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

[swordofzero]

Your shinki? [Suzaku had thought by his first words that he did not have a shinki. But perhaps he had understood the situation wrong. Perhaps something had happened?] What makes you think you are lacking?

[He's being too forward again bit this god-king does not seem to mind and indeed is being quite open himself.]

[fauxcalibur]

Well, simply the fact that two shinki have disappeared from my care without so much as a word should reflect a bit poorly on me, shouldn't it?

[It's hard to tell whether his cheer is forced to cover for the hurt and guilt or if this sort of feeling has been his default state for so long that the cheer is actually part of it somehow.]

I was surprised when I was finally assigned a shinki to begin with, so perhaps I tried a bit too hard? And so I'm on my own once again, but of course it could be worse. I've lost the ability to properly fight ayakashi, but I do at least have all my limbs and my head is attached as it should be. Should worse come to worst, I could sacrifice a few of those things to win a fight.

[swordofzero]

Perhaps. But if so I bare the same shame. Both gods I have served have disappeared from the heavens.

[In contrast to Saber's cheer Suzaku's voice is dull. Kija's disappearance was still a new pain. He wasn't sure he had ever been a good shinki for the god who had been hesitant about even wanting a shinki in the first place.

Saber was still talking though, Suzaku's frown grew as he spoke of no longer being able to fight ayakashi and being willing to sacrifice limbs.]

Unfortunately the nature of ayakashi means even sacrificing limbs won't grant victory.

[fauxcalibur]

It rarely does!

[This is not, however, the time to tell the story about what happened to his arm. Or, for that matter, what happened to Sir Bedivere's arm. Or anyone's arm, really, which is a fact he actually realizes for once. He isn't the sort of person who catches on to someone else's emotional state right away, but he at least is the sort who can't stand idly by once he does notice.]

Though if it puts your mind at ease at all, I'm quite sure the blame for a god disappearing falls on whoever it is that summons us. We aren't tied to them as shinki are tied to us. Or at least that's how I understand it.

[A lot of people don't agree with him, but he's not willing to be convinced of anything but his own opinion on this particular matter.]

[swordofzero]

So I believe. But I don't think a his is to blame if a shinki disappears either. After all no one knows how shinki or gods disappear. The shinki of old gods do not disappear, as far as I understand.

[He doesn't really know and its not as if he can ask any of the old gods, he doubts they would answer his questions.

Still it does not seem right that this god is blaming himself for matters outside his control.]

[fauxcalibur]

Do they not?

[That's interesting. Though certainly someone with more of an interest in investigating that sort of thing already knows it's the case.]

That aside, though, perhaps we shouldn't be thinking of blame at all. After all, the more you dwell on it, the less you can do about it. Or, if you aren't the sort to do anything at all about it, the less you can do in general.

[Guess who's bad at fixing his own mistakes.]

[swordofzero]

Indeed. [Suzaku nods. Dwelling on things would not change anything. There was nothing he could do about any of this. Kija was gone as was Grell before him. The only thing to do was move forwards.]

What prayers do you need help with?

[fauxcalibur]

There's quite a list!

[Because he's really, really bad at answering them, especially when there's no one around to keep him on task.]

I must admit I've never worked with a shinki that wasn't my own before, so I don't know exactly what we might be able to accomplish together.

[But considering how much he has written down in his notebook...]

People seem to pray to me for just about everything, though, which is a bit concerning but there isn't much I can do to change that. I'm most suited to battling ayakashi, of course, but I believe I have everything from finding lost pets to ensuring promotions to fixing appliances.

[swordofzero]

[Fighting ayakashi was out, since Suzaku was not actually this gods Shinki. But other prayers would be fine. After all Suzaku and Edge had answered a prayer themselves without a god.]

People pray to have their appliances fixed? [Surely there were ways that did not require divine intervention.] I seem to have some level of mechanical knowledge, so I might be useful for such a prayer.

[fauxcalibur]

Do you think so? I wouldn't even know where to begin!

[He pulls out his notebook and flips through to find the prayer in question.]

Hmm...yes, here it is. It seems someone's toaster won't toast properly no matter what setting it's placed on. I believe they prayed to me just in case there were demons that needed to be cast out of it, but I doubt that's the case. I know little about toasters, but what little I know is that this is rather typical for them.

[swordofzero]

It is probably just faulty wiring. I can have a look though.

[People really did pray about the strangest of things.]

[fauxcalibur]

Then we should have a go at it! And if it truly is a demon, I'm sure I can manage that on my own. Not that I've ever fought a demon before, but I'd like to try.

