#source: odd squad

[incorrect-star-allies]

*End of Planet Robobot*

Star Dream, after Kirby ejects from the Halberd: Thanks for giving up!

Kirby: Oh, uh, this is super awkward. I'm not giving up. You are!

[incorrect-underrated-groups]

Yugyeom: bambam did you only stock beans? Bambam: did you come here to eat a fancy meal or to survive?

[incorrectquotesmcu]

Yelena: Thanks for letting me stay here.

Kate: Of course! As they say in France, “mi casa es tu casa”.

Yelena: That’s Spanish.

Kate: People speak Spanish in France!

[ladymiraclewings]

Tino: We’re playing a game where we pretend we are each other Sally: Yeah he’s Sally and I’m Tino Lucie: Then I want you to call me Paul !

[incorrect-bhaalspawn-quotes]

Neera: I thought it was a rule that didn’t matter. Like running with scissors.

Valygar: That IS a rule that matters!

[personinthepalace]

George’s Guide to Surviving Lockwood and Co [Humor]

inspired by Oksana's break room video from Odd Squad

for @savelockwoodandco’s #LockwoodSurvivalGuide challenge :)

[incorrect-odd-squad-quotes]

Otis: Okay, two person huddle.

Olympia: You can't huddle with two people. This is just a hug.

[alfredfortnitejones]

my brain is like Inside Out, but instead of little emotion personifications pulling the strings it's fictional characters I like

[isak-dot-gov]

hey babes,

so i was wondering if you could do a little one-shot with paige x uconn cheerleader? maybe like a cute enemies to lovers prompt? sorry if this doesn’t make sense, it’s my first time requesting

Court Tension

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Chearleader!Reader

Word count: 1316

Summary: As a UConn cheerleader, you get along with everyone on the basketball team—except Paige Bueckers. When a scheduling mistake forces your teams to share the court for a week, tensions between you and Paige hit an all-time high.

You’d never been one to back down from a challenge, but when it came to Paige Bueckers, it felt like the universe had conspired to make sure you two were constantly at odds. As a UConn cheerleader, you loved your team, and you adored supporting the basketball squad, but there was something about Paige that always got under your skin. Maybe it was her competitive attitude, her confidence that bordered on arrogance, or maybe it was the way she always seemed to have a comment or eye-roll aimed specifically at you.

It had started innocently enough—just a few jabs here and there, but as the days passed and the practices continued, you and Paige found yourselves clashing more and more. The thing was, neither of you was willing to back down. It didn’t help that for the next week, you both had to share the court due to a scheduling mistake by your managers. The basketball team and the cheerleaders were crammed into half the court each, trying to work around one another’s practices.

That meant more awkward glances, more sarcastic comments, and more opportunities for Paige to get under your skin.

“You seriously think that stunt’s going to work?” Paige called out across the court one day, smirking as you worked on your routine with your teammates.

Your eyes narrowed as you shot a glare in her direction. “Maybe if you spent less time worrying about us, you’d focus on making your shots go in the basket.”

The basketball players, particularly Paige, often practiced their drills right across from your cheer team, and it seemed like no matter how hard you tried to focus on your routine, she’d somehow find a way to irritate you. It was small things at first—like the way she would intentionally walk too close to you, her shoulder grazing yours as if it was on purpose.

And you, being you, couldn’t help but respond in kind. If she was going to be snide, so were you. You weren’t going to be intimidated.

The tension between the two of you continued to build with every passing day. Your friends on the cheer team had started to notice it, as had the basketball team. They could sense the tension and, despite how much they tried to ignore it, it was becoming the source of frustration for everyone.

That’s when it all came to a head.

It was a particularly heated afternoon, one of the final days of the week, and you were in the middle of a cheerleading routine when you noticed Paige sneaking glances at you. You could feel the heat of her gaze even from across the court. But rather than ignoring it, you locked eyes with her, daring her to make her usual comment.

“Do you always have to make everything a spectacle?” Paige’s voice rang out, loud enough for everyone to hear.

You stopped mid-routine, your hands planted on your hips as you stared her down, trying not to let her goad you. “Maybe if you didn’t think everything was a competition, you’d see it’s not all about you.”

Her eyes flared with that same fiery competitive spirit. “Oh, it’s about me, alright.”

The exchange drew the attention of everyone in the gym, and you could feel the eyes of your teammates on you. You could hear them sighing in the background. This had gone on long enough.

That’s when one of the assistant coaches—one who had been quietly observing—stepped in. The basketball team and the cheerleaders had barely been able to practice together as it was, and now you two were the cause of even more drama.

“Alright, that’s enough,” the coach said with an authoritative tone. “You two are going into that office. Figure it out. We’re not leaving until you do.”

Before either you or Paige could protest, you were guided into one of the nearby offices, the door locking behind you. Inside, the tension was suffocating. You stood on one side of the small, windowless room, your arms crossed tightly in front of you as you glared at the door.

Paige, on the other hand, stood with her hands shoved into her pockets, her posture rigid and defensive. The silence between you two was deafening, neither of you willing to speak first. You had expected this to be a typical face-off—one where you both continued to argue until someone else stepped in. But this time felt different.

Finally, Paige spoke, though her voice was softer than usual. “You know, I didn’t mean to be a jerk to you.”

You raised an eyebrow, surprised by the shift in her tone. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve just... been frustrated,” she said, running a hand through her hair, clearly avoiding your eyes. “Every time I see you, I get annoyed, but I didn’t know why. It’s like I can’t help myself.”

