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sportsanime2016-07-21 08:53 pm
referees) wrote in sportsanime2016-07-21 08:53 pm
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Bonus Round 5: Myth & Lore
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)
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]
| FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, [RATING]
|
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!
FILL: Team Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, T
Oikawa Tooru & Sugawara Koushi
3507 words
--
Have you heard? About Oikawa?
Things have been strained between their families ever since the car crash. Everyone was initially happy to have him back; both sets of parents treated them like sons, after all. But when the police started making their enquiries, the relief of having at least one child come back to them alive soon turned into resentment.
Tooru is completely aware of the rumours: after all, they chase after him in the hallways, each vicious whisper curling around him, a noose waiting to be pulled taut. They say that he caused the accident by insisting on driving without a license. That there was some torrid love triangle between them and an unidentified third party, who eventually decided to take them out. That Tooru had sabotaged the car of a rival, only to accidentally get into the deadly vehicle himself. That this was actually a double suicide because Tooru and Hajime knew that they could never bear the consequences of eloping. That Tooru was a shapeshifter who somehow lost control of his monster form and went on a rampage.
It’s all nonsense, of course, though as the days go by he becomes less and less certain of the difference between rumours and reality. After all, the truth that he knows is much simpler, but also so completely unbelievable that it’s caused a rift between Tooru and the rest of polite society, his family included.
Demons. The answer is that demons did it, but the more earnestly Tooru makes his claims, the more convinced everyone is of his guilt. You’re not a child playing make believe anymore, Tooru. Just tell the truth, Tooru, and they might give you a lighter sentence. We know it hurts, Tooru, but your lies are tarnishing Hajime’s memory even more.
Tooru often loses himself in his memories of the day his life came crashing down on him. Until that day, his life had been on track. But then it had derailed sharply, detaching from its designated path and hurtling down an abyss. In his mind he can clearly see the moment when something – an unfamiliar bipedal that looked to be a cross between a bull and a very muscular man, with an oversized skull for a face – had appeared in front of his and Hajime’s taxi. Their driver had been unable to swerve in time, and they’d crashed straight into it.
Tooru had drifted in and out of consciousness, but he knows that at one point, Hajime was draped around him protectively. And at another… He knows that he saw the beast standing in front of them, exhalation carrying the stench of rotting flesh, staring directly at him before it lifted Hajime’s lifeless body to its wide-open maw, jaws closing around Hajime’s face.
The investigation’s been dropped because of too many unsolvable mysteries – the bite marks on Hajime’s face from an unidentified creature; how Hajime and Tooru had gotten out of the car in the first place; why Hajime was found several feet away from the accident site. ‘A demon did it’ would explain everything perfectly, but they’re refusing to accept it.
He can’t quite believe that people would rather believe he’s a shapeshifting friend-eating monster than in what he’s told them, but judging from the rumours going around, the people in this city aren’t exactly sane.
Tooru is sure this memory is the true reality of what happened, because he’s spent time running the rumours through his head as well, to see if anything clicks. But they are all streaked with blanks and unwieldy gaps; none match up to the vivid colours and sensations of the memory with the demon.
Sometimes, of course, he fears that that memory might just be a good fabrication; his mind’s way of sheltering him from the crushing guilt he would feel if he really were guilty of causing Hajime’s death. With each doubtful glace sent his way, with each hiss of disdain, the fear gets stronger. But there’s another fact that is always reassuring to Tooru when he remembers it.
He will never play volleyball ever again. Or any sport, really. Because his right calf is missing a huge chunk of flesh – something had bitten it out, and whatever it was, its teeth marks had matched the ones on Hajime’s face.
Tooru certainly isn’t flexible enough to reach down and devour flesh from his own leg – maybe it doesn’t matter if he shapeshifts into a monster, but he’s fairly certain he can’t. So he continues to cling to the belief that this version of the events is the realest. It brings him some comfort – in particular, the reassuring weight of Hajime’s body pressed against his protectively. In this version of the events, Tooru and Hajime’s relationship is at its best, calm and steady, instead of on the rocks like so many people seem to believe. In this version Hajime, unlike everyone else around Tooru, tries to protect Tooru. In this version, Tooru is guilty of nothing except being too lazy to take the bus.
In this version, Tooru has something concrete to avenge himself on.
