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

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.

[stonebird]

(She looks down and slides her feet further apart.)

Like this? I do feel steadier.

[moonlitknight]

[ A nod. ]

Now move one foot back and bend your knees a little.

[stonebird]

(She knows better - at last - to not knock an important lesson. She shifts her right foot back and bends her knees, making herself slightly shorter than her usual five feet and nine inches.)

Are you a soldier?

[moonlitknight]

[ A look her way. ]

Something like that.

[stonebird]

You are a kind one, then, ser. I...am not. (As if that isn't painfully clear.)

[moonlitknight]

Zero.

[ He corrects as he looks at her a little more closely. He could tell that much from the beginning, but it wasn't his place to bring it up, but now that she has... ]

Then, why are you trying to be?

[stonebird]

Well met, Zero. I am Sansa Stark and I am standing in for the goddess Dali.

(She sighs at the question. It's a fair one.)

I'm afraid, I suppose. My fear has made me weak and I am tired of it. I have been used and harmed; my family was murdered and I want to be -

Better. (She shrugs a slender shoulder.)

1/?

[moonlitknight]

Hades.

[ He remarks, naming the god of the underworld for who he was supposed to represent here. ]

2/?

[moonlitknight]

[ Murdered....

He goes quiet, his mouth thinning into a firm line. He knows that feeling all too well. The price of weakness wasn't easy to swallow. Forced to watch his parents murdered unable to do anything but endure what followed after. Zero knows the price of weakness and looking at her... he's not the only one. ]

3/?

[moonlitknight]

[ He nods once. He won't pry, it's not in his nature too, but something pulls at him to stay. What it is, he can't say, but he follows it. Intuition. It had always served him well. ]

4/4

[moonlitknight]

How much better?

[stonebird]

(She has nothing to hide; she has done her best to not be ashamed. What she has experienced has changed her - irreversibly - and now she has a chance to rise above it all. The Lannisters can't touch her anymore. Neither can Baelish or Bolton - though Ramsay has another reason for being absent from her life (and life in general).

Sansa gazes at him honestly, openly, mouth set in a stubborn, determined line.)

I want to be able to defend...and protect. Myself and others.

[moonlitknight]

[ Defend. Protect.

He nods. ]

Then do it smart.

[ Brute force wasn't the way to go. Not with a beginner with no obvious talent for it. ]

What's your god power?

[ Incorporating that might be easier. ]

[stonebird]

(She nods. Arya had a talent for these sorts of things; she does not. She was raised a lady and she has always been a lady.)

I can give a call in the form of a song. It inspires loyalty in my followers and my shinki and calls them to my side.

[moonlitknight]

[ Loyalty... he hadn't expected the new gods to have powers like that. ]

If someone attacked you. How would you stop them?

[stonebird]

(She draws her sword and holds it in a Westerosi defensive position. She has seen her brothers spar enough to remember.)

I would defend myself until I could strike back or flee.

[moonlitknight]

[ He stands tall, facing her. ]

Then strike me.

[stonebird]

(She doesn't doubt he can overwhelm her, but she trusts that this is a continuation of the earlier lesson. Words won't do, so she grits her teeth and strikes out, aiming purposefully with the blunt of her blade.)

[moonlitknight]

[ He dives beneath the blade circumventing the blow as he moves in to grab the arm holding it. ]

What happens if you can't strike back?

[stonebird]

(She gives a sharp gasp, eyes widening at his gall. A part of her will always be the sheltered noble girl who believed in a fair world. But that part is silenced quickly.

If she can't move her arms, she can at least move her legs and feet. She strikes out at him, kicking at the parts on his legs that might be more sensitive. It hasn't occurred to her - yet - that kneeing him higher might have a better effect.)

I use the other parts of my body.

[moonlitknight]

That's right.

[ The hits land but they do little damage, vampires after all, can take a few hard hits. ]

But you're not being efficient with your free hit. You only get one surprise hit. The others you'll have to fight for so make the first one count.

[ He gets close. ]

Use your free hand and aim for the nose. Use your palm and strike up. You'll make them hurt and maybe bleed. And if that doesn't work, go for the eyes.