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nc_ooc2021-02-01 06:02 pm
iam_senpai) wrote in nc_ooc2021-02-01 06:02 pm
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February 2021 Writing Prompts
How is it February already?!
Mid-Winter has come and with it another month of prompts for our lovely community. Thank you all so much for the crazy amount of support and activity from the Dawning post. There's been so much that's developed through that. Let's do what we can to inspire more developments hmmm~? And As always--
Disclaimer: I never close old writing prompts from previous months. People can and should be encouraged to post on old month's prompts and I highly encourage players to track these posts to catch stragglers or new people writing on old prompts.
Now. With that out of the way, onto this month's prompts.
1. "It's for you! I made it myself."
2. Moongazing
3. A cruel joke
4. "You can just admit I was right you know..."
5. The final straw
Bonus image prompt:
2 - Moongazing
“The first Ziggy Stardust concert on your list is only a couple of days away. I am surprised you can contain your excitement long enough to lie here and watch the moon with me.” Isamu chuckled softly. “Unless you took another dose of Hermione’s potion.”
It wasn't too far out of place. The last time he saw his brother under its influence, he was laying out in the Stardusts’ front yard talking with an unfamiliar Anthean.
“Very funny. I CAN actually sit still all by myself, you know.” He rolled his eyes. “Besides, I can’t take another dose… I returned it.”
Isamu sat up. “You returned it? But it worked flawlessly as intended. It even…”
“It turned me into you, bro.” Minoru answered. Isamu’s face quickly soured, but before he could rebut, Minoru sat up too. “No! No, I don’t mean that as a bad thing! I mean it made me think like you think. Objectively. About the whole situation. And talking to Etainia while I was like that? It was just too weird.”
“But the effects of Anthean empathy… And Ziggy…” Isamu stammered. He couldn’t even remember the last time he saw Minoru that worked up over something. But with the initial state of intoxication followed by what could only be described as a breakdown, Minoru had been terrified of what happened, paranoid of it ever happening again. It was why he obtained the potion in the first place.
“It’ll be okay.” Minoru’s hands went up. “I think it’ll be okay…”
“From what basis do you draw this conclusion?” It wasn’t that Isamu didn’t trust his brother’s decision-making, but it was a very abrupt change, all things considered.
“Talking with Etainia helped me understand what Anthean empathy really is. It’s a connection between two people.” He smiled softly, definitely thinking about his relationship with the rock star as he spoke about it. “And it takes two people. How it affects me is as much about me as it is Ziggy. And as long as we’re both clear on what we want to feel and what we don’t want to feel, everything should be fine.”
“… You’ve tested this theory?”
“Well…”
“You haven’t tested this theory.”
“Actually? I kind of already did. I just never thought about it that way before.” Minoru insisted, and Isamu cocked his head quizzically. “After Hiroki disappeared for good… that night I stayed with Ziggy.”
“Yes, when you ‘slept’ with him. How could I possibly forget.”
“He was beside himself, crying, wailing, grieving. Projecting emotions like you wouldn’t believe. Even Tom was worried about how overwhelmed I’d be. But I wasn’t. I couldn’t even think about anything else besides just helping him get through it.” He explained. “At the album release party, the only thing I was focused on was wanting to feel everything for the first time… And Ziggy didn’t know what not to do. Whatever I did that night, I did it to myself.”
“Precisely why Tom insisted you speak to Ziggy.” Isamu reiterated.
“Yeah.” Minoru nodded. “And I know one more thing too. When Ziggy comes off that stage, I don’t want him to feel a different person than the one he loves. And if I take that potion, it might as well be you at that concert instead.”
Slowly, Isamu laid back down on the hill. “As long as you remain focused, it sounds like you have some exciting and enjoyable vacation days ahead of you.Though, I am marginally disappointed that you returned the potion without letting me study it in greater detail.”
“Hermione thought you might say that.” Minoru rolled his eyes as he laid back down beside his brother. “Way too dangerous, bro.”
“That, coming from the same brain that categorizes scaling a skyscraper as fun.”
“Why would you even need a potion to make you think like you, anyway? You already think like you.”
“I only said marginally disappointed. Now tell me, which city are you going to visit first…”
3. A Cruel Joke
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5 - The Final Straw
Minoru paused in the doorway for a moment, glancing downward as he came inside. “…uh… It didn’t fall off.”
