[Open] 🚬 July Flames

[burnitblack]

Who: Dabi & others
What: July Catch-All
When: July
Where: Various

Content Warnings: Potential mentions of domestic/child abuse, potential mentions of murder, violence, adult language/subjects

Notes: General and specific starters and event prompts are found below. Contact under cut.

If you want to hit me up for ideas on prompts or plots, feel free to comment on Dabi's CR meme post or his Event plotting post, hit me up on my contacts – Plurk (StarSeed69) / Discord (StarSeed#3572) – shoot me a PM, or drop an ooc comment down below, and we’ll hash it out. I'm down to write a unique starter for our threads if you prefer.

Comments

Wire strung betwixt One end or the Next

[burnitblack]

Prompt three ... OUR OWN PRISONS

① [the sea's calm today. its dark blue and green waves curving into white crests before splashing onto the black shores of the each. way to end the month... after all the violence and devastation running rampant through the streets and surrounding forests of trench, was it fitting to find some ending here? the nagging feelings linger inside his body and he leans back further against the dark, heavy trunk of the sakura tree standing far away from civilization out here on the bleak coastline of the farther shores. it's better than the one found in the sanctuary because there's hardly anyone here. the comforting offer to help deal with corruption this place impresses upon him has made the guardian sappling one of dabi's more frequented places. right now, it's helping to keep some of those thoughts and feelings in check... the hatred inside.

on the one hand, yes, dabi deals with self-loathing and inner conflict due to the intense emotional/mental and sometimes physical domestic childhood abuse in his background, which ultimately led to his tragic fate. of course he sees those flaws in himself, they're written across his face and body in the burn scars and his own lanky frame, but at the same time, he's come to accept himself as nothing more than the "failed experiment" he is, and that only turns the raging flames of his hate towards the source of his torment because of it.

while he relishes in throwing those flaws in people's faces and using them as a scapegoat for his own actions and issues, whether or not it continues to truly bother him or if he's already burned himself numb towards it is kind of a toss up. the urges to find peace in the waves and end it all are easily ignored, since he's been running towards his death for years now, but only if his death can satisfy the reason for his existence now. but right now, that's all caught on a snag, as the source of his suffering and revenge isn't here, leaving him drifting without real purpose. it's what keeps him strung between the ocean's lull and the tree's embrace. there's no point in dying since he'll simply come back. but existing in trench is a drag.

whatever. for now, he's content to rest here and watch the ocean. deal with anyone who bothers to show up in such a place.]

The Attempted Drowning

[swellter]

[ No longer ensnared by the wicked thoughts that drove him to join his brother in mutual destruction of the living world, Shouto finds himself in search of him. Not to destroy, but to mend. Waves crash beside him, white foam barely stretching far enough to touch his snow boots. With Kizu napping inside his chest, he walks through the beach alone, his passing a quiet endeavor.

After hours of searching for him, Shouto finally spots a familiar figure up ahead. A slow tension eases out of his form, even as his pace remains the same. Unhurried, he makes his way to him, breaking the silence with soft undertones when he's a few feet away. ]

Touya.

[burnitblack]

[touya's left with his own thoughts. it's been a hell of a month. he's seen people who had always upheld their morals and heroics boil down into the same violent criminals and monsters they sought to fight against. hypocrites. every single one of them have blood on their hands now. no right to accuse or criticize him for another second. and yet, for all the disgust and vindicated pride he feels towards them, there's worse reflected inside.

those same things endeavor said to him all those years ago... those never went away. grown up, proud, hardened, and burned out from the inside, with those feelings all snubbed and cauterized, you'd think he'd be worn to them. but instead, they're there, they're always there, fueling the rage towards his father who abandoned him and disparaged him. the man who deliberately sought to torment and crush him into being the failure he said he was...

those thoughts are broken by the sound of footsteps crunching in the sand, earning a silent tilt of the young man's head towards the noise. as shouto's feet leave the sand and instead alight on the grass sounding the tree, touya's expression sharpens momentarily before relaxing again.]

What?

[swellter]

[ Used to his brother's rough exterior, the pointed question rolls off of him without diluting his intentions. ]

Kizu wanted to see you.

[ Pestering him until he agreed to find him. After all, she was a reflection of him, a part of his soul, her desires his own not that he's made that distinction yet. But he doesn't have to, after all, he's always been open about how he feels once he figures it out. ]

So did I.

[burnitblack]

Hmph. That so.

[touya rolls his head to the side, facing towards the ocean again.]

Ya can't always keep usin her as a scapegoat for ya own wants.

[then have a more pointed comment. a sleeper can say "no" to their omen if they want. it's obvious that shouto's also sharing kizu's feelings of wanting to come see him, since touya figures she's an extension of his little brother's own emotions and desires. not something he's bothered to say to shouto, since that's for him to figure out on his own.

ah, there it is. admitting it himself. hearing it makes the elder sibling frown.]

