October Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: February 6th, 2017
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore (and optionally, the slopes of a recently erupting volcano)
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 at least one unrecognized god who the Heavens believe to be attacking them, and another recent incursion by an unrecognized god ended in his defeat and the extinguishing of the volcano he had caused to erupt. 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

There are stacks of informational pamphlets sitting out on tables around the dojo. There are five or six white-robed shinki present, who will willingly answer any questions or instruct newcomers in the use of the borderline. They accompany their answers, or their 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. Both Sabimei and his animated straw training dummies are absent from this training session, but standard, inanimate straw targets have been lined up outside, and a few rings are laid out on the frozen ground for friendly sparring matches. (Shinki characters who are interested in learning more about the borderlines or want to learn new shinki spells or songs may approach any of the training shinki for advice or instruction. Please remember to comment on the Shinki Spells page when your character begins to learn a new spell, excluding the borderline.)

Physical Training

There is still clean-up left to work on from the volcano's eruption. Two tengu (one of whom characters might recognize as the hot springs' proprietor) have volunteered to help transport any gods or shinki who are willing to help clear trees, dig or wash away ash on roads and roofs, and repair damage to occupied temples. The abandoned temples that were damaged by the earthquake and volcano are being left to decay, although anyone who's curious about them could take the offer of a free ride to explore some of those abandoned and damaged buildings as well. Some might contain old books or mementos of the long-vanished owners; others have nothing left inside but dust, mold, and curious spirits.

Back at the training ground, characters who aren't helping clean up the Western district have the option of playing sparring games to test their reflexes. The white-robed shinki are organizing them into pairs in the marked circles and explaining the rules: each participant is given 10 seconds on offense to score a hit with any weapon of their choice, from bare hands to sparring weaponry to shinki magic, while their partner is only allowed to dodge or defend. After five rounds, the person with more points gets to declare a penalty for their partner: drawing on their face with a marker, ordering them to do something silly or embarrassing, making them fetch tea... it's up to the winner!

Rest and Refreshments

After the gods' training lecture is finished, a few of the white-robed shinki bustle back in to set up craft tables and a buffet area. This time, the theme seems to be a sweet English tea: little cakes, scones, jams, cookies, tiny finger sandwiches and a vast array of chocolates are available, as well as many different teapots, with hot water dispensers and loose tea available to let everyone brew to their own tastes as they venture in to rest or talk to their new partners.

Over on the craft tables, there's all kinds of art and craft supplies available, from construction paper to calligraphy brushes, glitter to gouache. Signs on the tables encourage gods and shinki to show their appreciation for each other with a valentine letter or card. It's a bonding exercise! There is a lot of glitter. And glue. Hopefully, no one's wearing their nice clothes.

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Explore damaged temples or practice sparring
• Enjoy a tea and make some valentines
• Have fun~

Comments

[purr_ince]

[Boy does Adrien feel that on a deep level that is painful. So much that he's just stunned into silence while Dust talks. At least for a minute or two before he finds his words.] Aren't you making a lot of assumptions here? Pretty bold ones at that. Shouldn't she be the one to decide who she wants to be with? And you can't make a choice without seeing all the offers on the table. [Adrien arches a brow at him.] I get you're scared and you think she's way out of your league. Boy! oh boy, do I get it because been there done that have the t-shirt. But you don't have the right to assume what she wants or how she'll react like that.

[mithrarin]

Yeah. I might be wrong. But these are my best judgments on how she'll react to me saying anything... especially since I think she's been on a date or two already.

[Which had intensely surprised him, and he might be misreading it? But if she had such an interest, it had never, ever been directed at him.]

[purr_ince]

But it isn't Your call to make. It's hers. You don't know what's in her heart or in her head and it's dumb of you to just .... strip away her right to know and choose. [He shrugged his shoulders before folding his arms over his chest.] A couple dates doesn't mean she's committed to anyone. I mean it's just a date Not a ring, not a label of being someone's something - lover, girlfriend, partner, soulmate - I think you're just scared and you're letting it control you. Like how I was in my nightmares. Don't do that.