Have you heard of the transfer student? The one who’s stopped coming to school? What was his name again… I think it was… Shiro? Shirai? I’ve heard his vengeful spirit is haunting the school these days!
Shiro? Apparently all his bullies got beaten up. No one knows who did it.
Someone saw Shirai in that seedy club with the secret room!!!
Huh? Isn’t Shirai dead?
My boyfriend told me that Shirai’s ghost is hanging out in that club’s secret area. If you manage to find him, apparently he’ll help you with whatever you want…
‘How do I get into the secret area?’
Tooru gets only blank stares in response to his question. The club has gone silent, and he can feel everyone’s eyes boring holes into him. He ignores it, tries to put on his most charming smile, and repeats his question.
A few minutes later, he finds himself being manhandled out of the exit.
Judging from reactions, he’s fairly certain he’s got the right club. He wants to go back inside and try again, but he’s already been thrown outside. He probably shouldn’t rush things.
He turns and limps towards the darkened streets, right leg dragging behind him. Since he’s stopped going to school, he has so much time. He can always come back tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that… Based on what he’s heard, he’s sure that they’ll eventually give him what he wants.
You know Oikawa-senpai from class 3C? He’s always at that club lately. People always see him with a real nasty crowd. I saw him the other day. He’s in real bad shape.
Oikawa hasn’t turned up to school lately? I bet he’s ashamed. Of what he did to Iwaizumi-san and what he’s been doing lately.
Yeah, I heard that Oikawa’s been going round the block! Talking to real shady characters and doing things with them!
If you pay enough he’ll do anything, apparently.
He’s been loose since middle school. Now that he can’t play volleyball anymore, he needs to find a way to let out all that pent up energy right?
I always knew Oikawa was a slut…
The lack of progress is making Tooru incredibly frustrated. To add to that, lately, there have been so many creeps approaching him; so many unwanted hands on places he’d rather keep to himself.
He smacks away the hand that’s about to make contact with his butt, and glares at its owner – an old man who jostles Tooru deliberately when he passes him, smacking his right leg with his cane. Tooru winces, then turns away from the silent club staff to scan the room. The sofas are empty, so he drags himself there and sinks down.
He’s reconsidering his tactics when he feels the movement of someone sitting next to him. He glances to the side, making eye contact with a lean boy who looks to be the same age as him, with a blond undercut. The boy puts an arm around Tooru and leans in, grinning. ‘Hey. Are you Oikawa Tooru?’
Tooru eyes the boy warily. ‘And if I am?’
‘Got some information for you. Go to the bar and order to house special. After you drink it, the secret area will be open to you.’
Tooru runs his eyes over the boy, trying to evaluate his trustworthiness. For all he knows, the boy could be lying, could be trying to get him into some serious trouble. The boy just sits still, maintaining eye contact whenever it happens to be established. Tooru can’t get a read on him at all. He grits his teeth and clicks his tongue in annoyance, turning away.
‘How do I know you’re not lying?’
‘Well, Tooru-chan, the way I see it is: you’ve been coming here every night for almost two months, now. You’ve made no progress at all, have you? And now good ol’ me turns up, giving you some much-needed information. You have no idea whether it’s true or not. But why not give it a try? It’s better than nothing, isn’t it? I mean, what do you have to lose? What’s the worst that could happen?’
A few minutes later, Tooru is eyeing a drink with white, black, yellow, green, and lilac layers. He examines it curiously: it’s giving off a floral smell, and also fizzing mysteriously. He looks back at the boy, who only gives him a smile and thumbs up. He looks back at the drink. He takes a deep breath and brings it to his lips. After all, the boy is right. What more does he have to lose? Could anything worse really happen to him?
Minutes later, when he pitches forward onto the table, struggling and failing to keep himself upright, he gets the answer to his first question. He can lose control over his own body. And as he feels himself being dragged, unable to fight off the hands grabbing at his body, he gets the answer to his second. Rumours becoming reality.
--
2/2
--
He’s having trouble seeing, but he thinks someone’s in front of him. He thinks they’re calling his name. He fades out again.
--
He’s fully dressed and lying on something soft. He can see someone moving in front of him – they are slender and dressed in a sky blue gakuran, their hair a delicate shade of pale grey. They’re humming. He loses consciousness again, but with less struggling than before.
