call me out / open post 2023

[lukoi]

ANITA BLAKE

ABVH

❝ Sometimes you deal with the devil not because you want to, but because if you don't, someone else will. ❞

AERITH GAINSBOROUGH

Final Fantasy VII

❝ We need to make the most of the time we have — to live our lives the way we wanna live. ❞

BALTHIER

Final Fantasy XII

❝ With each passing day, the world finds new and exciting ways to kill a man. ❞

IGNIS SCIENTIA

Final Fantasy XV

❝ A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back. ❞

ARATAKI ITTO

Genshin Impact

❝ Sorry to break it to ya, but I'm a delinquent. That means it's my job to not have a real job! ❞

KAINÉ

NieR Gestalt/Replicant

❝ Now pull your head out of your goddamn ass and start fucking helping us! ❞

KANJI TATSUMI

Persona 4

❝ I still don't really get what bein' “strong” means, but I'm gonna start by not lying to myself. ❞

ANN TAKAMAKI

Persona 5

❝ Strength is more than just not getting fazed... it's the power to fight through adversity. ❞

JO HARVELLE

Supernatural

❝ You want to know why I wanna do the job? For him. It's my way of being close to him. ❞

leave a starter with the character name in the header and I'll hit you back!
other characters available by request.

full muselist memes for ideas:
- body heat
- angst
- insomnia
- random scenario

Comments

for ann takamaki! <3 BREAKING THIS IN HELL YEAH)

[foolprove]

[ it's time.

it's all been leading up to this- a heist of great importance. ren sits casually, tapping his hand on the table slowly as he and ann eat their entrees. it's good; ren's excited to try his own hand at these recipes later, since he's sure he can make it even better.

but they're not here for the entrees. not really.

he tilts his head a little to catch ann's eye, an eyebrow quirking up just a little more, looking for a sign that she's ready.

this is it. serious business. he's even dressed a little fancier than normal to really sell it all, and he's got a rush of adrenaline at the thought of it working:

trying to get a free dessert. ]

these two are geniuses, masterminds

[cakebuffet]

[Ann has been on the alert for the signal ever since their meals had arrived. They had come to this restaurant with one thing in mind, and one thing only— and as their fellow Phantom Thieves had come to learn, Ann Takamaki was a force to be reckoned with when she set her mind to something.

There was no way this plan of theirs could fail.

She gives him the tiniest nod in response before leaning forward against the table, resting her chin in her hand as she goes for another forkful of her pasta.]

Mmm-mmm!

[She closes her eyes tightly as she lets out a contented sigh, and though it's definitely not unheard of for her to make a big deal over food, this is a little over-the-top even for her.]

This is sooo good!

[Still, it should be enough to draw some initial attention their way...]

mastermind geniuses who deserve FREE DESSERT

[foolprove]

[ ren can't help but grin at ann's bad acting- it's fine. people will just think he's totally enamored with her excitement about food or, like, whatever.

he's just gotta lay it on even thicker than the frosting on whatever baked concoction they'll get out of this, too. ]

Not as good as you look eating it. [ he announces, leaning forward and softening his smile as he rests his elbow on the table and then his head on his hand, watching her. he tilts his head a little so the mirth in his eyes is hidden from others due to the glare on his glasses, but still visible to ann.

he twirls his own fork around in his hand mindlessly, showily before continuing. ]

Actually... [ he draws out slowly, following ann's lead to let more and more attention fall upon them. ] Speaking of. There's something important I've been meaning to ask you.

they absolutely do!

[cakebuffet]

[Of course they will, because who wouldn't be enamored with her excitement about food? It's an endearing character trait!]

Oh, you're so sweet!

[The way she gushes in response is far more overdramatic than it has any right to be— probably enough to blow their cover, if anyone were really being critical of the situation, but who cares enough about two teenagers eating in a restaurant to do that?

She makes a show of setting her fork down, letting her hand come to rest just over her heart.]

Something to ask me? I wonder what it could be!

