October Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: September 4th
Where: Meeting Hall, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



In anticipation of the latest round of new arrivals, Heaven has partnered with the new gods and shinki to organize a very helpful informational reception.

It seems Bishamon's temple is unavailable this week due to business, although she has generously allowed a number of her shinki to go on with their usual tasks of passing out pamphlets and assisting the newcomers to settle in.

Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided kindly towards a traditional-style dojo and banquet hall towards the back of the meeting hall itself. The gods and shinki are free to take their time during this day to learn about the details of their new life from Amaterasu's shinki or from the many veteran new god and shinki volunteers.




God Training

Newly arrived gods are escorted into a banquet hall for an informational meeting covering the basics of proper god behavior, although the minor deity conducting the meeting is in too much of a rush to take questions afterwards. They are encouraged to discuss the information with each other and ask questions of more experienced gods, as well as instructed to guide their new shinki appropriately.

Shinki Training

Various volunteers are stationed around the dojo, passing out helpful informational pamphlets. There are many shinki, including Bishamon's and Amaterasu's, who will be more than happy to train in using the borderline as well as offering a lecture on the basics of what is expected of a shinki and the importance of teamwork with other shinki and with gods. Shinki are encouraged to work together to practice what they've learned and discuss their perspectives.

The garden is available for borderline practice, and a few of the last training's slightly tattered crayon-drawn borderline targets have been brought back out and pinned to bales of straw to make a practice area. One of Amaterasu's shinki is drawing replacements with a large inked calligraphy brush. His targets are simple but elegant, but somehow, before they make it over to the target bales, they're ending up crayon-scribbled into much brighter colors. Maybe it's the child shinki who are in charge of putting them up? They do seem to be giggling a lot, and Amaterasu's artist shinki is looking more and more annoyed...

Physical Training

The dojo is stocked with a wide variety of practice weapons, traditional and modern, to offer some practice opportunity to gods who, for example, find themselves with a sword shinki but are at risk of cutting off their own toes. It's also useful for veteran new gods wishing to train with their current partner shinki.

There's an additional task that the hosts are more than willing to ask for help with. The Meeting Hall seems to be suffering an invasion of cute soot sprites. Although they're harmless little spirits, they leave smears of ash and soot wherever they go, and the shinki are running themselves ragged trying to keep the hardwood floors and white walls clean! They're handing out cleaning rags and flyswatters to squash the soot sprites flat and scrub the resulting smears away -- and, for the softhearted, butterfly nets: although they implore anyone with a net to be sure they let the soot sprites out again far, far away.

Rest and Refreshments

The meeting hall's facilities are less modernized than Bishamon's: there are rainwater barrels set out by the dojo with fresh towels for hardworking gods and shinki to wash their face and hands. The water is ice cold, so it's very refreshing, too-- brr!

By lunchtime, the banquet hall where the gods' informational session was held has been cleaned out and re-set with cushions to sit on around long, low tables. Gods and shinki who come inside for lunch will be served a plain but hearty meal, with soup, rice, fish and pickled vegetables to refresh them for the afternoon's training.

The hall will stay open even after the lunches and tables have been cleared away, so that those who want a quieter space to talk with their new partners can find somewhere in the room. Hopefully the occasional stampede of soot sprites won't be too distracting.

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Get in some training
• Help catch soot sprite pests
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[light_of_willpower]

[That's okay, he's not supposed to be 'moving' necessarily. Trunks just wants him in a stance that is loose and relaxed, but where it does take some concentration.]

Stay like that for a moment okay?

[Trunks moves around to examine Temeraire's stance, and makes some very minor adjustments, speaking as he does so.]

So, you want to try and relax while in this position, as in be loose and ready but not tense. Spine should be straight though, with no slouching, and shoulders down. Again, the point is to be loose, not tense. Standing though, and holding it like this, provides a physical focus. Since it's not a position you can easily get TOO relaxed in.

[That done, Trunks moves away from the other's personal space and resumes the stance himself.]

So, what you want to focus on here--and it might help if you close your eyes, it might not; it's up to you. But you want to focus on your breathing, and how the air moves through your body. Imagine, with that air, that there is energy flowing through you. It starts in your gut, right above your stomach but below your heart. Kind of like the diaphragm near your lungs. Imagine this energy flowing through you as you breathe, and with every heartbeat it's pulsing. It flows from your center, down your legs and along your arms, up along your head and shoulders and in your chest, in a cycle.

That's why we're holding our hands like this, because it helps if you imagine it making a circuit. It starts on the right side of your body, flowing out to your limbs and through your body, then travels from one palm to the other, and flows back along the other side. Think of it as if there's an invisible string between your hands, that this energy represents.

[Now he'll stop to make sure Temeraire is following along.]

