#v. anne; tag tbd.

[wisheswagered]

Anne knows better than to trust this man.

She knows better, but... there's something about him. It's not just his face - the same one she's seen in her nightmares-turned-hallucinations, achingly familiar and yet just out of reach from recognition... No, she feels like something in her wants to be there for him. Something in her trusts him, and it's bitterly that she forces herself to remember her truth - no adults can be trusted.

She won't be betrayed again. It's not like there aren't good people in the world, Anne knows... or maybe that's not the case, and everyone really is a monster? It doesn't really matter, you see, because there's no way to know for sure - so she'll protect herself by staying distant from them all. Anne is no longer a puppet to be used and thrown away - no, she's a toy with wooden wings, flying free; far away from those who would want to hurt her.

"Welcome!" she says with a smile. It's the same smile as ever, a friendly and warm one, a smile that speaks - 'I'm harmless', it says, 'and I trust you, really, I do.' At the very least, she's happy to have a visitor to her store, one who might see her beloved toys and adore them, even if she'd rather they go to a child in need.

"I've never seen your face here before. I do hope you enjoy my little store."

@celestiialnotes ( starter! )

[shadowedresolve]

"Man, sometimes I wonder if it's what I really want to do..."

Ann sighs as she offhandedly remarks on something that's been bothering her today, though she doesn't think about it too often. Immediately after, though, she gives a sheepish kind of smile, looking at Makoto and abruptly apologizing.

"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to unload on you. You're just really easy to talk to, you know?" ...But she doesn't want to bother Makoto with a stray thought like that. Modeling is what she decided to strive towards, after all, and she doesn't want to give up on that goal! Especially with Shiho counting on her... she needs to give her strength, just like she promised she would. It's not like she hates the work, either. Working hard on her appearance is tougher than Ann expected, but she's not going to give up on something just because it's hard work.

"I bet you're working hard towards your goal too, aren't you? You're really impressive, Makoto!"

@belovedblossoms ( starter for makoto! )

[rebellionhearted]

"Hey, mind if I sit here?"

Seika stands with a smile on her face, and a drink in her hand that would give any health-conscious adult a heart-attack just from looking at it. ...But look - Seika tries to make some effort to watch her health, in a general sense at least - so isn't it fine to indulge every once in a while?

Now that gets a good look at Ann, she feels like she's seen her somewhere before... but can't quite place from where. Either way, while she feels a little bad about asking a stranger if she can sit with them, it's not like she has many other options, since, well-

"This place is packed! I really wasn't expecting this place to be so popular." Though the fact that the store is new and has such a good reputation should've given her a good reason to expect it, really.

"Oh, but if you don't want me, I can find somewhere else, though!"

@guidedhearts ( starter for ann! )

[tayasmultimuses]

v: No more past. No more future. Just me, moving forward. : This verse is my "comics canon is comics canon" verse for Rachel. Everything that's happened to her in her canon is canon here. Including all current Krakoa-era stuff up to the events of Trial of Magneto Knights of X. [Aka this is her main verse and also tagged with v: main(ray)]

v: I am fire and life incarnate. Like my mother before me, i declare this to be true: Now and forever more, I am Phoenix! [Dark Phoenix!Rachel] (au) : this verse is my take on a Dark Phoenix arc for Rachel and I have two options for us to chose from. Both are equally welcome.

Option one for this verse is the one where either Rachel loses all control over her anger and grief during Deadly Genesis OR Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire through War of Kings and then becomes the Dark Phoenix due to the grief and rage and sheer hate she has. Given that these two events fall right on the heels of one another and also right on the heels of the End of Greys storyline.

Option two is that Rachel takes the Phoenix Force away from Scott during the AVX/Phoenix Five right after he's taken Emma's portion of the Phoenix from her and Rachel ends up being overwhelmed by it and goes all Dark Phoenix.

Either way, she loses a lot of her morality and most of her inhibitions as she gives in the darker side of the Phoenix Force.

