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

[sweetdeath]

Ask her.

[He might not have studied shinki magic much, but he's not dumb about it.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Dammit. Chikusa huffs quietly.]

....I bet I'm better at shinki magic than you...

[sweetdeath]

Probably. I haven't studied it much, outside of borderlines. I've been pretty busy working on the magic I remember.

[Ha, he thought you were trying to get him with that, Chikusa.

He's grinning outright now.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Shut your face, Tsuzuki.]

Magic like those strips...

[sweetdeath]

Just like that. It's not the same as whatever they're using here, but it's similar, I guess.

[kokuyoyo]

...Even though you don't need a name....

[sweetdeath]

Oh, not the same as shinki magic! Though I guess technically some of the techniques-- actually I guess god magic sounds more like the things that're familiar to me?

Which is pretty weird when you think about it. I'm not a god.

Anyway, I meant the sigils they have set up around the Meeting Hall, which are pretty fancy magic, but sort of familiar, though it'd take me ages to figure them out--

[He's just going to keep chattering until stopped.

Please stop him.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Bad news: Chikusa doesn't stop him.]

[If anything, he just takes out his phone to record the whole thing.]

[sweetdeath]

-- and it's not like I'd know where to start looking for resources. Sakura might know a thing or two, though, since her summons aren't too different from the ones I know.

Which I'll definitely get to work one of these days. I think the problem is I don't have any relationships with spirits big enough to work with. Considering how many of the really powerful spirits around here are ayakashi, I don't know where I'd meet one, either.

[He makes a face.

... and notices Chikusa has his phone out. He blinks.]

Didn't anybody ever tell you it's rude to text when you're talking?

[kokuyoyo]

....I think I read a book about that kind of thing once... Are you familiar with onmyodo divination?

[Who knew that book might come up again... he finally looks up over his phone at Tsuzuki.]

I wasn't texting.

[sweetdeath]

What're you doing then?

[He frowns thoughtfully.] Yeah, I mean, I'm not a seer but I do know some things about divination. Why?

[kokuyoyo]

Recording.

[Don't worry about it.]

In some of the scrolls I read... It talked about some spells needing the cooperation of spirits... but with who the spellcaster had a pre-existing relationship with. It didn't say how to do that....

[sweetdeath]

Oh, yeah, that's the same kind of thing! You need to meet the spirits, and figure out how to get them to agree to answer when you ask them for help. Once they do agree, you'll form a bond. You've got to have enough power to call and support them, and they'll add their strength to yours.

[Reddening a little, he adds:] And you don't want to try and summon a spirit you haven't got an agreement with. Best case, it won't work. Worst case, they'll get really ticked at you.

[And one thing you don't want to do with powerful spirits is piss them off.]

The real problem is figuring out how to find spirits who aren't shinki and aren't ayakashi who'll work with somebody else's shinki. I haven't figured that one out yet.

[kokuyoyo]

[Answers. Chikusa definitely is stirring a little in interest, blinking a couple of times.]

So you don't know how to find them either.... Do you think all the animal spirits around would know?

[Since Tsuzuki is such a master about this and all.]

[sweetdeath]

You could try asking one.

Actually... now that I'm thinking about it, an animal spirit's not a shinki or an ayakashi, right? Do you think one of them would be willing to make a contract?

[He laughs, back on comfortable ground, and adds:]

But make sure you've got enough spiritual power to get a summons to work, first. Otherwise you're just wasting your time and ticking off an animal spirit.

[kokuyoyo]

[uuuuuUUUUUGH- ]

If we're spirits, shouldn't we just have spiritual power anyway.... just be default...

[This whole system is bullshit and full of too much effort and he wants to protest, dammit]

[sweetdeath]

Some, sure. Everybody's got a different level.

[He laughs, and adds:] Even among spirits! So you'll want to start small.

[kokuyoyo]

....So all the work I've been doing on shinki magic is useless in this case. How annoying.

[ s i g h ]

So just... keep on it...

[sweetdeath]

Exactly. And it's not totally useless! It's good practice for focus and concentration.

[He starts to give Chikusa another encouraging shoulder pat, before thinking better of it, and clearing his throat.]

Let me know if anything happens with that ofuda, or if you're looking for some more pointers.

[kokuyoyo]

[Smart move, Tsuzuki.]

....I'll try to see if anything comes out of it... or if I just end up setting it on fire again...

[Which means sliding the rain ring back into place on his finger.]

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki laughs.] Well, as long as nothing actually burns down, right?

Good luck.

[kokuyoyo]

...Luck is so annoying.

...Anyway... Are you doing anything else with those sigils? [Because Chikusa might move on with his camera if not.]

[sweetdeath]

Nah, I was just taking some pictures myself.

[He pauses, glancing at Chikusa's camera.]

So, think I could ask for copies of yours? I bet that's a better camera than my phone's got.

[kokuyoyo]

[...]

I... guess....

[All for learning more magic...]

[sweetdeath]

Great, thanks!

[He grins -- and restrains himself from slapping Chikusa on the back -- before tucking his phone firmly back into his pocket and turning to go.]