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Today's Document
todays bird
Discoholic 🪩
JBB: An Artblog!
Love Begins
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
oozey mess
No title available
izzy's playlists!
祝日 / Permanent Vacation
if i look back, i am lost
Kaledo Art
No title available
hello vonnie
Three Goblin Art
Origami Around
Claire Keane
KIROKAZE
AnasAbdin
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Austria
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Malaysia
seen from Philippines
seen from T1
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Brazil
seen from Belgium
seen from United States
seen from Iraq
@nightfallens
[ ADELINE RUDOLPH, SHE/HER, CIS WOMAN ] — [ CYNTHIA BYUN ] is a child of [ NYX ] with the power of [ UMBRAKINESIS AND CONTROL MANIPULATION ] . they were born in [ 1996 ] and have been in nemean lion since [ 2013 ] . with the change, they [ ARE TRAINING IN ] the [ HERO ] role which makes sense since they’re usually [ TRAINING WHEN EVERYONE'S ASLEEP AND LAYING LOW ] . if you’d like to meet them try the [ MOON ] building . — alli / she/her / est / 18+ / none
solarstcrms:
Jae ignores the outrage Cynthia’s directing at him to peer back up at the mistletoe in question. “Who do you think even sets up something like this? I’d love to meet the crazy pervert behind it. I bet they’re great at parties.” He looks back to watch her try and push her way out of their trap with growing amusement. Oh, she really hates this. It’s enough to pull a shocked laugh out of him when she stops to speak again. “That’s not very nice,” he teases, barely containing his shit-eating grin, “Most people would feel lucky to be in your position. If you’re going to be trapped with anyone, at least it’s with someone renown for being pretty good at this.” He tugs on her wrist, pulling her toward him. “We could even be out of here by now. Unless you’re still busy trying to find some other way out of this?”
cynthia’s pout forms into a full blown scowl when she realizes jae’s deflecting. nothing new, but doesn't fail to surprise her. “it’d have to be dia, no? daphne or peter probably contributed in some way if i were to guess.” from the few times she’s seen the three of them in passing, she chalks it up to the event lead to stir the pot in some way. then there's that annoying grin. that's the jae she knows, having a blast at her expense. as much as she wants to wipe that damn smirk off his face, he’ll carry on as long as she's visibly distressed. just because they’ve recently reconciled doesn't mean she doesn’t have any cards up her sleeve. that's why rather than wriggling in his grip, she grasps onto his other forearm, maintaining her composure and their closeness, if not inching imperceptibly closer. “whoa, you're a little eager there. did you want this that badly, hm?”
solarstcrms:
Jae huffed, more than a little exasperated to not only find himself in this predicament, but to promptly be shouldered with the blame. “I thought you were trying to get my attention,” he griped, barely holding back a pout. It is a little funny that she’s already making such a fuss about this, though, so his mood lifts slightly. “You act like they’re going to cut off your hands. You know it would just be easier to get this over with, right?”
"like this means 'yes, please come here where you’ll be trapped underneath this stupid mistletoe!"’ this time cynthia shakes her head and waves her hands slowly but emphatically, glaring at him as if it will get her point across better that way. could she have communicated more clearly? probably, but the first that came to mind was putting her arms in the shape of an x and that sounded like overkill. she nearly mirrors jae’s pout as she attempts to budge her way out once more, to no avail. "but does it really have to be you—” ouch. “... no offense.” nice save.
cynthia // @nightfallens
“Hey, I almost didn’t see you there,” he says by way of greeting, immediately approaching her. “Have you been enjoying all the— Ah.” Jae looks up, then down at Cynthia a few times. They’re trapped. “You could have warned me.”
panic flared in her eyes the moment she realized she couldn’t take a step forward. once jae started speaking, cynthia's hands immediately waved him away, head shaking in refusal, but it was too late. "my bad, what didn’t give it away? the frantic head shaking or the hand waving?” she'd always find a way to insert a snide remark no matter what situation. “no, there's no way—there has to be a way out of this.”