You blinked, trying to make sense of what she was saying. “Why would you be frustrated with me? I’ve barely even talked to you.”

Paige shifted her weight, sighing in frustration. “I don’t know. It’s like I couldn’t get past the fact that you always seem to be so close to everyone else on the team. Everyone else gets along with you fine, but I’ve always been... different.”

You frowned, not entirely following her, but something clicked in your mind. “Wait... so you’ve been rude to me because you were... jealous?”

She looked up at you, her blue eyes finally meeting yours with an openness that was completely at odds with the way she usually acted. “Yeah,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I like you. A lot. And it’s easier to push you away than admit that.”

You froze, your heart pounding in your chest. The realization hit you like a freight train. Paige Bueckers, the girl who had been giving you hell for the past week, liked you?

For a moment, you didn’t know what to say. You had been confused, frustrated, and admittedly a little angry at her. But now, standing in front of you, was the truth.

“Paige...” You took a deep breath, your voice a little shaky. “I like you too. I’ve been trying to figure out why you’re always so... cold to me. But I didn’t want to make things awkward or assume anything.”

Paige’s eyes widened as she took a step closer to you. “Wait, really?”

You nodded, offering her a tentative smile. “Yeah. I’ve always thought you were kind of... intimidating. But I didn’t know it was because you liked me.”

She chuckled softly, her nervous energy dissipating. “So... what now?”

You felt your heartbeat quicken, a surge of emotion flooding your chest. “I guess... we can start over?”

Paige grinned, her usual confidence returning as she stepped closer. “Yeah, I think that sounds perfect.”

The two of you stood there for a moment, the awkwardness melting away as you shared a smile.

You hadn’t expected this—the revelation, the quiet honesty, the way everything suddenly felt so much lighter. And as Paige took a step closer, you realized that maybe the tension had always been leading to this moment. Maybe all of it—the snide remarks, the teasing, the frustration—was just a way for you both to get over the distance between you.

With a new understanding, you felt your heart beat a little faster. You had no idea where this would go, but as Paige grinned at you, it seemed like you were both ready to find out.

“Let’s go back,” Paige said, her voice soft but full of promise.

You smiled, nodding as she opened the door. As you stepped back into the gym, it felt like a new chapter had begun—not just for you and Paige, but for the way you’d look at each other going forward. And maybe—just maybe—this was the beginning of something far more than either of you could’ve ever expected.

[tarysande]

The best part about coming back to the source material after a looooong time is you sorta get a fresh look at canon in comparison to whatever the dominant strains of fanon have become. Or, in fact, whatever your own dominant strains of headcanon have become.

I mean, yes, Garrus “I’m not a good turian” Vakarian gets infinitely cooler (and more competent!) by pretty much every metric as the storyline progresses. He does. But fresh out of ME1 and into ME2 through his recruitment, I find myself genuinely amused by how thin the veneer of badass is over a pretty dominant core of straight-up nerd sprinkled with idealism mixed with self-doubt.

When you have Garrus in the squad all the time (and thus get all his ambient dialogue and remarks), you really pick up on the number of times he calls out bad behavior, unethical actions, cruelty, and rule-breaking, especially in ME1.

He’s not actually a hothead who can’t abide rules of any kind. In fact, most of the time he’s pretty pro-law-and-order, and he gets amusingly hall-monitorish when people are breaking rules he considers important and worth following.

Fundamentally, Garrus chafes when his sense of what is just is at odds with what the authorities do about that injustice (or what they stop him from doing). And I would hazard a guess that the reason his actions seem so intense or harsh or "of course we should have shot down that ship in the middle of the Citadel" is indicative not of his impatience but of the degree to which he thinks the authorities have failed to uphold that justice. We know he can be patient. He's a sniper. His whole modus operandi on Omega is precision kills without civilian casualty. But when that long fuse finally burns down, he goes from zero to shooting down ships in the middle of the Citadel in what looks (from the outside) like a heartbeat.

And yes, injured pride hastens the burning of that fuse; he doesn’t like losing. Or admitting defeat. Or failing.

Having just replayed his recruitment mission, a few things really stood out to me this time.

The merc bands really hate him--and they also reluctantly admire him (he's described as smart, resourceful, dangerous, idealistic, brave, slippery; they all agree they only way they managed to get this far is by isolating him and employing dirty tactics). I mean, there's literally a station-wide announcement that Omega can return to "business as usual" once Archangel is out of the picture because he was disrupting things so completely.

The way Garrus blames himself for the deaths of his squad is so freaking turian. Failure reflects on the leader who places his people in danger they can't handle, not the individual who fails. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Yes, Sidonis betrayed him, but the person Garrus blames the most? Is himself. For trusting Sidonis in the first place. For raising Sidonis to a position where he had the means and opportunity to harm others--and the weakness of character to turn coat, to save his own hide, instead of dying to protect the others.

Garrus mentions more than once that he was trying to emulate Shepard. And his tone always implies that he knows he failed because Shepard would never have let a Sidonis into the fold. Again, he's blaming himself. Like a good turian. Yes, he wanted to avoid the red tape and bureaucracy of C-Sec, but his code--Archangel's code--certainly aligns with Paragon Shepard's morality (with a Garrus Vakarian twist).