“Do not worry, though. It is undamaged and I can reattach it quite easily.” He continued, before even hearing what his brother said. “No, no. It is definitely yours. I, of course, checked my messenger bag the moment I saw it, and verified that mine was still securely fastened right where it belongs.”
“No, Bro. I mean, it didn’t FALL off.” He shrugged slightly. “I took it off.”
Isamu quickly tilted his head in shocked confusion.
“I didn’t mean to drop it on the floor. I put it on the table, but it could have gotten knocked off when I was grabbing all the papers I needed for, well… I was kind of in a bit of a rush last night.” He knew how much those charms meant to Isamu, and wasn’t trying to intentionally disrespect the kami inside. Still, he had his reasons for removing it. “But, yeah, I took it off.”
“Whatever for?” Isamu stared.
“Because… well, I don’t need it.”
Isamu’s lips curled into a confused pout as he pondered the absurdity of those words. “Gakugyo-joju are blessed specifically to assist in academic and scholarly endeavors.”
Minoru scratched his head. “Yeah, I know that…”
“And the third semester of your PTA program begins in three days. You have an upper division kinesiology class, Therapeutic Exercise I and Rehabilitation I, labs for all three, followed by the first eighty hours of your clinical practicum. Of course, you still need it.”
“You memorized what classes are part of the program?” Minoru raised his eyebrows.
“Technically, you left the course guide sitting on the counter, and we both know I cannot resist an unattended book.”
Minoru shook his head, but he couldn’t exactly complain. Of course, his brother would pick up a course guide. And of course, he’d have it practically memorized after only a single read-through. It was basically his super power, and a big reason why he excelled in literally every class he ever took.
“Fine, fine. You win. Those are the next semester’s classes.” He confirmed. “But they don’t start in three days. Well, not for me, anyway.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“…I dropped out.”
Isamu’s spoon clattered against the side of his cereal bowl. He stuttered through the inevitable, “you did WHAT?!”
“I dropped out.” He repeated, with less hesitancy this time. He’d gotten a lot of good advice from his friends in the plaza, from Rik and Rayan especially. “Not forever, I guess. I mean, I asked about the credits I earned last year, and they never expire. I can pick up again where I left off. Maybe even take the rest of the theory portions online. You know, at a slower pace. But for now? Yeah. I dropped out.”
“But WHY?!” Isamu exclaimed, exasperated.
“Why?” He scoffed. “Seriously. Bro, did you even see me at the end of last semester? I was a complete wreck!”
“You made an A in your PTA Techniques class!” He countered, even though technically, it was an A-.
“So what?” Minoru let his bag drop to the floor with an angry thud. “What’s the point of getting an A, or even getting a degree for that matter, if I’m going to be stressed out and miserable by the time I get it?!”
“Minoru, I promise, you are more than intelligent enough on your own merit to…”
“If I’d actually been smart, I would have asked about the different options for classes a year ago! Sure, I’d probably have only gotten through three, maybe four of them by now, instead of two whole semesters’ worth. But I wouldn’t be completely burned out and exhausted all the time!” He hissed, the growing frustration quite evident in his voice. “We both know the American Ninja Warrior Qualifiers are only a few months away. I need to be on top of my game if I want to make it to Vegas again this year. And I’m not going to BE on my game at all sitting in a classroom until my eyes glaze over every day before I go to work!”
“The classroom setting is the most efficient means by which to achieve…”
“Who cares?!”
“I care!” Isamu blurted out without a second thought. “When you said you wanted to go back to school to get an associates degree, I promised to support you in that decision! I read all of your textbooks cover to cover, I helped you study, I quizzed you before your exams. I even printed your most recent grades and displayed them on the refrigerator to demonstrate the pride I felt for your accomplishments! And yet, here I sit ignorantly eating Raisin Bran while you go and withdraw from the program? Minoru, we could have talked this through!”
“Hold up! Hold up!” Minoru threw up his hands, flabbergasted. “What do you mean WE?”
“Well, I am the one with six additional years of quality academic experience…”
“Yeah, and absolutely none of those credits transfers over into here.” He tapped the side of his head.
Isamu opened his mouth to speak, but Minoru held up his hand and all but stared his brother down.
