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

[cloak]

[Loot boxes and boss battles, mostly.

But without these conveniences, Roxas just clouts the dummy with his new weapon. Once furtively, then again with more speed and force. Single strikes become a flurry...

Which ends in beams of light crashing down around them, decimating nearby dummies and leaving more than one senior shinki scowling their way]

...I don't know why that happened.

[A day in the life of a final boss]

[abgrund]

[ That's a greater expenditure of energy than even Ain would use, so that gets a raise of his eyebrow; however slight. ]

.... did you think of anything while you did that?

[ Back to the 'ol principle of intent, again. ]

[cloak]

Just doing better. [More importantly] Being useful.

[Though he doesn't know why, it's important to him]

[abgrund]

[ Being useful... he can understand that. ]

Can you control that?

[cloak]

Probably. [After a moment to reflect] Hopefully.

[abgrund]

Try?

[ He's able to recognize that the light Roxas summoned is of an opposite type to his own. Something about opposites having full coverage.... ]

[cloak]

...What if I can't and I break something?

[He lacks for this guy's intuitive control]

[abgrund]

[ Because Ain can't see another way: ]

... then you'll never know if you can.

[cloak]

[Roxas' shoulders slump]

Maybe I should find somewhere that I won't damage anything important.

[abgrund]

[ ... okay, he has to give a concession for that. He's been told not to destroy the Meeting Hall, too ]

Outside here, then?

[cloak]

That should work.

[At least, he has to imagine there's more open air and less things to destroy]

[abgrund]

Now?

[ He doesn't have much to do, but does Roxas have another engagement? ]

[cloak]

[He nods. Better to get to work now than be an inconvenience later]

Okay.

[After glancing around, he looks back up at Ain]

Which way is the exit?

[abgrund]

[ So they are doing it now. The next step would be to leave, and they need the exit for that. ]

There.

[ He tries to give the cloak back to one of the white-robed shinki before they go, but they shake their head and press it back onto him. ]

?

[ what's happening ]

[cloak]

They must want you to keep it.

[Maybe they don't want to be responsible for the possessions of other shinki, or something like that]

Do you want me to carry it for you?

[They're going to the same place, so he doesn't doubt he can easily return it to him]

[abgrund]

[ He shakes his head quickly, letting the cloak drape back onto his shoulders. It frames his body in an odd contrast to the rest of him, white against black and green.

The implicit 'I can carry it myself' conveyed (in his opinion), he starts leading Roxas out of the hall grounds and into the space outside.

It might be a bit hard to find an open space, so they have to walk a short while ]

[cloak]

[There certainly are a lot of people here. Roxas supposes that means that there are either a lot of deities, a lot of dead people, or both. As the latter seems a permanent and inevitable condition, it makes enough sense.

But still, he finds it almost uneasy, just how many there are. How noisy it is. And for that reason he walks a little closer to the taller fellow than he intends to, observing people milling about from a distance.

Eventually the crowd thins, gives way to quiet, and something about his posture relaxes]

Think this is safe enough?