It's NEW TRAUMA, BABY (Instead of the constant rehashing of her Hound trauma or just inflicting trauma on her because of Phoenix stuff and/or lineage stuff or just stuff caused by the Shi'ar)!

v: and I will be strong even [when] it all goes wrong (au: the gifted) : This is Rachel's verse for The Gifted. It is connected to Lorna's "when I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe (au)" verse in that it takes place in the alternate season 2 of that verse. She has been captured by Dr. Campbell, brainwashed, drugged (been given lots and lots of Kick) to turn her into a Hound, and has now been set loose on the Underground and the Inner Circle to ultimately destroy them by capturing or killing them.

[ofprevioustimes]

Milady de Winter, a seductive murdress.

From BBC’s Musketeers/Alexandre Dumas

I. BASIC STATS

i. OTHER NAMES: Anne de Breuil, Lady Clarik, Charlotte Backson, Comtesse de la Fère ii. MAIN PERIOD: 17th Century iii. PLACE OF BIRTH: Paris, France. iv. OCCUPATION(s): Noble, spy, assassin v. RELIGION: Catholic vi. TERMS OF ADDRESS: “Madame de Winter” vii. MUSE LEVEL: New muse, still testing.

II. PERSONALITY

Young, beautiful, cunning and deceitful. Her ferocious nature is hidden underneath her elegant and flirtatious manners; her strength is concealed beneath her ladylike appearance; her ruthlessness is hidden underneath her docile gaze. Smart and resourceful, but often amoral, Milady is always finding a way to achieve her goals, but though her brain is sharp and clever, her heart can also impair her judgment, especially since she keeps it heavy with bitterness and vengeance.

Milady values wealth, strength, power and intelligence.

III. MUSE-SPECIFIC POTENTIAL TRIGGERS

Violence. Toxic relationships.

IV. SKILLS & ABILITIES

Social intelligence. Horse riding. Shooting. Killing. Spying. Fighting.

V. INTERPRETATIONS OR CANON DIVERGENT POINTS

My Milady is a mixture of Dumas’ and BBC. This is a new character, so I’m still figuring out which elements I’m using and which ones I’m discarding.

VI. MUSE-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

TBD.

VII. INTERACTIONS & BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Because she has been burned before, Milady is suspicious of other people and has a tendency to get close to them only if there is some advantage for her. She is not completely heartless, though it may seem so, and is capable of loving others and wanting to do the right thing once or twice, but her bitterness and resentment from her past tend to dominate her emotions and drive her towards unhealthy decisions.

Possible dynamics include, but are not limited to: your muse hires Milady for a task; Milady joins your muse’s society to seek some advantage for herself; frenemies; etc.

VIII. SHIPPING

As above, Milady will probably only get romantically involved with your muse if she has an exterior interest. That’s not to say she will be dishonest with everyone all the time, for she does want to love and be loved, but is highly suspicious of this particular feeling. It’s possible to build something real (perhaps even healthy) with her, but it’s difficult.

Possible dynamics include, but are not limited to: enemies to lovers; arranged marriage; mutually toxic, etcetera.

IX. TAGS

TBD.

[shadowedresolve]

"Don't be such a sore loser, Ryuji!~"

Ann continues to taunt him, pleased as can be. Of course, Ann may be a beginner to Punch Out specifically, but she's not new to gaming on the whole, and she might have been practicing at similar games in preparation for this particular showdown. Not that Ryuji needs to know that!

But she settles down a little as he asks where they're going - still smiling, but less sickeningly proud of herself.

"And come on, don't be like that! I'm sure it'll be fun for you too!" at least, she genuinely hopes so. While messing with Ryuji is fun, Ann does care about him as a friend in the end - and she wouldn't want to force him to do something he actually found miserable all day.

"In fact, I was thinking that you should choose where we go! There must be something you've been wanting to get lately, right?" she nods confidently, despite having no way of knowing for sure. "I thought it's time I expanded my horizons a bit. Oh, but we're definitely getting something sweet too, 'kay?"

"No effin' way! You musta cheated for real!"