[Most other people would be hoping that part wouldn't happen, but it sounds like he's actually going to be a little disappointed if all there is is some faulty wiring.]

[swordofzero]

I can fight. I've never fought a demon before that I know of. But I can be useful in a fight as well.

[He notes that this god seems to prefer the idea of fighting a demon. He's not sure what to make of that.]

[fauxcalibur]

That's good to hear! I'll bring a sword, just in case. Well, I suppose a kitchen knife would do and there will surely be one there...

[Saber, please don't fire beams from a butter knife...]

[swordofzero]

I can fight unarmed. But likewise I can use a knife.

[Between them it will be fine, he's sure.]

Where do we need to go?

[fauxcalibur]

I believe I have the address written down.

[He double checks his notebook, then looks around to get his bearings.]

Actually, it's not all that far. We should be able to walk there.

[And he starts walking off in what is presumably the right direction, still talking as if it hasn't even occurred to him that he's sort of leaving Suzaku behind.]

So you can fight unarmed? I actually tried that for the first time not that long ago! It was before I arrived here, though, and I haven't had much of an opportunity since. Come to think of it, I couldn't finish the fight that way, since...oh, are you still there?

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku is not that far behind, hurrying to keep up. He listened as he walked and nodded when he was addressed] I am sir and I can. I obviously don't know if it is a specific type of martial arts but I can fight. Why couldn't you finish your fight?

[fauxcalibur]

[Saber turns to look back over his shoulder at Suzaku. His eyes are practically sparkling.]

You wouldn't believe it even if I were to tell you! It was truly magnificent and I've never seen the like of it before myself. My opponent was of the Lancer class, though not the Lancer who serves as a shinki here. He was...

[He waves his hand vaguely, trying to figure out how to put what he'd seen into words.]

Connected to the earth in a way I can't begin to explain. He sent great spikes up from the ground itself and it was all I could do to merely dodge them. I needed a weapon with much more reach to actually lay a blow on him.

[swordofzero]

[He has met the Lancer here, they sparred when Suzaku first arrived. He thinks he is shinki to Caster, same as Ginia.

He is trying to follow Saber's story as best he could. It sounded strange, spikes from the ground? It made him wonder about the world that Saber came from.]

He sounds like a formidable opponent. Where you able to find a weapon?

[fauxcalibur]

I was! Since we were fighting in the middle of a forest, it was quite easy to find a nice sturdy stick!

[Which doesn't exactly sound like the sort of thing you should be using against giant spikes of earth.]

You see, I wanted to play at being the Knight of the Lake and fight with whatever was close at hand. It worked fairly well! Though, perhaps, not well enough that I would mention it to Sir Lancelot himself should I ever be granted the great honor of meeting him.

[He's literally the ONLY SERVANT HERE who hasn't met a Knight of the Round Table and he can't stand it.]

[swordofzero]

[He fought giant spikes of earth only a stick? That was pretty impressive though it sounded like he had not had much choice. Sometimes weaponry was hard to come by.]

Sir Lancelot? [The name caught his interest, if only because Lancelot had been the name of the Knightmare frame he had driven in the dream that had actually been a memory.]

[fauxcalibur]

Yes! Sir Lancelot!

[Saber stops walking and turns around to face Suzaku. His eyes are sparkling and he looks maybe a bit too excited.]

Do you know of the Knights of the Round Table? If you've never heard the stories, I could tell you any one you wanted to hear!

[swordofzero]

I've heard of the Knights of the Round. [And he vaguely knows some that there are some ancient stories about Knights. But no specifics come to mind.] I don't think I know any of the stories though, or at least not that I can remember.

[And Saber looks excited, so Suzaku is content to let him keep talking.]

[fauxcalibur]

[Suzaku, if you keep encouraging him, you'll NEVER ESCAPE.]

There are so many! I've also written quite a few songs based on them and I can recite all of Chretien's poems, though those are in French and I'm not certain if anyone would be able to understand them or not.

[Weren't you supposed to be fixing a toaster, Saber?]

[swordofzero]

I don't think I speak French, only Japanese and Britannian. [Also he has no idea who Chretien is, but the fact that this god has memorised a whole series of poetry is very impressive.

Even shinki issues aside Suzaku's memory isn't wonderful, not for anything academic anyways.]

You write your own songs? Do you sing?

[Also were they close to the house this broken or haunted toaster was in? He looked around, not that he would be able to tell, he doesn't know which address they are headed to.]