#since lamine and balde are out

[archivingbarca]

FCBarcelona: Lewy x Ball = Lewy Ball

(twitter, 25/11/24)

[httpsdana]

heyyy

i saw your last post and i have an idea, what about the reader having a bad past with birthdays and she didn't have birthdays since 12yo ( or anything anyway :))) ) then pablo will do to her a birthday surprise after he knew it...

20 Presents for 20th Birthday~Pablo Gavi

*Pictures are from Pinterest*

this was actually so cute to write I hope you enjoy <3

request from here

master list

players/drivers I write for

Birthdays were never y/n's favorite events. Especially not her own birthday. She hadn't celebrated her birthday since she was 12. Her parents always celebrated her birthday, until her father died, and her mother never spoke to her after that, never even telling her happy birthday.

So ever since she turned 12,she had lived with her aunt, who also made sure to not celebrate her niece's birthday.

After Pablo found out about her bad experience with birthdays, he wanted to make sure her 20th birthday is one to remember.

y/n woke up in the morning, remembering that she had turned 20. As usual, she didn't expect anyone to remember her birthday. She opened her phone, only for the messages to come flooding. She was surprised, but smiled at the thoughtfulness of Gavi's friends, who are her only friends

Pedri : happy birthday y/n! have an amazing day 💖

Fermin: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL SIS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR DAY 🫶🏼🫶🏼

Lamine Yamal: happy birthday mom 🫶🏼

Alejandro Balde: happy birthday little one! enjoy your day to the max 🥳

Aurora💋: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL. I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN ❤️😍 MOM AND DAD SAY HI 😁

She felt her eyes tearing up at the sweet messages from her friends. They already made her day better when she was in a gloomy mood at the thought of that day. That's when she came across the message that made her cry.

Pablito❤️: happy birthday to my sweet beautiful girlfriend. I'm gonna make sure you have the best day ever. I love you so so so much baby. now get ready to receive your 20 gifts for your 20th birthday ❤️❤️

She replied to all the messages, smiling gratefully at the friends she has gained because of her boyfriend. After that, she got up and entered the bathroom pf her bedroom. She was met with a sticky note on her mirror.

Your skin deserves as much love and care as you give to everyone around you. I hope this helps keep your glow as radiant as your smile.

She smiled, looking at the cute box that was on the bathroom counter. She opened it and saw all the skin care products that were there. All the expensive things she had put on her wishlist previously.

After doing her skin care routine, she changed out of her PJs and left to the kitchen.

A chocolate box was waiting for her on the kitchen counter. She smiled as she read the note on it.

Each piece in this box is as rich and delightful as the moments we share. I hope you enjoy every bite my love

She felt herself blushing at his sweetness, opening the box to see all the cute chocolate bites that were there. She ate a few pieces as she drank her coffee and wondered what Pablo had also planned out. She still couldn't believe he got her 20 gifts.

She walked to the living room to continue her tour around the house, and was met with a brand new stylish handbag on the coffee table. She admired the bag, then opened it to see it's inside, only to notice a designer perfume inside, a luxury fragrance she's been wanting. With also another note.

Just like this bag carries all your essentials, may this perfume add a touch of elegance to your every day. Enjoy both as a little reminder of how much you mean to me.

She shook her head with a smile, already feeling bad and how much all this must've costed him.

y/n thought that maybe the gifts in her apartment were over, only for her to receive a message from Pablo.

Pablito❤️: you've got a few more gifts at your apartment, before Pedri picks you up for your next destination

She smiled at the message replying with a thank you for everything he had gotten her and saying he didn't have to. She went to her closet to get ready. She didn't know what to wear, but when she opened the closet, she was met with the new barca jersey, the number 6 on the back and her name printed out on the top.

Wear this jersey with pride and remember that I'm always cheering you on, no matter where you go. Can't wait to see you in it.

She grinned happily, admiring the beautiful jersey in front on her. She was always a barca fan, so receiving a jersey that has her name and Pablo's number meant the world to her.

She paired the jersey up with some wide jeans. After getting ready, she received a message from Pedri saying that he's gonna be outside her door in a few minutes.

As she was putting on her choose, something on the small table, where they put their keys, caught her attention.

Her jaw dropped when she saw the polaroid camera there, also with a note.

Capture every special moment of this day with this camera and let each photo be a snapshot of our beautiful memories together.

She beamed at the sweet message, putting the camera in her bag and heading out. She saw Pedri in his car there, a smile on his face.

She got in the car next to him and he greeted her.

"hey you. happy birthday" he said sweetly, making her smile

"thank you Pedri. now where are we going?" she asked, putting on her seatbelt.

"we are going to the stadium now" he said, starting the car.

"oh and before we move, make sure to wear these sunglasses so the sun doesn't burn your eyes" Pedri gave her a small bag.

She opened it, seeing the beautiful sunglasses inside. She smiled and put them on, before Pedri started his drive.

The drive was silent, and when they arrived y/n was about to open the door, before Pedri stopped her.

He gave her a small paper, and when she looked at it she saw that it was a voucher, for her favorite spa.

"make sure to enjoy your day at the spa whenever you want. it's available for the next two weeks" he smile.

"thank you Pedri" she said genuinely making him smile

"it's not me who you should thank. plus it's your birthday. now go don't be late" he ushered her out of his car.

She got out of the car and made her way inside the stadium.

As she started her walk, one of the staff member came by her side. She gave her a big bouquet of roses, her favorite flowers, and told her to follow her.

She walked behind her, the bouquet still in her hand. At the beginning of the hallway, she was met by Lamine.

"y/n! happy birthday" he exclaimed, giving her a small hug.

"thank you son" she joked, making him laugh.

Suddenly, he pulled a small bag from behind him, giving it to y/n

"from gavi" he said. She smiled gratefully, handing him the bouquet so she can open it.

She saw a box in the bag, seemingly a jewelry box. She opened it, and was met with some of her all time favorite lyrics.

I want to wear his initial on a chain 'round my neck, chain 'round my neck not because he owns me, but cause he really knows me

She giggled silently, removing the paper, and seeing the gorgeous gold necklace, that had the letter P on it.

Lamine helped her put her necklace on, before handing her the bouquet. She continued her walk with the staff member.

Until she was then met by Fermin.

"here's the birthday girl. how has your day been?" he asked, giving her a hug.

"it's been amazing." she answered.

He also pulled a back from behind him, giving it to y/n. She opened the box inside, and saw a gorgeous bracelet. It had her initial on it, but when she looked at the back of it, she noticed the date of hers and Pablo's anniversary on the back.

"that's adorable" she mumbled, putting the gold bracelet on.

"you gotta go now. I'll see you tonight" Fermin waved at her, before leaving her and the staff

tonight? that's weird

They walked more down the hallway, and finally they reached the pitch. The staff told y/n to walk a bit and she'll know what to do next.

y/n walked alone on the pitch, until she saw a familiar figure standing there. When she noticed it was Pablo, she placed the bouquet on the grass and ran into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, while he lifted her of the ground by hugging her waist.

"I love you so much" she mumbled into his neck. He placed her down on the floor, holding her face in his hands

"did you like my gifts?" he asked softly, his voice holding adoration and love

"like them? I loved them Pablo. you shouldn't have done all that" she said, feeling guilty once again about the money he spent

He shook his head nonchalantly.

"don't be silly. that's the least I could do to make up all the birthdays of the past." he said, making her smile.

She leaned in and connected their lips into a passionate kiss, that they only pulled away from when they needed some air.

"come on you still have, how many gifts? nine?" he said, making her laugh

"20 gifts is a lot Gavi. you really shouldn't have" she said, making him sigh.

"just shut up. if it makes you better, I didn't pay for all of them yet" he said, making her confused.

"well I haven't payed for the restaurant we're having dinner at tomorrow. I haven't booked our trip to Greece yet. Also we haven't gotten our outfits for the Taylor Swift concert in Miami-" he was interrupted by her squeal

"we're gonna see Taylor Swift?!" she almost screamed making him laugh

"yes we are" he nodded, making her jump again into his arms

"I love you so so so much" she said quickly, while he kissed her temple

"I love you more, now come on we have to go shopping for your birthday party tonight" he said.

[looooochie]

𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 | lamine yamal

summary: lamine toys around with his girlfriend.

TODAY, WAS YOUR sister's 19th birthday. And as she should, and of course, she invited you to it.

your outfit:

You were doing your makeup, as your partner was preparing to go to practice. He looked at you, and smiled.

Lamine admired your pale blue dress, and the all the accessories such as the butterfly hair clip in it.

As you already know, the Moroccan is a bit mischievous. And you felt a pair of eyes staring at you, and next thing, you slightly jump and the lipstick got misplaced on your face. All Lamine did was smirk as you gently tap his cheek.

"Lamine... now I have to do my makeup all over again.." you say in a tsundere-ish tone. "So what? Aren't I allowed to jumpscare you a little?" he replies slyly.

"No.. Now dont you have training to get to?" you ask. His smile faded almost immediately.

"Shit.. I gotta go!" he says giving you a kiss, and his spit went into that kiss. He wipes it off which smudges your makeup even more. He did it on purpose.

"See you at the party later!" Lamine says, before getting out the door.

Wait what? What did he mean by 'See you at the party later' ? You didn't think much of it, before getting your makeup kit and repairing the smudged parts.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋ ✧˚.༘⋆

After getting out the car, you look at your sister's house, it. Was. Lit. You could even see some people standing outside the house, that's how lit it really was.

You walking in through the front door to see tons of people in there. A lot of ballons, the music was blasting, and vice versa. Then you go to the backyard and yeah, pretty much the same, but with some people in the pool.

Excited, you search around your sister, and you find her, she looked absolutely stunning. She was wearing a tiara, a black dress along with some jewelry and black gloves to finish it off. You go up to her and she sees you.

(I'm just going to use Sira as an example of your sister's name)

Sira runs up to you, enveloping you in a warn, loving hug. "Hey, I'm glad you made hermana!" she says, very happy to see you.

I mean, Sira went out of Barcelona to fulfill her acting dreams and hadn't seen you in about 3 years. So she was. ECSTATIC.

"So, how has acting been for you?" you ask smiling. "Its been good. I'm just excited you're here." Sira replies. She moves her head a bit and sees your partner going in.

"Hey Y/N.. What's your boyfriend here for?" she asks. You turn around and your eyes widen. Lamine comes in and starts talking with the boys there.

"Uhh Sira.. I'm just going to Lamine. Is that okay?" you ask, a bit stressed. "Sure. I don't mind!" Sira replies. You slowly run towards Lamine and luckily, you didn't trip because of your Converses.

When you get to Lamine, you rapidly tap his shoulder. And he turns around. "Amor.. What the fuck are you doing here??"

"Oh, we got off training early and your sister's boyfriend,also known as my teammate, let me come." he smiles and slightly shifts so you could see him.

"Hey, what's good Y/N?" he begins. You smile and look at him closely, then you realize that it was Alejandro Balde, Barça's left back. "Hey, you're Alejandro Balde right?" you question.

"Yep, that's me. And by the way, I'm your sister's boyfriend." Alejandro smiles. "Thats cool dude. How long have you and Sira been dating?"

"Oh, it's been about two weeks. We met on Instagram and we liked eachother ever since." Alejandro replies. Next thing you knew, you found yourself having a conversation between Lamine and Alejandro, your new friend.

Ale looks around and sees the people gathering around. "Oh guys, we're about to go sing happy birthday now." Alejandro says, as he gets up from the sofa and goes in the garden. You and Lamine join him and walk towards the garden, hand in hand.

(I'm lazy asf so skip)

You look at the cake you were eating and you were stewing a little. It did feel a little stuffy in there so you wanted to take a breather. You go outside and sit on the porch, looking at the night sky.

The door opens and Lamine goes outside aswell and sits next to you. "Why did you just walk out like that?" Lamine asks.

"It was a little hard to breathe in there, and it was really chaotic." you reply. In return, Lamine pulls you close and puts an arm around you.

"I get you. It kinda was crowded." "Thanks." you say, and give him a kiss on the cheek. This moment was the best, just you, Lamine, and the, dark, night sky.