And since it wouldn't be meta without adding a Tara's Headcanon Twist ... I've always wondered why "Archangel" when it's such a ... human concept. But this time, when I noticed how he spoke about Shepard's influence, and how quickly he brushes aside the name when she asks him about it, I wondered if it wasn't actually his way of honoring the mythology of the dead woman whose example he was trying to follow. Not that Shepard is a God he's worshiping, but ... there is something about the way he talks about her. Garrus doesn't make himself over in the image of a God, though; he's the soldier, the right hand, the avenging angel responsible for carrying out divine punishments suited and proportional to the crimes committed, the rules broken, the selfishness or cruelty of the perpetrator.

[incorrect-underrated-groups]

Jeno:fun fact the o in odd squad stands for opportunity Chenle: no it doesn't, it stands for odd Jeno: ooh..what about the s? Chenle: soup

[mezzy-1]

Radiant Recruit (Valorant x Reader)

Name: Y/N 

Class: Radiant

Callsign - Nomad

You had been at odds with Kingdom for causing your abilities, and saw Valorant as nothing more than another group trying to reign you in.  Your power store radiant energy and unleash it proved difficult to contain.  Even worse, you could turn to pure energy and phase away.  It was a trick you used to escape Valorant time and time again.  Where you came from was only for you to know, until you were captured.

(An idea of what Nomad can do // source: Infamous: Second Son)

Fade 

“Stop Y/N!  There’s no place you can run to that I won’t find you!”  Fade yelled down the hallway.  She had you cornered in Bind, inside the Kingdom refinery

“Leave me ALONE!” you screamed, unleashing a wave of radiant power at nearby pipes.  Steam filled the hall and you sprinted further away

A screech behind you caught your attention as one of Fade’s nightmares spotted you.  A terror trail led from your feet

Snarling prowlers rushed towards you and lunged.  You raised a hand and blasted them as they pinned you down

One sunk its teeth into your leg and darkness filled your vision.  Whispers surrounded you as memories of Kingdom spying on you resurfaced

Radiant power surged into your eyes before blasting through your body.  In your fear, you burnt through the last reserves of energy

Suddenly a voice cut through the chaos

“I have you now, ”

Weak sparks shot from your palm in an attempt to block the ball of tendrils Fade tossed at your feet

Seized by her power, unable to destroy the bindings, you found yourself resorting to struggling against the tethers

Fade took a Sheriff from its holster, the gunmetal gleaming in the red alarm lights.  She began to raise it upward towards you

Then turned and emptied the cylinder, catching the bullets and storing them in a pocket

“Valorant is not what you think, we are trying to do something important for the world!”

“So was Kingdom, I don’t care about what your cause is.”

“I was where you are right now, Y/N.  I was hunted by Valorant too.”  Fade’s tone softened

“What are you talking about?” You were slightly intrigued

“I…blackmailed them.  They sent a squad to catch me and could’ve killed me.  They gave me a home instead.  I trust them.”

“Prove it, how do I know you aren’t lying to get my guard down.”

“You can’t, but you have my word that we will let you go if you want to leave.” She reached a hand to you.  “Deal?”

Against your better judgment you decided to come along.  In an hour you were being flown to a remote island in the middle of nowhere

“So you know my name, but what’s yours?” 

“Hazal.  Memnun oldum.”

Hazal sat with you, either for security or reassurance, in the conference room with Brimstone

“Y/N, I apologize for the methods we used but Valorant doesn’t have time for delicate approaches.  Fade has first hand experience with that.”

“I didn’t offer you another choice Brimstone,” Hazal seemed to feel some regret 

“We wanted to get your help with Omega Earth,” he directed you to a hologram that showed all current information

It was unnerving, the doppelgangers and your personal clone trying to destroy the world.  The situation didn’t leave you feeling like you could run away

“So…are you in Y/N?”

“Count me in,” you went over to shake Brimstone’s hand.  He took it and handed you a keycard to your room

“You’re part of Valorant now Y/N.”  Brimstone nodded to Fade and you exited the room with her

“You’ll be assigned a callsign Y/N,”  Fade said as she led you to your quarters.  “Did you have anything in mind?”

“Uh, I guess we should figure it out while we have time.”  Your opened the door to your room and took a seat on the bed

Fade took a seat at your desk, looking around at the sparse interior before settling on you

“Y/N, what do you think about going by Nomad?  It would fit, don't you think?”

Iso

“Oh shi-” you were surprised by a bullet ricocheting past you and putting a hole in the elevator controls

“Nice try Y/N, but you aren’t getting out of here unless you come with me.”  Iso chambered another round.  “Or else.”

“Go to hell!” you triggered a maelstrom of energy inside your body.  Radiant pulses fired from you and Iso lept to cover

Shifting into energy, you charged straight at him, ready to plant your glowing fists directly into his face

Hexagons spilled out under your feet.  Violet light blinded you before placing you into a strange space made of similar shapes

“You’re all mine Y/N.” a familiar voice echoed.  Iso had somehow captured you 

The structures around you disappeared and a single shot rang out against the silence of the realm you were in

A bullet hit your chest, but the ballistic plate underneath stopped it.  It didn’t stop the force from slamming into you though

“Y/N, I admire your spirit but you lost this fight.  I won’t hurt you, I just want to show you what Valorant is trying to do.”

“And if I refuse?”  

“You won’t leave here.  Ever.”

He wasn’t bluffing, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to condemn you to that fate either.  His aim was steady but his eyes were more focused on your response

“I’ll go with you, but if you try anything you’ll regret it.”

