cageddoves

[cageddoves]

also putting this up in case anyone wants to add me on discord to keep in touch, please dm me or like this! 🫶

[cageddoves]

𝐒𝐌𝐒 ─  ÁNGEL >> YUBIN (@icedstrwbrry)

[ angel ]: ? [ angel ]: how come i didn’t wake up to thirty cat pictures? [ angel ]: you alright?

[cageddoves]

sorry for being so mia lately, i’m working on my replies and starters now, then afterwards i’ll follow up with my dms !

[cageddoves]

Mirror Palais collection V ‘The Return of Glamour’

[cageddoves]

𝜗𝜚.   𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄, 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄, 𝐂𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 and touched the sliver of reason she still had left. “a-alright, i think i can do that-” chiyo’s body relaxed just enough so that he could hold her trembling form while they cut through the water. she endured their journey back to safety with begrudging silence — upset not with him, but with herself for failing to prove a point.

only when they reached the shore did she fully realize where this was going — he’d probably scold her, give her a pair of water wings or an obnoxiously large floaty, and her failure would be sealed forever in the minds of both herself and the senior onlookers on the other side of the pool. somehow, that was more terrifying than the possibility of nearly drowning again.

“wait, no!” chiyo exclaimed suddenly before schooling her tone and speaking a tad more calmly. “you’re not going to give me water wings, right? because, really, that whole . . . situation was just a freak accident. i mean, this water is way colder than i expected and i-it shocked my system a little. so-“ chiyo attempted to wiggle out of the lifeguard’s grip despite her urge to keep clinging onto him. “thank you for your assistance, but you can be on your way. just, um . . . go save someone else’s life, ‘kay?”

       HAESOL CAN'T HELP BUT LET OUT A SMALL CHUCKLE . . . it simmers in his chest for a few moments as the woman looks up at him, confusion swimming in her orbs before he sees a flash of something akin to gentle seething, expressions then beginning to filter through a series of other emotions. the exchange is short — she settles on determination as a parting gift, turning away from him in one effortless motion after saying her piece, heading towards the far side of the pool without so much as a second thought. kids these days, is what his mind settles on, the amused grin that had curved at the corners of his mouth remains as he watches her leave, but he slips off the lifeguard stand the second she dips her toes into the deep end.

       "one," he finds himself counting aloud once his feet hit the concrete floor, stretching his head from side to the other as she ascends into the pool. nam haesol was many things — he was good-natured, friendly, and had a lax nature that often invited others in, bordering most times on what one might consider a little too carefree, but if nothing else, he was always reliable, dependable — protective — and certainly wouldn't let anyone hurt themselves. "two," he turns and heads towards the deep end just as she submerges herself, picking up his pace just as her expression shifts from pleasant to panicked. three, his mind counts as he dives into the pool about a foot or so away from where she's begun splashing around.

       "hey, you're okay," haesol says evenly as he breaks the surface, making quick work of making it to her side. he wraps an arm around her waist, hoisting her up in one quick motion, buoying the two of them as he leans his head back in an attempt to not get water kicked up in his face from her desperate movements. "just hang onto me," he instructs, raising his voice to catch her attention, pulling her tighter against him so as not to have her slip back down into the water. "you're okay, i promise," he assures her, voice firm, trying to ease her worries, as he kicks his legs beneath the surface. "but you have to stop splashing around or it's going to be harder to get us back over there."

[cageddoves]

꒰ა ໒꒱. 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋’𝐒 𝐆𝐀𝐙𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄, 𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋. much like her, his phone had also died at some point between his commute to work and back. it was rather typical for him to end up in this predicament, considering his circle was so small he rarely needed his phone for anything other than google searches or late night delivery orders.

“well, i think the universe may have heard your pleas . . .” he paused to consider their options while looking up at the dark ceiling. “since everything is on downstairs, and the elevator still mostly works — it’s probably just something out of place on the switchboard. it’s not going to be anything too complicated to resolve.” likely an over-confident assumption on his part, but relying on whatever skills he had was better than waiting for someone else to fix it.

with quick fingers, blackened from the materials he handled during his work day, he rooted through his pocket to pull out a small flashlight. “i can figure it out if you can hold this for me while i look inside, or i could always just —” he motioned to the door’s lock, insinuating that he could break it open without explicitly admitting it. somehow that seemed less . . . incriminating.