"Hey, remember when we got our first tattoos?" you ask, breaking the silence. "Yeah, that was actually pretty cool. I used to think if you get a tattoo, you're putting scribble scrabble on yourself." Lamine laughs.

You look down and your arm, and the ink it has. It was Lamine's debut date for Barcelona, you practically had to get that on you. Meanwhile his tattoo is of your name and birthday, so he had two.

"The tattoo thing was a really good idea Y/N." "I know." you responded as you, shift closer to Lamine and just, be there. For him.

[donfermin]

Fermín López: “We will miss Xavi”

Fermín López arrives with Edu Gangoso, a member of the FC Barcelona press department, at the Ciutat Esportiva press room. He’s wearing a smile that fits perfectly with the sunny morning. He is in a good moment and his face can’t hide it. He is wearing white boots from Under Armour, the sportswear brand he represents.

Are these the boots you scored the goal against Napoli with?

No, no. Those are the gold ones.

You’ve just found out who will be your opponent in the quarter-final. Are you happy?

The truth is that it will be a great game, a difficult game because they are a great team, but whoever we played was going to be difficult and going to cost us. We will try to play our game and get through to the semifinal.

The draw could have been worse. You play the second leg at home, as well as in a hypothetical semifinal��

In the end we knew that whoever we got was going to be a big team, we got PSG and we’re happy. In the end it does work in our favour that we play the second leg at home, that’s true, but whoever we play… It’s true that City is a great team and they’re very good, but you can also find them in a final.

There’s no lack of motivation.

Motivation comes naturally in the Champions League. We’re playing against a great opponent and, in that respect, everyone will be pumped up.

Does Mbappé scare you?

He’s one of the most dangerous players in PSG, but there’s also Dembélé. They are great players and we will try to stop them.

Barça is also strong. The match against Napoli has made you grow a lot.

Yes, on an emotional level we have taken a step forward. Now we have to try to maintain this dynamic until the end and win titles.

When Fermín plays well, so does Barça. Has Xavi found the best system for you?

Against Napoli I played as a 8, inside, but more as a midfielder. The truth is that I feel good between the lines, the coach helps me a lot and things are going well and we are winning.

And scoring! What more could you ask for?

It’s a great joy. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid: scoring goals like this for the club I’ve always wanted to play for, Barça! I’m very happy on a personal level, but above all for the team.

Cubarsí, Balde, Lamine, Héctor, Gavi… Is it different for someone who has grown up in La Masia?

We’ve been Barça fans since we were very young and we feel as if we were just another fan, hence the joy we show and everything we did after the game against Napoli and qualifying.

What Pau Cubarsí is doing is crazy.

It’s incredible, we can see it in training, but then in the games against the strikers he faces, how he plays… it’s admirable, I’m very happy for him.

Stopping strikers like Muriqi, Larin or Osimhen at 17 is not normal.

In La Masia they do a good job, in the youth teams, and they try to get as many people as possible into the first team. They prepare us quite well and then we have to get there and do well, which is what Pau is doing.

Put like that, it sounds easy, but they give you something to eat…

(Laughs) We eat everything, good food, but everything.

You and Gavi were like the fathers of La Masia in your last period there. Now it’s Lamine and Pau’s turn. Everything you experienced there can be felt in your football when you get to the first team.

Yes, the truth is that La Masia is like your second home, your second family. There you experience a lot of good and bad moments, and we all stick together and that's why you can sense the camaraderie that can be seen later on.

You understand each other just by looking at each other.

Maybe. As almost all of us have played together when we were kids, watched the same game, played the same way, it could be that in the first team you can see that we know each other.

If La Masia did not exist, there would be a big problem now.

The club is in a more difficult moment and has to rely more on young players and I think we are trying to make the grade because playing for Barça is difficult, but there is a group of young players that I think can stay in the first team for many years.

A period with fewer minutes

You went through a period when you played very little. Did it hurt?

Everyone likes to play and do well, I went through a period where I didn’t feel as good as I did at the beginning, but these are processes that you go through during the season. I’m young, I have to learn, I learn from my teammates, the coach helps me a lot and now I’m feeling good again. Let’s make it last as long as possible!

What did Xavi tell you?

He always told me the same thing, to stay calm, that everything will come. He always helps me a lot in every way.

You returned to the eleven against Atheltic and finished the match angry.

I was pissed off, yes, not just because of myself, but because it was an opportunity to close the gap and we didn't win. And I didn't play a good game and I was a bit more pissed off. But in the end you think that it's over, that there will be another chance the following week and that's it.

You had it and you took it. You seem mentally strong.

You rely on the people around you. If you have a bad game and people from the team, or the coach, come and encourage you and give you confidence to do well in the next game… then everything gets easier.

Will you miss Xavi?

Yes, of course.

Why?

He has almost given me everything here at the club because, since I came back from the loan, he is the person who has trusted me the most. He has always given me that confidence, the opportunity to be a first team player, and we will miss him, obviously.

The Champions League title as a farewell present would be nice.

Both for the coach and the club, as well as all the Culés. Let’s hope we will win!

Is it the title you see the best chance of winning?

We still have faith for La Liga. We know it’s difficult because Madrid and Girona are having a good year, but yes, of course, in the Champions League we’re very motivated, we’re doing well and we see ourselves there. We will fight until the end to get it.

You haven’t played at the Camp Nou yet.

Sometimes I pass by, I see it and I say ‘I wish I could play at Camp Nou’. It’s a dream I haven’t fulfilled yet and I hope that when I’m available I’ll be able to achieve it.

Can you imagine scoring in front of 90,000 people?

Sometimes I think about it, if in Montjuïc it feels like that, in the Camp Nou it has to be incredible.

It’s only a matter of time because you have a contract until 2027.

Yes, the truth is that I am willing to stay here as long as the club wants me to. I'm young and I have a long way to go, but my dream is to be here for many years.

[wildelydawn]

WIP ask!

hiiii, would def LOVE to hear more about Everyone loves Gavi, but Pedri loves him mostest 👀

💚🍋‍🟩

Hello my 🍋‍🟩 friend!! I hope you're well!

Okay, so basically, we know about Gavi's ACL injury, and I'm always really interested in how people recover and what's necessary for that recovery. So this story will be a series of chapters in which every chapter, a different Barca teammate stops by Gavi's place and spends some time with him because he's so fucking loved. Pedri visits the most often, so he'll have more than one chapter, and I plan on Pedri having the first and last chapter too. Here is the brief outline of what each teammate would do (it's not finished, but yeah):

Lewy: Brings several LEGO sets over to Gavi's, and completes the bonsai/cherry blossom tree with Gavi for a few hours. I feel like Lewy is really big on like mental peace and balance among things in life, and he has kids, so he would say something along the lines of "My kids love these, keeps their hands busy" and that's what Gavi needs. So he gives Gavi a few sets.

Jules: I don't know why, but I feel like Jules dresses so nicely, and I've associated that with getting massages, so Jules hires personal massages for him and Gavi, and Gavi, who's always had a sports massage bu tnever something really luxurious or spa like is totally skeeved out at first over someone touching him. He eventually loves it and Jules hands off the business card of said massage therapist.

Dani Olmo: He comes by with a fucking chess set. It's horrible. Gavi loses so badly, even when Olmo is trying to help him win.

Pedri: Comes by, helps Gavi get better a chess. They also just talk a lot.

Raphinha: Brings his kid who, like every kid, is in love with Gavi. The three of them build one of the LEGO sets Lewy gifted Gavi from a few chapters ago.

Lamine: Solely comes over to yap and gossip. Like he comes over saying he wants to play FIFA, but they don't get that far. It's just gossiping. Also updates to the Flick Meme Collection (that only they know about).

Marc: Zoom call ;-; since they're both injured together (Not exactly, but in this universe, they are.) They have serious conversations about healing and moving forwards.

Pedri: Stops by to check on Gavi because of previous conversations and attempts to cook him a meal.

Ferran: Buys Gavi a table football game that allows Gavi to play on a chair rather than standing. Lets Gavi kick his ass several times before he stops playing nice and actually gets competitive. Doesn't let Pedri know that he's bought this for Gavi because Pedri would never fucking leave Gavi's place. Cue Fermin, Dani Olmo, Ferran, and Ansu Fati coming over weekly for games, drinks, food.

Pau, Marc, Torre, and Balde: Hold a movie marathon for Gavi, but don't tell him that it's exclusively horror movies, and Gavi tries to be SO BRAVE through it but falls miserably.

Pedri: Comes by after Gavi hasn't slept, helps him fall asleep :) FINDS OUT ABOUT THE TABLE FOOTBALL GAME.

Inigo: The only person who takes Gavi outside, and it's just for ice cream. Like several scoops and tastings. It's totally not allowed, but no one else needs to know. :)

Pretty much everyone mentioned above and the rest of the team decide to hold a major FIFA tournament at Gavi's that takes sseveral days to get through And Gavi's just really happy that his team is here for him.

Pedri: Stays the nights during the tournaments to help clean up and stuff. :) Falling in love, that sort of thing.

I hope this wasn't too long haha! Maybe one day I'll finish this. It would be so massive of a fic though. Thanks for asking friend!

[ikram1909]

https://www.tumblr.com/ikram1909/754021080970264576/what-if-i-say-that-i-see-raphinha-as-a-captain-a

I think I’m in the minority but I actually don’t want neither Gavi nor Pedri to be captains next season. They have carried too much responsibility pretty much since they moment they started playing for the first team (mind you they were barely 17/18 years old), they have been doing more than enough for the club. Make other players take some of the burden. Hell, if I was some of the older players I would be embarrassed by having to be carried footballing wise and metality/leadership wise by some teenagers and early 20 year olds 🫠

Let Lamine, Cuba, Balde, Pedri and Gavi focus on just recovering, learning and having fun (which as much as I hate to say it Madrid actually does this very well by having real captains guide the young players like Bellingham, Camavinga, etc) 😒

I get your point but this team is in desperate need of good leadership that only they can provide. You can argue that you don't want to put more responsibility on their shoulders but the thing is, they are already taking on that responsibility you'd merely be making it official. Elder players themselves have admitted time and again that they rely on Gavi to motivate and push them and we've seen first hand what his absence did to this team so he's already the captain like Xavi said. Just give them the armband, they're out most reliable players.

Unlucky for us, we don't have the luxury of letting young players grow under the wings of the older ones because our "veterans" are useless and they themselves rely on the kids.

[malcolm-reeds-pineapple]

Random lore drop bc I just thought of this

Alright so when I was in grade 12, I had 2 spare periods and a tutoring period every day, so 3/5 of my classes were largely just me fucking off. The two spare periods I was supposed to stay at school but I usually left to work on the business I was opening with my dad. I only had the spares for a university class I was taking twice a week anyway, so no one really cared where I was. However the tutoring period, I was forced to do and I’m a recalcitrant little shit and dyslexic, so I did everything in my power to avoid doing it.

For context, the tutoring period was for a grade 12 student to help in a grade 9 or grade 10 class. It was usually only offered to students who had a good record and attitude, however it was offered to me to shut me up. I met the minimum requirement of an 85% average so it was their last resort. I already had all the credits I needed to graduate, I was treated like an adult at home, I was opening a business and there was nothing else offered in that time slot that I hadn’t taken or was capable of taking. So, me being me, I pushed to have another spare but my school only gave spares for the kids doing university classes and they were not about to give me a third spare at the very end of the day when my first two were before lunch. Finally, after a WEEK of having nothing in that time slot, they said: “reading tutor, take it or leave it” and I was like no I’m dyslexic and then they were like okay “physics 12” and I was like but I never took physics 11. Anyway, I took the reading tutor deal when I found out the only teacher who wanted to take me was my grade 11 English teacher to whom I handed in a printed, laminated meme for a project and somehow managed to get 100% on it.

