NanoSteps Brainstorming 3 - And a Step to the Right

[robkelk]

The best job I could find was substitute teacher, but at least there was an opening right away. Although the interview didn't fill me with confidence - they said something about the regular teacher going on a physician-prescribed mental health break. What sort of class had she been teaching?

At first glance, it seemed like a normal class to me (and I wondered whether the usual teacher was in the wrong profession). Then I saw the ghost... and the other students having a casual conversation with her. I stopped wondering why the usual teacher was off for a few weeks. This sort of pupil needed a teacher with special training - training that she probably didn't have.

I slipped into magesight and looked around, wondering how many other students needed a teacher with special training. I only spotted one - but not everyone had arrived yet.

Spoiler

Erma

[Bob Schroeck]

I've been expecting that one from you for a couple weeks now, Rob. <grin>

[robkelk]

I've been busy. 8)

[DHBirr]

Kind of surprising, though, that Principal Freeman ... errrr, I mean, Phibes — didn't explain to Doug exactly what he'd be dealing with.  After all, you KNOW Morgan Free— Principal Phibes! — is aware of Doug's capabilities.  I guess maybe he wanted the Loon to start without preconceptions?

*****
“We’ve had our differences, but he’s seen the light … and I made sure he moved toward it, instead of coming back.”

[robkelk]

He didn't tell Erma about Sidney, or vice versa, either. Those aren't his secrets to tell.

[ECSNorway]

I have to admit I was sort of expecting it to be Negima until the very end.

[robkelk]

My hunch was right - "I'm Alive" was able to cure Kurumi before she succumbed. After checking that Kurumi was all right, Miki walked over to me. "Now what?"

"First, we figure out how to keep all four of you on my bike while I'm driving. Then we get the hell out of here."

"We can't leave school! We haven't graduated!"

Damn. Yuki's delusions were likely to get us all killed.

"Yuki, Sangnoir-sensei came to oversee our graduation ceremony, remember?"

Smart thinking, Kurumi. That should work. But even if it doesn't, we had to leave.

Spoiler

School-Live!

[Bob Schroeck]

Yeah, yeah, this one is a bit late, but I was only inspired a couple days ago by a theatrical production I saw.

---

Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his head. No fog, 
no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for 
the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh 
air; merry bells. Oh, glorious! Glorious!

"What's to-day!" cried Scrooge, calling downward to a young man 
in smart clothes who was passing in the street below.  

The young man started, paused in his perambulation, and looked up 
to see Scrooge in his window.  "I'm sorry, sir?" he called back, 
sounding not at all like a Londoner.  Or, for that matter, an 
Englishman at all.

An American! Scrooge thought.  How unexpected!  "What's to-day, 
my fine fellow?" said Scrooge.

"Today?" replied the young man.  He raised an eyebrow and peered 
upward as if to make out Scrooge's features more clearly.  "Why, 
it's Christmas, sir."

"It's Christmas Day!”" said Scrooge to himself. "I haven’t missed 
it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do 
anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can. 
Hallo, my fine fellow!"

"Yes, sir?" the young man replied, a broad smile breaking out 
upon his face.  

"What a pleasant fellow," Scrooge marveled to himself.  "Do you 
know the Poulterer's, in the next street but one, at the corner?" 
he inquired.

"Indeed I do, sir!" said the young man with a bit of a laugh in 
his voice.

"Excellent, oh, excellent!" Scrooge cried, almost clapping in his 
delight.  "Do you know whether they've sold the prize Turkey that 
was hanging up there?—Not the little prize Turkey: the big one?"

"Do you mean the one half as big as me?" returned the young man.

"What a delightful fellow!" said Scrooge. "It's a pleasure to 
talk to him. Yes, my good man!"

"It's still hanging there, unsold," replied the man.  His smile, 
if anything, grew even broader.  "You would not be in need of 
someone to make a purchase for you, would you, sir?"

"An intelligent fellow!" said Scrooge. "A remarkable fellow!  Yes, 
please go and buy it, and tell 'em to bring it here, that I may 
give them the direction where to take it. Come back with the man, 
and I shall give you a half-crown for your trouble."

The young man swept off his hat and bowed.  "Oh, no need, sir," 
he said as he straightened.  "I shall gladly fetch him and his 
turkey for you, and you may save your half-crown for one in 
greater need than I."

