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

[usedperishsong]

[ Kanade leans in lower to show him some new and improved Weeding Technique. She gets it, the whole dead thing, if that's what's going on. No sweat. ] It's like any problem. If you don't dig down and find the whole thing, it'll just keep croppin' up.

[ She pulls up a bunch of grass, roots and all. ] See?

[lightninglobster]

[Ryoma studies the Improved Weeding Technique dutifully, watching Kanade's demonstration with all of the seriousness of a general trying anticipate his enemy's movement during a strategy meeting. He takes everything very, very seriously--and anything worth doing is worth doing well.

The whole dead thing is a bit troublesome, but the less Ryoma thinks about it, the better. He moves on to the next patch of weeds, mimicking Kanade's tactics and coming away much more successful in his efforts. He even manages to crack a small smile.]

That's a wise way of looking at things in general... and I can already see an improvement in my performance. Thank you for the help.

[He is entirely and utterly sincere, somber as a priest in the midst of a temple consecration.]

[usedperishsong]

Don't sweat it. [ Kanade pulls up a few more unwanted plants, then tosses them in her bag. She offers said bag to him. ] I can take the trash.

[lightninglobster]

[Ryoma tosses his newly, wholly defeated weeds into Kanade's bag, redoubling his efforts to leave the dirt... not sparkling because it was dirt, but clean and ready for the plants that were actually wanted, as opposed to the freeloaders that'd settled in due to inattention.]

Is this a normal day in the heavens?

[Was heaven a bunch of chores and a wriggling feeling that you were forgetting something very important?]

[usedperishsong]

Can't really say. [ Kanade shrugs. ] I'm pretty new myself, but this was the first lawn duty. I think we're preparing for some kinda shindig....

[ She considers this. ] But then, it's like, why ya gotta go and voluntell people....? We got important dead things to be doin'.

Oh, the weird hunger thing doesn't stop. [ That was an important thing she learned her first day here. ] It also doesn't stop sucking. Sorry.

[lightninglobster]

[It wasn't that Ryoma minded doing his... part in proceedings, it's just it was a little much to shove somebody with exactly half a clue what he was doing at a task.

Apparently, it wasn't even the normal task he was expected to do. The pamphlet remained half-read and somewhat untrusted as to the veracity and usefulness of its information.]

What sort of dead things do we normally do?

[He might've been half-smiling, if you squinted and were very generous with how much lip actually had to quirk to be considered a smile. At the next bit of information though, that smile turned into a bit of a wince.]

I was wondering about that. Good to know.

[He took it out on a not-that-innocent patch of crab grass. It was definitely all the grass' fault.]

[usedperishsong]

[ You are a big, impressive man who is totally showing that crab grass who's boss. Good for you.

Kanade settles down to help with the weeding, since if she's going to make smalltalk she may as well move her body in a useful way. ] Depends on who you talk to, which ain't helpful. The big consensus tends t' focus on turnin' into weapons and fightin' monsters.

[ She shrugs. ] Somebody's gotta, I guess.

[lightninglobster]

[There is no pleasure to be found in this victory--it is duty, and duty is to be respected... as are the fallen.

Perhaps in another life, in another garden, the crab grass could have been a quirky, wild addition to the flowerbeds. The crab grass was to be mourned, as circumstance was cruel at the worst of times--but the mourning could not continue overlong, as Ryoma had more crab grass to take his slow-burning case of hangry out on.]

I... see. I remember the information book saying we need gods to become weapons--what sorts of monsters do you see? Or do they change?

[There's a chuckle, and he matches her shrug with his own.]

That's often the way of things--you do something because it must be done, and if no one else will stand... well. It still has to be done.

[usedperishsong]

It's not bad, really.

[ Kanade is really good at finding the roots when she takes care of these weeds. ] The way the baddies look can change, but they always wanna mess with people. To screw up their lives, maybe even tempt them into losing it.

[ This time, she ends up taking up a huge chunk of soil with her plant. And she sounds serious, for once. ] If that's all we can do with this final shot we got, I'm gonna take it.

[lightninglobster]

[Ryoma watches her dig, mimicking her techniques as he thinks, filing the information away for later. Threats that can change their forms, but are always malicious... it's as simple as it is complicated, but Kanade's tone leaves no room for debate as to how truly dangerous the situation can be.

Especially when she yanks up a good clod of earth with her latest weeding victim. What did the soil ever do to you, Muscles?]

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment. I don't understand why someone wouldn't help, if it was within their power.

[usedperishsong]

...You musta been a really good guy.

[ Straightforward and honest to a fault, even, but. A solid dude.

In many ways. ]

[lightninglobster]

I'd like to think so. And even if I wasn't, there's no reason not to be now.

[That is a very, very apt description of Ryoma. The only thing that's missing is the fact that he's a bit clumsy at weeding, having never done an honest day's gardening in his life... and also that at least some of the crab grass fluttered free of an over-the-shoulder toss and was now attempting to establish dominion over That Hair.]

[usedperishsong]

I like your style.

[ Focus on what they can do now. Probably better than facing backwards, anyway, even if some part of her is still....bothered. Like she has an issue with having things taken from her. But if she lets herself dwell on that, well, she's not gonna be able to do that moving forward, so she'll accept that she's...not going to always accept things.

This is either maturity or bullshit and she's pretty sure the two look darn similar sometimes.

What they're doin' now, though.....Kanade reaches out to try to pluck some of that grass out of his hair. ] Technique's not quite where it could be, though.