21 - Heavenly Job Fair

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Welcome to the Heavens' Job Fair
When: August 30 -31
Where: The Meeting Hall grounds & various places in the Near Shore
Summary: The Heavens are offering a location for new and old gods to trade off prayers that they can't answer. Did someone ask a god of war to intervene in their high school love triangle? A god of poetry to strike down an ayakashi giving them writer's block? Sometimes, everyone needs a helping hand....



Established gods sometimes pass prayers off to one another if they receive a prayer that doesn't match their own skill set. In order to help the new gods and their shinki integrate into Heavenly society, Heaven's set up a big prayer wall in front of the Meeting Hall, where new and old gods alike can bring prayers they can't answer and pick up prayers that they can. Most of the prayers are written on brightly decorated little wooden plaques, with ribbons attached to hang them from one of the many nails driven into the prayer wall. Pick a plaque and give someone a hand, or bring a request that's been stumping you, and let's make sure that everyone's prayers are answered!



Leave a Prayer

There's a lot of room on the prayer wall. Did someone leave your god a prayer that they just can't answer? Or are they willing to try it out, but think they'll need a helping hand? Bring a prayer that your character's been asked to fulfill, and either post it on the board or ask someone you know if they can take it on.

Players can write their own prayers, from the mundane to the bizarre, and leave their prayer as a reply to the LEAVE A PRAYER comment below!

(Writing Your Own Prayer: Prayers can, but do not have to, involve ayakashi. They can be as detailed as you want, or be simple prompts like the "Take A Prayer" examples below. If you have any questions about whether something you want would be OK, please feel free to ask on the event announcement here!)

Take a Prayer

Characters can either accept a prayer from another character, or pick an anonymous one from the prayer wall. Among the anonymous prayers on the wall are:

I just bought a hot spring bathhouse, but I'm afraid it's haunted! All my customers say they think someone is watching them, and some even feel something touching their ankles when they're alone in the bath! Please get rid of the ghost.

My girlfriend blocked my number and I don't know why. Please make her talk to me so we can work this out.

My family just moved and I don't know anybody in my new school. Please help me make new friends!

Someone keeps tearing open garbage bags and leaving kitchen trash all over my street. It's disgusting! Make them stop!

The street by my shop is under construction and customers just aren't coming in anymore. At this rate, I'll go out of business. Please bring in more customers so I can pay the rent.

I NEED a limited-edition copy of the Super Mega Battle Droids X-234158 figurine with the real chrome trim!! Please help me find one for sale!

No matter how much I complain, the bathrooms at my neighborhood train station are still stinky. Please inspire the janitors to work harder.

My homeroom class this year has no energy, and as their teacher I'm worried! Please give them more fighting spirit before exams!

To turn in a prayer: Whether it's a prayer from this list or one written by a fellow player, you can receive exp/followers for writing a prayer thread on this log. Once the thread has reached 10+ comments with progress towards achieving the prayer's goal, turn it in by replying to the COMPLETED PRAYERS comment with a link to your thread. Each completed prayer will earn 200 followers for each god character in the thread and 20 exp for each shinki character.

Advertise Yourself

The job fair will only last for a few days (that big board of prayers just ruins the aesthetics of the garden, so it will be coming down.) If you want to bring in more reliable business for yourself or your god, this is the time to let everyone know what you can do! Heaven's workers have conveniently provided plenty of rolls of butcher paper, cardboard and bamboo sticks to make banners and signs, along with multicolored inks, markers, tempera paint, glitter, ribbons and other craft supplies. Make an advertising banner and let the Heavens know what you can do! Maybe you could even hand out business cards or free samples....

Take a Break

There's a nice grassy area, broken up by flowering trees and bushes, to the side of the prayer wall. There, white-robed shinki have set up several tables with water bottles and small snacks for anyone who's worn themselves out working hard. This isn't just a banquet, though, it's a potluck -- there's lots of room on those tables for gods to set out their own homemade foods or fancy purchases. There are a few extra-fancy picnic bento there already, with beaming shinki in the uniforms of several different Gods of Fortune or of Amaterasu's advisers standing behind them.

