Call Me Out Post, 2023

[showtoon]

Pick a character from any section of my muselist you'd like to thread with, and leave a comment here "calling them out" by letting me know what you'd like to play with them. If you have no ideas but want to play certain cr, we can work something out in the comments!

Also, please let me know through a dm or over plurk if you start a thread here, as I will not get a notification for any top-levels!

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Alador Blight; Penstagram DMs - Parenting advice

[glamorphous]

I truly cannot believe I am doing this but

I need your help.

[goopidea]

That makes both of us. Help with what?

[glamorphous]

So help me titan, if you gloat about this, I will make all of your dreadful abomatons spell out 'Alador is a hack' on your front lawn but

do teenagers require a set bedtime? I cannot remember.

[goopidea]

Why?

I mean, my kids do have a curfew, although for the longest time that was only needed for Edric and Emira. They were also sometimes sent to bed if they were seen up very late. But all of that was never my idea.

Is this about the former Golden Guard?

[He seems like a good kid, this is a positive development he's been vaguely aware of... But Titan help Alador if he can remember the boy's name right now.]

[glamorphous]

His name is Hunter.

[It's important, Darius thinks, that the child is referred to by his name; any name; anything but the twisted rank Belos had put on him when he was far too young to be thinking of such matters. Not that his name was completely free from Belos's influence either, but still, on the whole, a slightly less tainted thing.

Probably.

Truly, sometimes Darius wonders what he had been thinking when he had, slightly impulsively, invited the boy into his home. It hadn't necessarily been his intention walking into the room. It's just... he had been standing there far too alone.]

You may have noticed that despite my best efforts, he still looks as haggard as your reflection. He needs more sleep. But I don't know how much is enough.

Alador Blight; sometime after the final fight

[anything_grows]

[ There had been so much going on after Belos' defeat, and needing to repair the Boiling Isles. But the tense events leading up to that had revealed a lot about people's true feelings and motivations - specifically Odalia Blight, who had known about Belos' plan to use the draining spell and had still been willing to provide him with the Abomatons he wanted.

It didn't take long after their return and while they were fixing things up for Amity's parents to decide to separate, and the Blights minus Odalia deciding to move to a new house. Despite knowing that it was probably the best for them as a family, it was still difficult for Amity, so the rest of them tried to be there for her as best as they can.

Which is how the group of them could be found helping to move their things from the mansion to their new residence. It was a bit smaller than their old place, but it would be easier for the family to reconnect with one another, and Edrich and Emira were due to graduate soon anyway. All in all, this house was an improvement in a lot of ways.

Especially since there are certainly no bad memories associated with this place, as Willow places a box of Amity's stuff down in her new room. And she knows it's would help Amity and her family, but a selfish part of her is also glad for this fresh start for them.

It certainly would make it easier for her to visit, at least. ]

[goopidea]

[Alador is very grateful that his kids' friends are helping the family move. Not so much because of lightening the load, but rather, because the kids are clearly having a hard time. Not that Alador isn't, but that's really neither here nor there. It's about his children, and.... He knows this is all for the best, but he can't help worry that he's going to do his own kind of awful job even with Odalia.

At that's all constantly on his mind these days, but right now, he's more focused on tracking down Batric, who got away from Edric in all the commotion. Ed insists the creature will be fine and come back to him soon without causing any trouble, but Alador would like to be sure on all fronts. So he pokes his head into Amity's room to see if she has seen any sign... Only to quickly realize Amity isn't there.]

Mittens, do-- Ah. Hello, Willow.

[anything_grows]

[ About to step out of the room, Willow quickly stops short to avoid running into Alador. And she can't help wincing just a little, because this particular scenario is probably what she worried most about happening since agreeing to help Amity move. ]

Oh, uh...hi, Mr. Blight.

[ Because she hasn't forgotten the part Amity's parents had played in ending their friendship all those years ago. And it was easy not to forgive Odalia, who doesn't want nor deserves forgiveness. But now that Amity is working on things with her dad...where does that leave her? ]

I think Amity is with Luz to head back to the mansion to pick up the last of her things.

[ Because that isn't going to make things more awkward. ]

[goopidea]

Oh, I see.

[Even Alador can't miss how uncomfortable this situation is. Of course he can't, he's deeply ashamed of forcing his daughter to end that friendship. And not just ashamed, but regretful. Who cares how powerful a witch Willow has grown into, the real point is she and Amity were such good friends for one another. They would have benefited from having each other around through their early adolescence. But what can he say to express that, to apologize without making things worse?]

