February Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: October 15th
Where: Meeting Hall, 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 the Meeting Hall, 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 traditional reception room within the Meeting Hall for an informational meeting covering the basics of proper god behavior. A minor deity is giving the speech, and none of the white-robed shinki enter. 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 in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's hosuehold 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 explanation 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.

A training game has been set up through a section of the Meeting Hall gardens, with little cut-outs of ayakashi hidden in the landscaping, tucked into bushes or taped under bridges. Prize ribbons are being offered for every ten "ayakashi" a shinki (or team) discovers.

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. Several magically animated straw-stuffed training dummies, many of which have been carefully mended and patched with neat black stitching, are set up on the lawn with a white-robed shinki hovering nearby to watch over them. They make good training partners, although anyone who comes too close risks being targeted for a sparring match whether they wanted one or not.

The pond behind the dojo has had dozens wooden poles sunk in it, spaced a few feet apart, with a bunch of brightly colored ribbons tied around the pole in the very center. Some of the white-robed shinki are practicing scaling the poles and leaping from one to the next, until they get close enough that they can snatch a ribbon from the center pole, and several have fallen in and are being teased by their fellows.

Rest and Refreshments

Instead of snacks being served at the training session, this week, white-robed shinki with little flags are conducting groups of newcomers and volunteers down to the Tokyo Daijingu shrine and into a street festival currently being held in Tokyo. Traditional dance troupes are performing on street corners, and vendors have every kind of fall street foods, from barbecue to takoyaki, chocolate-dipped bananas and red-bean pancakes. New arrivals will get a white-and-gold envelope with spending money for the fair, although gods and shinki who have had some time to settle in will have to handle their own lunch expenses.

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
• Go to a festival
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite rolls over while finishing off his chocolate banana, trying to identify the foods Chikusa has between his fingers.]

You're gonna have to explain what that is, and also if I can get it without having to actually talk to a stallholder.

[Tanabata had been one thing, when the Heavens were running the festival, but this is the kind of situation where Davesprite trying to order food could cause mass panic.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Today on bullshit Chikusa is carting on the food end: yakitori, takoyaki he apparently speared himself for ease, what appears to be a whole fish (sea bream if he's curious), and corn on the cob.]

[It's a miracle that nothing has fallen, frankly.]

Basically... pure sugar... Grilled caramel if you want to be accurate.

[redotiertwo]

Damn, and here I thought America had the monopoly on unhealthily cooking shit that was already unhealthy.

[It does sound like something he should probably check out before the festival is over, but he doesn't know how he'd identify a store selling it besides maybe for the smell.]

Doesn't answer my other question, though.

[kokuyoyo]

Mmm, yeah. There are some offered in front of the stalls... so that should be easy enough.

...Probably.

[Chikusa barely pays as it is, which they both know.]

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite definitely knows that, though if somewhere can be easily stolen from it can probably have money left there with the same ease.]

Yeah, alright, as long as there's somewhere I can sneakily leave the cash like the exact opposite of Robin Hood. Where's the nearest store selling it.

[kokuyoyo]

Isn't that Robin Hood anyway?

[Steal from the rich, give to the poor? At least, no one here seems like they're particularly rich. Nodding in one direction, Chikusa begins to lead the way.]

[redotiertwo]

It's still gonna look like I'm stealing their shit even if I do leave money behind, non-shady people don't usually grab the thing, drop the money and run.

[Davesprite follows along, in the air above the crowd so he doesn't run into anybody and cause the inevitable panic when someone realises that thing they just bumped into was a giant wing.]

[kokuyoyo]

As long as they get the money anyway, I don't see what the big deal is...

[Then again, Chikusa doesn't see the big deal with casual theft, so maybe he should be ignored on this matter. Stopping at one stall that's been set up, Davesprite will get to see various little cookie-like things wrapped up in small bags and on display for people to pick up.]

[redotiertwo]

Of course you don't, you steal shit all the goddamn time.

