#I am that ‘I’ve only had Arlo for a day but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and then myself’ meme | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

celestialrry · 3 years

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I wish you would write a fic where...

the main character is the daughter of a really important producer harry is working with and he has a major crush on her but 1) he doesn’t want her dad to feel like he’s taking advantage of her 2) she has a rule of not dating musicians

too young

OOOOOOHHHHHH

HIIII GUYS..... i started school again and honestly for the longest time i've had no inspiration to write but then i got this ask!!! (thank you for your patience anon ily) and was like i love this prompt but then i wrote the first part and had no idea how to continue it,,, but I finally finished it!! ε(♡'-')з (this is me giving you all my love and affection for sticking with me)

(NOT EDITED)

warnings: alcohol consumption

Harry was in a dilemma.

Usually, he could sweep all his issues under the rug, save them for another day, but this one... he couldn't do that. Not because he didn't want to, but because this problem was more than just a dust bunny on his hardwood floor.

Y/N was the problem.

Or to be more precise, his feelings for Y/N were the problem.

Harry had confidence when it came to his crushes. He was smooth, flirty, and snagged almost every single person he's caught feelings for.

But not Y/N.

No, she was almost unreachable, for quite a few reasons.

One, the only reason he knew her, met her, was through a producer he had been working with the past few months. Arlo was massive in the industry and Harry was flattered when Arlo approached him with interest in collaborating. And only a month into working together, he met Y/N.

Harry's head snapped towards the door that had just burst open, a girl barging into the studio that he had never seen before. She was gorgeous, he had to admit, but he couldn't ignore her blatant disrespect for coming in and making a scene while he, Arlo, and a few of his bandmates were working annoyed him to no end.

"Dad! Oh my god, you will not believe what just happened, I was on my way over here and I fucking bumped into Zach," The girl began ranting, approaching Arlo and huffing as she stood next to Arlo's chair. "Of all fucking people I could see just walking down the street, it had to be him. The world is against me today I swear. Anyways, I brought that drum pad you wanted."

She dug into her big brown bag that was slung over her shoulder and pulled out the music board, placing it on the table in front of Arlo.

"Where'd you see him, Y/N? We're about to go on break and I can leave and go kick his ass in," Arlo checked his watch. "7 minutes."

Y/N, Harry now knew her as, sighed and crossed her arms. "He's long gone by now, think he shit his pants when he saw me walking near him."

"Atta girl, thanks for bringing my board too," Arlo smiled up at her from his chair. He then turned to see Harry, and Mitch staring at the two of them. "Oh sorry guys, this is my daughter, Y/N. Y/N, this is Harry and Mitch."

She turned to look at them and smiled wide. "Nice to meet you!"

"You too." They both said in unison, looking at each other with a smile, before focusing back on Y/N.

"We'll be done soon, if you wanna go out and get lunch." Arlo said, turning back to his daughter.

"Sounds good, just text me," Y/N replied, giving him a smile before turning back to the boys. "Nice meeting you guys, again."

And before they could even respond she was gone.

Two, Y/N was younger than him. 6 years younger to be exact. It didn't seem like much, but when put into perspective, she was 21, only just being legally allowed to drink in the States, and Harry was 27. Practically 30, if you ask him, and he was positive Arlo would have his head if he found out Harry liked his daughter.

And three, she doesn't date the people her dad works with.

He had found this out one night when he, Arlo, Y/N, Mitch, and a couple other writers were hanging out at the studio, drinking some wine (she had even exclaimed that this would be her first time drinking red, and Harry was yet again reminded of her age) and chatting after a long day of working.

Harry and Mitch were laughing with Arlo about the first time they met Y/N, and her comments about this “Zach” guy.

“He’s my ex, and had worked with my dad on one shitty song that never got far because he’s just so-- music is just not his thing, to put it nicely. But he was an absolute asshole and after him I made rule to never date anyone Dad works with. It would just go terribly.” She explained, letting Arlo take a few more jabs at the guy before stopping him.

So yeah, Harry was in a dilemma.

In all the time he’d known Y/N, he just kept falling for her. She was kind, funny, beautiful, lit up any room she walked into, and treated Harry like fine porcelain.

She was just fucking perfect.

｡:°ஐ

Y/N had probably been in a lot of worse positions than the predicament she was in now.

For example, that time her dad walked in on her and her ex making out in the studio, or her 21st birthday when she got completely wasted and almost got into the wrong car instead of her uber, and the next day found out that the man driving that car was actually a convicted criminal.

So there’s worse things that could happen than her liking Harry.

But it doesn't mean it wasn’t bad.

The thing is, Y/N didn’t fall for anyone easily. Her one and only ex Zach treated her like a queen until he could officially claim her as his. The flowers he gave her before every date remained at the shop and the consistent compliments turned into insults and muttered claims of discontentment.

Hence why he was her ex. It took Y/N quite a long time to work up the courage to end things with him. He was her first kiss, first time, and first boyfriend. She was yet to find her first love, she never really loved Zach. The way he used to treat her in the beginning, she thinks she loved, but him? No, she would never call him her first love.

So when Y/N’s time crush on Harry began to develop into real feelings in such a short span of time, it terrified her. She had really never felt this way about someone before; butterflies would erupt in her stomach every time he shot her a smile and her mind would erupt into pure chaos when his body brushed up against her own.

So yeah, it could be worse, but it certainly wasn't good.

｡:°ஐ

Y/N enjoyed spending time at the studio with her dad, and surprisingly, spending time with her dad’s “co-workers”. Even though she didn't usually hang out with the pop stars and spent time mostly with the backing band/producers (they were usually 50 year old men, but they were pretty nice) she enjoyed herself fully, having lunch breaks and talking about where their children when to school and whatnot.

Sometimes though, every blue moon, Y/N would hang out with a super star her dad was working with. Usually when most stars are at the studio all they did was record, which was understandable, but she never had the chance to meet a lot of them.

With Harry though, everything was different. It wasn’t just lunches at the studio, or dinner at someone’s house, no, tonight they were going out to a bar.

It was completely unexpected too, they had just wrapped up a song, and Harry, being in a particularly good mood had yelled out about going to a bar to celebrate. Of course, Y/N ignored his shout, knowing she wasn’t invited, and after Arlo had said something about “not being able to party as much as I used to”, she gave her dad a hug good night and waved a little goodbye to the band.

“Wait!” Harry had exclaimed, chasing after her in the hallway. “Where are y’going?”

Y/N’s eyes widened and she looked behind her before looking back at Harry. “I was just gonna head back home.”

Harry’s head tilted, and looked at her questionably. “Y’not comin’ to the bar with us?” He practically pouted.

Her brows shot up in surprise. “Oh! I- yeah I’ll go out with you guys.”

Which lead her here, decently tipsy, and sitting in a booth between Harry and Sarah, laughing at a story Adam had been telling. Every now and then she would glance over to Harry just to find his gaze already on her.

Her heart fluttered every time, and if Harry’s cheeks weren’t already flushed from the alcohol, Y/N would have noticed him blush every time they locked eyes as well.

“M’gonna get another drink, does anyone want anything?” Y/N piped up, a resounding chorus of “no, thank you’s” answering her question. Except for Harry who spoke softly, “A beer? Go ahead and put it on my tab.”

She shook her head at him as he stood up to let her out of the maroon leather booth. “Can’t make you pay for that, I offered.” She said, standing to lock eyes with him yet again.

“Nope,” He grinned. “You can, and you will.”

“But-”

“No buts.” He chuckled, giving her a dimpled smile.

Accepting her defeat she nodded and squeezed his arm with a murmured “Thank you.” before making her way to the bar.

Harry sat back down again, eyes trailing her figure as she walked away before looking back at the table to be met with knowing eyes.

“What is it?” He asked, glancing around at everyone.

“You’re whipped, mate.” Charlotte grinned, everyone else nodding in agreement.

“What?! I am not.” Harry pouted, eyes flicking over to Y/N, who was making her way to the table, one drink in each hand, before back to everyone else.

“She’s really sweet H, you should go for it.” Mitch said.

Harry shook his head, eyes now on Mitch. “I’m not interested in her like that, she’s way too young for me, anyways.”

Just then did he hear the soft hit of his beer and her cosmo land on the table. His gaze trailed up her hands to see Y/N’s shattered face. “Here.” She practically whispered to him.

“I just remembered I have an early class tomorrow, so I should go, but thank you guys for inviting me out.” Y/N explained in lighting speed as she leaned over Harry to grab her purse and toss is over her shoulder.

Words of confusion were tossed around the table but she was already booking it out of there, leaving Harry just as devastated as she was.

“I think she heard you, H.” Sarah said, frowning.

Harry let out a muttered “Fuck!” before taking out large bills from his wallet and tossing it on the table. “For my tab, m’sorry, I gotta go.” And he left just as fast as Y/N did, weaving through the tables and people before bursting out the door to see her standing on the street, arm wrapped around her waist and another holding her phone.

“Y/N!”

Her head whipped around to see Harry bustling towards her and she quickly wiped her eye as he approached.

“Wait, don't go,” He said, struggling to find the words. “We all want you to stay, I want you to stay.”

“I have to get to class Harry, plus, I’m too young to be staying out this late anyways.” She grimaced at her own words.

He sighed, eyes flickering from her own to her lips then back again. “I-fuck, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

This time, she fully turned to face him, brows knitted in distress. “Then how did you mean it? Because honestly I don’t think there is another way to mean it.”

This was his only chance, Harry knew it.

“I just, I tried for so long to tell myself it was wrong to feel this way about you because you’re so much younger than me, and m’pretty sure your father would have my head if he knew but m’fucking infatuated with you, Y/N. M’so sorry I said that earlier, age is my only excuse for not asking you out and it’s not a good enough excuse anymore.”

With this her mouth was gaped like a fish, and her face was akin to a deer caught in headlights. In a flash her arms were wrapped around his neck and he was holding her waist, reveling in her touch.

“Oh, Harry,” She pulled away. “I really like you too.” And with that she pressed a swift kiss to his cheek, leaving him a blushing mess.

“Good, thats... thats good.” He stammered.

“So,” she nudged his arm. “Y’gonna ask me out now?”

#wow this was so rushed #not long at all either #but the first part had been sitting in my drafts for months #so here ya go #Harry Styles #harry styles one shot #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles imagine #harry styles x reader

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teshamerkel · 3 years

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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 20] (24 Pages)

<< First | < Previous | Next >

Nia finally gets to talk with Xander, and Team Scarlet prepares for their trip to Ghatha.

The morning after their training session with Val, Nia and Tobias head to the guildmaster’s quarters. Verene must be out on some kind of business, because August answers the door instead of the mantis. The giant, leafy gorilla greets them warmly, inviting them in and settling himself back into his chair. From the parchment scattered across his desk, it seems he was busy filling out forms.

“What can I do for you two?” He asks, deep voice a pleasant rumble.

“W-Well, uh.” Nia glances nervously at Tobias, and the charmander urges her on with a wave of his hand. “You know that we’re leaving for Ghatha tomorrow, right?”

August nods. “Yes. Tobias notified me of your trip a while ago. Have your plans changed?”

“Oh! No, w-we, uh, talked to Andyn and Ezra yesterday—from Team Evergreen? They said they heard something from a traveling Pokémon about some…tension. Between Pokémon and former humans. A fight or something? They said they told Verene, but we were wondering if you’d heard anything about it?”

“Basically, should we worry about getting jumped since Nia’s human?” Tobias summarizes, crossing his arms and giving August a serious stare.

August’s warm, friendly expression slowly falls as Nia speaks. At Tobias’ question, he heaves a sigh. “I see. Yes, Verene informed me of Team Evergreen’s report. I wish I could say that it was only a rumor, but I’m afraid some of the mail carriers have confirmed it.”

Nia’s stomach sinks, and she shoots Tobias a worried look.

“So there are actual fights happening between Pokémon and humans?” Tobias asks, frowning.

August makes a troubled sound and runs a hand through his leafy mane. “Only one notable argument so far, at least that I know of. It happened far from here, on the other edge of the continent. Nothing serious, but enough to catch attention.”

“D-Did they say why the fight broke out?” Nia asks. She can’t imagine why Pokémon would get so upset by someone claiming to be human—it’s not like the humans tried to bring themselves to this world. And why would someone in her position be so mad at the Pokémon? So far everyone has been incredibly kind to her.

“The reports are vague and scattered,” August hedges. “Apparently each side claims that the other started it, and they were just acting in self-defense. I suspect there is more to it than that, but only those who were there could clear it up.”

Nia furrows her brow. “And this is completely new? I-In all of the years that humans have been appearing here, there hasn’t ever been a serious fight like this?”

“Not caused by the origins of the Pokemon involved, no. At least not that I’m aware of. There have been a few disagreements, I’m sure, but this is the first I’ve heard of them escalating into a serious physical altercation.”

There’s a beat of quiet, and then Tobias speaks up again. “So what does this mean for us? Is it something we need to watch out for or not?”

August brings a hand to his chin, looking thoughtfully between the two of them. “If I were to guess, I would say this is an isolated incident that will soon pass. Don’t worry too much about secrecy on your trip, but perhaps be cautious about openly discussing your human past unless you’re sure of your safety, Nia. Lie if you feel you have to.”

Nia’s head snaps up. What? Sure, she’s a Pokémon for now, and in this situation it makes sense, but...not admitting her past almost feels like denying it even happened. Like it wasn’t even real.

“That’s not exactly practical when the whole reason we’re going to Ghatha is for a human meet-up,” Tobias points out. Nia latches onto that more logical reasoning.

“I-I’m sure we’ll be fine!” She pipes up. “We’ll be careful, and I won’t go shouting it from the rooftops or anything!”

Nia knows she sounds a little shrill, but she tries to ignore the feeling of Tobias’ eyes burning into her. August stares at her for a few moments with something like concern, then finally sighs. “It’s unlikely you two will run into any trouble. Just be prepared in case you do.”

Nia nods, trying on a shaky smile.

August waves them out. “Unless you have other matters to discuss with me, go on. I’m sure you have a lot to prepare before you leave tomorrow. Have a safe trip.”

Nia and Tobias say their thanks, turning to leave. As soon as the heavy doors are closed behind them and they start making their way down the staircase, Tobias speaks up.

“So what was with your little freak-out in there?”

Nia swallows hard past the lump in her throat. “I...I don’t want to have to lie about being human.”

“Why?” Tobias asks, sounding genuinely baffled.

