31 - First Shrine Visit

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: It's the New Year, and gods are traveling to their shrines to listen to their followers' prayers for good fortune in the upcoming year.
When: Jan 1 - 3
Where: Places of worship throughout Japan
Summary: The first shrine visit of the year is vital! Followers are flooding into everyone's shrines to have their fortunes told, buy good luck charms, and get things in order for the new year. Get the new year started on a positive note by giving the faithful a hand with their requests.






Shrine Visits

New and old gods alike have places of worship somewhere in Japan, places for their worshipers to go and leave both offerings and prayers. Although most of the new gods reside in their homes in the Far Shore, their places of worship in the mortal world need some attention, too! Whatever those shrines look like -- and however large or small they might be -- it's time to head there and prepare to receive the first faithful visitors of the new year. The crowds are full of followers looking to buy fortunes, leave prayers, get good-luck charms, and bring offerings to their gods in thanks for past good luck and hope for more.

Most of the visitors seem to know what they're doing, but some may need a hand. Translate for tourists, reunite lost children with their families, point out the bathrooms and scare off any ayakashi that sneak too close to the shrine gates.

Gods and shinki can take this opportunity to drop by their friends' shrines, too, whether it's to help with the rush, bring some tasty New Year bento, or just say hello.

Prayers

Some of the followers stopping by the shrines at this time of year have special requests in mind, and they're picking shrines with care. A god of funerals might find a follower asking for help keeping their family grave in good condition, while a god of the harvest might be asked to help keep a windowsill herb garden alive when the apartment heat has gone out. Big requests or small, meaningful or silly, these are the special prayers of a god's most devoted followers, so it's important to help out.

(For this prompt, you can create prayers that your character or your character's god might have received! The same prayer can be used for more than one thread if you wish, and characters do not necessarily have to be working with their god or their shinki -- groups of two gods, two shinki, or a god and shinki who aren't paired up are perfectly OK.)

Special Offerings

Most of the shrine visitors bring offerings of money, but sometimes, gratitude to the gods takes a more idiosyncratic turn. Five-yen coins are great (and they add up!) Food tastes great, and besides, shinki never get full. But what can you do with some of these weirder gifts? Who brought Athena's shrine that pile of cute plush owls? Why is there a tiger-skin rug on Bastet's altar? They all suit the gods they're being given to, but it's going to be a pain to figure out where to put these all!

Maybe some of them can be re-gifted?

Great Misfortune

Even the small shrines are bustling this time of year. Gods, shinki, and mortal priests alike have to hustle to keep up with the demand. It's hard to keep an eye on everyone visiting, but they're all faithful followers anyway... aren't they?

Maybe not. Some shrines, belonging to new and old gods alike, are experiencing a sudden increase in misfortune. Ropes break, wood splinters, metal rusts, statues fall over, visitors fall ill, pipes break and appliances malfunction. This isn't just normal wear and tear from the crowds. Someone seems to have cast a curse on the shrines, right at the busy time of year! What will this do to their reputation? Gods and shinki will need to work together to uncover the hidden curse charms at these unlucky shrines before their followers start to think that this isn't the right place to ask for good fortune.

Not every shrine will suffer this curse of misfortune, but at those that do, characters who search with care will be able to discover one or more hidden fabric packets containing a paper with a bad-luck spell and some mysterious characters written on it. Burning the packet and the paper will end the bad luck, and taking it out of the shrine will transfer the bad luck to wherever it goes.

In Summary:

• Head to shrines on the Near Shore to spend the first days of the new year
• Help the faithful out by answering their prayers
• Find something to do with the more unusual offerings
• Prevent your shrine from being cursed with bad luck
• Have fun~

Comments

[fauxcalibur]

[Prayers]

[Saber is sitting on a low wall that separates a small church from the hustle and bustle of the street. His face is a bit blank, devoid of its usual cheer as he flips through a small notebook. So many prayers to answer, so many expectations to fulfill, but there's no spark, no excitement that would inspire him to grant any of them.

He sighs and shakes his head.]

It isn't as if someone would simply spare a shinki if I asked. I suppose I could try to do some of these myself and hope it proves me a bit more reliable, but...

[Special Offerings]

[He'd expected not to have much to take back to The Far Shore with him, seeing as candles and incense don't exactly take up space, but the strangeness of humanity is not to underestimated.]

Excuse me...

[He has three huge shopping bags full of things that he's trying to carry at once and he'll stop anyone who looks like they may be headed back to their home temple.]

You wouldn't want a few late Christmas presents, would you?

[Great Misfortune]

[There's a rather large, ornate-looking church that isn't exactly getting that much traffic, seeing as this is a time dedicated more to individual shrines than larger places of worship. However, seeing as this is the closest thing to a public shrine he has, Saber figures he might as well stop by. If nothing else, it might improve his mood a little.

Except as he walks up to the doors, a quick look up reveals a shiny golden statue on the roof wobbling dangerously. A statue of the archangel Michael, fittingly. Like something knows that he's there.

