“So, earlier, during my shift, this guy brought in his dog and the poor thing seemed really out of it, but also nervous and my boss was asking questions about what the pup had eaten, because he could potentially be poisoned, you know?” A chuckle escaped Aaron’s lips as he crossed his legs and wrapped his fingers around the soda cup in front of him. “And this owner was really evasive about the questions and eventually broke down and confessed the dog ate his marijuana. So we assured him the dog will be fine and we won’t report him. I don’t want to say I wish all my work days were like this, but it definitely beats actual emergencies.”
laughter rolled over her lips freely as she listened to the story. part of her was concerned for the poor dog, but at least the owner cared enough to take the animal to the vet. she had seen plenty of videos online of stoned animals to wager that not everyone had that same empathy. “you know, that reminded me of the last time i was in the ER.” she paused, realising that sounded as though she was admitted into the ER. “i was visiting my mentor,” she clarified before continuing, “and this man was brought in because something got stuck while he was getting frisky, if you know what i mean. the poor guy was so embarrassed, god. and his wife was even worse off.”
dark circles contoured his brown eyes, tying together his all-black attire with a punch of fatigue caused simultaneously by insomnia and a gaming addiction. café regulars were likely to recognize him, for he appeared like clockwork. every morning at 9:00 to order the same black, venti coffee that he proceeded to chug in-store before stalking out. the total affect of his appearance made him look unfriendly. today was no different, only he was so busy with his brooding that he didn’t realize he was about to walk into someone until it was nearly too late, spilling his coffee all over himself. for a moment, nothing, and then the most decidedly childish gasp known to man. “AHHH. hot hot hot hot,” he began repeating like a mantra, peeling his now soaked sweatshirt slightly off his torso. “hot, hot, hot, SO HOT.” just like that, his demeanour appeared less ‘badass’ and more like the human version of the ‘T _ T’ emoticon. “where did you come from?!”
though the boy was clearly in pain, her first reaction was to release a nervous, decidedly girlish giggle. “oh,” her eyes tracked down to the affected area. she reached out to assist him in holding the sweatshirt off his skin enough. “you need cold water. i suggest going into the bathroom, taking this off and patting water over your chest.” she was all business as she said it, but once the implications of her words sank in, her cheeks flared red. she cleared her throat. “i’m studying to be a doctor, so you can trust me. go on. i’ll buy you another coffee as an apology.”
kim so hyun + cisgender female + she/her. + medical intuition┊ ❛ ━ hey, is it just me or do you hear gashina by sunmi playing in the distance ? oh, that’s just lucinda ‘cindy’ moon, a nineteen year old pre-med student. according to my sources, i heard she can be lawful good and is compassionate, but also quixotic. that’s probably why they remind everyone of leather-bound journals, polaroid pictures and pinterest boards so much ! anyway, whether or not they’re neutral towards the supers, crystalline city is keeping a close eye on them ! ( lotte, 26, gmt, she/her )
hi so i know this introduction is potentially five years late, but i’ve been really mapping out her character with seven since i’m filling out their wanted connection and now i’m finally at a place where i think know her comprehensively and can talk about her.
+ cindy moon was adopted as a baby and though her parents never made it a secret that she was adopted, she never felt like anything other than their daughter. she doesn’t know the circumstances surrounding her being put up for adoption, nor did she ever have a desire to know. her parents were good to her. she didn’t need to know about the ones who couldn’t or didn’t want to raise her.
+ she has one older brother, also adopted, named maximus ‘maxxie’ moon. though their relationship is laced with constant bantering and bickering, she considers maxxie closest to her in the family and genuinely looks up to him. him being a child prodigy was only one of the things that made him utterly exceptional. and yet, he never looked down on her or treated her as though she was inferior.
+ when she was a child, maxxie was sick a lot, always in and out of hospital and so she developed an early fascination with life and death. idolising her brother’s doctor in particular, cindy knew that she wanted to pursue a career in medicine when she grew older. emphasising this, she seemed to have a natural talent for it, somehow arriving at correct diagnoses without any medical training or knowledge.
+ technically, this is due to her power medical intuition, which is defined as follows:
> The user has great, if not innate, medical knowledge, enabling them to easily treat others' injuries and create medicines. One with this ability can cook up concoctions and remedies for ailments with nearly anything in one's environments. They are also able to tell which things in the wild (or in one’s kitchen) are poisonous and which are safe to ingest or to use to treat injuries. This ability is not always accompanied by the ability Healing, just the ability to discern sources of natural remedies in domestic products and the like.
+ to be clear though, cindy cannot use healing as a superpower. her variants are as follows:
- genetics intuition
- anatomical intuition
- medicine creation.
