March Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: October 25th
Where: Outside the 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 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 what looks like an old, large warehouse behind the Meeting Hall for an informational meeting covering the basics of proper god behavior. Several chairs have been moved in, but they're squeezed together between packed shelves and boxes of old ritual clothing, scrolls and rusty or chipped household goods. 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.

Back copies of the "From Ama" magazine, including puff pieces about new or rising gods or successful shinki, advice columns for resolving problems between gods and shinki, temple photographs and other articles of interest to gods and shinki, have been brought out in boxes and piled up next to a table holding a few remaining copies of the shinki questionnaire for any new shinki who want to keep one around until they can answer the included questions.


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

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 white-robed shinki are still busy cleaning and preparing the Meeting Hall for the big annual meeting of the gods. They'll recruit anyone who looks as though they're not too busy in order to help scrub floors, weed, sweep paths and walkways, and shoo away any unwelcome little spirits that are hiding away in dark corners of the hall. Heavy lifting is good exercise... right?

Rest and Refreshments

There are casks of fresh, cold water near the dojo to make sure no one gets dehydrated, but for those who've finished working, hot tea and enough seasonal treats are available to make it look as though the Heavens bought out an entire sweet shop. They're being distributed by a few shinki in indigo-blue and plain brown robes with the sleeves tied back, who aren't above teasing the newcomers a bit.

Young shinki are playing in the nicely manicured garden, trying to catch crayfish at the lake edge, dashing around playing tag and hide-and-seek. Just be careful you don't get caught in the middle of a game of "Kagome"! If you do, you'll really be stuck until you guess someone's name.

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
• Enjoy a traditional tea
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[nopixiedust]

Some people need things spelled out for them, Shun.

[Especially if they're a dumb noble.]

[futhark]

Several months mostly-- I think I heard of some being here close to a year but might have been a gossip.

[ And unconfirmed one. The most further memory he was heard account of was Shun mentioning events that happened around February. So that's more than just half year. ]

Worried about business back home?

[revolutionfalcon]

I don't have the patience for people who need that sort of coddling.

[At least he's honest, though he's also more patient with people like that than he'd like to admit if they actually bother to get close to him first.]

[unlucky7]

It's nothing.

[Shun carries a degree of reliability, but even that doesn't mean Ginia will voice all her thoughts to him. Her self-deprecation is her own and what she is now is what she is. However, if shinki and gods can change roles at a whim...]

Can soulless shinki gain a soul? Alternately, can a shinki like me become soulless?

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun's eyes narrow slightly in a manner that says he definitely doesn't actually believe it's nothing, but he's not one to pursue this sort of thing too hard with people he doesn't know so well. That said, he leaves it be for the moment, and Ginia's next questions are odd enough that they have his brow furrowing before too long anyway.]

Nothing like that's ever happened before that I've heard. But if we knew more about how soulless shinki are made, we'd probably know more about that too.

[welcome_home]

Okay. [ She nods resolutely and starts the incantation over again, now that Chikusa is beside her once more in his normal form. ]

My name is Nanako. Grasping thy true name, I bind thee here. With borrowed name, I dub thee my servant. The name answers, the vessel to sound. I call thee as my divine instrument. The name, Ken. The vessel, Ketsu. Come, Ketsuki!

[unlucky7]

[Another mystery of the world. A shout goes up from a nearby group of young shinki, their game briefly dissolving into a commotion. Ginia studies the group, frowning at their perceived age.]

What about the old god's shinki? I presume they have souls, but they seem more duty bound. Testy about mentioning nora around them too. Or anything about the past.

[She pauses, sighs, and lets another thought slip.]

There are a lot of young shinki among the old gods, aren't there.

[junkyarddog]

[And, quickly, Ken undergoes his own transformation. Once the weirdness of it subsides, and his senses are functioning as expected again, he's pleased to find that he's obviously something alive - he has eyes, and a nose, and a mouth, and ears. He's even more pleased to note that his senses are even better in this form than in his normal human form.

But what is he?

He's much lower to the ground than before, and all fours; he processes that fast enough. When he looks down, he has long legs and spotted paws. When he looks over his shoulder, he's got a lean yellow body with lots of spots and a spotted (striped? It's a little of both) tail. He lifts a paw to rub ineffectually at his face, but it's hard to judge shape by feel, especially without hands.

