November Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: September 15th
Where: Bishamon's temple, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided to Bishamon's temple, where a reception area and a traditionally styled dojo and training ground have been made available for the day. 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 Western-styled reception hall within Bishamon's temple 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 shinki volunteers, both in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's shinki and in Bishamon's red-piped black uniforms, are stationed around the dojo, passing out helpful informational pamphlets. They will be happy to instruct the newcomers in the use of the borderline as well as offering an explanantion 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.

An area of the practice ground has been marked off for shinki to practice borderlines against one another. There are several big buckets filled with beanbags that have been generously dusted with colored chalk powder. Shinki can pair up and practice throwing beanbags at one another while trying to deflect the beanbags with a borderline.

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.

A table towards one side of the training area, manned by two of Amaterasu's shinki in white and gold, has a stack of big tote bags and a scavenger-hunt list taped down to the table. It's a chance for gods to practice teamwork with their new shinki, or just have a little fun while helping newcomers learn their way around the Heavens. The list reads:
• Rabbit Mask.
• Volcanic Stone.
• Sneakers, 21.5cm.
• Cloth Blindfold.
• Moon Cake.
• Badminton Paddle.
• Calligraphy Brush.
• Red Maple Leaf.
• Blue Teacup.
• Gray Shirt.
At the bottom of the list, someone has added a scribbled rule reading "You may not take items from a temple without asking!"

Rest and Refreshments

The weather is nice, but there are still plenty of tables of bottled water or bottled sports drinks provided to ensure that no one gets dehydrated. Plates of small snacks are also available, mostly seasonally appropriate ones like rice cakes, mikan oranges, roasted chestnuts and toasted crackers, but also candy and snack bars.

Some leftover party games from the moon viewing are set up in a grassy area of the gardens, and Bishamon's younger shinki are eagerly playing tag, blind-man's buff, badminton and flying kites there. They'll happily welcome anyone who wants to join in, although those who wander too far past the party games into the gardens may find themselves greeted by one of the adult shinki who will politely usher them back to the training area.

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
• Complete a scavenger hunt
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

shinki training

[redotiertwo]

[At the very least, Davesprite sees the beanbag coming, though it's not until it's close enough he has to throw up a borderline just about immediately to fend it off. Blue chalk explodes against the invisible barrier, and Davesprite doesn't drop it until he's sure the particles have stopped moving. The last thing he needs is chalk dust in his feathers.]

What the fu--

[And then he notices the guy furiously dodging beanbags nearby. With a slight frown, he deflects the next one that comes towards him with another borderline, so it sails towards Shin-Ah from a different angle. He does, however, give him some manner of warning by speaking from the same direction at the same time.]

Yeah, you can have this back, my dude, I don't want it.

[farseen]

[The warning was enough-- and Shin-Ah, thus alerted, somehow managed to catch the first beanbag that was returned and a second beanbag that had been volleyed toward him in that same moment. Dodging both had not been an option, but he was too overwhelmed by the many details he suddenly needed to keep in order to even attempt to erect a borderline.

Blue chalk covering his gloved hands, Shin-Ah glanced over toward the stranger who had entered the field. Who were they, and what was their intention?]

[redotiertwo]

[Thankfully, the way Shin-Ah chooses to block those hits alerts Davesprite to the fact that he's probably a newcomer, and he stops a decent distance away, settling his wings and curling his ghostlike tail up ponderously.]

You're new, right, nobody except a newcomer would block those by hand instead of with a borderline. [Or, more accurately, without even attempting a borderline. Usually people at least try even if they suck at them.]

[farseen]

Ah. Um.

[As otherworldly fastinating as this man seemed, with his ghost-like wings and tail, Shin-Ah found himself at a loss for words. The direct approach had it's merits, but being called out by a stranger made him feel like he was suddenly receiving more attention than he was comfortable with.

Looking down, he fretted-- and finally nodded in silence.

Yes, he was new. There were so many things that were new to him that even trying a borderline was difficult to focus on.]

[redotiertwo]

[New, and not much for talking either, by the looks of it. Davesprite flattens his wings out a bit more to make his stature a bit less overbearing for the guy, considering he looks a bit nervous.]

Did you get one of the information things they're handing out, or is there some other reason you're looking so shifty about all this. Which, yeah, understandable, it's a shifty situation, but it helps to know.

[Or means Davesprite might be able to help him, at least.]

[farseen]

[Silently, Shin-Ah nodded-- and pulled out the pamphlet he had been given earlier. Not knowing what to do with it, he had simply folded it up neatly and slipped it in the folds of his clothes for safe keeping.

He passed it off to the winged stranger. Was this what he wanted?]

[redotiertwo]

[Well, that sure is the pamphlet, which Davesprite establishes by opening it up and reading it, but the fact that this guy is handing it over to him is a bit of an alarm bell. It's not like they don't have people from a huge amount of different circumstances here.]

...Did you actually read it, though.

[farseen]

[Flustered by this, Shin-Ah looked away. Given the way these papers were given out, he knew quite well that he was the odd one out in this matter.]

... That is, I don't.... um...

[It was embarrassing to admit.]

[redotiertwo]

You can't read. [Davesprite says it pretty straightforwardly, but it's a very flat, level kind of remark rather than anything to be taken badly. After a moment or two, he looks from Shin-Ah back to the flyer. He definitely needs to know what's on here, and the whole reason they started making these was to make sure shinki didn't have to rely on their gods for information...]

But you do kinda need to know what's on here, so I guess I can read it to you if you want.

[farseen]

[The tension left his shoulders with this strangers level, non-judgemental tone-- and Shin-Ah shyly peered at him like a wary forest creature that had just stepped out of the wilderness.]

It's... okay?