And, as would be expected of a statue of Michael, the statue has a sword. And the whole thing looks rather heavy.]

This might be a problem...

[No really, Saber.]

Prayers

[letteropener]

[Official Far Shore Mom is taking time out of her day to check on others. She's used to this sort of thing, if in a princessly form instead of a divine one, but she knows many others here are not. So she's flitting from shrine to shrine, bringing food and a reassuring tone as necessary.]

[Saber's happened to come later in the day, as she thinks he's more suited than most to be atop these troubles. As she spots his expression from up high, though, she immediately regrets her choice. Down comes the pony, her wings catching her to make her landing gentle.]

That is a terribly long face. Is everything all right?

[fauxcalibur]

It is as it ever is!

[As soon as he hears someone speak to him, it's like all the good cheer comes rushing back. You can't quite call it fake because it's more like a chameleon changing it's color. A defense mechanism.]

[letteropener]

[...Saber, you just pulled that trick on a pony who has been doing it for centuries. In fact, she's done it today any number of times. She recognizes it instantly.]

[Her thoughts hang precariously in balance, then abruptly tip with the decisive finality of an avalanche. Golden light flashes around it, then darts towards the wall, leaving her sitting next to him in her human shape, which is far more convenient for sitting on walls.]

[She doesn't quite look his way, letting him keep safety in peripheral vision for the moment.]

You looked like I feel inside. And now you look like I show outside. Talk to me.

[fauxcalibur]

I suppose it's pointless to try to talk circles around you.

[And he's not foolish enough to try. One attempt and if it doesn't work, you change tactics. He's never really had the patience for any other strategy.]

It's a bit like a child trying to lie to his mother. And considering how formidable a woman my mother was, you can bet I learned the futility of that quite early!

[It's not really the time to talk about Eleanor of Aquitaine either, but that's harder to stop him from doing.]

[letteropener]

As somepony who has been on a date with you, I am not certain I like that comparison. [But she's smiling anyway, quite genuinely. The comparison is also inevitable, as well she knows. Part and parcel of being Princess Celestia.]

[But she tries to gently pull him back on track, having noted that despite his acknowledgment that she's on to him, he's still ducking out.]

If you really don't want to talk about it, I won't push you. But I am tired of pretending. I have been doing it all day and much of my life, and that has been a very long life indeed. I'd rather share your burdens and help with them than both of us act like they aren't there.

[Another advantage of a human form: she can reach out to try to capture his hand in hers. If her time in the Far Shore has taught her anything, it's that humans are baffled by the notion of hoofshakes -- and that hand-holding can be a very powerful tool, more powerful than she ever would have guessed before she had the chance to experiment with them.]

[And through all this, she bites her lip, then finally manages to say something that is incredibly, extraordinarily difficult for her to say.]

I'll even share mine in turn.

Great Misfortune

[pirateofdragons]

Might want to look above you.

[Because that thing is teetering quite dangerously.]

[fauxcalibur]

Yes, it is quite a problem isn't it?

[He doesn't sound terribly worried, but he does at least seem to be looking the whole thing over.]

I thought perhaps I might just try to catch it, but I'd rather not lose any important limbs! Of course, someone may be able to reattach them...

[He hasn't really thought that far ahead, to be honest.]

[pirateofdragons]

There's always the option of letting it fall and just fixing it up later.

[He shrugs.]

[fauxcalibur]

It is supposed to be under my protection, though. And whether I believe that or not, I would still be obliged to do something about it.

[There's a loud creaking as the statue wobbles again.]

Though usually I would just pay for the repairs...

[pirateofdragons]

....I think people can understand if this is a little beyond your control.

[Jae-ha can't help but keep his eyes focused on that statue...]

Prayers

[swordofzero]

If you need a shinki for the day. [Perhaps if Suzaku was not feeling so purposeless. If he had not woken that morning after five days sleep to find himself godless again. Then maybe he would be a little more cautious. He has never met this god before after all. Just overheard his words as he walked past the wall.

But he feels useless and out of place among all of this New Year cheer. He could have stuck with Adrien and Shin, but they had already done so much for him he didn't want to impose further.

Being helpful though...] I currently serve no god and so you would not be inconveniencing anyone if I helped you today.

[fauxcalibur]

Hm?

[Saber hops down from the wall, eyeing the new arrival with interest.]

For the day?

[That's about all he can expect, to be honest. With all rank and station more or less stripped away, it's really only his personal merit that counts and it's pretty clear to him at this point that whoever is in charge of all of this finds him wholly untrustworthy.]

It would be too presumptive of me to ask any more than that, I suppose!

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku stood formally under Saber's scrutiny. Straight backed, a military stance and a very instinctive one.

He nodded at the question though the gods later words gave him pause.] It would have been presumptuous of me to offer more, sir. You do not know me.

[He was a traitor and a murderer. He only had the memory of one afternoon from his life before but that had been very clear. He had been in the heavens two months and in that time had lost both his gods.