Nia isn’t sure how to articulate why she’s so upset with the idea. Finally, she settles on saying, “Because if I lie about it then it feels like I’m saying it didn’t happen. That I wasn’t ever actually human. But I was. I am.”

Tobias doesn’t answer this time, probably hearing the distress in her voice, and Nia is grateful for it. They make their way down the tree in silence, passing a few Pokémon on the way back to their room on the medical floor. Nia tries to calm down along the way.

It’s fine. So there were a few disagreements half a world away. It was bound to happen eventually. That’s not going to scare her into hiding that she used to be a human—that she is human still, on the inside. It’s an important part of who she is, after all. She won’t go out of her way to bring it up, but she won’t deny it either if someone calls her out on it.

Nia’s so wrapped up in her thoughts that she walks right past their floor. Tobias calls her back with a roll of his eyes and Nia follows him with an embarrassed smile. When the two of them reach the doorway to Maggie’s quarters, Nia is surprised to see a familiar crew of fluffy black and blue Pokémon in the room. Xander, and all three of his little siblings. The lion cubs—shinxes?— are happily chasing each other around the space, weaving between Maggie’s legs and leaping over Xander’s flicking tail as they play tag, squealing.

Laine is the first one to notice Nia and Tobias, and skids to a stop to shout, “They’re here!”

Luca stops to look too, and Leor slams into him with an “Oof!” The two go tumbling into a lump of fluffy shinx fur.

Xander and Maggie were talking, but both look over at the kids’ ruckus. Xander’s eyes skim past Tobias and land on Nia, staying there. His expression drops into something serious, ears flicking back in an uncharacteristic nervous gesture, and Nia swallows. They haven’t talked since the other day, when Nia told the luxio his aura color and he completely shut down. She can’t help feeling a bit apprehensive about him suddenly showing up now.

“H-Hi?” She manages.

The shinx triplets race up to them, all three excitedly talking at once. They hop and circle around her and Tobias, and Nia smiles despite herself.

“Slow down, furballs, we can’t understand a word you’re saying,” Tobias says, voice edging on a laugh.

Even now, Nia is still surprised to see an openly happy grin on the charmander’s face. He shuffles into the room and flops back onto the floor. Immediately, the kids swarm him, shrieking with joy and talking a mile a minute as they climb on top of him and bury him in blue-and-black fluff. Nia smothers her laughter as she watches.

Xander pads over to her side, eyes trained on Tobias and his siblings. His brow is furrowed in an unreadable expression, but Nia would almost say he looks...puzzled. After a moment of silence between them, he finally looks at her. “Hey. Would you, uh. Have time to talk?”

Neither of them have to say what about. Nia hesitantly nods, desperately wanting to clear the air between them but nervous about the conversation ahead.

“Great. We’ll be back in a few,” Xander says, louder, directing his voice to his siblings. “Be good, all right?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Luca says, pausing in his clambering to stick his tongue out at his older brother.

Xander sighs, and Nia barks out a laugh. Then, the luxio turns and heads out of the room, flicking his tail in a beckoning gesture. Nia follows.

There’s a moment of heavy silence, before Xander glances at Nia over his shoulder. “Your scarf looks nice.”

It’s an awkward start to the conversation at best, but Nia feels herself relax a bit, eyes trailing down to where her red attack scarf is tied around her bicep. She’d already forgotten that she had it on. True to his word, Tobias had helped her with it this morning, only grumbling to himself a little as he did so. Honestly, she suspects that he was more embarrassed by their close proximity than actually irritated about having to help her with tying it. He’s funny like that.

“Thanks,” Nia says, voice soft. Then, not wanting to drown in silence again before they reach wherever the luxio is leading them, she adds, “Your siblings are adorable, by the way. I don’t know if I ever told you that.”

Xander snorts. “Adorable little pawfuls are what they are. Especially Luca. Every time I visit them, Arlo has to fill me in on what trouble he’s gotten into in the last 24 hours. He usually drags his more well-behaved siblings down with him.”

Nia shrugs, biting back a laugh. “He’s a kid. Trouble is what they do.”

“I suppose,” Xander grumbles. Then, his gaze grows thoughtful. “You know, the kids have been telling me for years about how fun Tobias is to play with, and I never understood why they’d say that, with...well, how he is. But seeing how he was with them back there...”

Nia smiles, feeling an unfamiliar surge of pride for her partner. “Pretty different, right?”

“Completely,” Xander admits. He still looks shell-shocked as he glances at her. “Is he like that around you?”

Nia’s expression falls a bit. “He talks to me, but he’s not exactly like...that, no. I’ve only ever seen him that open around kids. I know he’s really fond of your siblings.”

Xander frowns, looking forward again as he leads them down another corridor. “I‘ve always worried about that. I was afraid he was being mean to them, or teaching them how to cause more trouble than they already do. But any time I visited the nursery, Arlo always insisted that Tobias was a good influence.”

Nia looks at Xander’s face, and sees the conflicting emotions there.

“He’s one of the only Pokémon in the guild with a good opinion of your partner, you know,” Xander adds. “Arlo, that is. It makes sense now, since he’s one of the only Pokémon to ever see Tobias like...well, like that.”

Nia takes a moment to gather her thoughts, tracing her fingers along the wooden walls of the hallway they’re walking down. Lattice-like windows are woven here and there out of the twisting bark, and Nia admires the bright flashes of green and blue that she catches as they walk. They pass through patches of warm sunlight, standing in sharp contrast to the otherwise cool, dim lighting of the hall.

“Tobias isn’t a bad Pokemon,” Nia eventually says, voice quieter than she’d like. She thinks of the charmander and how he’s been the past week, how he endures her constant questions about the Pokemon world and how he’s actually talking to her now. “I know a lot of people at the guild seem to think he is, but really, he’s...he’s trying. And he’s already a lot nicer to me than he was when I first met him!”

Nia knows her voice is a bit uncertain, knows that was a pathetically weak defense of her partner. But it’s hard to defend someone who started out treating her so badly, especially when she really admires and likes being friends with Xander. She doesn’t want to drive him away by disagreeing with him.

After a few moments, Xander makes a quiet, thoughtful noise. “I suppose I can’t really argue with you about that. Other than Pokemon like Maggie and Arlo and Fen, you’re the one who knows him best.”

Nia stops in her tracks, the casual truth of that statement slamming into her. She always feels like she hardly knows Tobias, but Xander’s right. Nia’s only been here for…what? Three weeks? And already she knows the charmander better than almost anyone else in the guild.

Could anyone else name his favorite berry? Or his favorite color? Could anyone else recognize when he’s biting back a laugh or notice that he rubs his scarf between his fingers when he’s nervous? She only knows the simple things about him, the surface-level tidbits, but at least it’s something. The two of them may not be that close, but it’s still a stark contrast to how distant Tobias is to everyone else.

Or how distant they are to him.

The riolu frowns, meeting Xander’s eyes where he’s stopped a few feet ahead, looking back. “Has...Has anyone ever actually tried to be Tobias’ friend?”

The luxio’s ears flick, and when he speaks again, he sounds frustrated. “When he first came here, sure. But all he did was pick fights and snarl at us to leave him alone. So eventually we did.”

Maggie’s words flash through Nia’s head, about the state she’d found the young charmander in when they met. Scared and hurt and completely alone. He was just a child, and it sounded like he’d just lost every shred of normalcy in his life. Of course he didn’t want to push aside all of that turmoil and make new friends at the guild. He was upset.

“Did you even think about why he was brought here?” Nia asks, surprising herself with the heat in her tone. “Why he was so angry all the time? He—“

Nia abruptly remembers that this is not her story to tell, and she snaps her mouth shut. She looks down at her hands, now curled into fists. She lets out a shaky breath. She shouldn’t be angry with Xander. This was years ago. And it’s understandable that he wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who clearly hated his company. Xander didn’t know about Tobias’ past. He still doesn’t.

Besides, if she’s being honest, then the only reason Tobias is as neutral towards her as he is is because he has to be. She threatened to end their partnership if he didn’t at least try to be nice. Nia feels a sudden and unexpected pang of guilt. She’d told Tobias she wasn’t blackmailing him, but...she kind of is, isn’t she? She’d felt so justified at the time when offering him her ultimatum, but Xander probably felt justified too in avoiding the temperamental charmander when they were younger. And yet here she is getting mad at the luxio, like she’s any better than him. If she grew up here, was a Pokémon all her life, she might have ignored and avoided Tobias the same way. She probably would have in this life if circumstances hadn’t brought her to live in the same space as him and Maggie.

She feels like an awful person, all of a sudden.

Nia takes a deep breath, trying to pack the remaining anger into her chest, and lets it out with a heavy exhale. It helps a little. Xander doesn’t say anything, and when Nia looks up, the luxio is watching her with an unreadable expression. His tail is flicking, claws out and kneading into the wooden floor, and for a heartbeat Nia thinks she sees that red aura of his trying to act out, sees the burst of emotion he smothers under a carefully calm expression.

Then, he sighs, and all of that explosive, contained energy seems to leave him. He casts a quick glance over his shoulder before sitting down. “This isn’t where I was going to tell you, but it’ll have to do.”

“What?”

“The reason I...shut down. A few days ago. I wanted to apologize and explain. You’re...what you said about Tobias. It reminded me of what I wanted to talk to you about in the first place.”

Xander waits, not gesturing her closer in any way but clearly hoping she’ll agree to talk. Nia doesn’t really feel like sitting down and hashing out their feelings anymore, still feeling oddly protective of her partner, but she steps closer and slides down the wall to sit with her knees tucked up to her chest.

When Xander realizes she isn’t going to speak first, he sighs. “First, I wanted to say I’m sorry. For just going quiet like that, and not explaining anything to you. And I’m sorry too for being less than...encouraging. About your choice in partner.”

Nia blinks at Xander, not expecting him to jump in so quickly.

“I’m really not fond of Tobias,” he continues, sitting down and curling his tail over his paws. “But my siblings love him, and he’s your partner. I should try to be more...open. To accepting that maybe he is actually improving. Or at least that he can. How he acted in the past wasn’t right and I stand by that, but…maybe there was at least a reason for how he behaved.”

Nia stares at Xander’s earnest expression, immediately wanting to forget her brief stint of anger towards him. After all, him and his teammates are some of her closest friends here in the Pokemon world, alongside Andyn’s team.

The riolu forces herself to relax her tense posture. “I-It’s fine. Sorry for getting so upset with you. Just...give him a chance? Please? I know it’s hard, but…”

Xander’s tail twitches where it’s curled around his paws, but he nods. “I’ll try to be more open to the idea.”

Nia smiles, relieved. “Thank you. And I wasn’t mad about you not explaining things the other day. Just worried that I did something wrong.”

“And that makes me feel even worse,” Xander mumbles, some self-deprecating humor in his tone. Then, his expression sobers into something serious. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure?”

“Have you ever wondered why my siblings are here at the guild with me? Why they aren’t being raised in an actual home instead of in the daycare?”

Nia’s blinks, caught off-guard by the question. “I...No, I haven’t really thought about it. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad you haven’t.” The luxio is clearly lost in memories, gaze going distant. “I’d rather Pokémon not know where we came from. It’s better for the cubs to be guild kids than to grow up with...“

Xander trails off, then shakes his head, meeting Nia’s eyes. “To keep a very long story short, we didn’t come from the greatest home. Our mother was...not a good parent. I just kind of took it when I was her only target, but that changed when the cubs were born. As soon as they could walk, I got us out of there. Ended up finding the guild and never looked back.”

Nia stares at Xander with wide eyes. “How old were you?”

“About twelve or thirteen. Old enough to realize that she wasn’t going to treat the kids better than she had me. Probably worse. I could defend myself a bit at the end since I was a luxio, but I knew the kids didn’t have a chance. They...they were just so tiny. I had nightmares for weeks that she was going to hurt one of them.”

“I’m so sorry,” Nia says, quietly. She’s trying to keep the horror out of her voice, but she knows it’s still there on her face. She doesn’t remember her family in detail, but she remembers how she feels towards them, the emotional connection that’s still there, even worlds apart. Everything in her recoils at the thought of any real fear between them.

Xander shakes his head, the faintest of smiles on his face. “It’s fine, Nia. Really. We found refuge here at the guild with August, and it’s been years since then. I’m doing much better now. It’s just...” Xander hesitates. “I always think I’m over it. Over her. But then something happens and I...”

Nia isn’t sure what to say in the silence that follows. Eventually, Xander speaks up again, voice rough.

“When I think of her, I always think of how explosive she was. Her temper, her mood swings, how strong her emotions were. It didn’t even matter if she was happy or sad—every reaction was just...devastating. If it wasn’t a forest fire, it was a flood. So when you told me about my own aura—“

Nia’s stomach drops as she sees where this is going, recalling her own description of Xander’s aura. Passionate. Intense.

“I’ve never felt someone’s emotions as strongly as I did yours.”

Before her panic can spill out in a rush of apologies, Xander holds up a paw.

“Don’t apologize. It’s fine. I gave you permission to read my aura and didn’t stop to think about what it might say about me. That was my fault.”

“But—“

“I’m fine, Nia. Really. Avery already talked me down. Just because I’m like my mother in some ways doesn’t mean I am my mother.”

Nia lets out a breath of relief, thanking God for the kirlia’s cool head and seemingly infinite wisdom. “Right. F-From what I can tell, I don’t think a person’s aura really takes into account like...how they choose to act. Even if you’re a really emotional person, clearly you keep a handle on your feelings so you don’t lash out at others or anything. I mean, you’re one of the calmest people I’ve ever met!”

Xander huffs a laugh. “Handling my emotions is a skill I’ve been working on with Avery for a long time. Glad to hear it’s paying off.”

They’re quiet for a moment, and then Xander shakes his head. “Maybe that’s why I’ve had such a hard time giving Tobias a chance. He’s just so...angry and aggressive. Unrestrained. I’ve spent so long trying to learn how to control myself and he’s just...”

Nia frowns, absently smoothing her hands down the sleek fur of her legs. Xander isn’t...wrong. Tobias doesn’t really bother with filtering his thoughts to avoid hurting others’ feelings, aside from her. And that’s just because he has to, per their deal to stay a team.

“Tobias is a bit rough around the edges,” Nia admits. “But he’s had my back whenever I really needed him, even from the start.”