So for reading tutor I had to do a bunch of pre-work with a resource teacher, one of the three bald teachers at my school who all hung out together that I referred to as the Cue Ball Club. I hated every single member of the Cue Ball Club but this guy, Cue Ball #2, was like a mosquito that snuck into your room that buzzes in your ear as you sleep. Because of Cue Ball #2’s irritating nature, I made what was supposed to take 3 days take upwards of a month. I know the teacher I was helping didn’t give a shit, frankly he thought it was funny, so I just wasted all my time.

How did I waste that time? I wrote fanfic in Wingdings on the school computer. I wrote pages and pages of wingdings just to spite all the admin who put me in reading tutor and Cue Ball #2 who kept hounding me for the pre-work. It was like, mentally, I would just add a day to how long the assignment was gonna take me every time I was badgered about it. When everyone involved except the teacher I was supposed to be helping put their feet down, I got higher than god and wrote the assignment at home in an hour. It was completely illegible but I got a 60.

Eventually I told my brother about this a year or so later and he thought it was the funniest thing on the planet. Since then, we both refer to fan fics as wingdings. Specifically, around the time I told him, I was writing an egregious stargate self insert fic that my brother enjoyed listening to, so it was routine that, once per week, I would read it out loud to him while we had our bed time smoke and we called it The Wingding.

A few years later, in January of 2020, after The Wingding had faded into obscurity, my brother tried to yeet. I felt really bad and I decided to take the time to write a new Stargate Wingding just for him so we could read it together like in the old times. It took a bit, but it made him feel a lot better.

Nowadays, my brother and I live together again and I’m now writing the most egregious self insert Atlantis crack fic. He’s once again demanding that I update my Wingding and I read it out while we have bonfires. It’s great cuz it motivates me to write, it makes him happy and he feeds me ideas. Anyway, thank you Wingdings font for giving my brother and I a goofy way to refer to stupid self insert fics that make us both happy

[pessiofficial]

barcelona vs osasuna (9/3/23) match analysis

well. i don't know where to start with this match. there were a lot of horrible things about it but there were also some things that were amazing about it, so i'll just go in relative order of horrible-ness

let's start with sergi roberto. i want to thank him for all he's done for barcelona but he needs to be shipped to shanghai sharks pronto, and he can take alonso with him. he should never start a game for barca again, and he should never have been the first choice for captain ahead of ter stegen.

that being said, defensively we were alright today. balde and kounde proved that they're some of the best in the business at the moment, and christensen was really solid as well. great performance from them. however we were caught standing when osasuna scored their goal, so we need to work on that.

lewandowski. i grew up watching him, idolizing him, but when i say it's time to go i mean it's time to go. he's had a rapid decline since the world cup and it's really no one's fault. he's just getting old, perfectly normal. i'd like to see him maybe make a move to some other smaller league or retire at the end of the season. even the pen isn't enough to make up for that appalling performance from him. we should've been up from the first few minutes.

just in general, capitalizing on chances. gundo also missed a pretty clear shot and we really need someone clinical up there to convert.

our wingers were kind of mid today. i just didn't see them being super explosive, and balde was doing a lot of the work up in the final third as far as i saw. raphinha didn't do much when he came in, and i didn't see too much from ferran or joao felix either. gavi was a "winger" but he was amazing today in the midfield.

lamine was pretty good, but not as good as he was against villareal. i think he's too young and doesn't have enough physicality to be playing against grown men yet. he's got the skills but he's just too young. xavi needs to bench him for a little, maybe bring him on for a few minutes every game so he doesn't burn out. but xavi said he was going to do this so hopefully it happens.

the lack of araujo and pedri is glaringly obvious in this team. the defense is struggling at times without araujo back there, and there isn't as much creativity in the midfield without pedri. we need them for the ucl, or i don't even have us securing every game in the group stage.

as for players who played really well: most of the team, to be honest, especially kounde, balde, gavi, frenkie, gundo, romeu, and cancelo. they all had a huge impact on the game and should definitely be in the starting lineup going forward. players who need to be taken out are lewy, lamine, roberto.

i also want to give kudos to cancelo, who was explosive when he did come on and a huge change of pace from roberto. i think we can expect this going forward, and he'll definitely be a starter. i watched him at bayern and he'll be a huge step up from roberto, even if he does have some attitude issues (i'm sure xavi will set him straight)

i'd probably give man of the match to gavi. he gave it his all and was decisive tonight, playing winger, midfield, defense, whatever.

tactically we can expect the game to look more like it did when cancelo came on. he'll definitely be a starter and just didn't come on because he just landed yesterday, but i'm excited to see what he and felix can do.

[zecuddlyblumedic]

Night 7. The box is cardboard, coated in glossy laminate and tied with a white satin ribbon, from which dangles the last key, at least if the color spectrum was any clue- a glittering amethyst colored stone is set in the silver key. Inside the box are a pair of airline tickets, round-trip, to the international airport at St. Paul, Minnesota. ------- There are a ton of scribbled words on the note. The entire top half of the paper seems to be crossed  out words. Finally, the words become legible, if less lyrical than the previous gifts. I am sorry. I am out of rhymes. I couldn't think of how to put this in poetry. I haven't wanted to go home since I left what seems like forever ago. No reason. It hasn't been 'home' for ages. Maybe it never was. But I remember telling you about the lake. The one I camped out at in the summer so I wouldn't have to go home. With the good fishing and the bald eagles' nest, remember? I want you to see it. I want to share what good memories I have from then with you. So once the weather gets warm, if you want, we can go. You can bring your compass and we can hike, and we can camp by the lakeshore like I used to- but this will be better because I will be with someone I love. :) (Tomorrow is Christmas for me, the last night for you. One more gift to make you smile. Here's to old and new memories with you.)

St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Abelärd knew the significance of that location. Even before reading the note. That was Jane’s home. 

“Yes,” he said quickly, to the mourning doves clamoring around him at his desk. “Yes. I want to see your home. I want to paint your lake, and give it to you as a gift. So when we come back here... you’ll always have it with you. I want to fish... and lay with you on the grass, and stare up at the clouds passing by.”

He wanted to be with him. He wanted to share in his story. He wanted to see his happiest place on earth. He wanted to celebrate him... every aspect, every part of him.

[gotham-ruaidh]

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass) || Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round) || Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger) || Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) || Chapter 6B (Without You) || Backstage (4) || Chapter 7 (Stick To Your Guns) || Chapter 8 (Time For Change) || Backstage (5) || Chapter 9 (Take Me To The Top) || Backstage (6) |I| Also posted at AO3

–----

Chapter 10: Home Sweet Home

Take me to your heart // Feel me in your bones // Just one more night // And I'm coming off this long and winding road // I'm on my way // I'm on my way Home sweet home...

Soundtrack: “Home Sweet Home,” Mötley Crüe, 1987 [click here to listen]

Dr. Quentin Lambert Beauchamp, aged seventy-four, carefully exited the limousine through the door held open by the driver.

“Thanks again,” he remarked quietly.

“That way,” the driver pointed. Lamb saw a piece of colorful paper with an arrow and the word CREW, pointing toward an open door.

As he approached, a huge, bulky man emerged from inside.

“Got a pass?”

Lamb offered the laminated card he��d received via messenger that morning. The man squinted at it. “Friends and family – OK, let me take you myself.”

Lamb had never been behind the scenes at the Boston Garden – or at any arena, for that manner – and the sheer number of people scurrying to and fro was incredible.

Men hauling loops of wire.

Construction workers in hard hats.

Stacks and stacks of black crates with PRINT stenciled in six inch letters.

People with clipboards and walkie talkies.

Everyone was smiling. Especially Lamb – not caring how out of place he looked in his professor’s chinos and oxford shirt.

They turned a corner into a corridor, with several doors that were clearly dressing rooms. The man turned to Lamb. “Wait here. There’s a lounge with food and drinks, but I don’t think it’s open yet.”

“That’s quite all right. I don’t want to be in anyone’s way – ”

“LAMB!”

The older man turned, only to get swept into a bear hug and off of his feet.

“Oof! Easy!”

Jamie Fraser – shirtless and in black leather pants, with black streaks smudged beneath his eyes – grinned. “So great to see you! We’ve really been looking forward to having you here.”

Lamb flushed. “Well, the pleasure is all mine. I must say that it’s a bit different from the academic conferences that I’m used to.”

Jamie shook his head and placed his hands on his hips, the swirls of tattoos covering his arms dark in the half-light backstage. “I bet. Hey, do you want some earplugs? I’m told the shows can be kind of loud.”

Lamb patted his shirt pocket. “Brought some. I do want to be able to hear tomorrow, you know.”

“LAMB!”

He whirled to see his dearly beloved niece – glowing in a denim jacket and white t-shirt and ripped jeans – and he bent to give her a hug.

“Oh, my dear! I’m so excited to be here!”

She pulled back, still smiling, and sank against her husband’s shoulder. He held her close and kissed the crown of her head.

“Hey, do you want to stand side stage with me during the show? You can sit, if you want – I know your knee isn’t the best. Jamie can rustle up some chairs. So we can be together, if you want?”

Lamb nodded. “That would be fantastic. Jamie, I’ve been listening to all of your records these past few days, to prepare myself for tonight.”

“Uh-oh,” he laughed. “Should I be worried?”

“Certainly not. You’re quite the gifted musician, but I’ve known that since I met you. And I must say that your newest album is your best.”

Jamie flushed. “Well, your niece is the woman who inspired all of it. So of course it’s great.”

Claire playfully swatted his shoulder. “Flatterer.”

“Yeah, well. We open the show with the title track. Billboard says it’s been number one in the country for five weeks now.”

Lamb smiled. “With a title like She’s My Addiction, and with people learning about your and Claire’s story – I’m not surprised.”

“OK, people. Ten minutes to showtime.” A balding man with a headset and clipboard appeared. “Do you need help finding side stage?”

“Actually, Tom, can you show my uncle where we’ll be sitting? I just realized I forgot something in Jamie’s dressing room.” Quietly Claire slipped her thumb over the side of Jamie’s pants, digging her thumbnail into his hipbone, relishing his shiver.

Tom nodded. “Sure – this way, sir. Ten minute warning.”

“Got it. See you later, Lamb!”

And with that Jamie and Claire quickly disappeared into his dressing room. Lamb heard the lock turn.

Tom sighed. “Every damn night, those two.”

