bakerstreet | Caffeinate me

Caffeinate me

☕THE CAFE MEME☕

The weather is getting cold and what's better for batting off that chill than a nice hot beverage in a place with comfy chairs and a barista who knows your favourite combo?

☕PROMPTS☕

1) Customer. You spent ages choosing your drink, lining up for it and now there are no more tables. Great. As a result, you have to look for somewhere to sit while balancing that tray laden with your drink of choice and tasty pastry in your hands. Looks like you've got no other choice than to ask that person with the spare seat at their table.

2) Barista. An employee of this fine establishment, if nothing else, knows how to brew coffee. We hope. Maybe you're the best barista in the world. Or maybe you barely know how the machine works and instead make up for it by coming up with hilarious names on people's paper cups. Either way, you work here and go through the daily grind.

3) Student. It's no secret that students congregate in droves towards coffee shops for a combination of free wifi and caffeine. Whether in a group or on your own, the laptops and papers are out in full force. Whether any work is actually getting done is another question.

4) Early Morning Rush. It's first thing and you're crabby. All you want is your coffee and you will kick, punch and claw your way for that cup of black gold. And it looks like you're not the only one feeling this way. Are you going to let that person stealthily cut in front of you?!

5) Not A Coffee Person. Maybe you just want to try coffee for the first time. Or you're a tea drinker who is rethinking their views on coffee. You're canvassing for opinions, and that can range from outright asking other customers to hovering over tables to monopolizing the barista for a good 5 minutes, holding up the line.

6) Coffee Date. Asking people out to a coffee is the easiest thing in the world. Or is it? Whether it's with a friend or something more romantic, a coffee date is a good opportunity to connect with people and talk about whatever comes to mind.

7) Late Nights. The evening sky is dark and there's hardly anybody left in the coffee shop. Closing time is not for a while yet, but a stillness has settled over everyone. It's that time of night where anything can happen.

8) Free For All. Or if all else fails, just make your own scenario!

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(( They would be any of these but 3 and 5, though yours certainly could be. ))

[ Option 1: Student / Late Night options! ]
[ She didn't drink coffee often, but it did go with some sweet snacks pretty well sometimes, and if she was going to pull an all nighter with her studies, best to do so with some munchables, right? So Agnes was currently tucked at a table with a coffee, a handful of snacks to nibble on and some books piled neatly beside her. There was certainly room enough for someone to join her as well in the event that tables were full up. Or even if they weren't and someone wanted company, she had no problem putting her studies to the side for a break to chat. ]

[ Option 2: Customer ]
[ Rush hour! And it was even more true today than any other day, given the incredibly rainy weather. [ Agnes had come in for a little nibble on something and a coffee, but she didn't anticipate the place to be so .. packed! After patiently waiting for her turn on line, keeping an eye out for an open table as the last two times she started making her way to a table, someone scooted ahead of her to nab it - whether they noticed her intentions or not wasn't important. What was important was that she was looking around in the hopes that some kind soul was willing to share their table either inside or outside under the awning. ]

[ Open to canon/cross canon, etc! Or bring your own! ]

[She has a part-time job at a coffeeshop in canon, but I'm up for any role/options!]

[She holds her phone out to MJ.]

One large mocha with nutmeg, please.

[MJ tilts her head at the phone, managing not to frown or anything as she reads the message.]

Oh. Sure.

[Wait, no, that was ableist of her, talking when her customer might be deaf. So instead she grabs a napkin and a nearby pen and jots down a quick question.]

Skim, whole, or almond milk?

[She smiles at MJ - how nice of the young barista! But thumb-taps out again.]

Not hearing impaired, situationally mute. Thank you for the consideration!

Whole would be great - it's looking like a calorie burning day.

[Situationally mute. Huh. That's not one that MJ's had any personal experience with before. But if she claims she can hear her....

She manages another customer service smile to show that she understands before moving towards the coffee station to begin preparing the order.]

Can't tell if that's a good or bad thing, but you've got it.

[Yeah, she gets that a lot. She smiles back, a bit wryly. Since MJ isn't directly facing her she cups her hand over her mouth and says, carefully]

The job involves a lot of running. Some screaming. Occasional gunfire.

[The fact that this customer only speaks when MJ's back is turned and then chooses to say that is a bit jarring, but she focuses on her tasks and hopes this isn't just a really weird preface to a hold-up or something.]

