deercountry | [Open] 🚬 September Flames

Entry tags:

[Open] 🚬 September Flames

Who: Dabi & others
What: September Catch-All
When: September
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.

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[The funny thing is, Ochako knows he can't change any of the members of the League. Not here, and not home. And even if she tried, well...justice has to be served, right? They're not getting off the hook for all their crimes just because one little girl wants them to have a happy ending. Life doesn't work that way and Ochako knows it. Also don't make her start carrying a spray bottle, you damn vulture. :|

Hey, rotisserie is a valid method of cooking a lot of various meats, and pan searing fresh fish is great for some texture. Hell, Dabi's already a gourmet fucking chef in relation to his little brother, who is a biohazard when making literally anything. There is hope yet for at least one of the Todoroki men. Or at the least ochako doesn't have to worry too much that they won't starve to death or something when winter comes or something. Still mind send a care package regardless, but hey...what he does with it is his prerogative. Just be nice to her Omen when it makes a very possible delivery.

Rolling her eyes, Ochako heads off with a slight shake of her head but she has a small smile on her face nonetheless. It's something - not being at each other's throats and wanting to just strangle one another. She still can't stand him, but it's nice to not be openly hostile when in close quarters. The work digging the boulder out takes some time, since a lot of the damn thing is buried in the earth, but once the majority is unearthed, a quick application of her quick and some ropes and a whole hecking LOT of pulling pops the rock out like a champagne cork. Ochako already feels her stomach cramp from the weight she's lifting, but it's definitely not the worst she's done. One of these boulders is nothing to the dozens and dozens or them she's released before. The pinch in her side is easily nullified by her costume's suppression gear, too.

It's about a half hour, maybe forty minutes of hard labor before there's noise, movement from below through the trees and Ochako up above moving the boulder through the air with her hands and the thrusters in her boots for movement. She's looking out below for hand signals on direction and keeping in line of sight, too. Not too high, just above the tree line for now... She can spot the cliff where the Bugge is, too, and she doesn't hear any noise or see any smoke or flames...yet. Dabit will get a blip on his Omni from up on high.]

I'm en route, how is everything there?

[by the same token, dabi has no intention of trying to change any o the heroes here. well... he's given two of them a subtle push or so when they were under event influence, but the original personality change wasn't his doing. after all, wouldn't it be "changing" them if he tried to snap them back to their senses? screw justice serving; any "justice" will only get served to *one* side of the equation. she knows it just as much as dabi does. otherwise, endeavor and hawks would be jailed.

oy, oy. vultures are nature's way of cleaning up the trash. he's simply doing a public service.

bleh... fresh fish. nah, he'll stick with searing chicken or maybe a fucking rat if he catches it. who cares. he's burned mushrooms to eat so he can avoid slapping a fish down on his damn table. and of course dabi's better than his brother! anyone but their shitty old man could see that! ... okay so probably 99% of the world can still cook better than dabi, who's main culinary accomplishments are searing, rudimentary frying, and boiling. don't ask him about spices beyond salt and pepper, or measurements. just put it in the skillet and let 'er rip. though he can't knock shouto's cooking too bad; those jellies were one hell of a rush (much to shouto's horror) and dabi's deliberately kept them in stock, not to mention procured more before his little brother discovered the criminal ramifications his cooking led to.

ah well. dabi will survive. that's what he's always done. hope for him, however, is likely a wasted effort. but he'll accept the care package. so long as her omen doesn't randomly show up at one of his rotating "homes" that he hasn't told anyone about.

when one of the scouts questions him about "what can one little girl do", dabi merely tells him to shut up because that "little girl" can get the job done better without his stupid, unrequested opinion. their business now is making sure the bugge doesn't wake up, and if it does, keep it caged against the cliff. making for a somewhat boring wait, leaning over the edge of the precipice in turns while the noises off in the forest threaten to rouse the monster from its slumber.

finally that connection's made and dabi glances at his omni once before looking down at the creature.]

Sleepin, but it's restless. Ya better speed up cause I ain't givin ya more than three minutes at this rate.

[He sure has, and that shit hasn't been forgotten in the slightest. Hence Ochako's hesitation and dislike of him just on that alone. She can play nice, do what she was trained to do, but will never trust nor like this man at all. There's simply too much he has done that has served his sense of "justice". Much like a lot of words in the world, that one is based entirely on emotional and moral input and is as fickle as the other two words that make it up. It is solely dependant on the person themselves.

Dabi, bin chicken confirmed.