Lamb smiled. “There are far worse things. Show me to my seat?”

~~~FIN~~~

[sor-vette]

four, circus!! (index/description)

☜ three, an all-out fight club!!

☞ five, dots!!

t/w: dead bodies, mention of overdose

"This has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen," Yoongi thinks to himself as he blankly stares at Jimin, transferring the PPT file to the projector.

123 slides in "Reasonable arguments as to why we should date, _̵͚̾͌_̶̢̛̘̅͛̕_̶̡̧̝͗̒̋̌̚_̴̮̒̍̿̃͠ .

"Wrong PowerPoint bro," Jungkook grunts with closed eyes. No doubt the idiot had tried to stalk you throughout the night. It's been three days since Erik had officially enrolled.

Namjoon also has his eyes fixed on the projector, his expression giving nothing away.

"Resigned to death, poor bastard, as you should."

Jimin momentarily looks behind him to see why Jin had started to snort in laughter before scrambling to choose another file.

56 slides in "What do we know about Erik and what to do about it?"

"The title could be less verbose," Jin remarks, spinning his chair around the room.

"You're one to talk, literally," Jimin sneers but, there is very little malice in his voice if any. Besides Namjoon, V and Hope, who actually stuck to his word of minding his business, Yoongi didn't know anyone personally in the room. Though he sure has heard of the connections they had with you. Each weirder than the other.

Namjoon, the CEO, the one who went overboard in commitment and scared you off. Rumour was he offered marriage before the first "I like you." But that as well could be bullshit.

Hope, with the most cordial contact out of all. And also the most distant. You two had fundamentally different perceptions of how the world worked. Incompatible match, as the saying goes.

Jin. Despite the grandeur of his character, Yoongi knew very little of him. Even less as to why you left. He presumed the lack of commitment on both sides.

Jimin, the almost. For five months Yoongi had to hear nothing but coy whispers of just what good friends you two were. What good time you both had jumping back and forth from Paris and home. And then with zero explanation, you weren't. Every once in a while, he'd see the two of you in the hallway. Working hard to suffer through an exchange of pleasantries between long awkward pauses. The whispers had been effectively stomped to death, with no one the wiser as to what the hell had happened.

V, the one you hated and the one who hated you. How the two of you even met was beyond anyone's understanding. How you didn't rip each other's throat out even more so. Why he was here? God only knew.

And the last one, JK. Your trainee before Erik. The one who'd shamelessly bounced, leaving you in the dust when the enrollment came with a nary of thank you. After that, you officially joined the cleaner department and largely went missing from the public eye.

And, of course, Yoongi himself. The only official boyfriend. The one who officially broke both of your hearts.

"If all of you could please focus!" Jimin snapped, standing with a wad of paper in hand, waving it like a teacher in front of particularly annoying group of students.

"He even made notes," Namjoon whispered faintly.

"More like a manifesto," Yoongi snickered, letting his eyes wander over the sheer thickness of the file.

"Silence!" For a split second, Yoongi wanted to make a jab about a chihuahua being able to bark, but having considered his own height, he chose to be silent.

"So, let's start with basics. Erik Genyer. Joined two and a half years ago through a recruitment agent. He's 24, lived in Seattle before moving here. No known parents or siblings." Jimin recounted with ease.

"I hope you didn't look through his records," Namjoon frowned at the screen. "Because I did not authorize that."

"Does it count as looking if it's a brief glance?"

"Yes."

"And yet here you are benefitting from it." Namjoon could only breathe through his nose a tad harder.

"Why are you telling us this?" Jin interjected. "Mr CEO here could just give us his file - we'd read for ourselves."

"I will not. That's against company policy."

"And what you're doing here is completely legal and non - invasive." Jin raised his eyebrows, not phased even in the slightest that he was much below Namjoon's position.

"Silence!" Jimin yelped again at the front. "Has anyone here worked with Erik?"

"Hope definitely has," V piped up from his seat, looking as uninterested as one could. Yoongi narrowed his eyes at him. V took the piercing glare in stride, haughtily turning away.

"Well, yes but..." Jimin shuffled on the stage almost awkwardly. "He has strictly declined the invitation to our little... boy band."

"Wait does that mean he could tell _̸̢͉̦͔̣͈̱̅́́̓͊̇̂̓́̕͝ͅ_̸̨̙͚̻̬͖͉̻͔̑̓͐͜ - I mean R.D.?" Jungkook suddenly asks, eyes wide. Even Yoongi blanched at the thought. Everyone straightened in their seats. This was all fun and games until the moment you knew. Oh, you'd rip each and every one of them a new asshole. All of them could kiss goodbye to any attempt of trying to mend bridges. By that point, there wouldn't even be a river stretching underneath.

"I sincerely hope not." Jimin whispers and they sit in a moment of silence, weighing the risks.

"Heh, hope not." Jin suddenly gives a breathy laugh solely to be met by a general aura of disapproval.

"It's not funny." Namjoon scolds slightly but, Jin being Jin, openly looks him into eyes and goes -

"I know."

Amidst the banter, JK raises his hand shyly.

"I trained with him for a short while."

"And what is he like?" Jimin's eyes almost sparkled at anyone giving an actual insight.

"He must be wearing contacts or something," Yoongi mused, pushing the cap of his water bottle around the table. He knew Jimin to be attractive. No one in the entire company would shut up about it, nevertheless, something about him seemed almost supernatural.

JK shrugged in response.

"A bit rude and careless but talented. He finished training early."

"Did it seem like he was particularly going after her?" Namjoon interrogated further. There was a deep scowl of resentment on his face.

"Uhh, no. I think he was interested in the cleaner department in general. Apparently, he spent most of his orientation there."

"He also spent a month in surveillance. Did you speak with him...V?" If V was surprised by Jimin addressing him personally, he didn't show it as he continued to inspect his nails.

"Didn't even know he was there."

"Why did he stay so long in the cleaner department?" Yoongi asked as he ran over the information on the screen. Besides the already mentioned month in surveillance and a week in networking and relations, this Erik hadn't even tried to apply anywhere else.

"Poor communication skills. I had to throw him out. That's why he was only there a week." Jin explained.

"So you spoke to him?"

"Well, no, Irina," he was interrupted by a hollow thud. Without prompt V had dropped his steel thermos onto the desk, tea splattering everywhere and staining JK's jacket in the process. Both of them fumbled to clean it up with anything they could. V dabbed the desk harshly, the wood creeking at every aggressive wipe. Yoongi saw Jin looking sideways, the same confused expression echoed on his face.

"Well, as I was saying, Irina, R.D.'s friend, I'm sure you're familiar, came to me, said he was causing trouble and asked to refer him."

"And you sent him to R.D.?"

Jin gave a deeply suffering sigh.

"No, I did not send him. I referred him to general management and they gave him to the cleaners ."

"Ok, I get all of this. But what are we supposed to do about him?" Namjoon interrupted, jaw set in a tight grip.

Jimin fell silent at the front of the room.

"Yeah, this was the main question." Yoongi thought bitterly.

It was all a question of ethics, wasn't it? JK could pretend all he wanted to be above it all, to be respectful but then he trailed secret circles around you. Whether from guilt or perhaps a sense of entitlement. Yoongi didn't know or really care. Nevertheless the kid clearly had a hard time differentiating between what he said and what he did. Yoongi was however surprised to see Namjoon be so eager. He quite fancied making himself bald from worrying about the nature of evil. Just how easy it was to hide it behind big aspirations of providing aid. But it seemed as of late all of that was tossed aside.

Jimin was the one who orchestrated this in the first place, and so naturally, everyone looked at him for guidance. He was still shuffling around, nervously fiddling the blue pen.

"Well, first of all, I think we should talk more to R.D." A huff passed around the room.

"Talk to her?" V asked sceptically, mouth set in a straight line and heavy wrinkles carved between brows.

"Do you have any idea how difficult that would be?"

"Certainly it would be for you," Yoongi snarled, earning a harsh glare.

"Listen, at the end of the day, it's not really about us trying to force her into something. It's just to make sure... she's living a safe life. Well, the safest that's possible." Jimin said with enough sincerity to trigger certain insecurities within Yoongi and by the look of it also Namjoon.

It was no secret that between the seven, they were the most possessive over you. Both having the wrong idea that you were theirs. Which is why you left and why you probably were so caught up in Jimin. The purity and sheer selflessness of his sentiments acted like a punch to the gut. The genuine care that he reflected like a sun made the raw wound in Yoongi's chest seep even more. To be loved like that would be a dream come true. Yoongi shifted his attention to the laminated floor.

"We talk to her, find out what her life is like, keep a close eye on what Erik does. Talk to other cleaners about him, and once we find out, she's happy. That's. The. End. Of. That." There was no uncertainty. Jimin was dead serious.

The meeting was adjourned, quite amicably actually, but Yoongi knew that the rest of them had ulterior motives and plans. He had them too.

Jin and JK were no threat. Both were too uncertain of what to do with you.

Jimin had some deep-seated self esteem issues. Despite his 123 slide presentation, the way he spoke made it clear. That's probably why the abrupt parting, Yoongi mused. Both of you most likely shared the same anxiety about not being good enough for the other.

V was just V.

Namjoon was the only one Yoongi was truly worried about. Even from looking at his back, walking headstrong up the stairs, Yoongi could see how stubborn Namjoon was. In a way, it was like looking in a mirror. The possessiveness, the mulish mindset. They'd saw you, all of you and had decided that this was it. Yes, Namjoon would certainly be the toughest rival. However, Yoongi was very good at playing the long game. Especially if he wanted something so bad it felt like his thorax slowly being ripped out.

All that was left was Hope. But he wasn't even a viable player. After all, he hadn't even shown up.

***

"Why the fuck is he so heavy?" Erik grunted, swaying left and right and holding onto his dear life to the bagged pair of legs.

"Rigor mortis...set in," you huffed in answer, from the upfront of the body. "At least he wasn't rotting already. That's just nasty. 1, 2, 3."

Both of you lift the body into the van and let the poor bastard drop with a soft thud. Sweat pooled underneath your white hazmat suit with plastic glasses digging straight into your brain. You banged hard against the "EMT" van, and it drove away, carrying Dr. Martin Leyster to the morgue.

Should the neighbours see anything, it was a sad story of a depressed psychiatrist accidentally overdosing on his own meds. The evidence of him manipulating his most vulnerable patients into bankruptcy erased in you any stray feelings of sympathy though.

"You have the peroxide?" You rifled through the cleanup bag, but instead of answering, Erik began to actively point somewhere behind your back. A cold chill ran up your spine as you realize someone has been watching you stuff the body in the trunk. It quickly dissipates when you see a familiar smile.

"Hard at work, I see," Hope whistled, bounding towards you more like a kid on a school trip, rather than what the reality was.

"May I borrow your mentor for a bit?" He asked politely, still smiling up at Erik. There was no warmth in his expression.

"You are after all now an official member of the cleaner crew. Surely you can handle this on your own."

Erik looks at you for a moment before giving a loud sigh and trudging back to Leyster's office, the white toolbox angrily swishing back and forth in his hand.

Without hesitation, you remove the glasses from your head, revelling in the ease of pressure. Hope had stopped smiling altogether, looking quite pensive.

"What brings you here?" You ask lightly. To see him here is not worrying per se, but certainly interesting. He gives a quick shrug.

"Nothing much. Wanted to see how you were doing after that runt's little stunt." You only laugh at the shallow animosity. Erik's talent to drive people out of their patience was truly remarkable.

"I'm doing fine. You know... working. What about you?"

"I've been working as well."

You both fall silent.

"You ever thought about leaving the BH?" He suddenly asked, and you quirk a brow at the question.

"Not particularly. Have you?" Hope focuses a blank gaze at the grey walls of the multi-story apartment complex.

"A little bit. Last few days especially." You stand in muted shock. Hope was the last person you thought would quit. He was, without doubt, the most devoted, the most passionate out of all the hundreds of employees. He lived for the cause, he himself said so. And yet now he stood uncertain in front of you. Not really the bright and friendly Hope everyone knew, not really the strict and somewhat terrifying training teacher. He was just...quiet. It was an upsetting scene.

"Do you want to go for a drink or a lunch, maybe?" You offer, reaching for the zipper of the white suit. Yes, Erik could handle this on his own. He was a big boy. Hope hastily placed his hand atop of yours, pausing the movement. Even through the fabric, it radiated warmth. No wonder people called him sun. He frowned at the conjoined hands, lightly stroking his thumb over your knuckles before lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"No, no. I don't want to burden you with my problems." You didn't believe his smile for a second.