[Davesprite is definitely pointing out that minor detail about Chikusa's disagreement. In any case, the stall seems like an easy enough setup to enact his cunning plan at, so he glides over above the stall, lifts one of the cookie-like things with his telekinesis, and deposits the money where the bag had been.

The stallholder, who was serving another customer at the time, blinks when he notices the switched out money, but after a slightly wary look around, picks it up, counts it, and shrugs, putting it in his money box.]

[kokuyoyo]

...I pay sometimes.

[Encouraging???]

And when I steal, it's from bigger businesses now anyway...

[Yeah, that's... not so encouraging. But hey. It's something? Chikusa doesn't seem to care either way as he digs through more of his fish, watching Davesprite and his new sugary gain.]

[redotiertwo]

Pics or it didn't happen. [He's going to need more evidence than just Chikusa's word to actually believe he even pays sometimes.

That second thing just gets a faint brow raise as Davesprite opens his bag.]

Is that supposed to make a difference, other than you're probably not putting people out of business anymore.

[It's kind of the only thing he can think of that makes sense for why he'd be targeting bigger shops.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Using his other hand, he starts to thumb through the data on it. Give him a minute...]

It makes the difference of this annoying god getting off my ass about it...

[Finally, he tilts the phone back to show a picture of a receipt he took ages ago.]

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite floats down a bit to look at the picture, only long enough to identify what it is before floating back up, pointedly out of Chikusa's reach.]

So I guess you bought some stuff to make curry for your not-boyfriend, right, is that what that was.

[Davesprite is never going to stop heckling about this until he actually makes a move, because it's just too easy a target.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Davesprite, no. Chikusa's shoulders go for Maximum Hunch.]

....This was before Ken... I was Axel-sama's only shinki.

[redotiertwo]

Maybe it was premonitory shit then, still seems valid. [And Davesprite is definitely still shitstirring instead of actually saying anything productive.]

Though if you're carrying around proof that you totally bought a thing once on your phone, it's not the most convincing shit ever in terms of you doing it regularly.

[Especially if it's that old.]

[kokuyoyo]

...I keep everything for ages..... Just in case.

[So, really, while Davesprite's statement is true, Chikusa is also overly cautious, so.]

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, but showing one that old implies you don't have a more recent one, which is bad press for what you're trying to prove.

[Look, he's trying to get the point across here, but he's not entirely sure he's succeeding when it comes to Chikusa.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Alas, he is a stubborn shitteen. Chikusa huffs and nibbles at one of his sticks again.]

What kind of weirdo takes pictures of receipts regularly anyway...

[redotiertwo]

Says the guy keeping a picture of a receipt just in case he's asked whether he bought anything ever.

[Davesprite's just going to finally open his bag now and see about this caramel thing.]

[kokuyoyo]

I said I keep everything...

[sulk sulk sulk]

[Anyway, enjoy your sweet treat, Davesprite. Children love them, which says something about the almost honey-flavored treat.]

[redotiertwo]

So you're saying you're also a weirdo. [Davesprite just points that one out casually before he settles to taking a bite of the sweet.

It's...not what he was expecting, but not in a bad way either, and he holds it out to look at it.] Damn, sugar is some fucking versatile shit.

[kokuyoyo]

...I mean, you already knew that.

[So that's nothing new to either of them. Chikusa is well aware of his own weird personality and lifestyle, although at least now he has some measure of context for it. Finishing off one skewer, he slides it out carefully from the fingers it's inbetween.]

So does that pass approval...?

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, but the way you were talking before kind of implied you weren't including yourself in that group. [Implications are important, Chikusa.

Judging by the fact that Davesprite is still eating the karumeyaki, he doesn't object to it, and he gives Chikusa a vague thumbs up.]

It's trashy fair food, which is exactly what I came for.

[kokuyoyo]

If you ever need more, there's cotton candy around, too.

[A few more bites, and that's another skewer tossed away.]

I didn't expect it to be popular here...

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I saw that, at least some festival trash food is universal.

[Then again, he's pretty sure most people would find the idea of fluffy, melting candy novel enough to get popular.]

I saw some people making like. Candy animals and stuff as well.