His eyes narrowed at her, glaring holes into her. He was the number one player in this Punch Ouch game, so how could she get a higher score than him? A fighting game was easy as pie if one knew what buttons and combos to press, and yet Ann was a beginner, from what she told him. How the hell was that even possible? He couldn't wrap his head around it. But a deal was a deal, and he took out his wallet to give her 800 yen, as it was discussed.

"...Tch, whatever, man." He folded his arms, irritated. "Now what? Where are we goin', to one o' your shoppin' trips?"

[shadowedresolve]

"Hey, uhhh, Futaba...?"

Honestly, Ann is so glad she worked up the courage to play video games with Futaba, finally. Ann's a big fan of games herself, but going up against an expert-level gamer like Futaba... she couldn't help but feel weirdly self-conscious about the idea for a while. Now, though, while she's still nowhere near on Futaba's level, she's realized that it was a silly thing to worry about - which she'd kind of known all along, but hey. Brains are weird like that sometimes, right?

But what Ann's thinking about now that they're taking a break is something a little different. She didn't know who to ask about it first, but Futaba is smart, so she might know something about it, right...?

"Have you noticed anything... weird happening, lately? Like, you know... just, like. Generally?"

@oraclememehacker ( starter! )

[shadowedresolve]

"Oh, Ryujiiiiii...?~"

Ann sings Ryuji's name with glee, her singsong tone filled to the brim with obvious satisfaction. With a hand on her hip, it's clear that she's very pleased about something - but what could that something be?

Smiling with a deceptive sweetness, Ann's expression suddenly becomes more playful as she looks him straight in the eyes.

"I believe that means that I win the bet. Now, come on - pay up!"

@fatexbound ( starter for ryuji! )

[shadowedresolve]

For Alice... sometimes, she feels like everything that matters to her is over.

There's no coming back from the things she did. Despite pouring her heart and soul into fashion, she's been cut off from the industry entirely now, and she knows she stands no chance of ever coming back. She can't even be upset about it, because she knows it's exactly what she deserves.

Even so... it hurts. It's not selfish to feel that way, right? Even if it is, she can't help it. But despite that... she's still clinging on to her dream. To be a ray of light for other people - is that even possible for her anymore?

"Hmm? ...Takamaki-san?"

As she notices the other girl, she can't help but feel surprised. Alice hasn't seen her since... ah. Shame coils in her gut as she remembers how their last interaction went. All the things Ann saw her do... she couldn't feel any worse. Should she just avoid her? Surely Ann wants nothing to do with her - she said so herself. But...

"Umm... could I talk to you, for a minute? I... wanted to apologize."

@fatexbound ( starter for ann! )

[shadowedresolve]

"Ah... thank you. That really means so much to me, Takamaki-san."

Haru knows the doubts and desires plaguing her mind won't go away so easily, but even so... just sharing it with Ann makes her feel a little better. And for Ann to be so understanding... she's so lucky to have been blessed with such a wonderful friend.

"You're right. I suppose it all just feels like so much. ...Did I ever tell you about my dream of opening my own cafe? ...I think I'd love that, more than anything else in the world. But when I think about it, sometimes I feel like I should be doing something that helps other people, instead. If I had knew what exactly I could do to help, maybe it would be a little easier..."

It's hard to put into words what she means. She knows she's not obligated to get a job dedicated to other people; and that there are ways to help other people outside of a career, anyway. But even if she doesn't start pursuing it yet, having some kind of plan in mind for how she can give back to the people around her - she feels like it would make her feel better. Even if it's only the start of a plan, and she doesn't pursue it for a long time.

Honestly, she feels glad that Takakura is still in charge of the running of her company for now. She wouldn't even know where to begin with it. ...As she thinks that, she winces a little - shouldn't she be more grateful for the opportunity she has? Many people would give anything to be in her position.

"But thank you. Hearing you say that you'll be with me makes me feel better." Then, she giggles a little. "A superhero and a supervillain... we really make quite the pair, don't we?"