Iso sighed something in Mandarin

Purple energy wrapped you and placed you back in the building.  Iso waited for you to get to your feet and led you at gunpoint 

The elevator controls were shot, so you and Iso took stairs to the roof.  When you arrived at the helipad, the VTOL was just landing

“Remember, I can trap you at anytime Y/N.  Don’t try to escape until we get to the island and we brief you.”  Iso was dead serious

He left you in the cargo hold of the VTOL while it took off.  He returned later on his phone and looked over at you

“Any requests for music?  I don’t like silence.”  Iso pointed at the phone

“(Your favorite artist).”

“I have a playlist for them, tell me what you think.”

The ride to the HQ was more pleasant than you expected

Subsequently, you were lead to a room with the leader of Valorant for more information

Brimstone finished explaining the situation.  Needless to say the Omega Earth version of you destroying city blocks was a frightening prospect

“Y/N, if you help us out you’ll be giving us the advantage.  We can let you go but we can’t guarantee your mirror won’t try to come after you.”

“I’ll join your protocol if it means I can protect people from my double.”

“Welcome to the fight Y/N.  Iso, take Y/N to the armory and get them fitted for their gear and run a basic shooting test.”  Brimstone shook you hand warmly

Iso and you walked down the hall, passing a few other agents that gave you a wave or raised an eye at your presence

Once you were in the armory, Iso went over ballistics and you did some basic target practice

“Y/N, have you given any thought to your callsign?”  Iso finished marking your grade in a tablet

“Not really, I do want something that sounds good and makes sense.”  you placed your rifle down and began a field strip test

“Since you were constantly on the run, how does Nomad work for you?”  He raised the tablet with the name entered in

“Sounds good.”

“I can’t wait to work with you, Nomad.” Iso nodded to you and handed you a magazine

Viper

“Oh Y/N it’s precious that you think you can hide from me, but I like games of cat and mouse.”  Viper purred as you crept around Icebox

The woman had managed to cut off every escape from you, a fact she reveled in

“I assume you’re thinking that if you attack me, you can shut the toxins off and leave.” she was trying to draw you out, so you continued to sneak around

Viper turned and left 

Green fog began to empty from the vents everywhere, catching you off guard.  It was then you realized she had been waiting for the toxins to get in the system

“Is it hard to breathe?  Try not to die before I find you, I don’t want to explain that to Brimstone.”

Coughing loudly, you attempted to crawl away as vertigo set in.  The toxins smelled like acetone mixed with acrid sweetness

Viper’s silhouette appeared as you lost consciousness.  Her figure towered above you as your eyes shut

“You’re awake, good.  I need you to listen to me Y/N, can you do that?”  Viper had unmasked and was now looking you directly in the eye

You nodded your head weakly while taking account of your surroundings.  Toxins had rendered your powers and muscles useless

“What do you want from me?” you hissed

“Join Valorant, we could use your-”

“NOBODY’S using me.” you spat back.  Viper glared at you 

She removed a vial of poison and opened it.  She tilted the glass over your head, letting a drop hang over your eye

“Don’t interrupt me,” Viper narrowed her gaze, “Understood?”

“I’d rather die than be some kind of weapon for a bunch of sociopaths.”

“You aren’t in a position to argue, but we are going to play nice and show you the protocol.”

“Easy to do when I’m your prisoner.”

“Exactly Y/N.”  

Minutes later you were being flown somewhere new, but had no idea what was waiting for you once you regained your motor functions

Viper and Brimstone sat with you, going over confidential files on Omega Earth and their agents.  It was shocking to your face among them as well

“We know they’ll end up using your mirror against us, so we need all the support we can get.”  Brimstone passed a keycard to you

You took it and shook his hand

“I’ll take Y/N to the medical wing and run biometrics so we can plan countermeasures against their double.”  Viper motioned for you to join her

The biometrics were mainly just scans and a blood test, but Viper took time to explain what each piece would be used for

“Y/N, you need a callsign for me to enter your information under.  Any ideas?”

“Not really.  I guess there’s the fact I was always escaping, that could be something.”

“Well you didn’t escape me,” Viper smugly raised an eyebrow.  “But I do like that idea, how about Nomad?”

“I like that, it sounds mysterious.”

“Perfect, now let's get you to your quarters and finish the tour so I can get back to my lab.”

“Can I see the lab?”

“No.”

Neon 

“I thought you were supposed to be fast!  So much for the protocol’s ‘Sprinter.” you taunted as you sped away down a street in your energy form

Neon trailed behind you, each pace pulsing with electricity.  She had almost caught you but a quick energy burst saved you

Now it was a matter of running, which was easy for you to do because you could move through obstacles

That was your thought until you ran out of radiant power in the middle of the street

“Slow huh?” Neon was on you quickly.  You decided to fight, unleashing what little energy you had left in missiles of force

She dodged and closed the distance, using her speed to shift her target faster than you could aim

In the blink of an eye Neon grabbed your arm.  Volts spasmed down your body, paralyzing you

“No more running Y/N.”  Neon dragged you to the side of the road and away from the public.  She hid you under a bridge, seating you on a bench 

“So Valorant sends you to catch me and then what?  Lock me in a cell until you need to destroy something?”  

“No, we want you to learn how to control the power before you hurt anyone.”  Neon trailed off, lost in thought

“Do you really control your power or is it just them letting you loose on anyone they want?”  You needled at her doubt

“So you must have lost control at some point then, did they show up and lock you away?  Just like what you want to do to me?”  Provoking her was the only thing you could do

“It wasn’t like that!  They found me…but after I had lost control,” 

“Don’t lie to me, they can’t help me and they can’t you either!”