In Summary:

• Bring prayers for other gods to answer
• Answer prayers yourself
• Let everybody know what you can do (with glitter!)
• Bring something for the potluck
• Have fun~

Comments

2-B

[replicatedform]

So we just have to win the toy?

[Which sounds simple enough. And now they're both on their way towards the one brand of crane game machine that offers the specific toy.

He wonders how simple this job will be...]

[festal]

( She nods. )

It sounded easy enough. ( And she's glancing at all of the other games in the arcade. It's a little loud and overwhelming but it's an odd hour so no one is really around. ) Do... you know how to play?

[replicatedform]

[He shakes his head.]

No, not really. [He looks ahead and see their goal ahead: that one particular crane game machine. Once they're there, he is going to look for the instructions. But his eyes sees the grand prize inside.

Is that a... flower? A smiling flower?] Is that the one?

[sweetdeath]

Oh hey, I think I know how these work!

[Tsuzuki's beaming excitedly: he leans close. Wow, that flower prize is cute. It's big, though. Aren't big prizes harder to get?

... He doesn't know if he's any good at it, but if the other two don't know how to play, maybe he should give it a shot.]

You use the joystick to move that claw around, and then press the button to drop it and grab whatever's underneath.

[festal]

( She lets out a relieved sigh when Tsuzuki announces he knows how these machines (might) work. That saves them the trouble of figuring out what to do. )

I think that's the one.

( She nods. It was... supposed to be some sort of flower that could dance on it's own? This one is still for now but maybe it just needs something to get it started. )

And these games are really popular...? ( There are so many different ones around them with so many different prizes. Some of them are really cute too! She's partial to the stuffed animals, herself... But she leans closer to this particular machine and kneels down a bit to look at the controls as Tsuzuki explains. Something catches her eye though, )

Oh! We'll need some money... ( Which isn't really a problem (or so she thinks, for now!). She reaches into her purse and takes out her coin wallet. She's got a fair amount in there to give them a few tries. ) Do you think this is enough?

[replicatedform]

I see... I think I understand.

[Move with the joystick, press button when it's above the prize you want. So some kind of hand-eye coordination game?

Yamanbagiri glances over to see Sakura bringing out a wallet. He peeks at it briefly, and then back at the machine. There's a label detailing how much a run would cost.]

I think so. That's... maybe enough for a lot of turns? [He didn't know how long this might take for them...] Who will go first?

[sweetdeath]

Yeah, we might need a few tries to get the hang of it, but that should be enough! Here, I'll try.

[He reaches out to snag a hundred-yen coin, and drops it into the machine, leaning close to eye the claw as he maneuvers it carefully with the joystick. Okay, a little forward -- no, a little back -- a little to the left, then a little more, then...

... then, unexpectedly, the timer runs out and the claw descends as he's nudging it cautiously just a little closer to the exact center of the flower.]

I didn't do that! Hey, stop, I didn't tell you to go down.

[It closes, dragging its spindly little legs uselessly over several cute toys, and ascends again, carrying the clawful of absolutely nothing to the prize chute and opening over it again. Tsuzuki stares glumly at the machine.]

Okay, so there's a time limit.

[festal]

( She's watching Tsuzuki go. It looks easy when he does it but then-- )

Oh! ( It wasn't enough? And Tsuzuki seems to be mad at the machine and what is happening??? Ah, she looks at the toy in the machine to see if it's moved any closer at all and then at Tsuzuki. ) That was hardly enough time!

( Is she offended on Tsuzuki's behalf? Yes, she is. )

[replicatedform]

[He watches carefully, so that maybe he can do it properly when it's his turn... Wait, what—]

Huh?

[He blinks, staring between Tsuzuki and at the machine. That flower is still in the same spot, not a bit moved or touched.] A time limit?

[Where did it say that? He looks for the instructions. There's the controls explanation, what the machine do... oh, there. "... within a certain amount of time."]

