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

shinki training

[artificialrose]

[Even if it's an impossible task, well, Garry is one to try. He wants to watch out for all these new shinki like he was when he first arrived, thanks to the hard work of everyone here. So as Akutagawa starts to cough, a water bottle will enter his view. Garry's brow is furrowed a little bit in concern, and he tilts his head towards the other shinki.]

If you over-exert yourself, then you'll just put yourself in a worse situation, won't you? You can take your time to learn things here.

[killercoat]

[ The shinki blinks at the bottle that enters his peripheral, and he turns toward the one offering it to him. Sweat beads his brow and his throat burns from a dry cough, his body is clearly screaming for him to take a break, but Akutagawa's will isn't ready to quit.]

...I'm not that weak. [ He gives that water bottle another glance before he takes it from Garry. He opens it to takes a sip from it. He happens to be a little thirsty, but the water does help soothe his throat.

However, he does frown when the other mentions he can take his time.]

Take my time? Is it acceptable for a shinki to not know how to create a borderline? What might their god think of them, if they can't?

[He doesn't know who his god is, but he certainly wants to be useful to them. Casting a borderline at least proves you are capable of protecting them, so failure isn't really an option.]

[artificialrose]

[At least he accepted the water... Garry had been worried for a moment there that he had run into a really stubborn shinki who wouldn't accept any sort of help. The Far Shore, after all, has all types. With his hand free of the bottle, Garry goes to rest it on his hips.]

Taking a break has nothing to do with weakness... If anything, wouldn't it be a strength, to know your limits and pause before you do something you can't take back, like hurting yourself?

[That's how athletes get themselves hurt, he's pretty sure. A lack of stretching, a lack of taking care of yourself...]

Besides, everyone's god is different. In fact... [That wording is a little off, to him, and Garry taps his fingers along his hip.] ...Have you met your god, yet?

[killercoat]

[ Akutagawa could be quite stubborn, but his thirst outweighs his skepticism. Though he hates that his needs are so apparent to other people and not himself. Maybe he's been pushing himself so hard, he's been ignoring the basic things his body needs to survive. Though that sounds absurd since he's aware that he's dead.

He takes another swig of water as Garry talks. He has a point. Over-exerting himself would be unpleasant, however...]

Causing injury to myself would be vexing, but I won't achieve anything if I don't push myself beyond my limits. I won't be able to accomplish anything if I'm afraid of the consequences.

[Though he does pause when the other shinki mentions meeting with his god.]

I haven't. What of it?

[Maybe this meeting is important in establishing a borderline. If that's true, then that's even more annoying.]

[artificialrose]

[Bad news, Akutagawa.]

Well, some people find it easier, once they've met their god and been properly named. For example, my own borderlines were rather unsteady and unwieldy when I tried practicing them... but once I met my god, I found they got much better.

[They weren't perfect... but they became an actual line, instead of some... wobbly thing that accidentally hit people.]

[killercoat]

[ So what Akutagawa gets from this is...it's still possible to do a borderline, but it'll be much stronger when his god finally names him. It's annoyance, but it seems logical. Shinki are tools for the gods, and borderlines]

So it's stronger because you're linked to your god? That's understandable. However, if I go by your own experience, I should still be able to create it.

[So he's the least bit deterred.]

[artificialrose]

[Ah. Still stubborn, then. Well, it's.... probably a good sign, Garry supposes? If he tries this hard for his god, it should have a chance at being a pretty good partnership. All that's left is figuring out how the god is like. For now, he hums, finger tapping along his cheek.]

Well... For some people, it's a mental block. If they haven't met their god, it's hard to want to defend something strongly... Or, if they haven't run into an ayakashi, they can't summon up the right feelings to want to defend themselves against it.

Ayakashi... definitely inspire unique feelings in us. So they could be issues like that.

[He's not going to say that a lack of confidence or will is the problem. For one thing, it seems like the guy would take offense.]

[killercoat]

[ He will certainly take offense! Though in this situation, he's not brimming with confidence. He's dead, unsure of himself and even insecure of how useful he can be. At least, learning a new skill means he can evade thinking about his uncertainties and focus his energy on bettering himself. So when Garry speaks of a mental block his explanation seems sound.

Though he also brings up another point...to defend. He, of course, knows that a borderline is meant for that purpose, but honestly, he's not really passionate about defending anyone. Maybe a connection between a god and a shinki really needs to be formed.]

I won't know until I met an ayakashi to know if I harbor those feelings, but I suppose...you have a point. I don't really have the care to protect anyone, it just appears to be an obligation that shinki must carry out. I will have to see if my god is worthy of my protection first.

[He's certainly not going to protect someone who can't protect themselves. Who's weak and useless. Even with his own insecurities, he's not going to stand for his god to be inferior.]

[artificialrose]

Well... Even if it's not your god that you have any feelings for yet- [Because it might just be a matter of time, although Garry supposes it really does rely on the other party.] -you should at least want to protect yourself.

If you'd like, after all of this training is over... [He smiles over to him.] I could take you down to the Near Shore and we could try to find ayakashi together? It would give you an idea of what to expect, and we should just find small time ones that won't be too much of a threat.

[...Ideally...]

[killercoat]

Certainly. If I can't at least protect myself, then I would be unfit to do so for my god.