       AHN HAEUN WAS NOT SOMEONE WHO EASILY ADMITTED DEFEAT . . . she was tenacious, and was often the type to see things through to the end against all odds, unwavering in her goals and steadfast in her decisions. she did this in all aspects of life — whether it be hobbies, her occupation, friendships and relationships, she would always go the extra mile to see things through, to be the best version of herself that she could be, and to give things her all without any hesitation. even in moments where something got off track or went awry, she would muster up the perseverance to carry on, even if it meant grinning and bearing whatever challenge she was facing. she tried to turn each bump into the road into some kind of experience that would help her grow stronger, and most times, calling on her tenacity got her through things, but there were the few rare times where not even her seemingly unwavering determination failed.

       today was one of those days where she couldn't keep her head above water — a series of unfortunate events at IVORY DRIFT left her feeling drained, and her mind kept replaying the events of the day over and over again, even as she headed home. suppliers sending wrong products, someone bumping into the display case and shattering several glass pieces, an intern scheduling the launch post of their latest release much sooner than intended, and then her and her sister butting heads over it all — not to mention she had gotten a phone call from her mother earlier, insisting she come out this weekend to the house to meet one of their family friend's nephews. it had been what one would call the perfect storm, and it had all come to a crescendo when she had arrived back home only to realize there was some kind of electrical failure, preventing her from getting into her apartment.

       she raises her head when she hears someone call out to her, tired eyes blinking into the dreariness of the dimly lit hallway, catching sight of the outline of a male looking down at her. she offers him a weary smile, even if perhaps he can't see it too clearly. "pouting is kind of a strong word," she says with a small laugh, fishing her cell phone from her pocket — the thing had died the second she had gone to call the landlord, and it had felt like all her strength had left her the second the screen had turned black. she holds it towards him, as though to say she had at least tried to work through things herself before ultimately ending up on the floor. "i'd prefer to say i'm currently brainstorming options until the universe decides to throw me a little bit of luck."

[cageddoves]

𝜗𝜚.   𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐉𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 they walked down the steps into the subway. chiyo was fully prepared to spend the entire day at the park — regardless of the cold weather — if it meant they could both experience all the things they wanted. his mention of the waterpark brought a spark to her eye and caused chiyo’s brows to raise with genuine interest.

an unfortunate recent experience solidified the fact that she definitely could not swim, let alone surf, so she couldn’t help but be impressed. abruptly, she stopped in her tracks to squeeze the arm intertwined with hers intensely. “wait, really? are you actually that good?” she asked with a level of seriousness unearned by the situation, further accentuated with wide brown eyes. “how do you, you know, not immediately sink when you get into the water? did you take lessons?”

sejoon's eyes widened at the prospect of twenty churros, though knowing him, he probably could easily put away that many. in all fairness, it was a far more shocking revelation that chiyo would want to do this with him at all. it was a fake date, sure, but she'd still have to spend a few hours in his presence to make it convincing to the park employees. he may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knew well enough to know that chiyo was out of his league. that's why even a day together as friends was more than enough for him.

as chiyo held the flyer towards him, sejoon took a good look at what the park had on offer. "i'm definitely with you on the draken, it looks awesome! and i'd definitely be up for a ride on the ferris wheel. as for me, i think the phaethon seems pretty cool! and i'd love to go on the megadrop too," sejoon's voice had taken on a lightness that could only be caused the childlike joy of theme parks.

as his eyes scanned over the waterpark, still obviously closed for the season, his grin drooped if only slightly. "it's a shame it's not summer. we could have gone on the surfing simulator! not to brag, but i do have mad skills," he chuckled, mind awash in memories of growing up in busan.

[cageddoves]

[cageddoves]

𖦹. 𝐈𝐍𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐋𝐘, 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐍 — so he was relieved to see that his advice genuinely resonated with isla. slowly, he nodded as she voiced her thought process aloud. she was smart, and despite her heavy emotions, she was able to see past her feelings in the end.

he rose his arm and pulled back the bottom of his sleeve to glance at his silver wristwatch. the odds of him having time that same day was pretty slim. he had already spent the time that was supposed to be for his lengthy commute speaking to isla, which put him back at least an hour. finding additional time to give her a proper consultation would be nearly impossible . . . but he wouldn’t just leave her hanging.