Scrooge's eyes misted slightly.  How had he missed that there 
were such good people around him for so many years?  "Thank you, 
kind sir!  And a merry Christmas to you!"

"A merry Christmas to you, as well, Mr. Scrooge," replied the 
young man.  "And may your instruction from the spirits last night 
bring you joy and happiness for the rest of your days."  He bowed 
again before taking off toward the Poulterer's, leaving an 
astonished Ebeneezer Scrooge watching after him.

Spoiler

-- A Christmas Carol

[Pyeknu]

"Is that the only way we can carry out this operation?"

The tall, leggy and muscular brunette standing on the other side of the plot table from me grimly nodded.  "Sadly so, Teitoku," she affirmed in her normal deep voice.  "If we don't free that convoy route, we won't be able to gain the necessary supplies from Australia to continue securing our own territorial waters and that of our neighbours.  Sadly, our allies down under are stretched thin and have their own supply issues.  If we're to summon more kanmusu..."

Hearing that from the reincarnated flagship of the Imperial Navy's Combined Fleet at the time of Pearl Harbour, I grimly nodded.  "Well, I'm going out with them," I then declared, making Nagato, Mutsu and Ôyodo gape in horror at me.

"Teitoku!  We can't spare...!" Nagato croaked out.

I winked at her.  "I do have my own abilities, Nagato-san."

The three shipgirls - and wasn't THAT a mind-blowing concept? - blinked before they exchanged wary looks...

Spoiler

Kantai Collection

[robkelk]

"I know you want to know a secret about me." There's always *someone* who likes learning other people's dark secrets and using those against them - it's just my bad luck that there's someone like that at work.

Be careful what you wish for, Souma; I'm actually enjoying working here and watching my co-workers' antics. "All right. I'm not in this country legally. And now you have a secret about me - and as soon as you try to use it, I lose my job here and you go back to doing my work."

The look on his face was priceless.

Spoiler

Working!

[Bob Schroeck]

"You... are looking for kidnapper?" asked the Westerner, his Korean
accented and slow.

Bong-soon and Min-hyeok shared a glance.  "Yes," she said.  "He
attacked a friend of mine, but got away before I could catch him."

The Westerner nodded his helmeted head.  "I, also."  

Min-hyeok frowned.  "Why?" he demanded.  "You're a foreigner.  Why
do you care?"

The Westerner looked genuinely puzzled.  "Am I not... guest in your
land?"  He gestured at the unconscious thugs around them.  "I have...
skills police do not.  Should I not use them to help... protect my 
hosts?"  Then, almost as an afterthought, he added in his own 
language, "<Sacred hospitality is important.>"

Bong-soon looked confused; as Min-hyeok well knew, her English was
far from the best.  His English was much better, and he understood
what the man had said -- and what he meant.  It was a rare Westerner
who comprehended the mutual responsibilities of guest and host.  
Min-hyeok nodded thoughtfully, then said, "Very well, you may aid 
us."

"President!" Bong-soon objected.

"Do not ... worry, young lady," the Westerner said with a smile, and
slid a panel open on the side of his helmet, and tapped the keypad
within.  "You may have... more than human strength," he continued,
and they both stared with wide eyes as he lifted up in the air to
hover a meter above the ground.  "But you... are *not* ... only one 
with powers."

Spoiler

Strong Girl Bong-soon

[Bob Schroeck]

When the Grinch left the house he saw a creature in grey
Was playing with Max at the front of the sleigh.
It stood when it saw him, and said, "Hello, sir.
You should know that red jackets don't go with green fur."

The Grinch smiled broadly -- a wide, toothy sight --
And said, "Why, I'm Santa, and it's cold out at night.
Red jackets and hats are the things Santa wears
Anything different and I'd be putting on airs."

"If you're Santa, I'm Elvis," the grey creature said,
"And if I thought *that* I'd be wrong in the head.
But I know you're not Santa, I know it quite well.
You're the Grinch, stealing Christmas.
I can tell by the smell."

"Ah, you have me," the Grinch said, preparing for flight
For he could not waste time on his mission tonight.
But he wondered, and puzzled -- just a question or two:
"What are you?" he asked. "You're clearly no Who."