Her gaze flicks to her arm, to where her bite marks lie hidden under her scarf. He’d bandaged her up after that fight and helped her back to her bed. Made sure she was fit enough to fight before having them train again. And even when they first met, before she even had a name, he didn’t ditch her in the dungeon she’d dragged them into.

“I trust him,” she says. “W-We’re not friends, not really, but I know I can rely on him to do his best and to make sure I’m not left behind.”

Xander doesn’t necessarily look pleased by those words, but he nods. He seems thoughtful, if nothing else. “You’re hoping you’ll be friends, one day,” he guesses.

Nia winces, peeking up at him. “You think it’s a lost cause?”

“Do you?”

“No.” The answer comes immediately, before she can even think about it. Nia thinks she’s more surprised by her answer than Xander is.

The luxio smiles. “Well, there you go. You know him better than I do, so if you don’t think it’s hopeless then you’re probably right.”

Nia looks down, brow furrowed. Even if she still feels like she hardly knows Tobias at all, she does want to get to know him better. She wants to be more than just his Seekers partner--she wants to be his friend, too.

A soft weight drops onto Nia’s head, and then Xander’s got her trapped in something like a headlock, giving her the noogie of a lifetime. Nia shrieks a laugh, struggling to shove the luxio away.

When she finally succeeds, Xander smiles down at her. “You looked a little lost in your head. Thought I’d help you find your way back.”

Nia’s still reigning in her giggles, smoothing the mussed fur on top of her head and shooting him a playful glare. “Jeez, no wonder Luca likes causing you trouble!”

Xander usually seems more like a parent to his siblings than an actual big brother, but Nia can see that part of him shine through on occasion. In some weird way, even his interactions with her are starting to feel almost brotherly.

Brother.

Nia stills, feeling her chest suddenly ache at the word. Longing and grief for someone she doesn’t remember rips painfully through her lungs. She chokes on her breath.

“Nia?” Xander asks, sounding a thousand miles away.

But Nia’s drowning in the emotion of lost memories, feeling tears well up in her eyes, flooding her vision in a messy watercolor mosaic. Brother. Did she—does she have one of those? She must, to feel this aching loss. To feel it carving its way through her body from the inside out.

She has a brother. She doesn’t remember him, but she misses him so so much.

Nia doesn’t even realize she’s crying until Xander pulls her into a hug, foreleg around her back and pressing her close. She buries her face in his chest and tries to stifle her sobs. Xander’s warm and soft and solid, and he smells like hay and something like ozone. It’s weirdly comforting. Distantly, she notes that there’s a very slight tingle on her face, where her tears press into his fur—his electricity causing static?

The riolu tries to bury her sorrow, tries to calm down from this overwhelming, unexpected wave of anguish, but it takes longer than she would like. After a few minutes of sniffling, she manages to calm herself down and box up the emotions to deal with later. When she lifts her head from Xander’s chest, the luxio leans back to look at her, concern tightening his expression.

“Sorry,” she rasps, rubbing the last of the tears from her eyes. “You just...reminded me of someone, suddenly. From the human world. It c-caught me off guard.”

Xander offers a tentative smile, looking like he’s not quite sure how to respond. “It’s fine.”

The riolu smiles back. It’s watery and pathetic, she’s sure, but it’s there. She gently pushes away from Xander’s hold. It feels colder without him sheltering her from her own emotions.

“C’mon,” Nia says. “They’ll be wondering where we are.”

Xander hesitates. “You sure you’re okay to go back? If you need to talk about it we can—"

Nia cuts him off with a shake of her head. “I’ll be o-okay, Xander. Thanks.”

The luxio still looks unsure, but he nods and follows Nia as she sets off down the hallway. When the two of them make it back to Maggie’s quarters, Tobias and the shinx kids are crowded around an array of herbs on the ground. Luca is leaning over the charmander’s shoulder to look, and the other two are glued to his sides.

“Ooh! What’s this one do?” Laine asks, pointing with a tiny paw to a purple flower.

“Helps fight infection,” Tobias responds. “You mash it up and put it on a wound under the bandages.”

“It’s awful pretty,” Leor says quietly. “I dunno if I’d want to hurt it.”

Luca’s ears twitch, and he looks up at Nia and Xander, face breaking into a smile. “Nia, did Xander say he was sorry?”

Tobias and the other cubs look up, and Nia giggles. So the kids were in on this? “Yeah, he did.”

“Good!” Laine says, puffing out her chest in a proud sort of way. “He was all mopey, and Av’ry said it was ‘cause Xander hurt your feelings, so we made him come apologize!”

Tobias had been looking at Nia’s puffy eyes, but at that news he moves his focus to Xander, a devious grin putting all his sharp teeth on display. “Really? The kids had to get you to come apologize? That’s pathetic.”

Nia bites back another laugh and glances at Xander. The luxio is clearly mortified, ears pinned back as he shoots the shinx cubs an embarrassed glare. “Hey, kids? I love you, but shut up.”

The kids burst into peals of laughter. Tobias just looks smug about seeing Xander so off-kilter for once. The luxio sighs, accepting his fate, and bends his head to give his chest fur a few rushed licks. Does he do that when he’s embarrassed? That’s adorable!

“Sounds like I missed all the fun while I was out!”

Nia turns towards Maggie’s voice in the doorway. The meganium looks unbearably fond of the good mood spilling from the room, a small pile of documents held in her vines. She carefully steps into the room between the smaller Pokémon, making her way over to her desk. “Did Tobias teach you kids anything while I was out?”

“Yeah!” Luca jumps up from his seat. “He’s been telling us about medicine, and how to do all kinds of cool stuff!”

“We even learned how to wrap bandages!” Leor adds, starry-eyed.

“A little too well,” Tobias says. “You looked like a trio of tangela.”

Laine nods, looking proud. “Toby said we’re basically doctors now!”

Maggie gives the charmander an amused look, and he shrugs. “Sarcasm isn’t their strong point.”

The cubs don’t catch that comment, already back to chattering with each other about what duties each of them will handle in their medical office. Poor Leor seems to be taking the worst jobs without much complaint.

“It’s nice to see them dreaming about something other than becoming Seekers,” Xander says softly. “It’s a dangerous job, and even if they decide to follow that path, I want them to know that there are other options.”

Nia frowns at that. Her and Tobias are only E-rank, and already she thinks she’s going to have lasting scars from that outlaw fight. She can only imagine how difficult it’s going to be farther down the road.

She looks over to where Tobias is answering the cubs’ questions about the different jobs of medicinal Pokémon. The shinx cubs are still so little—she can hardly imagine any of them going out into a dungeon. She doesn’t want to.

“But they won’t have to choose for a while yet, right?”

Xander nods. “They have plenty of time to decide.”

They’re quiet for a few moments, and then Xander stands. “Well, kids, let’s get going. I’m sure Tobias has other things to do.”

The three cubs let out an overdramatic “Aww!” in unison. Xander looks unimpressed. Tobias snorts.

“I’ll come visit as soon as we‘re back from Ghatha,” the charmander promises.

Xander‘s ears swivel forward with interest as he looks to Nia. “You’re going to Ghatha?”

“O-Oh! Yeah, I guess I hadn’t gotten to telling you with, uh. Everything else. We’re leaving tomorrow. Should be back in a couple of days.”

The luxio hums. “Well, have fun and be careful. You won’t be in our little community anymore.”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “Duh. We’re not idiots.”

“Yeah! Toby’s really smart!” Luca cuts in. “He knows medicine stuff and Seeker stuff!”

Xander gives his little brother a dry look. “All right, smart guy, c’mon. We’ll visit the training floor before I take you three back to Arlo.”

The cubs seem disappointed, but obediently press against Tobias one at a time in an armless hug, mumbling, “Bye, Toby.”

The charmander gives each of them a short squeeze before releasing them. “If you mope, the coaches in the training area will make you run laps,” he warns.

Laine perks up. “Really?!”

Luca bounces on his paws. “Ooh! That sounds awesome! We’d be like real Seekers getting trained!”

Leor’s the only one to not look thrilled at the thought, shifting his stocky little body. “Uh. I don’t wanna run laps, though.”

“No one’s running laps,” Xander says, patiently corralling the cubs with his tail. He smiles gratefully at Maggie. “Sorry for dropping in so suddenly.”

“It’s fine, dear! I love the company. It’s quiet here nowadays without Tobias and Nia around as often.”

Tobias winces. Nia tries to catch his eye, concerned (is he still worried about leaving Maggie on her own for medicinal duties?), but Xander turns to her before she can.

“Thanks again,” the luxio says. “If you two need anything before you go, let me know.”

And Nia knows he means it, too. She smiles warmly at him. “Will do, Xander. Thanks.”

Then, to her surprise, the luxio turns to Tobias. “Thanks for, uh, for watching the cubs, Tobias.”

The charmander looks just as shocked as she feels for a second. Then he hurries to hide it, scoffing as he starts to collect the herbs strewn across the floor. “Whatever. I didn’t do it for you.”

The cubs look confused about the tension between their brother and their favorite charmander. Xander, however, doesn’t seem offended. He just narrows his eyes, looking thoughtful, before nodding and turning to leave. “Come on, kids.”

The shinx cubs hurry towards the hall, waving their tails as they call out their goodbyes over their shoulders. “Bye Toby! Bye Maggie! Bye Nia!”

Nia waves back as she watches them leave. Then, she kneels by Tobias to help him gather the scattered herbs.

“Such good kids,” Maggie comments when they’re gone. “A lively bunch, too.”

Tobias snorts. “That’s one way to put it.”

“You love it,” Nia teases, daring to give him a grin.

Tobias gives her a halfhearted glare in return and blows a puff of smoke in her face. She yelps and falls back onto her butt, laughing and waving the smoke away. “Not fair!”

Tobias doesn’t answer, but he’s smirking as he collects the rest of the herbs. While he places the herbs back in their rightful spots in Maggie’s storage, Nia goes to their bag. She plops down to rummage through it and double-check that they have everything packed for tomorrow.

“Ready for your trip?” Maggie asks.

“I think so! Tobias took the lead in shopping since I, uh, had no idea what we’d need.”

The meganium sets aside her forms and steps over to peer curiously into their satchel. “You have food? Healing items?”

Tobias joins them, rolling his eyes. “Yes and yes. We’re good.”

“Maybe you two should’ve had Vera make you some coats before you left. What if it’s cold in Ghatha?” Maggie frets.

Nia laughs. “We’ll be fine, Maggie! Really. Don’t worry.”

The meganium still looks concerned, and Nia is intensely glad that they had elected not to tell her the news about a human-Pokemon conflict popping up. She’d be a nervous wreck if she knew.

“And you know the way to the flying outpost?” Maggie asks.

“It’s like an hour’s walk from here, Mags, you can see it from the tree. Chill,” Tobias says.

Nia’s ears prick up. “Really? You can see it from here?”

“Up on the mail floor, yeah.”

“Oh! That reminds me,” Nia leans back to look at Maggie. “How do you send mail to other Pokémon?”

“I’ve never had to, so I told her to ask you,” Tobias adds, pulling the bag into his lap to dig through it himself.

The meganium blinks. “Mail?”

“Yeah! I wanted to, um, send a letter to Hazel? In Afon’s Cap. I told her I’d keep in contact, but I uh. Don’t know how.”

Maggie’s confusion clears. “Oh! Yes, of course. Don’t worry, it’s simple. You just need to write the details of who it’s from and who it’s to. Name, species, location, those kinds of things. Then send it off with one of the mail-mon.”

“That’s a lot like how we do it in the human world, actually,” Nia says. “Huh. They’ll be able to find Hazel with just that?”

Maggie nods. “Mail-mon tend to handle specifically assigned areas, from what I understand. So anyone who delivers to that area should be able to find her!”

Nia straightens up, beaming. “Thank you! That’s a relief. I think I’ll wait until after we get back from Ghatha to write her. W-Would you, uh, mind helping me write it?”

The meganium laughs, no doubt remembering the riolu’s last attempt at writing in the Pokémon language. It was a wobbly disaster. “Of course, dear.”

“Okay, so here’s your money,” Tobias interrupts. He tosses a small sack of coins to Nia, and it lands with a muffled clink at her feet. “I’ve got mine, too—“ he pats another small pouch at his side. “And then we still have a bit of team money left over after shopping today.” He pulls out another small sack and places it on the floor.

As Maggie returns to her desk, Nia tilts her head and opens her pouch, slowly counting through the coins there. It takes longer than she’d like with the strange currency, but she thinks it’s around 700 poke. Which sounds like a lot? But she isn’t really sure. She knows that even in the lower ranks, Seeker jobs pay pretty well, and they haven’t really bought much since they started out as a team, but...

“H-How much do we have left in the team pouch?” She asks. They usually put half of their money found from jobs and dungeons into that stash, and then split the other half between them for their own personal funds.

Tobias frowns, glancing over the coins again. “Maybe around 800 poke?”

Nia hums. “That doesn’t sound too bad. How much does flying cost?”

“Not sure. Probably around 500 poke for a trip all the way to Ghatha, but we get a huge discount since we’re Seekers. So maybe like 300? 400?”

“Oh.” Nia nibbles at her lip, thinking hard. “W-Will we have enough for the trip? Like to eat and stay somewhere for a couple of days?”

Tobias brings a hand to his chin in thought. “We should be fine as long as we don’t go overboard. We’ll have to eat cheap.”

Nia nods, way too excited about the trip and Tobias’ good mood to even consider being disappointed by a lack of fancy food. She doubts she would have anyways. “That’s fine by me!”

“It’s still warm enough that we could camp out too, if we have to,” Tobias adds in a mumble, talking more to himself than Nia.

She grins. “I don’t even care! I’m just so excited to be going. I’m gonna meet more humans, Tobias!”

The charmander gives her a look, but it’s more of a tired sort of exasperation than anything. “You don’t say?”

Nia laughs again. “It’s just...even if we don’t have a way to go back home yet, it’s so nice to have someone who understands what you’re going through. Hazel was amazing, but she’s kind of already made her life here, y’know?”

Tobias shrugs. “I guess. I don’t really get it, but I’m also not a human.”

Nia ties her money bag closed and drops it into their satchel, shooting her partner a warm smile. “I’m just...really happy. Thanks again for agreeing to go with me, Tobias. I appreciate it.”

Right on cue, the charmander rolls his eyes, focusing on organizing their items as his cheeks flush. So easily embarrassed. “Yeah, yeah. Remember, we’re gonna ask about the outlaw trio too while we’re there.”

