i'm bigger than my body [open & closed]

[tanker]

who: John Proudtar + Shigeru Miyata, Minsu Oh, Cisco Ramon, and anyone
what: Catch-all
when: throughout march
where: various places, mainly the perimeter guard training grounds
warnings: none that I can think of! Will update if necessary



i. meditate (open to all)

[ Since putting his training offers out on the Quarantine network, John has been putting up dates and times and locations for 'classes' - he hates calling them as such, but if the shoe fits.

There's nothing special about the spot he's chosen - it's by the river, shadowed by some trees, pleasant and quiet. John's sitting straight on the ground, cross-legged, as he waits for any 'student' who might be interested in learning about meditation. He's prepared to fight stereotypes, remembering Lorna's reaction the first time she saw him practicing, how surprised she'd been, how long she'd teased him for it after.

John waits, until a few people are seated in front of him, before he says anything. ]

Before we start, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. The goal here is to get some tools for you to center yourself if you ever feel like control, or your sense of self is slipping. Meditation is what we make it out to be - contrary to popular belief, it isn't about sitting on a rock for days at a time, humming to yourself, although you're welcome to do that, if it works for you.

[ John smiles. This should be fun. ]

We're going to start much smaller, here.

ii. combat (open to all)

[ Come one, come all, whoever is interested in trying to test themselves against that mutant who can't get hurt. He'll take your punches and will try to give pointers wherever he can - he is, after all, an ex-Marine himself, and has seen combat situation more than once.

Depending on who's here to train and who's interested in helping, there are several stations set up in the Perimeter Guards training grounds - one, large and further away than the rest, for those who want to try out their powers but might struggle with control, or simply have a huge range. One for hand-to-hand combat, with dummies and training equipment strewn around. One for swordfighting - the weapons are blunt. John's walking around between the different stations, helping out wherever he can, and learning, himself - he's never held a sword before, after all.

Come and train, fight, help out, or whatever else you want to do! ]

iii. wildcard

[ Closed starters in comments! Find me at ellievolia if you want a specific starter, or just hmu with anything, I'm happy with basically anything. ]

Comments

[mysophobic]

Yes, you're right. [ Believe in himself, huh? It's so hard to do when he's failed multiple times at trying to regain control. Sure he manages to do it, but it always happens after he's caused harm to someone. ]

Um, well, thank you for all of this. I-I really want to work hard and get better. So I'm grateful to have you help me. It's probably a big imposition on you though. I'm just glad that this place has...people like yourself here.

[ He's not sure how he'd get by without people like Genji, John, Aoba or Cisco around. ]

[felinefox]

Well, it's different for everyone. I guess in my case, there was no getting around the animal DNA, powers or no powers. But then, that's not a time I care to think about anyway.

[Because she's no stranger to the rest of what he says, either.]

I hear that. Back home, we even had a news service dedicated to calling out all the weird things going on. And an agency specifically dedicated to capturing New Mutants. Don't think I need to tell you the headaches that combo's caused on more than one occasion.

[Safe to say she does not miss Proxy Blue in the slightest.]

[foxtrots]

[minsu looks relieved. it's not like he's had complaints or stares. his face looks like the kind that most people are used to seeing. it's just...nice.]

Not here, but at home. [which is why he was surprised but happy to hear that john's someone is here. minsu keeps smiling, because sage is his hope and strength to do so until he can get back to him, but it's obvious that he misses him.] He would be here. Coffee is his favorite thing. It's why I like this job.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco nods. John probably doesn't realize it, but he'd picked just the right phrase to convince Cisco it really is okay. After all, Cisco likes helping, too. He understands the need to feel useful, and the need to be a positive influence on other people's lives. It's one of the reasons he'd ended up in this place, after all. He'd lost that feeling, in Central City, after Barry disbanded Team Flash. He'd tried to find substitutes - helping out with the CCPD, reaching out to Caitlin in her grief, befriending Iris, but in the end it hadn't been the same. Here he could make a real difference. ]

Okay. Sweet. Thanks, dude.

[ It's taking some adjusting, getting used to being the one who is helped; to letting people support him, take care of him. But Cisco's better at it now than he was when he first arrived in this place. And John seems a trustworthy enough sort... for now, anyway. ]

Definitely go with the hot spring, then. I actually used to be roommates with the guy who owns one of 'em. Maybe I can blackmail him into giving you some free passes.

[ Cisco is delighted to hear John laugh; he's got kind of a serious face, but when he laughs, it's clear that he means it. It makes him look younger, less care-worn. Seems like a guy who could use a few good laughs. And that is something Cisco is pretty good at providing. ]

MREs? I'm guessing that's some kinda survival rations? Sounds nasty.

[aequoreal]

In that case, I would be glad to help as well.

[ after a moment, kaldur offers a small smile. ]

[tanker]

It's really not.

[ John smiles, shrugs a shoulder. ]

Back home, I was leading a bunch of people. I had to look after everyone, and I wanted to. Couldn't imagine living my life any other way. Helping out...

[ He looks out ahead, eyes unfocused on the buildings in front of them. ]

It's the very least I can do.

[tanker]

We have a government agency dedicated to chasing us, too. And since Mutants are known, anything something happens, the fingers are pointing straight at us. And Sentinel Services are more of an 'arrest now, ask questions, maybe, later' kind of agency.

[ He does not miss Sentinel Services, himself, that's for sure. ]

I still feel like I can't quite stop looking over my shoulder, even here.

[tanker]

[ John's smile is soft. ]

Can I ask - why are you here, if he's not?

