#charliesgotchops

[debutafin]

( *starter for @charliesgotchops )

ㅤ a bell rings as toula opens the door. aphid looks up at the bell & walks inside, wrapping her coat around her middle. she mumbles a hello in return to the clerk who greets her at the sound. the pair, just as quietly, scans the shelves & heads toward the replacement strings.

ㅤ she found this place online. through careful research, aphid determined this shop was closest to her apartment on short notice. her fingers still thrum from the strings they strung... a harp is only as beautiful as the sound it makes⸻ a twang from a snapping string was anything but. blamed on a string of bad luck that followed her, nothing more. attention drifts toward electronic tuners...

ㅤ breathing labors against healing ribs. her hand still clasps her jacket over her stomach, the spidops holds out the broken string, taken to compare widths... then she eyes prices, the electronic tuners again... the more expensive string without the tuner. the quality should be better. it's only a few dollars more.

ㅤ it's a silent affair. the thought, the decision, the way she steps to avoid disturbing the saxophone through the speaker. glances about the interior prolong a quick visit... it's cozy. small, but there's a few tables nearby... it makes the shop look larger, deeper than wide. espresso machines extend the otherwise quaint register... suppose she skimmed over the reviews too quickly. she plans to practice for a while, caffeine wouldn't hurt...

ㅤ a deep breath strains⸻ exhales faster. it finds the man at the register, places the string on the table, exchanges another quiet greeting... she clutches the fur of her jacket, "could... i get a coffee too, please?"

[mercifangs]

"...I try and control what I can, and let go of what I can't," charlie smiles, his deft hands scrubbing out the inside of a bar-glass as he explains himself to clemency, the latest fascinating stranger to walk in off the street. new york may be the city that never sleeps, yet cafe fortune provides a well-hidden solace for those who are fortunate enough to discover it among the metropolitan bustle.

"honestly? at the end of the day, I'm just glad I have a small slice of the world to call my own," he hums, a familiar, self-deprecating laugh leaving his lips as he gestures around the cozy space. louis armstrong rasping softly on the record player. the well-worn wooden stage and varnished countertop. the ever-present scent of coffee and musty sheet music hanging in the air. and his little black cat, luck be a lady, stretching languidly in the windowsill. charlie turns his attention back to the glass. "...what brings you to the big apple, miss...?"

late nights at the cafe often turned philosophical, reflective...and such idle musing is always better with company.

It is not yet clear to Clemency Payne what has brought her here, though she has her theories. Had it been the warm light cutting into the darkness of the early evening sky, the signage in front like a prophecy, a promise of music printed rather than scrawled by her own hand, or the serenade of Satchmo calling to her like an old friend?

In any case, she perches now on one of many chairs in the café, her purchase resting on the table beside her. She has exchanged heavy skirts and wool for sheer fabric and crushed velvet in the interest of camouflage, but she carries herself with the same elegance and poise. Her hands rest in her lap, her ankles are crossed, and although ruby lips move as he speaks to mouth while I'm alone and as blue as can be, dream a little dream of me, no sounds come out.

Despite the impression she may give, she is giving as much attention to his words as she is to the music. When he gestures out to the room, she smiles.

" I often find myself feeling the same way. One must have a space in which they can be themselves in order to properly function. " Her manor, as haunted as she is, stands three thousand miles away. There are seldom few places where she can take as full a breath or sleep as deeply.

" Mrs. Clemency Payne, thank you. "

Her answer to his question requires a beat of consideration, during which she studies her long nails. The truth: it had been a century and a half since she had last graced the States with her presence. She has been itching to step outside of the constraints of her world. She was curious to see the skyscrapers for herself. She wanted to see if that portrait she had modeled for so long ago had actually made its way to display at the Met, or if she had been lied to.

" That is a good question. " There is a bit of humor in her voice, as if she isn't quite sure of the truth herself and, yet, she continues. " I suppose you could say that I am interested in the arts and culture, though I am rather curious about the nightlife, as well. "

❧ @charliesgotchops ( charlie. )

[debutafin]

match maker (feel free to loop in other dan muses!)

( *💭 match maker: also eagerly accepting! )

first things first, idajon & lucy!!! idajon and lucy are BOTH snake enthusiasts; i think that would break the ice very easily for them. they're both strong battlers and they don't shy away from a good fight. the tension between them is that idajon has a very unshakable sense of justice inside her and it conflicts a lot in her relationships... lucy isn't the most righteous person out there. idajon can pick fights very easily, but only after catching lucy in the act. idajon might try to "saw trap" her (present a very elaborate scheme in which lucy has to make a decision that would reveal a lot about her morality so jonnie can pin it on her). she doesn't push too hard if lucy's too smart for idajon⸻ i think they'd have a strange dynamic but an interesting one.

