She was only nine when it happened. The last time the world ever saw him, and the first time the public truly saw the villain for what he was. Daphne knew it was stupid that she felt so scared by it at first, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of anxiousness when she had caught a glance at it.
It was a day like any other. She had been sitting in her bedroom playing with her toys, only an hour or so after school had ended for the day. Cold light streamed in through the window and cast watery shadows on the carpet beneath it. The door, covered in crudely cut paper flowers, sat ajar, letting the buzz of the TV join the sound of the rain against the window in the background. The white noise filled the silence that would've been there, only adding to the focus of her toys. All in all, it was a quiet and peaceful day that Daphne had long since been accustomed to.
Daphne wasn't paying much attention to whatever was on the TV. Knowing her older sister's taste in shows, it was probably something inappropriate for someone her age, which really made her question her parent's lack of control over them sometimes. Today, however, something was a little different- instead of the usual cheesy dramas, her sister was watching the news. Not that Daphne cared much, of course, but it was certainly strange considering her sister's history.
It wasn't until she heard the words "breaking news" that her curiosity was piqued. Twisting around, she saw the same words flash across the screen, quickly followed by the phrase "we'll be right back!" A commercial break started after, attracting her attention even more. An uneasy feeling blossomed in Daphne, and when she turned back her toys, she found herself unable to shake the words from her head.
After wrapping herself in her favorite tortilla blanket, she hesitantly made her way to the doorway, clutching her favorite stuffed llama to her chest. Her sister, sitting on the sofa a few feet from her door, didn't seem to notice her entrance. She stared intently at the screen, seemingly in a trance, and when the advertisement ended, Daphne would understand why.
The wrinkled, kind face of the news anchor was familiar to Daphne. He had been a reporter on that station for her entire life, and never once had she seen him look so nervous. It was unnerving, to say the least. His face was unnaturally pale, and as the man read the page, she could see his white-knuckled grip tighten on it. It took a quiet "we're live" from someone in the background for him to realize that he was on the air.
"A-Ah. My apologies. Today's news is quite shocking, I hope you understand…" he coughed and shifted uncomfortably, giving the paper one more lookover before dropping it onto the table. "As covered earlier today, a rather destructive villain fight is taking place in the Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. As of now, the battle has lasted for seven hours, and the estimated amount of casualties is over 3,000. However, thanks to the evacuation efforts from the Musutafu police force, most citizens are out of harm's way."
The anchor paused as if to prepare himself for what he had to say next. Daphne felt the pit in her stomach grow larger.
"However, we have uncovered some disturbing information about the villain leading the assault. His quirk, All for One," there was a moment of silence as the reporter took a deep breath. "gives him the ability to steal the quirks of others. According to our sources, he has been terrorizing Japan for over a century and a half with the use of an immortality quirk. At the moment, the government of Japan denies that this villain was kept a secret, but claims that…"
He trailed off as a man in a suit jogged into the shot with a page in his hand. He whispered something hastily to the anchor before handing him the page and dashed out again. The anchor gave the page a once-over before addressing the camera again.
"It appears that we've managed to get in contact with a reporter on the scene. The footage you're about to see is live from the scene of the battle in Japan."
After a few seconds, the footage switched over. It was grainy and would freeze up every few seconds, but it was enough to understand what was going on.
If there wasn't one of the largest battles Daphne had ever heard of playing out, she would've thought that the scene was pretty. The early morning sun peeked over the horizon, casting golden light over the battered ruins of what was a city not 24 hours ago.
Some heroes fought mid-air, flying across the top of the screen. Some fought on the ground, throwing punches and kicks and flinging each other across the rubble. And some, for whatever reason, laid on the ground, still and unmoving. And although there was so much happening, the focus of the action was clear.
In the middle of the shot, far closer than what could possibly be safe for a reporter was a boy covered in green and red and a man in an elegant suit with his back to the camera. The boy screamed at the man in a language that Daphne didn't know, face twisted into one of pure rage. The man's response couldn't be heard, but whatever it was, it provoked the green boy to launch himself at the man.
Daphne could hardly keep up with the rush of movement, and neither could the camera. They whizzed about the scene, turning into blurs of light, and only leaving clouds of dust and spiderwebs of cracks in their place. Even the heroes and villains around them paused to watch.