Have you seen a one-eyed bat?

[anything_grows]

[ The seemingly non sequitur throws Willow off guard, and surprises her out of some of her more darker thoughts that it takes her a moment to form a response. ]

Uh, no? I don't think I have. Is that one of Edric's?

[ She isn't entirely sure what she was expecting, or really hoping for, but maybe it's no surprise that there isn't any kind of apology. Maybe it's just one of those things that they could just put aside and forget about. It isn't as though Willow would be spending too much time around him anyway. ]

Gus Porter; sometime during repairing the BI

[anything_grows]

[ Belos was finally defeated, but there was still so much work to do. There had been a lot of damage to the Isles after Belos' brief control of the Titan's remains, and it would take a lot of work before things would ever feel like normal again.

But it would be a new normal; a better kind of normal, with a more hopeful future.

Still, as much as Willow enjoyed working on helping to rebuild the Isles, she knows better than to push herself too hard. That had been a tough lesson to learn, but she's trying to be better about it. But it's been difficult to be idle for too long, she finds; when she isn't working, she often can't help the thoughts that pass through her mind.

And they weren't always bad thoughts. Just...ones that she's not always sure what to do about.

With a soft sigh, she leans back against the tree she's sitting under, tilting her head back to gaze up at the sky. ]

[partytricks]

[Passing by, Gus spots Willow deep in thought, he can't help default to a bit of worry. He's no pessimistic guy! But after everything they've been through, after everything Willow's been through especially... It's a bit of red flag. He doesn't approach his friend right away, but he definitely wants to check in, and cheer her up if she needs it. So he decides to take a bit of a chance, in that this hasn't always worked out before, but... He thinks it's a good call here. He hopes so, at least, as an illusory flower pops up by Willow, doing a silly dance.]

[anything_grows]

[ Willow can't help startling a bit at the flower's sudden appearance. But as it dances, she quickly relaxes and a giggle even manages to slip out of her.

Sitting up a bit straighter, she glances around a bit. ]

Gus?

[ Because who else would try to cheer her up like this? ]

[partytricks]

[Gus laughs a little as he comes over, pleased that he was able to make her laugh.]

You caught me. Hey, Willow... How's it going?

[anything_grows]

[ She smiles, though some of it slips at the question, even as she pats the ground beside to invite him to join her. ]

It's...going.

[ It's certainly not a real answer, she knows, but at the moment she isn't entirely sure what else to respond with. ]

Fabian Seacasters; First kisses

[nightyorb]

Dating Fabian was... fine.

No, okay. It was better than fine. It was good. It was nice to spend time together that was categorically just for them. It was nice to have the full weight of Fabian's attention, to know Fabian wanted him because Riz was special to him. It was even kind of sweet that Fabian had insisted on holding his hand throughout the whole movie -- the newest Fantasy James Bond instalment, which had been decent, even if the supposed evil plot at the heart of the story had not made any sense, which Riz had explained to Fabian in hissed whispers during the credits -- even if it made Riz worry that his sweaty hands would make the whole experience kind of gross.

Riding back on the Hangman after the movie had been... okay, no, that part had been mostly standard. Strange, perhaps, that riding on the back of a demon motorcycle could ever be considered a normal part of one's day, but Fabian had been giving Riz rides on the bike long before they started trying this dating thing.

It had been nice though that Fabian had insisted on Riz wearing his jacket, even if it was also kind of silly because it left Fabian in just a t-shirt, and Riz was already wearing his suit jacket underneath the letterman.

(It had been so nice and warm though, even if he had had to roll the sleeves about fives times to free his hands)

Yes, dating-- trying to date Fabian was nice. It was just also... a little nerve-wrecking.

Riz wasn't a fool. He knew there were expectations when it came to dates; expectations about kisses and... other stuff that Riz really didn't wanna think about. It made the nerves in his stomach kick up a notch as Fabian pulled into the parking lot outside of the Strongtower Apartments. Would Fabian be expecting a kiss? He had been very insistent that they could do whatever, that he just wanted to be with Riz, but Fabian had talked so much about getting his kisses in during the previous year that it was hard to imagine he had entirely lost his taste for them. Riz had obviously never kissed anyone -- Kristen kissing him during their first year did not count -- and had never wanted to kiss anyone except the thought of maybe kissing Fabian didn't make his stomach churn as much as it normally did? There was an inherent grossness in picturing himself kissing anyone, but thinking about kissing Fabian was... okay-er?

