[Video/Action]

[schrodingersghost]

So... I guess I've been doing a lot of thinking since the last mission.

[Danny shifts nervously as he tries to figure out how to say this. This was a lot harder than he had thought it would be. Sure, he'd gotten used to the idea that it was okay to be open about his powers here. But there was a difference between that and admitting to some of the things this last mission had made him realize about himself.]

And I kind of have some things that I was hoping that someone could help me out with.

I guess the first thing is.... I haven't been really hiding that I have ghost powers? But the thing is, I guess I kind of realized that I've been avoiding trying to get stronger with them? [Because the mission had made him realize that he was still afraid of his future. Afraid of how powerful he could be in just a few years. It had been easier to just focus on learning how to fight and how to better use the powers he already had. But if the last mission was any guide, that wasn't always going to be enough. He needed to get stronger with his powers, and prepare for the new powers that he knew were still waiting for him.] So I guess what I'm asking is.... Does anyone here have any ideas on how you train ghost powers?

And kind of to go with that.... It kind of got pointed out to me that I have a lot of abilities that could be a Problem if I got brainwashed again like that.  So, I guess what I'm asking is whether there are any ghost hunters here? Or people with experience with stopping supernatural stuff? And does anyone have any ideas on how to block mind control and illusion stuff? More than we already trained for, I mean. Because that obviously wasn't enough.

[Action]
[Later, Danny picks up his most recent purchases from the train shop and goes in search of his friends. He had some tools to hand out.]

Comments

[its_dad_sanzo]

With all the light? Yes, that was the Seiten. It can do a great deal more than that, being as it was used to make all of creation.

[schrodingersghost]

"Seriously? That's kind of cool. It must be really powerful then, right? Enough to stop even a really scary ghost?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

I would think so! I've never tried it on a ghost... but since it made everything, I tend to assume it could affect anything.

[schrodingersghost]

Then if someone gets in my head again, I'll rely on you. [He shudders a little.] I... don't really think I want to test it unless that happens.

[It was rough, basically trying to find all the people who might be able to destroy him, and to know all the things that could hurt him. But also, Danny had seen the future where he had lost himself and no one had been there to stop him. And he would do anything to make sure that that never had a chance to happen. ]

[its_dad_sanzo]

If I'm near enough to see you turn hostile, I'll stop you.

[ Koumyou confirms, but that shudder is telling. ]

I don't have to destroy someone to stop them. I can just wrap you up into a ghosty burrito until you snap out of it! Probably.

...We could test that tactic out, if you want?

[schrodingersghost]

That's actually kind of a relief. [A pause.]

It won't shock me, will it?

[Danny had a lot of experience with various anti-ghost things behind used against him. And the one thing they had in common was how much they hurt. Although he'd still take being shocked by a ghost shield any day over the pain of being near a blood blossom. ]

[its_dad_sanzo]

I don't... think so? Might get kind of hot if it's containing a lot of power, like if you go off the deep end for real.

[ He's very thoughtful about this, like it's a puzzle. Which, hey, that's better than 'I would murder you', right? ]

It's not a banishment or binding sutra by nature, but they can all do that sort of thing in the right hands.

[ A beat. ]

Mine are right.

[schrodingersghost]

[And that surprises a laugh out of him.]

I don't really get it, but I guess I can take your word for it.

[its_dad_sanzo]

Well, originally the sutras were all one piece, and used to make everything, nothing, and everything in between. When it was split, it was mostly segmented by what each bit does, but there's still a little overlap because, you know, it was one thing, once.

[ Koumyou doesn't know if this was a bid for information, but he's in the mood to explain, so he does. Why not? ]

The Seiten is creation, light, life, energy itself. In simple terms, it creates everything. The Muten is nonexistence, the void -- the real void, not what the train's flying through. Death, emptiness.

The Maten binds, pushes back, or banishes the darkness. The Uten does the same for the light. And the Kouten is the ultimate binding sutra, it holds it all in place.

I used to protect the Seiten and the Maten, so I'm more familiar with their nuances than most. The Seiten's the one I have with me here.

So it's a creation sutra, not a binding sutra. But as I said, there's overlap. Especially since I've been bound to both kinds, so I know how to use both kinds.

[schrodingersghost]

And most of that went completely over Danny's head. He knew very little about mythology and even less about religion.

"I guess it sounds like that could stop me?"

Also that it might hurt a lot. But that was less important.

[its_dad_sanzo]

[ Ah well, sometimes he's just in a mood to explain. Thankfully, it's usually fleeting. ]

I would think so, yes.