Comin to bitch at me for the shit in the forest?

[swellter]

[ His mouth twists into a frigid line, and Kizu grows still in her perch inside his chest, away from prying eyes. ]

I don't use her as a scapegoat.

[ His brows deepen before smoothing out, not wanting to fight. ] I came to see how you were doing.

[burnitblack]

Then why'd ya instinctively say she wanted to see me when you did too?

[leading with kizu seems like a deflecting way to admit to his own personal feelings. then again, touya wouldn't have an issue with it if he weren't feeling so petty right now. his quiet tone belies the irritation already bubbling inside.]

I ain't dead yet.

[despite the month's proceedings. and jam-related disasters.]

How'd ya find me?

[swellter]

I said I wanted to see you, too.

[ Just because he didn't lead with it.... stop prying into the mess that are his feelings! ]

I went to every cherry blossom tree.

[ He's not the only one who can stalk people. ]

[burnitblack]

So ya did.

[well say it first next time instead of leading with your cat like a shield or something. touya wouldn't pry into those feelings if those feelings didn't keep leading to interactions with each other.

touya frowns at the revelation. tch, so shouto's picked up on that...]

Hn. Smart of ya.

[guess there's no point in hiding it.]

Mostly this one. Sometimes the one at the Sanctuary.

[swellter]

[ Look. He doesn't even realize what he's doing! Feelings are hard, harder still when they keep getting thrown in his face! Just accept them because they're not going to go away! ]

I like this one.

[ The one at Sanctuary sometimes felt too crowded. Then... hesitantly ]

Can I sit down with you?

[burnitblack]

[he's lucky he doesn't have to deal with those "feeling" things. even if there are some uncomfortable sensations and thoughts when it comes to his little brother from time to time. if shouto doesn't realize he's doing it, then maybe touya calling him out on it will help breech that gap.]

Same.

[less people. the sanctuary one is only a stopgap when he doesn't want to go all the way out here.]

Yeah. [it's strange to be on "talking level" with shouto. hating him as much as he did back home. and yet here...] Did Endeavor ever tell ya what happened when you were born?

[swellter]

[ Quietly, he sits down across from him so he can better see him. He'd been serious when he told Endeavor he wanted to save Touya at the hospital. He still doesn't know what that means, but time hasn't changed his outlook. Unlike their father, Shouto wouldn't run away from him.

... An odd question, and one he isn't expecting. ]

He said he knew I was the one... that's all he ever cared about.

[ Much like his personality, his features were pretty bluntly stated. Split perfectly down the center like a chimera. He was an ostentatious piece, even if his personality was more subtle. ]

[burnitblack]

[sorry, but he's taking the tree trunk, so tough. touya's far enough along in their timeline that he's aware of the war happening soon in their future. he doesn't know all for one's plan apart from the fact they must all be ready. when he calls for them. but he knows who he's going after... and who's going to be dead by the time that war's over.

or at least by the time his part in it is over.]

Yeah, you were all he ever cared about, enough he never looked at any of us again.

[touya goes quiet for a little bit, eyes lingering on shouto, though it's hard to tell whether he sees him or not. before finally speaking again.]

I tried to kill you that day.

[umbraportation]

[ Apparently, Nico does not only skulk around in alleyways, but also on the beach. This time, he isn't the one here first. His gaze scans the area, searching for something that he isn't likely to find out here. A shadow darkens the large sakura tree, a familiar figure. Nico stares for a minute, before sighing heavily and moving in that direction. He doesn't say anything for a long time, merely takes a seat several feet away to watch the waves crash against the shore.

It could be a few minutes, half an hour, maybe even an hour before Nico speaks up - time becoming distorted when drifting along the dark thoughts that have floated to the surface of his life. ]

We meet again.

[burnitblack]

[it's the scrunch of the sand that draws his attention, glancing up from the waves to notice the same kid from the alleyway a few weeks ago. nico. he knows little about him, but beyond the concept of greek gods residing in america and the fact he didn't try to turn him in for stealing, there's nothing that really stands out as dubious about him. looks rather dour, though that could simply be natural. it's mildly annoying that dabi finds himself curious as to how the kid's held up the first few weeks. but he says nothing, looking back out to the ocean to rest in his thoughts.

until it's broken by the commentary.]

Uh-huh.

[masterful conversation = these two.]

Ya still alive. Guess ya found a way to feed yourself.

[umbraportation]

[ Nico doesn't even know the guy's name, yet still decided to sit close enough that they could have a conversation if they wanted. He was pretty decent, answering all of his questions. The term "friends" could not be applied to them, maybe not even "allies". Mere acquaintances.

It's enough to park him this close. ]

Oh yeah, roped myself a job where a lady feeds the staff. Pretty decent trade.

