Like A Drum is a Pokémon fanfic by TwinklingCupcake.
Just past Verdanturf Town is the Maple Crossing Pokemon Sanctuary, Ji-Min and Andie give at-risk and abused Pokemon a loving home, and provide a rest stop for trainers.But they didn't expect to see a teenager runaway sleeping in their maternity barn next to their pregnant Miltank.
The runaway, Fawn, has no desire to go back home, and the two adults have no desire to turn her in to the police. And so, a little family begins to form...
It can be found on Ao3 here,
and fanfiction.net here.
Like A Drum contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Fawn implies her parents are this, suggesting it to be part of why she doesn't want to return to them. Chapter four reveals they were indeed emotionally abusive, gaslit her, and eventually took her beloved Pokemon away.
- Affectionate Nickname: Every single Pokemon at Maple Crossing is referred to by a nickname. It even extends to Pokemon outside of the sanctuary, with Marshmallow the Cleffa at the cafe.
- Artistic License – Biology: Gracie the Miltank is heavily pregnant... with an egg. Needless to say, fertilized eggs do not incubate inside the mother.
- Artistic License – Law: Fawn's missing persons' report describes how law enforcement are expanding their search beyond her hometown, despite not suspecting any foul play. In reality, runaways reportedly have far less effort put into finding them, and it's highly unlikely anything would be done beyond putting up missing posters in her hometown.
- Broken Bird: Fawn has shades of this, especially in her flashback to her home life.
- Coincidental Broadcast: As Fawn is eating breakfast in her first morning at Maple Crossing, the news just so happens to broadcast her missing persons' report.
- Dark and Troubled Past:
- Teriyaki the Torchic was hatched in the wild, and was the first of her clutch to do so. With no parents in sight, Teriyaki had to defend herself and her siblings all on her own, which led to her perceiving nearly everything as a threat and to develop her Hair-Trigger Temper.
- Fawn has Abusive Parents who emotionally abused, gaslit her and were uncaring to her emotions, and insisted she was a bad girl. The thing that culminated in her running away was when they waited for her to leave the house and then got rid of her beloved Pokemon, King.
- Does Not Like Spam: Fawn hates leppa butter. It turns out it’s because it reminds her of the day she came home to find King gone.
- Establishing Character Moment: Fawn’s mother is introduced praising her for following her early curfew, then following it up by indirectly accusing her of being a violent, troubled teen while ignoring her daughter’s arguments. Then her father enters the room and condescendingly pinches her cheek while scolding her for arguing with Rose.
- Fuzz Therapy: Fawn clearly opens up after being around the Pokemon, especially Teriyaki the Torchic. She is able to calm down from her anxiety attack in chapter four through petting Teriyaki as the latter sits on her lap.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Teriyaki seems to be set off by just about anything. After Fawn arrives, she starts to calm down.
- Hard Truth Aesop: Not all abuse is easy to see, or leaves a visible mark.
- Hate Sink: There is nothing sympathetic about Fawn’s parents in the slightest. They emotionally abused Fawn and ignored her emotions, broke promises they swore they’d keep for no real reason at all, insist she’s a violent and troubled teen despite evidence to the contrary (and if she is troubled, it’s a result of their treatment of her), and apparently spread this lie to their own friends, if Rose’s phone call to one of her friends is a regular occurrence.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Fawn rescued her Cubone, King, from a wild Mawhile when the former didn’t even want to fight. Unfortunately, this led to her parents punishing her with an early curfew, and later still come to the decision to get rid of King while she was out.
- Original Character: The entire human cast.
- Playing with Fire: Naturally; Teriyaki and Ginger are both fire types, and Teriyaki is fond of using Ember on others.
- Parental Substitute: Andie and Ji-Min are clearly this for Fawn, providing her with food and shelter, and treating her with genuine affection and respect.
- Police Are Useless: This certainly seems to be Ji-Min and Andie's mindset. Notably, Fawn hasn't been found despite being firmly in one place for a few weeks.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Both adults at the Sanctuary. They both believe Fawn has her own valid reasons for running away and won't turn her in, but they do agree she needs shelter and food, so allow her to stay at the sanctuary.
- Shout-Out:
- A Torchic named Teriyaki with a Hair-Trigger Temper who hates Zigzagoons. Where have we seen that before?
- The Pokemon with a skull worn over its head is nicknamed “King.”
- The Runaway: Fawn has run away from home a short time before the fic begins, with both her parents and police looking for her.
- Theme Naming: Food-based names show up a lot, such as:
- Marshmallow, a Cleffa
- Ginger, the Vulpix
- Teriyaki, the Torchic
- Snickers, a Zigzagoon
- And of course the sanctuary is Maple.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Cecilia opening a gate and leaving it open is what leads to Fawn’s panic attack, as she remembers her parents’ abuse and them questioning her own memory.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Fawn’s mother, Rose, did this when Fawn confronted her about getting rid of King. When Fawn jerked herself out of Rose’s grip, Rose fell to the ground on her own wrist, accusing Fawn of pushing her.