"Well, I won't steal you away for much longer, the pup might get anxious." He turned around, by the looks of ready to sprint off.

"Hey, wait!" He paused, not looking back.

"Do you why JK has been stalking me?"

"He has?"

He had. The first time you noticed a shifting figure in the background, you wrote it off to the combination of hangover and exhaustion. The second time he'd run off into the night faster than you could catch up. The third time you nearly flung yourself off the roof when seeing a pair of doe eyes staring back at you from an empty apartment building.

"There isn't like an alliance going around between some of my... acquaintances?" Truth be told, you found the very idea ridiculous, but it had wormed its ugly way into your brain and was now near impossible to get out. JK, Jimin, Yoongi and Namjoon wouldn't even get along with each other. Even though those four were most likely to meddle in your business. However, if looking realistically, it was probably just your paranoia taking an intensive round. Seeing suspicious cars, watchful eyes and snooping noses where there were none. Hope threw you a sardonic smile.

"That would just be stupid."

(a/n)

In this story people have their names and codenames and will be often used interchangeably. It all depends whether in the story the POV character knows the names of others or not.

[koala-otter]

a little gaang modern AU

more (zukka!) prompts coming but for now have some modern AU silliness featuring the gaang as a bunch of goofy young adults on a road trip

might write another part to this but also might not :) (so lmk if you like it)

that’s all i have please enjoy 

2k words

Aang rings the doorbell of the small, white house only for the door to swing open as soon as he pulls his hand back. Katara stands in front of him with a dazzling smile, immediately grabbing his arm to pull him into the foyer. 

“I watched you walk up,” she explains. She lets him go and starts up the stairs to her room. “I just have to finish packing, and I’ll be right down. Two seconds.” At the top of the stairs, she turns and calls back down to Aang, “Sokka’s in the living room!”

Aang smiles as he watches her go and tugs on the straps of his backpack on his shoulders. He hears someone walking toward him, but where he expects to see Sokka, Hakoda appears in the archway leading to the kitchen and dining room.

“Aang,” Hakoda says warmly, coming forward to clasp the young man’s arm. “It’s good to see you.”

“You, too, Chief Hakoda,” Aang replies, grinning broadly. 

Hakoda stands back and looks down at the empty space next to Aang. “No Appa?” he asks of the dog normally at Aang’s heels.

“Appa hates long car rides, so Gyatso offered to take care of him for the week,” Aang explains. “Now that he’s getting older, we just want to do what’s most comfortable for him.”

“Makes sense,” Hakoda says with a sympathetic smile. “How is your grandfather?”

Aang shrugs, but keeps the smile on his face. “He’s managing. I keep asking him to lower his hours at the bakery, but he won’t let up.”

Just then, Sokka walks in bearing a duffel bag over his shoulder. “Hey, Dad, have you seen—Aang!” Sokka rushes over to rub his bald head, even though Aang has grown taller than him in the last year. 

“Hi, Sokka.” Aang laughs good-naturedly as he pulls away. “Are we ready to go?” 

“Almost.” Sokka turns back to his father and asks, “Have you seen my keys? I can’t find them anywhere.”

“Are they not on the hooks?” Hakoda asks, gesturing to where they’re mounted on the wall. 

“My car keys,” Sokka clarifies. 

Hakoda’s face betrays his complete ignorance of their location. “Maybe you should ask—”

“They’re in the pocket of your blue hoodie.” 

The three men look up to find Katara coming down the stairs, a large tote bag tucked under her arm, and her wavy hair loose and bouncing around her shoulders. She points out the hoodie in question, tossed on a bench under where the family hangs up their jackets, while she steps into a pair of white sneakers. 

“You left them after we got back from dinner last night,” she explains as Sokka fishes through the sweatshirt. 

He holds the keys up triumphantly. “Finally, men, our journey begins!” he cries. He lowers his arm, tossing the keys in the air and catching them, and then flinging the hoodie over his other shoulder. “All right, let’s go.”

They each take turns hugging Hakoda and promising him to drive safely, and then pile into Sokka’s car, a fifteen-year-old SUV, sporting big tires and a fairly high ride height, handed down to him by his father.

“Aang, you sit in front,” Sokka says as he pulls open the driver’s door and climbs up into the car.

“Why does Aang get to sit in the front?” Katara asks even though she’s already seated behind them.

“Because Zuko’s actually going to sit in front,” Sokka replies matter-of-factly, checking his mirrors, “and I don’t wanna fight with you when I have to tell you to get in the back.”

Katara scoffs. “We wouldn’t have to fight.” She grabs the backs of their seats and leans toward Aang. “Aang, trade seats with me.”

“Okay,” Aang says readily. He unbuckles his seatbelt.

Sokka puts his arm out across Aang’s chest to keep him where he is. “Aang, don’t move,” he says. “Katara, he’s 6’3”, you’re going to make him sit in the back where there’s no leg room?”

“You’re about to make him sit in the back where there’s no leg room!” Katara exclaims. 

“Uh, guys,” Aang says uneasily, “it’s really no big deal.” The fight is typical of the dynamic he’s been managing since they were all kids.

“See?” Sokka says, finally pulling the car out of the driveway and out onto the road. “Aang says it’s no big deal.”

Aang hears Katara retreat to the backseat with a little huff of breath. 

“Don’t worry, Katara,” he says, craning his neck to look back at her. “I’ll be in the back with you soon.”

Katara smiles back at him despite herself.

It doesn’t take long for them to arrive at Zuko’s house, and as soon as they do, Sokka gives two short blasts on the horn. Almost immediately, three figures emerge from the house. Zuko and Suki wave goodbye to Iroh and begin walking toward the car, while Sokka jumps out and runs over to help grab their bags.

“Hey, Iroh!” Sokka calls out to the older man. He kisses Zuko’s cheek and grabs his boyfriend’s black leather backpack. 

“How wonderful to see you again,” Iroh says kindly. His expression turns analytic as he scans the space between Sokka and the car. “Where is your sister? I thought she was going with you.” It’s no secret that Katara is a favorite of his.

Katara rolls down her window and thrusts her upper body through the new hole in the door. “Hi, Uncle Iroh!” she calls.

He waves at her enthusiastically. “Have a fun trip,” he tells her. “You must be very excited; you are practically glowing, like an early summer moon flower.”

Aang cannot help smiling and agreeing as he watches Katara brighten. 

“Thank you,” she says sweetly. “You look wonderful, too! I hope Zuko’s help at the shop is giving you the chance to get more rest.”

“He didn’t say I was glowing,” Suki hisses to Zuko. After going over to Zuko’s to wait for their ride, she’s just spent an hour bonding with Iroh herself.

“You don’t write your thesis and buy three pots of tea at the shop every day,” Zuko whispers back with a shrug. In a louder voice, he says, “We should hurry. We don’t want to be stuck in traffic.”

“Zuko, where are your manners?” Iroh stops him. “You haven’t asked your friends if they’d like any tea.”

“But, Uncle, we’re about to leave,” Zuko says in a slightly exasperated tone.

“So? It’s no excuse not to offer them a refreshment. You’re in for a long drive.”

Zuko turns to his friends with a sigh. “Would anyone like a cup of tea?” he asks, clearly conscious of his uncle watching expectantly from behind him. 

“I’d love one,” Aang says, popping his own head out of the car, “but Toph just texted me asking if we were on the road yet, and I really don’t wanna see what she’ll do to me if I tell her no.” He waves his phone in the air. “Sorry, Iroh!” 

Iroh raises his hand in the air as a greeting. “It is no problem,” he says with a smile. “You mustn’t keep her waiting.”

“We’ll come by the shop as soon as we get back,” Aang promises, gesturing between himself and Katara. 

“Well, you heard him, team,” Sokka says, leading the charge back to the car. “Let’s not keep Toph waiting.”

Aang gets out of his seat so Zuko can sit next to Sokka, and Katara moves into the middle so Suki and Aang can sit on either side of her. They all wave goodbye to Iroh as the car pulls out of the driveway and heads for the highway. 

“How far is it to Toph’s house anyway?” Suki asks after a while.

“Well, I wouldn’t really call it a house,” Aang says thoughtfully. “It’s more like an estate.”

“It’s the old Beifong summer home,” Katara clarifies, “built over a hundred years ago with their mining fortune. ‘Estate’ might not even cover it—it’s not quite a palace?” She looks to Aang for confirmation. “But it’s as close as you’ll get to one today.”

“And the real question,” Sokka adds, removing his hand from Zuko’s thigh to raise it in the air, his index finger extended to emphasize his point, “isn’t how far it is, but where it is.” 

He puts his hand back, and Zuko smiles contentedly.

“Wait, what?” Suki asks. “Did you just say we don’t know where we’re going?”

Sokka shrugs and glances in his mirror before moving his eyes back to the road. “Don’t worry, I put together the directions,” he says. “Zuko?”

Zuko pulls something out of the glove compartment and unfolds it to reveal a laminated map of the western Earth Kingdom. Roughly-drawn red arrows point to blue circles sketched on top of mountain ranges and lakes, and a looping dotted line has been thrown in, too, seemingly to throw the viewer off any sort of trail. Suki tries to study the markings. Katara sighs when she sees them. Aang takes one look and chooses instead to stare out the window.

“The Beifong summer home sits in a valley between two mountains an hour outside of Gaoling,” Zuko explains. He points to the map. “Here.”

He waits for Suki’s nod before continuing. 

“And we’re all the way over here,” he says, pointing again. “So, we have to go through—huh.” He studies the map. “Oh, we have to go through here. But wait, that’s not right. The Serpent’s Pass? Oh, no, what I meant was here. Or, hold on.” He stares at the map and its markings again, and the only sound in the car is the rush of the wind coming in through the windows. 

“Sokka, this is impossible to read!” 

Sokka gasps. “You called it ‘meticulous’ before,” he says with an accusing tone. 

“Yeah, before I actually tried to use it.” Zuko shakes the map. “How the hell are we going to get there with this?”

Suki leans in close to Katara to whisper, “Boy, am I glad it’s not me up there.”

Katara stifles a laugh into her hand.

“Look, I made the map, so I can read it,” Sokka says with finality in his tone. “It’ll take us right to the Beifongs’ front door.”

“But Sokka, you’re driving,” Zuko almost complains.

“So? I can look over if I need to.” Sokka starts craning his neck to view the map on Zuko’s lap. “I can even keep one eye on the road while I—”

“Sokka,” Katara says sharply.

“All right, all right,” Sokka says, focusing back on the stretch of road in front of them. “Sheesh.”

“Come on, guys,” Aang says cheerfully, “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

“I asked if you were prepared this morning, and you said you were,” Zuko continues arguing.

“I was! I made the map!” Sokka cries indignantly.

Zuko shakes the map once more. “How is this prepared?”

Sokka sighs in aggravation. “Look, if you’re so worried, Wan Shi Tong it.”

“What?”

“I said, just look it up!”

“Are you crazy? The Beifong summer home is not going to be on Wan Shi Tong maps,” Zuko says almost condescendingly.

A loud beep sounds from the backseat, followed by an automated, wise-sounding voice monotoning, “Starting route to the Beifong Summer Villa.”

Everyone but Sokka whirls around to look at Aang. 

“Hey, look at that,” he says. He holds his phone up with a grin. “They have it.”

Katara laughs out loud as Zuko begrudgingly looks up the address on his own phone. Everyone settles into companionable silence, allowing the sounds of the wind and the automated voice giving directions to replace any conversation. After a while, Suki even begins to drift off, her temple pressed against the glass of her half-open window. Aang watches the trees and the other cars on the highway pass by them, until he feels a tug on his arm. 

He looks down to find Katara looping her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder. She tilts her head up when she feels his eyes on her. 

“Is this okay?” she asks. 

Aang nods. “Yeah, of course.”

“Good.” She smiles lightly and lets her head drop back down to his shoulder. “It’s a good thing you’re here,” she says quietly to him, amusement in her tone.

A light blush rises in Aang’s cheeks, and he cannot help grinning. When Katara’s this close, he can smell the jasmine of her perfume. 

“Yeah, good thing,” he agrees. 

The smile stays on his face as he looks back out the window.

[foximator-blog]

Mega Man 2: Electric Heart Styled.

Something to note:

When designing robots that belong specifically to Wily, I wanted to incorporate a W emblem somewhere on them. Unfortunately with Metal and Flash I forgot theirs. The only exceptions to the W emblem rule are Nega Man and Bass for unique reasons. Wily also uses two different serial number codes: the standard DWN, and SWN. Most standard Wily numbers tend to leave Wily's army in favor of new jobs and actual respect, though Special Wily numbers such as the Mega man killers and the Genesis unit (Though there is one exception) tend to stay.

Now for our regularly scheduled showcase.

Metal Man

Built to be better than Cut man in every way, Metal man wields blades sharper than Rolling cutters, and is able to jump high due to his lightweight armor. Though hos armor might be too light, as it is easily cut up by weapons such as his own Metal blades and the Quick boomerang. After being repaired by Xavier Right, Metal man got a job cutting sheet metal, and he discovered a love for playing frisbee golf. He finds it annoying when dogs catch his favorite red frisbee and run off with it. His Element is Undead in reference to his blades being considered the sharpest and deadliest weapons in Mega man history.