"This is true, I'm no Who. A Who I am not."
And it grinned. "You might say I'm more of a... What.
And sometimes a Where, and often a When.
But the people I'm born of are ofttimes called 'Men'.
The Whos took me in -- they're welcoming folks!
They even will smile at the worst of my jokes.
And though I'm their guest my keep I would earn --
So Town Guard and Sheriff I act as in turn.
And as guard and as sheriff I know who you're not.
Who you are is the Grinch, with a foul grinchly plot."

"So you're hoping to stop me?" the Grinch asked the Man.
"Defeat me and ruin my beautiful plan?"

"Oh, no, not at all," said the Man as he knelt
To once again pet Max's brown furry pelt.
"Now most of the time I would stop such a crook,
But this is one time I know the end of the book.
So take the Whos' Christmas to the top of Mount Crumpet --
I know that you'll bring it back tooting a trumpet,
With you and poor Max here both loving the ride."
And with that the Man stood, smiling, then stepped aside.

Spoiler

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas

[DHBirr]

Dangerous. Telling him what you know he'll wind up doing — if the story continues as Seuss wrote it despite the presence of a character Seuss didn't write — has the potential to derail him from doing it.

-----
“We’ve had our differences, but he’s seen the light … and I made sure he moved toward it, instead of coming back.”

[Labster]

Now come on DHBirr! You must rhyme along!
Your comments should sound like the verse of a song.

Should history change, and Whoville be sacked,
Doug will appear and the Grinch will be smacked.
There will be no tragedies on the Whos' Christmas Day --
Not if Doug Sangnoir's got something to say.

[robkelk]

It's an excellent snippet, and well worth the read,
But when next Christmas comes, with what will you lead?

[Star Ranger4]

I would posit it does matter the lead, given Bob's skill it will still be worth the read!

[Pyeknu]

Meeting this universe's version of me was quite interesting.

Never mind that Tariko Katabarbe - born Moroboshi Ataru, but forced through a sex-change when he was pre-Gifted after running away from home and winding up on a planet that made Levram seem SANE in comparison! - was an honest-to-goodness REALITY WARPER of all things.

But despite her NOT having the ability to send me straight back to my own dimension and home-time period, the teenage boy-turned-girl who was better known throughout the local cluster by her battle name Tuyuki was quite sympathetic to my situation.

"So it's not a wise idea to ask Ayumu-chan to try to send me home, huh?"

"Yeah, Doug," Tariko lamented as we leaned on the outer wall of the grounds of Welcome House to gaze out to sea.  High in the air, the reincarnated ship spirits - "shipgirls", no different than what I had encountered in another universe a few dimension hops back - were busy doing some exercises under the guidance of the reincarnated fifth of the Yamato-class and the actual FIRST commissioned, Itô Yoiko AKA His Imperial Majesty's Ship Yonaga.

"Don't get me wrong, though," the lady often addressed by the sobriquet "Trickster of the Great Show of Life" mused as she watched one of her other-self's quite beautiful fleet of shipgirls, Catarina von Savoyen (AKA Kriegsmarineschiff Prinz Eugen, later United States Ship Prinz Eugen) get nailed with a concentrated force-blast of energy from Hôjô Chiyo (AKA His Imperial Majesty's Ship Chôkai).  "Right from my first self, I always was willing to give the old middle finger to any stupid 'god' or 'demon' that got in my way.  That you got stuck with this repeating series of dimensional hopping storylines since you were blasted out of your own dimension - egged on by a whole freaking battle squad's worth of 'deities' who believe it's their Fate-sent right to mess around with we mere 'mortals' - is one sorry series plot script!  You got loads of sympathies even from the hard-core heels back home."

"And asking Ayumu-chan...?" I wondered.

She shook her head.  "She may be Infinity, Doug, but I wouldn't trust her to try to get you home.  You met another version of her some stops ago, remember?"

I considered that before I winced.  Yeah.  Asking a version of Kasuga Ayumu AKA Ôsaka who could literally RESTART A UNIVERSE if she went all out to help out was NOT the best thing to do!

Maybe Tariko's sister Chikage - who went on a multi-dimensional "magical quest" during summer vacations while attending the Hogwarts of this dimension - might have some ideas...!

