July Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: December 22nd
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 more experienced god and shinki volunteers.




Meeting Hall

God Training

Newly arrived gods are escorted into a small meeting room, with tatami floors and a stage 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. Paper and pens are provided to all the attendees as an unsubtle suggestion to take notes on the information they're given.

The speaker delivers his welcome speech in a rather bored tone, occasionally stumbling and checking his own notecards. He particularly dwells, towards the end of the speech, on the fact that an unauthorized god has recently tried to access the Heavens, and any contact from other gods asking to access the Heavens through their temples should be immediately reported. 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.

A variety of weapons are available in the dojo for shinki and their gods to practice with, and a row of straw targets are set up along one wall. Outside, in an area carefully roped off with red ribbons, are six animated training dummies, also made of straw and dressed in plain cotton jackets and trousers. They will immediately engage anyone who enters the area marked with the ribbon, but will not pursue opponents outside it. A white-robed shinki nearby keeps a sharp eye on the animated dummies, and will intervene if anyone tries to destroy one.

Physical Training

A race track has been laid out, winding through the gardens to a towering pole, 9 meters in height, planted in the center of a pond with a cluster of pretty ribbons tied at the top. White-robed shinki are standing by with stopwatches: anyone who wants can race their friends along the path, with the first one to return to the starting point with a ribbon winning the challenge, or solitary racers can recruit a shinki to time them and try to beat their own speed. But be careful not to fall off the pole! The pond isn't dangerously deep, but the bottom is very muddy, and in late December, it's also very, very cold.

On the lawn near the dojo, a wide circle has been marked out in white paint, and big baskets set around the circle are filled with sachets full of chalk dust in a rainbow of colors. Pick your color, grab a handful of sachets, and join the fray! Anyone inside the circle is a fair target to have one of the sachets thrown at them, and on impact, they splash out enough brightly colored dust to mark the spot they strike. Head or torso hits are an automatic out, leg hits mean the target isn't allowed to move from their position, and arm hits mean they can't use that arm. Borderlines -- and any other magic -- are allowed, and the game can get intense.

Rest and Refreshments

The weather outside, although not freezing, is quite chilly, and in the middle of the afternoon, the shinki will invite everyone into a prepared banquet hall for food and to warm back up. Charcoal braziers set in the center of square tables radiate warmth, and are covered by grates; other shinki bring trays of fresh ingredients, both meat and vegetable, that can be grilled over the hot coals.

After the meal is finished, one of the white-robed shinki, a middle-aged woman with her hair cut in a fashionable modern bob, enters the room with an expression of great, if restrained, delight, pushing a cart with a portable karaoke machine and speaker on it. She sets up the karaoke machine at one end of the room, and begins encouraging others -- both her fellow shinki and the newcomer guests -- to join in with a song. Whenever there's a break, she puts in music selections of her own; she has a trained, jazzy voice and a great fondness for midcentury enka.

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, sing and barbecue
• Have fun~

Comments

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Considering that, Edge has to check his idea somewhat.]

Let's start with -- not jumping at the ribbon quite yet. A few practice ones on dry land.

[creepface]

O-okay. I can d-do that.

[ He uncertainly bounces a little up and down before he too shakes some of the excess water off. And forgets to hold down his braid so he might slap Edge with it on accident.

He definitely slaps HIMSELF with it, at least. ]

O-ouch.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Whoa! [Edge ducks, so the braid only slaps off his arm.] Out of control hair! Watch it!

[creepface]

S-s-sorry!

[ He grabs it and tucks it in underneath his lab coat. Better to be safe than sorry this time, this will probably help a lot. ]

J-j-jump?

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Yeah! See how far you can nail a landing down the race path.

[Edge had almost suggested replicating his own shortcut, but that would probably end up with flailing in the bushes, wouldn't it...]

[creepface]

I'll d-d-do my best...!

[ He takes a few steps back before dashing and jumping. The jump is long but he doesn't stick the landing. But aside from him rolling around on the ground like a majestic porcupine. He doesn't seem hurt though. And he did just jump like... 3 meters. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Edge gets super excited for a moment! And then flinches back, eyes shut, as the landing goes all crashy.]

[When the noises of rolling and flopping finally subside, he cracks his eye open to take a peek. Wow, how did he even survive that?]

[creepface]

[ He sits up, blinking and wiping his face from dirt to distract himself from his embarrassment and what pain he's in. Because even if he's not hurt, it did, well, hurt. But nothing more than some scrapes.]

I, I'm f-f-fine! S-sorry!

[onehandsomeslickninja]

The jump was incredible! The landing... less so. Need some work on that part. But if you can get that down, you've got some real power and some real distance there!

[Focus on the positive. They can make this work!]

[creepface]

[ His face is noticeably red, both from embarrassment and... sort of happy about his jump being called incredible. It's very conflicting. ] I, I will t-t-try to get b-better at l-landing.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Right! That's something good practice will improve, along with your jumping in general. Good technique and form make for serious gains.

[creepface]

I, I'm not sure wh-where to start but, I'll do my b-b-best. Um. W-which form is g-good form so I don't, um, f-fall over?

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Oh, well. When you're long-jumping, you want to bring your feet forward and hit the ground running. Your goal is to maintain as much of your momentum as possible.

[Turning, Edge takes a couple of quick steps and then a little leap, demonstrating the landing as obviously as he can.]

[creepface]

W-won't I fall on my b-bum instead?

[ Though that would probably be less painful than landing face first. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

If your legs are too far forward or you're leaning too far back, yeah, you would. The trick is that when your feet hit they ground, they'll lose speed, but your upper body won't. So leaning back like that gives you enough time to get moving again.

[creepface]

Is- is that why I f-fall forward...? I l-lean forward wh-when I l-land, maybe? I n-n-never notice how my body's p-positioned.

[ If he did, maybe he wouldn't slouch most of the time. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Yeah, you just need practice. [Edge is pretty confident he can get it (despite all evidence), and offers an encouraging nod.] It's like any technique, you perfect it over time.

[creepface]

Ah, um, d-do I t-t-train it right n-n-now?

[ Only one of them has any confidence here, you know! ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Well, why not? [This is training, right? What better time?]

[creepface]

I'm w-wet...?

[ And kinda cold because he's wet. He gets cold really easily. ]

S-spirits can get c-c-colds t-t-too.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Oh... yeah, I guess that's true.

[Edge didn't notice it himself, so the reminder surprises him, and he lifts his feet to shake his boots.]

Well, no NEED to start now, I guess.

[creepface]

[ How can one forget that they've been completely drenched? Rasu can't relate. ]

M-maybe after we d-d-dry up?

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[He's a ninja! Mild discomforts and annoyances like this roll off him when he's concentrating and focused, which he had been as he tried to get his buddy here up to speed with his own skills.]

[Of course now he's been reminded and it annoys him.] They have to have some towels around here or something.

[creepface]

[ Rasu is most definitely Not. He's just a scrawny nurse.

Hopefully they have black towels or his makeup is going to stain the fabric. ] P-probably... I sh-should have brought s-some, s-sorry, I didn't know we'd n-n-need any.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Hey, neither did I! But I'm sure they have to have some somewhere around here. If they're going to put a training pillar in a pond, they should expect this sort of thing! [Though really, he hasn't been too impressed with their training so far in any case.]