[Beneath their table, Morgana can be heard giving a pained, exasperated groan from inside the Mona-bag.]

[foolprove]

[ ren gives the monabag(tm) a very, very gentle tap with his foot.

(oh!! oh!! you kick the mona?? JAIL. VELVET ROOM. 1000 YEARS.)

he keeps on smiling in the meanwhile, still genuinely amused and happy with ann's bad acting, food appreciation, and fellow dedication to this plan. ]

I hope it doesn't come as a surprise. [ he says, smooth as he can make it sound. ] But I've been thinking about it for a while, and, well...

[ just like ann, he lets time drag out a little- waiting for more and more people to glance over curiously (including their servers) and then, when it feels right theatrically or whatever, he sweeps himself off of the chair and onto one knee, looking up at ann dramatically and adoringly. ]

Ann... [ he says slowly, keeping to first name only in honor of, like, secreti-ish identities or whatever. ] Ever since we first met standing in the rain... I've been thinking about you. About us.

[ here he gives another DRAMATIC PAUSE to wait for the audience.

(if there's one thing ren knows how to do, it's put on a show.) ]

tfln - overflow

[punchcombo]

[ from here ]

Not at all. Things can ring true so long as you stand firmly behind them. [ Hmmm. ] Perhaps, then, we should think of a new word for you to sneer at the youths. [ :) ]

[inheritedearth]

Hmmm... I don't know if I'm the sneering type. I can't pull it off the way you can.

[Is that really a compliment...?]

[punchcombo]

Truly a touching compliment. Yet if I recall, you can make quite the face at troubling old white men. Just share that with children and we'll both call it a sneer.

[ Is that a compromise? Giving a straight white male(tm) face while looking at children. Ehh. ]

[inheritedearth]

Oh, that's right! I'm very good at that one. Not really a sneer, but close enough. I don't think I know any kids who deserve it, though...

[Their Crimes are not on the same level as those straight white males(tm).]

[punchcombo]

I fear this is why they're able to get away with so much with you.

[ Indeed, their crimes are not as bad, but if she cannot sneer at them once in a while, they'll continue to be difficult. ]

jade - act II family stuff

[leitstern]

[Jasper focuses his eyes on the wooden planks of the cabin. He counts all the rings in the grain, diverting his attention one second later to the unlatching of the door. There is a nervous silence as he wrinkles his nose and looks away. Family were the last people who should have rescued him from that place.

Fingers clench the heft of the axe balanced in his hand and he swings it down - splitting firewood that he collects into a pile.

He pieces together what he might say. What can he say?

Unwilling to share his feelings he devotes himself to work. He acknowledges nothing about how he should be resting - his ribs still stinging - and chops another piece of wood. Dawn shines through the trees and he finds peace in nature.]

You're awake.

yesss

[feisticuffs]

[Conversation has, admittedly, been at a minimum since Jasper had been brought back with them, but pleasantries have been exchanged here and there. For now, it's enough; the situation is not a simple one to resolve, but Jade is grateful that everyone involved has set their weapons aside for the time being. She hadn't wanted to raise one against him in the first place— it had been a necessity, but not something she had relished.

She was an early riser by nature these days, but Jasper had risen before even her, it would seem. She lets the door remain ajar as she heads down the short set of steps, dropping a hand to her hip and lifting her chin to look over the pile he's already assembled.]

Yes— I'm not one to waste the day. Neither are you, it seems.

[That hasn't changed, from what she remembers in her youth.]

uuuugh what is this nonsense jade

[leitstern]

Nonsense. I enjoy wasting time.

[His words are dismissive but he knows she understands what to look for. She always had been more observant than Hendrik. But his attention remains on the task at hand. More wood is collected and thrown into the pile. Perhaps he shall throw Hendrik in there. Not that he could ever lift the fool.]

You should head indoors. The day is young and remains cold.

