deercountry | june/july catch-all!

[ amaterasu was no stranger to ghosts. she’s sat and conversed with them on many occasions, and when on a fine summer day on her usual runs across trench, her coat thin and slim against her frame to battle the heat, she sees a soul that she once had, so long ago but seeming like yesterday: rao, the priestess, shimmering like a faded memory, once slain by a dreadful fox who then used her corpse as a puppet.

amaterasu would, of course, meet with the apparition; this one had a connection with her. they both follow each other— the wolf, with whines and groans that clearly showed her attempts at communication. her tail wags high, then droops, then so did her pointed ears, folding back as her black lips thinned. something was wrong, and rao was becoming more and more agitated. she could not leave. she was lost. she didn’t know where she was beyond a maddening void that made her lash out— ammy kept close to her, wanting to help her move on dearly and release her from the anchor that kept her earthed in trench. so far from home and so far from the peace she deserved . . .

the more the woman’s phantom raged, the more she twisted and pulled a mask to her face. she would strike the wolf once she’s gained enough solidity, attempt to pin her and unleash her insane barrage upon her—

the most the amaterasu would do, confused, was sprint away from the attempts with folded ears and her tail tucked; a rare sight for a creature that exuded confidence and combat-ready leadership. here, and now, her body says: i am frightened, i do not wish to fight you. she never runs completely, no. only out of range. she would not leave rao in that state. never.

but what does she do, when what she usually relies on doesn’t work? amaterasu lowers her head, paces anxiously and whines, whimpering loudly and consistently between stressful, hastened pants.

“how do i help you?” ]

Edited 2022-06-12 12:41 (UTC)

[ that’s enough for today.

had shōyō more time, he would’ve kept going. his chakra focus has gotten an inch of improvement, but it’s not enough for him. he’s teetering on the border of exhaustion by the time he relents for his own health and well-being; he’s been burned and blistered from the tiny chokes of ember he’s managed to blow from his lungs, but most of it was just heat that made his lips tender. he had some time to recuperate and have lunch, all before it was time to jog over to koz orphanage for club meetings (and of course, teaching sasuke the principals of volleyball). it was going to be an exciting day—

“exciting” takes a dreadful turn when shōyō catches sight of something odd, black-scaled and clinging to sasuke’s back when he meanders over from the outer field of the dojo to sit on the wooden bamboo ledges, to treat the superficial harm done with bandages and balms. it causes shōyō’s incoming words to freeze in his throat, choke down, and deep the color from his face gradually.

he’s still there, completely still— and staring right past sasuke, just over his shoulder. the same thing he saw on lazarus. was that the reason why . . . sasuke seemed more tired today? ]

Edited 2022-06-12 13:07 (UTC)

( ⭐️ clip here, for easy viewing/if you’d like to skip the written description! )

[ it can happen at any moment of the day— remina, the month’s patron pthumerian, isn’t exactly picky when it comes to sharing knowledge among trench’s sleepers. that includes memories. the one that oikawa happens to get, right before his eyes is:

you’re running just about twice the amount the person in front of you is. you’ve just walked through the entry gates of shiratorizawa academy with kageyama tobio right beside you. the campus is huge, and you exclame that with great awe before being nudged to not lose your focus. but there’re horses. the volleyball team has their own bus. both of you lose focus, bouncing about with your arms in the air in a tremendously excited flail. that is— until you find the volleyball court, and push your way into kageyama to see at least something. you see college students. your spine prickles from top to bottom.

ushijima wakatoshi stands in front of the open gym doors, demeaning tobio immediately for applying to the school and getting rejected. we don’t need a setter who won’t serve the ace at this school. oikawa . . . he’s an efficient player. he should have come to our school. oikawa is a setter that can bring out the absolute best of his team— everyone else at aoba josai is weak. seijou is infertile soil.

you stare, with your mouth parted and forgetting to breathe. something in your chest boils silently. you can’t place it. you can’t even think about the why, you simply feel it.

if seijou is infertile, are we concrete or something? you say, out loud and stepping forth— unafraid, intent and challenging, you stare at him until it’s more than uncomfortable. the boiling is hot in your chest and bubbling up your throat. you’re getting upset, angry— but you manage to hold that and use it. a ball breaks the moment, the concentration. it shoots out from the door, and ushijima jumps effortlessly to retrieve it.

