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***boom*** · 04-08-2023, 03:18 PM

[1221 words, ready for grading]

Note: This is another chapter in my spinoff series following my next player. The first chapter can be found here. This chapter works on its own, but it'll probably make more sense if you start with that one. This one has a lot more characterization. Enjoy! On another note, this is my 30th article in the Bordeleauverse (including side chapters), looking forward to many more :3

~~~

It was a weekend day like any other when the girl found herself in a cold arena locker room, head bowed in thought. These dressing rooms could be really loud sometimes with the other kids all chatting about their days, and it was easier to focus on playing when she could block it all out. She felt the weight of each pad as she put them on, first the left then the right. At first her parents had done it for her, but she insisted on learning how to do it herself. All the other kids did it themselves and she wanted to be like them, so here she was, even if she stood out anyways due to her different uniform. Even though the position of goaltending was supposed to be rotated around between the kids, she was only too happy to do it whenever the opportunity came up. She could hear the whispers of the other players behind her back, but when she was in the net she didn't have to worry about that and could just focus on the game. On the limited occasions where she played out, she skated her hardest but there were so many things to keep track of - her teammates, the opponents, everyone's positions and their voices colliding in her head. When she put on those pads, everything was easier for her. Sure, the puck was small and could sometimes be tough to keep track of, but all she had to do was stop it from getting behind her.

Outside of the crease, life was completely different. School was tricky at this age, a lot of changes were happening and it was tough for her to keep up with all of them at once. All the other kids her age seemed to just know how to talk to each other, and when she tried to join in it never felt right. She liked being out on the ice where it was just her and all she had to focus on was stopping the puck. It was her escape, and sometimes she would let her mind wander to memories of a recent practice or particular save when she was in class. As the year got more into winter and the snow covered the ground outside, she would let her mind go to these places more often, sometimes leading to more embarrassment when the teacher would call her back to reality. Without meaning to, she started hearing snippets of her parents every once in a while, using big words she couldn't understand. She didn't know what all the fuss was about, she just wanted to get on the ice.

One day late into winter, she was surprised when the teacher asked her to step outside the class with her. She shyly followed, averting her gaze from anyone else. "What's going on?" she said in a confused tone, met by her teacher's warm smile. "Come with me. It's nothing bad," her teacher replied. The two walked until they reached a small room, where another grown-up was already inside. "This is my assistant. She'll be working with you in this room sometimes," her teacher said before turning to leave. The little girl looked down at her feet, but there was no hardness in the adult's voice. "Come on, sit. I won't bite," she joked, and the girl looked up as she slid into the open seat next to her. "Can you tell me your name?" the adult followed with a smile, being met by only a small shake of the head; the adult nodded and didn't press for more details. "It's okay. I'm here to help you. What do you like to do?" she asked instead, taking another tact. At this the girl seemed to open up a little more. "I like to play hockey. I'm a goalie," she managed to get out while fidgeting with her hands. The grown-up smiled and continued, "That's really nice! What do you like about it?" she probed. The girl took a moment before answering, "It's easier. It's just me and the net and the puck." This response seemed to end the questions, as the adult replied. "That's really good! That's kind of why we're here. If we can make things quieter and make it so you don't have as many noises and things around to distract you," she said to a nod; with that, the two started to get down to work.

It was weeks later and it was getting close to the end of hockey for the year. Things had been going more smoothly the past little while, and the girl was finding that she was having better luck with tracking the puck and the play with the lessons she was getting. As she left the last meeting of the season for another long summer, her father began, "You really like playing that spot, don't you?" The girl nodded in response, deep in thought. "It's so much fun! I really like the pads and stopping the puck," she said gleefully. What she heard next surprised her. "How would you like to learn how to play it? Like really learn?" he inquired, being met by an excited nod. "That would be really nice!" the girl cheered, her heart racing. "We noticed how much you like it, and we've talked to your coach. It's a day camp in summer where you'll go for a week, there'll be other girls there and there'll be a special coach there who can teach you how to play goalie more than you can learn from your regular team," her father explained. "There's a spot for you if you want it." At this, she smiled before throwing her arms around her father. "Yes, yes, of course."

It was an enjoyable time for the young goalie. The girls' hockey camp had dozens of other girls her age, and while she was shy at first it was nice to be seen not as an awkward outsider but as a hockey player. There were other goalies too, other kids just like her who liked just suiting up and stopping pucks, and the girl felt more comfortable to not be the only one at the camp. As her father had promised, there were special coaches and drills to improve to work on their skating and their passing, but also skills just for goalies like reading plays behind the net and moving around in the crease while in the butterfly. There were also tons of fun games to keep things light and enjoyable, and her favourite part was cheering for the other goalies and getting the same in return when she was in net. As she met her parents again after the last day of the camp, the little girl would now carry amazing memories and lessons learned into her time at school and on the ice to stick with her for a long time.

***BadWolf*** · 04-08-2023, 05:56 PM

Good read!

***boom*** · 04-11-2023, 08:23 PM

since this is topical i should probably disclose some information and give a little peek behind the curtain:

this character, as planned and written, has partial russian descent through one parent, though she wasn't born and does not live there. i've been vague about origin due to concern about any tampering rules (which i have asked about and had assuaged), but while it won't be for that fed that will be the characterization. i did consider retconning it entirely, since only two chapters of her story have been written to this point, but i did reach out to another shl member for input on how to handle this tastefully and opted to keep her origin as written/planned after that discussion. this is a character i've thought a lot about and i think this characterization will have the most impact. in terms of stance, while she is and will be written as a very quiet and introverted character, her family is totally against the war/regime stuff and once she gets older in the storyline she will express that too, in whatever form fits her personality and the vibe of the series best. i do write these as i go, so i don't know exactly how this will be expressed in future chapters, but this was a topic i wasn't sure how to tackle and i appreciate the assistance on it.

just wanted to get ahead of anything since the next chapter was probably going to at least mention/go into her heritage a bit. enjoy your evening friends.

tl;dr: this character is half-russian but will not represent their national team and will be written to have an unfavourable view of them.

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