Uh... sounds like an interesting gig. Cop?

[She didn't want to hold the phone out while MJ was busy!]

Agent of a small, obscure government agency.

[Which explains the bad suit?]

Ah. I'm assuming not one of the clandestine ones ones that can get random civilians killed just by knowing about it, since presumably you wouldn't tell me about it. I'd hope.

No. No, not that kind. One of the weird, obscure ones that nobody believes in unless we've saved their asses - and even then it's only fifty-fifty.

[She pockets a handful of something, and smiles wryly again.]

Mm. There seem to be a lot of those. It's hard to be surprised anymore.

[She glances back at her for a moment before returning to her work.]

How weird are we talking?

We, [sigh] protect the world from fairy tales.

[She does not expect to be believed.]

[She scoffs before she can really help it, though she at least manages to stifle it before she can get carried away.]

Fairy tales. Like the big bad wolf? Or like actual faerie folk from European folklore?

Ever heard the one about the sour old widow with two daughters, one of whom had jewels, pearls, and flowers fall out of her mouth with every word?

[There's something almost bitter in the question. Almost bitter - she's good at hiding it.]

Fairy tales want to be true. No matter who they hurt.

[MJ's pretty observant, especially when it comes to any customer interactions beyond the standard "have a nice day" pleasantries. So that seems like an oddly specific example from a fairy tale to bring up.]

Can't say that I'm familiar with that one, no. It doesn't sound like a Grimm or Andersen. But unless you're talking about something going back to oral traditions, I don't see how a fictional story can have enough agency to want to be true, at least not without a whole lot of magic being involved.

[Which is entirely possible, but she doesn't say as much as she turns around, sliding the completed drink across the counter as she rings it up at the register.]

[She waits until MJ is turned back to her, taking the cup, and saying distinctly]

Thank you very much.

[Two rubies, a pearl, and an orchid blossom fall from her lips.]

I did say that it's rare people believe us.

[That's four more pearls, a couple of daisies, and a moonstone. Sometimes she can control it. Not bothering right now.]

[She catches movement out of the corner of her eye as she rings up the order on the register, pausing with a small frown before slowly turning her gaze back towards the customer. What the...?

She slowly looks up at her, not sure what to make of what she'd just seen.]

Uh... what was that?

Memetic Incursion Type 480 - The Kind and Unkind Girls.

[More jewels, pearls, and flowers fall from her mouth.]

I'm the lucky one. My brother got snakes and toads.

[There's that bitterness in full force.]

I-... what?

[She knows all of those words individually, but they aren't quite hitting home when all strung together like that.]

Sorry, wait, are you trying to say that you're part of a fairy tale? Or that you were cursed or something?

I am part of a fairytale.

[Three emeralds, two pearls, and fairytale parses as an agate the size of a robin's egg. She continues in a veritable flood of flowers and pearls,]

Technically I got the blessing. My brother got the curse.

[MJ's seen a lot of weirdness, but this is a different brand of weird and she's not entirely sure how to react to it, trying not to stare at the stuff coming out of this woman's mouth.]

Well... I guess that would depend on whether he knows anybody who really like reptiles and amphibians.

Poisonous and venomous. He used to talk in his sleep.

[She takes a deep breath, and types (it hurts too much to say)]

He had his vocal cords surgically cut.

[MJ frowns softly when she reads that.]

Ah... I'm just going to stop talking.

[And... maybe stop talking about talking as she rings up the transaction.]

Sorry. For what it's worth.

Not your fault.

[She pulls cash out, and a hefty tip. It's an apology for the whole...thing.]

Keep the gems.

[Honestly, she's about to cancel out the transaction and tell her to forget about payment altogether, but the offer of keeping the gems takes her by surprise, and she instinctively shakes her head.]

Hey, no. Those are yours. Like, literally yours. They came out of you. You should at least make use out of them.

[She laughs at that]

Trust me, I have tons of them. Guess where my obscure government agency gets a good half of it's funding from.

How have you not singlehandedly wrecked the economy?

[If she can just fling precious gems around as payment, their value would have diminished ages ago and there wouldn't be so many articles whining about the younger generations no longer buying diamonds.]

About three quarters of them are semi-precious, and the rest are usually pretty small.

[Answer: she doesn't use them as payment. She has a credit card for the drink, she's just not...worried about what's left behind.]