So not only do we have to aim carefully, but also quickly? [Sounds like a challenge... Yamanbagiri step forward and look closely inside.]

[sweetdeath]

I guess so.

[Tsuzuki's scowling at the machine. It's just not fair, dammit.

He steps back, waving at the controls.]

... It's kind of tough. Do you guys want to try?

I could stand by the side, so you can see when it's in the right place from the front and I can tell you when it's in the right place from the side....

[That'd probably make it easier? This is a challenge now. They've gotta get that flower.]

[festal]

( She can't help but giggle at both of them. Tsuzuki and Yamanbagiri both look so serious. She feels like this prayer is in good hands with them and she shakes her head, )

I think Yamanbagiri-san wants to try.

( She sees him getting a closer look at the prize and the machine. )

I'll try later. I think... I want to watch a little more first, if that's okay.

( She'd hate to waste one of their attempts so she'll study their technique carefully!

... She's also pretty serious about this. )

[replicatedform]

[Sakura hits the nail on the head. He blinks for a moment, before he nods. He reaches out to get a coin for a game. He observed Tsuzuki's and got an idea, now it's time to actually do it.]

Yeah, that's fine. I'm going to start now. Tsuzuki, tell me when it's in position.

[With a serious and focused look, he inserts the coin and the machine shows the starting indication. Then he place a hand on the joystick, and the other one near the buttons. The claw... starts moving!]

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki leans forward, intent and serious as he tracks the movement of the claw.]

Back a little. Little more-- no, that's too much! Forward just a little. I think you've got it....

[festal]

( She's watching and watching and... she can't help but get excited. This is a lot more intense than she thought it would be and she's a bit invested. She's listening to Tsuzuki and nodding, )

Y-yes, right there.. and.. ( She gasps, ) There, I think?!

( Yes?! )

[replicatedform]

[He press the button! The claw stops and goes down, outstretching its claws. Yamanbagiri stares, watching as it closes around the flower, seemingly having it in its grip.]

Did we...?

[Then it moves upward, and the prize slip out from the claw. Yamanbagiri gapes at it. The claw returns to its starting position, opening its now empty grip above the chute.]

What...?

[Somehow, his pride feels bruised?!]

[sweetdeath]

Hey! That should've worked, it was the right spot and everything!

[Tsuzuki's tone is full of all the righteous indignation he can muster. The claw closed right around the flower! It definitely shouldn't have just slipped off like that.]

Is this thing broken!? Try again, I know we can get it this time.

[festal]

( She's already offering a few coins to Yamanbagiri but she's nodding. Tsuzuki is right! That should have worked but it didn't! )

Was it just me or... was the claw not very strong?

[replicatedform]

[He almost snatch the coins from her, only to pause for a moment to mutter "sorry". And takes them from her hand.]

Do you think it's worn out?

[Or deliberately made to be weak... He's inserting a coin for another run. Let's see...]

[sweetdeath]

Maybe it has to catch on the flower just right to pull it out. It was really weak.

[It could be made to be weak. Surely they wouldn't do that, though, right? That'd be too unfair! He focuses on watching the claw as Yamanbagiri manipulates it.]

Little further back-- there. Go!

[festal]

If it's broken then this doesn't seem very fair...

( Because clearly this game isn't rigged! Look at these toys! It's obviously meant for children and no one would cheat a child, right?

But right now, she's watching the machine to see if it really might be rigged... )

[replicatedform]

[Seeing as he's handling the controls, Yamanbagiri can only watch the claw from this angle. So maybe Tsuzuki and Sakura see something from the sides?

At Tsuzuki's signal, he quickly press the button and watches the claw went down. It went down towards the flower toy and picks it up. Up, up, up it goes. Seemingly in its grip.

When it start moving towards the chute, the flower slips out.]

What!

[Self-control, self-control...]

[sweetdeath]

No fair! [What's self control? Tsuzuki's jolting back in complete outrage and pointing at the machine.]

I'm sure its grip got weaker!

[Or maybe the flower just slipped... but! No! He'd had it! This isn't fair.]

C'mon, let me try.