August Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: January 6th, 2017
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore / the Ryukyu Islands
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 her welcome speech in the monotone of someone who's practiced it far too often. Hopefully no one's feeling sleepy! She adds that gods should be cautious of anyone on the Near Shore who might ask to use their shrines to visit the Heavens, and should instruct their shinki to be cautious as well. There is an unrecognized god who the Heavens believe to be attacking them. 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. Each of the shinki is wearing a brightly-colored sticky name tag reading HELLO, MY NAME IS ________, and all of their names appear to end with the syllable "mei."

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. The white-robed shinki appears to be a particular expert in magic, and will occasionally offer to help out anyone who's practicing a spell more challenging than the Borderline, especially if they look quite lost. His nametag reads HELLO, MY NAME IS SABIMEI. (To interact with Sabimei, please comment on the "NPC REQUEST" thread below! If you prefer, you may also handwave his assistance or advice with your character learning spells.)

Physical Training

Two of the white-robed shinki, whose nametags mark them as Toumei and Kimei, are standing off to one side of the training area near a pair of large, curtained tents. They each have an enormous wicker basket full of clean, folded beach towels, and a rack of what appear to be wetsuits and swimsuits in a variety of styles and sizes. Once suited and toweled, new and veteran residents of the Heavens alike will be handed a pretty white-and-gold cockade that can be pinned to their suit or tied around their wrist by its ribbons, and either Toumei or Kimei will escort them to a beautiful, but rocky, Near Shore beach. Tropical plants, palm trees and high grasses surround the area, and although the sounds of cars are audible from a road not too far away, the only sign of human presence on this beach is an ancient, rotting fishing boat pulled up well past the high tide mark.

It's quite chilly, with a brisk sea breeze, but there's room to run up and down the beach, a net set up for beach volleyball, younger shinki building sand castles, and showers for the brave souls who venture into the water. The surf is impressive today, so swimmers will get the chance for some serious exercise. There's also the chance to climb through the wreck of the old fishing boat; inside, piles of old seaweed and drifting sand host curious crabs, and a curious explorer could even find treasure... although nothing more valuable than large seashells, old one-yen or five-yen coins, and bits of weathered sea glass.

Rest and Refreshments

When sunset comes -- early, at this time of year -- the shinki bring giant picnic-sized bento boxes with five or seven layers of carefully packed foods, and pile wood for bonfires that leap with flames edged blue-green from the salt. The bento boxes contain a wide variety of traditional foods, many in the style of traditional New Year's dishes: sweet potato and chestnut, slivered carrot and burdock, whole fish, toasted mochi, sliced lotus root and more. A fireworks display starts over the ocean once full night falls, fountains and bursts in every color imaginable, some so ornate that it's hard to believe they're not helped along by a touch of magic. The display lasts half an hour.

After the last fireworks, the shinki will guide everyone back to the Meeting Hall to return to their homes. The wind is getting chillier, and gods or shinki who stay too much past the firework display will notice the tiny, creeping forms of glowing ayakashi no larger than a fist, looking like little jellyfish on land. They don't seem hostile; instead, they're fixated on the boat, and will climb on it and settle onto the rigging and wood of the boat, chirping quietly to themselves and snuggling in so that the whole boat seems to glow with an unearthly blue-white light. They can be fought and defeated, but if attacked, will fight back: and be careful! Those jellyfish tentacles spread blight instead of stinging, and they're longer than they look.

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 at a beach (isn't it winter?!)
• Relax and watch the fireworks
• Have fun~

Comments

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"...Well that's not smart! What happens if the walls of the pit collapse on you?!"

That was a thing that could happen!

[myblueskies]

"I'd dig myself out!" He had a spade! He would have been able to escape!

"It was just for fun sir. I've never dug a big hole before!"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Riiiiight. Please tell me you're a shinki."

If he's a god, Zetta needed to get drunk. Very, very drunk.

[myblueskies]

"Of course I am." He nodded. "Only shinki can do borderlines, sir!"

He is getting tired but he's still not sure this book won't attack him if he drops his barrier.

"I'm Elfnein's shinki."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Hey, your shovel might have been a shinki who did it for you," Zetta grumped. "Really, Elfnein? I see."

Zetta glanced around, then dropped his voice.