“SHUT UP!”  Sparks scorched the ground near Neon’s legs

Neon’s anger turned to regret “They gave me training for it and helped me make the best of it.”

Neon began to smile a bit as an arc of electricity moved up her hand

“I’m sure we’ll do the same for you.”

Once you could move, you and her walked back to a extraction point 

“Do you really think they don’t want to use my power for themselves?  You were sent on this mission right?”

“I volunteered for this, Y/N.  You won’t have to fight unless you want to but we have Radiants that want to help you control your abilities.”

It wasn’t much reassurance without definitive proof, but it was good to hear as you stepped onto the VTOL

“Plus you’ll train with me Y/N.  So I’m hoping you decide to stay with us so we can have a rematch.”

Neon fidgeted in her chair at the conference with Brimstone and Sage.  Reyna stood in the back eying you over and occasionally muttering something in Spanish

“Y/N, your power is going to make the difference in the fight against Omega Earth.  We need you to back us up.”

“I- I want to but I’m not,” 

Neon looked over at you and her nervousness switched something in you

“I can get ready for the field.  I’m on board sir.”  Neon relaxed at your response

“Good Y/N, glad to have you here.  We’ll enter some information for your file, in the meantime Neon can show you to the gym for a physical assessment.”

He passed her a tablet 

Neon led you around the protocol and took you to the training area.  She took the tablet Brimstone gave her and had you start the tests

It wasn’t a great couple of hours, especially because Neon kept her eyes on you struggling the entire time 

Finally the running test came up, and Neon readied a stopwatch

“Y/N, do you want to race?” Neon tossed the stopwatch in the air towards you

“Sure,” you caught the watch and readied it.  “Go!”

She cleared the mile in under 7 minutes without her power before taking the watch

“Beat that Y/N.” 

Your mile was about 9 minutes, which was expected from someone who didn’t run often.  Neon did tone her taunting down during the run which was a welcome change

“So…Y/N what callsign do you want?  I have to put one here so what do you want?”

“I don’t really have anything.  I would pick something about running or escaping-” Neon looked up disapprovingly “-but I guess that’s your thing right.”

“Well you aren’t fast, just hard to keep in the same place.  Like a nomad. Oh that could work!”

Neon put down Nomad in name entry

“We even sort of match too.  I like Nomad, enter it in!”  You nodded to her and got ready for the next step in becoming an agent

Reyna

“Tienes miedo?  I love a good chase Y/N.”  Reyna’s voice barely held her sadistic excitement back 

Carefully, you hid behind cover while Reyna stalked through the courtyard of Sunset.  Loading your pistol, you sprang from the cover and opened fire

A glaring eye filled your vision, and you shot blindly at the space.  The bullets dissipated the eye, but Reyna was gone

“I’ve heard so much about you, your power.  Don’t disappoint me.”  Reyna’s skin turned to shadows and glowed with unnatural energy

“I WON’T!” you bellowed.  Particles of radiant energy spiraled around your body and blasted straight through Reyna

She made no effort to dodge your most powerful blast as it corkscrewed into her.  At first you thought she was going to die

It was much more terrifying than that

Reyna walked calmly through the beam toward you, her intangible state keeping her from damage.  The blast lost power and stopped

“Que fuerte, but not enough.”  Reyna grabbed your throat and slammed you to the ground

“If you struggle, I will continue to have fun with you.”  Her grip tightened to emphasize the point

“I’m not joining your damn organization.  You and Kingdom are all the same, just preying on Radiants.”

“QUE DEMONIOS ME DIJISTE?”  Reyna yelled, she drove her nails into your neck.  “I- We are nothing like them.”

Her outrage was enough to quiet you down

“Kingdom is our enemy Y/N, we can bring them down together.  Join me and we will destroy them.”  Reyna reached a hand out

You took it

Reyna leaned in and whispered in your ear

“Somos unido, contra el mundo.  Do not forget they are terrified of us.”

Reyna sat at your side at the table in the conference room.  Brimstone and Sage went over the situation with Omega

“If Omega uses the mirror version of you, we would have a hell of a fight ahead of us without you to help us out.”  Brimstone gave a worried look to the holographic files

“Don’t worry, I’ll join the protocol if I can make a difference.”

“Come with me Y/N, we will see how useful you can be to us.”  Reyna took your arm and moved you to the training room

A few bots appeared and Reyna took a seat 

“Go on, end them Y/N.”

It took little effort to turn the bots into scrap metal and burnt plastic.  In your elation, you blasted a hole in the window near Reyna

“Que increible Y/N, you certainly have potential.”  She ran her fingers over the scorch marked bots

“The protocol requires a callsign,” she passed you a tablet with an input.  “I would put in my suggestions but I don’t want to speak for you.”

“Wait, what did you have in mind?” you looked over to Reyna while she leaned against the exit

“Pues, I was thinking something that felt unburdened.  Something freeing.  Viajero, no como se dice,” she paused feeling for the English word, “Nomad.”

“It means someone on the run or that moves around.  That does sound like me.” 

“Claro, I think it suits you perfectly Y/N.  Now, let's begin your training and sharpen your strength.”