CYNTHIA BYUN & WHITNEY GAO / OUTFITS
annual winter/christmas party (2022)
solarstcrms:
jae shrugs, unsure what else to say. is it more telling that she considers it being spoiled, or that he considers it a fair trade? he blinks, breath still. cynthia has never looked so shattered before. it leaves him struggling for words for a moment. is honestly alone enough to fix this? “i’m not trying to spare your feelings or whatever reason you think i might have to lie about this. i don’t remember that. honestly.” her hand is still in his — he squeezes it, to ground them both. then she’s got his hand in both of hers and his gaze flicks down to that, and back to her. there’s something else here he’s missing that’s making cynthia look ready to break, but he doesn’t know how to ask. “nothing good,” he says softly, even though that’s not entirely true. but he knows what she’s asking about. no one likes to talk about the attack, least of all jae, but it’s the only part of that night he ever thinks about. the terror, the destruction, the loss. “when the griffin broke through, i wasn’t even in the ballroom yet. i-i saw—” with a shaky exhale, he squeezes harder, hard enough to hurt. “walking into that was… indescribable. i’ve never been seen anything more horrifying in my life. and there was nothing for me to do but keep watching everything get worse. eveyone i ran into was beyond anything someone like me could do. but i never– you weren’t—” he flinches violently, a flash of a memory not quite there, phantom pain lancing through him. among all the devastation, loss after loss, jae had never seen cynthia. but something about that thought fills him with nausea. another flash, and his other hand snaps out to clutch her arm. “you… i saw you there. didn’t i?” it comes out more accusatory than he expects, like his body is faster than his brain can catch up to. his memory is still so spotty, but he feels sure of it now. he saw cynthia and — blood. so much blood. the sensation of losing control. jae yanks himself out of her grasp, eyes wide and uncertain. “cynthia. what did you do?”
cynthia blinks incredulously at jae as if he’s grown a second head. it takes a few beats before the gravity behind his words rests on her shoulders. oh. she feels the onslaught of tears begin to sting her eyes, “i-it's okay,” judging from the way her voice falters, she's clearly not okay. “it's fine, i’m fine, don't worry.” empty reassurances roll off her tongue easier than they should, how easy it is lying to not only him, but herself. a small, hidden part of her wishes he would just grab her and drill it into her that he cares for her on purpose over and over until it sticks, but he’d never do that. cynthia braces herself for what's about to come, but it’s just as heart-wrenching hearing jae’s perspective. she offers hers, “i already wasn't feeling the greatest at the dance. but the griffin suddenly comes crashing in, and that was probably the most useless i’ve ever felt in a long time. but i couldn't just stand there and do nothing. i had to do something, anything.” her last chance at embodying the hero she thought she could never be. at the very place where demigods could be accepted as they were, she still saw herself as the outlier among her peers. she started from the bottom while as they excelled faster, graduated faster. years of hard work wouldn't have been for nothing if it meant she could save one person. that one person happened to be him. “and that's when i saw you. the griffin was headed right towards you! so you wanna know what i did?” here goes nothing. “ran as fast as i could—” breathe in, breathe out. “—moved you out of the way before it could get to you. but facing it, was unlike anything i’ve ever seen on missions before. it was… so strong. like unbelievably strong. i-i tried to fight back, i really did—” she sounds like a scolded child even though she didn't give him a chance to say anything. “but it happened so fast– then it just—fuck!” she hisses as the ghost of a searing pain strikes her stomach, hand clutching the imaginary wound. that has never happened before. flashes of a vivid memory meant to be forgotten seep through, and guilt immediately washes over her face. the dam, whose walls were painstakingly built, breaks. she can't bear to look at him anymore.
@quietepics / where: moon building, their apartment
“do you want to take pictures together?” cynthia isn’t one to post on social media that often, but she just finished taking mirror selfies in the bathroom, feeling herself so much in her costume that she might just do it. as she should! “i know i’ve probably said this a million times already, but i love your whole look! that dress really suits you.”
solarstcrms:
“maybe i’ll just stick to white elephants. i’ll get too caught up on deciding who should get what, and why. it’s easier when it’s out of my hands. … are you sure you don’t want any of it? not a single piece?” he’d much rather give them to cynthia, but jae can’t force her to take them off his hands. maybe he’ll just have to make excuses to leave a few gifts here and there. her reaction does nothing to quell his concern but her recounting of events baffles him even more. “that’s not how i remember it, no.” jae holds tight to her, tugging so cynthia stays near. he wishes he could see her looking back at him, if only to gauge how she was feeling. they always circle back around to this somehow and he can’t risk that it might pull them apart again. he’s just trying to understand. “i remember the sensation but not from that time. i know there was… a lot going on that day. but for you to have done that, i would have had to drop the hold i had on my nullification and i don’t remember ever doing that then. in fact, i pushed my powers so far past their limits that day, the after effects knocked me out cold. i’m sure we both remember that part.” he rubs his thumb absently where he still has her held. “if there was a second time, i don’t think it was then.”