...Double confirmed, rat-eater. Though what he puts in his mouth (take that as you will) is of no real concern to Ochako - she can only do so much and only offer a hand when the time and place calls for it. That's perhaps the one area, hilariously enough considering her own weird relationship with food, that she won't budge on - everyone should be able to eat, no matter who they are and what they've done. They should always be allowed to eat a good, healthy, warm meal. That's just basic, human right - being hungry sucks, and maybe because she's endured that, Ochako is more amiable to making sure others don't. Though her cooking won't be able to be weaponized unless Dabi wants to just waste good food. :\

Maybe, maybe not... It's really not like Ochako has much control over what her Omen chooses to do. But knowing how these villains are, and how they think, she'll at least leave them a message and pick up point first. If they want it, they can have it. If not, well...finders keepers and all that.

Aww, Dabi...don't let Ochako hear that, she might think you have a heart under all those staples and charred, blackened skin. And the naysayer will eat their words in just a minute or two, because as Ochako responds to Dabi, there is a shadow that starts to fall over them as the young Hero and her large boulder crest over the treetops.]

Noted, I'll be there in two.

[Probably. Her thrusters can only do so much, but Ochako's knowledge of aeronautics is working with her, too. She's reading the wind currents and using that to her advantage as well. A nice thermal updraft to lift her higher, a gentle tailwind to make her move forward faster...all this makes her arrive on the coattails of the timeframe she was given...and maybe a little extra effort on her part because of it. Is it spite to prove she can? Maybe. Probably. Ochako works good when put against a wall like that.]

I'm right above it; clear the area since I can't control the trajectory when I release my quirk... I can only calculate it based off what I know about the specs. [Hello, math whiz on deck.]

[oh? she remembers what she did during that time? interesting. dabi wouldn't be surprised to hear that, but he has little confirmation she remembers in detail beyond her network post apologizing for whatever she did. still has the video of their interactions, should she ever want to review the footage for nostalgic trips. dabi doesn't give ochako any demerits for hesitating and disliking him; he would consider her more an idiot if she blindly trusted him. there's something about her, the more grounded reality she carries, that makes her mildly more tolerable than some of the other hero types around here...

bin chicken, trash panda, alley cat, and bad rat. that's him. hey, rats are good when fried. people eat squirrels and bats too ~~the latter-most one probably should not be done~~ since meat is meat. fire purges almost all of the problems inside it as well. and no, he doesn't need ochako to consider what he puts in his mouth. he's not in the market to know her oral proclivities either. though despite his general disregard for other people, dabi would draw a line at human cannibalism. screw the basic right to eat; that shit's just gross and the world's better off without that practice. toga's blood drinking being an exception because, ya know, it's not exactly in the same vein (pun intended).

granted, ocahko will get a bit more "respect" if she opts for the message and pick up point. he doesn't trust her enough to be anywhere near remotely amiable with her, but he does acknowledge it's safe enough to get food from her.

he has a heart. it's just broken and burned black, with some sticky bits still managing to remain clinging around on the inside. dabi will acknowledge skill and effort at times, even telling twice to shut up when he complained about their teammate's lacking effort. everyone did their job well enough, twice included. so long as the objective is completed, a few slips and scrambling recoveries are fine.

he glances upward at the shadow looming overhead. well well well... lookit that. it's rather impressive. he leaves his omni on, just so ochako can hear one of the scouts say-]

Holy shit, she's doing that?

Uh-huh.

[two minutes is a small time, but when on a threatening schedule, it can take an eternity. he watches as she wrangles the massive boulder into place like some giant air balloon. despite the large rock overhead, there's little noise, making for a rather odd sight as the other hunters emerge from the woods to regroup with the two scouts and dabi.

they're all rather impressed with ochako's work and a few of them are conflicted upon learning that this little girl, both kind-hearted and well-suited for teamwork, is from the same world as the bastard asshole known as dabi. who doesn't mind murdering team members or leaving them behind if the situation calls for it. (not that he does either of those thing often but you know how ONE damn action can give you a hell of a reputation. jeeze, double standards much?)

ochako's in position and the group leader nods before turning and pointing to the cliff.] You two [the scouts] take Jarneen and Lore to the base of the cliff and set up there in case it gets out. Dabi, stay at the top of the cliff. If she misses, you need to keep it caged against the wall. The rest of you, spread out around the cliff and base. You have one minute to get into position. Little missy, in 60 seconds, whether we're in position or not, drop it.

[unfortunately they can't "clear the area" and still be ready in case something goes wrong. so they're setting up a wide perimeter around the area to be ready should the bugge manage to escape the trap.

though thirty seconds later, mid movement, the creature stirs and a rumbling noise echoes in the forest. akin to a yawn. yeah, it's waking up now. screw that. dabi's voice comes over the omni-]

Drop it.