+ cindy is extroverted, bubbly and caring. she wears her heart on her sleeve and is always putting herself out there.
+ boy crazy, has never dated before, it’s painfully obvious.
+ she’s extremely kind, i would say, but she can be sort of childish and petty when things don’t go her way. she’s not used to hearing the word ‘no.’
+ she’s neutral toward mutants, though her family is generally anti-mutant.
+ she’s studying pre-med but is in her last year due to her being something of a ‘medical genius’. she starts med school next fall.
+ she’s a libra (sorry seven), born on october 10th
+ ambidextrous
+ speaks english and french fluently, knows very little korean.
“you’re welcome.” luna replies with a wide smile, before she giggled not because english wasn’t his language but because it sounded cute the explanation she had gotten. that and it had made her day. “yes, it is ‘on the table’ but that just means it’s on me. which in other-words means free.” the blonde explained with that of a kind smile. “i like how you say it better though, and i said that because you didn’t like the first drink. so, i kind of figured you’d like this one better.”
“Ah,” His brow furrowed with understanding, his expression lighting up. “I see. This language is very expressive. It is challenging to learn everything.” He tilted his head to one side. “I do not like bitter tastes. It feels like punishment. Sweet is better. I tried ‘coffee’ two days ago and was displeased.” Leaning forward slightly, he added, “It wounded my stomach.”
“i’m sorry, i’m not really into sparring or anything like that. so, i’m probably the worst person to ask, but i can listen around. see if i hear anything about something like that, if you want?” luna offers, not one to judge for others preferences on things they liked to do. even if it wasn’t her cup of tea. “absolutely, i have just the thing.” out of sheer practice from mixing so many drinks, it took no time at all as she poured the drink into a cold glass after dusting the rim with some sprinkles. “it’s one of my favorites, might taste a little too sweet at first. but after a couple of sips it’ll be just perfect. it’s also on the house.”
His eyes made quick work of scanning over the woman’s arms. Yes, it did seem she was not into sparring. Her offer was helpful, nonetheless, which was more than he could say for most people he had met on his journey. “Thank you,” He said politely, a little overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. He tilted his head to the side, brown eyes zeroed in on the drink. She said it was ‘on the house’, but it was clearly not on any house. Was this a ‘joke’? Was he supposed to laugh? Could he ask about it without seeming like an idiot? He cleared his throat. “English is not my language,” He admitted bashfully, reaching for the glass and taking an experimental sip. Ah. Sweet, and certainly an upgrade. “I am not sure what you mean when you say ‘on the house’. Is it not ‘on the table’?”
It was easy to forget about her troubled mind when the stranger studied the cigarette and lighter so curiously. Was it cruel that she didn’t offer assistance? Maybe, but she couldn’t help it, the scene was fascinating to watch. Iris’ lips curled inwards, flattened to a harsh line to prevent giggles from erupting. They tried so valiantly, and at the third try, Iris decided she didn’t even mourn the loss of her lighter. Instead, she laughed, her hand covering her mouth to conceal the ugly snorts. “No, it w-wasn’t,” The confusion made her laugh that much harder. After a few moments, the amusement subsided. Her thumb wiped at the tears beneath her eyes. “I suppose it’s for the best. This is fate telling you no.”
Wrinkling his nose, he considered throwing whatever was left of the fragile lighter onto the ground, but he was informed this was called ‘littering’ and it was frowned upon. Still, he could not spot one of those waste-buckets within which to throw the embarrassing remains of his failure. He supposed he would hold onto it until he could dispose of it properly, rolling his hand into a fist. “You mock,” He observed, though the corner of his mouth pulled into something resembling a smile. “Do you believe in fate?” Back home, fate existed, too. Though it wasn’t quite as abstract as ‘fate’ on Earth. No, every person in the Technarchy was born with an understanding that their destiny would be written and decided by a higher being. One greater than them all. “I believe this means the materials are not adequate. This will stop you from forming a habit.”
Iris hesitated. It wasn’t something that she should even be indulging in, let alone this stranger. However, the gravity of the evening warranted some kind of poisonous release. They were both breathing in fumes anyway, right? “Sure,” She acquiesced, digging into the pockets of her jacket. A cigarette and a lighter procured, she held them out towards him with tentative fingers. “I do find that they help, but maybe it’s because they’re familiar to me. Comforting.”
Comforting. It was not a word within Kai’s vocabulary. He had been raised for war, reached where he was today by the skin of his teeth, and with bodies in his wake. What was comfort? Perhaps this stick would show him. He brought it to his lips, just as the person before him and then held up the lighter. For a moment, he just squinted at it, as though trying to assess the mechanism with which it worked. Then, he brought it to the tip of the cigarette and rolled his thumb against the metal only to produce... nothing. Did it need more strength? He tried again, pressing harder to no avail. Determined, he tried a third time -- and crushed the lighter within his grip by accident. “Oh,” He blinked at the crushed plastic and lighter fluid on the palm of his hands. “This is not supposed to happen.”