you run, jump even higher than him. you soar and leap higher than ushijima’s jump on top of height, stealing the ball away from his hands. when you land, you return the ball, but you say, grave and honest:

my name is shōyō hinata, and i grew from the concrete. i’m going to beat you and go to nationals.

ushijima looks both startled and excited— and he keeps your rebelling glare to heart. ]

Edited 2022-06-12 14:06 (UTC)

[it's fortunate that, at this point, Blue has encountered the phenomenon of hauntings which have cropped up this month. it's different than months prior, so simply dispelling them through convincing them of their need to move along won't pan out. speaking to locals who have witnessed the specters before has been very helpful...but it doesn't dispel the alarm Blue feels when he sees the wolf plagued by a haunting of her own.]

Ammy...!

[when the ghost seeks to lash out again, its blow bounces off a faint, honeycombed barrier of Blue's making. while he remains at a distance with his arm outstretched, his omen bounds over to put himself between the wolf and her tormenter.]

[ so what happens when a hole opens up in the middle of trench? adventure, that’s what. once shōyō had found a partner to join his party (and a great partner, at that), ochako will meet once again with exuberant athlete, his crow omen, and a . . . a very large chicken named egg. good thing he had never gotten rid of the equipment handed over by the moss king on his exploration into the catacombs that did earn him egg— he’s got a head light, and a backpack! and some rope, but that’s about it. ]

Ready, Ochako—?! [ a double high-five awaits her! or perhaps, make that quadruple. egg follows shōyō’s lead and want the same for his feather claws. ] Team Space Birds!

[ deep tweet ]

Edited 2022-06-13 01:37 (UTC)

[Adventure and, for Ochako, an immediate call to action as a Rescue Hero. This is the sort of thing she's especially good at, and her quirk is even optimal for this particular scenario as well - helping people get up and down from the ravines, lifting and moving rubble, all that sort of thing!! Needless to say, she is fully suited up as Uravity, double checking the items she has both in her belt and her bag. Food, water, some rope, her medical kit, a blanket, a matchbox and lighter, a notepad and pencil for mapping, some chalk to mark their path...and some flashlights and batteries.]

I think so, just wanted to double check our supplies... [She's beaming at Shoyo, despite being pretty serious on the inside. Her main worry is people having fallen down and injured themselves...or worse, so time if of the essence.] I can float us all down with my quirk, or would you rather do it yourselves?

[M-Maybe said as she absently gives scritchies and pets to Egg, because it just reminds her too much of Dark Shadow, and he loved pets. Of course, as she stands up and stretches, she will 100% smack both her palms to Shoyo's careful not to touch him with all her five fingers...l-lest he start to float by mistake, ahaha...]

[ um, excuse me? while egg shrills happily at the attention, shoyo makes one final adjustment with his equipment before he makes the most . . . contained face. like he's trying to hold an explosive in. he just looks so ready to fight anything! but what he's actually going to say, gravely (or excitedly?) is: ]

Do the floaty thing.

[ please do the floaty thing he's begging you! ]

[ "oh, blue," her thanks is implied, her ears still folded so close to her skull. her whine starts with an attempt at a mrr, that softens into a consistent bleat. it's hard for ammy to become somewhat lost in what to do. she always rushes in with a plan. today, she's out of plans. the masked priestess seems to throw a fit at the intervention, gesturing wildly and kicking her heels against the floor, lastly pulling of her mask to whirl it onto those in her way. before it can hit, it fades in a wisp, and so does she.

"she is outraged . . . she has every reason to be." ]

[Pfft...Shoyo, are you sure you're older than Ochako is, because she can see the boundless excitement radiating off you in waves, and it reminds her almost of a little kid. It's endearing as all hell, and she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Is this what it's like to have a fan? Oh gosh...]

Okay, okay, both of you on either side of me.

[She says, giving herself an absent pat as she begins to lift off the ground in Zero Gravity. Her two hands are outstretched for the human and his bird to take, and once her five fingers connect with their skin...the telltale pink glow of her fingerpads will activate her quirk on them both and they'll feel the brief "butterflies in the stomach" tingle as they both start to lift off the ground as well.

She did it, the floaty thing.]

Justified or not... Her violence won't be the answer she seeks.