"Has she been evil lately?"

[myblueskies]

"Oh! It could have been!" That was smart. Shinki could be lots of different things!

"Evil?" His face dropped into a frown. "Elfnein's not evil! You shouldn't say bad things like that!"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"As a demon, I consider evil to be a positive trait," Zetta said archly. "Elfnein's prime for walking down the path to the dark side, so I'm taking it on myself as a special project where possible. It'd be good for her, so don't act like I'm not doing her a favor!"

[myblueskies]

A demon? This book was a demon? Books could be bad? It was a horrifying realisation, worse that this demon wanted Elfnein to be bad as well! That she was this demons special favour.

"Leave Elfnein alone! Bad book demon! She's a good person!"

She would not walk down Amy dark aide paths! She was a good god and a really nice person and as her shinki it was Romeo's jib to protect her!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Sheesh, kids. Human kids anyway. Demon kids would be much more on the ball about all of this.

"Well, yeah, and she shouldn't be. What's it getting her by being good?"

[myblueskies]

"She's a nice person! Being good is a good thing. You shouldn't be bad! Elfnein is nice and kind!"

And that's really all there was to say in the matter.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Why is being good a good thing?" Seriously, people keep making that argument, and he still doesn't get it.

[myblueskies]

"Because..." He thinks a moment, being good is good because it is. But finding words to explain all of that takes a moment.

"People should be nice to each other. If everyone is just nice then everyone is happy and that is good. If people are bad then they hurt each other and people get sad and if the whole world was sad it wouldn't be a nice place to live at all but when everyone is good they work together and everyone can help each other and things get done quicker and better!"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Ah, this naive argument. It's easy to break!

"But it doesn't work that way. The strong prey on the weak. The only way to survive is to be strong yourself!"

[myblueskies]

"But strong people should look after everyone else! You got to look out for your friends especially if they are littler than you!"

Even if some strong people were mean and bullies it didn't mean that everyone else was! It just mean the nice people had to be nicer and work together to stop the bullies.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"That's not how it works. When you get strong, other people envy that strength. They either try to kiss up to you, or dethrone you. And stronger people think you need to be put in your place. So you have to get stronger in turn, and then that just repeats." That was how it was in the demon worlds, on the darker side of things.

[myblueskies]

"I don't think that's how it works!" Romeo shook his head. "People should help each other! Not be jealous of your strength!"

At least it shouldn't be how it worked!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Of course they're jealous. People stronger than you can do whatever they want to you. If someone stronger than you or Elfnein was picking on you guys, wouldn't you want to be stronger than them to stop it?"

[myblueskies]

"I'd want to stop them yes! But I wouldn't be mean to them back because that... that would just make it all get worse! It's better to try and make friends."

Even when the other person was mean. Especially when the other person was mean, everyone had good in them somewhere!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"And what happens when someone else sees you're getting stronger and they think you need to be put in your place, huh?"

Zetta, as a demon Overlord, OBVIOUSLY had no good in him, right?

[myblueskies]

"Then I will prove that they can't beat me. Or I might try and ask why they want to be mean like that. Because we might just be able to be friends instead."

Even bad books had good in them somewhere. Romeo lets his borderline drop, half because this is as long as he can keep one up but mostly because this book, even though he says strange things and has odd ideas is not as scary as he first seemed!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"But he's stronger than you. So you have to get stronger too, right?" Zetta was just going to ignore the 'be friends instead' part.

[myblueskies]

"Yes," He nodded. "But I'd also try and find out why they are so mad and how we can not be mad together. Being friends is always better and we might be able to make a pact and not fight anymore."

If everyone just kept fighting and trying to be better than each other they would all just be angry and violent and that wouldn't be very good at all!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"But what they're mad about is that you're stronger and could be a threat. So as long as you get stronger, that will worry or anger people, and they'll try to put you down." Duh.

[myblueskies]

Romeo frowned. "Well I would make sure they knew I wasn't a threat." He nodded, "If I use my strength to help people and help make them stronger too then they won't be scared of it!"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Except how can you trust someone strong? They could turn on you at any moment. The only way you can be safe is to be stronger than them." Zetta had surprising patience for this discussion, as it turned out -- since it struck to the very nature of demonkind.