One of them was slammed to the ground. Dust billowed around them, obscuring either of them from view. Even through the screen, Daphne could feel the ground shake from the impact. The area was dead silent, save for the coughing and groaning of the crowd around them. The air was laden with tension, oozing from the TV like honey.
When the dust settled, the victor was clear.
The green boy stood above the elegantly dressed man, boot pressed down hard to his chest. The boy was saying something to him, although nothing could be heard. The man started to laugh, starting out as a chuckle but quickly growing into more of a howl. His head was tilted back to the camera, and with a shudder, Daphne realized that where his eyes should've been was replaced with a veiny, unnatural patch of skin.
He laughed for far too long. He started a sentence, but was quickly cut off by the boy stomping down on his chest. Green electricity buzzed around his leg. He sputtered, and a dark, almost black liquid flew out of his mouth. It took Daphne a moment to realize that it was blood.
The boy leaned forward and said something to him. The man spit in his face. He did not care.
The boy grabbed either side of the man's head, and uttered one final sentence. Energy erupted around him, and in one strong heave…
Daphne gasped. Her stuffed llama fell to the floor.
...Tore the man's head off.
Blood rushed out of his detached head like a waterfall, splashing onto his still form on the dirt. The boy flung the head back into the dusty remains of the city, while the other people could only watch. The boy's face, once of pure rage, had slackened into something of shock. He stared high into the sky, and opened his mouth to speak-
And then the screen blinked to black.
In a second, her sister was standing in front of her, her expression a mix of shock and guilt as she wrapped the girl in a hug, bombarding her apologies and questions of what she saw.
From there, it's a blur. All she can remember from the rest of the evening was her sister telling her that everything was okay, and dreaming of the incident over and over and over again.
For a while, things weren't okay. She could hear whispers and rumors of a war on the horizon, that it was a long time in the making. Although the adults denied it, Daphne knew that something was wrong, and that one day, she wanted to fix it. Her parents thought it was cute.
But weeks passed by, then months, then years, and the war never came. Eventually, the people became desensitized to it. Still, though, they never forgot it.
Daphne never forgot.
The years went on.
The hot June sun beat down on Daphne as she tread through the forest. She swatted half-heartedly at the insects buzzing around her, more focused on surveying the forest to give it more effort. Her throat was dry and slimy from the heat and walking, and her water bottle was long since emptied. Despite her discomfort, though, she was determined to continue her trek.
Orange and pink bled into the sky as the sunset in the distance, casting long shadows on the forest floor. By now, most others would've left to return home, to eat dinner, and get some rest. Not that Daphne blamed them, of course. If it weren't her own best friend missing, she would've done the same.
It was only six days ago the girl had gone missing.
Her friend, a fish-headed girl covered in shiny, beautiful blue scales, had been walking home from school as she always did, given she only lived a mile from the school. Daphne had walked with her for part of it, before turning down a different street and waving her goodbye. Turns out, she'd be the last one to see her.
It didn't take long for her mother to become concerned. She called Daphne first, hoping that she would know of her daughter's whereabouts, but received no such luck. She then called the high school, no dice. So, left with no other choice, her mother called the police and filed a report. It took more back and forth and convincing than it really should've, according to her friend's mother- because according to that particular officer, it's normal for sixteen-year-olds "like her" to pull stunts like that- but after a day and a half, a search party was organized and sent into the woods surrounding the area.
Nearly a week had passed since the day of her disappearance. Not a trace of her had been found in the forest. Not even a scale was spotted. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. Before long, theories of abduction or trafficking began to pop up, and eventually, the team moved to a different area. The search party had dwindled day by day as the survival rate fell lower and lower, and had disbanded altogether only four days after she went missing.
Realistically, Daphne knew she probably wasn't going to find anything useful on her own. If there was something to be found, it would've already been discovered by the dozens of people searching for it. If anything, her search was fueled out of desperation and probably put her in more danger than it did to help her friend. Still, she continued.
The sound of cars swooshing by interrupted her from her thoughts. She paused, slowing to a halt as it dawned on her.
Daphne was lost.
She looked around wildly, searching for any recognizable landmarks. The forest around her was unfamiliar, proving she was much further out than she had been out the previous days, or ever. The source of the cars came from an embankment to her left, just behind the trees. She whipped out her phone and quickly launched the maps app, but there was no service, much to her disappointment.
She was lost, alone, and in the dark, in the very same forest her best friend disappeared in not a week ago. A wave of frustration crashed over her, and with that, everything she had worked so hard to suppress came rushing out.