[ What Garry says makes sense to him. He acknowledges that he's a tool to be used, but he would be so weak as to be unable to defend himself. Still, there's a bit of disconnect, maybe because there isn't a real threat to instill a sense of self-preservation at the moment.

Though Garry seems to supply a viable solution to that as well. Akutagawa looks interested, even without agreeing to the suggestion.]

To the Near Shore? I don't have any issue in being your companion.

[Though he hopes that they depart soon.]

[artificialrose]

Ah.... You're sure you want to go now, then?

[He has to admit, he sort of thought that he'd want to take a moment to maybe find his god or practice some more... but hey, whatever works. He guesses this makes sense, too, from what he knows of this guy's personality.]

[killercoat]

Yes. You offered, so now you have to hold up your end of the bargain.

[ He presses because he's not going to let Garry backpedal his way out of this. He doesn't think that his eagerness would be such a surprise. Hunting ayakashi seems like a much better setting than this setup.]

Real experience will be more useful to me.

[artificialrose]

Ah... It's not as if I'm trying to back out of it or anything... [Way too intense...] We can go right now if you'd really like, although I'll have to think carefully of where to go that ayakashi will already be there.

[killercoat]

I'm sure a place where a lot of people are, could work for us. There would be a range of different level of ayakashi dwelling there if you were worried about that.

[Akutagawa is guessing, he doesn't know much about Ayakashi, but he knows their main prey are humans.]

[artificialrose]

Well, you're not wrong.... Well, I suppose there's no reason to wait. [Turning around, he gestures for Akutagawa to follow him.] This will be a good moment to teach you about shrines, as well.

[killercoat]

[Akutagawa follows after Garry as he beckons him over. The novice shinki is glad to be getting out of the dojo. Somehow the atmosphere seems a little suffocating for him.]

Shrines? You mean like a place of worship? Or a god's dwelling?

[artificialrose]

A little bit of both. [He smiles, raising two fingers.] The homes here in the Far Shore, which belong to gods, have a connection to every place in which they're formally worshipped. Sometimes that's a very large shrine, and other times it's smaller... But they're all on the Near Shore, where living people still are.

[killercoat]

A connection to the Near Shore?

[ Somehow when Garry makes that point, it sums up everything for Akutagawa.]

So that's how we can travel between the Far Shore and the Near Shore, through those shrines. But are you restricted to only use one shrine, say the shrine of your god?

[artificialrose]

That's right. I believe it's more polite to use your own god's, but there's nothing stopping you from using other people's. Ah, although... You should be careful and ask them about it first, at least.

It is a form of trespassing...

[And, well, the Far Shore is full of weirdos, although Garry would never say it so bluntly that way.]

[killercoat]

I'll be sure to remember that.

[Although it seems to be common sense. It's impolite to walk into someone's home and use their phone without permission. He can see how walking up to another god's temple, could be frowned upon. Though he's sure most gods are accommodating when it comes to an emergency.]

In that case, will we be using your god's temple to get the Near Shore?

[artificialrose]

[You'd be amazed at how uncommon common sense really is... Well, that's a little bit rude and something Garry won't say, at least not on the first meeting. Instead, he shakes his head.]

Amaterasu's shinki are honestly rather generous, and they've shown themselves to be more than fine with allowing people passage especially on days like this. I'm pretty sure they've even been guiding some people elsewhere... but then that just means that place isn't likely to have ayakashi near it.

[Rather, he can't imagine that Amaterasu's shinki would just dump them somewhere with ayakashi without any warning, not on a day like this.]

Ah, there it is. [He knew they couldn't be far off, and he hurries his long pace a little bit.]

[killercoat]

[Akutagawa doesn't believe he's lacking in common sense, so even if Garry utters his comment, he wouldn't so much as wrinkle his nose.

Either way, he makes note of Amaterasu's shinki's generosity. It seems for training purposes, they will allow them to use their shrine to enter the other shore. He follows after Garry as he seems to find the entryway. He wonders if there's something, in particular, he needs to look for in the future.]

There what is?

[artificialrose]

Just the spot we'll be using.

[It's to the front of the whole big building area, a simple little monument set to the side that would be otherwise easy to miss if Garry weren't drawing attention to it. He comes to a pause besides it, smiling.]

I think everyone's shrines are different, depending on a lot of factors... Although, being in Japan, they're also all similar in some way or another. So you should be able to recognize them in the future, even on the Near Shore.

[killercoat]

[ He looks over the facade of Amaterasu's shrine. There isn't really anything eye-catching about the front. Although, he notices that Garry is going towards a monument off to the side. There doesn't seem to be anything significant about it, but there must be a reason that Garry is standing beside it.

He makes note of the other's advice. Shrines in Japan tend to look quite identical, but if it's a Japanese deity, they should have something on their grounds that represent that god. He isn't too concerned about confusing them.]

I doubt I'll have any problem with the Japanese deities, but there seem to be foreign ones as well. They may not be so easily discernible.

[artificialrose]

Yes, and it can also depend a little bit on where in the country you are... Different ideas, different things available. But you'll learn to recognize them in time, I think.

[He holds his hand out to him with one hand on the shrine.]

People leave offerings to them no matter what god they're dedicated to, so you can also recognize them that way.