“Of course!”

“Are you sure you two have enough poke?” Maggie asks worriedly, looking over at them from her desk. “I can give you a little extra just in case—“

“Nope,” Tobias objects, tone final. “We’re good, Mags. Keep your money.”

“Thank you, though!” Nia adds.

Maggie frowns, looking concerned. “Okay...if you do end up needing anything, remember I’m just a short letter away. Call on me right away if you need me.”

“Yup!” Nia springs to her feet and stretches, skipping over to Maggie’s side to look at what the older woman is working on. Documentation of her herb stores?

“You’re gonna be like this the whole way there, aren’t you?” Tobias drawls, walking over to Maggie’s other side to peek at her work as well.

It takes Nia a moment to realize he’s speaking to her. “Like what?”

The charmander raises a brow, gaze flicking down to her legs then back up to her face. Nia realizes she’s bouncing in place, tail wagging. She forces herself to a stop. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Maggie laughs, looking down at the riolu. “You certainly do seem excited.”

“I am! I have no idea how I’m going to sleep tonight. I wish it was tomorrow already!”

Tobias snorts and points out a tiny mistake on the meganium’s form, which she dutifully fixes. “Just don’t keep me awake.”

Nia agrees and resumes bouncing on her toes. Dawn can’t come soon enough.

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon #shinx #charmander #pmd seekers of soul #tesha draws #tesha writes

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neversatisfiedwithlife · 3 years

Note

I don't understand why anyone even liked Doug in the beginning. I've always despised him, except for a few moments. The fandom called him out for how he treated Izzie in season 4, yet ignored so many other things?

Like did everyone just forget that he walked out on his family just because Sam was diagnosed with autism? He was gone for 8 whole months. And later on he said something about never seeing his son smile, or that he just wants something in common with Sam (when he forced Sam to watch games or something - I don't remember too well). Until later on in the show, Doug didn't do much to try and like one of Sam's hobbies or interests, and just in general took everything as a personal attack. And when he went to Elsa's group he really showed that he was really late in doing anything to try and understand Sam's autism.

Not to mention he was still ashamed of Sam being autistic, and didn't "get over it" until he was outed for it. Plus, he was only supportive of Sam whenever he had a chance to one-up Elsa. Every scene was just an opportunity for him to look like the better parent, it didn't feel like he really believed in Sam at first.

And I can't explain it, but Doug's attitude in the whole show was really irritating. Even if he was right for it sometimes (especially when he found out Elsa cheated), he really took victim playing to a new level. His self-pity was agonising to watch. Not to mention the subtle toxic masculinity here and there. He just overall sucked as a character. He's like that one guy that never seems to be able to stay in his lane.

Sorry for the totally random ask, I need this discussion so bad, I genuinely don't get why everyone loves this character

I do think people sympathized with him at first being cheated on because cheating is never the answer.

But I do get exactly what you're saying, let me try and organize my thoughts based on your points brought up:

Izzie, no surprise she's a lot of people's favorite. But I agree why only when it pertains to Izzie are people's characters defined? Like Elsa no one wanted to view her as a positive character until she was there completely for Izzie, and that confused me because I actually really enjoyed her in season 3 and on rewatch learned to be patient with her in s2.

To be honest some people bring up stuff from season 1 that I literally forgot happened, so yes that could be a thing. I usually start my rewatches at s2, which probably sounds dumb: but I am aiming to do an entire series rewatch.

This reminds me of the Arlo episode, Doug is kinda insufferable here, no surprise he was oblivious, either by choice or just truly that way, the reason behind Arlo's dad not wanting Sam around was because he wasn't neurotypical and because he has autism.

Also the fact that he didn't stay with Elsa's group was actually on my mind earlier. He really didn't put forth any effort to understand Sam and kids with autism.

Also he left and then Elsa is the bad guy when Sam and Casey get on a fight? I hate that nobody brings this up. Idc what happened those are his kids, but he really just said no.

But yes he's only interested in Sam's interest, Antarctica, after Sam and everyone else have paved him towards being self sufficient. When Doug realizes he can be basically completely hands off with Sam now he's intrested.

(Idk if my additions were comprehensive or coherent or even added anything but I hope so. Thank you for this post I completely agree. I've really been having a roller coaster of thoughts on Doug since Friday lol- im not the same person I was a day ago about Doug😂😂honestly though)

#anti doug gardner #long post #anon(affectionate)#atypical

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frostedfaves · 4 years

Text

To Build A Home (7)

Masterlist

Pairing: Rosa Diaz x fem!reader

Summary: Rosa spent years building a friendship, relationship, and eventually a marriage and home with you. This tale follows your journey together up until her sudden murder. Now that you’ve tracked down her killer before anyone else, will you do the right thing and send him to prison or take care of him yourself?

Warnings: super anxious reader (with good reason, poor girl)

A/N: for those of you that stuck around this long (first of all, thank you!) we’re quickly approaching more tragic events here. I promise to not go easy on you at all :) as always, comments and reblogs are so so appreciated and I would hug every single one of you if I could!

Previous chapter here

Something felt wrong.

At least, that’s what your brain has been telling you since you woke up today. It was a strange feeling considering everything happened as usual. You woke up next to Rosa and your morning routines perfectly mixed together, kisses thrown in here and there. Arlo was walked, fed and back to sleep by the time the door closed behind you as you left for work.

The two of you arrived at the precinct in your car, your wife’s hand stroking your thigh as you drove, warm as the rays of sunshine that washed over you when you walked into the building. The briefing passed with the recurring banter between Jake and Holt while you and Rosa ate whatever (normal) food you talked Charles into bringing you that day. You left the room to sit at your usual desk, and everything looked as it did the day before.

Still, something felt wrong.

You’d done a good job hiding it for a while, the sense of impending doom. Losing yourself in your paperwork that had piled a bit due to consecutive days in the field. Returning emails to your superiors. Anything to get your mind off your heartbeat which seemed to grow faster with each passing minute. Every second that ticked by on the wall clock louder than the last, every file dropped down on a desk, every beep of the microwave buttons, every little thing just--

“Hey.”

A hand that radiated heat under your chin brought you eye-to-eye with Rosa, staring you down like it would help her hear your thoughts. One could only assume she succeeded, because her other hand grabbed yours and pulled you out of your chair, down the hall and into the bathroom.

“Look at me.”

Your eyes peeled away from the tiled walls that were oh so interesting in the moment and met hers again as she stepped closer. Your hands landed just above her elbows to keep her from bumping into you.

“Sorry, I just...need the space,” you breathed, strained voice echoing around the empty room.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Everything just seems louder, brighter, faster, heavier--”

“Okay, okay,” she spoke to you in a soothing tone, adjusting her hands to hold your own arms in the same spot. “What do you need from me?”

Your line of vision dropped to her heeled boots, traveling up slowly to admire the dark jeans, tight material that hugged her legs in such a complimenting way. The thin t-shirt hidden behind the leather jacket built for warmer weather. Lightly curled hair that you’d helped her dye because she didn’t want a stranger touching her head. She was every bit of the woman you fell in love with and married, just a little bit older and somehow more beautiful every day.

So why were you nervous?

You decided to push away the feeling by pulling yourself further into her embrace. Your heart still continued to thump wildly in your chest, your hands still threatened to shake, your breathing threatened to become more shallow and it only made your arms tighten around her.

“I want to go home and nap or something but we’re crime-stopping adults that are needed here.” You sighed, sinking deeper into dark leather as her palm rubbed gentle circles across the fabric that covered your back.

“Is this because you haven’t found that robbery suspect yet? I can help.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve run out of places to search, so I have to just wait until he pops up somewhere. Plus the store owner’s been reimbursed by the insurance company, and he’s licensed to carry so I don’t think he’s too worried about it.”

“Yes, but I know you, and I know that you don’t like leaving a case unsolved. You’re almost as bad as Jake. So if you need me to help, say the word and I’m there.”

“I won’t because that’s not it.” Gazes met once again as you distanced yourself a bit. “I just feel off. Like something is coming but I have no idea what it is, and it scares me that I don’t know how to prepare for it.” You stepped fully away from her hold and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m good. Let’s go.”

You were out of the bathroom and headed toward your desk before she could talk you out of it, although you wished she had. The bullpen was still the same bustling mess you’d left it in, but there seemed to be brighter bulbs in the ceiling and more people talking at once.

Something is wrong.

“Ready to go?” you asked as you approached Rosa’s desk, and she offered you an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Boyle and I are about to chase a lead, so I’ll be at least another hour.”

“Oh! Well, I can wait for you at Shaw’s or something until you’re done.”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She pulled you closer by your belt loops and dropped a quick kiss on your lips. “Besides, you promised me my favorite dinner tonight,” she added with a smirk.

“Are you talking about me or the--”

“Both.” Her hands landed on either side of your face, cradling it in her palms as she granted you one last kiss. “I’ll call you when I’m headed home.”

Her arms dropped to her side as she pulled away from you and walked off, the warmth on your cheeks leaving with her. The farther away she got, the louder the noise in your mind grew as the feeling of suspense returned to your senses. You found yourself moving faster than usual to get to the car and back home, chasing a sense of normalcy that you knew your shared apartment and Arlo could provide.

The feeling only worsened as you arrived at home without Rosa by your side, and you wanted to search your brain with a fine-toothed comb for the source. Your limbs refused to relocate your body to the kitchen once you’d settled on the couch, so you ordered from Rosa’s favorite restaurant instead. The untouched takeout bags mocked you from their spot on the table.

The ringing of your phone interrupted the silence you and Arlo wallowed in, and you nearly shouted in relief when you saw Rosa’s contact on the screen.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey. Boyle met Gina at Shaw’s so I’m taking a cab home, and I’ll be there soon.”

“I can pick you up,” you quickly offered, trying to sound anything but anxious.

“Babe, it’s fine. It’s just a cab ride,” she assured you, a plastic bag rustling in the background attempting to cover her voice. “I’m not exactly on a busy street right now, so I need to call one. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” you managed to squeeze in before she hung up.

Minutes that felt like hours passed you by as you succumbed to the quiet room once again, stroking Arlo’s fur every few moments to give your fidgeting hands something to do. Your phone rang again and you answered it quickly, figuring Rosa realized like you did minutes before that her keys were forgotten this morning.

“Hey. Why didn’t you just buzz the system?” When you didn’t hear a response, you checked your screen to see an unsaved number. “Hello?”

“Hi, sorry about that. Am I speaking with Y/N Diaz?”

“You are. Who is this?”

“This is Bianca from the Emergency Department at First Presbyterian.”

Something felt wrong.

Tags: @creepingwolfberry @rosadiazswifey @marie-03 @milkfromhell @xetherealbeautyx @jay-is-groovy @gaulty74

#to build a home #rosa diaz #rosa diaz x reader #rosa diaz imagine #rosa diaz x fem!reader #brooklyn nine nine #brooklyn 99 #brooklyn nine nine imagine #brooklyn nine nine fic series #brooklyn nine nine x reader #b99 fic #b99 imagine #b99 fic series #b99 x reader #b99 fanfic #b99 #stephanie beatriz

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thedevilsruby · 3 years

Note

Scientist!Reader where Reader isn't fond of people in general? But they absolutely adore their tech and Pokes. Like, in the spare time they'd be working on some mechanism, cooing over it, or whenever they got a catch they'd ooh and aww and their eyes would sparkle. Everything's normal until Arlo is stomping his way through their lab only for them to go "Ok no, I can't handle this anymore", grab him in a hug and start cooing over how he's cute when he's mad and how adorable he is etc etc.

You grinned at your latest invention. It was going to help Team Rocket improve for sure.

“Oh you are just the best thing I’ve done this week! You’re going to be amazing!” You talked to it, stroking it’s smooth metal surface.

Was it weird you talked to your inventions? Probably.

Did you care? Not at all.

But you worked better alone. You didn’t really care for people. While you respected your fellow scientists, you also knew you would probably never work with them, even with your intellect and knowledge.

Even Giovanni knew this, thus the reason he gave you your own personal lab. He even told him to tell him when you needed anything and he would see to it that it was taken care of.

So you enjoyed your little isolation from the world, getting so caught up in your work, hours would pass and you would never even notice until you glanced at the clock.

The only ones you ever really let into your lab were the Team Rocket Leaders, Sierra, Cliff and Arlo.

Arlo.

Arlo was the shortest of the three leaders, not to mention the most baby faced. You couldn’t help but think he was adorable. Even when he was trying to be intimidating.

The way his cheeks puffed out when he didn’t get his way, the way he stomped when he was angry, even his glare was adorable.

You tried your best but you just couldn’t take him seriously when he was in a bad mood.

That was proven one day when he stormed into your lab, angry at yet another loss.

You were working on something new when he slammed the door open, panting angrily. You jumped and glanced over, trying not to grin at his cheeks almost puffing.

“May I help you?” You asked.

“Y/n, I need something that will help me beat Candela! That little snot thinks she’s top of the world because she has Moltres, even if...”

His voice slowly faded out to you as you watched him. He was just so cute!!

You tried not to smile but you were failing. He was pacing and stomping in the way a toddler would when they were throwing a tantrum.

“Y/n, what the hell are you smiling at?!” He demanded, glaring at you.

That’s it.

You finally couldn’t help it, you took him into your arms, pressing his cheek into your chest.

“You’re so cute!!” You squealed, nuzzling your cheek to the top of his head. “You’re adorable! You’re like a baby when they don’t get their way! Oh my stars, you’re darling!” You giggled.

You felt Arlo shove you away, growling angrily. “Y/n, what the hell?!” He asked, stomping his foot.

You giggled, covering your mouth and you felt your cheeks burning. “I’m sorry! But I just can’t take you this seriously when you look like a baby!” You chuckled. “You throw tantrums like one so much, I keep thinking you’re one!”

“Oh my Legendaries, Y/n!” He snarled, pulling his hood over his head. You saw his whole face was red as a Groudon’s scales. “I’m a Leader! you’re supposed to fear and respect me!” He demanded, punching the wall nearest to him.

You grinned again, wiping a happy tear away from your eye. “I’m sorry, Arlo I’m trying to but you make it so hard.” You said.

“Grrr!” He growled again, not really sure hat to do in this situation. He noticed you still giggling and got an idea, his goggles flashing dangerously.

He then walked over and pulled you down by the collar of your science lab coat.

“Let’s see how cute you think I am when I tie you to my bed and dominate you until you can’t move.” He snarled into your ear, making you freeze up.

