June Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: December 7th
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.

Once they've had a chance to have things explained, they'll have the chance to relax and enjoy an afternoon party.




Meeting Hall

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.

The speaker delivers her welcome speech with the intonation of someone who's practiced it many times. Newly arrived gods 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. They are allowed to remain in the room as long as they wish, should they want to discuss questions with each other or with more experienced gods who are here to help out.

Shinki Training

Various shinki in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's hosuehold are stationed around the dojo, passing out informational pamphlets that have been freshly printed. They will be happy to answer any questions or instruct the newcomers in the use of the borderline. They also accompany their answers, or lessons, with 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.

The dojo is back to its old, fully functional self; a set of motionless straw targets line one wall, to be used by people practicing with any of the weapons spread out on tables or hanging in racks on the walls. Outside, six animated straw targets wait in an area marked off with red ribbons and warning signs. Anyone entering the marked area may find themselves in combat with one (or more) of the magical training dummies. Those who leave the marked area, though, won't be chased.

Physical Training

Beyond the dojo, a scavenger hunt has been set up throughout the grounds of the Meeting Hall. Brightly colored plastic balls are hidden in shrubbery, tucked into support beams, floating among reeds in the ponds, and lurking in even cleverer hiding places. When a god or shinki gets their hand on one of them, they will burst open to reveal a hidden prize, such as candy, small toys, or accessories. How many can you find?

As well as the scavenger hunt, the white-robed shinki are engaging in more serious physical training and will be happy to let new gods or shinki join them. Sparring matches with practice weapons from the dojo, jogging laps around the hall, sit-ups, push-ups... or, for the younger shinki, competing to see who's the fastest to climb a tree.

Rest and Refreshments

Midafternoon, once the last of the scavenger-hunt prizes have been found, the white-robed shinki will turn their hands to clearing away the training equipment and laying out a lovely buffet table. Bright lanterns are hung from the trees, and a few shinki even take up a station on one side of the training area and begin playing shamisen, koto, wooden flute and drum. Although their instruments are traditional, their music selection ranges from some very classic Japanese tunes to others that sound surprisingly modern. The koto player can really rock!

Old and new gods and shinki alike are welcome to circulate, socialize with their friends, partake of the buffet food and enjoy the music. There's even room for those who feel inspired to dance, and plenty of privacy offered by the extensive garden for those who would rather retreat with their new partners to have a serious conversation.

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
• Relax at a party
• Have fun~

Comments

[thevanguard]

I'm not young! [ He scowls slightly, because he's not sure if he's more offended to the slight to his age or to his appearance - that was a jab at his height, wasn't it? ] Maybe you're just old.

[priforprince]

May remembering our meeting always make you smile.

[ There. That should completely put the prior issue out of her head! ]

[priforprince]

Exactly.

[ You get it.

Rosalie climbs onto Hibiki's shoulders, the better to hang onto and menace her ahoge. Hibiki endures this. She looks quite taken, actually.

And now also quite occupied. ]

[nolittlesecret]

"What exactly is it that you're hankering for if I might ask? It'd be easier to feed ya if I knew what you're so keen on killing the lot of these people for."

Please don't say blood because there's something about ayakashi that would make that difficult.

[thevanguard]

[ (That's fine!)

Yata blinks at the name, looking surprised at the coincidence. ] Nari? No shit? Huh. He seems like a good guy.

And yeah. I can try and show you. Don't stress about it, it took me a while to get the hang of it, too. People figure it out in different ways, so there's no one tried and true way of having it perfected. For me, it helped to focus on the fact that I wanted to protect my god. And myself, but. That Borderline is sometimes the only thing that can stand between your god and an ayakashi. And trust me, those things are nasty. We can't even touch them without getting Blighted. And they're fucking persistent and annoying as hell. It's basically having a strong enough will and desire to protect them. When I started focusing on that, not letting that will falter when I was trying, I had an easier time of it.

[unlucky7]

Sometimes it's best to take a break and come back with a fresh mind.

[Says the chronic overworker. Do as I say, not as I do.

Ginia crosses her arms over her chest and look toward where they generally set up food. She hasn't had a chance to swing over yet, but it seems like they're setting up for something bigger today.]

Want to see what they have here or hit the Near Shore?

[unlucky7]

[It's a strange skew of numbers, the old gods with hundreds of shinki, the new gods sometimes lucky to have even one. A household of four is nothing compared to the old gods, but it's a significant number among the new. Strange how that works out.

Ginia smiles at Satya's words. Being proactive is good. It's far better than her anxious waiting, going out only to prove herself as worth to her god.

It's also the most professional and business-like approach she's heard toward the god-shinki relationship. It's not wrong.]

I suppose I am. I hope things work out between you and your god, when you find them. I can't say anything about new arrivals, but most of the people here seem to be good people.

