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

[bakusatsuo]

New Shinki Acquired (Locked to Zhao)

[Someone has just been told that his new shinki is Midoriya Izuku. It's really hard to miss that someone, because after he turned briefly white with shock, there was a rapidly increasing amount of yelling at high volume coming from him - mostly furious negation, and swearing, and threats, and more swearing. Fortunately, Bakugou's rather better than his word most of the time - in that he rarely follows through with any of the violence he threatens - and he storms out of the main hall with the scene he made remaining in the realm of the purely verbal.

Once outside, he leans against a wall, head in his hands, fingers gripping at his own skull like he wishes he could squeeze the thoughts he's having out of it by force. His teeth are gritted so hard it's a wonder they don't crack.]


Rest & Refreshments

[It's been a long, emotionally charged day for Bakugou. Normally, he'd have gladly taken the opportunity to do some training, to blow off steam - but with the weight that got dropped on him, the emotions he'd blown up with and even more the emotions he's had to suppress, he's exhausted his reserves in a way that's left him feeling more depleted than any workout. He's mostly kept to himself today, and he's doing so again now, mechanically eating some finger sandwiches without even grousing about the stupidity of sandwiches you need to eat six or seven of to fill up on.

If you saw him flipping out earlier, this could be your chance to ask him what the hell all that was about. Or maybe you have your own reasons for approaching him. This is certainly the calmest he's ever likely to be, if only because he doesn't have the energy for his usual confrontational attitude.]

new shinki

[wildguardian]

[Yeah, it's hard to miss the shouting. Even from outside the room where the gods are sequestered, it's hard.

Zhao Yunlan reflects that there are advantages to having a god who's as extravagant with his feelings as Bakugou: shinki might not be able to feel their gods' feelings the way gods feel their shinki's, but it's impossible to miss it when Bakugou's upset.

He's waiting outside when Bakugou storms out and leans back against the wall, head in his hands, tension snapping in every joint. He doesn't reach out, not yet. He has some sense. Instead, he leans back against the wall next to his god, unwrapping a lollipop.]

What happened?

[He lodges the candy in his cheek and slants Bakugou a concerned glance.]

[bakusatsuo]

[It takes Bakugou several long seconds to respond. He's trying to make sure he's got control of his voice and how it sounds before he opens his mouth.]

...I've got another shinki now, apparently. But he's someone I knew from home. He's my fucking rival from home. And they're telling me he's fucking dead, and he's forgotten everything, and I'm just supposed to be fucking okay with it...?

[He angrily pounds a fist on the wall behind him.]

They're fucking lying. There's no way he'd just fucking die.

[wildguardian]

It happens to the best of us.

["There's no way he'd just fucking die," well --

Well. There's a lot of dead people here, and there are a lot of ways to die, especially if whoever this new guy is was someone who was a "rival" to Bakugou. So-- another person with those kind of powers, in other words? Another fighter for justice?

Yeah, it's not hard for Zhao to imagine that someone in that line of work could wind up dead.]

Have you met him yet? Or do you think they're fucking with you over the whole "he's here and he's your new shinki" bit?

[bakusatsuo]

No, you don't fucking get it. [Bakugou's voice is harsh, ragged.] I've known him since we were fucking babies, he's been running after me since we could fucking walk, I wasn't able to get rid of him no matter what I did! Even when I treated him like shit, he kept running after me! Somebody that stubborn doesn't just die!

[Although, his treacherous mind whispers, maybe he's only here to follow you.

No!]

That stupid fucking nerd who's been obsessed with me for forever, and poof, he's not gonna remember me at all...?

[Zhao may be picking up on the fact that Bakugou is shaken to his core by this. Obviously from Bakugou's statements, Bakugou was hugely important to this Deku, while Bakugou himself was dismissive if not outright cruel to him for at least part of their lives...but Bakugou's clearly not taking to the idea of Deku having died and forgotten him like a duck to water, here.]

And his quirk... [Shit, how much can he tell Zhao? It's true that Zhao's not even from their world, that he hasn't seen anyone from their world at all yet, he and Deku might be alone in the heavens in that regard, and as such All Might's secret could hardly get back to anyone if Bakugou told him. But...well, one never knows. And Bakugou had said he'd keep All Might's secret, that he wouldn't go blabbing it the way Deku did, so he should follow both the letter and the spirit of the law he laid down for himself.

Something...a little ambiguous, then.]