“you have a bunch of friends who’d be more than happy to be spoiled by you, that must narrow it down a little, right? but i’m absolutely sure, i don't need anything else. trust me.” perhaps cynthia was lucky. the boots were far from anything she thought she'd ever receive in a white elephant, but there's simply no way she could find (or afford) something even close to the vintage diors. she hopes the perfume she bought for his birthday sufficed. this time she listens attentively to his every word, eyes now open but trained at the ground. she nods despondently as her gaze trails up to his, and she almost cowers under it. “i-i thought i got you… so all this time, you really don’t remember? be honest with me, please.” meant to come off lightly, if not for the desperation seeping through. guilt has been festering inside her all these years, and it didn't even happen? swept up in her own self-destruction, did his nullification powers slip by before she could even notice? she couldn't wrap her head around it. the first thing that came to mind was to laugh, but she couldn't even bring herself to smile. any remnants of a grin have since wiped off her face, the strength to bite back with something, anything, nowhere to be found. a forlorn attempt at masking the built-up anxiety bubbling inside her for months, years. but everything has caught up to her now, and it's only a matter of time before she buries herself in the grave she dug for herself. it takes every fiber of her being to not let a single teardrop fall in spite of her bottom lip quivering, her heart rattling in its cage. she wraps her free hand around their enclosed ones, ripping off the bandaid, “jae, i’m afraid of what i’m about to ask you, but i want you to tell me everything, the complete truth,” a deep breath. “what do you remember from the masquerade?”
solarstcrms:
jae raises a brow, unimpressed. he’s never going to get rid of them here. fucking dior is always going to haunt him. “is it so wrong to have nice things? but fine. i should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. what’s another few years at the back of my closet, right?” jae watches cynthia’s change in demeanor as he speaks, but he doesn’t know what to make of it. is she frustrated with him? his frown deepens. “the other one?” remember, it’s twice you’ve felt her wrest control from you, his mind supplies, but it stops him short. there’s only ever been the one incident lurking in the shadows of their frayed friendship since. the ‘other one a long time ago’, the one that broke them apart then and there. the one jae could never bring himself to hate her for. but twice? “i’m fine,” he snaps, sharper than he means to. jae takes a quick breath, collecting himself. it’s fine, jae is fine. he’s simply confused. “it’s just — the first time. when you- you got so upset with me that you lashed out. it’s hard to forget something like that.” jae reaches out for her wrist, hoping his sincerity comes across. he’s not trying to be difficult but he doesn’t like not understanding. “but when you say twice… was there another time?”
“you could give them out to literally anybody else and they’d say yes,” except she totally wouldn't get jealous if she sees anyone else on campus wearing them because she’d know they’re from jae and she had them first, even if they were just a gift. no, not at all. she nods wordlessly, concern turned confusion etched on her features. she should've known the boots looked out of place by the entryway. she knew she should have shoved them in the back of her closet with the dress still in perfect condition when it should've been torn to shreds. none of this would have ever happened if she just didn't get in her own way. she’s about to shoot him an incredulous look, until gears turn again for a moment. and realization dawns on her. “waitwaitwait—” cynthia screws her eyes shut, almost waving him off, but his sudden grasp keeps her planted in her spot. did he actually forget? “so you do remember the first time,” she affirms. “but before you brought me back to my room when i freaked out at that event, i-i did it. first it was one guy, then another, then more, and then you… i did it again, didn't i?”
solarstcrms:
usually, if a pinky swear is enacted, jae leaves a peck on their knuckles for good luck, but the stamping pulls a chuckle out of him. he grins over at her, thoroughly charmed by cynthia’s commitment. “i’m glad you like them,” he returns easily, smiling back up at her, “you can take all of it, if you want. i certainly have no use for them. besides, they looked good on you.” his words catch up to him after a beat and he frowns. that’s not right. when would jae have seen her in them? “i assume.” right. he’s just very good at picturing how things look. his mind got ahead of him. he stands back up with a sigh, shooting her a dubious look. “maybe,” he concedes, though jae doesn’t sound very convinced. it’s not that he’s suprised cynthia’s still hung up on that. but he feels so removed from it now. he’s long since stopped blaming her for it. who had been there to goad her in the first place, after all? “you’re pretty hard to hate. naturally, it had been hard to let go of the anger. but back then, everything had always felt so much bigger. we were a lot younger when that all went down. it’s not like i think you could ever do that again. i trust you. and i never stopped caring.” his brows furrow. hold on. “… did you say twice?”