He noticed your surprised and unsure face, your eyes darted around, trying to comprehend what the hell just happened. “That’s what I thought.” He smirked, then turned around. “Have a nice day, Y/n.” He said, waving his arm up as he walked out of the lab.

“Oh boy.” You muttered, you felt your face turning hotter than before. “I really gotta watch who I call cute.” You said, running a hand across your cheek. But then you smirked. “Not my fault it’s true though.”

@whatsupwithjinx here it is! I had fun with the ending lmao. Arlo is adorable and he should know it! I hope you enjoy!

#pokemon #pokemon go #leader arlo #team rocket arlo #team go rocket leader arlo #arlo x reader

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fork-tectors · 3 years

Text

trusted ║ arlo

; among us au trusted ; crewmate! arlo x crewmate! reader

[ edited ] [ word count ║ 1271 words ] [ part one ║ part two ]

John/Black was an imposter. One (1) impostor remains.

The recently ejected person's best friend blandly stared at the screen. Once she had processed the words, her face contorted into an expression of anger and betrayal.

Her shaking hand curled into a tight fist. She spent most of her time on the ship with the dark-haired male. They had been here for almost four days, and they had bonded; she felt deceived. Was he only using her as an alibi?

Sure he hasn't killed her, but, he would've done it afterwards since it would only be a matter of time. There are no friendships in this game.

She wanted to use her ability to turn back time and ask him. But, she shook her head with a weak laugh. "It isn't worth it," she whispered to herself.

After Elaine did her best to console the upset short-haired girl, we all went our way. The mentioned two leaving with the company of each other. I felt horrible for her. It isn't every day that your new best friend turns out to be a murderer.

I made my way to go to Admin with the guy in the yellow spacesuit, which I afterwards learned his name was Arlo, walking side-by-side. He wasn't very talkative was honestly quite distant and cold to everyone, but, I didn't want to wander alone, and that we both had a few tasks in Admin left for the day. We thought it would be convenient that we head there together. I will bet my life that he was safe; I watched him do the scanning task, and he hasn't done anything to be called "sus".

I'm sure he was still sceptical of me since I had no assigned tasks to prove my innocence. Not that I need it to show that I am just a mere defenceless crewmate.

We arrived at Admin quickly; it was near the cafeteria anyway. I jumped to do my work, and so did he.

I kneeled onto the ground; the blonde-haired guy was still seen in my peripheral view. I pulled out my ID card. Taking some info from talking to the other crewmates, they complained about how hard the card swipe was. I didn't think it would be that difficult. I mean, how hard can it be?

I unscrewed my helmet to make myself adjust to my comfort level, placing the headwear near me on the table. I started my job, readying the item needed.

Swipe! Too fast.

Swipe! Bad read.

Swipe! Too slow.

Taking a quick break after two failed ones, I sighed and continued with a whine.

Five attempts and the constant reminder of doing something wrong later, I was tired and annoyed with it. I slammed my fists on the hard metal surface which startled the boy who was performing his final task of the day.

"What's wrong?" He asked as looked over at my work station to see me sitting on the ground, slumped over.

"... I hate card swipe," I murmured.

I heard the subtle sound of zapping before hearing metal come into loud contact with metal.

"Get up."

I felt the sudden grip on my right shoulder, "Hey, stand up."

I looked up at him to see his sparkling blue eyes, taking notice that he had taken off his helmet too. His eyes are so pretty, I awwed. It was kinda stuffy in the suit, so I guess it was expected.

I followed his command and grabbed my wrist with my fingers wrapped around the card, "here." He guided my hand to help me with my work.

He coiled his hand around mine as I positioned the laminated piece of paper to do my thing. With one steady motion, the mission that took more than ten tries was completed.

"There. It wasn't that hard, right?" I gave him a sarcastic look, though he just ignored it.

"That was your last task?" I hummed in agreement.

We were caught off guard when the loud alarm rang through our ears, someone must've pushed the emergency meeting button. Without warning, I clutched his arm and set off to retreat back to the cafe, not wanting to be late. Arlo just quietly obeyed and sprinted with me.

I notice a person dressed in an orange spacesuit standing near the table, the red button left uncovered. He must be the one we called a meeting, I thought.

Soon the crewmates slowly arrived with their buddies and some alone. My eyes circled the room to see if everyone was present. Pink. Cyan. Red. Dark Blue. Green... Wait a sec, where's green?

Speaking of the devil, she appears to be the last to arrive. No, I'm not gonna call her suspicious just cause she the last to enter the room. That's a dick move.

"Who called the meeting?" Dark Blue, or Holden, spoke up.

Orange, or Isen, help up their covered hand, "I did."

"So, why?"

The orange-haired boy sighs, "It's Green."

Hearing their colour be brought up, Cecile glares at him in surprise. She seemed taken it back by his abrupt accusation, "excuse me...!?"

"Tell me, what's your alibi then?" Orange was acting more persuasive than usual.

The pink-eyed female growled at him, narrowing her eyes. A vibrant glint of pink visible from her irises, as if to indicate that she was powering up her ability. "I was at Med bay, doing my task like a responsible cremate should, unlike someone who's going around accusing people. What's your proof?" She looked somewhat agitated.

Isen imitated the girl's action, his glare was prominent, and an orange hue was projecting from his eyes. Both leant near, looking like they had the intent to harm the other. If they didn't have the madness in their eye, I would've thought they were gonna kiss.

Before the situation could escalate itself, a girl who was dressed in pink intruded and pushed them off of each other. "Getting angry and fighting won't resolve any of this!" She yelled.

At first, I thought Isen was just nervous. I kept noticing how fidgety he was every time I encountered him, that was just a mere observation. That didn't really come across as unusual since everyone else was acting the same. Honestly, I was beginning to become sceptical of him despite that I've no proof of him doing anything strange.

There's another impostor still on board? I thought. Could it be Orange...?

As if he was speaking my mind, Arlo stabs an allegation at Isen. "Isen, why are you so eager to vote someone without any evidence? That's extremely shady. If I were to be the judge, I'd think you're an imposter or either siding with them."

"Hey, man! He's not an imposter, he's been with Remi and I a lot of these days!" The redhead jumps to protect his friend.

"So did John," Sera said.

It didn't feel right to give more statements about what's happening since people were already arguing. Maybe being stuck in this ship with anyone being an alleged murderer was taking a toll on everyone's mentality. I yawned, I feel tired.

"None of what you people are saying mean anything! None of us knows each other personally. Don't be fucking stupid! We're all just strangers! We can buddy up with someone, but we can't be sure that they're fully safe to be with!" She inhales, pausing, "Look at John, you think someone could've known that he was gonna be the imposter?!" Cecile stayed silent once she finished with her rant. We did similarly.

"Let's just vote to skip for now."

And that's what we did.

This will only go two ways. Either with Arlo or with Isen. Btw, they’re all strangers here, if you haven’t caught on. They don’t know each other outside of this. This might get a part two if I become motivated enough to finish it:>

ngl the card swipe task ain’t that hard though

#unordinary #unordinary oneshot #unordinary arlo #Arlo #arlo x reader #unordinary arlo x reader #unordinary x reader #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #ngl I really like among us

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ultramarcypan · 4 years

Text

tradition

Arlo x Female Builder

It’s just a short little drabble I did for a friend, but I figured I could share! I’ve played like 5 mines of My Time at Portia so I did have to do some research for this; warning that it may be OOC lmao.

It's been a strange year. Good, all things considered she thinks, especially since she'd sailed to Portia on a whim to take over the decrepit workshop Pa had left her. And workshop was also a generous term for the plot of land and shack she'd found upon her arrival; it had taken weeks of hacking and sawing at twigs and trees to save up enough lumber to patch the MANY holes in the house and slap together rudimentary machines for building anything more complex than a simple fishing pole. She distinctly remembers how for the first month or so, every night she'd stumbled to bed with aching limbs and blistered, raw hands, and had to fight not to cry over the pain and the unfamiliarity of it all. In her weakest moments, she'd even considered leaving. Barnarock was only one boat ride away, and there was still a life waiting for her there. She owed nothing to the sleepy little town of Portia, really.

But the townspeople had helped. They were a colorful bunch, the lot of them. Barnarock was so different; people there minded their business and it was a miracle to get more than a curt nod from someone when you passed them in the street. There was no mayor who had a good heart even if his business sense was questionable. There wasn't just one restaurant, where people would call out to you as you passed by, invite you to chat and sit, buy you lunch because you looked tired, and then walk back with you to your house just because they could. No one popped by unannounced at your house with a home-cooked meal because they'd made too much and were wondering if maybe she'd like some? There were no rivals that---well, no, that wasn't being fair, Higgins was a unique person all the way around she figured, but it didn't make him any less crucial to the town all his.....eccentricities aside. And there certainly wasn't any Civil Corp in Barnarock. The people there scoffed at the notion of danger, living protected in high walls and isolated from the rest of the world. The notion of animals and monsters roaming just in fields a stones throw from the town would've rocked them to their very core. The thought crosses her mind that her old friends would be shocked and possibly repulsed if she told them that she spent a good chunk of her time now spelunking in nearby caverns and sewers for precious ore and materials to support the town and the people that have become her new home and family. She's paid richly for her services, though she keeps insisting it's entirely too much. It's not much different to how every shares their food, their clothes, their yarn, their tools with her---she has crafting materials to spare and the machines to turn them into things, so why shouldn't she give back to those who helped her start? Arlo had laughed when she told him as much. "Well," he'd said around a grin. "I imagine what you build has a lot more impact than just a homemade pie, no matter how nice it may be." To emphasize his point, he'd gestured at his hip, where the gleaming sword she'd forged for him the month prior was strapped. Arlo was another thing that Barnarock didn't have. That was the difference she was most acutely aware of. She remembers the first time she'd met him. It had been two weeks, maybe, into her residency at Portia. The fields around her home were relatively safe but also barren of any lumber, long since stripped bear due to her efforts to fix the place up. And the colorful llamas that grazed just beyond had seemed so tame from far away. Turns out, the rainbow colors were the only nice things about them. She'd been on the ground, out of breath and bleeding from a nasty scrape on her forehead, dealing with the fact that a rainbow llama may actually be her cause of death when there had been a terrible shout from behind her. Startled, the llama had reared and she closed her eyes waiting for pain that never came. When she finally dared to open them, the animal was on the ground motionless, and someone, a stranger, was standing over her, leaning down. To her shame, she'd passed out then. She woke up in a building that she was able to identify as the Civil Corp headquarters in town, a place she'd passed by a few times but never actually bothered to go near. She'd met them all that day, cheerful Sam who'd been the one to explain to her just what had happened, Remington who'd offered her a cup of team and a friendly pat on the shoulder while he'd looked over her cut once more, and Arlo, who'd lingered by the door watching her with sharp eyes and the hint of a frown. Without the threat of dying to distract her, she'd been able to properly take in how broad his shoulders were, how sturdy his stance was, how comforting his very presence was. He'd shown up on her doorstep a week after she'd slunk out of their headquarters, apologizing profusely for her foolishness and thanking them over and over for their kindness. She'd had all of 30 seconds to stammer out a hello and one more thank you for good measure before a wooden training sword was tossed at her. When she'd expressed confusion, Arlo had shifted his weight just a bit, looking her up and down. "Training," he offered as explanation, and she'd blinked. He had heaved a sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets. "If you're going to be hard headed enough to wander straight into a herd of monsters," he'd said (which was a little RUDE, even if it was true) "Then I'm at the very least going to make sure you know how to defend yourself. You can't count on me to protect you every time." "Can't I?" She'd mouthed off before she could stop herself, and then clamped a hand over her mouth. There was silence for a moment where she was gearing herself up to apologizing once again to him when he'd laughed---a deep belly laugh, loud and proud and actually pretty nice to hear. "Flattered as I am that you think I'm that talented, let's err on the side of caution." He'd spun around to walk over to an empty spot on her land and it hadn't even occurred to her not to follow. So yeah, it's been a strange year. Learning how to sword fight, how to build, how to be part of such a tight knit community hadn't exactly been on her agenda, but she's not upset at how it's turned out at all. And now, the year is almost over. Celebrations in Portia are just one more difference between it and Barnarock. The town goes all out on holidays, and New Year's Eve isn't an exception to this rule. She's never seen the plaza look so full of life, so bright. The amount of candles lit all over is so high she's pretty sure it could count as a fire hazard, and there are streamers and ribbons and balloons of every color no matter where she looks. The tables from The Round Table have all been dragged outside and not a single towns-person is missing, all crammed around them, sitting and mingling together and watching the clock tower tick down as a new year approaches them. She's huddled against the wall of Town Hall, preferring to leave the seats to some of the older folks who need them or to some of the kids who are struggling to stay up, slumped over onto the table with their heads pillowed on their arms. There's movement out of the corner of her eye and she tenses for just a moment before she sees a flash of bright red. "Hey Arlo." "Well, fancy seeing you here." He drawls. She rolls her eyes--where else would she be on the night of a festival? "Mind if I join you?" "Not at all." He slides closer, pressing against the wall with her, letting their shoulders brush against each other. "Kinda shocked to see you here," she tells him casually, ignoring the way her heart is beating against her ribcage. "Figured you'd be out in the wilds playing hero or something equally as noble." He huffs a quiet laugh, bumping against her lightly. "Not tonight," he says. "Even heroes have to rest now and again." There's a lot of ways she could answer that. She could tease him for his constant need to serve and protect---one of his more admirable qualities, even if it worried her and the rest of the Civil Corp to no end. She could accept it for the simple statement of truth it is, grunt and let the comfortable silence that is so common between them take over. Or she could be more daring. More forward. More honest with the feelings that the two of them have been dancing around for an eternity now. Say something like 'Well, who am I to turn away a hero in need?' as she leaned more heavily into him, let her hand brush against his, let her thumb stroke over the calluses on his palm that she knows are there from years of training and hard work. She doesn't have to choose any of those options though, because a sudden shout goes up from the plaza and both of them turn, startled. Gale has both of his hands in the air, and a RIDICULOUS party hat on his head, pointing up at the clock tower. "10 seconds left!" The people of Portia cheer loudly, and she doesn't even bother to fight the fond smile that finds its way onto her face. They count as one, loud and happy even in the cold night. "10! 9!" "Hey." It's the urgency in Arlo's voice that has her turning towards him. It's rare for him to sound so serious without any immediate danger present. He's fiddling with the hilt of his sword, a nervous habit he doesn't seem to be aware he has. "Yeah?" "8! 7! 6!" Arlo takes a deep breath in and it would be FUNNY that he looks so nervous because it is so wildly out of character, but instead it just makes her anxious as well. "I'm gonna do something that may be stupid." "What?" "5! 4! 3!" He takes a step towards her and then another, and even if she wanted to back up, the brick wall of Town Center is behind her, stopping any possible retreat. "It's tradition?" It's half a question, half a justification she hears from him. "So I'm really sorry in advance if you get mad at me, but I've also really wanted to do this for months now." "Do WHAT Arlo?" She's blinking rapidly up at him, at how close he is, praying that he can't hear the drumbeat of her heart over the shouts of the crowd. "2! 1!" Instead of a verbal answer, he swoops down on her and she has maybe a millisecond to process the sound of party poppers from the crowd as the countdown ends, the smell of his earthy cologne that's right there, the feel of his hands on her shoulder, before his lips are on hers and he's kissing her, right there in the plaza like it's the most natural thing in the world. "HAPPY NEW YEARS!" Her arms flail at her side and a distant part of her mind is shocked that she's made it as long as she has fighting monsters and mining if she's taken out by something as simple as a kiss. That tiny voice gets shoved far to the side as she realizes that Arlo is pulling away, most likely because she's doing a wonderful impression of a stone statue right now. Panic overwhelms all her higher functions and she latches onto his shoulders, tugging him closer again and finally, FINALLY getting the sense to respond to the kiss properly. It's nothing special. It's barely more than the brush of lips against each other, chaste and shy and shorty really. She pulls away after a few seconds and the first thing she manages to process is that Arlo is blushing, which is funny because the red of his face clashes horribly with the orange of his hair. She giggles, overwhelmed by the whole situation, and burrows her face into the crook of his neck shoulders shaking slightly. "Well that's not very nice." He sounds just as shaky as she feels, which is nice. "A man kisses you on New Year's Eve and you laugh at him? Don't know how things work where you're from, but a kiss on New Year's Eve is pretty traditional." One of his hands has wandered to the small of her back and is hovering just above it, like he's afraid to touch her fully. "Didn't take you for the bullying sort." "You misunderstand." She mumbles into his neck, lips brushing against the soft flesh there. She leans back just enough to grin at him, all teeth and promise. "I'm just a stickler for tradition." And she pulls him down for another kiss.