[owncourse]

Dating Riz-- No, dating The Ball, he would always be The Ball; if anything it was more special now --it wasn't something Fabian would've bet on at the start. But now, here they were, and it was very good. It felt nice, knowing keen-eyed The Ball tended to see through his posturing like a flimsy alibi, and cared all the same. It felt nice to hold his hand during the movie, so small, all the while knowing that that hand could wield a gun even more impressively than Fantasy James Bond was doing on screen. It felt nice to see The Ball in his jacket, a reminder of how Fabian could protect him in his own ways; be there for him. Exciting stuff.

It was a good date. A great date. But now, as it drew to a close, Fabian found his mind a bit preoccupied. It was a good thing the Hangman had sentience, really. Fabian had told The Ball he didn't care if they kissed or anything else, he just wanted the relationship, and he meant that. He stood by it. His concern now was just this nagging worry that The Ball was going to feel pressured to kiss him goodnight. And it wasn't like that wouldn't be welcome! And would it count if Fabian just kissed his cheek? He didn't know how to find out without increasing any potential pressure...!

Oh shit they were almost at Strongtower. Okay, he needed to pay some attention, because clearly the Hangman would be fine dropping The Ball off elsewhere-- Frankly, Fabian didn't want to know what his motorcycle'd had in mind! He just slowed down, and eventually, pulled up to the building.

[nightyorb]

You'd think going to hell together during Spring Break would've created some sort of bond, but no, The Hangman still did not see eye to... headlamp? with Riz. It wasn't as openly combative as it had been at the beginning, but Riz was beginning to believe The Hangman would never stop being surly around him.

Riz felt it as Fabian cut the power to the engine, sitting up a little straighter. He wasn't sure if he should hop off yet. He didn't want to give Fabian the impression he was in a hurry to end this date, because... he wasn't really. It was fun hanging out. It was always fun hanging out with Fabian. But he was also feeling nervous because he knew what normally happened at this part of the date. Gods know Kristen and Fig had dominated the conversation during more than their fair share of lunch breaks, talking about the dates they had gone on with their respective girlfriends.

"Thanks, uh. For the jacket." Riz raised a hand, the sleeve already starting to creep over his knuckles again. "It was warm."

[owncourse]

When The Ball thanked him for the jacket, Fabian was hit but the wild impulse to insist he keep it, because that's just the kind of over-the-top he was, but he managed to quash that down if only because he liked having that jacket a whole lot. It was important to him, but damnit, he'd have to make a habit of offering it to his boyfriend.

...Thinking of The Ball in those terms was quite pleasant. Anyway.

"Oh, don't mention it. You look good in it, you know." He smirked and added, "Almost as good as I do," as he got off the Hangman. Then, he offered his hand to The Ball to help him get down-- Sure, he'd got down on his own before. But come, now.

[nightyorb]

Riz snorted, shaking his head in response to both Fabian's every buoyant ego on display and the thought that he looked good in this. Sometimes Fabian really did just live in his own little reality. He allowed Fabian to help him off the bike, before spreading his arms, commanding the other boy's attention. "Fabian, this thing comes down to my knees and I don't even know where my hands are. I look ridiculous in it."

Boober; Fourth wall-esque nonsense

[gukgaks]

Today has been... A Lot.

Admittedly, days are often a lot for Sklonda Gukgak --it comes with the territory of being both a police detective and mother to one Riz Gukgak who has never learned to pick his battles and put some, any of them, down-- but even with that in mind, today is A Lot.

She is on a different plane, for a start. And Riz is here too-- has been here for two years apparently, which doesn't make a lick of sense because she just talked to him on the phone two days ago, right at the start of his spring break adventure. But she knows it must be true, because to her, it's so easy to see the way Riz is just a smidge taller --taller than her now, when did that happen-- the way his cheeks have lost some of that soft puppy fat, allowing the line of his jaw to be more pronounced.

(He looks so much like Pok it hurts.)

So for the last few hours she has been listening as Riz attempts to recount every single thing that happened to him in the last two years, jumping from subject to seemingly unrelated subject in that quick-fire way she is so familiar with, the same way he has talked since he first started to. And oh, he tells her, somewhere between a tale of him first arriving here and how he is certain there is a big conspiracy theory at the heart of the police department here, he has a boyfriend now. He says it in a rush, his ears doing a nervously embarrased flap, and that is how Sklonda, on this already very long day, is introduced to Riz's first ever boyfriend, a little creature called Boober.