cynthia gathers the will to let their fingers unravel, and a strange sensation washes over her at the lack of contact. he’s right in front of her, yet if she takes a step forward he’ll be two steps back. if she was amiable enough in the very beginning, would they still end up here? there would be no grudges buried within, no reason for their prolonged silence. if the events of the masquerade had to happen, she’d still put herself in front of the griffin to save jim. perhaps their doom is inevitable. “oh gods no. these are like the most expensive thing i own by far, i certainly don't need any more,” she almost misses the face he makes as the words leave his mouth. “... right.” when did he see her wear them? he must’ve misspoke. she runs through possible scenarios in her head. wait, she ripped up her dress as she was fighting the griffin. shit. now the rest of his words are travelling through one ear and out the other, it's a miracle she caught the tail-end of it all. her breathing quickens as she curls her fists to ground herself. “yeah, the other one was a long time ago. if you didn't hate me before, surely you would've hated me then.” she gives him a long once-over before cautiously asking, “hey, are you okay?”
gentlemeteors:
August smiles ruefully. “I can. Believe it, I mean.” The sky is bright with stars in a way it never was in the city, and she tilts her head back to drink them all in. “When I was a kid, I would sit at my window watching the stars for hours, but the older I got, the more life seemed to get in the way.” It’s been a while for her too, and she’s certainly never been able to share the experience before, not with someone who really understands. A sister – she can still barely wrap her head around it. “Training …” she sighs and glances back at Cynthia. “I’m glad that I can keep myself busy, and I like working with my hands, but I can’t help feeling like I’m stuck playing catch up. Like I’m not doing enough.” She pauses, and then says quietly, “I wish I had been brave enough to come here sooner.”
There is a certain beauty about clear starlit skies, glowing particularly bright this evening. On nights like these, she’s reminded of her—their—mother. If she's amongst the stars, in the backdrop for the picturesque scenery for the souls fortunate to witness such a sight at this hour. Cynthia exhales a content sigh at the thought as August's anecdote catches up to her. She’s noticed the sparkle in her sister’s eyes used to be her own. “Everyone's been there once before, what matters is that you're here now, and it’s just the beginning for you,” she reassures, “Like I came here almost a decade ago and I'm still training. Everybody is going down their own path at their own pace, you can take as much time as you need. There's no shame in that.”
solarstcrms:
he looks down at her outstretched finger, then looks back up at her with a tilt of his head, smile crooked. was there anything more sacred than a pinky swear? jae links his pinky with hers. “glad to see you’re serious.” letting go feels like more of a loss than it should, but he can’t just stand there holding her pinky forever, even if he wants to. “i don’t know. i wasn’t trying to come back.” that feels at once too honest and too vague at once, so he breezes passed it with a teasing smile. “but clearly i just don’t know how to leave you alone.” his focus flickers between the two, but eventually they land back on the boots. “when i first started working at dior, i did a lot of grunt work. this collection was the bane of my existence at the time,” he starts, crouching down to admire them better, “it’s probably karmic that so much of it ended up in my closet. mostly from clients that fell through, so maybe it’s more telling of how much i had to learn since then, but. i’m glad these at least found a good home.” she even wore them to the masquerade. something about that shakes something loose in his mind but as soon as he reaches for it, his memory clouds over again. jae groans, rubbing at his temples. he’s so tired of trying to remember things. he peers back up at cynthia. “i’ve always cared. what’s hard to believe about that?”
“wouldn't miss it for the world,” their pinkies are still intertwined, but she's not finished. bringing their fingers together, all that's left is to stamp their thumbs to top it off. this way he won't slip away this time, he can’t. cynthia hums in contemplation as she squints skeptically, grin fleeting. but you did leave me. he’s doing it again–not telling her the full story. although she’d be lying if she said she isn't doing the same thing. biting their tongues, waiting for the other to speak up first. unless they will, unless they won't. gears turn in her head as she listens to his story, eyebrows furrowed. digging into the depths of her memory has become a burden. then the light-bulb moment. “ah! i should've known you’d be that guy who would give out spare diors just laying around for something like white lion,” she looks down at him, managing to muster a soft smile. “but i really like them, a lot. thank you.” she notes the irritation from below. “i dunno, after controlling you not once, but twice? i’d hate me if i were you.”