He looks at Nanako.] What am I? [It's a little hard to piece together just from the clues. He might have guessed 'cheetah' on his own, considering it's one of his channels, but he finds he can't retract his claws and he's always associated that with cats. (The minor trivia fact that cheetahs can't do that is not one Ken has ever been privy to; none of his channels have retractable claws, so it's never come up.)]

[revolutionfalcon]

They're definitely different in some ways. Apparently even hearing about other shinki learning about their pasts is a danger to them, which is why the old gods are so testy about that part. The nora thing is just traditionalism, though, as far as I can tell.

[Shun doesn't necessarily advocate nora, but he doesn't have a problem with people doing it as long as it's thought out with some sense. The only times he really considers it particularly sketchy is in instances like a while ago when someone was essentially trying to rent themselves out to gods on the BBS.

At that last observation, Shun's jaw tightens a little, though his tone is controlled when he speaks.] Children die too. I'd guess even gods have the empathy to save the wandering spirit of a child.

[cloak]

Thanks.

[And off he goes to point away from people and get bolts of lightning instead of the intended result. Because the afterlife is great for final bossses modeled after main characters who have no recollection of all the nonsense they're capable of]

[cloak]

[He jumps]

You're a god?

[Gods just come up and casually talk to shinki, just like that?]

[cloak]

Are there a lot of different ones?

[He lets himself be maneuvered, not having the first idea of how it works.

Maybe this sort of knowledge would be useful?]

[nopixiedust]

Yeah! There's ballet, and idol dances...

[But she'll teach him some sort of slow dance first, to give him something easy.]

[all_seeing_eye]

Uh... yeah. Why?

[She doesn't see a problem with that.]

[welcome_home]

[ Nanako's eyes go wide when Ken's shape changes into a new vessel - not something at all like she'd expected. She'd never had a shinki who could change into something like this before and while Ken explores his new shape, she just stares in awe and fascination before his question jolts her out of it. ]

Oh! You're... you're a really big cat, Ken! Chikusa, do you know what kind he is? You're so pretty! Can I...?

[ Sorry, Ken, that the first word that popped to mind was 'pretty'. 'Soft' was a close runner-up, but she hasn't verified that yet, hence the hesitant outstretch of her hand in his direction in silent request. Was it alright to pet him or was that rude when he was still Ken in there? ]

[cloak]

And you know those too?

[Roxas wonders briefly if he knows either of those, but he can't conjure anything specific to match the names. The life of a shinki.

He follows along with the stiffness of someone unfamiliar with moving this way, but there's a clear effort to imitate at least]

[cloak]

I didn't know gods sat down and had snacks with shinki.

[Somehow he thought they'd be too busy with Important Matters]

[nopixiedust]

Mhm! I'm practicing for the idol dances, and ballet is just something I copy since it seems to fit.... I'm a better acrobat.

[She glances up at him with a quirked up eyebrow.]

You don't have to be so stiff, you know.

[all_seeing_eye]

Hey, free food is free food.

Wrap for me

[handsome_genius]

I guess that's true. At least I'm not though.

[ And Yoon goes back to his cleaning. ]

[handsome_genius]

... Really?

[ Yoon is surprised, sure, but his tone isn't aghast at being offered help, or because it's Keith. More than anything though, right now he's just stressed, and Keith's right... it's getting kind of lonely after how much hustle and bustle used to be around the temple with the number of people there.

So is tone is hopeful. Like if Keith is willing to follow up on that, really do it, Yoon would willingly take him up on the offer. ]

I thought you didn't like coming by Yona's temple...

[ For fear that Yoon would feed him, giving him a gift over and over again, as far as Yoon remembers. ]

[yousaytron]

It's not that I don't like dropping by.

[Just that relying on the hospitality of someone he didn't and still doesn't know very well feels... awkward. Taking advantage of a meal offer at a third party's residence multiple times and helping out of his own volition are two totally different scenarios.]

I know that you're a hardworking person, and I can imagine that having all of this on your mind is making everything that much more stressful. If you think I can help out in someway or another, then... I want you to have that offer.

[cloak]

An acrobat?

[They're all abstract notions to him.

But the comment prompts him to glance down at himself]

I'm not trying to be.

[cloak]

They don't give gods food?

[nopixiedust]

Someone who's really flexible and does flips and can spin through the air.

[You know, that.]

So you don't know why you're stiff?