Air Man

Air man is a true juggernaut, yet he's surprisingly mobile, as the fan built into his chest can not only be used to push enemies away, but also to propel himself short distances through the air. He also wields the Air shooter, which shoots mini tornadoes strong enough to punch through industrial steel. After leaving Wily Air man took on meteorological work, which he really enjoyed, and since Wily never patented Air man's new body type, Air man allowed it to be within the public domain so any skilled scientist could build robots with that particular style. Air man is weak to the Leaf shield, as his fan is easily clogged from time to time. If regular leaves are a minor inconvenience, metal leaves are definitely a pain.

Bubble Man

Bubble man is the first robot master built for underwater combat, and he's quite skilled in this field of expertise. He attacks with the Bubble lead, a bubble composed of a lead based chemical, which can be used both in and out of the water, and it's described as "hard hitting". Though he has legs, Bubble man's webbed feet aren't suited for walking on land, so he often hops like a frog. After being repaired, Bubble man became a Coast guard. He loves hot springs, but sometimes he can be whiny and a bit of a simp, so he doesn't have many friends. He also hates Oil pollution, which is why he has a very unwarranted hatred towards Oil man, despite Oil man literally being made to clean spills. Bubble man's weakness is Metal blade, as he too was made with light armor.

Quick Man

Inspired by Elec man's quick movements and judgements, Wily designed Quick man to be the fastest combat robot on two feet, and he remains one of the fastest to this day due to his unique energy source and booster system. His Quick boomerang is his primary weapon, and it's a laser projectile that rapidly cuts and slashes through anything it comes into contact with. Oddly enough, Quick man would use this weapon as a useful tool when being repaired and becoming an emergency response robot, and it would serve as inspiration for Splash Woman's Laser trident. When Wily eventually built Flash man, he installed a unique device into Quick man that was supposed to make him immune to the effects of Time stopper, but instead, the device glitches, resulting in Quick man both stopping in time, and taking massive damage while stopped. Quick man loves to race and hates sitting still for too long. His Element is Magic, due to his strange energy core.

Crash Man

Crash man is one of Wily's most destructive robot masters, with tough armor and lots of explosives. Using his drills, Crash man can shoot his Crash bombs and affix them to any surface before they explode. When being repaired, Xavier gave Crash the ability to turn his drills to hands, which made Crash man cry tears of joy. Crash loves explosions, but hates cleaning up any debris he's created. His weakness is Air shooter as it's strong enough to punch through his steel-like armor, and his element is Tech.

Flash Man

(His head is weird... ;^;)

Wily considers Flash man to be one of his masterpieces, because even though Time man can simply slow the flow of Time, Flash man can completely stop it in a blinding flash. To Flash man's opponents, it almost seems as if he's teleporting. His armor is tough, and is able to protect his delicate and balanced circuitry for the most part, but it isn't blast proof, so Crash bomb is an effective weakness. After being repaired by Xavier, Flash man became Time man's coworker, and they became good friends, he loves photography, but since he's bald he hates hair and wigs. There are also rumours he uses his Time stopper to prolong his bath time. Seeing as he's able to stop time at the speed of Light, his element being Light makes sense.

Heat Man

Short, grumpy, and full of attitude, this little lighter shaped bot doesn't look like a threat, but don't be fooled. With Flames much hotter than Fire man's, and jet boosters that let him bodyslam with the force of a freight train, Heat man is one tough opponent. His weakness is the Bubble lead, as it's able to extinguish his flames, which would otherwise vaporize normal water. After his repair, he would go on to use his Atomic fire to generate Atomic power. Seeing as he's all about the heat and loves a good barbeque, he really hates the cold, snow and ice cream. He absolutely hates Ice man.

Wood Man

Wood man is one of Wily's favorite creations, being made of actual wood to camouflage himself in heavily forested areas. His wooden body is coated in a thin metal layer, which increases his durability and serves as lamination to prevent rotting, though it can't protect him from fire at all, especially not Atomic Fire. To attack, he uses small, thin leaf shaped blades to create the Leaf shield, which he can launch at foes or into the air. He can also create a larger leaf to use as a sword. With a love for nature and hiking, Xavier repaired him, and gave him a job overseeing Nature preservation areas. Though Cut man was made for lumber cutting, Wood man enjoys his company, as he admires how gentle the little guy is. Seeing as he's made of wood, Life is the most obvious choice for his Element.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E7; Chapter Seven, The Lost Sister - [Pt. 4]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

In their search for answers, psychic visions draw Eleven and Y/n to a band of violent outcasts and an angry girl with a shadowy past.

A/n: lots of flashbacks my dudes, sorry. Kinda messy since it happens at the same time as the back to back moment with reader so apologies if it's funky.

||3rd Person POV||

"It's me."

The world is black, but the familiar voice rings out like a beacon in the void. She can't remember entering, so she wonders why she is here. In the distance, Jane can see the all too familiar wooden table and the ham radio that sits atop the adjoining stack of trunks. The tiny lamp that rests on the wooden table provides a soft homey light that blankets the otherwise dark and cold void.

"I know that I've been gone too long, and uh..." It's Hopper, her policeman. "I just want you to know that it's not because of you. And it's not because of our fight."

Jane finds herself being pulled towards the machine, the soft pitter-patter of her feet against the pool of water provides white noise other than Hopper's shaky voice echoing through the radio. It's garbled, and it has the usual static form the machine, but she can sense his emotion. The lump in his throat.

"Something came up, and, uh, I'll explain everything soon. I just, um... I want you to know that I'm not-- I'm not mad at you. I..."

She can feel a lump of her own forming in her throat as she waits for the words, they are almost here and she stands patiently. She is breathing heavily, trying not to cry and that is when the words come.

"I'm just sorry."

She feels a hand grab her shoulder and her eyes rip open.

"It's okay." Kali soothes. "It's only me."

Jane sighs, and sits up slightly.

"Bad dream?"

Jane only closes her eyes, trying to will away the sleep plaguing them. Her gaze wanders to the empty spot next to her, and she looks to Kali who caught her gaze.

"It seems your friend has left."

Jane only stews at the spot Y/n once was and huffs, before banishing her from her mind.

"What time is it?"

Kali smiles at her response.

"It's late. You slept well. Come. It's time you meet my friends. Properly this time."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Jane follows Kali eagerly throughout the warehouse, she had slept in her overalls and having gotten used to the temperature she had slipped on her jacket. She was being led to a new area she hadn't seen yet when the man with the crazy hair stepped into view with a small folded white box and two wooden sticks.

"We need more money, Kal," he says. "I can't keep eating this garbage."

"This is Axel," Kali states, leading into the room full of her friends.

"The spider hater?" Jane asks, eliciting several chuckles around the room.

"Yes," Kali says with a smile. "The spider hater."

She gestures to the crazy looking girl that with the large bow in her hair, she smiled as she twisted a lock of her oddly colored hair.

"This is Dottie, our newest. Like you, she just left home."

"You mean the loony bin." Axel shot, taking a swig from a white can.

"Mick," Kali gestures, to the woman in green with dark cloud-like hair. "our eyes, our protector."

She then looks to the large, seeming bald man with one long braid trailing from the back of his head. He smiles, stepping forward.

"This is Funshine, our warrior," Kali informs as Jane steps forward to greet him. "Don't let his size frighten you. Like I said, Fun's a teddy bear."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Jane." He says, holding out his hand.

Jane takes his hand, turning it over to find a blank wrist.

"If you're looking for a number, you won't find one," Kali informs, crossing over and taking a seat at the table.

"They're not like us," Jane says, in realization.

She releases the man's hand and goes to stand at the head of the table.

"No, not in that way." Kali answers. "But like us, they're outcasts."

"Outcasts?"

"Freaks," Axel says shortly.

Dottie scoffs. "Speak for yourself."

"Society left them behind, hurt them, discarded them," Kali explains.

Funshine speaks out, his voice is somber as he fiddles with his hands.

"We were dead, all of us. Kali saved us. Here," He pointed to his mind, and then to his heart. "And here."

"Don't get all mushy on us now, Fun."

"No, not mushy. True."

"Now we help her," Mick says.

Axel leans forward, his beer can in hand.

"In this life, kid, you roll over or you fight back."

"We're all fighters here." Mick finished.

"Fight who?" Jane asks, intrigued.

||Reader's POV||

I wince as the bus hits yet another bump, my head resting against the glass bumps against the windowpane once more. I tear my eyes away from the blurry green scenery of the trees we pass to check my watch for the umpteenth time, twelve twenty-five. We just left Illinois, but I still have a way to go. I'm thankful El still had money left over from Becky's, of course, I curse myself at the memory.

Mom is probably freaking out right now, I'm sure by now she's gotten word from chief Hopper. I don't what I'm going to do. I don't know how I'll possibly explain this.

Maybe I can say I was looking for Mews? No, that wouldn't work. For several reasons. I already told Dustin that I was at Will's and besides, I was reported as a possible runaway while on a secret trip with El. And no one was supposed to know about her.

Yeah, Mom's gonna flip.

And my fight with El keeps playing over and over in my mind, twisting my chest and stomach into uncomfortable knots. Everything about it left a sour taste on my tongue.

How could she say those things? How could she not see that I was looking out for her? Part of me wishes I could have just left in the middle of the night and never told her. Left without a word. Like she probably would have done to me.

The trees begin to slow, and an odd popping elicits from the back of the bus. It turns many heads including my own, and I spot the driver near the front. I see his face from the wide mirror overhead and it's clouded with worry and frustration.

Just as I feared, the bus grew slower and eventually pulled off to the side. Murmurs broke out all along the bus after the driver announces the issues with the bus. I wish I had taken a seat closer to the front as all the people around me have burst into angry complaints and I can't hear a word the driver is saying.

"Four hours? I need to get home to feed my dog!"

"My babysitter is off the clock soon, I can't wait that long!"

Four hours until we're back on the road? I can't wait that long either. I'm far too restless and I don't care if I have to walk. I am surprisingly restless given the amount I have exerted myself in the past twenty-four hours, and there is no way to tell if it is from some cleansing after effect or my fight with El but I need to move. I take a moment to kneel on my seat, and I glance out along the street studying my surroundings. Lucky for me, I recognize this spot, I'm not far from Becky's house. Which means I'm just on the edge of Hawkins.

I can walk that far.

And I'm fairly certain I wouldn't be able to afford a ride that went any further. Instead, I rose from my seat and slipped out the front. For all I know, it just might take me four hours to get home, but at least I'll be home by then.

||3rd Person POV||

Kali empties the box's contents onto the counter, dozens of badges, ID's and various records of previous or current employees at Hawkins Lab.

"Everyone you see here was in some way responsible for what happened to us," Kali informs, her team standing behind her.

Jane stands across the table from her, she picks a laminated card from the bunch to examine. She looks to her counterpart and raises a brow, her interest peaked.

"You hurt the bad men?"

Dottie makes a face, shaking her head.

"No," she says, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "We just give 'em a pat on the back."

[FLASHBACK]

A van screeches to a stop outside an undisclosed apartment building. Five masked figures exit the vehicle and storm the building. There is a knock on one apartment door, a confused man opens it only to be met with a bullet to the head.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

"You kill them?" Jane asks.

"They're criminals." Kali days simply, shrugging. "We simply make them pay for their crimes."

《•••》

Kali is seated in the passenger seat, her eyes closed and her hand raises to eye level. The van is racing at tops speeds as the police ride their tail as they enter a tunnel. With her full attention, and a sly smirk she whispers.

"Boom."

The cement ceiling of the tunnel explodes, debris falling and blocking the tunnel. The police cars swerve to miss the avalanche of rock.

《•••》

Jane examines the badge further, and it isn't until this has been explained does she realize the badge is sprinkled in splattered of blood.