[impetuouswind]

[Temeraire nods, letting Trunks adjust his position until he's satisfied, and then doing his best to hold it steady. It's not too hard: he lets his eyes flutter closed as he inhales, focusing on the thought of energy flowing into him with his breath and through his body, between his hands, down and around....

He can imagine it, but the image is something blurry and unsure. Perhaps as he focuses, it will get easier.]

Should I feel it?

[light_of_willpower]

You should be able to 'feel' it yes. Just as you feel your heart beating, and your breath flowing through you. I know it's hard to explain, but it should resemble, roughly, a current. Just like, this 'hum' that is there and you can feel, but that isn't your blood flowing or your breath moving air through you.

[impetuouswind]

[Temeraire makes a very dubious noise.

He can feel his breath, and he can, if he thinks very hard about it, feel his heartbeat. He can't feel any kind of hum, or anything like a current in the water.]

How long does it take to feel?

[light_of_willpower]

[Unfortunately, Tem's not going to like the answer.]

As long as it'll take. You need to imagine it, believe in it, feel that energy flowing through you so strongly there is no doubt at all that it exists. The point at which that happens is different for everyone, Temeraire. I know you can do it though.

[impetuouswind]

[Temeraire frowns, and falls silent, redoubling his efforts at focus.

It is, probably, going to take longer still.]

[light_of_willpower]

[Sadly, it probably is. After a pause, Trunks shifts his attention to study his friend. Trying to read his energy, which--with practice--has been coming easier to Trunks. He can feel Temeraire, although the shape feels 'off'--which makes sense really, since he's normally a dragon. It's reassuring, but Trunk isn't sure how to help his friend besides what he's been doing.]

[impetuouswind]

[Temeraire's energy is still an unformed glow, trailing away where his wings and tail would have been, though the determined scowl on his face makes it clear that he's continuing to try.

After a few more minutes, he cracks one eye, focusing on Trunks.]

How is it?

[light_of_willpower]

[That 'phantom' tail and wings are not surprising at all to Trunks, and he focuses to be sure that he's sensing correctly. He didn't doubt Temeraire's determination, and wished he had better news to offer his friend.

There's an apologetic smile.]

I can sense it, you definitely have it. But it's... For one you still conceptualize yourself as having a tail and wings. Which only makes sense, given you're not usually human.

It might just mean you spend some time each day just practicing. We can fold it into our training if you want.

[So clear that Trunks earnestly wanted to help his friend, and was frustrated for him as well.]

[impetuouswind]

But...

[But he does have a tail and wings!

Only, of course, he does not. Not in this form. He reaches awkwardly back to rub a hand over his shoulderblade, twitching at the bizarre sensation, and tosses a sidelong glance at Trunks.]

I will have to practice, then. Perhaps it will help to lean what this body does, too.

[As he practices running, jumping and fighting with Trunks, he'll learn where the limits of it are, and perhaps even internalize the fact that it doesn't have wings. Or a tail, even.]

[light_of_willpower]

If it helps at all, you're also helping me, since I'm trying to relearn things I don't remember. Right now, I'm trying to learn more about how to sense energy, so monitoring yours is helpful.

[Yep, encouraging here, and reaching out to his friends shoulder with a squeeze of the same.]

We're learning together, in some ways. And I definitely don't expect you to be an expert. Honestly, I think if I suddenly DID have a tail or wings to get used to, I'd have just as much trouble adapting.

[impetuouswind]

[Temeraire brightens at the encouragement, smiling at Trunks.]

Then we will learn together, won't we? And if it is too much trouble you should tell me. I will keep working, and I am sure I will master it before too long.

[light_of_willpower]

[There's a small chuckle.]

If it does become trouble, or I can't for whatever reason, I'll tell you. But in the meantime I'm enjoying working with you. It helps me practice and try and figure out what I might've known too.

So for now, how about just practicing some plain old dodging thrown objects? I can get some beanbags, and forget about worrying about the borderline for now. Learning how to move in that human body is still a valuable skill, spells or no.

[impetuouswind]

[Temeraire nods cheerfully, and drops the rest of the meditative pose, straightening up with a spark of interest.]

Yes, I can do that. So you will throw them, and I will move to avoid them?

[That sounds easy enough; it's just as if he were dodging cannon fire, or another dragon's bombs.]

[light_of_willpower]

Exactly. We can even take turns if you want, since it might help your hand-eye coordination.

[There's a small chuckle, and hint of a smirk.]

If I was feeling mean, I'd make you dodge energy blasts. I've been practicing, and Goten is a good sparring partner. Be warned, he throws rocks though, and your vessel form is a lot more squishy than your dragon form, Temeraire.

[Still, Trunks'll go grab one of the buckets full of beanbags and start for a more open space, so Tem can follow him.]