She sunk to the ground in a ball, uncontrolled tears flooding out of her. She hadn't wanted to break down like this now- not when there was still a chance her friend was still out there. Granted, at this point, it was a small chance, but a chance nonetheless. She told herself she wasn't going to cry until a body was found. It's only human, she supposed, she shouldn't have expected herself to hold off for this long.
She overheard the investigators speaking to her friend's mother, the other day, about the fish girl's fate. Something about how likely it was that she was dead. Daphne hadn't wanted to believe then, and even now, she still can't bring herself to commit to the idea. It would feel like a betrayal to act like she was-
Something a few meters away, left in a small clearing, caught her attention. Standing out against the browns and greens of the woods, was a shiny, blue object no bigger than Daphne's nail.
Slowly, she stood up, and bit by bit made her way to the object. She couldn't help the faint hope that flickered inside of her as she approached it. As she squatted down in front of the thing, and carefully held it up, she knew exactly what it was.
The scale glistened in the sunlight.
A surge of newfound energy coursed through Daphne. She felt the most optimistic she had in days, and she couldn't help but grin at the sight of the scale. It didn't take long for her to spot another tiny, blue object in the distance, and she wasted no time racing towards it after shoving the scale in her pocket.
More and more scales started to appear ahead of her, and she followed each one, storing them in her pocket until no more could fit. Her heart nearly beat out of her chest with each discovery leading her closer to her friend. Or, at least, she hopes.
She felt her positivity diminish with every scale she found, much to her dismay. It wasn't unusual for her to shed a few scales now and then. Part of the struggles of being a fish on land, she would joke. But to find this many was… concerning. The girl only shed this much when she was stressed out, and given the situation, "stressed" was probably an understatement.
Daphne smelled it before she saw it.
A horrible, rotten smell wafted from a drainage pipe running under the highway, no more than a football field away. Bile rose to her throat, and it took all her willpower not to puke. She pulled the color of her t-shirt over her nose in a weak attempt to curb the smell. A wave of dread washed over her as she realized what the scent was.
The world around her went still as she crept towards the pipe. The cars passing by seemed to have disappeared, and even the constant buzzing of the insects was gone.
Her stomach dropped. A dry, fin-like hand came into view.
Daphne broke into a sprint.
A million questions raced through her mind, some coherent, and others not so much. What happened to her? Why is she here? Who did this to her?
Is she alive?
She skids to a halt just before the entrance of the pipe.
She knew the answer, didn't she?
Daphne peered at the ground where the hand lay. Dried blood stained the concrete. Her hand sat there, still and motionless. Half her scales were missing, revealing the raw, bluish flesh underneath. Her fingertips were bruised and bloodied, proof she didn't go out without a fight.
She turned away feeling like she was about to vomit, facing the forest away from the horror she had found. Checking her phone, she found that she was on one bar of service, thankfully. With a shaking hand, she punched 911 into her cell phone.
It went through after a few moments, and Daphne was greeted by the stoic, static-filled voice of an operator. She filled them in on everything she knew, and before long, her location was tracked and the police were on their way.
She leaned back against the pipe. She dug through her pocket, searching for the bottom, uncaring for the scales that tumbled to the ground. At the bottom of the pile, she found it.
Daphne lifted the scale to the sky, letting it glint in the fading light of the sunset
It took her years to truly recover, as one might expect.
The image of her friend's lifeless hand was imprinted to her brain like a bad tattoo, haunting her dreams and nightmares.
It reignited a spark in her. A passion she hadn't thought of in years, brought back to the forefront of her mind. A memory tucked away behind years of life came back to see the light of day.
Time went on.
Daphne was known for many things. Such a list included being the youngest state governor in American history, being at the forefront of Quirk activism since university, and now, being the principal of an incredibly experimental declaration of peace. Worldwide, she's one of the most controversial people of her generation, while simultaneously being recognized as an undeniably hardworking and motivational woman.
What she was not known for was her patience.
She sat slouched at her desk, watching the clock slowly tick by. Half-finished paperwork sat forgotten on the desk, woefully ignored by the owner. The only light in the room was that from the windows, taking advantage of the sunrise view from the room. Boxes of varying sizes sat littered around the room, some opened and some not. Only a few days ago had construction finally finished, so Daphne hasn't had much time to settle into her office. Given the amount of paperwork due in a startlingly small amount of time, she hadn't had any time to decorate the space, save for her desk and chair.