"Damn, Shirley," says Axel teasingly. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Jane tears her eyes away to glare at the spider hater with the crazy hair. She notices that each of Kali's companions are smirking at her in a similar matter. Dottie merely shifts her weight to one foot and tilts her head, speaking sluggishly.

"We can't all be fighters, I guess." She sighs.

"I'm a fighter." Jane corrects. "I've killed."

《•••》

The second man spared a second to look before turning to her to try and restrain her.

Before he could even step foot in the room, he was dead on the floor, his neck snapped. All with the flick of her head.

•••

El stands at attention, she gravitates towards the front protectively in front of her four friends. The bad men surrounding them freeze and she tilts her head, her attention laser-focused on each and every one of the soldiers. They begin to twitch and squirm, and as her nose begins to bleed so do their eyes. A horrible squelching sound echoes throughout the hallway as the lights flicker violently and they each drop like flies, blood pouring out of their eyes, nose, ears, and mouths. Eleven had squeezed their brains like grapes.

《•••》

"Did these men you killed," Kali asks. "did they deserve it?"

Jane nods confidently.

"They hurt me."

《•••》

Eleven struggles to break free from the men's hold as they carry her by her arms down, back into the room.

Sobs track her body as she uses all her strength to turn and look back at Papa.

"Papa!" He steps out into the hallway and remains standing, doing nothing to help her, yet she still calls for him.

《•••》

"And they still want to hurt you," Kali presses. "To hurt us. We're just making the first move."

Kali nods her head, gesturing to the doors.

"Come."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Kali and Jane break off from the others as Kali shows her outside. They walk for a short while, Jane once again finds herself taking in her surroundings as her friend explains. By now they had found themselves a great fair distance from the warehouse and they wander through a scrapyard of boxes, abandoned shelves, and steel shipment containers.

"I was just like you once," Kali says. "I kept my anger inside. I tried to hide from it, but then that pain festered."

"Festered?"

Kali comes to a stop and looks sadly to Jane unable to meet her eye immediately as she is forced to relive the memories.

"It spread. Until finally I confronted my pain, and I began to heal." She said, her voice growing excited before she continued on through the scrapyard.

Jane did not follow immediately, she almost felt stuck as those words echoed in her mind. She knew what Kali spoke of all too well.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Y/n ducks under yet another low hanging branch, her hand gently pushing it away. The pads of her heels had begun to sting but she presses on. Despite the long trek behind, and before her, she has yet to regret her decision to go on foot. Much to her great delight and surprise, she finds that she is not as tired as she typically might have been. Only minutes after her departure, when she was safely out of sight of the bus and its impatient passengers did she drift off into the woods where she would not be as easily seen.

And though she is hidden well within the trees, the wind manages to snake within the trunks and whips against her clothes and the exposed skin on her neck and hands. She feels the damp earth sink beneath her shoes and she is thankful her shoes were able to dry faster than her clothes - the one thing she successfully managed to dry with the aid of her abilities.

She realizes with a dry laugh that she has once again left without her clothes but she does not care anymore. Once again her mind drifts to her last conversation with El.

Jane, she reminds herself bitterly.

Y/n has given it much thought and she had admitted to herself she had assumed that El had used that name do draw less suspicion. It hadn't quite dawned on Y/n that she truly did want to assume that part of her identity and she feels a twinge of guilt. But she can't ignore the itch of it all, something nagging at her that something about that was off. It just didn't seem like the same person, but Y/n dismissed the thought and was able to admit to herself that she was in the wrong on that front.

But that didn't mean her feelings weren't still hurt. El- Jane, had completely tossed her aside the minute she laid eyes on Kali. Y/n could still hear - and see - that exchange all took well.

Sister.

It brought another pang of jealousy to her heart as she so desperately longed for such a connection. Y/n, of course, loved her bother and friends with all her heart, but her whole life she had longed for such an iron-clad bond with another girl. And she supposed she had that with Jane. But it seems it was one-sided.

Quickly, Y/n shakes the thought from her head. She was not partial to thinking about that night, that night had hurt her deeply and it would only exhaust her.

She focuses her eyes on the ground before her, watching her step as she navigates the uneven terrain hidden under layers fallen leaves when she noticed something. A very simple thing that would most likely go unnoticed by any other being, or even her if it were any other given moment. Y/n saw a flurry of leaves swept up in the wind, moving across the landscape like a wave crashing in the ocean. And much like many other times in her life, something so simple triggers a memory in her brain like a feeling triggers the memory of a forgotten dream.

The details, not only what it looked like but what it felt like, of the phenomenon of what she had experienced the night before. Not her fight with her friend, or the scary adventure that led her to the other side of Hawkins and all the way to Chicago, but the explosion in the old train yard. And while it had not quite been forgotten, merely set aside in the unfurling events of her split with Jane, remembering the event felt silly. What a catastrophic thing to have forgotten.

Perhaps it wouldn't be the worst idea to practice, she thought.

She was all alone after all, she was out of sight and far away enough from the road where she couldn't be caught. She knew not to strain herself of course, given the long walk ahead of her. But she was rather bored and she figured she'd never really get another opportunity like this. After all, she couldn't quite practice this in her room.

In the end, temptation - and boredom - won, and she gave a quick sweep of the area before she settled in one spot. Worried of the potential exhaustion she was in fact risking, she figured she could rest for ten or twenty minutes or so. This also allowed her feet a small break. She found a small gap in the trees, a long stretch of open space where she wouldn't risk a fire hazard on any of the tree trunks.

Y/n finds her focus driven on the path of damp leaves before her. Her hands outstretched and with all her might she pictures the path before her blown away into a small ditch in between the long stretching gap between the trees. The forest still smelled of rain and even the trunks around her were still a bit damp, though she did want to risk it. The wet sludge of fallen leaves before her was her goal and she planted her feet preparing herself.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Kali's heels hit the pavement as she jumps off the platform, Jane's sneaker-clad feet soon follow. Kali strides across the damp pavement and she turns to face the clearing as Jane joins her side.

"You see that train?" She asks, gesturing towards the large abandoned car.

"Yes."

"I want you to draw it towards us,"

Jane looks at Kali with unease, and Kalie gives her a sly smirk. Jane takes a breath but looks back at the train. She raises her hand, her mind focusing on the train and the surface around it. She can feel her mind strain and her hand trembles violently and all that comes to show for her efforts is the faint sound of metal creaking, and slight separation of the cart from its wheels.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The wind had died down but still few leaves moved under her control. The signature blur emits from Y/n's hand, it reminded her of heat reflecting off concrete on a hot summer day. She felt herself smiling over the feat, but it quickly died out as her ability did. It quickly fizzled out and she felt a great strain on her body, and she sighed collecting her breath.

Something wasn't right. This wasn't how it went.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"I can't," Jane pants, hands on her knees collecting her breath.

"Last night you told me you lifted a van once."

《•••》

Her vision locks onto the van barreling towards her and her friends, and she scowls. With one flick of her head, the van flies through the air and over their heads.

《•••》

"Yes."

"The bad men were trying to take you away again, and that made you angry."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Y/n's mind flips through her memories, every experience she has had with her powers and her mind lands on the scene from the night she always chose to forget. The night they almost took her.

《•••》

A violent scream erupted from the young girl's throat, a scream that pierced even her own ears and ripped her throat raw.

A powerful force of energy exploded off of Y/n swept across the hallway mowed down everyone, including the man holding who had been holding her hostage. Most of the men were knocked into the concrete walls and slid down to the floor unconscious, blood dripping from their heads.

Y/n landed on her knees, Eleven only about a foot away who had miraculously avoided the line of energy while on the ground.

Panting, she looks up to the man several feet away, laying on his back slowly coming to, and with all the remaining courage and energy she can muster, she slowly rises to her feet, breathing harder, her fists clenched and eyes filled with rage.

《•••》

Anger. Anger was the common factor of every incident she realizes suddenly. This had been the first time she had allowed herself to dwell on the memories of that night. Ever since it had been much too painful to revisit and she never bothered. And yet all this time she had wasted, trying to figure out her powers, figure out herself, and she had been ignoring the answer.

And for the first time, she thinks not of the people she's hurt. But the comes who have hurt her.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Good. So, find that anger, focus on that, not the train, not its weight."

She raises her hand once more, and with a deep breath preparing herself for the task at hand. Not the boundaries she is preparing to test, but unlocking her heart and mind to the floodgates of bitter memories and untapped anger waiting to be unleashed.

"I want you to find something from your life. Something that angers you."

《•••》

The friend Y/n trusted most in the entire world, turned on her. Undeniable hatred and disgust in eyes instead of a loving gaze.

"Get out," Will seethes.

"What-?"

"I said, get out!" He hissed.

Y/n flinches at his tone, and backs away fighting tears and struggling to hide the hurt in her eyes.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

《•••》

"Now channel it."

The girl's hand trembles and the ground begins to shake as she unlocks this side of herself. the gates are opening, the gates to her full potential. She is strained but unwavering as she watches in glee as she moves the world around her.

"Dig deeper. Your whole life you've been lied to..."

《•••》

'THE MISSING EXPERIMENT'

Y/n gazed at the folder in shock, looking to her sleeping friend with fire in her eyes.

She had this with her the entire trip. And not once did she share it with her. Every file, every news clipping, every theory on her life that almost was. On her. And she was the last to see it.

《•••》

Anger rises to the surface, it is now all the girl can feel. At this moment in time, all she knows is white-hot rage and it is powerful enough to break the world. She is powerful enough.

"...imprisoned."

《•••》

Y/n loses the ability to speak when the man's eyes meet the agent holding her back. With one simple gesture, she is torn away from her brother and friends and straight into the man's clutches.

"What- what are you doing?" She cries, continuing to fight and kick against the steel hold.

An overwhelming storm of panic and frustration takes over and she begins to hyperventilate.

Instinctively, she struggles to turn in the agent's grasp to meet her brother's anxious and fearful eye and cries out to him.

"Dustin? Dustin!" She shrieks.

Her brother's desperate calls for her break her heart, but it turns to fire when she hears the man's voice.

"Y/n, don't fight it. You belong with us. We are your true home. Come home to us, Nine"

《•••》

She can feel her jaw clench, her muscles tense as she focuses all her energy - all her anger on the target before her.

"The bad men took away your home, you're mother,"

《•••》

"She was pretty." She began, smiling sadly. "She had [h/l] [h/t] [h/c] hair. And [s/c] skin. She was [y/h]."

•••

"She disappeared... Bang" El said slowly, a saddened frown forming on her face. "Gone."

•••

"So, my mom? She's...?" Y/n took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat and El nodded.

《•••》

Her whole body began to shake, a raw and forceful screaming tearing from her throat and piercing the cold autumn air. It was only a small fraction of her emotions, only a mere glimpse of a wild hurricane bursting forth from within her as her powers unleashed.

"They took everything from you."

《•••》

But then she saw it. The small, lifeless body. He was wearing the same red vest he wore on that night. She was speechless. Hot tears streaked down her cheeks and she forgot how to breathe. She collapsed into Lucas's arms, his own grip weak and shaky, and she buried her wet face in his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her tightly, a lifeline of his own as he witnessed the horrible sight.

"It's Will. It's really Will." Lucas croaked, unable to speak above a harsh whisper.

Y/n felt tears fall on her head, telling her that Lucas had started crying as well.

The noise she made was incoherent. She let out a painful wail and tore herself away from Lucas's embrace when she gathered enough strength.

"Will? Will!" She cried.