[though the ghost has vanished, Blue is still on-guard, his psionic sense combing the area for sign of her as he approaches the wolf, the extended hand lowering, reaching toward her.]

Are you hurt?

[ amaterasu sniffs the extended hand and licks it, gentle and sweetly.

"nothing that impairs me. her killer has kicked me a time. it fades quite easily." in other words— weak kicks, bro! try harder! "but hear me, 'tis not her fault. she is not in her right mind. we must free her." ]

[ this is exactly what it's like to have a fan. shoyo practically jounces on his toes with his uncontainable excitement. ahhhh—! he squeals when ochako floats. egg doesn't egg-actly . . . know what's going on—?! so he's the grounding sense half of his partner, and follows suit with the gesture to hold. linking his own arm and feeling that fluttery, jittery sensation of being lifted off the ground without the effort of his muscles to propel him up—

icon is exactly how shoyo reads at this very moment: woooooooo!!! ]

This is awesome—! [ said in a high pitched tune that only flies higher—! ] You're so awesome!!

[after the lick, Blue rests his hand atop her head for a moment before stroking her fur back and letting his hand withdraw naturally.

now that he's close, he can speak aloud, but...well, he's a Mu, so telepathy comes just as naturally; why stop now?]

Did she wash up as we all did? Or is she an apparition manifested from you directly?

[It's taking all of Ochako's will to not laugh, because Shoyo is so endearing. She beams at his enthusiasm and clicks her heels together, letting the boosters in her boot's heels sputter to life. They're not crazy strong, just enough for some baseline propulsion and direction during flight, but it's enough to get them going.]

Ehehe...thanks, i-it's really nothing, just my quirk. [Seriously. This is exactly what her quirk does at the most basic of levels. When she uses it to fight, that's when it's pretty cool, but hopefully...there won't be need for that (foreshadowing).] Okay, I'm gonna bring us down, so hang on tight, okay? Don't let go of my hand!!

[They'll still float, but, uh...she'll have to go fetch them if they do just waft about aimlessly, and that's no fun if they panic, especially Egg. But! Ochako tightens her grip and starts to move them down slowly into the dark ravine. Deeper and deeper...]

Gotcha'!

[ egg deep tweets in turn, and they both hold on tight! so cool! once it starts getting a little ah, dark, shoyo makes sure to switch on his headlight to lead them down. so far, just rock, and dirt, and walls— wait, walls? ]

Look! [ walls and carved floors, manmade structures and places to stick up torches along the way. a few might still have some that they could ignite to light up their path once they touch ground down below. ] A secret passage—!

[This is a throwback, seeing Ushijima from ten years ago and just as rude as ever to others. Except... Ushijima seems taller, or is he shorter? The question is answered as soon as the voice speaks. He's definitely shorter and that sure as hell sounds like Shōyō mouthing off to Ushijima while Kageyama was right there being... Well, himself. Tooru won't admit it but he's proud of how Shōyō mouthed right back, the kid, now man, can be scary enough in his own right.]

Jeez he was rude to everyone, huh? Not just me but so cocky and full of himself to everyone he met. Though it pisses me off Ushiwaka decided to put Seijoh down like that.

[There's a pause, realising he's just seen a memory not his own. He saw one of L's but this is still WEIRD to him.]

Sho-chan... Was that one of your memories?

[ in the kitchen of their cozy little home complex, shōyō is busy setting aside a mixture of cocoa, some sort of milk and sugar in cups— it’s not exactly all the ingredients they need to make brigadeiro, but then again, trench wasn’t exactly known for being a super market resource. he’s found, hm, cream? was it heavy cream? only the world would know, but it was cream, and a recipe on deernet said he could make butter from cream.

time to put that stuff in a jar and shake it up like a shake weight. he’s even made a challenge out of it: whoever shakes the longest with one arm wins the first spoon!

his propped up omni on the kitchen counter starts— playing something, though, and he knew the voices. he could even imagine it in his head and bounds around the counter mid jar-shaking to see. he doesn’t exactly mind it playing. it wasn’t something super secret, plus! it was incredibly nostalgic. way to go, tiny him! ]

Yeah, it . . . Wait, Ushijima was rude to you?