She sauntered across the room and started up more bots

“Mataremos, Nomad.”  You and Reyna tore into them together

Sage

“Do not make me pursue you further Y/N, I wish no harm on you.”  Sage cried to you

“Then let me leave,” you readied an energy bolt, “I doubt you could even hurt me!”  You shot, directly into her chest

“So be it.” Sage muttered

Jade, tougher than steel, coated her hands and began to work into her skin.  Life energy flowed in and she rose up

Her skin healed as she charged you.  You burnt through your power to launch a vortex of radiant energy

The sphere engulfed her, but when it passed she was completely gone to your surprise.  A hand landed on your shoulder, then a chop connected to your temple

Sage had catapulted herself over the vortex using her wall, and gotten directly behind you

As a monk, she was adept in martial arts.  It didn’t help that the barrage of fists, palms, and kicks was hard as iron

You tried to swing back, but couldn’t move.  Sage coated you in jade, effectively restraining you with every blow

“Do you doubt I could hurt you now Y/N?”  Sage’s tone was retributive but took satisfaction in her position over you

“I don’t care what you try, you can’t force me to work with Valorant.  You chased me down like an animal, just like Kingdom.”  

“We did pursue you Y/N, but we aren’t like Kingdom.  We want to help you, not use you.”

“I’m not interested in what you have to say, I’ll break free eventually.”

“No you won’t, it is unmoving and you are too.  I want you to see what Valorant truly is, not what you think it is.”

“I don’t give a shit what Valorant is, you tracked me and trapped me in this.”  

“We tried to bring you in but you refused because you thought we were Kingdom.  I want to prove we’re better than them.”

“By encasing me in rock and hauling me somewhere against my will?  Just like Kingdom tried before?”

“You’d run away otherwise, and I went easy on you.  I could have broken your legs and healed them later, but I wanted you to see we aren’t cruel.”

It was true, she had held back enough not to render you unconscious or cripple you.  Plus she didn’t sound like she was lying, her tone was honest

“I don’t know if I can fully trust you, but if you want to show me Valorant I don’t really have a choice do I?”

“Not particularly, but I promise you are safe while under my watch.”

She had your petrified body loaded onto a VTOL and flown to the HQ

Once you had been briefed, and Sage released you, she passed you a keycard.  Brimstone finished his report on Omega

“Y/N, please lend us your aid.”  Sage pleaded

“I’m in, don’t worry.  I was wrong about you all, I’m happy to join.”  

“Sage, take Y/N to the clinic and give them a check up.  I’ll finish Y/N’s file and send word to the agents that we have a new member.”

You and her went over to the clinic and she sat you down on the table before taking a few instruments out

“Y/N, please remove your clothes.” she took a tablet and started marking things as you cautiously took your clothing off.  You blushed the entire time

Sage moved quickly, giving you questions while she looked you over.  She finished her check up and had you dress back up

“Y/N, do not worry I have seen the entire protocol naked.  I am just doing my job.”

“I know, it’s just strange because I don’t know you that well.”

“Then I hope we become close,” Sage smiled at you, “I must ask you about what you want to use for a callsign.”

“I didn’t think about that.  Do you have any ideas?”  

Sage responded with a long pause

“I suppose something that suggests your strengths.  You are flexible and spirited.”

“Do you have anything that sounds like either of those?”

“Would you accept Nomad?  It is the word for people that have no single place they call home.”

“Nomad…” you thought about it for a second.

“I love it!”

“Wonderful, now let’s finish your recruitment Nomad.”

Jett

“I’m not gonna work with the woman that destroyed Venice!” you screamed as you launched a volley of energy at Jett 

The backstreets of Split had turned into a storm of bullets and radiant explosions, Jett was lurking in the rafters while you stuck to the ground

She nimbly dashed from cover to avoid the bursts of plasma, then took aim with her Vandal

“Shut up!  You don’t know what you’re talking about!”  Jett’s serious tone cut through the chaos.  Her gun ran dry and she began to reload

“You can’t lie to me!  I’m never joining Valorant!”  A gathering of particles rushed through your hands, charging a pulse of energy that blasted Jett from cover

Her body flew through the air from the force, and you watched with satisfaction.  Then she suspended herself in midair, turning to you

“I’m done with your shit, Y/N.” Jett summoned her knives, and sent them for you

Acting quickly, you used the rest of your energy to blast the knives from their paths.  Each failed to connect as the knives moved on their own, weaving around 

Blades sped past you, then sinking into your clothes and pinning you to the ground.  Jett drifted down and knelt next to you, a smug grin painted on her face

“So,” a blade twirled over her finger, “care to correct what you said about me and Venice?”

“I saw the footage, it was you.  I won’t work for people who shelter a monster.”

“IT WASN’T ME!”  Jett’s control slipped and the knife embedded itself next to your neck

“She took everything from me,” a few tears fell down from Jett’s cheek.  “You of all people should know what being slandered feels like!”

It was true Kingdom had done their best to scare the public after they lost track of you, and wasted no time showing how dangerous you were

“You want me to feel bad for you when you’re hunting me like them?  They took so much from me and you’re no different.” 

“Y/N, you don’t have anywhere to go.  Valorant stood with me against the world, I stay with them because they know I’m not the enemy.”

Silence gave you time to digest how genuine she was being.  You could see how wounded she was and what Valorant meant to her

“I want them to help you Y/N.  We both had our lives ruined but Valorant is our second chance.”

“I’m not against it, but even if I was you’ve already caught me.”

Jett rolled her eyes and helped you up

“Valorant will help you, it’s like a second family to me.  I hope it becomes that for you too.”