--
He’s sitting upright, throwing up into a basin as someone pats his back soothingly. He’s dimly aware that he’s crying as well, saying things like it isn’t fair, I never wanted for this to happen, oh god, I miss Hajime. He hears the person shushing him, rubbing soothing circles into his back, whispering comforting words to him, telling him that everything will be all right. In response, Tooru just sobs harder, sobs because he’s finally hearing the words he’s wanted – no, needed to hear for so long, and it’s coming from a complete stranger.
--
He stares at the ceiling for a long time. The light is bright white and hurts his eyes ever so slightly, but he doesn’t avert his eyes.
Someone comes into view. Their hair frames their face perfectly, and they have a beauty mark near their left eye. The way the light catches against their hair, making it appear almost white, reminds Tooru of a halo, and when they smile at him whole-heartedly, shaking his shoulders and exclaiming how glad they are that he’s awake, Tooru’s heart lifts slightly: he thinks he must be looking at an angel.
‘I’m so glad you’re all right, Oikawa-san. I’m Shirai Koushi.’
--
When Tooru eventually exits the club, the sun is setting across the horizon again. He can’t believe he spent so much time there and gotten into such a mess, and all he has to go on after that is a rumour.
He recalls Kou-chan’s shocked face when he told him about the rumours surrounding him. ‘Oh, no, I can’t do anything like that!’ He’d told Tooru sheepishly. ‘It’s true I’ve stopped going to school because of the bullying. But I’m not here doing any sort of seedy business – I just happen to live in one of the rooms here.’
‘Pretty strange location for a family home.’
Kou-chan had pursed his lips and looked away sadly. ‘Well, things aren’t exactly… good, at home.’
Tooru had felt bad for inadvertently bringing up an obvious sore point, but Kou-chan had turned his soft, gentle smile at him with such alacrity that Tooru had taken the cue and steered them into another topic, instead of dwelling further on the subject.
They’d talked for a long time, Kou-chan asking Tooru about all the things he’d heard him muttering about whilst under the influence of the drugs. Tooru had ended up spilling everything – about his family, Hajime, the accident, the closed investigation, the rumours and nastiness at school.
‘You see, Kou-chan?’ He’d laughed bitterly. ‘I’m the one suffering the most, and yet they’re making me out into some evil friend-eating villain. Humans are so awful, aren’t they?’
Kou-chan had placed his hands on Tooru’s, squeezing them firmly. ‘They aren’t all that bad. Like you, Tooru. I can sense your shining heart.’
‘Oh stop it, Kou-chan. If anyone has a shining heart, it’s you. I’m the one who’s here chasing a rumour to further my revenge plot.’
‘Tooru, about that… I can’t say I approve of revenge. But have you heard of the Joker Game?’
Tooru frowns. ‘Is it that game everyone’s been playing lately? The one where you call your own cellphone for kicks?’
‘Yes, that’s the one. But it’s not just for fun. Apparently, it can grant you your ideal.’
‘My ideal…’
--
Tooru climbs across the gate, careful to land on his left leg when he drops down on the other side.
After hearing Kou-chan’s description of the Joker Game and how to play it, Tooru had decided to break into his and Hajime’s old middle school. After all, his ideals all involved Hajime, so it was only fitting that he should play the game in the place where Hajime and Tooru had spent the best years of their life, memory untarnished by demons, accidents, and human ugliness.
Tooru limps into their old classroom. It looks just like how he remembers it. He smiles to himself, and stands in a corner to begin the game.
--
He can’t believe that the call actually went through. But here he is in his and Hajime’s old middle school homeroom, face to face with someone wearing a white gakuran with black patterning at the edges, and a colourful jester mask that has a teardrop shape below its left eye. When it speaks, the sound of its voice is distorted, giving Tooru goosebumps and making him shiver.
‘I am Joker, the final trump card drawn by those anguished by their dreams… Tell me your ideal…’
‘Hajime… I want Hajime back. I want things to go back to the way they were.’
‘There is no way to bring the dead back…’
Tooru’s heart sinks. He’d been placing all his hopes on this rumour, and with that one statement, all of his hope shatters, scattering into the night breeze.
‘But… I can hear the voice in your heart. What you truly want… You want strength, do you not? The power to take revenge?’
‘Yes, yes!’ He replies without hesitation, casting aside Kou-chan’s parting words filled with hope and positivity. His greatest ideal has been cruelly denied, and now he is eagerly reverting to his original plans for vengeance.