Deku's quirk is supposed to become the most powerful quirk in our whole fucking world. Am I supposed to believe he just got wiped out? That something that was supposed to help the world that fucking much just got fucking deleted from the face of the earth?

[He hits the wall again.]

...I haven't seen him yet. How the fuck am I supposed to even do this? [How is he supposed to pretend he and Deku are strangers? How is he supposed to name him, watch him die?

But, even as he asks, Bakugou knows that - somehow - he will. There's no alternative. Who the hell else would he trust with his rival? Who would he trust with One For All? Hell, he doesn't even trust Deku with One For All, if he's forgotten he has it or how to use it.]

[wildguardian]

[The impression that Zhao's getting from this disconnected rant isn't at all "I was important to him but he wasn't important to me." If anything, it's the opposite. It sounds like Bakugou looked up to this "rival" of his as much as vice versa; you don't get that upset about someone's death, don't break down and claim that he's too powerful to die, that he could help the world too much to die, if you think he's a loser.

It sounds like Bakugou's kind of ashamed of having treated him like shit, actually.

Fuck, does he still think the world's fair and people who try hard enough succeed just because they tried?

Zhao rubs a hand over his mouth, stubble catching and dragging over his callused fingertips.]

I don't know who I knew back when I was alive. [This isn't the time to be flippant, and he's not as good at serious conversations he can't lighten with humor.] So I can't give you personal advice on how to deal with something like that-- on dealing with somebody who forgot you.

But if I were him, I'd want you just to be yourself. Don't say anything about it, but don't try and act differently, either.

[bakusatsuo]

I know him too fucking well. How am I supposed to pass off pretending I don't? [But, again, this is a question Bakugou more or less knows the answer to already. His act probably won't be that convincing...but it doesn't have to be. Because Deku doesn't remember him. He won't remember what Bakugou is like, won't be able to read him the way he could at home. They're not on the same wavelength anymore.

(Granted, one could argue that, in many ways, they never had been. But at the same time, they'd synced up effortlessly a lot of times, too. Only in some ways had they been opposites.)]

[chibisu]

[It had, quite frankly, been hard to miss all the screaming and yelling, especially for someone with an overwhelming amount of curiosity. Fortunately, Ebisu's shinki are here as always, and he's been discouraged from being too nosy in matters that don't involve him.]

[...Which isn't to say that he's staying away completely. After watching the morose way that Bakugou has been picking at the sandwiches, Ebisu detaches from his pair of shinki and carefully slides over a piece of chocolate. With a certain holiday looming, it's no surprise that there's so much of it.]

Here. This should help a little more.

[bakusatsuo]

[Bakugou is jerked out of his brooding by the encroaching chocolate, which he blinks numbly at for a moment before glancing up at the person pushing it over. He has to replay the words in his head for a moment to make sense of them.] ...should help with what more?

[chibisu]

I've heard that chocolate makes people feel better. [Unaware or perhaps willfully ignoring the hot headed nature of the teen before him, he smiles.] Apparently there's scientific studies and everything.

I should introduce myself. My name is Ebisu, God of Fortune for fishing and commerce.

[bakusatsuo]

[Bakugou reaches out and takes the chocolate, taking an absent-minded bite. He's not hungry or even really interested; at this point complying just seems easier than refusing it.

Ebisu...god of fortune...fishing and commerce. His brain files those things away, before some fragment of memory in regards to some of their godly orientation stirs. God of fortune...that's a high level god title.]

Bakugou Katsuki. Or Mars, I guess. God of war. [While he might have been on the warpath earlier, he's remarkably subdued for such a title now.]

[chibisu]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Mars-sama.

[Because what is using people's actual names- well. Listen. If there's a problem, he'll be certain to take it into consideration. Everyone seems to have such specific preferences on how they're addressed.]

[For now, he just cranes his head back, trying to see if there's anything in particular that's wrong. This is some serious spacing out from someone who was so lively not that long ago...]

Are you sick, Mars-sama?

[bakusatsuo]

[A high-ranking god, and one who uses Bakugou's god name. So then this Ebisu is probably one of the old gods, for all that he's physically young.

That's a pain, because Bakugou's not sure if he can explain his problem to someone who's always been a god. Or, at least, he can explain it, but he's not sure a born god will be able to understand what it's like, how it feels.]

Someone I knew when I was alive showed up here. They assigned him to me as my shinki. He wasn't dead before I got pulled out of my own life. Plus he's lost all memory of ever knowing me.