“you know, that’s a good question.” luna began with a laugh. “i don’t get questions much about bartending. guess because it isn’t that interesting. i make good money, and people kind of.. exaggerate the whole ton of bar fights type of thing. i have seen a few people get kicked out though, for drinking too much and getting rowdy.”
“That is too bad,” Kai said, looking almost mournful. His dark eyes observed the amber liquid in his glass. He ordered it because the majority of male-identified people within the bar seemed to be drinking it. He did not like it though. It was bitter. “Is there nowhere in this city where one can spar?” Clearing his throat, he added, “Can I have a sweeter drink?”
“excuse me, who’s kid is this? he’s ruining all my perfect pokemon cards, i had them in perfect order until this kid showed up literally out of nowhere.”
Confusion was etched into his features, his nose turning up slightly. “I do not know this child. Rearranging your pictures should not take too much time. Do not whine.”
“Sorry,” Came her quick apology. Iris moved further along the balcony, away from the newcomer. “I promise this isn’t a regular habit of mine.” It was, once upon a time, but she had long since kicked the addiction. Yet, here she was again, a victim of her own lack of self-control. The chaos that engulfed the League had weakened her resolve, and when she was dithering in the aisles of the convienience store, she decided to buy in bulk. “It’s just these fires,” Iris inhaled, gazing out towards the smouldering cityscape. “They make me nervous.”
The smell was interesting, to say the least. It resembled another scent he occasionally got a whiff of when going to visit Johnathan, who lived a little outside the city of Crystalline. It was entirely toxic, for certain, and yet this being was willingly ingesting it. He had learned by now that openly asking what things are made his cover a little less believable. Instead, he reached out and asked, “I may have one? Do they calm you down in case of fires?”
Pollen. How had the conversation ended up there? Hoseok wasn’t sure, but then again, he was already struggling to keep up, his mind still entirely too occupied with his embarrassing fall. But a medic who needed to stop at a florist’s? It made no sense to him – not that he dared to ask. “Mi-mi-miniature f-friend?” His cheeks colored a darker shade of red again as he mentally cursed his stutter. “Uh…” The boy wasn’t sure how to respond to anything, his brain still processing whilst the stranger struggled with her phone.
“If.. it makes you fee-feel better, um… I’m… allergic to pi-pi-pineapple.”
Was it smart to tell a complete stranger about something that could kill him? Probably not, but he figured he’d be able to tell if someone tried to force feed him pieces of fruit.
“Don’t- Don’t think I’ve… insu-sulted a pi-pineapple in a past li-life.” He then dared to joke, some of the tension in his body slowly decreasing.
The girl didn’t know the person in front of her enough to determine whether the stutter was a constant thing or due to nerves toward their present situation. However, with all things like that, Mai preferred to pretend not to notice. After all, she would be helping nobody, least of all this person, by pointing it out. “Yeah, oh my god, I have the tiniest friend, her name’s Aki. She’s like ridic cute, too. Like a real-life anime heroine. Cute as she is though, she’s offensively clumsy and is constantly ruining my shit. Like my phone!” She waved her phone in front of him as though he would be able to see the liquid damage in the speakers, or something. “Man, let me just tell you...the whole klutzy girl trope is adorable until it starts affecting your belongings. I feel like I need to roll her in bubble wrap or something.”
“Pineapple?” That had caught her attention, cutting off her ramble about her friend. “What a fucking bullshit fruit anyway. It’s so freaking sour. You’re not missing out. At all. And you know what else is some BS? Pineapple on pizza. Pretty much all my friends are into it, and I just try not to gag. Literally. The shit people will put into their bodies. Nasty. Pollen and pineapple are fucking cancelled.”
She pushed her phone into her pocket with a little smile. “I talk a lot, huh? I think it’s my secret weapon. Not silent at all and completely deadly.”
He had never been one for super heroes, or villains. Which was ironic considering he was one— well, technically. But the appeal of the media never struck him. Warren had never found himself wanting to watch any of the movies that were so often trending online, despite the hype. He seemed to feel as though he had much better things to do than that shit.
Still, when the other spoke, he found his own nose scrunching and a leg crossing over the other.
“I have absolutely not a fucking shit clue who the hell a single one of those people are, and I personally am not the type to apologize to shit. So. Jot that all down, I guess.”