The fact Jett’s double had ruined her life was made clear to you once you were in the care of Valorant

Her anger flared whenever the photo would appear in the report Brimstone gave you.  Wind would pick up in the room, moving papers about

You signed on immediately when you realized that you could make a difference and stop the mirrors from unleashing more Spikes

“Jett, I’m sure Y/N is going to need some help navigating the protocol.  Do you mind giving them a tour of the premises?”

“Yeah, let’s go Y/N.  This place is huge so we should start now.”

You and Jett took a walk through the corridors of Valorant.  Jett took you first to the training room and showed you the scoresheet

“As you can see, I have some high marks but no big deal.”  Jett gloated, making sure a nearby Phoenix could hear here

She took you next to the living quarters and introduced you to Killjoy and Raze, both of whom greeted you excitedly

Jett next took you to the cafeteria, mainly to flex the fact she cooked last night

“I bet you’re hungry after everything, we can probably take a minute here and have some of the chap chae I made.”

You and her reheated the noodles and added some onions and carrots to it

“So Y/N,” Jett practically inhaled her food, “what were you thinking for a codename?”

You finished a bit of food, “I don’t really know what I’d go with.”  

“How about Nomad?  I mean it makes sense ‘cause you’re hard to catch.  Plus it sounds cool.”

“It does, we should use that!” you agreed

You and her finished up and cleaned your plates, then finished the tour 

“Y/N, Nomad, tomorrow Phoenix, Neon, and I are gonna get together for movie night.  You should totally join us!”

“I’ll be there!”  

Deadlock

“Don’t try and run Y/N, you can’t escape me.”  Deadlock’s eyes trained on you, watching for any movement

She had you at gunpoint, pointing a Phantom at your chest ready to fire.  Her finger was slightly above the trigger

“Nobody is taking me prisoner!” you shouted before leaping out of the way and phasing into energy

Deadlock fired through you, the bullets disintegrating as they passed through you.  You sprinted through a wall and detransformed

That wasn’t so bad you thought to yourself as you began to make your way across the room you had entered

A beeping noise caught your attention as you exited, you searched for its source.  Then you looked to your left and saw the Sound Sensor

It concussed you and sent you reeling into the main room of the Kingdom outpost.  You spotted the exit on the second floor and dashed up the stairs

“YOU’RE NOT LEAVING MY TERRITORY Y/N!” a yell caught you off guard.  A blue string floated in front of your face for a single second

Then an onslaught of fibres wrapped your arms and legs, restraining you.  You did everything you could to escape but it was too late

The cocoon floated somewhere, but a brief minute later you felt yourself being picked up and carried outside

Bitter cold crept in through the gaps in the nanowire, causing you to shiver.  Then you felt yourself being rested on snow 

A knife cut through the web, a centimeter from your face.  It opened your face up to the chilling weather and Deadlock’s stoic expression

“Are you cold?  You keep moving like you’re shivering.”  Her voice was flat, unbothered by the freezing winds

“I-I’m f-f-fine, I don’t, n-need any he-help.” you did your best not to let her notice your teeth chattering

“You are an awful liar, we’re going back to the station.” Deadlock began a march back and threw you over her shoulder

“Put me down!” 

“You’ll freeze Y/N, I don’t want you to get frostbite.”

“Why?  You opened fire at me why does it matter if I get cold?”

“I know you don’t deserve to suffer out here, and I didn’t shoot to kill.  Valorant sent me to collect you but we won’t mistreat you.”  

“You’re part of Kingdom, I know you are.”

“I’m not, when our extraction arrives we’ll take you to our headquarters and you can see that we have your best interests at heart.”

You went silent, confused at the fact she was taking you back to the outpost instead of directly to her allies.  It wasn’t something a typical mercenary or Kingdom would do

“How long until they arrive?”

“A few minutes from now.”  Deadlock shut the door and laid you against a wall near a heating vent

“Rest Y/N, I don’t want you to freeze.”

Hours later, you were in the tropics at the Valorant HQ

You exited Brimstone’s office with a newfound appreciation for Valorant.  Your Mirror concerned both you and the agents around you

Brimstone had finished signing you up with the protocol, and you agreed to go to the armory to get an idea of what you would be training with 

Deadlock led you through the headquarters, giving you a brief tour of the base before stopping at the weapon room

“Y/N, we are going to go over weaponry while the others finish notifying the protocol about you and readying your quarters.”  Deadlock handed you a Guardian

“Take it and see how it feels.”  She watched you explore the rifle and attempt to take it apart.  Field stripping was not your strength

Deadlock began to help you, as well as go over the rest of the armory’s collection.  You learned how to clean the guns which seemed to be enough for Deadlock

“I’ll have a kit sent to your room, but I have to ask what were you thinking for a code name?”

“Codename?”

“Every agent gets one, so we have to assign you one.”  She referred to her own ID card and took a seat at the firing range 

“Come on, I don’t have the slightest idea of what to put for one.  What would you put?”

Looking upwards in thought, Deadlock paused for a second before meeting your gaze

“They gave me my name because I can stall the enemy.  You specialize in moving and being unpredictable.”

You nodded in agreement

“Perhaps, Nomad?” Deadlock shrugged her shoulders

“You know that sounds good.  Put Nomad as my codename please.”  You felt the name around a bit before settling into the callsign

“Hey Deadlock,”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for the name and for not letting me freeze.”

“It was no trouble at all.” 