“That night I admitted I wanted to go back to school, do you even remember what you told me?” It was a rhetorical question, and Minoru didn’t let his brother answer there either. “You said that I had the potential to motivate and inspire patients in ways that very few others could. That’s what support sounds like, Bro. And right now, you’re not doing that.”
Isamu had finally run out of counter-arguments, and Minoru let out a long sigh.
“Look, if you want another report card, go back for another degree or whatever and earn it yourself. I’m not even going to think about school until after this year’s Finals in Vegas. And if I go back after that, and right now I don’t know if I will, I’m doing it on my terms. Not anybody else’s, okay? Goodnight.”
Minoru didn’t wait for an answer. He simply turned, immediately walked into his bedroom and shut the door solidly behind him.
Isamu stared down into a bowl of now very soggy cereal. His quiet reply went unheard.
“… goodnight.”
5 - The Final Straw - PART 2
“Good… I was hoping I had arrived back in time before you left for work.” Isamu broke the ice. “Ziggy… is not still here, is he?”
Minoru shook his head. “He left for a sound check hours ago.”
Isamu’s shoulders dropped, and he visibly relaxed. He couldn’t help feeling a little nervous around the Anthean after the disagreements they’d had. The fact that he’d come by that morning to check up on Minoru meant that he could feel (and probably take offense to) the mental state that Isamu played a role in creating. Or maybe, Minoru just texted him via PINpoint, which was far more reasonable given the distance between worlds. Suffice it to say, he wasn’t keen on facing Ziggy Stardust without first having had the opportunity to make amends for his earlier actions.
“I… have had a lot of time today to consider what transpired earlier.” Isamu set his bag down on the table and sat across from his brother. “I let my excitement and my passion for academia get the better of me… for a significantly longer period of time than I realized. I… I suppose you were right. I got so caught up in helping you… because it was like being in school all over again.”
Minoru sighed, offering a weak smile. “I know, I know… it’s kinda your thing.”
“But this time, it was supposed to be your thing, as you would say. And I ruined that.”
“Yeah. You did.” Minoru nodded. He was honest, but not spiteful. “But if it makes you feel any better, you might not have ruined it forever.”
Isamu cocked his head slightly to the side.
“I mean what I said. I’m not even thinking about the program again until after the American Ninja Warrior Finals this year. But after that…” he let his voice trail off.
As they snuggled, Minoru had plenty of time to talk about some of his options with Ziggy. Of course, there were some things he’d never do - like take a year or so off from work to focus on school, even if Ziggy offered enough to match his salary and then some. But there were also some things that he promised he would consider - like signing up for online classes so he could do one at a time and work at his own pace.
Heaven forbid Minoru tell Isamu that he was, in fact, just like Ziggy - neither one of them wanted to see him just throw in the towel and give up.
“You would… entertain the option of going back?”
“Yeah.” He whispered, nodding softly. “I might go back. But if I do, you have to promise me that you won’t go overboard trying to help next time. Okay?”
“May I still read all of your textbooks?” He asked eagerly. Minoru glared. “Just for light pleasure reading. When you are finished with them. After the semester is over. I can wait! I promise!”
Minoru shook his head, laughing a little.
“Well, like you said. Any book left around the apartment unattended is fair game.” He offered the concession, “Tell you what. After the class is over, they’re all yours.”
“Deal.” Isamu couldn’t help but smile back. “I have something for you as well.”
Minoru set down his spoon, watching curiously as Isamu opened his bag. The first things he spotted were envelopes from the various shrines - there were still several omamori that Isamu had yet to give away. When he started to pull one of them out, Minoru just sighed.
“Bro, no… not another omamori.”
“This one is not a Gakugyo-joju.” Isamu immediately insisted, clutching the small parcel tightly. “It is different, I promise.”
Minoru didn’t argue, but he was still skeptical.
“It is more of a Katsumori. For success in what you have long hoped for. I… I really do want to make up for the unhappiness I helped cause.” He explained, holding the parcel out to Minoru with both hands, his head formally lowered in an apologetic bow. Isamu was serious, and Minoru knew it.
He took the package and, curious now, began to unwrap it. Inside was a single omamori. It was plain black, adorned only with a purple uchiwa fan. Minoru’s eyes widened as he stared at it for nearly an entire minute. That was his symbol. That was the Fan Man symbol! He’d seen a lot of omamori over the years, but he’d never seen one like that before in his life!
