEAN

No but seriously, I think it's really cool that both of the SeptiScape endings are canon. I have no clue who the shadow person could be but I am hyped to eventually find out.

I can't wait for EndScape to be released and we have literally only gotten SoulScape in the past 24 hours.

Angus and Anti

Thought these two deserved their own section since the game largely revolves around them and their conflict of wanting to exist but needing Posi and Nega to do so.

That first bit with Anti's horror world creeped me the hell out. It was after 10pm, maybe around 11 even. My room was completely dark except for my screen. I was so tense the whole time I walked around, incredibly wary throughout that section. I was living when Anti confronted Angus once you caught up to him. And when Angus went to find him in the woods near the campsite? My mind kept yelling 'ThisisbadThisisbadThisisbad' as we approached.

After that first bit, I looked forward to any Anti section because I love his character. He was completely justified in his motivations. I mean, Angus admits to stealing Nega as soon as he returns to his house with Sean after their fight in the first game. If anything, I'm surprised it takes him as long as it does for him to realise [OMITTED] is the true Anti.

I really liked the truth that it hadn't just been Anti that Angus affected when he grabbed Nega. There was also Henry and that universe's Bing, among others presumably. They all deserved a happy ending and it looks like they're getting it after all these years. I think it was very sweet that they threw Anti a birthday party as an epilogue.

Oh also, seeing the dynamic between Angus, Posi and Nega was really cool. They've obviously grown close to each other in the year that's passed since the events of SeptiScape. The souls admitting they felt returning to Anti was the right thing to do was the perfect kind of gut punch. You know deep down that they're right and Anti does indeed need them but at the same time you're going "Wait no, you can't leave Angus!"

All in all, I think the whole story arc concerning Anti and Angus was really well written. You want to dislike Anti because he's the antagonist to Angus' protagonist, an aggressive one at that. But you can't help siding with both of them.

Either way, I already said it this morning when I'd just finished the game about 15 minutes before but well done. You did yet another great job with this one. SeptiScape is one of my favourite games in general, I can tell I'll be replaying SoulScape several times like I have with the first game and I have no doubt I'll be here in 2-3 years gushing about EndScape just like I am right now.

Once again, thank you for creating these games. Now go grab a slice of cake, watch your favourite movie, put an album you love on blast... whatever it is that you do to treat yourself. You've all earned it.

#soulscape #power of friends games #soulscape spoilers #septiscape spoilers #probably missed a bunch of stuff but this is mostly what came to my head this morning once I finished #I am moving up north on Tuesday but I swear I will try write a couple fics this week #I was at church today and in Many Thoughts Head Full mode because of the game

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