#my time at portia #arlo #arlo x female builder

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ko-chan-the-blueberry-donut · 3 years

Text

Always Led Back to You Chapter 4, a John Doe/Seraphina fanfiction from UnOrdinary.

Sooooooo guess who accidentally gave her boyfriend access to her AO3 account including all her smut fics? This girl. And by accidentally I mean I sent him this very fic I was proud of without realizing he now has all my AO3 fics at his disposal.

RIP

Here’s chapter 4! Now we can get started!

Disclaimer: I don’t own UnOrdinary

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

Seraphina felt like her head was pounding. She groaned, attempting to sit up.

“Easy there, Seraphina. You collapsed.” A familiar voice spoke out.

“Leilah?” Seraphina voiced out, feeling dizzy, having trouble focusing. What did that drug do to her? Did Leilah know that the drug would do that?

Suddenly, Seraphina felt sick and before she could stop it, she vomited bile all over the blankets.

“Ugh…” Seraphina wiped her mouth, her vision slowly beginning to focus. “Leilah, where’s John?”

“John?” Leilah blinked. “Who’s John?”

“The boy who saved us! The one with the dark hair!” Seraphina was losing her patience with her sister. Leilah went quiet. “Leilah?”

“Seraphina… what do you mean someone saved us? You mean from Mother and Father?” Leilah spoke cautiously.

“Leilah! Enough games! I’m talking about Spectre! Your organization!” Seraphina snarled viciously, the pounding of her head increasing with the returning of her vision. Finally, she could focus…

She was in her room. Her room from home. She hasn’t been here since she left home to return to Wellston to be with John…

And Leilah was there. She was there, and much younger than when Seraphina recently saw her.

“Lei… Leilah?” Seraphina questioned, confused. Leilah looked as if she’s seen a ghost.

“Seraphina… it sounds like you’ve had a bad dream…” Leilah smiled uneasily, quickly reversing the vomit off of Seraphina’s blankets so they were as good as new. She felt her younger sister’s forehead, trying to locate a temperature. “You suddenly fainted, and Mother and Father cancelled all extracurricular activities for the afternoon so you could rest.”

Seraphina didn’t respond, registering what Leilah told her. She climbed out of bed, despite Leilah’s protests and went towards her full body mirror.

It was her. She was in her twelve-year-old body.

“Seraphina, I’m going to bring you more food, okay? Mother putting you on a hunger strike must’ve messed with your body.” Leilah placed her hands on Seraphina’s shoulders. Seraphina paid her no heed, touching the mirror, tracing her image.

‘I’m twelve years old again!’ Seraphina thought. She was numb, and Leilah took this chance to lead her sister back to bed.

“Stay in bed and rest. I’m going to get you some food, okay?” Leilah told her. Leilah departs from her bedside and walks towards the bedroom door. However, she paused, keeping her green eyes ahead. “Also… I think you should forget your dream. I’ve never heard of Spectre.” With that, she exited the room, leaving Seraphina alone.

‘What’s going on?’ Seraphina’s heart began pounding in panic. ‘I’m twelve years old again! Is this some kind of illusion? How can this be possible?’ Despite her head pounding, she rose from her bed again, journeying back to the mirror to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.

Sure enough, her twelve-year-old self was still there staring back at her.

“I remember being in Arlo’s barrier against Spectre. Then Leilah… The drug!” Seraphina quickly brought her hand to her neck where she remembered the syringe being stabbed into her. She tried to feel for some evidence of a prick but could find none. She then brought her hands in front of her face, examining them. “Leilah said the drug was a prototype. Could it have interfered with my ability in some way?”

She reached inside her for the familiar echo she once knew. Anything to know she did indeed have her ability again…

Nothing.

“No…” Seraphina’s hands began shaking. “I’m still am a cripple? Then what happened?!” She ran her hands through her long magenta hair, attempting to gain some kind of semblance of reality in this new world. “So instead of gaining my ability back in the present, it caused my ability to send me back in time and have it no more?! What kind of sick antidote is this?!”

Seraphina tried to keep her voice leveled, but her entire being wanted to scream. Not only was she somehow in the past, but now she didn’t have her ability. What would happen if her parents found out? Would she be trapped here forever, with no escape? Seraphina wasted no time in grabbing her calendar, trying to in vain to gain some sort of control in this situation.

“I just started my final year in elementary school…” Seraphina whispered. “If this is correct, that means that Leilah will be running away from home before the year ends to join Spectre. I’ll be left alone with Mother and Father…”

With no ability, she didn’t dare finish out loud.

“I remember everything going black… and then…. John!” Seraphina’s eyes widened. “I remember John. I kept hearing him call my name. I remember thinking about him before everything went black…” Seraphina began to pace shakily, her pounding headache not helping her revert to a calm state at all. “Did thinking about John somehow effect how far I was sent back? But why this year…”

Suddenly, she stopped pacing, realizing exactly when she was.

“John started middle school this year…” Seraphina whispered. “John meets Claire this year… and then—” she turns to look at the calendar again, studying it. “John…”

“John’s priority was and has always been you”

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

“Seraphina! I’ve brought you your soup!” Leilah cheerfully announces as she entered Seraphina’s room with a tray. “Seraphina?” Leilah called, finding her sister nowhere to be seen in her room. She walked farther into the room, placing the tray on Seraphina’s desk.

The room was tidy and perfect as usual. There was no sign of disturbance. However, something caught Leilah’s eye and she walked closer to Seraphina’s desk, finding her secret drawer has been opened.

“Her secret money stash…” Leilah whispered. Realization hit her then and she ran towards Seraphina’s closet, past all the clutter towards where Seraphina was hiding her backpack. “Her travel pack is gone...”

A breeze then caught Leilah’s hair, and she journeyed towards the window that was ajar, blowing the curtains gently in the room. It was dark outside, and nothing could be seen for miles.

‘Seraphina!’ Leilah screamed in her mind, heart stopping.

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

‘I’m insane! I’m most definitely insane!’ Seraphina thought, head still pounding and body shaking, but she kept running at break neck speed. ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this!’

If she hurried, she could catch a train ride set for New Bostin. She knew she had enough saved up from her stash to afford a ticket. She was leaving everything she knew, but Seraphina couldn’t find herself to regret her decision.

‘I can save him! There’s still a chance! This time John—you won’t be alone!’

She managed to make it away from her family’s estate into the city, traveling under darkness. Her clothes were covered in dirt from tripping so many times in the dark in her haste, but Seraphina couldn’t bring herself to care about her multiple cuts and scrapes nor the state of her clothes. Passersby ignored her, only crinkling their nose at her state of mess, before assuming she was a low-tier who was beat up and going back to their business.

Arriving at the station, Seraphina was elated to find it was still open, even at this late hour. She didn’t bother taking a break, despite her body’s protests, and made her way to the ticket counter. The attendant raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’d like a ticket to New Bostin.” Seraphina spoke.

“This ain’t no joy ride, kid. No money, no ride.” The attendant prepared to brush her off, knowing a ticket to New Bostin was out of her price range. However, the attendant was shocked when she slammed down enough money on the counter.

“Is this enough?” Seraphina asked. The attendant blinked, counting the bills, before nodding, dazed. Once she received her ticket, Seraphina wasted no time going towards her designated platform. She felt like she was on never ending adrenaline.

‘If I can somehow prevent John meeting Claire, then perhaps that would fix everything! I can work on a healthier way for him to cope! I can be there for him or take him to Wellston and we could meet Rei—’ so many possibilities swarmed her mind, and Seraphina boarded the train, unable to sleep. All she could think about was helping John—saving him from himself before he endured so much hurt from Claire’s betrayal and horror from being forced to relive his memories from Keon.

‘I will do for him what he did for me, but this time, I won’t wear a mask. It will be me at his side.’ Seraphina vowed.

She didn’t sleep a wink, too haunted by memories of John.

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

John glared up at assailants. It was like this every day of his life and starting at New Bostin Middle School was no different it seemed.

What he wouldn’t give for an ability! He’d show these scumbags what it means to be afraid…

“What’s with the face, Cripple John?” his main assailant smirked maliciously.

“I think he’s bitter he’s a cripple.” Another bully voiced out. The three of them smirked mockingly at John, who stayed in his place against the wall, on the ground.

“Awww, is that it, Cripple John? You want an ability?” the leader cooed sickeningly sweet. His hand glowed, his grin manic. “I’ll show you a real ability.”

John readied himself, but the blow never came, for the next second, a magenta haired girl appeared out of nowhere and high kicked the leader straight in the head. He fell to the ground unconscious.

“What the hell—” his two lackeys shouted before the girl swiftly punched them both in the face, knocking them out cold.

John blinked.

‘What?’

He stared at the girl who had magenta hair in a high ponytail and bright cerulean eyes. She was breathing hard, appearing as if she was in pain.

They locked eyes. Cerulean met gold.

“Hi.” She said coolly. Then promptly passed out.

John stared.

“What… what just happened?”

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

Seraphina arrived in New Bostin by morning, and set her sights on New Bostin Middle School. Hopefully she wasn’t too late, and Claire and John didn’t meet already. Otherwise, it would make her job at a lot harder.

‘I’ll handle it if it comes to that. First, I have to find him.’ Seraphina concluded, entering New Bostin Middle School grounds. She made sure to remain hidden to prevent a high-tier getting the surprise on her. ‘This doesn’t look as big as Wellston—come on! He should be around here!’

Finally, the sound of cruel laughter and punching reached her ears. Dread welled up in her stomach, and she immediately followed the sound. Peeking through the bushes, her heart froze at the sight.

It was John. He was younger, but she knew it was him. She’d know that mop of dark hair anywhere.

‘John… it’s really him…’ Her heart jump started, beating a mile a minute. There was her best friend. He existed in this strange world with her.

However, Seraphina took in the scene before her, frowning, realizing John was being bullied.

‘He really did have to deal with his all his life. He couldn’t escape from it. It was either be spat on or being corrupted. John can’t win no matter what role he’s in…’ Seraphina mourned, clenching her fists as the main leader readied a blast towards John.

Something clicked inside her, and without realizing it, her eyes began to glow.

‘I won’t let you be alone anymore!’ she shouted in her mind.

Suddenly, she was there in front of John’s assailants, and she let loose on John’s main attacker before focusing on the other bullies. Before she registered what happened it was all over, and now it was just her and John.

They locked eyes, and it took everything Seraphina had not to cry.

‘It’s really you.’

What does she do now? John was right in front of her! This would be their first meeting to him. She needed something to catch his attention!

“Hi.” She said nonchalantly before all her adrenaline disappeared and her pounding headache took over.

Seraphina didn’t know what happened next because she swiftly blacked out.

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

Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you think if you can! Thank you to everyone who commented, liked, and favored this story!

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gemini-milf · 5 years

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The Signs As Brooklyn 99 Quotes

Aries: “It’s not that weird to say, ‘May I have some cocaine?'” —Amy Santiago

Taurus: “If I die, turn my tweets into a book.” – Gina Linetti

Gemini: “Great, I’d like your $8-est bottle of wine, please.” – Jake Peralta

Cancer: “Jake, piece of advice: just give up. It’s the Boyle way. It’s why our family crest is a white flag.” – Charles Boyle

Leo: “I don’t ask people out. I just tell them where we’re going.” — Rosa Diaz

Virgo: “[Recording] It's Gina's phone, leave me a voicemail. I won't check it 'cause it's not 1993.” —Gina Linetti

Libra: “The English language can not fully capture the depth and complexity of my thoughts, so I’m incorporating emojis into my speech to better express myself. Winky face.” – Gina Linetti

Scorpio: “Anyone over the age of six celebrating a birthday should go to hell.” – Rosa Diaz

Sagittarius: “Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. No doubt, no doubt, no doubt.” – Jake Peralta

Capricorn: “What kind of woman doesn’t have an axe?” —Rosa Diaz

Aquarius: “Sarge, with all due respect, I am gonna completely ignore everything you just said.” – Jake Peralta

Pisces: “I’ve only had Arlo for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.” — Rosa Diaz

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archadianskies · 4 years

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Whumptober Day 21

Infection → part 1; part 2

Whumptober Masterlist | 21/31 of RK900 short stories

↳ on Ao3

Tags: Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings × Team as Family × Good Parent Hank Anderson × Infection × Toothache

For all his quick reflexes and heightened senses, there’s still no accounting for human error. The pen hastily slapped onto the table begins to roll towards the end of it, so Freddie darts over to catch it just as Isaac crouches to lift up the heavy crate of equipment. Crate meets jaw. Audible crack upon impact. Damage to top and bottom left second and third molars.

