April Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: November 6th
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 rear of 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 a much nicer room than the warehouse where the last set of new gods got their informational speech. It's a smaller meeting room, with tatami floors and a small dais at the front of the room where the speaker stands. 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.

Butterfly spirits are swarming the flower garden to one side of the dojo, fluttering across bright pink late-blooming cosmos. Shinki who want to practice more precise borderline aim can try using them to gently herd the butterflies one way or another, or, if their borderlines aren't quite that good yet, they can try to catch one with a net. Just be careful! It would be a shame to hurt them.

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.

The animated training dummies are missing this week, although the mundane ones are still intact on their stakes; the white-robed shinki who has previously been seen looking after them is wandering among the mundane training dummies, muttering, making notes to himself and swearing under his breath. Anyone who stares at him for too long, god or shinki, newcomer or established, is going to find him marching over and assigning them a task. Measure the air temperature in each square foot of the dojo, determine the exact height of each dummy and the location where it's most likely to be hit by opponents of different heights, hook an accelerometer to someone's sleeve while they smack a dummy around -- there seem to be hundreds of little, fiddly measurements he needs, and he's not taking no for an answer.

Rest and Refreshments

There are casks of fresh, cold water near the dojo to make sure no one gets dehydrated, and a fresh autumn-themed lunch will be served a little after noon. Rice with mushrooms, salt-grilled fish, roasted sweet potatoes and fresh fruit are on the menu; the shinki will try to accommodate any special dietary requests, and both the new arrivals and more experienced volunteers are welcome to partake.

One of the white-robed shinki has a whole pack of half-grown puppies that she seems to be trying to train. A few have mastered sitting, a few have figured out how to fetch, and all of them are young and excited enough that they're dashing off in all directions at the least provocation. Watch out! Dog incoming! Maybe she needs some help with that?

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
• Play with the dogs
• Spectate if you want
• Have fun~

Comments

[swordofzero]

I see [That is a complication. Tougher than a bird but less tough than other bones.

He looks again at the wreckage of the training dummy]

You seem to very powerful legs to attack with. You don't really have to train to attack with the rest of your body and your wings. So perhaps focusing on defense for everything else, making sure your wings are not harmed when you fight, it is less strengthening them and more.. making sure they can move out of the way, deflecting damage.

[He shrugged] I don't now how you fight though, apologies of you already knew that.

[letteropener]

That's a large part of the problem, actually. Normally, if I fight, I am not bothering with kicking. I am far more effective and proficient with my magic, and here in the Far Shore, if I were unable to use that effectively I would transform to a form more suited for combat.

So while I would like to train to improve myself, I confess I'm quite at a loss as to how to do so effectively.

[swordofzero]

I see [No he doesn't, not really. But magic would probably be better than kicking. Transforming...] Are you a Shinki?

[Then again Shinki couldn't transform on their own.]

[letteropener]

My power as a god is shapeshifting. I can transform to different sorts of animals, or even human shape. [An understandable mistake to make.]

[swordofzero]

Shapeshifting. [That makes more sense, she was a god and had a power of shape shifting.]

What form do you normally fight in?

[letteropener]

I'm best in my natural form, of course. I think if I really wanted to fight, I might try to be a griffin. Quadrupedal, wings, but a dangerous beak and claws.

[swordofzero]

Is this your natural form? [He thought she would have said so if that wasn't the case. A griffin would be a good fighting form as well.] Perhaps you need to train in the forms that you are most likely to fight in, those are the ones that will need to be strongest.

[letteropener]

Yes, I am a pony by birth.... Hmm. Do you know, I had not considered the thought of whether or not a different form could be strengthened itself. [Can it? Does the form itself change? Does training in a different form improve her true body? There are many questions to be pondered here.]

[swordofzero]

I'm not sure [He frowns]</small. If strength built in one form can transfer to another than surely you could train in a form that was easier to use this equipment in. But I guess you move differently in each form as well, fighting is not just about how strong you are and so practicing in all the forms that you are planning to fight in is important.

[letteropener]

It's very true. You see why I find this a little frustrating? I barely know where to begin. [She chuckles softly.] I think I envy pegasi. Or humans.

sorry about the html fail!

[swordofzero]

I do. It is difficult to think of what might work. [But it was clear she wanted to improve, to be able to fight with more than just her magic.

Training in all her forms would be very time consuming, but a few select ones might be something she could do. A few select forms that had different skills than one another] Is it difficult for you to change forms?

no worries, speaking as a champ html failer!

[letteropener]

Oh no, not at all. It takes a few seconds though, so it is not something I can do in the middle of pitched combat, for example. Not without someone to buy me that time.

Re: no worries, speaking as a champ html failer!

[swordofzero]

So you can't use the change as a tactic in of itself. [He nods] But as long as you could move away to change you can adapt to what is needed in a fight.

[letteropener]

Yes, and what's even more fortunate, I have access to my magic in all forms. [Though one shoulder lifts slightly, the mildest of equine shrugs.] Which of course is one reason why my magic remains my best asset in any fight.

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku nodded, it did sound like magic was her best weapon, everything else was good for making sure she could use that magic when she needed to]

How do you fight with your magic?

[letteropener]

Most simply, by firing blasts of it.

[Turning her head slightly, Celestia points her horn at a nearby training dummy. A bolt of golden light shoots out, rocking the dummy when it impacts much like a punch.]

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku watched as Celestia fired magic at the training dummy, pretty amazed at the magic] That is a powerful weapon, especially as it will be harder to avoid or block than a blow from a sword or a fist.

[letteropener]

It is a bit telegraphed, but it has its advantages. There are other spells I can use if the situation merits, as well, but few are as effective for direct offense. As with physical blows, the simplest strikes are often the best.

[swordofzero]

That is often the way. [He nods at the information and then smiles] I'm sorry I wasn't able to come up with a solution to your training, if I think of anything I'll let you know.

[letteropener]

That's quite all right. I do appreciate the insight. If there were an easy solution, I think it would have been found by now. Most likely, the fault lies with me.

[swordofzero]

I'm sure it doesn't, you can't help who you are. It's just a difficult thing to come up with a solution to.

[letteropener]

I think really my flaw is that I wish to try to train to be a good example and to diversify my experience... but not, particularly, to grow stronger or more capable.

[swordofzero]

I don't think that's a flaw as such, it's a good goal to have even if it will take some more thought to succeed in it.

[He just felt bad that he hadn't been able to help in it. But even though his mind often supplied knowledge or skills that he had forgotten he had helping winged, horned horses to diversify their training was not one of them.]

[letteropener]

[And all this training being aimed so strongly towards those who could stand upright and wield weapons doesn't help, either.]

I wonder what the old gods who are animals do, although the answer appears to be 'not train' considering we do not see them here.

[swordofzero]

Are any of the Old Gods here? [He looked around. He had no idea who any of the old gods were or what they looked like. He wasn't sure he'd be able to tell them apart from New Gods.] Maybe they have their own places to train