[ he talked so highly of oikawa that—! ]

[If it wasn't for the sudden memory of Shōyō's, Tooru would still be laughing and being ridiculously competitive right alongside Shōyō, but that gets a stop put in it for now because his mood sours just a bit as he nods and crosses his arms. Expression looking unamused and a bit annoyed, though not at Shōyō himself.

Sure, beating Ushijima and the rest of the Japanese National Team at the Olympics had him less hostile towards the man, but the two still were rivals and Tooru could hold a grudge.]

Oh yeah, constantly. You didn't see him back in middle school or most of high school, he was constantly coming after me to get me to go to Shiratorizawa when I'd already made a promise to Iwa-chan that we'd make it to Nationals together. Arrogant bastard.

[Good thing Shoyo was able to do that, because Ochako's hands are a bit full... She has a lantern in her pack, sure, but will need to be on solid ground to get it situated. Ochako's keeping her eyes mostly forward, to direct them by the light cast, but when Shoyo turns his head and indicates the passage, she moves them over toward that direction, the boosters in her boots revving up a bit.]

Oooh, good eye, Shoyo-san! This should be a good place to start looking around...

[And once they're close to the ground, Ochako will tell the duo to "watch your step", then touch her fingertips together and mutter the release word - which is literally just release. Her quirk deactivates on everyone and they fall the perhaps foot or so to the ground, Ochako catching herself easily and helping the other two if they weren't prepared for the landing...d-despite her warning.]

[ shake shake shake goes shoyo and his cream jar, all while listening, and, tasting the salt from here. yikes. ]

Maybe he just . . . Really wanted to play with you?

[ so sad that the ride has to be over so soon, but it was doubly worth it! closer to the ground meant shōyō watched his feet, and while he’s made an excellent landing, isn’t above still holding on. plus, he can do this once ochako was ready: hold her arm up in mock victory. coolest girl in history right now! egg also seems to be fine, and barks up a chirp in thanks. immediately inspecting the tunnel-like walls and hanging torches, egg begins to light them up on sight with ember. ]

Wooahhh . . . ! [ a slight echo goes through the tunnel. so mysterious! ] Which way do we go, do you think?

[ there was going ahead, and there was going “backwards”. ]

[And to that, Ochako just beams brightly after her second's worth of initial surprise, her laughter echoing loudly through the caverns as she swings their hands a little bit. Gosh, but Shoyo's just...such a sweetheart. Ochako's immediately fond of him after they fought, and wonders if, maybe, the same sort of feeling happened with Bakugou. She most certainly saw her blond friend in a much clearer picture, anyway.]

Hm...I'm not sure. [Said absently, as she is (once again) giving Egg some pets and scritchies for being such a useful and good birdy. Lord does she miss Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, and may be projecting a little, but...sue her. Both are friend shaped, and deserve many pets. ♥] We can pick a direction and see how far it goes, then double back. I brought some things for that exact purpose.

[Ochako takes out of her pack a pad of paper and her pencil - for notes - and a medium sized box of colored chalk.]

[He can't help the salt, it's a touchy subject for him after pretty much six years straight of hassling.]

He did, but devote my time only to the team's ace? Nah, that's not my style. I wasn't gonna perfect sets for him and him alone.

[And then his own memory of the day Seijoh lost suddenly plays, because Tooru began thinking too much about it.]

[ it's hard for this not to grab his attention— and shoyo tries to show some decency. oh, senpai, you can shut that off if— he starts, but. oikawa seems to be in on it anyway.

shoyo just about gasps. and shakes his jar faster. ]

No way you said that—!

Oh—!

[ that is a fantastic idea, the chalk! the notes! they were more detail-oriented tools that shoyo hadn't thought of, focused more on action-based practicalities. ]

That's great! We won't get lost that way! [ he seems genuine both impressed and surprised, and proceeds to roll his hands around to randomize a path to take. ] What about— this way? And you can write on my back!

[ he points to his back with his thumbs! ]

june/july catch-all!

@blue | cw: ghosts, animal abuse, eventual mentions of possession and death

@sasuke | cw: (sasuke’s) living nightmares

@oikawa

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@ochako | cw: the scarabs from the mummy

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i love him....

and he loves you

Oozes in late

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gasp... (っ˘ω˘ς )

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Pages 10-15, any audio/video I found was awful quality and too quiet rip

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