Rest & Refreshments

[hakingitup]

[That was... loud. Very loud. He blinked for a moment at the boy who had originally shouted, swearing, getting angry, and he put himself in two minds. One of them being that he should just leave the guy alone, but the other being that perhaps he just needed something to drink or talk to someone.

He just placed a glass of water in front of him, and looked right at him.]

You're pretty loud.

[bakusatsuo]

[Bakugou eyes the water briefly, then looks at the person who put it in front of him. He's able to rouse enough emotion to look vaguely unimpressed.] You always this astute, or is this a special occasion?

[hakingitup]

No, incredibly, your shouting made me more astute. [He also looks completely unimpressed. At you, Bakugou.] Congratulations.

[bakusatsuo]

It probably wasn't hard. [The snark might be halfhearted, but it's there.]

What do you want?

[hakingitup]

Came to see what the commotion was about. That's all.

[Gonna sit, polish his polearm now.]

Cause it was noisy.

[bakusatsuo]

[Is that what the kids call it these days]

If I fucking admit it was loud, will you go away? [Bakugou doesn't have the patience for this shit. More to the point, he doesn't know what else this guy wants by harping on how loud he was unless he wants some sort of apology. Which he won't get, if Bakugou has anything to say about it. But maybe acknowledgment would be good enough.]

R&R

[letteropener]

You look like you could use some of these.

[A plate of cookies drops down by him, the golden glow around them fading as Celestia releases her telekinesis spell. A moment later she steps up herself to smile at him, as warm and reassuring as can be.]

Rough day?

[bakusatsuo]

[You know, Bakugou had thought he couldn't be fazed.

After all, he comes from a world that, even by the standards of the heavens, is distinctly unusual. He's seen plenty of unusual people here in the Far Shore, but he hasn't seen anyone made of mist like Kurogiri yet. He hasn't seen anyone covered in disembodied hands, like Shigaraki. He hasn't seen anyone with engines embedded in their legs, or tape dispensers embedded in their arms, or with the head of a dog, or with hair like vines, or a head that's actually a giant centipede, or a body made of sludge. His own world has been, for the most part, far weirder than anything the heavens could throw at him.

Until now.

When a winged unicorn with sparkling eyes and a mane of rainbows walks up, speaking like a person, Bakugou thinks that even All For One would call that new.

He stares at her, mouth slightly agape.]

...what in the good goddamn are you?

[Sorry, Celestia. Even if Bakugou were 100% convinced he wasn't hallucinating, his manners would probably be no better.]

[letteropener]

[It's fine, she's very used to it. Very, very used to it, after all her time here in the Far Shore where she is the only pony and most people are used to equines that neither talk nor have wings nor magic.]

[She's a little exhausted from it all, but she'll never let that show.]

I am Princess Celestia, and I am an alicorn pony from the land of Equestria. That means I am a pony with the wings of a pegasus, the horn of a unicorn, and the strength and endurance of an earth pony.

[bakusatsuo]

Equestria. Fuck. [Bakugou rubs a hand over his face.] Was Horseland taken?

[It's been a long day, but honestly, that's not even an excuse. He's this rude without any provocation at all a lot of the time.

He looks at the plate of cookies, belatedly registers that it was flying, then looks back up at her.] You can make shit float? [This he finds less surprising. One of his own classmates can make things float. At least where he comes from, making things float isn't a rare talent, just a specific one.]

[letteropener]

[That, too, Celestia allows to pass, in favor of answering his question with serene patience.]

All unicorns, or perhaps I should say, all ponies with horns are capable of telekinesis. It is the simplest of spells, and comes as naturally to us as using your hands must to you.

[She suspects she's in for some irritation or dismissiveness regarding magic, despite its obvious display here.]

[bakusatsuo]

[Surprisingly, no. For one thing, Bakugou saw it in action. For another thing, magic honestly isn't as out there as a magical talking unicorn with wings to him. And, finally...well, it's basically just telekinesis, right? It might be quirks rather than magic, but that exists even in his own world. Hell, Deku's mom can use that shit.

...shit, why'd he think of her? Is she back home mourning her son? Her son that's forgotten all about her?

Fuck. Back to the magic pony. Weird as she is, he'd rather hurt his head than his heart right now.]

What do you want? [Technically, she's already made her intention to (at least attempt to) comfort him clear from the outset, but in the course of his shock and then getting sidelined by his painful inner thoughts, he hasn't really processed it.]