[If jewels are just spattering onto the ground whenever she speaks, someone is eventually pocketing them. So unless she's typing out 95% of her conversations, those things have to be going somewhere.]

Yeah, but spread out among enough people, you can end poverty or even destroy capitalism. That's huge.

[Mostly she types. She's not sure why she talked to MJ.]

Not really. You'd need an awful lot of 480s to destroy capitalism. As far as ending poverty, my sister is pretty good at business and she does run a charity that I help fund. There's a big balance that has to happen between talking, silence, and not flooding the local gem markets. Actually that's one way we track 480s; too many gems showing up? Might be someone like me.

There's not an exact science, but I get semi-precious stones or pearls around 50% of the time. Then, of course, there are the flowers. That's another good 40%, more or less. So only about 10% of the time is something truly precious coming out and, again, they're small.

[That's a lot of typing, so at least it proves that she's thought about this before. With a glance behind her to make sure there aren't any customers waiting to be served, MJ reads the explanation, stuck on one main point.]

480? I'm assuming that's a categorical designation?

[There are at least 480 different types of this kind of thing?]

It's the classification of a type of stories using the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, specifically the kind and unkind girls. There are around 2400 categories...which isn't much, when you consider how many different fairy tales are out there.

Mm. Not my wheelhouse, but I might have to change that.

[She's not much for fiction unless it's got some connection to reality, and she'd never considered fairy tales as having any kind of realism to them aside from maybe looking at cultural ideas through the ages.]

It's a good idea to get a general idea of what some of the big ones are just so that if a story tries to grab you, you've got a chance to fight it. Doesn't always work, but I know of a Rose Red who transitioned to male and he's been story free for decades.

I-... sorry, what? So you're saying fairy tales are like some kind of sentient disease or something rather than just something you're born into?

[Look, she already has to worry about evil androids, aliens with a skewed perception of resource management and genocide, sarcastic sorcerers, and way too many other things to have fairy tales thrown at her, too. Just let her earn her degree and then move into a log cabin in the middle of nowhere.]

[She gives a helpless shrug and a nod. Sorry.]

Sorry. They can be, yeah. We call them memetic incursions for a reason. The good news is that we're actually very very good at our jobs. I'd say for every million memetic incursions that start, you only get a full breakthrough once or twice.

That's still thousands of cases around the world. Again, that's potentially catastrophic. How allegedly good are you guys?

Since the Mother Goose incident of 2014 we've had a single successful incursion...and even with the Mother Goose out there actively attempting to bring incursions to pass, none of them managed.

[She actually laughs a little at that, because how else can a person react?]

Sorry, I think you're losing me at "the Mother Goose incident." Not that I don't believe you, but like you'd said before, it sounds unbelievable.

A Mother Goose is someone who is actively attempting to bring memetic incursions into the world...but, yes, I do agree that it's hard to take seriously.

[MJ would have been better off without knowing all of this, but that's a moot point now. Besides, living in ignorance has never been her way, if she can help it.]

Guess I've got some reading to do. Though if it's all the same, I'd probably rename some things in my head so I don't feel like I'm researching a subject made up by a five-year-old. No disrespect meant.

Makes sense to me. It took me years to get used to it. Take care, and thank you.

Yeah. Just... be careful, I guess?

[It doesn't exactly sound as safe as working at a coffeeshop, so it bears saying.]

Have a good one.

[Today is the first time Nightmarionne has ever stepped foot inside of the coffee shop. Given his nature as a nightmare animatronic, he doesn’t really need to drink coffee unlike his organic creator. Yet, he couldn’t help but be intrigued about what exactly makes it so appealing to humans in general.

As he steps inside, the nightmarish puppet notices the stares he's being given from the other customers. But he ignores them and walks up to the barista herself to ask for the available options.]

Wh-What is on t-the menu-u to-today?

[What in the deranged Ultron nonsense is this fresh hell??

MJ can only stand stock still as she stares at the... customer, apparently? She can sense the anxious rustle of both customers and staff as they await some inevitable attack, but once she's over her initial shock, she just assumes that someone is already preemptively livestreaming or calling the police, and so all she can really do is take the order and be ready to duck if something hits the fan.

For now, she points towards the menu board above her head with an only slightly shaky finger, though it comes to mind that maybe whatever this is can't read.]

