26 - The Gods' Month

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Helping the Heavens prepare for the yearly Meeting of the Gods
When: October 20 - 21
Where: Around the Heavens (and maybe some mortal shopping trips, too!)
Summary: Amaterasu has been told that the newly arrived residents of the Heavens want to take a bigger part in security and administration, so she's convinced her shinki to let them help with preparations for the big yearly gala. It's also time for shinki to rate their gods and gods to find out what their shinki really think of them....







Security Precautions

The white-robed shinki guards are working hard to secure the Meeting Hall for the arrival of all the gods of Japan. Hard-working shinki are scurrying everywhere! Despite Amaterasu's orders, they're still a little unsure of and standoffish towards the strangers who they're supposed to work with, but there's a lot of work to do, so they're happy to hand out jobs to small groups of newcomers before returning to their own duties.


• Help clear out any small spirits who might have sneaked back into the Meeting Hall after the spring cleaning, from sootsprites to nekomata, animal spirits from the park or well-camouflaged plant spirits.


• Check the magical writing worked into art or inlaid in wood all over the building to protect the Meeting Hall from attack, and make sure none of it is scuffed or damaged.


• Join in on the patrols around the building or spend some time guarding one of the gates. It's boring, but the shinki appreciate the help.


• Test the integrity and extent of the magical protections with glass balls that turn purple outside the protections on the Meeting Hall and clear inside them. But don't drop your glass ball! They're fragile.

Event Preparation

It's not just security that the shinki are asking newcomers to help with. They also have plenty of work to do getting ready for the festivities! The Meeting Hall floors need to be swept and scrubbed, the gardens need to be trimmed and tidied, artwork needs to be dusted, flower arrangements arranged, damaged furniture repaired and rafters cleared of cobwebs. Anyone with particularly good handwriting can help write out invitations and name cards, too.

Besides cleaning and calligraphy, there's lots of food and beverages to purchase! Grab a shopping list, a wad of cash, and head to the Near Shore to pick up the necessities. (Don't forget to keep the receipts.)

Rate Your God

Shinki have the opportunity to submit surveys on their life with their new gods before the big event, and even request a transfer if they want one. Early in the morning, every new shinki will be visited by a small white dove carrying a scroll that, when unrolled, reveals the following questionnaire:


What is your name?

What is your god's name?

How do you see your duties as a shinki?

What is your favorite part of life with your god?

What is your least favorite part of life with your god?

What advice would you like to give your god?

Do you wish to be assigned to a different god? []Y []N


Fill it out, discuss it with your fellow shinki, forget about it until you find it under a pile of junk mail in two months: the choice is yours! Gods will receive a copy of the answer that their shinki submit to "What advice would you like to give your god?" -- there's no name attached, but they might be able to guess.

Heavenly Record Keeping

Gods don't get to skip the paperwork entirely! Although the Heavens aren't asking them to rate their shinki, new gods don't have all of their vital statistics on file quite yet, so they get a questionnaire too. The same white doves will drop their scrolls by in the morning, with the following set of questions:


What is your name?

How many shinki do you currently have?

What are your areas of divine responsibility?

How do you see your duties as a god?

What traits do you most want in a shinki?

Do you wish new shinki to be assigned to you? []Y []N


Unlike the doves attending on the shinki, the doves who drop off the gods' scrolls will remain close by and chirp loudly until they finish and submit their questionnaires. If a god is particularly lazy about it, they might even start pecking.

In Summary:

• Help protect the Meeting Hall
• Lend a hand cleaning and shopping
• Rate your gods
• Help Heaven keep its records up to date
• Have fun~

Comments

[kokuyoyo]

[It would be something of a lie to say that this isn't the genre Chikusa is supposed to be from... but he's never been involved so directly. He blinks for a moment, still befuddled, before sighing and just... giving up.]

[He only has so much energy to spare, and questioning the laws of comedy has not gotten the grant money.]

I don't know if you know him... But he's really red, for starters...

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Red, huh? This is super-powerful stuff, dood. You getting all this?

[The other Prinny nods, pencil flying over the notebook with far too much effort for a single three-letter adjective.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Points for that effort...?]

....He also has a pretty severe face... So you'll probably recognize him. And he's pretty short....

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[The note-taking Prinny slowly looks up from its paper, as the interrogator Prinny's jaw drops at the same pace. They turn and look at each other in horrified, dawning comprehension.]

[Then the note-taking Prinny begins scribbling furiously as the interrogator turns and begins shouting into the darkness.]

All channels, all cars -- put out an APB on Deep Roy! We have decisive testimony! Also pick up the Wonka guy for questioning, he's a known source of shelter and under-the-table pay for the perp!

[kokuyoyo]

[this is... sure a thing that is happening. Chikusa squints up at the light he's under, frowning a little.]

...So can I go.

[He just wants to take his money and leave.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Oh sure, dood! We can totally take you to jail now for your crimes! Minus time for the info, of course. No one can say we're ungrateful, dood!

[The Prinnies... have not forgotten about the theft!]

[kokuyoyo]

[Dammit.]

So how much time is that...?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Oh, uh... [The Prinny taps one flipper to its cheek as it thinks.] I mean, normally we'd just let it go, dood, but you were stealing from the minions of the Overlord. And demon justice is always different when powerful demons are involved! So, uh... carry the one, time off for good information... sixteen thousand years, dood!

[kokuyoyo]

....I don't think that'll be able to happen.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[The Prinnies look blankly at him.]

[He's not gonna start resisting, is he?!]

[kokuyoyo]

[....Chikusa heaves out a sigh.]

I won't exist for that long.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[At that declaration, all three Prinnies surround Chikusa, staring up at him in alarm.]

Whoa! Dood, that sucks!

You know, we could always keep imprisoning you after you're dead, dood! Maybe all your sins would even make you end up as a Prinny in your afterlife! We could hang out, dood!

Dood, you should become strong enough to defeat Death!

[kokuyoyo]

[He said 'exist', not 'stop being alive', but whateve. Chikusa is surrendering to this.]

Are Prinnies particularly strong...?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Given the confusing cycle of reincarnation which pervades the cosmos and especially Prinnies, they pretty much don't worry about the details.]

[Of course, at his question, all three Prinnies burst into laughter. Answer enough?]

[kokuyoyo]

[Yeah, he thought so.]

I'll pass on being a Prinny....

[badassfreakingoverlord]

That's probably a smart idea, dood, but you don't get a choice! People who are terrible humans or wastes of life end up becoming Prinnies to atone for their sins in the next life.

[kokuyoyo]

....I think that's a little too late for me, then.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[The Prinnies are briefly confused, looking at each other -- before one sticks its flipper in the air as memory at last returns. Right! Shinki are dead!]

Oh don't worry about that, dood! Eternal cycle of reincarnation and all!

[kokuyoyo]

Doesn't that depend on the religion...?

[And Chikusa is fairly sure he's not Buddhist.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...Why would the natural laws of the universe depend on some random stuff you think should happen, dood?

[kokuyoyo]

....We're in a place where it seems like every single religion that has ever existed might be right.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

And that just goes to show they're all crap, right, dood?

[kokuyoyo]

I mean, I already knew that. But doesn't that mean anything could happen...?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Well, maybe anything COULD happen. But almost always, whatever happens is whatever sucks most, you know, dood?

[kokuyoyo]

...Considering I've had to deal with you guys for this long... I guess.