“i could carve out some time for you tomorrow, if you’re available. our meeting can be informal — just consider it a favor.” in other words, he wasn’t going to accept any payment for the guidance he provided her. roman was seeking a way to close the chapter on jungbin’s memory, and helping his daughter find a proper owner for the bar seemed like the perfect opportunity to do just that. if anything, she was doing more for him than he was for her.

okay, this guy was good. he seemed to be finely attuned to deliver exactly the message isla needed to hear in that moment. he seemed to be a man of logic and rationality, something she also liked to surround herself with when she wasn't drenched in the grief of a sudden loss. the reminder that such things existed was a great comfort to her, and it evoked the first genuine smile on isla's face in quite some time.

of course, things made a lot more sense after he'd handed over his business card; she studied it in thoughtful silence for a moment, continuing to let his inference fill the room. he was a business consultant — a title she was familiar with through her own foray into the workplace. she'd never consulted with them directly, but she often saw her bosses looking very honed in for hours while meeting with them. his advice wasn't spot on by accident, it seemed.

"i see," she replied, nodding slowly. "i guess that's why what you're saying makes so much sense," she continued, in disbelief at her luck that such a person would walk directly into her father's bar.

her lips thoughtfully pursed before she spoke again. "i mean, you're right...about everything really. i guess what keeps me holding on is the fear that someone will come along with no regard for this place and change everything that my dad loved about it," was her next confession, though yet again it was coming from a place manipulated by the weight of the loss she felt. "but...i can't do that to myself, can i? i can't make decisions in that frame of mind," her words were firmer, more in the moment than they had been up until this point. she heaved an encumbered sigh, trying to wipe out the remainder of her emotions to decide from a clearer head.

a small, sheepish grin forms to meet him. "i don't suppose you're looking for a new client? and have a free afternoon..." she inquired, knowing it was a lot to ask of him.

[cageddoves]

𐔌  .  𝐂𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐃𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒  ;   a multimuse blog penned by 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐞 ( 24, she/her, cst ) and a part of 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐡𝐪.

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐘𝐎 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐀 — biography・ dossier ・ connections ・ visuals.

𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐄 — biography・ dossier ・ connections ・ visuals.

𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐓 — biography・ dossier ・ connections ・ visuals.

about the mun ・ open starters ・ tasks ・ full navigation.

[cageddoves]

𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊 #1 — roman’s loft

his bedroom, cologne tray, handmade pottery, mini bar, handinmarriageplease.jpg, workspace, living room, fishing pole rack, lots and lots of suits.

[cageddoves]

𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊 #1 — chiyo’s loft

her bedroom, beta fish, hobby corner, the sample costume for a new production, myaaaaangel.jpg, makeup collection, her living room, her favorite way to start the day, and a (inconveniently) small practice area.

[cageddoves]

𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊 #1 — ángel’s loft

candles or incense in his bedroom, framed photos of his family, vintage jewelry collection, tarot cards & crystals, babybabyboybaby.jpg, a kitchen full of fine ingredients, hIs living room, a projector, a gaming corner.

[cageddoves]

[cageddoves]

𝜗𝜚.   𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐘𝐎’𝐒 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐉𝐈𝐍’𝐒 𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒, her smile growing a little wider with each thing he referenced. it was honestly hilarious seeing him so serious about a game, but chiyo schooled her expression to mirror his playful sternness. “i trust you.” she said with a dramatic, determined nod and took ahold of the controller.

she entered into the dark world right away and was inundated with control details which she promptly ( and naively ) clicked through without reading. instead of bothering with the pop-up tutorials, she raced forward into the unknown with gusto. “wow, these graphics are amazing . . .” she murmured in awe.

but her reverence only lasted for a few seconds before an enemy began quickly approaching from the distance. with one slash from the armor-clad skeleton, her health bar immediately depleted to only half. “ah, damn-” chiyo proceeded to jump, walk forward, block — all things except strike the enemy right in front of her.

maybe those earlier tutorials really were important, and being an exclusively pc gamer definitely wasn’t helping her comfort using the remote. she glanced to her self-proclaimed guide with thinly veiled panic. “what do i do?”

— Closed starter for Chiyo (@cageddoves)

Of all the guided tours Seojin believed he might be apt in delivering, this had not been at the start of his list. He couldn't argue that if anyone was going to introduce roleplaying video games, he was probably the best guy for the job. But the fact that he now had Chiyo sat beside him to ready undertake the venture, nestled in the abundance of blankets he'd pulled from various spots around his apartment, was somewhat of an anomaly.