[mithrarin]

It's between a slim chance of getting what I want and the much more likely that she'll be weirded out and I'll lose my best friend! What kind of a choice is that?

[purr_ince]

I just don't know. Who else has had to take that very same risk? Not too far back, hm? And you told me to. Are you really going to hide behind this nonsense?

I feel like you're just a broken record because you want to be a coward. You're not going to lose her. I'm sure that you won't. Things might be tense for a while but.. at the end of it all she'll still be there.

[mithrarin]

I'm pretty sure if I'd known there was someone else involved I'd have hesitated a lot more. Besides, how did that work out for you? It's not like... I have someone else, or anyone else, I can fall back on the way I have her...

[What other friends could he lean on? In Dust's view, few.]

[purr_ince]

And I'm pretty sure it would have come out any way so why not where I can control things? [He knows Dust doesn't mean to be an jerk but he's pushing on some barely healed wounds.] It worked out how it was meant to work out. Things happen as they're meant to when you take action. Now I know you're just being a coward. You have me and Marinette. Sure you're not in love with us or whatever but we're friends. We're kind of like a family. It's not the same as whatever girl it is you like but you're not alone either. If she breaks your heart you have access to a bakery of sweets, chocolate; plus, all the soft blankets to curl up in and movies you can binge. If it goes well? We'll cheer you on.

[mithrarin]

[Dust feels like Adrien is pushing on a sore spot in turn, meaning he's being a bit more blunt than he ordinarily would.]

[Adrien... doesn't understand, Dust concludes. He and Chinatsu just... fit together in ways he didn't with anyone else. It's why he fell for her, but also why he's terrified to lose her.]

...You know that in that case, my best treatment would be to go out and fight as many ayakashi as I could find, right? [The sweet stuff he can't argue with, but blankets and movies aren't his style for comfort. Entertainment maybe, but not comfort.]

[purr_ince]

[He gets it better than Dust thinks he does. But fine.] Even if you don't tell her you might lose her. You do know that, right? She may start date dating someone eventually. She'll want their company more than yours. She'll set aside more time for them than you because that's what happens. People drift apart when relationships come into play. You suffering in silence isn't a free pass to stay in her life forever. Back home there was a boy - actually a lot of other boys - that liked Marinette; want to be her boyfriend liked Marinette - Nino, Nathaniel, Luka, some creepy older guy named Theo... And I kept saying 'Oh she's just a really good friend' But you know what happens? you get jealous. Boy do you get jealous and that stuff festers and boils and then you lash out. Things go bad and you're left to clean up a mess. Do whatever you need to do after but stop being ruled by fear. It's only going to mess with you more the longer you try to push it off and ignore it.

[mithrarin]

[Dust is silent for a long minute. Then another, and another.]

[He can't argue any of that. It's already happening. And though he doesn't think Chinatsu would ever forget him... losing time for him seems very possible indeed. She already has other obligations. Other friends. The idea that he can hold on to what they have is childish, laughable.]

[By any measure, their friendship as he knows it is doomed.]

Yeah. ...I get what you mean.

[purr_ince]

So do something about it. You have a chance. You don't know anything for certain right now. If you don't do it you'll regret it.

[mithrarin]

Yeah.

[He can't argue that. Doesn't like being pinned into a corner, but Adrien has very good points indeed. Put that way, if their friendship is doomed already...]

I'll have to think of something. Subtle.

[purr_ince]

Try a letter or a poem. Something like that is always nice and it might help you get your feeling across better if you write them down.

[mithrarin]

That's not like me, so -- not subtle. I'd rather not make it seem too jarring, that'll get her defensive. I've got to -- ease into it.

[purr_ince]

Flowers and sweet things are traditional. Believe me when I say there are over the top things that you can do that are absolutely not subtle like flash mobs or something like that.

[mithrarin]

No, no... what I need to go for, I mean, is bringing her around to the idea that maybe dating would be not such a bad thing. Make it seem like something she arrived at on her own. Chinatsu's the type of girl to dig her heels, especially if it's something that surprises her. She'd say no on reflex.