i know we have silene & dendra going (which is going to be soooo much fun) but i think silene & cynthia could get along well too. cynthia's a great source of knowledge for ruins, silene's also got some knowledge with a few gaps to fill. i think they could learn a lot from each other from someone who is looking in from the outside (cynthia) and someone who's looking out from the inside (silene).

i'm not too sure what exact label to call grimm but she's something of a crime fighter (perhaps an interpol member in a pokémon au?)... i think there could be something there for ariana & grimm. something something, grimm has to do a bit of investigative work into a new rocket scheme, ariana has been in the business for so long that a rookie doesn't phase her, however this rookie is also a human weapon whose arm turns into a zap canon gun with a few strong/ rare pokémon so it's something new to worry about. i think depending on the plot/ what grimm is looking into specifically, there's a lot of routes to consider (somehow using grimm's naïvety against her to lead her search elsewhere, maybe cutting a deal with grimm that makes it so grimm can't dig any further, etc...)

aphid & charlie would be sweet. aphid plays the piano, violin, and harp with a focus on the last two. she'd be drawn in by the music, something nice to drink... additionally, charlie & chantasia. aphid is quiet and far less conversational than chantasia, who would be one of the musical talents who occupies the stage at the cafe (she sings some jazz!). aphid & charlie would be slow friends, chantasia & charlie are both widows (through different means). the points where both pairs can bond would be different but i think he needs something nice.

[saffronist]

T / @charliesgotchops​​

It all begins with a flight to Kalos.

Her agent’s office smells like printer ink and little else. There are stacks and stacks of files everywhere - on the desk, the windowsill, the cabinets. Sabrina herself sits wedged into the middle of the couch, a thick pile of papers on each side of her. She wrinkles her nose. “We’re switching to a new filing system,” Emile had grimaced when he escorted her in. There is a new contract to review. More paperwork to fill out. NDAs to sign. Emile tuts disapprovingly when she crosses out sections of the sheet in front of her. “If you took your acting career more seriously, I could make you a star, you know. I’m very good at my job, my dear.” 

“I know.”

She spends the night in a shoddy apartment on the outskirts of town. She had to switch train lines twice and walk fifteen minutes from the station to make it to her DragonairBnB. There’s cracked tiles by the entryway and water stains in the stairwell, but with no vacant hotel rooms for miles, Sabrina’s just grateful for somewhere to sleep. The apartment is sparse but clean, and Sabrina doesn’t waste any time before getting to bed. She turns to the window, listening to the noise of the street. She can hear someone thumping around in the apartment above her. A faint trumpet tune. Sounds of conversation float through the window. The apartment is quiet. She’s in a whole new region, but this feels familiar.

Sabrina doesn’t realize she had fallen asleep until she wakes to blaring of the fire alarm. Initial confusion sets in – she hadn’t even touched the stove – until she realizes the sounds are coming from the hallway. She grabs a sweatshirt and slippers before trodding out of the apartment, blinking blearily at the flashing lights. Residents file out of different apartments in the hall, some disheveled and others visibly upset over the disturbance. “Anyone know what’s going on?” one woman asks. “Sidney on floor six was probably smoking pot again and set off the alarms,” a neighbor groans.

Sabrina steps away from the crowd of residents that forms on the sidewalk outside the building as the firetrucks arrive. She rubs at the goosebumps on her arms, grimacing at the chill. The day had been comfortably cool, but the night is unforgiving, and she hopes that the alarms will get shut off so she can hurry back inside. She notices a man with dark eyes squatting by the curb, hands loose at his side. His hair is disheveled, sticking out at odd angles. The air fogs up when he exhales. 

“Fuck,” she hears him hiss.

Sabrina agrees.

[hexed-up]

4dan.org

[singingwithpokemon]

MOVIE NIGHT - from Charlie!

14. Your muse slyly stretches to try and hook their arm around mine

{Based off our High school Band Camp AU thread because yolo and swag.} 

At the end of the week, all the clubs and groups joined together to have a movie night. It was a reward for working so hard and not fighting with each other. All the band kids would sit with each other and all the choir kids would sit with each other. Except, Billie and Charlie didn’t sit with their groups, they sat together. 

Billie didn’t even realize how close they were to each other, until she felt Charlie move. The girl looked up at him to see that Charlie was trying to place his arm around her shoulders. 

"Don’t." She whispered to him, looking back at the movie. "Please, just don’t do that."

She could feel Charlie’s eyes on her but she didn’t look at him; it was easier not too. The black-haired girl stood up and walk over to her choir friends, leaving Charlie alone in the back of the room. She didn’t want too leave him like that but she also didn’t want to see their friendship get ruinedjust because she didn’t know how to deal with situations like that. 

[singingwithpokemon]

"Have you fallen asleep on me?" - From Charlie!

♪-“N-no! I didn’t! I swear.” She so did.