His eyes trained in the direction of the others gaze. His body twitched, the temptation to crush the small insect with his boot, but he refrained, a scowl pulling over his features now. “D’d ya’ name it? Hank is it? That’s a stupid ass fuckin name for a bug.”
“Comics are for nerds anyway, who don’t get the real world or something. You must be one of those”
Like Uncle Ben had said, with great power came great responsibility.
Mai had been born with great power, one that she didn’t understand as a very young child. It always drew the wrong kind of attention when she couldn’t be gentle and things often broke in her grip. Many a school desk and cellphone had fallen victim to her immense strength.
After understanding it, it didn’t take long before she arrived at the decision to only ever use her power for good and never for selfish reasons.
But, goddamn, did she want to crush this stupid, tall boy’s skull in her hands.
“You...don’t know who Stan Lee is? Stan Lee?” Then, to make matters worse, he made it clear he didn’t understand the Ant-man reference she had just made.
Her mouth twisted with disdain. “Listen up, pendejo, nerds are the only reason technology has progressed this far, so jot that down.” She huffed out a breath, clearly irritated. “You know what, God is fair. Though she gave you plenty of height, she didn’t give you much of anything else.
Warren let out a groan, pulling the stupid company issued visor off and tossing it down onto the table in front of him. If there was one thing he had always hated, it was uniforms. Even in prison, he’d been one to try and make his clothes his own. But here, at a stupid job that he couldn’t even work full time, he was dwindled down to a visor and apron, the only thing individualized about it being the stupid name tag addressed to a ‘Warran’. They couldn’t even get the spelling right.
Today, when he heat was making his collar stick to his neck, the hair at his scalp feeling uncomfortably damp (all due to the air conditioning having given up on them about an hour into the morning shift), it all seemed like too fucking much. He resisted the urge to actually smack his head on the table.
“Do you think, and this is just me spitballing here, do you think that if I ate some toxic waste or something, that I’d be able to turn into like, maybe Antman or something and not have to work this stupid ass job? Maybe I could move into like an ant colony or something. That’d be real nice.”
The gum bubble she had masterfully blown into the size of a grapefruit popped unattractively over her lips, but didn’t mar her face for too long before she was drawing it back into her mouth, chewing the raspberry flavoured candy dutifully. She always emphathised with people who worked jobs they didn’t like. After all, she was lucky enough to have scored a sweet paid internship from Harriet the Hackgod Haggis herself. Couldn’t relate. Didn’t want to relate either.
But, her empathy was completely overridden by the messy comic book reference. She could feel the nerd rage building slowly within her. If Aki were here, she could diffuse the situation by pinching her tiny friend’s cheeks or something. Sadly, she was alone, here with Warran and his ignorance of Marvel basics.
“Ants work real hard,” She pointed out. “They probably work harder than you do, tirelessly, every day, and you know what? They probably wouldn’t disrespect Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber like this either because ANT-MAN DIDN’T FALL INTO A VAT OF TOXIC WASTE, YOU TALL NOOB.” Then, off to the side, she muttered, eyes fixing on an ant on the floor, “Hank, sweetie, I’m so sorry.”
❝Mainstream?❞ Winter repeated aloud, picking at the chipped blue polish on the nail of her thumb. She turned her confused gaze to her sister, trying to communicate that she needed help, desperately needed help. Frost took a step forward and looked at the flyer between the girl’s hands, squinting her eyes as she quickly scanned the sea of names in front of her, but alas she equally knew no one. ❝Music wasn’t a luxury we had.❞ The small voice echoed in Winter’s mind.
❝S-sorry,❞ Winter stuttered, speaking on behalf of the twins. ❝We aren’t really educated in the least mainstream music, which we know is called indie or was it alternative?❞ she questioned in a slight dramatic panic to which Frost chimed in. ❝My advice would be to pick the weirdest band name and be present for their set, usually the weirdest band name that rings not even a faint familiar bell in your mind is the least mainstream.❞
“Yeah, you know, like, artists all the tweenies know and therefore not cool gigs to be caught bopping to?” She inclined her head. Music had never really been her thing. It wasn’t that she didn’t like music, but it was more of something to be playing in the background as she worked. The less lyrics attached to the beat, the better. Normally, she joined her friends in listening to Spotify through discord so she wouldn’t have to really think about what she was listening to.
“Indie is not mainstream, yeah! Alternative is ah, alternative is weird I think it’s more about going against the grain than not being like... commercialised. Indie’s all about like not being commercialised. I’m a leftist, I promise, I just don’t really know that much music to begin with.” It was said with a wide smile. “But none of these ring a familiar bell in my mind.... Okay, you know what?” She shoved the flyer toward the girl. “Pick for me, please?”