“Oh shit Arlo!” Isaac cries, the shift in attention causing him to drop the crate in order to reach out in concern. Freddie grabs the crate before it hits the floor with a crash, straightening slowly to place it on the workbench.

“I am alright.” He reassures the panicked human, who gives him a look of disbelief.

“Buddy I heard that sound.”

“Impact damage to my left molars.” He concedes, cupping his jaw. “But nothing more than fractures. My self-repair program should take care of it within an hour.”

Isaac looks at him warily and the concern is warranted; he’s only just beginning to associate physical pain with negativity after having spent the past eight months prior to his rescue being treated as a piece of equipment by Special Agent Perkins.

“And if it doesn’t, I’m taking you to First Aid, got it?” Isaac huffs, fixing him with a stern glare. He nods obediently.

“Got it.”

It heals within an hour. Mostly. There is one fracture, the deepest one, on his bottom left second molar yet to seal completely but it’s making progress. He says as much, reporting to Isaac who concedes with a sigh that alright, yes, that sounds fine and no he won’t drag him to the First Aid room.

Dr Olive calls him to the morgue because there’s a new cadaver brought in from the Red Ice lab case and Freddie knows there will be quite a lot of chemicals to process. Connor had already warned him with a quick message stating there had been several shots exchanged and a lot of the lab had been damaged, sending chemicals spilling onto the floor and contaminating the newly deceased. No matter. He is an RK900 and his toxicology abilities are far superior than any android created before him, even Connor.

Dr Olive waits for him to put on his full length vinyl apron and gloves, and he forgoes the surgical mask given he has no saliva to spit, and must have quick access to his mouth. She begins the Y incision and he touches the smudge of dried liquid on the victim’s forehead.

Cause of death is extremely clear, but what isn’t clear are the concoction of chemicals spilled on site. It didn’t seem to match those usually found at Red Ice labs, so the lab seemed to be cooking up something else on the side, coupled with the fact all the deceased have needle marks on the inside of their elbows which is at odds with the usual method of Red Ice inhalation. Freddie swipes what residue he can on the tip of his tongue.

>sample insufficient

“Anything?”

“Insufficient. The liquid has dried and the residue left behind is not enough to provide clear chemical analysis.” Freddie frowns. “We will need to see if there’s more on other parts of the body.”

“Or more on other bodies.” She quips. “Not the only one we’ve got to do today. Your dad’s sending in at least three others.”

“The track marks are inconsistent with the consumption of Red Ice.” Freddie points out, turning the victim’s arm to reveal the crook of their elbow. “It is possible they were working on something else, a new drug that uses Thirium 310.”

“How much blood do you need?”

“Not much.” Freddie dips his index and middle finger into the body, smearing what blood he can onto his tongue.

“We’ll still need to spin it up to make it official.” She reminds him, and he frowns as his HUD fills with new information. “What have you found?”

“Nothing good. Nothing I can confirm until I’ve checked the others.”

In the end, when they forward the findings to the DPD after analysing four bodies and multiple tubes of various chemicals sampled from the site, Freddie knows the arrests made today, the destruction of the lab, has been done in the nick of time; they were in the midst of creating a new drug, a stronger one with highly addictive properties.

“Good job, Frederick.” She commends with a smile as they bin their gloves. “Lab will process everything for the secondary round of tests to make it official, but from what you say, DPD nipped this one in the bud.”

He attempts to smile in reply, wincing as a sharp burst of pain resonates from his bottom left jaw.

“What happened?” She demands, hand immediately on his shoulder.

“Oh um, it’s alright I- I um, knocked my jaw on some equipment.” He stammers, fidgeting under her intense, matronly gaze. “Very minor fractures on some of my molars but they’ve mostly healed. This last one just needs a bit more time I think.”

“Well we’re all done here, so I’m sending you home to get that checked out.” She declares and any thought of protesting shrivels up when he sees her stern expression.

“Yes, doctor.”

“Good. Now out of your uniform and call a cab to Jericho.”

He doesn’t go to Jericho. It cannot be that bad, surely, and so he takes a cab home instead. His molar just needs time to heal and now he has no more lab work, his system can focus on self-repairing the tooth. Unlocking the door, he crouches immediately and welcomes the Saint Bernard as Sumo lumbers over enthusiastically and mushes his face into Freddie’s middle.

After making sure he had fresh water and had been let out to pee, Freddie set about searching the fridge for a bottle of cherry cola Tearium. Where Connor prefers hot Teariums, and Caleb the alcoholic ones, Freddie much prefers the chilled, carbonated ones. Hank always buys a pack during the fortnightly grocery run, and keeps a couple in the fridge ready for consumption.

Settling on the couch with Sumo, Freddie blinks the television on and resumes the documentary on space exploration he’d started the other night. The cherry cola is sweet, and the carbonated liquid fizzes on his tongue. A moment later, his entire left jaw and cheek explodes with pain and he nearly drops the bottle, clumsily pawing to set it down on the coffee table before cupping the side of his face. Sumo whines in concern and he squeezes his eyes shut as the pain rolls in waves, a strong throbbing, piercing ache drilling right into his jaw.

The door clicks open and even through the pain, Freddie knows his dad and brother won’t be home for at least another hour. He looks up just in time to meet the surprised gaze of his twin, Caleb, who immediately sets down the small bag in his hands onto the console table in favour of closing the distance between them.

“Freddie you ok?” His brother rushes to his side, and Freddie shakes his head rapidly. “Show me?” Caleb offers his hand, retracting the skin. It takes a considerable amount of effort for Freddie to do the same, having to fight through and sweep aside the pain in order to execute such a basic command. He grasps his brother’s hand and shows him his recent memories and spills over the question of ‘what are you doing here’ through the link because he doesn’t think he can manage speech quite yet.

“Oh, I thought I’d drop by and surprise you all with some drinks. Our mission wrapped up quicker than we thought and David’s got some boring admin meeting.” His twin shrugs, still distracted by his pain. “I think your tooth is infected? All the chemicals you processed today probably hindered your self disinfecting cycle and prevented a proper repair.”

He whines in frustration and Caleb laughs, looping his other arm around him and drawing him close into a hug.

“We should probably get you to Jericho.” A pause. “Or, I mean. Maybe I could take the tooth out? Dad’s got a toolbox in the garage. I’ll sanitise the pliers. Your whole jaw will need to be detached temporarily so I can inspect it for infection and then we can ask Fabrications to print you another tooth.”

He doesn’t want to go to Jericho, and it must be plain on his face too because Caleb nods with a determined sigh. “Alright. Pliers it is.”

Long day. Long shitty day, but apparently some good came out of it: they stopped the production of some new drug being released onto the streets. Hank yawns, stretching languidly and standing aside so Connor can unlock the door. He’s not sure if Freddie is home yet- the boy keeps odd hours depending on what lab work is needed. So he expects one android, and won’t be disappointed if there isn’t one but instead he walks in and there are two androids.

“Caleb?” The other RK900 is holding a pair of pliers in one hand which he quickly and quite comically hides behind his back.

“Uhh hi dad.”

“...Do I want to know?” His eyes flick over to Freddie who is, for lack of a better word, sulking with the couch throw wrapped tightly around his shoulders and Sumo sprawled on his lap. He’s cupping his cheek, rubbing it as if he has a toothache. Can androids even have toothaches?

“...Do you think the tooth fairy will come, even for android teeth?” Caleb asks sheepishly, slowly bringing the pliers from behind his back to show Hank the single tooth in its grasp. “Freddie had an accident at work today.”

“That’s nearly split in half.” Connor frowns, reaching for the tooth and plucking it free from the pliers so he can inspect it. “But given its position in your jaw, how come your self-repair capabilities did not seal it together?”

“Because he was working your case.” Caleb reminds him. “Mouth full of chemicals.”

“And a cherry cola.” Hank nods in the direction of the bottle on the coffee table. “That oughta do it.” Freddie whines, rubbing his cheek again and Hank chuckles, tousling his hair fondly. “What’s the android equivalent of ibuprofen?”

“Nothing.” Connor shakes his head. “We could disable your sensors for a little while though, Freddie, until the infection site heals up?”

The younger RK900 hesitates for a moment, eyes darting to Hank’s as though seeking reassurance. “Go for it, kid. Don’t want you to suffer through the night.” With his blessing, Caleb touches Freddie’s LED and after a moment, the twin’s face relaxes, no longer pinched up in pain. Hank sighs, the tension unwinding from his shoulders. Surely now he can have a perfectly ordinary, lazy evening with the boys?

He has his own room, but most nights he spends in Connor’s instead. Last night had been no different, and something about the dull ache in his jaw and having a part of him missing exacerbated his fear of being locked away alone in the dark again. It felt a little too much like being locked in the armoury, left to repair himself and clean the gear and guns of the FBI SWAT team.

He feels safest when he’s with a family member, and most nights it’s Connor. His brother tells him each time it happens that he doesn’t mind at all, and Freddie knows this to be true and revels in it. Connor makes him feel safe and wanted and cared for. Connor would never lock him up in the dark and expect him to clean anything.

They rise at the same time, Connor pausing to lean over and bump his nose against his fondly before they start getting ready for the day. Freddie heads back to his room and notes the pillow has been disturbed despite him not using his room last night. Curiously, he rounds the side of the bed and lifts up the pillow to reveal a dollar coin. Picking it up, he turns it over in his hand and smiles brightly, taking a photo to send to Caleb. His twin replies a second later.

[Tooth fairy doesn’t discriminate!]

#rk900 #connor rk800 #Hank Anderson #Detroit: Become Human #whumptober #annie writes: dbh

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ispeaksforthetrees · 4 years

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Thoughts on the first 6 chapters of MBS: and the riddle of ages

I am but a raccoon happily living in my fandom trash brain

So I got Riddle of Agres for Christmas today (I’ve been studying abroad and traveling so I wasn’t able to get it the second it dropped like I wanted to) I’m 6 chapters in and had some thoughts I wanted to post

-Sticky George. Got. Hot. I love that everyone is distracted because of this and poor George Washington doesn't know what to do about it

-Constance says that the other three all had crushes on each other, Trenton I need details...please...I can (and will) write it myself but please throw me a bone...anything (I have my theories)

-Tai is a perfect foil of Constance at a young age, he is such an aggressively positive person and I get strong vibes that they’re like that one Brooklyn 99 GIF of Rosa “I’ve only had Arlo for a day and a half but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone around him and myself)

-I would still jump in front of a snowplow for Reynie...want to protec

-Same for Kate tbh but she can step on me and I’d thank her (thanks for that bisexual awakening in middle school babe)

-FUck I missed these characters, it feels like coming home whenever I read these books and I just love being a part of their interactions

-but fr who had crushes on who

-Rhonda is happy and kicking ass and I’m proud of her

-THEY ALL ATE LUNCH TOGETHER EVERY DAY

-sticky george didn’t want to go to the lab but is afraid of being left behind by his friends :’(

-hot sticky

-constance’s bad assery has only grown and...we stan

#mysterious benedict society #Reynie Muldoon #sticky washington #george washington #Constance Contraire #mbs #riddle of ages spoilers

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unordinary-analysis · 4 years

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Episode 156

I’m back guys :))

I’ll probably answer something from my inbox tomorrow, too

Honorable mentions:

I just want to know how they got John to go to the office. Like… not that he wouldn’t go, but were they just like ‘hey John, come to the office, we got stuff to talk to you about’? I guess, but… either that means John went back into the school right after beating up all of the royals and heard the announcement or they waited a day to talk to the kid that almost killed like three of the most powerful students… idk this isn’t that important lol

It’s nice to see the continuity of Keene’s love of eating apples

Nothing to talk about with that very last scene of Arlo and Isen because I mean they’re just visiting like probably Remi. Their conversation in the next episode, however… that’s gonna be juicy. ;)

Well, I’m excited. I can’t believe after how long it’s been, this is only the start of the second season…

God, I love this comic

John vs. the School

Okay so, we start off in the school office, and honestly, thank god. Like…? Hello teachers, your student is beating up other students so bad that he’s sending them to hospitals and you know who the kid is, which is proved by the fact that John’s in the office now, so why did you guys wait this long to bust him? Apparently, the answer is that the principal was okay with John bleating up a bunch of low-tiers, but draws the line when he turns his attention towards the royals? I mean, I know that the school obviously is going to prioritize the hierarchy, but for them to just look the other way when John was beating seemingly undeserving low-tiers.

Then the fact that John keeps playing the victim card… like? These people have known who you are, have known what you’ve done from the beginning. I really am in disbelief that John really thinks people are going to believe him, are going to side with him. You are not the victim here, John, and everyone knows it. You might have not deserved some of the things that have happened to you in the past few months, but John hasn’t been the victim in any situation for a long time.

So, I’m glad Vaughn called John out on that by saying, “Spin it however you want, John.” I like him. I’ve talked about him before, I know. There’s just something… off about his. Something suspicious in the way he talks about and acts with the authorities and the things he does sometimes lead me to believe he knows a lot more about, well, everything than he should be able to… I’m definitely keeping my eye on him. I have no doubt that He is going to be heavily involved with the endgame plot of UnOrdinary (the underlying story of UnOrdinary [ex. EMBER]). Anyway, I was really interested by the conversation after John leaves the office between Keene and Vaughn. Keene actually kind of calls out Vaughn in a way for what I was talking about earlier, his ignoring John when he beat up students, and, honestly, thank god. Keene has brain cells. I’m not exactly taking sides, because I always feel that Vaughn is very aware of what to do to get a certain outcome and I kind of want to see where he’s going with this, But it is nice to know that someone is able to think logically too. So, Keene says, “I understand you want to give every student a chance to think for themselves, but John’s behavior is getting increasingly concerning.” AND tHEN, Keene make my day by reminding Vaughn that John’s a late bloomer, and I always like reminders of things like that. But then Vaughn gets all vague again and says that that was why Wellston needs him, which honestly...?? I don’t get.