Spoiler

The End of the Circus:  A Tale of the Yizibajohei (which pretty much includes everything...!)

[Bob Schroeck]

I'll have to check it out.

[Pyeknu]

Right here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12315177/1/...izibajohei

[robkelk]

The place seemed tailor-made for me - plenty of combat to keep my edge honed, with monetary rewards and the occasional magic item just for killing monsters. "Maybe I should give Dungeon a try."

"You can't just walk into Dungeon!"

I turned to Bell and raised an eyebrow. "Why not? It's not Mordor."

"It isn't allowed. You have to be part of a Familia before you can even get through the door."

"He already is," Bell's companion interrupted. We both turned to her - and stopped when we saw the look of amazed wonder on her face.

"How can you be a member of more than one Familia? I see Verthandi, Urd, and Skuld's marks on you ... and I don't recognize those two bonds except that they're from other gods ..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And the oldest mark on your soul is from the Stormsdaughter ..." I took the opportunity to look at Hestia under magesight and saw the triple helix in her own soul - this cute little girl was far more than she appeared to be. But she was also in awe of me. "Who are you, Doug Sangnoir?"

Spoiler

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

[nemonowan]

Minor nitpick there, Rob: Doug wouldn't have needed to use magesight on Hestia.
The gods in Danmachi literally advertise themselves (it's one of the few powers thay can use), any mortal will recognize them as unquestionably divine on plain sight.

[robkelk]

I have an answer for that, but it involves something I've seen as a prereader...

[itsune9tl]

By this point I would say that Doug is not necessarily your typical Mortal.

The divinity of the Gods around the Dungeon while noticible to the locals, is diminished as the whole place(dungeon, and town) is a giant limiter on divine power. So, If Doug is not actively looking for it he might miss it, and would definitely Confirm his suspicions with his mage sight.

[robkelk]

I have an answer for that, but it involves something I've seen as a prereader...

And now I can reply. Quoting from chapter 3 of DW-S:

I was just about to comment on it when those eyes lit up and a psionic attack smacked ineffectually into the mental shields Psyche spent two years drilling into me.

It's quite possible that, after the first half-dozen or so godly auras bounced off his defenses, Doug never noticed that Hestia had a godly aura too. It's just background noise.

EDIT, eight months later: And then there's that scene near the beginning of Sword Oratoria, where Tiona and Tione aren't sure whether Hestia is a goddess. The gods can advertise themselves, but Hestia for one doesn't always do so,

[Star Ranger4]

When Pyenku first wrote this, neither he nor I had heard of Kantai collection nor shipgirls.  Which got me thinking, and this is shared with his approval:

“Wave Motion engine online!  Sir, Helm is ready to answer all commands!”

“Standby, Helm.”

Kodai Susumu spun his chair to face Okita.  “Sir?”

“He was waiting on us, Guns,” a new voice came, and Kodai saw a pair of men he’d not seen before.  Both of average height, the one on the left blonde, the other a redhead but neither in the designated duty uniforms.  He started to open his mouth, as counter-boarding operations were part of his department when Okita made clear these two were invited.

“Sangnoir-issa.  Thunders-sensei.  Glad you could make it.”

“Apologies, Kaish?-ho.  Planetary bombardments play havoc on traffic,” replied the redhead in the loud print shirt of a style that had all but vanished after the Hawaiian Islands had been bombarded.  He turned to his compatriot, who wore heavy gray cycling style leather; a UN symbol on the man’s left shoulder and a scalloped badge on his chest with L T in large romaji letters on it.  Under one arm he carried a helmet that also bore the symbol of the United Nations in the center of the forehead.

“After you, Ell Tee.”

“System.  Saint Peter’s Gate,” the blonde said, putting on the helmet.  “Play song.”  Next to him, the redheaded one tapped the cane he was holding on the deck. *Boooooommm*, a resounding tone rang, somehow dopplering out and away, feeling a bit like a large machine had just powered down; leaving the light seemingly slightly dimmer, sounds a bit muted.  Yet the song coming from the Helmet, and the chant of the Redhead came through clearly in spite of that.

«I was lost in the dark…and the fear was in my heart.
All around me, the forest and the rain.
Then with the flash of a light, I saw it in the night.
I must be getting near…Saint Peter's Gate.»

