Bonus Round 5: Myth & Lore

[referees]

Summer's a time for swapping stories around the campfire. With that in mind, this round draws inspiration from the stories humanity have told each other over the centuries.

This round is CLOSED as of 7PM on August 4 EDT. Late fills may be posted, but they will not receive points.

RULES

• This round does not have prompts. Instead, we ask you to draw inspiration from the wide pool of mythology, fantasy, folklore, and fable. An urban fantasy or supernatural AU? A re-imagining of your favorite folk tale? Characters swapping ghost stories or playing D&D? As long as your fill in some way incorporates the fantastical and/or supernatural, it's welcome here.
• Your fill still has to be about a ship from one of our nominated fandoms. What ships you create work for is up to you, though.
• To submit your fill, simply leave it as a comment as a reply to this post.
• Remember to follow the general bonus round rules, outlined here.

FORMAT

Bonus round shenanigans all happen in the comments below. Brand-new works only, please.

Required Work Minimums:

• 400 words (prose)
• 400px by 400px (art)
• 14 lines (poetry)

There is no max work cap.

Remember, this is a NO-PROMPT round. Format your fill comment in one of the following ways:

If FILLING:

If FILLING as a TEAM GRANDSTAND participant:

FILL: TEAM [YOUR SHIP], [RATING] Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to Write it exactly as it appears on the team roster (without brackets) or your team will not receive points Replace RATING with the rating of your fill (G - E) Place applicable major content tags and word count before your fill (when applicable) If no major content tags are applicable, make sure to state this-- even if including other additional tags NSFW FILLS: Please cross-link these fills and use clear tags in your comment. Written/text fills should be hosted at AO3 ONLY as a new, unchaptered work. Art/visual fills can be hosted anywhere. You may include a small safe-for-work preview of the fill in your comment. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" alt="DESCRIPTION OF YOUR IMAGE"/> Visual example

FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, [RATING] Replace RATING with the rating of your fill, G - E, as explained in the rules Place applicable major content tags and word count before the fill, where applicable If no major content tags are applicable, make sure to state this-- even if including other additional tags NSFW FILLS: Please cross-link these fills and use clear tags in your comment. Written/text fills should be hosted at AO3 ONLY as a new, unchaptered work. Art/visual fills can be hosted anywhere. You may include a small safe-for-work preview of your work in your comment. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" /> Visual example

Posts not using this format will be understood to be unofficial discussion posts, regardless of what they contain. They, like all comments in this community, are subject to the code of conduct.

SCORING

These numbers apply to your team as a whole, not each individual teammate. Make as many fills as you want!

For fills:

First 3 fills by any member of your team: 20 points each
Fills 4-10: 10 points each
Fills 11-20: 5 points each
Fills 21+: 2 points each

All scored content must be created new for this round.

Etc.

If you're hunting through the prompts looking for what to fill, a good trick is to view top-level comments only.

Have a question? Check The FAQ first. If you still need help, feel free to contact the mods. Happy fanworking!

Comments

FILL: TEAM IMAIZUMI SHUNSUKE/NARUKO SHOUKICHI, T

[chiharu]

Tsukasa/Rindou Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma
1237 words, animal death, T

Tsukasa knows it'll be a bothersome mission the moment King Senzaemon assigns him to look for General Kobayashi. As the White Knight, Tsukasa is privy to information on Toutsuki Royalty, but even he has heard little of the missing General and his family.

"Kobayashi is strong and untouchable" is all King Senzaemon says before launching into another unhelpful, nostalgic spew.

After a long trek to visit the smug Alquimista, Tsukasa learns the subject of his quest is flighty and was last seen in a town four days away from the castle. It seems less like magic and more like common intel, but Tsukasa still pays the hefty price for a glance at the Alquimista's crystal ball.

On the first day of his travels, Tsukasa meets a potion seller at an inn who has heard of Kobayashi. "What is he like?" Tsukasa asks after spending an unnecessary amount of coins to procure Miyoko juice made from the freshest pomegranate fruit.

"Loud," Miyoko says with a tilt of her head, and Tsukasa feels his headache growing.

On the third day, Tsukasa replenishes his supplies at an armoury. The blacksmith is a short woman of few words. "You're looking for Kobayashi?"

"Yes," Tsukasa says and tries to keep the building irritation out of his voice. "What is Kobayashi like?"

Mizuhara simply shrugs while repairing the rig for Tsukasa's horse. "Meddlesome."

This is why Tsukasa is appropriately unenthusiastic when he arrives at his destination to find a village in the woods. He ties his horse to a tree and follows the single path weaving around the settlement, stepping through tall grass that leaves dark stains on his armor. Tsukasa knows it's magic to track unwanted visitors, and he's not surprised when the villagers regard him with uncooperative alarm.