[Is this concern? Is it frustration? Or does he seek to return to solitude? He stoops to collect a log and freezes. He inhales deeply, masking the pain bringing him to a standstill. Perhaps she understands not to say a word. Not that he holds his breath.]

[feisticuffs]

The cold doesn't trouble me, and I'll not be able to complete my daily training indoors.

[She cannot say whether or not he was concerned for her or simply he wished to be left alone— her gut tells her it may be a bit of both but leaning closer to the latter, given the complexity of their current situation— and she is prepared to continue on her way and walk past him in order to go about her own business until she spots that momentary pause when he bends to collect a log. The intake of breath is sharp, a subtle show of pain, but she's not two steps past him before she stops and turns on her heel to look him over a bit more judiciously, eyes narrowed slightly.]

Should you be lifting at the moment, Jasper?

[There's a sharp, matter-of-fact sort of nature to her question, a no-nonsense attitude that she's developed after all those years on the road. She lets out a soft tsk, then points a finger to indicate that he ought to straighten up.]

Up and off with your tunic. Let me see.

[leitstern]

[His lifetime of obeying orders - first from his mother, then his king and later his master - pushes him to make a concerted effort. He tosses the axe aside to gather fistfuls of linen.

Gigantic miscoloured patches of skin. Not pink or yellow ones. Purple welts so dark they almost look black. His pride demands he hide his wounds. But what right has he to cling to dignity after losing so utterly? It would have been better to disappear. What is there to look forward to now?

He hauls the tunic over his shoulders but pauses a few seconds; needing to hold his breath so he can pull it over his head.]

I need no lectures from you.

[Family. Country. He knows where his future lies. That is why he looks anywhere but at her.]</small

look, I'm just free associating all over the place

[alwaysimpure]

"...sorry." Sirius muttered the apology, feeling quite awkward about it.

Here he was, on Anita's couch. Anita Blake, whom he had met just a few hours earlier. Infamous animator, necromancer, vampire slayer, general badass and, as it turned out, kind of a dork in a sweet way. Which was very, very fortunate for her, because that - in combination with the exact circumstances of their initial meeting - was the reason he was somewhere somewhat safe right now. Not on the run. Not in a fight or duel or hiding somewhere a lot less comfortable.

No, he was here, freshly showered and with washed hair, wearing an oversized T-shirt proclaiming 'I'M NOT SHORT - I'M PENGUIN SIZED' complete with an adorable cartoon penguin on it, and he was trying to tell himself that he was, for the moment, safe enough to sleep.

Of course, even without a physical current threat, there was more than enough haunting him to make sleep impossible and that meant that instead of sleeping, he'd been sitting on the couch staring. Which, understandably, had startled even the big bad vampire slayer when she had walked from her bedroom into the living room, presumably to get something from the kitchen, and encountered the slightly manic wizard on her couch sitting up and looking unhinged. He knew he should be getting rest instead, but no rest for the wicked was a lot more than a catchy song title for him these days.

Anita Blake, remarkably, appeared to believe him when he told her that the reports of him being a mass-murderer weren't true. Sirius didn't quite know why she believed it, but he wasn't going to poke at that too much. Not for the moment. It gave him a respite. A chance to regroup and decide what to do next. And, evidently, also the chance to accidentally scare his gracious host by acting like a creep.

"I'm not trying to freak you out." Seemed best to clarify that. "It's just a new talent of mine I'm honing."

by all means, we love free association!

[animator]

She's still not entirely sure that she isn't going to regret this— harboring a known fugitive with a rap sheet longer than her arm, but even if he hadn't been telling the truth, she's had worse overnight guests. Hell, even if this guy was a mass-murderer, he still would have looked like a sweet little bunny rabbit next to Edward, but she's always had a pretty good sense about people. More than that, she'd killed enough people of her own to know the look of someone else who'd done it, too.

He hadn't, regardless of what the reports said. Things didn't add up, the story as it was on paper just didn't hold.