Um... c- coffee? And, uh, variations of coffee. Espresso, cappuccino, lattes.... [She waves an arm broadly at the display case behind her.] Doughnuts.

[If this happened within an isolated location like an abandoned pizzeria or a chamber posing as a bedroom, then she might be at risk of an inevitable attack. Fortunately for her, Nightmarionne had enough sense to not cause such a stir out in the middle of broad daylight.

As she points towards the menu board, the monstrous puppet observes it for a minute before he gave his order.]

I-In that ca-case, an es-espresso w-would just be en-enough f-for me.

[Where would the drink even go? MJ wills herself to maintain eye contact, rather than give in to her curiosity and try to figure out the physiology of an... android(?) drinking an espresso. Instead, she manages a tight version of her customer service smile and tries to pretend that this is just another day at the office.]

To go? Or, uh... to stay?

[She really doesn't want to offer the option to stay, her fingers already itching to grab for the small espresso to-go cups, but she also doesn't want this guy(??) to get offended at the notion of being rushed out.]

[That’s what he’s trying to figure out for himself. Luckily for her, Nightmarionne doesn’t really have an interest in sticking around the shop.]

I am o-only here for the dr-drink that you-ou humans li-like to co-consume every-y once in a wh-while.

[Okay, great, only here for the drink, not as a bloody first step towards total annihilation of the human race. MJ can live with that.]

One espresso, coming right up.

[She can't move quickly enough to the espresso machine, grabbing a to-go cup and trying not to look like she's hiding behind the large apparatus that's currently making grinding sounds before offering up a steaming serving of the dark liquid. Once it's done, she slaps a lid on it and forces herself to move back to her original spot, slipping a cardboard coffee sleeve over the cup before sliding it over to him.]

Careful, it's hot.

[And she doesn't want that taking him by surprise and setting him off. Also, she's not bothering to ring him up, because uh... she doesn't see anyplace for a wallet and doesn't want to stare closely enough to change that.]

[Nightmarionne takes the espresso with his left hand. The heat doesn’t really bother him, unless its like hot enough to melt him into pieces. Then again, heat of that caliber would also roast a human alive.]

H-Here’s the mo-money in c-case y-you're wondering...

[He uses his right hand to place a couple of pennies and a $10 dollar down on the counter. Keep in mind that the money in question has a horrid scent, as if it had been dug up straight from the garbage bin.]

[Look, she doesn't know where that money came from, in any sense of the phrase. She doesn't want to touch it. So though she looks down at it for a moment and debates the merit of processing the transaction, she looks back up at him with that same strained smile.]

On the house. Consider it a free sample, since you've never tried it before.

V-Very well... Now I be-believe it is t-time to de-depart.

[Nightmarionne then turns around and walks over to the entrance of the coffee shop with the espresso on hand.]

[Most of the customers trail him with their phones even if they still can't bring themselves to move, and MJ finds herself breathing out a soft sigh of relief. All things considered, that could have gone way worse and probably won't be the weirdest thing she'll see in her lifetime. Even so, she shakes her head and looks over at the co-worker closest to her.]

And on that note, I'm going on break.

[It's not as though anyone can stop her after the one she'd just taken for the team.]

[2nd or 3rd job as a coffee barista, trying to get through her shift and uni. F/M for shipping.]

[ ooc; it's been ages, interested in a siblings reconnection? ]

[ooc: omg heck yes! ]

[ ooc; Did you want to acknowledge the end of season 3 when they lost their powers? I just want to know before tossing up a starter. We don't have to fully acknowledge the complete clusterfuck that was season 3, but no powers thing could be interesting to play with here on a reconnection. XD]

[ooc: …ya know I really should watch s3, since the final season is coming out soon. Lmao. (I’m okay with spoilers).

But no powers would be interesting to play out, and for once Rey is finally free from the burden of her powers—-only to work three jobs LMAO]

[ ooc; Actually the final season dropped on Aug 8th, thus the new icons for me. XD So you can finish the series, whenever you have time. Basically at the end of Season 3 they had their powers taken and everyone went their separate ways. So I figure we could go with an estrangement since the new normal of everyone being powerless, if that works for you? ]

[HOW IN THE WORLD. WHAT?!?! Wow, I’m so far behind on things.

Either way, yes! I’m here for it! Estrangement and reconnecting…and I’ll be nice and only have Rey work two jobs XD.