Anyway, I’m more excited about what happens next. Sorry if this was pretty vague and short (it was, I know)

John and Sera

The most anticipated and talked about thing during the hiatus, ugh. I’m so overwhelmed. We left off with Seraphina seeing Joker when he defeated Arlo and realizing it was her best friend who supposedly didn’t have any powers… yeah… must’ve been quite a shock, huh. Anyway, I was really surprised with the way that Uru-chan decided to handle this in this episode, the premiere of season two. John is clueless to what Sera knows and keeps trying to contact her, playing the same clueless, yet kind friend and Sera is just ignoring him.

What I was expecting was Sera to confront John pretty damn fast. I- I wasn’t really thinking she’d hide the fact that she knew who he was, what he was. But, she doesn’t even say anything to him when he’s standing right there. I’m- I’m just in shock I guess…

The previous buildup of season one that led up to the big reveal and the finale of the season lasted for basically half the season and it wasn’t even some short season. It was over 150 episodes… And I thought that there was no way that something big wasn’t going to happen because this was probably the most anticipated moment in the comic, and it was spectacular, but then… it just… loses its momentum, By avoiding any sudden blow ups in the story, the hype around the season one finale falls flat…

But, I’m thinking that that has to be intentional. I’ve mentioned this before many, many times, but Uru-chan is literally such a great storyteller and I refuse to believe that this happened for no reason. It’s obvious this kind of standstill in the comic between John’s and Seraphina’s characters is some sort of plot device, some way to transition into the next plotline between the two. I mean, if Seraphina had blown up, like I was expecting, their story would’ve been practically predictable and would end soon. Because, I’m positive that Seraphina doesn’t want to be friends with John anymore after learning his secret. We see clear evidence of that in this episode. The second she lets him know she knows, it’s over for the two of them, and we can’t be having that. They are the two main characters of UnOrdinary. Theirs has been the story that has been promoted as a main plot since the beginning. So: a big blow up would ruin John’s and Seraphina’s friendship. Which is why we don’t have it, or at least, not the instant she finds out. By pausing the story in a way, we are holding their relationship together, because once she lets him know, everything is going to change between them. But the pause, while it does hold the possibility that what I’ve described happening above will happen, it leaves some new windows open.

Maybe Sera is going to let him know she knows soon, but this prolonged standstill will undoubtedly bring her some new insight or knowledge or something that she didn’t have before. Maybe she’ll talk to Arlo first or idk. Something like what happened between her and Elaine at the end of the chapter. She’s getting more insight on what was really going on and as she learns more and more, her picture of the real John will get clearer and clearer, if this is what is going to happen.

Anyway, what this could mean, what any growth on this situation could mean is that Seraphina could decide to do a whole bunch of cool things :DD. Here are some of my favorites that I’m really enjoying thinking about:

Sera becoming obsessed with uncovering everything she can about john, kind of like Arlo/Isen did at the beginning of the comic, but much more insistent and erratic because she has to know how he did all this. John- he had managed to hide this from her, from mostly everyone for so long. And for one of the first times in her life, Sera hadn’t been one of the people in on the joke. She had been lied to and while she had already lost her powers, Sera couldn’t lose her mind, her wits. She was all she had left… and she couldn’t stand the thought that it wasn’t enough (kind of confusing but eh)

Plans an elaborate plot of her own to manipulate John into thinking she knows nothing, but she secretly is working on a way to unmask him and reveal his secret to the whole school. In this, Sera wouldn’t really know much about John’s background or else I think she’d be more cautious

Meets and talks with Cecile oh my god please I forgot about Cecile no please I actually need this

Gets her powers back somehow and doesn’t tell him and then one day boom showdown lol

So uh, yeah. There are some things that I would very much enjoy to see. Maybe. Kind of. If they were explained better maybe. ANyway, my point is that there is so many more possibilities for the plot and all because Sera didn’t blow up right after she learned John’s secret. Of course she could like next episode, and I talked about this, but even that would impact the story. Maybe we wouldn’t get some cool scenario like I was thinking, but it would develop the plot/Sera a bit more or at least give the reader time to reflect on how much Sera really was deceived.

#webtoon #unordinary #unordinary webtoon #uruchan #uru-chan #line webtoon #webcomic #john doe #seraphina #episode 156 #episode review #episode analysis #not my best #official

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katedoesfics · 4 years

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Lacuna | Chapter 13

“So, wait. We need to talk about this.”

Kahli sighed. She was sitting beside Emily at the Round Table. It was fairly early, but Sonia offered them breakfast before they opened for the day, and she was cleaning the bar absentmindedly as she listened in to their conversation.

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” Kahli muttered.

“Do you really think they were, like, trying to hide or something?”

Kahli shrugged. She stabbed her fork into her eggs.

“I always suspected Nora had a crush on him,” Sonia said. “I guess he does, too?”

Emily frowned. “I dunno,” she said slowly. “Nora is the last person I’d picture him with.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?” Kahli sneered, then sighed.

“It does to you,” Emily said.

“No. Not really. Whatever, alright? It’s just like, a dumb crush. Who really cares? People have crushes all the time. And then they go away.”

“Don’t tell Antoine,” Emily started, “But Dr. Xu is kinda cute.”

“Right,” Kahli said. “It’s not like you want to date him or anything.”

Emily put a forkful of eggs in her mouth and spoke. “So, you don’t want to date Arlo?”

“No,” Kahli said confidently. “I can appreciate good looking men and not want to date them.”

“That’s not a crush,” Sonia pointed out.

Emily swallowed. “What’s the difference?”

“Thinking someone is attractive isn’t a crush. I can tell you both that I think you’re attractive. You are good looking women. But I don’t have a crush on you. I don’t want to date you.”

“So you do want to date Arlo?” Emily said, turning to Kahli.

“No!”

Sonia leaned against the counter and smirked at Kahli. “Do you think about him when you’re all alone?”

“Do you imagine what your life would be like together?” Emily chimed in.

“Do you wonder what he’s up to throughout the day?”

“Do you want to rip his clothes off?

“Wait a minute,” Sonia said, stopping Emily from speaking further. “Now we’re getting into lust. Lust and crushes are different, too.”

“Sure,” Emily said with a shrug. “But couldn’t you feel both?”

“I think lust is more physical,” Sonia said thoughtfully. “Back on the idea of finding someone attractive, but with the bonus of also, you know, wanting to jump their bones. But you don’t really have any real feelings for them other than physical.”

Emily turned to Kahli once more and raised a brow. “You did say you needed to get laid.”

“It’s not like that,” Kahli muttered.

“So, you have feelings for him!”

“No!” Kahli sighed and put her head on the counter. “What was wrong with just calling it a crush again?”

“I think we determined a crush means you have feelings for someone,” Sonia said.

“The first step to recovery is admitting to the problem,” Emily said with a grin.

Kahli thought about this for a moment. “What if I don’t want to be cured?”

Emily squealed and Sonia straightened.

“I think you’ve got your answer,” Sonia said.

“Those are some hard core feelings,” Emily confirmed with a nod.

“I don’t have feelings,” Kahli said. “Feelings are dumb and messy. I am an emotionless robot.”

Emily drank her coffee. “Keep tellin’ yaself that,” she said.

Kahli sighed and sat up. “So, now what?” she said. “I just… have feelings and do nothing about it?”

“Do you want to do something about it?” Sonia asked.

Kahli sighed heavily, blowing her hair out of her face. “I dunno,” she said.

“I think you do,” Sonia pointed out. “You saw him and Nora together and now look at you.”

“Why do I feel like this?” Kahli whined. “It’s like… Well, I’ve never been broken up with, but this is probably what it feels like. And we’re not even a thing.”

“That’s called heartbreak,” Emily said. “You saw them together and thought all your chances were thrown out the window.”

“No,” Kahli said stubbornly. “That would imply that I like him. Like, like-like him.”

“Sure, like you do.”

“I do?”

Sonia and Emily both nodded.

“Oh, fudge,” Kahli said, defeated. She sighed.

“Circling back,” Emily said. “Do you want to do something about it?”

“No,” Kahli said slowly. “I mean. It seems pretty clear that he and Nora are… some kind of undefined something. She’s kinda got dibs, there.”

“Dibs doesn’t apply,” Sonia pointed out. “Besides, she’s in a similar boat as you. She only got here just a few months before you showed up. And she’s almost halfway through her mission here, anyway. She’ll have to go back to Altara after.”

“Fantastic,” Kahli muttered. “I’ll just wait. And by that point, Arlo will be off saving the world or something with the Flying Pigs, so it won’t even matter.”

Emily shrugged. “You’ll never know if you don’t ask.”

“Not gonna happen,” Kahli said. “Honestly. How is that supposed to go? ‘Hey, Arlo. I think you’re great and I like you so whadda ya say?’”

“That’s one approach,” Emily said.

Kahli shook her head. “I have a damn commission to work on,” she said. She stood and counted out her payment, slapping it down on the counter. “I’m too busy for a damn relationship, so there. Problem solved.”

“Single forever,” Emily muttered.

“Or, you know, I could just find someone who isn’t already involved.”

“I’m still hesitant to call them involved,” Sonia said. She offered Kahli a warm smile. “Hey, don’t lose hope. You never know, hm?”

Kahli didn’t know how to handle the situation she was in - a crush, or whatever they wanted to call it. She had never had a crush on anyone before. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was one boy in high school - he was nice, funny, good looking - everything a high school girl could have wanted. Reflecting back on it, she supposed she did have a crush on him. And then she realized that he, too, broke her heart when he started hanging out with another girl. And before she knew it, they were hugging and kissing and making googly eyes at one another in between classes.

Yuck. What an awful feeling that was. She tried to push it out of her mind. The truth was, he probably didn’t even notice Kahli. And this situation was no different. Arlo didn’t notice her. And soon, Arlo and Nora would be together.

She eventually got over her high school crush. Because that’s what crushes were; they were just temporary. And then you moved on. And surely Kahli would move on from her crush on Arlo. And everything would be normal again.

Still; she couldn’t stop replaying the simplest moments between them in her head. The way he always smiled when they talked. The way he helped her with the bridge her first week in town. The concern he showed for her safety, and even the willingness to defend her honor. Sure, it was just who he was. That was why he was in the Civil Corps, after all. Some people were just good like that. And she was just part of his job, really. A life to protect because it was his duty to protect Portia.

But she liked to think it was more than that. That she was more than just another citizen.

No. It was stupid to think like that. It was childish. Like a high school crush. It wasn’t real. And she was very familiar with the truths of the world. Nothing lasted. Everything left. One day, Arlo would leave. It was just the way of things in the world, and she had to remind herself of that. She had suffered too many heartbreaks to be willing to go through that again. She pushed the thought out of her mind and instead focused on the job at hand.

“Earth to Kahli.”

She jumped and looked over by the fence. Arlo was leaning against it, and he grinned when she met his gaze.

“You okay over there?”

Kahli’s heart jumped at his voice. “Um. I, uh. What?”

“Did you get another concussion?”

“No,” she said quickly, pulling her gaze away. “I’m sorry. I was… thinking.”

“What’s on your mind?”

She shook her head. “You know, concentrating on not smashing my thumb.” She cleared her throat. “What’s up?”

“I didn’t get to thank you yesterday,” he said. “For helping Sam.”

She still did not look at him. “Oh, sure. You know. Just doing my job.”

“You always seem to do a little more than that,” he said.

“Well, you know, shit happens.”

Silence fell between them, and Kahli looked his way to make sure he was still there. He smiled.

“Cool.” He held up a six pack that Kahli had failed to notice. “Beer?”

She hesitated, then shrugged. “Yeah. Definitely.” She approached the fence, taking the can he offered her, and she cracked it open. They drank in silence for a moment, watching as the sky began to turn shades of pink and purple as the sun made its descent for the evening.

“So,” Kahli started. She considered what Emily and Sonia had said to her that morning, and her heart raced at the thought of asking Arlo about anything to do with Nora. Still, the words tumbled out of her mouth, anyway. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything last night.”

Arlo stared at her for a moment. “Huh?”

Kahli drank quickly before speaking. “You and Nora.”

“Oh.” Arlo laughed. “What? What would you have been interrupting?”

“I dunno,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t know what weird things you people do around here. Is it normal to hang out in the dark in secrecy with people in Portia?”

Arlo took a moment to drink. “I s’pose not.”

She didn’t exactly want to pry, but still, her mouth opened. “So, I was interrupting something.” She bit her lip. “I guess it’s not my business.”

Arlo grinned behind his can and glanced at her. “No,” he said. “You didn’t interrupt anything.”

Kahli nodded. “Ah. Well, then that’s a bummer for you, I guess.”

“Is it?”

Kahli shrugged. “I thought maybe, at the very least, you were trying to get laid.”

Arlo laughed. “Really?”

“I mean, that’s where I go to meet all my hookups.”

“You have hookups?” Arlo said with intrigue in his voice. “Don’t tell me it’s Albert.”

Kahli scoffed. “Please,” she said. “What makes you think I even enjoy the company of men?”

Arlo nodded as he considered this. “Touche. Emily, then?”

“Why not Phyllis?”

“I think she’s out of your league.”

“Wow,” Kahli said. “Well, that’s just rude. I could get any woman I wanted.”

“Maybe.” Arlo shrugged. “Apologies. I just thought you and Emily had a real connection.”

“I said hookups,” Kahli pointed out. “No connections there.”

“So,” Arlo started. “There’s something there. Between you and Emily. Why not just admit your feelings and be together?”

“You know, I’m really not about that kinda lifestyle,” Kahli said. “Settling down, being committed to one person. Just not my thing.”

“Hm.”

Kahli glanced at him. “Hm?”

“Ah,” Arlo said. “Nothing.”

“No, come on, spit it out. You obviously have something to say.”

Arlo straightened and stepped away from the fence. His gaze narrowed on her, and he smiled. “I dunno,” he said. “I just don’t think you’re really that kind of person.”

“Oh, right, because you know me so well.”

Arlo shrugged. “Just an observation.”

“Well, please, continue to observe me,” Kahli sneered. “Make all the assumptions you want. I don’t care.”

“Can I ask you something?”

Kahli hesitated. She glanced at him and waited. But he seemed to think better of it, and he shook his head.

“Thanks for sharing a drink with me.”

Kahli raised her beer can. “Thanks for the drink.”

#lacuna #lacuna13 #mtap #my time at portia #fic #fanfic

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