(This might be the first of many -X Reader things, so follow me if you're interested. Comment your favorite parts so I know what people like to see!)

[bairdthereader]

Look at Charlie's friends covertly gathering intel for him.

Tao, Isaac, and Elle are so invested in Charlie's life that they help him figure out the situation with Nick even when they're deeply skeptical of the outcome.

Tao, King of Getting Involved, decides to "do some digging" over the school break, asking Otis about Nick's relationship status on Charlie's behalf. He tells Charlie it's because he doesn't want to see Charlie get hurt--his intentions are good--but Charlie's confusion only deepens as a result.

An Emergency Charlie Situation Meeting is then called, and Isaac the romantic jumps in (thank you, Isaac Henderson, for believing in love against all odds), asking their inside source, Elle, to do some digging of her own. She thinks it's ridiculous ("he's the straightest person I've ever seen"), but one pleading, soulful look from Charlie and she folds like a house of cards.

It must be said that Elle is masterful at this role. She's an extremely observant person (another post!) and learns more about/from people in short interactions than almost anyone else on the show. She gets the necessary information and reports back to Charlie, even knowing that Tara's lack of interest in Nick doesn't really confirm anything about Nick's potential interest in Charlie. Charlie asked, so she helped.

And can I say how much I love the utter disbelief in Elle's tone when Imogen claims she and Nick are together. Elle figures out the truth about that situation pretty much immediately. Plus, her loyalty to Charlie shows in every word of this uncomfortable interaction.

Charlie checks in with his friends--even ones as completely new as Tara and Darcy--to make sure no rumors are floating around about him and Nick, using every possible source of information to protect Nick. This group knows that they need to watch out for each other, and sharing those kinds of details is one way to do that.

Tao is so torn up about the overheard conversation between Nick and Imogen that he feels compelled to share the information with Charlie, even though he knows it will hurt (I mean, look at his face when he delivers the news). Luckily Nick's explanation smooths things over with Charlie, and he takes the steps needed to make things right. Sometimes Tao's involvement feels destructive, but he's trying so hard to protect Charlie and his own friendship with Charlie that he's constantly on the alert and compulsively honest. Charlie's always going to know everything Tao knows, good or bad.

They love this boy SO MUCH. Oh to have such a loyal, loving, sneaky squad on your side.

[incorrect-bhaalspawn-quotes]

Coran: I like to think of myself as a pretty helpful guy.

(Two minutes later)

Coran: I can’t help you.

[drunkenskunk]

Something funny I've noticed while playing in the Lancer game @xeansicemane is running is that I am the odd-man (woman?) out in our merry little band of misfits. I am the only one in the SRT without an interesting backstory and/or potentially mission threatening Dark Secret.

We have:

- Fern Tiramisu, the fancy rat who has a job on Hell's Gate in a record store that sells more drugs than records. Except this is merely their cover story, as they are really an operative working for the Union Intelligence Bureau, sent to Calliope on a Top Secret Spy Mission. They've also discovered that parts of their memory have been wiped - by them - and are now trying to recover those memories and figure out why they'd do that to themselves in the first place.

- Cassilda Halloway, the very large, very Stronk, practically indestructible crocodile lady who is a champion in Calliope's fighting scene. Her first, last, and favorite solution for any and all problems is "Imma punch it REAL hard." She's hiding out in the system specifically to get away from her family, a bunch of wealthy and influential fucks back in the Karrakin Trade Baronies. Complicating things is that her brother is also here, for reasons unrelated, and has fallen in with the Faith of the One Plumed in Golden Flame, the local Apocalypse Cult.

- Pearce Collartug, a hyena hacker enby who is practically a JoJo character. They pilot a giant snake-shaped Balor, spending most of every fight covering everything that gets close (and lots more besides) in corrosive nanite swarms. In the last session, we all found out that they also used to be a member of The Circuit, a renegade HORUS cell pirate ring run by Triple Point, a Legion Fork NHP (Fern: "It's a fucking WHAT?!") The Illegal Shape has currently escaped its box and is now doing lots of spooky horror movie shenanigans inside a big asteroid.

- Agarin Raankell, a genetically modified supersoldier dragon man hailing from Clan Thunder Skink, and if you think that sounds a little like the Clans from Battletech: you are absolutely correct. Apparently where he came from, someone generations ago found a Battletech source book about the Clans and went "Hey, y'know what would be awesome?" Probably the most stable and level-headed member of the entire SRT, which is hilarious if you know anything about the Clans, but it does make him the de-facto squad leader in most situations involving direct combat. Also, he's psychically bonded with all of us. Because of Reasons.

And then you have my character.

- Scarlet. She's an alcoholic fuck-up.

Personally, I'm fine with it. My design doc for her boiled down to "What if me, but Girl, and also mech pilot?" She's a grunt. A humble footsoldier. Currently License Level 2, and still piloting her Everest. If this were Battletech, she'd probably drive a Hunchback. She's here to fight and get drunk, because she's no good at anything else.

I just think its hysterical that I'm the only one here not doing A Bit.

... come to think of it, I'm also the only one who hasn't been gene modded to be a Funny Animal Person lol

[incorrect-odd-squad-quotes]

*In the chip aisle at Walmart, doing a late-night grocery run.*

Oscar: *Minding their own business, looking for tortilla chips.*

Oscar: *Finds tortilla chips.*

Olive, to Otto: See, he knows what he's here for. He knows what he's doing. Be more like Oscar. 

Olive: Make a decision, Otto!