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

[subtract]

[... resetting to a previous point, changing a few factors to reach a different outcome. For someone who's done something irredeemable, wouldn't it be a mercy to let them start over fresh?

It's not far off from what his own plans used to be, not so long ago. He can understand the logic behind it.]

Something like that... wouldn't work on us outsiders. We have our own memories and experiences that extend beyond our existence in this world. There's no guarantee the next reincarnation would be an improvement. [If he lost his memories, he'd probably just repeat the same mistakes again. Or maybe he wouldn't come back at all. Maybe some new asshole would get promoted to Henir.]

There's nothing "normal" about our current circumstances. Hopefully this means those idiots are starting to realize that.

[chibisu]

Yes..... That's what I'm really curious about. What makes all of you so different from the rest of us?

It's not unheard of for a human or other being to be deified, after all, and yet they still follow along with the same rules of reincarnation. Finding the answer to that question is something I'm really curious about!

[subtract]

It's not hard to figure out. Different worlds follow different rules, and entities born from those worlds are also created to follow those rules. But if you take something from one world and put it in a different one, there's no guarantee they'll mesh neatly. Our bodies have been changed here to allow us to live as gods and shinki, but our souls were never designed for this purpose.

Even in worlds where things like "deification" are possible, one world's definition of a god could be completely different from another world's. What if there's no precedent for shinki in my world? What if my world's humans aren't the same as your world's? There are too many variables, you'd have to be stupid to expect such a predictable outcome.

We're not gods, or humans, at least not according to your world's definitions. Trying to peg us as one or the other is foolish.

[chibisu]

[Add has found the perfect audience for his technological ramblings. Eyes bright in clear curiosity, Ebisu leans forward and listens to him carefully.]

So then, by that logic, would you say that the anomalies which occur within your existence couldn't be applied to the gods and shinki of this world?

[subtract]

[He's caught up enough in his own ramblings that he hasn't really noticed yet, but it's always nice to have someone who can ask him the good questions...]

Possibly. It's difficult to be sure of anything without a thorough understanding of this world's internal rules and how they apply to heavenly beings. It may be possible for these types of anomalies to occur in beings native to this world as well, depending on what causes it exactly. But if that's the case, it's probably not something that would happen under normal circumstances.

[chibisu]

I would say nothing for the past few months have been particularly normal circumstances.

[Ha ha. Still, his questions aren't over with yet.]

Then when you broke Heaven, did you gain any more knowledge of this world's internal rules?

[subtract]

[He makes a bit of a face when the god brings up "breaking Heaven" again. Come on, he didn't break anything! He just damaged it a little, it's completely different!!

But he'll resist the urge to argue about it for now.]

All the data I collected is available on the public BBS. All the original gods of the world should have access to it as well, correct?

[chibisu]

Oh, so you really have put all of it on there? There's no theories or conclusions you kep to yourself?

[He wants to make sure, you know.]

[subtract]

If there were, why would I share them with you?

[He's known you for like five minutes pal, he's not spilling all the good deets that easily.]

[chibisu]

[At least he doesn't take offense at that, and only beams up at him.]

I guess you wouldn't!

[Honesty???]

But I'm really interested to see if that return of memories phenomena could happen to gods like me instead of your newer generation.

[subtract]

[Well. At least the kid is a good sport about it.

He opens his mouth to answer, but stops when the meaning of those words hits him. Gods like "me"... and he is rather young looking... and he's certainly familiar with the process the Heavens go through when it comes to punishing gods... hmm.

This line of discussion is suddenly a lot more interesting. Add brings a hand to his mouth, watching the child curiously.]

Perhaps. Do you know any of the details of your past life?

[chibisu]

I only know the details that I've been told, or that I know from other people. [That bright smile begins to dim, now, and Ebisu looks considerably more somber.]

That's true... for most gods here. That's why the position of exemplar is so important, to guide them to what's important or what was thought to be important in a past incarnation.

This goes for even Amaterasu... And I'm sure there are many other gods, such as gods of combat, who experience such problems even more. With things in such a state, it's a legitimate concern that strange things could happen even to the memories of the oldest gods.

[That's his story and he's sticking to it. And it's even not entirely wrong.]