[tanker]

[ John gives Cisco a smile, almost reaching out to clap his shoulder before refraining. Let's not, they are still practically strangers, after. He's grown so used to the familiarity of the Underground, hanging out with Marcos and always having him on his left. He's got to start from scratch, here. ]

Yeah? I mean, I don't mind paying for stuff. Gotta be a contributing member of society, right?

[ John is a pretty serious guy, it's true. He's had to, in recent years, taking care of so many people, their numbers only growing as Turner started his manhunt (Mutanthunt). He'd had to make some hard choices, and he's had to keep control of himself, and the situation, as much as he could. There hadn't been time for fun. ]

Meal-Ready-to-Eat, yeah. Usually used in the military. They come with water-activated no-flame heating packs, so you don't need anything to warm up your food while out in the wild on missions. But since they're made to be very nutritious and easy to use, we've been using them a lot in the Underground. We had a lot of kids to feed.

[tanker]

Good. I'm John, by the way.

[ Putting the sword down towards his back, John offers his hand. ]

[felinefox]

I wish I could say that doesn't sound familiar. Though I guess the GSA have a personal interest in making sure those of us who aren't working for them disappear.

[Leave it to a corporation to want to cover up anything that might lead to them getting a bad reputation.]

But if we're lucky, that should get easier with time. I know it takes some time between knowing you're in a safer place and believing it.

[She'd been there, back when she first joined Mutant X. It had taken her some time after that to accept that she was in a much safer position than she had ben, even where that safer position put her in direct conflict with the GSA's aims.]

[tanker]

Sentinel Services are apparently working with a research corporation that's looking into using our powers against us, so. That's something we've got to contend with.

[ He grimaces, looking down at his feet. ]

Basically, I guess what I'm saying is that I get where you're coming from. Seems like we've got some pretty similar situations, back home.

[felinefox]

Sounds like it. Make us useful, wipe us out or turn us into lab rats. It's almost like the idea of letting us get on with life like everyone else never occurred to them.

[The reasons might be different but leave it to scientists to want to meddle with what they don't understand and hang the consequences for the people involved. That much, she understands all too well.]

Guess that explains why people like us are so likely to wind up in a place like this.

[foxtrots]

Ah.

[it's a fair question. minsu tries to keep his smile, but there's something guilty in the downcast of his eyes.]

Some of my family didn't want me to change, they said I'd never make it. They definitely wouldn't want me to be with him, not when he helped keep me strong. I started worrying that they might try to hurt him if they found out, so I decided to go to them first.

[to talk, to do more than talk if he had to. minsu didn't want them starting their life together with that hanging over his head.]

I was so worried, and miserable without him. [he shrugs.] Then I was here. I guess I needed to go someplace to think about how stupid I was.

[tanker]

I like to think they tried, with us.

[ But then, 7/15 happened, and things had changed. People who had treated John and his peers with respect before - or at least, some respect - turned their backs on him. The government turned their backs on Mutants. ]

But it's always been like sitting on a powder keg. One spark, that's all it takes. Like everyone is just waiting for that one second where everything tips into chaos. That happened in 2013, for us. After that... it's never been the same. They suddenly had excuses to treat us all like pariahs.

[tanker]

[ John frowns. He isn't sure he understands, exactly, what happened. There are gaps in the story, of course, but John doesn't know Minsu well enough to fill them out. ]

Did you... hurt your family? To protect him?

[aequoreal]

Kaldur'ahm.

[ he takes the offered hand, shaking it. if john hasn't noticed already, he probably won't be able not to notice the webbing between kaldur's fingers now. together with the gills on his neck, they tell a story. ]

[felinefox]

I guess that makes sense. In our case I think it was more trying to hide that they'd made something they couldn't control as well as they'd like.

[She doesn't know the full details and she doesn't care to, but it's been clear enough over the years what the main problem Genomex has had with New Mutants has been, at least as far as she's concerned.]

Still, if things turned that quickly then people were looking for an excuse all along. At least, that's what I tend to find.

[franciscoramon]

Right.

[ Cisco doesn't push with his offer - he doesn't see the harm in a discount, personally, but incorrectly assumes that John's simply not comfortable accepting gifts or bargains from a near-stranger. Maybe, Cisco thinks, John's worried there will be some catch. Strings attached. Which is fair. If their positions were reversed, he'd definitely be wary. ]

I get why those'd be a total lifesaver and all, but I'm not gonna front with you, they sound nasty as hell.

[ There are plenty of places he could recommend; he doesn't waste any time, picking up a stray bit of scrap paper from one of the desks and starting to jot down the names of a few places, with little notes by them like CHEAP! and GOOD SPICY STUFF! and ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERE ;D ]

/happy for this to be a last tag!

[tanker]

They can be. But also incredibly useful.

[ John can't knock them. Some of them are even not as disgusting as they sound.

John grins at the notes Cisco hands over after a moment. ]

You are a lifesaver. Thank you so much!

[foxtrots]

I didn't.

[he didn't make it back to korea. and maybe he would've tried talking to them first - two hundred years is a lot time and things could've changed between them.

but there's still one thing that he does know.]

I would have. For him, I would have. [minsu drops his head again.] Sorry.

[he's not completely sure why he's apologizing. probably because he thinks it might disappoint john to hear that, and he's already someone that minsu doesn't want to disappoint.]

[tanker]

[ John shakes his head, standing up to get closer. ]

Hey, you don't have to apologize.

[ His voice is soft, but sincere, the inflections rich and his eyes unwavering. ]

Love is powerful, and if he makes you a better person, if you feel better around him than anywhere else... I can't say I'd blame anyone for wanting to protect that.