And yes. He also couldn't argue against the fact that presenting her with Dark Souls as a first foray outside the cosy Animal Crossing realm she currently resided in, was cruel. But that was why he was here. To guide her. To make this as painless as possible!

Seojin shot a sidelong glance Chiyo's way. In his left hand sat the controller, ready to go. He offered it to her, the smallest glint of mischief in his eyes. "We have sustenance," he began, referring to the copious amounts of snacks stacked in colorful bowls on the table in front of them, "We have blankets. And you have your guide. Now Miss Chiyo... do you trust me?"

[cageddoves]

closed starter for @svvanisms (haeun)

꒰ა ໒꒱. 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍’𝐒 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐇𝐔𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍. he hadn’t even registered the sluggish pace of the elevator which was an indication of what awaited him. instead, he ignorantly stepped inside and zoned out as it climbed up to his floor. the machine came to a lurching halt, it’s doors slowly opening for him to exit.

unlike the faulty elevator, ángel noticed her the second he stepped into the dimly lit hallway — a young woman sitting on the floor, knees tucked to her chest, her expression tainted with defeat. it was only then that he realized he’d been walking through darkness the entire time. he assessed her for a few silent beats, piecing the scene together, before scoffing in amusement.

“so you’re just gonna sit there and pout ‘till the power comes back on?”

[cageddoves]

𝜗𝜚.   𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐂𝐇𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆. after a long week of contorting her body in all sorts of counterintuitive ways for ballet, she couldn’t face her usual pilates or hot yoga routine. instead, she wanted something new and cooling, which brought her to a different part of the fitness center. chiyo couldn’t recall any recent memories of her swimming, but that didn’t phase her. she was an athlete after all, and the only thing she needed to do was float. how hard could that be?

she had heard the lifeguard’s call— little lady — but assumed he must have been talking about a younger girl she hadn’t noticed. she continued to walk unfazed towards the pool until the man’s waving finally caught her attention. her brown eyes connected with his in a moment of recognition.

“i- you’re talking to me?” chiyo asked incredulously. she glanced down at herself and back at the lifeguard in an attempt to imagine how he saw her. he couldn’t have been more than a couple months older than her, if even that, so for him to address her like a kid . . .

she shook off the urge to be offended and decided this would be an opportunity to prove herself. if there was anything chiyo loved most, it was rising to a challenge. she offered him a charming smile as a subtle olive branch of forgiveness for his earlier assumption and tossed her glossy brown hair over her shoulders. “don’t worry, i’m sure you’ll see i’m plenty experienced enough.” then, with effortless grace, chiyo smoothly slipped into the deep end. for a fleeting moment, she looked like a pro.

it felt exactly as she had hoped— like a cold embrace, gently cradling every ache and pain in her overworked muscles. a small smile tugged at her lips as her body slowly acclimated to the water’s nature, sinking down… and a little further down… and suddenly chiyo realized she was still sinking despite her efforts to swim upwards. a jolt of panic surged through her which only served to make her frantic movements less effective.

❪    💙 ❫ 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐘𝐎               ⸺ 𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 : the pool at the DALLYEONSO fitness center               ⸺ 𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒 : inexperienced swimmers should be in the shallow end               ⸺ 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 ( @cageddoves )

       HAESOL WAS CONVINCED HE KNEW HOW TO SWIM BEFORE HE EVEN KNEW HOW TO WALK . . . it came like second nature to him, almost as natural as breathing, and he could fondly remember his mother calling for him whenever they went to the beach, telling him he was going to grow gills and webbed feet if he didn't get out of the ocean to come have lunch. that was one thing — among so many others — that he missed about busan. there was no sand between your toes in the heart of seoul, no sparkling sea, and if you felt a salty breeze, it was only because you were passing by a local fish market. he longed to feel himself crash against the waves, but heading back to his hometown was just something on his bucket list now. still, that doesn't mean that haesol isn't able to find some kind of workaround — if you can't feel the ocean, then the next best thing is to feel chlorine.

       "hey, little lady," haesol calls out from where he's perched on the lifeguard stand, having been scanning the pool at DALLYEONSO for the last several hours. it had been a slower day, with only the normal group of senior citizens there for their twenty-minute aquatic exercises, so the face of a newcomer stuck out to him like a sore thumb. he waves his hand out to catch her attention as she heads towards the further point of the pool, innocently mistaking her for a preteen who thinks she can take on the deep end. he smiles warmly once she stops, leaning down from the tower to offer a friendly warning. "the deep end is for experienced swimmers only."