[as much as he'd like to light the boulder on fire, since the damn thing's awake, a flare of light would give it a moment to startle and dodge. he'll keep his flames cocked instead for caging it against the cliff should the meteor fail.]

[She sure does, and pretty much doubled down her efforts to help others in the community afterwards. Volunteering, more and longer patrols, and just going small odd-jobs for the Trenchies as a means of trying to atone for what she did. It doesn't fix or change anything, those people are dead and gone, but doing nothing isn't an option. Not for her. She'll also bear the weight of what happened, what she did, until she's sent back home again. Remember and regret, and then work to help others, not harm them. And perhaps her grounding comes from her own upbringing - she's far less fortunate than the others in her class, after all. Still a happy, energetic thing, but she simply knows how the world works. It sucks, and it's hard. Heroes can help others and do good deeds, but they can't change the world. Because that, in and of itself, means changing people, and changing people takes eons and eons.

Dabi, how have you not died of a serious disease, my god... Ochako would actually be concerned for you if she heard half the things you put in your body. Love yourself a little?? Please??? And they share that thought - eating people is gross and just...not okay. She would absolutely abhor the idea of cannibalism. Hell, even Toga's blood-drinking makes her uncomfortable, but that's mostly because Ochako has a bad ipression of Toga, not the act itself. She's most definitely figured out that some people just have to consume blood for their diet and that's okay. Hell, Trench itself sometimes requires that, too, much to Ochako's chargin ~~and mild disgust~~.

Likewise, Ochako will recognize Dabi's efforts and if he does actually help her in a tight spot. It may just be a "you scratch my back" case, but it's a good value to have either way - reciprocation is still kindness, in its own right. She'll thank him either way, if the time ever calls for it. And maybe she does also smile a little bit at the obviously deliberate recording of one of the Hunters' astonishment at her skills. Yeah, she appreciates that...and there's no denying the satisfaction of showing her worth, either. She's strong, despite her looks, and not to be underestimated, or looked down on because of those soft features.

Ochako's listening to he instructions given to her before she, too, sees movement below and hears that loud, ominous groan. Shit, it's rousing, and Dabi's words are the only ones she hears in that moment, biting her lip for just a fraction of a second before taking the initiative. Move first, think later, she has to trust that her comrades will have the skills and intellect to run should her trajectory be off (it's not, she's too good at math), or the wind changes.]

Release!!

[Her fingertips touch and down they both go, the boulder falling with much higher speed and continuing to fall. Ochako, swiftly after releasing her quirk, activates it on herself again, to remain airborne and is shooting herself off to the side as well, in case she needs to move and move fast. That bonk on the head should do some serious damage, but she can't be sure it won't also damage the surrounding area, either, and she definitely does feel her stomach twist a little after the initial release. Ugh...going to be feeling that tomorrow. At least her spressors are working, cuz the twist sorts itself fast, too.]

Everyone get ready!! [It's officially go time.]

[what an idiot. you get kidnapped to a place against your will by people you don't know, and then afflicted by a "curse" you never asked for to do things you never would've done, and YOU'RE the one who has to apologize and feel guilty? fuck that bullshit. beyond his own general assholery, as far as dabi's concerned, if trench and the "gods" above them don't want to get burned to the ground, then they never should've kidnapped him and pissed him off with their games. every forest fire, every beast scorched to ashes, every person murdered is all "their" fault for caging him in this hellhole and forcing him into these damn monthly happenings. you heroes bleed out your hearts and take on burdens far too numerous and pointless than you should. no wonder you're all so tightly wound and overworked. there's only one instance of death/destruction he's caused in this place that has given dabi any sort of pause in the aftermath. but he'll keep that to himself, thanks.

probably because his body often gets so damn hot, any disease or harmful bacteria that'd plague him gets fried and killed while he slowly cooks himself to death from the inside out. ain't it grand to have a body that can't hold up to your quirk? like his scorched, scarred, and stapled external appearance is something to be unconcerned about in the first place.

... he doesn't know how to love himself. enji made sure of that after abandoning him.

he'll probably shrug off her acknowledgement of any potential aid, but won't refute it. why bother after the fact? even if he didn't trust hawks, he still worked with him a few times. dabi's capable of playing the "team player" role if it's to his advantage, or if he's simply bored and feels like it. while he'd be quick to point out someone owed him a favor for helping them, the same can't be said in reverse. he's a dirty scumbag like that. doesn't mean some people can't benefit from him being a dick, kinda like ochako getting to hear a compliment simply cause dabi wanted to give a middle finger to an idiot.

speaking of middle fingers, endeavor's unwanted spawn watches the entire scene unfold with a faint gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. the rock dropping down like a moon crashing towards the earth. or in this case, an ugly monster just waking it from its sleep. very few people can simply wake up alert and ready, so it's all the more worthwhile to see this bastard groggily blink an eye open just before the shadow of that oncoming plummet swallows its head.