‘I can give you power, but in exchange, I would like your loyalty.’
‘If you help me, I swear I will do everything with my power to repay you.’
Joker laughs and snaps his fingers. A yellow flower appears in his hand, and he throws it at Tooru. He catches it easily and examines it. An iris.
‘Press it over your heart.’
It’s not the weirdest suggestion to come out of this city, so Tooru complies. Seconds later, his eyes are widening in disbelief as the yellow petals disappear into his shirt, sinking under his skin and into his heart. A warm feeling starts to spread through his body.
Seconds later, he’s kneeling on the ground, doubled over and trying not to vomit. The warmth had quickly turned into ice in his veins, and then electricity was coursing through his body. Various sensations are clashing against one another in his mind, and he’s trying not to black out from the overstimulation.
Finally, he feels everything rushing towards a single point – his heart – and he feels something close around it, sinister and powerful. He looks up at Joker.
‘Well done. You adjusted remarkably quickly. On your feet, now.’
Tooru braces both hands on the floor to push himself up, but when he shifts his right leg into position, his heart almost stops in shock. He presses a hand to his calf – it’s still missing a sizeable chunk, but it no longer hurts.
‘What-‘
‘Shh. The trial is not yet over.’ Joker steps aside. Behind him is a bull-man bipedal with an oversized skull for a face. The demon that had destroyed Tooru’s dreams and brought his peaceful life to an end. ‘Show me your strength.’
The demon lets out a howl that causes the entire room to shake, and charges at Tooru. He surprises himself with how quickly he manages to jump aside. The demon crashes into the wall, then turns and starts charging at Tooru again.
Show me your strength. What’s he supposed to do? His body’s condition has improved significantly, but he can’t dodge the creature indefinitely. If only he had some weapons…
At the thought of ‘weapons’, his head starts to buzz. What is it? He hears a harsh voice echoing in his mind. It snarls, ‘Take my hand… I am you… You are me…’
Tooru screams as a skeleton with orange horns wearing a teal robe bursts into being in front of him with enough force that all the desks in the classroom are blown back, and the demon chasing after him flies back into the wall. As Tooru is clutching his head, the skeleton turns to him and growls, ‘I am Aeshma, reversed… He who hoists the sail of rage to cross the sea of blood. My other self… I will let you know the true power of fury.’
With that, it turns to face the demon. The demon roars, letting Tooru catch a whiff of its corpse breath. Then it charges at Tooru and his… other self. In the next moment, the demon is a charred lump on the floor.
Before he can try to figure out what just happened, he hears clapping. Joker emerges from the shadows and walks slowly towards him and reverse Aeshma.
‘Wonderful! You performed splendidly. As expected of someone with a gleaming heart like yours.’
Joker’s words click in Tooru’s mind, but he doesn’t immediately remember why. He faces Joker squarely. ‘What… was that?’
‘The power you used is Persona. It reflects your true, dreaming heart… The demon you defeated is a Minotaur. Are you satisfied with your revenge?’
Tooru looks at the blackened remains in front of him. The Minotaur had ruined his life, and then tried its best to kill Tooru. Thanks to the power Joker had given him – the power of Persona – he’d survived. He’d defeated the thing that had robbed him of Hajime and forcibly changed the course of his life forever. And he felt good about it.
But it wasn’t enough. He kneels before Joker. ‘Thank you for granting me this power. How… How may I serve?’
Joker laughs, and the sound is gentle, like birds on beautiful spring day. ‘Would you like to make this world a better place?’
When Tooru nods, Joker holds out his hands to him. In one hand is a circular mask with gold edges. There’s a circle in the middle of it, with two round indentations on its sides and a green jewel inlaid into a third round indentation at the top of the circle. In the other hand is a spear.
‘There are some people... They robbed me of my ideal. They killed my big sister. The world’s been moving in darker directions ever since. If we punish them, everything should right itself. Would you like to help me bring hope back to the world?’
Worldlessly, Tooru reaches out for the mask. He smooths his thumb over it, fingering the jewel at the top of it. Then, he gingerly presses it to his face. Joker shakes his hand, and when he speaks again, it’s with barely repressed delight.
‘Welcome to the Masked Circle, my dear executive.
‘Let’s work hard together to cleanse this rotten world.’