[unlucky7]

[It seems fitting; the presence exuding from him says everything about him being a god. Her temple has an ample training room, but building alliances with other gods and having more grounds to train at never hurts.]

I will speak to my exemplar, I'm sure he'll be amiable. I have no plans today. I am happy to continue sparring. Training with a variety of people is always good for gaining experience.

[doodlebuginette]

[Sorry, Hibiki. Adrien's Everything Is Fine act isn't that convincing either. But she'll just smile and take the flower for now, and make a point to come back and check on you later.]

I'm certain it will.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Okay, hm. Considering his options for a moment, Edge rolls his shoulders -- then hops forward, thrusting out a hand for a strike towards Suzaku's midsection.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Well, sure! It makes as much sense as how I talk without lungs. Or vocal cords, for that matter. [In other word, the cosmos is a grand place with strange rules. Also it's funnier like that.]

[bass_instincts]

"He seems to see people as his friends really fast," Shin says, unknowingly agreeing with Suzaku's line of thought. "I don't know why that makes me worry," he admits with a slight shrug, "but he seems to think I need a friend. Maybe he thought the same about you."

[abgrund]

Where is that?

[ Who is this person, anyway? ]

[bass_instincts]

Shin rolls his eyes, "there's a difference between having emotions and being emotional." He looks down at Joscelin, brow quirked, "You are a child, though. You should let yourself be one sometimes. I won't fault you for it. And I'm not going to think less of you for it either. If someone does, tell me." Because he'll make them regret it. He might not be treating Joss like much of a child, but it's not like he was going to try to take his chance at it from him.

"It's way more annoying to see a trying too hard to be grown up," says the pot to the kettle. "Just stop worrying about it."

[abgrund]

[ He listens with a slight tilt of his head from side to side, a rhythmic motion reminiscent of the tick of a clock's pendulum. ]

I see...

[ The word trails off into what might have been a sigh. ]

Do you like helping people?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

[And Nia isn't much of a worker at all, really.]

[She purses her lips, thinking about it, then shrugs.] If there's fish, I'm good with anywhere. Can't believe how hungry I always seem to be...

[silentscales]

[Snake goes bright red, completely caught.

His eyes are wide as he glances away, but then gives the tiniest of nods.

Adrien had confessed to loving both him and Marinette while he was dying. He only recently came back as a God. He'd been so busy mourning him that he hadn't really processed his own feelings for Adrien yet, even though somewhere he knew just how he felt.

That didn't mean a lifetime of Victorian ideals, even as subverted as they had often been in the Circus, hadn't ingrained some things in him.]

[priforprince]

You'll see very soon!

[ After all, it's almost Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year.

Christmas, you see, means Shikyoin Hibiki's Magnificent Christmas Dinner Show.

Oh boy! ]

[priforprince]

You're here to train?

[ If Hibiki's bothered to come out here in person, she may as well witness some people about whom she doesn't know much in action. That's the whole point.

With that in mind, giving Marinette a chance to decline that question seems not in Hibiki's best interest. Onwards we go. ]

I'd like to observe that.

[ittenbari]

Why not? I mean...

[He frowns. This is sounding less and less fun by the minute.]

It's all a game, right? For fun? That just sounds like someone out to cheat people.

[ittenbari]

I mean, not into it into it, but I'm pretty good in a fight and I use two swords, so...that's most of the way there already, right? Except for, like, the being quiet and not attracting attention and stuff part. That's the part I'd totally suck at. Like, tooooooottally suck at.

[Any part that involves looking cool? That he can manage. Anything that involves the functional role of a ninja? Not so much.]

[fauxcalibur]

Certainly! If you wanted to go looking for a suitable location right now, you really wouldn't be missing anything. You won't be learning anything more useful than what you've already heard.

[Sure, the gods in charge of this whole "greeting new arrivals" business tend to frown on out of control day drinking, but seeing as he doesn't consider them as having even the slightest bit of authority over him, he doesn't see any reason not to do exactly what he wants in any given situation.]

[bass_instincts]

[Shin laughs again, amused by the terrible jokes.] True~ clowns have better jokes.

[bass_instincts]

[Shin lets out a bit of a laugh,] I showed up with a leather belt restraining my hands too tight, and a prison uniform, and despite that he just kept being nice to me. [He frowns a little,] at least until he named me.

He didn't stop being nice, but for a few minutes he wouldn't stop crying. It's been strange. [Especially since now he's been keeping an eye on Shin without being overbearing, despite the fact Adrien looked at oldest the same age as Shin.]

[swordofzero]

"Perhaps." It was a little worrying, but Adrien seemed discerning enough that Suzaku would hope he would not trust anyone not worthy of that trust. And if he did befriend someone who might hurt him he had enough other friends to look out for him and protect him.