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

[kagenonadeshiko]

I'll get it.

[Ayumu likes climbing trees. Walls, too. She walks over to it, studying it a moment to map out grips and footholds before she starts to ascend, still talking as she goes.]

From what I've seen and heard, they come in all sorts of types. It's good to have practice that accounts for that. Oh! Did you see the animated dummies they had last session? If they could do something like that with different shapes and sizes, that'd be a fun exercise, too.

[New ideas come to Ayumu so easily. She doesn't know if she'd been in this way in life. Maybe it's the emptiness that comes from having no memories that drives her to fill it.]

[replicatedform]

[He walks over and looks up at Ayumu, watching her climb. Not bad, and it does seem like he didn't need to worry about her falling.]

Yeah. I know that I've seen one that looks like a giant crow before. [And his cloak suffered for it during that time. He blinks for a moment, before he shake his head.] No, I don't think so. I didn't come for that last session.

[Animated dummies, huh... He can potentially see how useful and fun that can be.]

What were they like? Those dummies, I mean.

sorry for the delay!

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Her balance is pretty steady though she appears to be favoring her left wrist a little as she climbs.]

They were made of wood, I think? Or was it straw... Well, they were very sensitive to movement. It didn't take much to trigger an attack from them and they were loathe to stop once they were.

[Her tone sounds almost fond.]

They were one of the more useful training tools I've seen at these sessions.

no worries!

[replicatedform]

[He seems to notice. Hm, left handed maybe?]

Ah... I wonder if we can borrow them on any other day? Unless we can only use them in those training grounds.

[Which is fair enough. But that lead to him thinking of other ideas. They do sound more useful than a normal, stationary target.]

Are you alright up there?

[kagenonadeshiko]

Maybe! It might be worth asking about. If there was an organized event, they might be more willing to share. And I'm fine.

[Ayumu climbs onto a limb that looks sturdy enough to support her weight and reaches down to knock the cutout free. It falls down onto the grass below.]

Coming back down now!

[replicatedform]

Hmm... Next time, I'll ask whoever's there.

[Looking up at her, he nods and move out of the way.

There's a nice, clear spot for Ayumu to jump down, with no worries of landing on any unfortunate person.]