Presumptuous indeed to even offer his services for the day. But it was done. The need to be useful outweighed the feeling that he was not a good shinki to begin with.]

But I would be honoured to help you.

[fauxcalibur]

I wouldn't have considered it such! I was a king, after all. I'm used to people making all sorts of offers and making all sorts of presumptions.

[But while he can tell stories of his life for hours on end if no one stops him, a shinki can't do the same. There does, however, be some bits and pieces of their pasts that linger, though. Like military training, apparently. This boy is a soldier of some sort, without a doubt. When you've spent as much time on the battlefield as Saber has, you learn to recognize that.]

But I suppose a shinki is meant to be more humble than that. I don't think I could manage it.

[swordofzero]

You are a king? [This is the second, no third, time he has done this. Been far too casual and familiar with someone who is actually royalty. Princess Celestia and now a king. Also the one memory of his life before. Euphie... Princess Euphemism who he had spent an entire afternoon with before learning she was of the royal family.] I apologise, your majesty.

[But he had not seemed to mind Suzaku's forwardness at all. In fact had said he would not have minded if Suzaku had been more presumptuous.] There seems to be widely different expectations of how humble shinki should be, especially among the new gods. If you were one I would imagine you could find a god who would not mind if you struggled with humility.

[Shinki had no memories but many things remained and the demeanor of a king would be one of those Suzaku imagined.]

Great Misfortune

[replicatedform]

[He's on a... kind of a "break", which give him time to walk around and visiting other shrines. It's an interesting time for him, observing other shrines, how they look and how they handle their followers.

Stepping closer to the church, Yamanbagiri looks up and see the wobbling statue as well.]

That will be a problem if someone get hurt.

[fauxcalibur]

It would certainly put a dent in my reputation as well, such as it is. Not that I'm more concerned with that, mind you, but it's hard not to think of it when it's an effigy of, supposedly, oneself that's about to fall and crush someone.

[He's generally the sort who prefers to act rather than discuss, but he's also the sort who can't shut his mouth even when it's more prudent to keep his thoughts to himself.]

[replicatedform]

[Raising a brow, he looks at Saber.]

If that bothers you, shouldn't you do something?

[Like, hopefully before it falls and hurt someone for real.]

[fauxcalibur]

I was thinking I might try to catch it!

[He sounds quite excited about that actually.

It's a terrible idea, but he sure is excited about it.]

[replicatedform]

[That sounds like a terrible idea.]

... Are you good at catching things?

[How much does he want to discourage this...]

Great Misfortune

[towards_okeanos]

[Iskandar is not lost. He's a conqueror. He can't be lost. He's just sightseeing. That's what he does! Probably should have brought a map of the city... He was almost sure he knew where he was going so he didn't bother.

The sightseeing/being lost proves unexpectedly beneficial when he stumbles on large, lavishly decorated temple with huge, iron cross on the roof and selection of sculptures. He does not recognize those deities. Which in itself is interesting enough. The one nearest the entrance is kind of wobbly. The statue looks like a male version of Ishtar. Complete with wings but sadly no chariot and no lions. It seems as if it's going to drop down any minute. Then he notices a familiar figure standing in front of the entrance to the temple.]

Lionheart!

[Iskandar waves to Saber. He is jealous though. This cannot be!!! His shrine in Ginza is so much smaller. This thing here ? This is huge! And look at all those ornaments! Saber is one lucky guy!]

Is this your shrine ? It's splendid. Need a hand fixing that statue? I can give you a lift up there.

[fauxcalibur]

I can't claim it as my own in the sense you're thinking of, but it's certainly under my protection regardless.

[This is a case where it's best to keep his mouth shut and focus on getting the necessary job done and he is, surprisingly, able to recognize that sometimes. A theological discussion about their current state would definitely be interesting and he can think of none more interesting to have that conversation with than the King of Conquerors, but it's a conversation best held when no heavy metal objects are about to fall on their heads.]

So I would definitely appreciate the assistance. It would reflect poorly on me if I left it with a broken statue and a hole in the roof. I've left enough holes in roofs lately, to be honest.

[towards_okeanos]

Then let me call our means of transportation.

[Iskandar draws his sword and slashes the air before him.]

Behold! The Gordius Wheel!

[As soon he does it dark clouds gather, lightning tears and thunder roar. What appears first as tiny spot in the sky reveals to be a war chariot pulled by a pair of monstrous bulls. Lightning strikes with their every step. As they land the sky clears. Iskandar approaches the chariot.]

Hello my beauties. In mood for a short trip, hm?

[He gives each of the creatures a pat on the wide neck before ascending the chariot.]

Come, Lionheart. Let's survey that statue of yours.

[fauxcalibur]

[Most people would recognize this as 100% overkill, but that's not a word that exists in his vocabulary, so THIS IS FINE. He doesn't even hesitate to step on to the chariot. In fact, he's almost too eager to do so.]

To think that I would ever get a chance to do such a thing!

[Good thing you remember the statue part, Iskandar, because he's totally forgotten it a this point.]