A very little creature. He doesn't come up to Riz's waist at best, but really, she can't judge. Like mother, like son, huh?

Riz's little boyfriend --gods, he has a boyfriend, her baby has a boyfriend-- seems nice enough, the polite and nervous sort, but it is rather hard for Sklonda to get a real feel for him when Riz just keeps talking.

She knows Riz doesn't mean harm by it, that he is just excited to see her and recount two years of information. It's the same way Riz has always been, down to never quite knowing when to take turns in a conversation. But, in the most loving and maternal way possible, she needs her son to shut up for five seconds, so she can talk to his boyfriend.

In the end, she manages to send Riz out for take-out. It's easy enough to make him see the logic of the situation -- Riz doesn't cook, Sklonda barely cooks, and while apparently this Boober can cook, Sklonda doesn't see any way he can do it on this far too oversized stove. So take-out it is, the further the place, the better.

(she knows Riz; he's going to rush and run as much of the way there and back again as he can)

When the door finally closes behind Riz --after several assurances that, yes, she'll still be here when he gets back, just go, honey-- Sklonda breathes out on a slow, long sigh, before turning to Boober. "Sorry about that. Riz gets... well, I'm sure you know how Riz gets."

[soupguy]

Boober is glad Riz's mother is here this weird weekend, and he's especially glad this happened now. He's always understood, just by how Riz talks about his parents, that they're a big deal to him. But he feels he wouldn't have appreciated how much her being here met even a few months ago, before Boober had really come to wrap his mind around Mando being a father to him; wanting that connection in his life.

He is, of course, nervous too. He worries Sklonda won't like him, and while he doesn't think at all that that would impact Riz's liking of him... He still wants Sklonda to like him! After all, he likes her; he was predisposed to like her just from how much Riz adores her. But meeting her, he's finding he likes her for his own reasons, too. Sklonda seems rather sensible and very tired, and boy, Boober can relate. And she loves Riz. It's so clear that she loves Riz and makes him feel special, in that way Mando does for Boober, and that makes Boober really happy.

He just wishes she had a few more chances to talk, here. Boober's fine with not adding much to the conversation himself, and Riz is just really-- He just keeps talking. It's endearing, seeing him this happy, but Boober wants to hear more from Sklonda. He'd love to know more about her, and hear more stories about Riz. Riz tells a lot of stories about big adventures, and silly things with the other Bad Kids, and those are great! But the idea of hearing the little things, the small moments Riz experiences back home... That sounds great, too.

So when Sklonda sends Riz to get takeout, Boober is-- Well, really, dismayed that he can't cook for his boyfriend's mother, but it really is always such a process whenever he tries to do that as a fraggle here. Besides, she's their guest and she seems to want takeout! Boober suspects that this may also have to do with her wanting to talk, which does make him a little more nervous, now. Is he in trouble?

But oh, that sigh. He feels that sigh, not even just - or mainly - when it comes to Riz. He smiles at her from where he's sitting, across (and, in Boober's case, directly on) the kitchen table. He scoffs, and the sound is full of amused fondness.

"Oh, yes, of course. Once he gets his mind so into something, there's no stopping him."

[gukgaks]

She chuckled, tiredly endeared in a way only a mother can be. "Oh, you've noticed, huh?"

She shakes her head as she retakes her seat at the kitchen table, her hands automatically wrapping around her mug of coffee. "I could tell you stories that would have you running screaming for the hills when it comes to Riz and his tendency to 'get into something'. I love the kid more than anything, but he's making my hair go grey one antic at a time."

She shakes her head then, taking a sip of her coffe. Ew, cold. "But... I think we've let Riz dominate the conversation enough for now. I'd really like to talk to you, right now. Riz says you are... a fraggle, is that right?"

[soupguy]

Oh. Oh, okay. They're going to talk about him. It's not... It's not a problem, but as someone who shies away from the spotlight, even a one-person spotlight, it's a little intimidating. Sure, Boober can talk about his work 'til the Doozers take a break, but himself?

Well, she just asked about the fraggle thing. He can focus only on that, at least for now, which he does with a nod.

"I am, yes. We usually all live underground, but me and my friend Gobo ended up here." He idly taps his fingers together. "It's a lot to get used to."

[gukgaks]

'I bet. Riz said you are usually turned into humans while you are here?" Her nose wrinkles a little as she tries to imagine Riz as a human. Not that there is anything wrong with humans --Sklonda works with her fair share of them!-- but trying to picture her son as one just feels... wrong. "That must be an adjustment."