*shkluntch!*

ew, that sounded wet. less a crack and more a sickly crunch of solid rock meeting bone. with enough height and weight, the impact is no small bounce on the top of the head. shoulders and arms jolt faster than dabi'd ever seen the bugge move in his previous killings. nerves firing off and pain receptors exploding. it's obviously not large enough to squash the beast flat like a rock on an ant, but as the boulder rolls off to the floor with a resounding crash, the bugge's left twitching on the floor. head caved clean open on one side, half its face a gory pulp, and its head sunken in towards it chest due to the shattered bones of its neck. gurgling breaths sputter between its lips as it flails about, trying to roar in pain through a crushed throat full of blood. look, how would you come out if someone dropped a stone the size of a basketball (approx ratio) on your head from a cliff above?]

Nice shot.

[there's a yell from the other hunters and the group of them charge into the cradle of rock to attack the downed and damaged creature. dabi lowers his hand, not feeling the need to add his flames to the mix for now. he's rather proud of his plan working. ~~suck it, dad.~~]

[Yeah, Heroes do indeed take on more than they ought to handle - that's just being human, sadly - but taking responsibility for one's actions is also a part of being human. Outside force or not, it was still Ochako that did the things she did, even if her body as moving on the whims of The Reckoning's bullshit magic or whatever the hell - she has to own up to that much. Not having remorse, or regretting that she couldn't fight it off like some others were able to do, before it really escalated, is her burden to bear. Maybe she's not fully responsible, but enough so to feel like she needs to do better to prevent that crap from happening again.

Dabi in and of himself is concerning just as he is, really. The staples, the charred skin, and his absolutely messed up head. The good qualities tend to get overshadowed by everything else, though Ochako can pick them out if she squints really hard... He'll at least have her thanks after this is all said and done, even if he'd probably just wave it off. Thanks from a Hero isn't his cup of tea, she'd wager, even if it's sincere. Do with it what you will, that's all she can really think on the matter.

The sound definitely did sound wet, and Ochako winces and turns her head away as she instantly gets overwhelmed by the smell of blood and other bodily fluids from her attack. Her concentrationf falters for a moment, and she dips a bit in the air as her stomach twists angrily. Not from quirk use, but from the sick feeling washing over her from the smell and sound of death, and maybe of guilt at what her quirk can do. It's not meant for this. It's not supposed to be used to kill, even if she knows that sometimes there isn't another way. Just today. Just today and that's it, but she's not going to be the one to take the final shot - she did her part to weaken the Bugge, so the others can take charge on actually slaying it for good.

She sounds breathless when she responds into her Omni, trying to keep herself from vomiting, those nausea suppressors working hard, though she can taste the sourness in the back of her throat.]

...Kill it fast. [Don't let it suffer.] Don't give it time to recover.

[And off the Omni clicks, so Ochako and turns her face away from the bloodshed and maybe move down and off to the side toward the treeline...to be sick. From here on, she'll lend only support and rescue, that was more than she bargained for, for sure.]

[he'd argue the opposite. it's human to want to avoid taking on too much, self preservation, look the other way, let someone else handle it. but then again, pride and independence are things... heroes are taught it's admirable to have people think you're reliable for more than you are. heroes can do anything. it gets tricky when heroes fuck up. wasn't until after the league began fucking with u.a. that the heroes had to start admitting their shortcomings and mistakes. wasn't until after dabi released his tell-all tape that endeavor, hawks, and jeanist had to stand in front of the crowds and admit everything. ochako likewise has taken her stand in front of the network and admitted to what she did, even if she could have stood behind the excuse she was influenced. so many of her friends said "it wasn't you" as solidarity in support. but dabi could tell she, like all these damn kids, didn't believe that. she'd keep the burden of responsibility on herself.

what a deluded fool.

what "good" qualities? if he had any of those, he might not've ended up the way he did. she's welcome to look at hard as she likes, even point out what she sees, but dabi's only response would be sarcasm. might even accept it, but deep down wouldn't believe it. ah well, that's his problem to deal with, not hers. least she'll get her thanks across, waved off as it will be. unfortunately, she'll always be "a hero" in his eyes. never able to realize it's simply uraraka ochako, the girl, thanking him for his help.

likely how heroes would never take the word of a villain without skepticism and distrust.