Would you like me to start? ]

[ After everything that happened at the Hotel Oblivion and the subsequent loss of their powers. The reset button had been hit and essentially they were all starting over. Five hadn't really known what to do with himself at first, but technically everyone was safe and there was no apocalypse. So that meant he needed a new purpose.

He had managed to get a call from Luther about a possible reunion, which was why he had found himself in a nearby coffee shop. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to see everyone not because he didn't miss them, but because he didn't want to interfere in their lives more than necessary.

He hadn't expected to run into one of his siblings, but it wasn't like he could ignore her, now that they had made eye contact. Thus the small awkward wave of acknowledgement. ]

[It was...weird, being "normal." A nameless face that could blend into a crowd. Someone no one would guess was once a super hero, or part of some super family. Was it something Rey had dreamed of? Yes, but at the same time it...felt off. Something she couldn't quite place her finger on. A nagging feeling she couldn't shake. Maybe she picked up Five's paranoia.

Her siblings went their separate ways once more, promising to keep in touch...and some kept to it and others didn't. Rey did her best, but having to start from scratch, she had been a bit preoccupied.

No degree or certificates to her name, she had to go back to school and work two jobs to support herself. She vaguely recalled Luther wanted to set up a reunion of sorts, but she wasn't sure if she could get the time off. Between her office job as a data clerk and a coffee barista, and studying--her time was limited.

Apparently destiny or date decided to force a small reunion with Five heading into the coffee shop she worked in. She nearly did a double take seeing her brother there, and resisted the urge to go hide in the back room. He had seen her, he was even giving her an awkward wave. Fuck, she thought, grateful she didn't have to worry about projecting her thoughts. Rey gave a little awkward wave in return before going back to taking down a ridiculous coffee order. A sugary drink that would rot someone's teeth in a matter of months.

Five wasn't here to see her, right? He couldn't have known where she worked--but the man always knew more shit than anyone else--but he was powerless too! Taking in a deep breath, she tried her best to stay calm as the line cleared up and it was time to interact with him. A practiced smile was on her face.]

Hey, welcome to the shop. [A standard greeting, trying not to feel too awkward.] Um, I'm guessing you'd like a black coffee? [And probably in the biggest size.]

[Absolutely the barista. The kind that makes obscenely intricate drawings in the top of the cup in no time flat.]

[info on journal. open to crosscanon and assumed cr. soph has worked as a barista, is addicted to caffeine, and has gone to coffee shops late at night after partying/after a show/after work (both legit gigs and stripping)

(I really should do up a post detailing what Café Ultra looks like with some photos for inspo, but for the purposes of this meme, here's a summary:

It's very small, not really the type of place intended for a crowd, more of a grab-your-cup-and-go kind of joint. There are two tables by the door, with two chairs each, but they're meant more for folks waiting for their drinks rather than sticking around. The decor is very sleek and modern, and minimalist. There's a red-grey-black color scheme, and lots of art of various cryptids on the walls (most prominently, Mothman). Also behind the counter there is a large printed menu, and on one wall, there is a whiteboard where Becca writes her daily/seasonal specials. She goes all out with the whiteboard, doodling little pictures and showing off her extremely neat penmanship.

She serves what you'd expect from any coffee shop, really. At the counter there is a small display of baked goods that she obtains from a local bakery to sell. There are also paper menus (designed to look like top secret files), as well as her business card for customers to take.

Café Ultra threads definitely welcome, or if you'd rather be going to a different café with Becca, that's cool too!)

(2 or 7 probably. Buff was a waitress for a bit so 2 definitely seems fitting.)

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Caffeinate me

phantom ghoul | ghost

swiss ghoul | ghost

Jisu/Liuxi 🐍 OC 🐍 OTA

Agnes Claudel | Kuro No Kiseki | OTA

MJ | MCU | OTA

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Option 5

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Rey || Star Wars || OTA

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I got you!

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march 7th ( honkai: star rail )

nicole demara ( zenless zone zero )

topaz ( honkai: star rail )

kurama ● yyh

Zelanes Recoty | D&D 5E Homebrew | OTA

Sophie Hallow * Original * OTA

godric | true blood

Hajime Shino | Enstars

Aether | Genshin Impact | ota

becca nova ♠ original ♠ ota

Armin Arlert ( Attack on Titan )

Selina Kyle/Catwoman | DC

haru okumura, persona 5