Wearily, Tsukasa finds an area by the river to rest. He finishes his cheese and sheds his armor under the warm spring sun. Tsukasa lies down on the grass and thinks about how the King will respond to the disappointing news. Strip, probably.

"Hello!" A cheerful voice says, and Tsukasa opens his eyes to find a woman peering over him. She's kneeling on the grass, her dark red tresses pooling onto his tunic in waves.

Tsukasa stares back. "Hi."

"Who are you?" The woman asks, mischief dancing in her gold eyes.

Tsukasa considers his options: The White Knight, Envoy of the King, Tired Messenger. He deflates under her gaze and says, "My name is Tsukasa Eishi." He's surprised when the woman trusts out a hand in response. Tsukasa shakes her hand wearily and finds her palms surprisingly warm. When he looks up, he finds the woman staring at him, her face now unreadable.

"I'm Rindou. Nice to meet you!" Rindou flattens the skirt part of her wrinkled dress and stands up, pulling Tsukasa along with her. She picks up wrapped loaves of bread near her and turns back towards the village. "You can't stay here. Red Dragonflies appear in the afternoons, and you know they prefer to suck men's blood."

Tsukasa doesn't know that. Still, he gathers his belongings quietly and follows Rindou as she parts tall grass with a wave of her hand. "I'm looking for someone," Tsukasa says.

All he gets in response is a thoughtful hum as Rindou pops a piece of bread into her mouth. "Want some?" She doesn't wait for Tsukasa's reply before breaking off a large piece and throwing it at him.

On their way back to Rindou's home, they pick up flowers from a girl who wraps the stems tightly in brown paper. Rindou circles around Tsukasa as if gauging his reaction, asking him random questions about his sword and hair.

Tsukasa is surprised when they arrive in front of the cabin to find his horse roaming in a patch of grass by Rindou's garden.

"I moved him here," Rindou says with a small grin. She dumps her items into Tsukasa's arms while searching for her keys, and Tsukasa notices that her fingers are pale and uncalloused, even more so than the Princess's.

Once inside, Rindou prepares tea while Tsukasa examines trinkets lining Rindou's walls. The cabin is spacious, but there are no traces of anyone else having lived here. "I'm searching for General Kobayashi," Tsukasa says when Rindou serves him tea and cookies.

Rindou tilts her head at him. "How is your search going?"

"Unfruitful as expected." Tsukasa looks down at his saucer.

"Why are you searching for this person?"

Tsukasa considers lying, but it seems troublesome. "I was told that our families have history, and as the heir of my bloodline, I am the only one who can work alongside him." The idea of bonded bloodlines still seems unrealistic to Tsukasa, but there must be a reason the second seat in the Royal Council has been left empty and uncontested for so long. Tsukasa's father always said prophecy protected their family, even though not a single drop of magic ran through Tsukasa's veins.

Rindou nods and waves her cookie in the air. "You don't seem excited at the prospect."

Tsukasa looks towards the window, where a potted plant is hanging from the ceiling on invisible twine. The truth is that the kingdom is on the precipice of a great split. With the Princess too young to assume her position, the council has been split at a stalemate. They need Kobayashi to cast the vote reserved for the second seat, and the King has hopes that it will be in their favor.

"Perhaps my intel was wrong," Tsukasa says at last, feeling another wave of anxiety clawing at him. "I should stop imposing upon you and continue my search. Thank you for your hospitality." He's not surprised, really, to look down and find that Rindou has already stolen his cookie. It's not until Rindou escorts Tsukasa outside that something occurs to him. "Why do Red Dragonflies prefer men's blood if there are no men in this village?"

"Ah! You noticed?" Rindou grins like she had, indeed, expected him to notice. A gust of wind blows a shower of crepe myrtles into the air, but Tsukasa is painfully aware that not a single flower petal lands on Rindou.

Untouchable, the king had said.

“Please answer my question.”

Rindou taps a finger to her chin. "The truth would trouble you."

"Most things trouble me," Tsukasa replies honestly.

"Well," Rindou says as she snaps her fingers. On command, a bird flies down to land on her palms. It makes distressed calling sounds, as if pulled down by some invisible force. Immediately upon landing, it bursts into flames, and Tsukasa watches in fascination at the ball of contained fire in Rindou's hands. Eventually, Rindou ends the fire and gives Tsukasa a strange smile. "When I touch things, they tend to burn. Men, especially."

Tsukasa looks down at his own hand, where he'd touched hers not long ago. He thinks about what it means to be born into coupling seats in the council, to be bonded from birth. Rindou had probably known that he was coming to find her.

"A storm is coming to Toutsuki," Rindou says, apropos of nothing. She takes Tsukasa's hand again and squeezes, and Tsukasa feels his normal state of apathy lit by something bubbling and raw.

"Yes," Tsukasa agrees quietly.

Rindou smirks at him like a cat who has caught a satisfying prey. "Perhaps I will come with you and ride the waves."