Lucas and Dustin pulled her back. She fought and screamed, her throat aching from the strain. All previous worries of being spotted were forgotten, wanting nothing more than to be by his side. She wanted to be with him. To see if it was really true. But she was too weak. Defeat set in and she went limp, collapsing onto the ground and hugged her knees. She buried her tear-stained cheeks in her knees and hid from the cruel world that took such a loving soul from her. She rocked back and forth trying desperately to convince herself that this was a nightmare.

•••

And it had been. Not even a week later had she learned his body was a fake. The bad men lied. To her. To his family. To everyone. They stole him away and they didn't care who they hurt.

《•••》

Blood dripped from her nose, spidery veins spread across her face and hands. The violent force of power overtook the world and her body but it felt fantastic. She felt truly free for the first time in her life.

"They stole your life, Jane"

The final and most forceful burst of anger comes forth, the final push she had been waiting for. The scream echoes and rings throughout the air long after she silences, and she collapses to the ground as exhaustion overtakes her.

She had done it.

Before her, a long deep trench stretches on for several feet. Y/n had uncovered not only the thick layer of damped leaves but several layers of earth creating a lengthy ditch where the earth had been carved. Raining down from the air were the discarded leaves raining down from the heavens like bright golden confetti celebrating her accomplishment. Y/n smiled despite her exhaustion, her hands on knees the palm of her hands still hot to the touch.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Jane collapses to her knees, gasping for breath and gazes at the train before her in disbelief. Distant cheers erupted in the distance and she looked to find Mick, Fusnshine, Dottie and Axel jumping, hooting and hollering.

"WAY TO GO JANE!"

She doesn't fight the smile that sneaks up on her and Kali kneels beside her, smirking.

"How do you feel?"

Jane nods, her smirk turning sly and confident.

"Good."

+++

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[pretendingimfamous]

October 4, 2019

I've been working since 8:30 am so I am tired! I'm done with this class in one hour then I'm going home to clean before my landlord gets there. Then I'm coming back to work tonight and tomorrow morning and FINALLY I'm able to relax for the weekend :). I think I should get another Yerba Mate before I go home so I don't pass out at work tonight lol. Last night I was cleaning a little and I for real thought I was going to faint from exhaustion. It was so difficult to even keep my eyes open; and I looked in the mirror and was a mess with my greasy hair, bags under my eyes, and a pair of sweats/hoodie on. This morning I just sucked it up and took a freezing cold shower so I could wash my greasy ass hair :/. It was very cold! But while I was out of the house today, my housemates texted that it got fixed *whips*. Bruh I just found out that dolphins will surround another animal and gang rape them! And I also learned that sea otters drown birds to use them for masturbation! OoO Nature is wild man. I'm interested in alternative realities. I want somebody to take a nap and cuddle with :/, I need some human affection baad (sheep be like). I would be so pissed if someone balded me and used my hair for warmth man >:(. Sheep's wool do hit different no cap. Mia said she got me a laminate that says "that ain't Dababy that's my baby" and I'm so excited to see it!

[jojotier]

lil masterpost of some of my favorite golden trio interactions that ive written vfkjv

seriously if you’re a fic writer and you haven’t tried to write these three interacting, I suggest you try. at least once. Seriously, writing them always leaves a smile on my face...

Some more that were so long that I decided to like, at least put it under the cut to save everyone the space and breathing room:

~~

“He’s a cute guy- always wondered what it’d have been like to meet him, you know, take him out somewhere fancy…” Shiraishi wiggled his eyebrows and Asirpa nigh instantaneously appeared to smack him over his bald head with a wooden spoon. “Hey-! What’d I say?!”

“Don’t be weird, Shiraishi!” Asirpa huffed, wagging the spoon in her hand. “Or else we’re going to have to crack your egg head over a pot and have you for breakfast!”

Shiraishi whined, “Mannnn why are you two always bullying me?! I’m the oldest! If anyone should be bullying anyone, it should be me bullying someone!!”

“But you won’t! Because you know what’s good for you,” Sugimoto teased, pouring himself and Shiraishi a cup of coffee.

Asirpa said from her place beside Shiraishi, “Pour me a cup too! Black, please.”

Sugimoto felt a sudden, terrified shiver run down his spine. “... Are you sure about that, Asirpa? That’s… this is a really bitter brand, so-”

“Black,” Asirpa repeated, slowly raising her spoon. She tapped it on her other hand, eyes blazing. Sugimoto felt sweat drip down the back of his neck. “What is it, Sugimoto? Do you not think I can handle it, Sugimoto? Do you think I’m too much of a child? Sugimoto? Well? Are you saying little Asirpa is too much of a baby to handle coffee in its natural state? Sugimoto, are you saying-”

“Alright, alright! I’m pouring you some now…” Sugimoto said, pouring her some of the coffee while trying to bite back a laugh.

Shiraishi’s eyes widened in vague awe. “Man… black? I thought you’ve never had coffee before,”

“That’s because I never have.” Asirpa nodded, moving back to the little kitchenette to take the cup from Sugimoto. “ Huci never bought it much, and my aca used to say that it was too weak to even bother with. Watching you two load it down with sugar and cream, and knowing Sugimoto has a weak tongue-”

“Hey-!” Sugimoto said, slightly offended.

“- I’ve decided that it can’t be bitter at all. You’re both just weak.” Asirpa declared, before taking a giant, ill-advised gulp of her coffee. Shiraishi started to say something, but it caught in his throat, leaving him to just make a weird noise like a dying whale. Asirpa stood stock still for a second, black coffee dripping a little onto the corner of her mouth, as she took a shaky swallow. She looked up at Sugimoto, tears in her slightly squinted eyes as she tried to give a smile that didn’t look like she was in immense pain. “S. See. Not. Bitter at all,”

Sugimoto bust out laughing, trying to rein it in a bit because maybe it was a bit of an asshole thing, to laugh at a kid, but even still… it was pretty hilarious. “Really! Really now! I see that face you’re making- you think its as bitter as we do!”

“Do not!”

“Do too!” Shiraishi joined in, laughing a bit himself.

“Do not- look,” Then Asirpa, face flushing, tried to drink the rest in a few fell gulps. A little bit of the hot, bitter drink dribbled down her chin and onto her shirt as she finished, looking like she was regretting pretty much all of her life choices. Asirpa made a face and squinted, sticking out her tongue. “Ugh… I think I burned my tongue….”

~~

“... So it’s an ugly thing that’s a pile of junk, is what you’re saying,” Shiraishi snickered a bit. “So antiquated that not even JAXA wants to knock this thing into the gravity and get it down out of this airspace!”

Asirpa’s cheeks puffed out slightly in disdain. “... I’m not giving that a response. This is still neat!!! You just have no taste.”

“Oh no, yeah, it’s pretty neat,” Shiraishi ceded, glancing back out at the station. He snickered under his breath some more. “Lots of historical significance, probably… looks like an old-timey soup can.”

Sugimoto snorted at that, a wide grin splitting over his face. “Come on, that’s mean. It looks like a tin bucket from one of those cowboy movies, at least- the ones that hold all the bullets.”

“Those buckets aren’t historically accurate- bullets weren’t really that big…” Asirpa corrected, tapping at her watch’s interface. Then, her head dipped down a bit, what stray hairs that remained free from her braid falling in her face as she bit her lip, looking absolutely goofy. “... Looks kind of like a big asinru, though…”

“Hey, look!!! Sugimoto look!!” Shiraishi leaned forward, hands gripping on the railing and feet braced against it as his face lit up. “She talks so big but she thinks that ship looks funny too!”

“It’s your fault!” Asirpa uselessly tossed one of the plastic maps at Shiraishi. It went like five centimeters, and then uselessly fwumped onto the ground with a weird sound, not unlike the sound one got when shaking out a laminated paper. Asirpa chose to ignore that. “You have me thinking of tin can shaped things-!!” Shiraishi started laughing, chest shaking a bit as his grip tightened on the railing.

Sugimoto snickered a bit, eyes crinkling at the corners, “Last I checked, only you can have yourself thinking things.”

Asirpa tried to toss a map at Sugimoto, throwing it like a frisbee to see if that would get any lift. No dice. It went an even closer distance and fluttered uselessly down, sliding away from Sugimoto entirely. Shiraishi guffawed, and before Asirpa could open her mouth, there was a solid thunk. Shiraishi yelped as he hit the ground, still slightly red-faced from laughing. He’d fallen off. Sugimoto gave a hearty laugh at that.

“See,” Asirpa said, looking at Shiraishi, “this is what you get. Karma.”

Shiraishi whined, rolling over onto his back with a pout. “Let’s just get this trespassing over with…” Both Sugimoto and Asirpa giggled a bit together.

~~

“Well, we figured since it was New Years, it’d be nice to drop by-” Sugimoto started to say before being slightly tilted off balance, shoved vaguely to the side. A second face appeared, slightly lower than Sugimoto’s face and flushed lightly. The smell of sake on this stranger’s breath nearly made Tsukishima recoil, knuckles turning white as his free hand clenched into a fist.

“Heyyyyy, Tsukihime-san!” The bald stranger grinned, head seeming to bob from side to side. “It’s so good t’ see you- great to meetcha, I’m Shiraishi Yoshitake-”

“Where’s the dog.” came a third voice, and soon a third face, belonging to a girl much shorter and younger than the two above her, peered into the gap.

“Asirpa, please,” Sugimoto laughed a little, trying to hide the smile behind his hand, “don’t make it look like that’s the only reason-!”

“But you said yourself that you wanted to pet the dog, Sugimoto,” Asirpa’s eyebrows rose as she tipped her head back, staring at the scarred man in the door.

“Well-!” Sugimoto’s face flushed a bit as well, giving a bit of a sheepish look. “I also wanted to say hi to the owner, of the dog.”

Tsukishima glanced over the three of them. It was unlikely that Sugimoto had ill intent, bringing both a drunk and a pre-teen along with him. He kept his pocket knife in his pocket and opened the door just a bit wider, looking to his impromptu guests and remembering Nugget in the living room, whining underneath the table. “Sorry. My dog doesn’t like being around a lot of people- he’s easily spooked.”

“The dog or you?” Shiraishi snickered a bit, seemingly trying to peer over Tsukishima’s shoulder into the apartment. Tsukishima reconsidered not thinking about the merits of “accidental” greeting stabs in the future. Except there wouldn’t be a future, because Tsukishima didn’t want to deal with visitors. “Noah Fence, dude, but you’re like- this super hermit! I don’t think anyone’seen you outside this apartment... Tha’s what I heard from other people-”

The girl, Asirpa, turned around and kicked Shiraishi in the shins. Sugimoto followed suit, smacking Shiraishi upside the head while glaring at him. Tsukishima’s eyes narrowed as he went to close the door anyway. “Good night, Sugimoto. Asirpa.”

“Wait! Wait,” Sugimoto shoved his hand in the door hastily, trying to fold in on himself so he could hold up a package wrapped in paper the same shade of blue and white that the headband that Asirpa wore was. Of course, the designs were much different, looking more like silver leaves and boars. That’s right- it was the year of the boar soon, wasn’t it?

“We made too much mochi and yokan,” Asirpa explained, peering up at Tsukishima.

~~

“Awww, but Asirpa~” Sugimoto gave a mock pitiful whine, pushing his lower lip out like a child. “How am I gonna give miso to Huci to go with the feast?”

“We don’t need any of your poop near our shit,” Asirpa said, turning up her nose. At that, Shiraishi lost it and rolled onto his side, chortling the entire while.

Sugimoto gave a delicate gasp. “Asirpa, language! Who taught you to say that? Did Shiraishi here rub off on you,”

“I taught myself to say it,” Asirpa stuck out her tongue, but she knew no one was being serious about it. Sugimoto wasn’t the type of person to become faint just because someone younger than him said something mildly uncouth, as she’d done many times before. Sugimoto chuckled himself, a wider grin breaking out over his face.

Soon, the laughter died down again, and Sugimoto rested his cheek harder against his hand. It wasn’t nearly as cold and oppressive as before- but there was still an odd undertone, to the quiet that surrounded them. Something left unsaid.

“Man.” Sugimoto sighed, looking wistfully at the fire, “I wish I still had my miso. We could’ve used it with dinner earlier.”

It was quiet for a few seconds more before Asirpa suddenly remembered- in her coat… She didn’t remember if she’d used the last of it before, in the meal they had outside this place, but she still reached into an innermost pocket and pulled out the small metal tin. Shuffling around to Sugimoto, she presented it to him and opened the lid, showing just the smallest trace of brown miso in a corner.

Sugimoto’s eyes widened, a happy smile coming onto his face. “Oh man-! You did keep it! I would’ve thought for sure you were gonna use it as anosoma box or something, for anything you find-”

“Oh come on, that’s so gross!” Asirpa felt her eyes burn at the mere thought of it. Or maybe they burned because she was squinting so hard it looked as if her eyes had receded back into her face flesh. Sugimoto snorted, trying to keep his giggles in as Asirpa silently worked through how to even respond to that. After a moment, her face loosened back into a more contemplative expression.

“... Besides. You liked it so much that you would try to make my poor old Huci try it- so we had to keep it for when you came back.”