“Heart of fire, bones of steel
Arms that strike and Soul that shields
For a time now be made real,
YAMATO!”

“Attention on DECK!” Sanada Shiro called out, as from the right a group of ghostly men wearing the uniforms of IJN officers of the mid 1940’s seeming stepped out of nowhere.  From the left, a tall Japanese woman wearing a white dress evocative of a western style wedding dress.

The officer in front, in the uniform of a Captain, looked at the two civilians across the bridge.  *Sangnior-Issa, Okita Sho-ho.  This really was not necessary*, he said in the haunting voice one would associate with someone who had been dead for 254 years.

The redhead covered his mouth and made a noise that was part sneeze and part “Bullshit!”  The ghostly woman gave him a hard look, then shook her head in resignation before starting to cross the brige.

“And I think we both know it was, Kosako,” she chided the other spirit.  His eyes swung away from Okita and widened as he took in the woman, who nodded gently.  “IJN Yamato, reporting for duty, Itt? Kaisa.”

“Necessary or not, it is an honor to receive these honors, Aruga” came a new voice as yet another ghostly personage stepped onto the bridge, this one in the uniform of a flag officer.

“Ito-Kaisho!  Sir, your flagship stands ready for your commands.”  The new arrival nodded then turned to where Okita was standing and saluted.

“Okita Kaish?-ho.  We,” the sweep of his arm included the Captain next to him; “Request relief.”

Okita returned the salute.  “Ito Kaisho.  Aruga Itt? kaisa.  I relieve you.”

The ghostly admiral nodded and turned to his flag captain, but stopped when the woman in white held up her hand.  “Imoto?” she called.

“Hai, Onii-san.” Then a younger woman, just out of her teens really, stepped out and stood where the woman in white first appeared.  Her outfit could best be described as a cross between a rather abbreviated shrine maiden’s outfit and something similar to the male uniform tunics of the duty uniform, and on her head was something reminiscent of a battleship’s fire control sensors.  On her back, sensed more than seen, was a backpack that reached around and seemed to bear ship type weapons.

“IJN Yamato requests relief.”

“UNCS Yamato relieves you.  Rest in peace, Onii-san.”

“Guard them well, Imoto.”

A soft vibration started coming through the deck but went unnoticed at first, as the ship’s company remained on the ghostly forms that somehow filed out as if stepping through an invisible portal as the song wound down.  The redhead tapped his cane once more and a sound dopplered up and in, as if the earlier one was rewinding; around them the light brightened, and other sounds rumbled, the shaking of the deck becoming more pronounced.

Kodai spun and faced the bridge windows, where what he’d assumed was part of the ship was cracking and falling away, revealing the outside world.  “This ship…  She was the ship we saw on the seabed?”

“Yes, Guns.  Your aboard her now.  All hands, return to stations!  Sanada, fire the final separation charges!  Shima, take us up!  Kodai, take out that missile!  SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO!  HASHIN!”

    8    8    8    8    8    8

It wasn’t until the ship had cleared orbit and Kodai was relieved by the second watch that he’d had a chance to start absorbing those strange events.  So when he saw Sanada, Yuki, and Shima sitting together on the mess deck, he decided he’d join them.

“What WAS that?” he wondered aloud in a bid for information.

“Cretin,” Yuki sniffed dismissively at him.  “You realize the original Yamato was a WAR grave?  With over 2000 souls inside?”

Sanada nodded.  “And while their bodies were removed and re-interred with all due respect, it would be fair to say that the Captain decided to… help our odds.  The two at the front of the formation were Aurga Kôsaku, Yamato’s last captain, and It? Seiichi, her last admiral.”

“So, who were the two women?”

Yuki rubbed her brow in disbelief of the question.  “Ships have souls TOO, Kodai.  Weren’t you listening?  The one in white was the Yamato that was lost during Operation Ten-Go.”

Shima sat back and whistled.  “And the other one.  She’s all around us, isn’t she.  Part of us, just as we are part of her?”

“Yes.”

    8    8    8    8    8    8

IJN Yamato: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20...ara/.91306

UNCF Yamato: https://www.deviantart.com/naikhara/art/...-390889718