December Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: September 25th
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.

Someone has brought two overflowing boxes of back issues of From Ama, the Heavenly magazine, which includes profiles of successful shinki and gods, historical tidbits, and the occasional magazine quiz to help shinki determine how well they're currently working with their god or what their greatest strength might be.

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.

This month, a clever shinki magician has created a dozen straw-stuffed training dummies, some with sword-length sticks and some with polearm-length sticks, that have been enchanted to really fight back. Unfortunately, the spell isn't perfect yet! They're good training partners, but sometimes they might go a little haywire and try to smack passersby.

Rest and Refreshments

Along with bottled water, there are several large boxes of energy drinks and vitamin drinks in small amber glass bottles, and an array of protein bars and meal bars. One particular shinki in white, a bespectacled twentysomething man, is explaining the health benefits of everything on the table (even the water!) with great enthusiasm to any guest who looks even a little confused. It takes great tact to discourage him.

Party games have been set up on the lawn near the refreshments table: Twister, Kubb, lawn Jenga, and more.

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
• Play some games
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

Sansa Stark | Dali

[stonebird]

God Training

(She is likely known at this point for her long, flowing, richly colored dresses, but Sansa arrives in something quite different this time. There is a short, light sword sheathed at her hip and she is wearing leather gauntlets to protect her arms. Additionally, her hair is gathered into a braided bun. She is not here to simply oversee - she is here to fight and to learn what she can from others.)

Don't be frightened. The quicker you learn to defend yourself, the better.

Physical Training

(Any training is good. Sansa can be found sparring against the dummies, throwing punches and kicks that she has been learning in her temple. Her expression is solemn and focused; she isn't afraid of tiring herself or potentially getting hurt. While she may never be as good as Arya or her brothers, she can still put her best foot forward.

...until one of the dummies swings and knocks her completely off balance. The fierce maiden suddenly seems more like a damsel in distress again. But it's only for a moment.

Or two. The wind really has been knocked out of her.)

Rest and Refreshment

(No matter her ambitions, her body tires eventually and she seeks refreshment, drinking water thirstily. She belatedly realizes how shameless she is being and flushes nearly as red as her hair. Perhaps this is why soldiers never seem to care much about manners.)

Physical Training

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ He just happened to have been walking by when he saw this tough and fierce woman go into a training battle, to just get knocked onto her ass essentially. There was only one reasonable thing to do!

Which is laugh without any sort of remorse or sympathy for the mystery lady. ]

Man, points for looking stylish, but man you got knocked out fast.

[ He's... He's not done laughing. ]

8(

[stonebird]

(Her ass, her back, her everything! She shakes her hair out of her face and scowls at the jeering. Really, she should be used to it after King's Landing, but that never quite seems to happen.)

I am learning. I was not raised to be a soldier.

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ For as great and toned as his muscles are, she could probably tell that this was someone who wasn't raised to be that either. Not simply because of the length of hair, but for the way his clothes and accessories were. They may be as strange to her as hers were to Judar, but it was not meant for combat.

Oh, he can't stop laughing. He's trying to reign it in enough to talk, but there's tears at the corner of his red eyes that he's rubbing away. ]

So you're a god, huh? Then screw what you were raised as. Make an army of your followers and shinki and have them fight.

physical training

[redotiertwo]

[Out of mid-air, a borderline comes down to slam into the dummy and knock it back a few paces to give her time to recover. Davesprite's a little unsettled by the living dummies, but he's not sure why - possibly something about the way they move. He doesn't remember his constantly denied and repressed fear of puppets from his life just yet.]

Something about this whole "living training dummies" deal strikes me as a little fucked up, but I guess at least this one is still attacking who it's supposed to be attacking.

[stonebird]

(Sansa inhales deeply, her chest aching from the impact. Then she fights her way to her feet, nearly drawing her sword. But the dummy is a tool and she doesn't want to break it or injure it, though Davesprite's interference is much appreciated.)

Thank you. (She smiles briefly.) Yes, he is determined to continue sparring with me...and now you.

(A few bumps and bruises won't kill her and she is learning to stand tall even when her body aches.)

Should I expect it to behave differently?

[redotiertwo]

A couple of them are attacking people who get too close even if they aren't attacked first. Someone fucked their magic up, I'm guessing. [As the dummy starts to get closer again, Davesprite flicks another borderline at it. It knocks the weapon out of its hand so it has to stop and pick it up again.]

They're not that hard to stop, courtesy of the whole straw thing, but yeah, watch out for that if it happens.

Physical Training

[boneofsword]

[Archer recognizes the lady he served tea at the day of his arrival and that have appeared a few times on the network. He's mostly watching from the sidelines, noting that she seems to know what she's doing, but the moment the dummy attacks her he springs into motion. A strong kick sends the attacker into a nearby wall, as Archer offers a hand to help Sansa up.]

Are you okay?

[stonebird]

(She much prefers tea, but this is necessary. Sansa has been practicing by herself against her soulless shinki and it is thanks to him - Eteri - that she is venturing out now to do more. Getting knocked down is part of the risk that she is willing to take, though it does hurt.

She takes his hand and pulls herself onto her feet, expression bordering on embarrassed.)

I am. I will not fall for that move again. (She gives a small smile.) Thank you for coming to my aid.

[boneofsword]

Don't mention it. [Archer offers a polite nod in response.]