[He had been afraid to ask for help once he realized what was going on. It was obvious that the paper was important, and thus he kept it on the off chance that he did somehow learn what was written on there. The simple act of approaching someone and asking, however, was too hard.

Especially someone like this, whose spectral wings were as strange as they were entrancing.]

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite just shrugs broadly at that.] Dude, we have people here from fuck-off in the past, and you don't just appear knowing how to read. Not everyone's gonna know how. There's even a school here for people to learn that sort of shit.

[One which Davesprite hasn't been availing himself of to learn more complex Japanese, but he's ignoring that for the purposes of this conversation.]

So yeah, I'm not seeing the problem here. If you want to learn, though, look out for Hakkai. He's got brown hair, about yay big, [Davesprite indicates a height of around five foot ten, then makes a circle around one of his eyes with his talons.] wears an eyeglass monocle thing and a green headband.

[farseen]

[Brows lifted in fascination at this explanation, for something like what this person was suggesting was beyond anything that Shin-Ah could imagine. The people of this world, he decided, were incredibly kind.]

Ah, [He said softly, nodding in understanding.]</small. I see.

[redotiertwo]

Okay, cool, now we've got that bit out of the way. [Davesprite lifts up the pamphlet again.] Reading this to you is gonna take a while, so you might wanna find somewhere to sit down, because you do kinda need to hear all of it.

[The whole reason they made this thing was to make sure every shinki got the information they needed somehow, after all.}

[farseen]

[Looking around, Shin-Ah checked to make sure no one was coming before he sat himself on the ground right then and there, like an attentive child-- or someone who may not be the most experienced in the world.]

...Thank you, [he said, touched by the sheer kindness of this person. Was everyone this kind here?]

[redotiertwo]

[...Not quite what Davesprite meant, but this works well enough. He does pause for a moment, though, to duck behind Shin-Ah and draw up a borderline between them and where people are throwing chalk bags. He still does not need extra chalk in his feathers.

With that done, he swoops back in front, settling on his curled tail and flipping through the pamphlet a bit.]

Shit, I wish they had these when I showed up... [That's his only complaint, though. After that, he goes on to read the contents of the brochure, detailing the relationship between shinki and god, instructions on how to draw a borderline and who to contact regarding learning spells, some information on modern technology, ayakashi and blight. He goes over it at a reasonably steady pace, making sure it's all clear and understandable.

Once he's done, he closes the pamphlet.] I'm gonna guess you have some questions.

[farseen]

[There were plenty of questions, but the foremost thing amongst all of them was a single realization: he had missed the point of this game.]

So these toys...

[He watched the beanbags sailing through the air, safe on the otherside of Davesprite's borderline as a few smacked straight into it with a puff of chalk dust. The words from the pamphlet and the explanation on borderlines suddenly helped the purpose of this 'game' come into focus for him, and Shin-Ah glanced down in shame.]

They weren't to catch.

[They were meant to be stopped with a borderline.]

[redotiertwo]

[The fact that he hadn't known what the point of the game was explains a lot about the way he'd been reacting, and Davesprite shuffles his wings a bit as he leans forward to draw an attacking borderline at a chalk bag sailing past a little away from them, making it explode into dust.]

Yeah, they were to do that to. Or just let smack against a defensive borderline, either or. It's easier to pick up how to do it if you have an active "threat", even if the threat is fucking chalk bags.

[Granted, chalk bags are a legitimate enough threat to someone like him who'd have to clean that out of his feathers for probably the next week, but less so for anyone else.]

[farseen]

[Then perhaps he just needed a more realistic 'threat', since chalk bags were hardly more than a nuisance for him when he was equipped with his blade and his reflexes. However, he knew that most people weren't like him-- and he nodded, understanding the point being made here.

Sometimes, chalk bags were enough.

He hummed thoughtfully, wondering what he was to do now that he realized his error. Should he even bother continuing the game, or should he seek out something that would be a more legitimate threat for him.]

[redotiertwo]

[It seems like Shin-Ah is thinking on the matter, so Davesprite leaves him to that for a few moments. He is thinking back on the earlier chalk bag practice, though, and he doubts Shin-Ah is really going to have that much trouble with them one way or the other.

After another few moments, he extends his own suggestion.] If you ask someone more experienced, they can cast borderlines at you instead if you think it'll work better.

[farseen]

[He raised his head, brows lifted in surprise.]

People do that?

[Shin-Ah had no idea what the standard for 'normal' was in this regard, but once more he was astounded by how unbelievably kind everyone in this land seemed to be.]

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, it's pretty standard. I think the chalk bags are mostly meant to be the less threatening newbie option, but people just borderlining at each other is really fucking common.

[Actually, Davesprite's pretty sure that's how the majority of borderline training went down before these training days got a bit more organised. And especially before that, when they didn't really have many other options.]

[farseen]

[Headtilt. Color him interested-- because he knew that his sword skills were sharp enough to handle most things that came his way. With his reflexes added in, there were few ordinary methods that could throw his game in a fair fight.]

Could we... sometime...?

[redotiertwo]

Sure. I mean, I can do it now if you want, but otherwise they hold these things like every ten days or something now. [Or he can call Davesprite, but that requires using the phone, and he feels like using the phone is probably not a first-day thing for this guy.]

[farseen]

[A nod. He understood, and perhaps they both needed a break from this beanbag madness.]

Soon, then.

[Shin-Ah said simply, trusting this person to understand. They didn't have to do anything now, but he did want to learn how to do this appropriately.]

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, soon is fine. If you can at least work on getting one up before asking someone to train with you, it'll be a good start, you know.

[Meanwhile Davesprite had needed to be fighting Hakkai to be able to draw a halfway decent borderline, but he'll just leave that little detail out.]