“Where’d you find one like THIS?!” He finally managed to ask.
“I had it made. Forgive the simplicity, the seamstress had only a few hours to put it together, so I had to boil it down to bare essentials only.”
His jaw fell slack. Minoru looked at his brother, back down to the amulet, and back at his brother again.
“You had it… you can do that?! I thought you had to buy these from a shrine!”
“Once it was safely in my possession, I used my PINpoint to visit Mount Haguro this afternoon.”
“The shrine we used to go to on our family vacations?”
“Sanjin Gosaiden, yes. At least, the one that was open this time of year. For the record, those 2,446 snow-covered steps seem a lot steeper when time is of the essence. I am admittedly not as physically fit as you are…” He added. “But yes, I had it properly blessed by a kannushi. He wrote a special prayer just for you, made it sacred through a ritual that I was not permitted to witness, but I assure you, did occur.“
Minoru turned the amulet around in his hands, examining it from every angle, shy of opening it, of course. The exact words of that prayer would remain a secret between priest and kami. To open an omamori would be to release the kami and their protection.
“A little unorthodox, I must admit, but I… I wanted to let you know how much I actually do support you.” Isamu lowered his head respectfully. “Not just in your schooling. But in everything that matters to you. Especially in what matters to you most.”
Minoru set the omamori down respectfully, and hopped out of his chair. He immediately put his arms around Isamu and squeezed. Apology accepted.
“I’ll be wearing it during the Finals.” He confirmed, erasing any possible doubt that might be troubling Isamu’s mind. His own too, given that he said Finals and not Qualifiers. He was determined to make it there again this year. “I’ll take it all the way up Mount Midoriyama. Just you watch me.”
“Oh, I will.” He nodded eagerly. “Believe me, Minoru. I most certainly will.”
3. A Cruel Joke (Ziggyverse AU)
When he went to grab a quick shower before turning in, he hadn't expected to come back out to one of his own bandmates on his bed, on top of his fiance, holding him down and sucking on his hip in a drunken stupor. Dee was hardly a willing participant, that much was clear. Jay found him cursing at Johan to get off and get out, even trying to kick him when he wouldn't budge.
What Dee lacked in strength, though, Jay quickly made up for. He grabbed the naughty tiger by the collar and yanked him off, giving him more than just a piece of his mind. When Johan stumbled off the bus, that could have been the end of it. But instead, Jay stormed after him, giving him a taste of his own medicine. The drunk man wanted milk? He got it. A whole gallon of it. Dumped on top of him.
"...And people wonder why I don't drink." Dee huffed.
So far on the tour, he'd found himself the victim of a few drunken pranks. Up until tonight, the worst was probably being buried in an entire supermarket aisle's worth of snack food packages. It was embarrassing to feel so helpless and trapped, especially by something so stupid. But this was on a different level entirely.
"If it's any consolation, he's probably going to smell like sour milk by the time he sobers up." Jay offered, crawling in bed and wrapping his arms around Dee. Unfortunately, it was probably going to be Tom, not Johan, that was left cleaning up most of that mess.
"It'd be more of one... if I could have done that." he grunted, leaning into his fiance's arms. "I couldn't even get him off me."
Dee was just as frustrated with his own limitations as he was Johan's invasive intrusion. He didn't have the muscle strength anymore to lift a whole gallon of milk above someone's head. Storming out of the bus after him would have been a struggle before he even got to the steps. If this had been someone other than their guitarist, someone who actually wanted to hurt him... what chance did he actually have?
It felt like a very cruel joke.
"You shouldn't have needed to." Jay whispered, kissing him gently. "You shouldn't ever have to need to."
"It's hard enough when I try to do normal things... and I can't. But that... Not being able to stop someone from doing things to my body I don't want them doing..." Dee stuttered. "I feel so fucking helpless!"
Jay pulled back, taking a deep breath. He gently lifted Dee's chin, meeting his trembling eyes.
"Then we'll work on that." he whispered. "With the new physical therapist. Because you're right. No one should ever do anything to you that you don't consent to. And I love you too much to let it happen again."
"Do you really think that would help?" he asked.
"Dee, when you put your mind to something, you're far from helpless." he encouraged. "You find a way to make it work. Just as you are. It's one of the many things I love about you."
Dee leaned in again, kissing Jay deeply.
"And that, right there, would be another."