The hardest thing will be learning how to get up and try again. [a pause.] Keep your feet wide apart and don't stiffen your knees, it will help you to stay on your feet.

Physical Training

[freezetheheavens]

[When Sansa gets knocked off balance, there's someone who appears behind her, hand planted against her back to steady her.]

Are you okay?

[stonebird]

(The hand is strong and she can feel the warmth through her bodice. Sansa quickly straightens herself, twisting to look at her rescuer.)

...yes. Thank you. I didn't expect it to attack so violently.

(But it's good practice. She should expect no less in battle.)

[freezetheheavens]

[He pulls his hand back.]

Nothing too different from being on a battlefield, I'm sure.

Physical Training

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[The dress is what catches his eye.]

[He doesn't have memories of green outfits, or the girl that wore them. He doesn't understand the draw it has for him. But something keeps bringing his attention back, at the same time as something seems fundamentally wrong about this whole scenario either.]

[Which means he's watching when the swing connects, and when the woman goes down. And thought he might be distracted by his own confusion, his reflexes don't fail him. One hand forms a complicated twist of fingers, the other strikes out like a serpent -- and a dark, mystic dagger flicks into the training dummy's shadow. Immediately, the dummy freezes, save for a quivering in its limbs that comes from momentum rather than willful motion: the Shadowbind ninjutsu has paralyzed it.]

Hey, you okay?

[stonebird]

(The dress itself is very revealing for her. Her soulless shinki had suggested a shorter skirt, but she hadn't been able to imagine something so...shameless. Showing her arms is bad enough! But the bodice is supportive and it rises high enough to not show overmuch cleavage - even if she falls.

None of it matters, really, when he...makes the dummy freeze. Sansa blinks, her Tully blue eyes filled with wonder. Had he used...magic? No matter how much she sees, she is captivated by spells.)

How did you do that? (She struggles to her feet, wincing faintly at a bruised hip.) I'm fine. I did not expect it to move so quickly or with such ferocity.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

It's a gift!

[He's by her side practically in a flash and a flurry of cape, the better to offer her a hand up. But not without regard for the dummy, which he keeps half an eye on despite his binding spell. The ninjutsu won't hold it forever.]

No memories, so I don't know where I learned it or what exactly it is, but I know I can do it.

Physical Training

[moonlitknight]

[ From behind: ]

It's your stance.

[ He tells her as he crouches down to offer a hand. ]

[stonebird]

Really? (She appreciates any lessons and she takes his hand without hesitation.) How should I change it?

[moonlitknight]

[ He helps her up, letting go when she's back on her feet. ]

Your feet. They're too close together.

R&R

[redmare]

You alright?

[Chinatsu asks the woman as she drinks from her own bottle. Her face was so red she looked like she was running a fever.]

[stonebird]

Y-Yes. (Sansa feels her hot cheeks and smiles embarrassingly.) I may have overworked myself.

Physical Training (It IS the popular option...)

[light_of_willpower]

[In some ways, Trunks used these training sessions with all the new arrivals more as a way to mingle and meet people. Pleased also to see them trying new ideas out, between the bean-bags last time, and the obstacle Course they'd had when he'd arrived. Dummies that fought back were a good idea, but hopefully they'd been calibrated for various skill levels.

An opponent that fought back though, was good. Training solo only got one so far. That, and it was more fun with others; he had no problem adjusting to train up or down too with partners.

Which means it's easy enough to see when Dali is knocked off balance, as she was a new face against the dummies from what he could tell. A hint of frown, as the dummy didn't seem to realize it should stop. There had been a few dummies that had been going out of control hadn't there?]

Friendly incoming on your right!

[Called while he's moving and sliding in to block the strike of the dummy. Alerting the downed Goddess more to his positioning and to coordinate. Much like he'd learned to do with his own Goddess.

He does make a pretty good shield, and the dummy won't give him any trouble.]

[stonebird]

(Sansa is reaching for her sword when she hears the call. She rolls onto her left side, away from him so that, at least, she can get her feet under her. Once she is upright - though winded - she draws her sword in full and lets out some of her irritation - and aggression - on the dummy. Pain can be quite motivating!

When she is tired and breathless from pommeling the dummy, she falls back to catch her breath, cheeks flushed.)

Are all of them so relentless?

Physical Training

[lookingforhead]

[The dummy is about to go for a second swing on the prone deity when there's a sudden black flash in the air above it. Strands of shadow have wrapped around it in a snaring web holding that raised arm up and partially covering its head, all hindering its movement as it struggles to keep balanced.

At the other end of the shadow "lasso" is a woman in a black biker's outfit and a yellow helmet. She offers Sansa a nod as she holds the thing steady. She could do more herself but nothing wrong with a sudden lesson in teamwork.]

[stonebird]

(Sansa has an arm up, ready to shield herself when the shadows start behaving...oddly. She knows enough by now to trust that what she is seeing is real. Anything is possible with magic. But that doesn't mean she is comfortable with seeing it in action! Rolling onto her side, she fights her way back to her feet in time to see the woman...materialize...from the aforementioned shadows.)

...thank you. (The other woman could have attacked her, but no - she is clearly staving off her foe. That means she can stop worrying about her and instead continue to attack the dummy. Ignoring the shadows, she struck out with her sword.)