[burnitblack]

[the network's a fine place to spy on even if you aren't participating. a lot of people don't realize (or care) that shit's out there for everyone to see. though in this particular case, he's right about that "acquaintance" being the best sort of tie-in they had. at least dabi has a feeling this kid's decent.

the area beneath the tree's pink boughs and a little bit around it is covered with grass and plant life, a clear contrast of the black sand all around the beach. dabi looks rather out of place among all the "pretty" of this tiny patch of paradise.]

Oh yeah? Whatcha doin'? Huntin?

[umbraportation]

[ Nico was kind of counting on everyone seeing it, if he wanted to find out if anyone from home was here. Turns out he's alone, but got plenty of other responses.

Neither of them suit the tree, just like on that day, he continues to wear all black. ]

I work over at the Sanctuary. Doing patrols and other stuff. So not quite the Hunters.

[burnitblack]

[that's one way to do it, kid. and yeah, there are a lot of fish that bite on certain kinds of bait. dabi's seen the ebb and flow of that kind of thing. it's rather amusing. people. he's done that before in his homeworld as well. social media's a bitch.

dabi's a fan of black, obviously, so they can both be black blobs under pink petals. at least the tree helps with corruption, the main reason the villain frequents it.]

Ah... that place. It's gettin bigger...

[his tone drops slightly.]

Ya know, I killed the guy who runs it.

[umbraportation]

[ It happens everywhere, the ebb and flow. Things change and this place is no different. Demigods don't get to do social media.

They don't stand out at all, amidst the pink and brown. ]

Yeah, sounds like they've been growing.

[ Nico's quiet for a minute at that news. ]

Why?

[ Mostly curiosity in his voice. He could get angry and indignant, but doesn't know anything about the situation. ]

[burnitblack]

[wow. the most anti-modern modern kids. even villains in dabi's world deal with social media and the like. ah well. he isn't stalking nico. mostly just happened to see a glance of his name while browsing the network and read up on a few things. a lot of new people tend to do introduction posts, asking questions about the world when they arrive. they're good places to get information from.]

They're gonna chafe with the normal Hunters Guild though. Can't say I agree with them.

[making discord where there once was peace. the question's expected and dabi leans back against the tree.]

We had a fight over clashing ideals. I wasn't really myself at the time, so he did me a favor by stoppin me, but I killed him in the process.

It's one of the reasons I ain't a fan of the Sanctuary.

[umbraportation]

[ For good reason and social media can be a trashdump. He hadn't shown his face on the network, but anyone scrolling through would see talk of Greek gods and Dabi got that in person. It put a name to the face for him. ]

That's what I heard, and was advised to not join the Hunters too. It's just one of those situations where people fall one way or the other.

[ Such is human nature. Nico's not making a big deal of Dabi not agreeing with them. ]

I see. Allen's one of those guys, risking his own safety to help others. Personally, I think we need some of those around.

[ Nico might risk his life for someone he cared about, but if it came down to him or the other person, he knows what he'll do. Until that moment comes, he'll help Allen and the Sanctuary. ]

[burnitblack]

[it's a complete and utter trashdump and the villains like to throw matches into it to watch it go up in flames. or unearth and spread things that help with their own agendas. yeah, he didn't immediately note it was nico, but the "new person" flavor is extremely easy to pick out among the network chatter. hints and process of elimination.]

Oh yeah? And what kinda reasons did they give ya for not? Cause their way is "better" or somethin? Some other propaganda bullshit?

[it's not that he minds the lack of agreement; it's that people like nico end up getting pushed upon arrival, rather than letting them make their own choice in the matter.]

Heh, so that's what ya think. Already swayed into their mindset. Thing is, the priest's ideas about rescuin and savin only makes it harder for people.

[umbraportation]

[ He's not surprised. Villains can do that even without social media. Something he's seen in action. ]

No, he said I shouldn't get caught in the middle when it all blows up. So I made my own choice.

[ Nico is hardly the type to let himself get pushed around, especially just because he's new. ]

Trust me, I know. I knew before deciding to join that we might not be able to save everyone. That the other person might hate me for trying to save them - for whatever reason. That's all something I can carry. Maybe better than the guys like Allen. People die, people can't always be saved, people don't always want to be saved.

[ The smallest shrug of his shoulders. He speaks so casually about death, like it's an old friend. ]

So I'll take the hard path, because I can.

[burnitblack]

[villains often have a reason for doing that, with or without social media. some are selfish and traditional, but most are sick and tired of living a life crushed and imprisoned by social structures that don't benefit them.]

So he's already plannin on blowing this all up. [dabi scoffs at the revelation.] Typical hero. Their way or war.

[he saw that one coming ever since the sanctuary was put up. this place doesn't have any kind of justice system, as he told nico earlier. so something that starts to set itself up as the "power" will ultimately start to absorb more and more.]

Sounds like you've had a lot of experience with death. Guess ya ain't just some shadowy kid.

[greek gods, he said... hm. interesting.]

But that ain't the problem I'm talkin about. None of them are stupid enough to think they can save everyone. Nah, it's their decidin on who's right and who's wrong, and then actin on it.