She shakes her head as she folds her arms and turns to face him, her late-night errand to the kitchen forgotten. Really, it was more like early morning at this point. They'd hear the early morning sounds of her day-living neighbors going about their business before too long.

"I'm not freaked out," she says evenly, and she's pretty sure she believes herself on that one. "Guess I can't blame you if you can't sleep. You've been running awhile, right?"

[alwaysimpure]

"Yeah." Pretty easy thing to say, harder to wrap his mind around that. Keeping track of time had never been a thing he'd excelled at, but that used to just mean that tests and exams at school crept up on him unexpectedly. Generally he'd still ace them, no big deal. Now, though, he struggled to even differentiate between reality and the horrors in his head sometimes. Time was an elusive concept.

"Few months." Felt longer and shorter at the same time. "I still wake up thinking I'm there."

With a frown, he looked at Anita. He wondered how much she'd know about his world. About Azkaban, about the War, about any of this. Usually there was a pretty big divide between them, but she was a magic user herself, she regularly dealt with all sorts of freaky matters. Wouldn't surprise him if she knew more than most.

"Honestly, I'd rather not sleep." Easier to keep distance to everything haunting him when he stayed awake. "Monsters are more real nightmares. Even compared to the actual monsters. I'm sure you can relate."

Given the things she had to deal with regularly.

[animator]

“Yeah. I can relate.” She knows that feeling all too well, the desire to force yourself to deny your body one of its most basic needs because what waited for you in dreams was just as bad as what was out there, sometimes even worse— except doing so only served to leave you worn thin and useless. Not good, if he wants to keep himself alive.

She drops into the armchair nearest the sofa, leaning forward and clasping her hands together so that they hang between her knees, fixing her gaze on him.

“Look, I’m not gonna tell you what to do, but I will say you’re no good to anyone if you’re so exhausted there’s nothing left. Don’t have to sleep, but at least get what rest you can. You can hide out here for a little while, but I think we both know that hiding isn’t a permanent solution.”

Someone would catch up with him, eventually.

“Was there anywhere in particular you were hoping to go when you escaped?”

[alwaysimpure]

"Honestly?" Sirius looked up from where he'd been staring off at nothing much and then he lifted his shoulders slightly, deciding that there wasn't really any reason to keep that secret from her. It wasn't as if he had a reputation to lose any more, not as if she had ever known him before, not as if she was a loved one for him to disappoint and disgust. Not as if he had loved ones left, anyway. "Not sure how much you know about my world."

It was hard to tell, honestly. They always kept things secretive. Wasn't as if it mattered much to her, most likely. "Let's say, there's no room for hope where I come from. So all I've been wanting to do was to get out, hunt down and kill the rat bastard that framed me."

Simple goal. "I don't know if I've got enough left in me for anything more noble than revenge."

for zackrifice - tfln continuation

[inheritedearth]

( from here )

The troublemakers all must have heard I have a bodyguard on duty.

[She gives him her most winsome smile, tipping her head to one side before holding his cup out to him.]

Here you go! A token of my thanks for your excellent service.

[zacrifice]

[He accepts her offer, his lips curving up and down as he wrestles a smile versus a grimace at what he's presented with.]

Thanks. [His gratefulness is not entirely sincere.] It looks even worse in person. How is that possible?

[inheritedearth]

Mmm, maybe something about the camera? People say it adds ten pounds, so maybe it alters how things look in other ways, too.

[Her response is equal parts thoughtful and cheerful, and she holds her own cup up for a toast.]

On the count of three?

[zacrifice]

[He laughs, tapping his cup against hers. He's ready to die smiling!]

You got it. Three... two...

[He'll give her the honours of closing it off (it is her masterpiece/disaster, after all) and will drink when she does.]

[inheritedearth]

[She beams as they tap their cups together. He's always so good about going along with her.]

One!

[She screws her eyes shut before she takes her first long sip through the straw, and probably makes it a good three seconds before her lips pucker a little bit.]

O-oh, wow.

[She'd expected it to be saccharine, but this is on a whole other level.]