heh... toga had shown what uravity's quirk could truly be used for, if she would let go of her morals. it's not surprising to dabi that the heroine is having trouble dealing with the gurgling roars of the crippled creature as more of their group rushed in to pick up the assault. spears, swords, chains, lashing out to stab, slice, restrain, spill its blood in a ritualistic frenzy that courted rejuvenation with a dangerous risk of death. dabi turns his head and watches as ochako drops to the ground and reaches off to the nearby woods for a quiet round of retching.

poor little girl. that pitiful request to end the bugge's misery, a beast that's murdered people, is ironic and completely her. ya know... if she can't handle it, might be best to take her out. uraraka did her job, there's really no more use or need for her to stick around and deal with the drawn-out brutality. his dark coat sweeps against some of the plants as dabi turns, his shadow silently stalking after her. normally he doesn't do this, but in her case, it might be merciful.

amid the gory noise floating up from the gorge, the shouts of people and the howls of pain, the villain steps onto the snow, not too far away from ochako's back. a charred wrist turns his hand, blue flames flickering up on his fingers. nothin to worry about. she'll just come back later.

*fwoosh!*

flames burst upward in a brilliant azure flare. crackling noises and a few pops sound as the blue glow flickers and dances between uraraka's... personal space, and the mess going. two stand-alone pine trees are slowly consumed by dabi's flames. the sweet smell of burning pine, reminiscent of a fireplace in winter, walls off the area, blocking the pungent scent of blood. flames breath and huff, wood snaps and sighs, likewise cancelling out (or at least muffling) the noises of the life-giving murder below. keeping the girl in a little private area cut off from everything else. it's a small wall, something she can easily get over or put out with little effort if she wants. nothing more.

dabi's shape, warped and wavering in the flickering firelight, regards ochako with a silent glare before he turns and walks off, soon blurred out in the heat and smoke. leaving her there in the warmth and curtain of his fucking father's fatal flames. she's welcome to stay till the job's done a few minutes later.]

Edited 2022-12-12 01:55 (UTC)

[It all depends, doesn't it? On the person in question, since each person is different. No one necessarily wants to take on more than they can handle, sure, but it happens all the same. People get in over their heads - with work or school, with stress, with relationships, with money...it's always something coming at you with no warning. But Dabi is right, people are taught to expect their Heroes to do anything, while they sit by idly and wait. It's not right, to take away the humanity of both sides - Heroes and Villains. Ochako had to stand up in front of a crowd of people to remind them all of that, that it's time that they toss out the old teachings of a broken society, and start to pull their own weight from time to time, too. Change is what's needed for their world, but not the kind the League wants.

Deluded...maybe. But she's honest. No one can tell her she didn't commit a crime. No one can say she shouldn't be held responsible. Because that's not their right, it's hers and hers alone. If she wants to bear the weight of responsibility, then she will. It's the only way people move forward.

He has them. Like any person does, there's always a piece to balance out the other. Good and bad, light and dark, Hero and Villain...it's all the same. Two halves making a whole. Dabi wouldn't be doing what he is now if there wasn't something to him that swirled amongst the ichor or charred flesh and bone. Something more than he perceives, and that others can pick out among the rubble of a broken man. It's not much, but it's there.

Looking up from her episode, wiping her mouth with the back up a hand, and cleaning it in the fresh snow, Ochako tenses at the flick of blue flame. For a moment, anyway, before it starts to lick up the trunk of a tree...then another. Like two blue candles burning bright, Ochako breathes a little easier. The wind blows the smoke high, past where it'd be right in her face, and she only catches the whiff of pine, the pop and snap of dry bark and pine needles lighting. It's strange how that eases her mind, and settles her stomach, too. Not fully, but enough that she can focus, and not feel overly ill. It's warm, too.

Their eyes meet, but neither moves or speaks, the stillness and quiet broken only by the burning of wood, and the whistle and hiss of fire...the soft crunch of boots in the snow as Dabi leaves the girl to her devices. Mission accomplished. He can collect his earning and then some, Ochako's not going to go back. She doesn't want her blood money or whatever the hell - Dabi can take it all if he wants. That's his prize for his help. That, and a staticky crackle over his Omni, and a soft voice saying--]

Thanks.

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[Open] 🚬 September Flames

holiday work crunch SUCKS. again sorry for my slowness. ;;;

no problem. i was gone for vacay and some house issues. i'll be slow too.

Oh no, I hope all is well. :(

water leak in the walls. fun.

oh fuck, yikes...my neighbors had that at my complex a while back. "Fun" is a way to describe it.

yeaaah, totally what's wanted during the holidays.

yeah, i'll bet... bleh.

no subject

wrapped! ♥