@fatexbound ( continued from here! )

[shadowedresolve]

"Oh- hey! Is that you, Zenkichi?"

Ann has to say, running into Zenkichi here is quite the surprise - but not necessarily an unpleasant one at all. In fact... it's actually quite nice to see him again, especially in a moment like this when she's got time to kill. He's a working man, so it's not always easy to find chances to speak with him, and sometimes she wonders if he still feels out-of-place in the Phantom Thieves as the only adult and a newcomer... She hopes he doesn't feel that way. She won't deny that she enjoys spending the most time with the friends her own age, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't wonder how he's doing, sometimes.

So after a moment, she decides this is a good opportunity to catch up - if he's not busy, of course. There is one thing she's curious about, though...

"It's so good to see you! Aren't you based down in Kyoto, though? What brings you down here?"

@epitomees ( starter for zenkichi! )

[shadowedresolve]

Yuri often wonders if she's letting life pass her by too complacently. Actually, it's something that's been on her mind for a long time, but it seems to particularly be bothering her today... often, she's struck with the urge to do more - for other people, and for herself, yet somehow every day that passes feels like a missed opportunity, her energy leaving her before she can even think of what it is she wants to do.

Where did her aspirations from childhood go? Even though she's still young, it feels like she's grown up all too fast without realizing it. ...But these kinds of melancholy thoughts won't help her right now, and she's being too indulgent, anyway...

Suddenly, she notices someone who seems somewhat familiar. It's rude to stare, and Yuri knows that, but she can't help but be a little curious, trying to figure out where she recognizes them from... and then, suddenly-

"Oh! You're..."

@quillheel ( starter for ann or akechi! )

[shadowedresolve]

"Wow, that girl really admired you, didn't she, Takamaki-san?"

Haru smiles, looking off at the girl who's now running off happily into the distance before turning back to Ann. Haru's known for quite a long time that Ann is a model, of course, but she never really saw that side of her friend's life much in the past, and it's not something she thinks about often.

But today, a stranger had approached Ann who seemed to have recognized her from some magazine or another. Honestly, Haru isn't sure whether that's a common occurrence or something extremely irregular, but she has to admit that it's sparked her curiosity.

"She talked a lot about dreams... it made me a little curious. Do you have any dreams for the future? I've never really had the chance to ask!"

@paenseo ( starter! )

[shadowedresolve]

"So..."

It's been a good morning. Which is no surprise at all, considering Ann's spent it with Akira - he's a good friend, and always easy to talk to. After making jokes and messing around a bit, they've finally sat down to just relax and talk, and Ann can't help but appreciate how peaceful the moment is - remembering the times when having friends like this felt like an impossible dream.

"Do you have any plans for the future? Like... what you want to do, I guess. You can't be the leader of the Phantom Thieves forever, after all."

@fantomevoleur ( starter! )

[shadowedresolve]

“You know, my daughter thinks you’re super cool.”

There’s a warm, slightly teasing smile on Zenkichi’s face as he speaks. He knows Akane would have his head if she heard him talking about her like this, but it can’t be helped - he thinks that this is something Ann deserves to know. While Akane’s grown particularly close to Makoto as of late, it’s not just her she’s a big fan of, and thinking about it, Zenkichi doesn’t know if Ann really knows that.

“She’s dying to meet you again sometime. There’s no pressure, obviously, but you’re always welcome if you want to give us a visit.”

@musaeon​ ( starter for ann! )

[shadowedresolve]

Mmm! These crêpes! They’re delicious!”

Haru’s joy and wonder is written all over her face as she enjoys her food, Ann by her side. She’s always had a great love for treats like this, and she can tell that the person who made them put  a lot of love into it.

But being here with Ann makes it taste even better. As she takes another bite, Haru looks over at her and smiles warmly.

“Thank you for inviting me out here today. I had a wonderful time.” she starts, polite as always, though it’s obvious she means every word she says. But then...

“I know I said I had something I wanted to talk to you about, but... it might sound a little selfish.”

@fatexbound​ ( starter for ann! )