Only five minutes from now, at six AM on the dot, the gate was set to open, finally allowing the congregation of students here for the exam to enter the school. The building looked quite unassuming from the outside, with a modern-international style and three (albeit ridiculously tall) stories. Trees lined the perimeter of the building, obscuring the view into the classrooms.
Daphne sighed deeply, leaning back in her chair. It felt surreal sometimes, just how far she made it. And although she was excited, perhaps the most excited she had been in her life, she still couldn't help but feel… scared. As if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. And when she thought about it, it kind of was, wasn't it?
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
Daphne jolted, nearly falling out of her seat. She wasn't expecting anyone in her office this early in the morning. Well, nobody except for...
The door swung open before she can form a response, and a tan-skinned woman in a plain brown hijab and a lab coat enters the room, coffee in hand.
"Morning, Daphne," she greeted, before plopping down on a large box near the door. Daphne couldn't help but grin at the sight of her.
"Sabah, hello! It's great to see you again!" She practically said as she skipped over to her friend and took a seat beside her on the box. "How was your trip? When did you get here?"
Sabah took a long sip of her coffee before answering. "I got here at two-thirty in the morning. You know, there was a child behind me the whole trip. Kicked my seat and cried all night, couldn't get any rest." She explained as she took another sip from her coffee. "But, hey, I'm here now. How about you?"
Daphne chuckled. "You know, for someone who got off a plane not four hours ago, you're pretty chipper. You weren't even this nice in college-" Sabah waved her hand dismissively. "I was different in university, but I've changed now. I turned over a new leaf, so to speak."
"Did you stop drinking black coffee?"
"...Maybe."
"Ah, see? I told you quitting that stuff would make you feel better-"
"You talk about coffee as if it's a drug!"
"It's called an opinion-"
The bickering women were interrupted by an electronic chime on the intercom system. Daphne jumped up suddenly, earning a flinch from Sabah.
"It's time!"
Daphne rushed to the windows, almost pressing herself up against it to watch the gates open. After a few moments, Sabah strolled up behind her.
"What are you so excited about? It's just some gates," Sabah remarked, leaning against the glass.
"The gates, Sabah."
"What's that even supposed to mean-"
"Hush. It's about to happen."
Without much fanfare, the gates began to part, and students started to trickle in. Even from a distance, Daphne could feel their excitement and nervousness. By the time the gates stopped, the trickle had turned into more of a flood. A mass of students- far more than Daphne thought would be willing to wake up at earlier than 6 in the morning for, considering the check-in process would open until eight that evening- all sluggishly made their way to the front building.
"Seriously? That was it?" Sabah chuckled, lightly punching Daphne on the shoulder. "Damn, you're pretty excited for these brats, huh?"
"Yes," she said with a smile on her face that practically radiated warmth. "I am."
Word Count: 3,608
It's reboot time!
If you did not know, I decided to reboot orchids aflame because, well, I just didn't like it. There were quite a few issues with it, but when it came down to it, it was the plot (or lack thereof) and how I processed submissions. After talking through some, I came to the decision to reboot this SYOC with a new and improved plot and a different submissions process. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the current plot, and although it's quite a bit different from the original with an entirely different focus, I hope you'll enjoy it as well! Special thanks to SomeWarlock- he helped me refine the concept and plot, as well as beta reading this. Thanks man :))
There are a couple things I wanna specify before I continue. One- Daphne isn't the main character. She will reappear fairly often, being the principal of the academy, but the spotlight belongs to the class, rest assured. Two- in case it didn't come off across well enough in the prologue, I want to make it clear that discrimination against others for their quirk is going to be a common theme in this story, and if that makes you uncomfortable, I recommend skipping this one.
With that out of the way, let's move on to the more general information. Submissions close August 8th, exactly a month from now. This time, there will only be 11 slots. I want to do each member of the cast justice in portraying their backstories and personalities, so I'm accepting a much smaller cast than before.
I highly recommend you join the discord! If you're feeling unsure about any aspect of your character, feel free to workshop it there and get feedback from me and your fellow submitters. I promise they're a nice bunch lol. Just pop this code into your discord to join: XP5336cN
More information will be in my bio, as well as the form. Thanks for giving orchids a read, and have a good day!