ADELINE RUDOLPH as BILLIE WESKER Resident Evil Season One
solarstcrms:
“of course not. i didn’t…” jae hadn’t even realized it was an option. he chuckles, instinct more than anything, hearing her giggle. he’s missed the sound. “promise? i’ll expect you at the next one. hopefully one i can have a hand in planning this time.” one he can invite her to himself. struck with a pang of guilt, his eyes dart away from her. he should clear things up, if he really wants things to be good between them. he swallows thickly. “always seems a stretch. what if i had never come back? wouldn’t you have at least been… relieved?” there’s more he wants to say, but he can’t find the words. then his eyes land on familiar boots sitting near the entryway. “aren’t those from white elephant?” it’s mostly muttered, thought spoken aloud. he’d always wondered where they had ended up. cynthia’s words catch up to him, though. his gaze snaps back up to meet hers. “is that even a question? immensely and always.” his nose scrunches up in uncertainty. “i thought it was obvious.”
“you know it.” she nods as she extends her pinky out, bright eyes waiting expectantly for the other to seal the deal. despite how childish the tradition may seem, cynthia has always loved how sentimental a pinky swear was. no matter how big or small the vow, so much tenderness can be held in two interlocked fingers. “well, i’d—” again, those words struggle to escape. she lets out a deep breath before continuing, “we left off on a… bitter note. but i wouldn't want to leave us just hanging like that. would you be that willing to drop everything?” curious eyes then follow his line of sight to the doorway, switching between him and the pair of dior boots. “hm? yeah, aren't they gorgeous? i can't believe someone wanted to give those away. luckily they were a perfect fit, so i wore them to the masquerade.” a detail from that night that didn't leave her chest hollow. “it might've been to you, but it was hard to imagine, believe it or not.”
solarstcrms:
that doesn’t feel quite fair. jae knows that he’s tried — almost aggressively so — to push cynthia to talk to him again. he cares about her. he thought she knew that but, well. there was always a lot of yelling involved. it might have gotten lost in translation. “i still can’t believe you showed up,” he murmurs, remembering how out of place cynthia had seemed at the time. she’d even brought a present. the memory brings a smile to his face, even far away as it seems now. but he winces when she pins the invitation on him again. he can’t correct her. not now. “i liked having you there,” he says, because it’s true. it was the friendliest they’d been in years. jae wishes, foolishly, that he could touch her without it being weird. a reassuring hand. a teasing nudge. a comforting lean. he just misses her, even standing here in front of her. “i just… i thought you were done with me. i was ready to leave you alone for good.” or as alone as someone like jae could manage. “you care about me?”
“you really thought i wouldn't? even if i only had time to stop by for a couple minutes, i’d stay for as long as i could.” granted, seeing the invitation was the last thing she thought she’d receive in her mailbox. but she didn't need it to know his 27th was coming up soon. she’d celebrate it regardless. “i would hope so,” cynthia giggles, the first heartfelt one she shared with him in a long time. the last one was during a much simpler time. when silences were comfortable, and looking at him didn't feel like he was worlds away from her. “i don't think i’d ever be done with you whether you like it or not. you were always there.” until he wasn't, until he was. the past is the past, but she still wonders what the real reason he came back to nemean last year is. she saw right through him the moment he arrived, just like old times. “i always have, keep up. and you care about me too? really?”
solarstcrms:
jae lets out a heavy exhale, exasperated. “why would you even notice that?” while his dip in mood hadn’t exactly been subtle back then, it had also been during a time he and cynthia weren’t speaking to each other. and then she’d shown up at his party? she’s so confusing. he points an accusatory finger at her. “you don’t talk to me. you barely pay me any mind. nice gestures are for people you can at least tolerate, but you don’t even like me.” jae drops it, feeling lost more than any actual outrage. his voice softens. “i did like it, by the way. thank you for remembering. i just… i wish i could understand you.”
i miss you. these three words catch in her throat, unable to think of anything else because it's the truth. next thing she knew jae’s angrily pointing at her, and she’s immediately back on the defensive. “sure, we don't talk, i don't like you, whatever. and yet you still wanted me at your party. you wanna understand me? take a look in the mirror.” but cynthia’s fire simmers as soon as his does, tired of the circles they’ve been going in for far too long. voice filled with sincerity, she says, “jae, i wouldn't have left your favorite cake outside your door if i didn't like you at least a little bit. i wouldn't have went to your birthday party you invited me to if i didn't care about you in the slightest.”
