November Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: February 21st, 2017
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are brought into small one-on-one meeting rooms as they appear, with a white-robed shinki offering them an explanation of their current role, the name of the god they will represent or the god they will serve, and directions to the temple that will be their new home.

They are cordially invited to a training session beginning in early afternoon, after they've had the chance to return to their homes, meet their new partners, and have their questions answered.



Morning/On the Road

New gods and shinki are being packed off to their new temples for the morning to settle in and meet their partners -- this is also a good time to visit with new neighbors or explore the area! What does your new temple look like? Are you headed straight there, or taking the scenic route to get a better sense of your new surroundings? The Western District is still scarred from the aftereffects of a recent volcanic eruption and earthquake, with fissures in some of the roads and burn scars in the wild landscape. The volcanic ash, though, seems to be serving as fertilizer for vast swaths of unfamiliar and colorful wildflowers that line the roads despite the fact that the weather is late-February chilly.

Shinki Training

A well-appointed dojo has been prepared for newcomers to practice their physical or magical arts. Outside, there are two impromptu target practice areas: one is for long-range weapons, with targets set up against hay bales at the other side of a wide, grassy area and a line drawn for the weapons' wielders to stand behind. The other is for borderlines, and a number of young children wearing short coats marked with Amaterasu's golden chrysanthemum on white are dashing around practicing their own borderlines against scary paper masks tied onto bushes or other haybales. The game seems to require a cutting borderline that will cut the mask without damaging the gardeners' hard work on the bushes.

Inside the dojo, there's room for several pairs to spar, and weapons are set up all along one wall, everything from polearms to rifles, chakrams to broadswords. They're all meant for practice, with edges dulled or padded to avoid any accidental deaths, but sparring partners will still have to be careful to avoid injury. Although there are many fewer white-robed shinki here than usual, except for the children, there is one adult shinki keeping an eye on things inside the dojo and one keeping an eye on things in the yard. They are willing to answer questions, help with borderlines or teach shinki new spells on request. Comment to the NPC REQUEST form to request a thread with one of them or if you have questions about handwaving an interaction.

Physical Training

The last vestiges of winter have melted away from most of the Heavens, but one section of the Meeting Hall grounds appears not to have gotten the message. Snow is piled waist or even shoulder high, the trees and bushes show no sign of fresh leaves, and an ornamental pool is frozen as hard as a rock, with the drifting shadows of koi barely visible under the thick ice. It's the perfect opportunity to play in the snow, and many of the shinki children are already taking advantage of it, sliding on the ice or throwing snowballs.

For those who brave the heavy snow, they may discover an an old woman in the center of the frozen area. She's wearing heavy white makeup and a straw coat, and humming cheerfully as she pounds rice into mochi. Anyone who finds her will be offered freshly made mochi and a cup of warm sake to fortify them for the snowball fights!

Rest and Refreshments

Gods and shinki who are finished with their training can step into a large room in the Meeting Hall that has been set up with comfortable cushions and low tables. Tea, liquor and a wide variety of savory dishes are available, with the drinks already set out on the tables and the savory dishes set up in chafing dishes on a buffet table along one wall. Guests can help themselves, settle in, chat, and make new friends. There's even a dessert table, well-stocked with plenty of chocolate, most of which seems to be mysteriously heart-shaped.

After eating, there are a variety of board and card games available for guests to play. From classic games like shogi, go and mahjong to more modern ones like Trivial Pursuit or Pictionary -- or Cards Against Humanity -- there's something for everyone.

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Practice sparring or shinki magic
• Enjoy a buffet dinner and party games
• Have fun~

Comments

[reloves]

I think it's just us new ones..? I'm not sure though, I haven't talked much with the other kind of shinki. So you might have to ask them yourself if you manage to chase one down today. [ Since they don't exactly seem to be around as much as usually, so there's no way to just.. drag one over right now.. ]

But.. hmm, ayakashi, huh? I guess it's kind of hard to explain since they come in so many different forms. Sometimes they're shadow-like creatures controlling humans, but I've also been chased down by one in the shape of a bear!

[ She does not sound nearly as bothered as one should probably be by that last part.. Just as if she's only casually recalling a story. ]

[hypomeneo]

[Probably for the best as the older ones would immediately begun to shun them for reminding them of the past and to avoid potential infection of interest in it.]

Variable manifestations... alright...

Yeah... but how do they form? ... you know, aside from us turning. Tell me how they work. Are they the collections of the negative energy, sin, and bad karma of humanity? A more mundane corruption of souls? Some sort of evil experiment gone terribly wrong ages back and now we're waging an eternal war to keep the spiritual balance from going even more out of wack than it already is?

[... alright, that last is more snark than not... but possible?

Who knows around here. His guide told him shit after all.]

[reloves]

[ The snark goes miles over her head.. Minako thinks he's just throwing actual suggestions out here left and right. Such a helpful guy with beautiful hair, trying to think along with her here!! ]

It seems to be the first, from what I've heard. They're made out of negative emotions.. So yes, some ayakashi actually aren't shinki turned into one. Most aren't. I don't think I've heard of anyone here turning into an ayakashi.. not recently, anyway.

[ Since.. you know, the old gods! Who knows how long they've been here! Minako doesn't want to hurt her brain by trying to think of possibly infinite time.. ]

So they just form around places where humans live.

[hypomeneo]

[You just want to play with that hair, admit it. That's how it starts...]

... huh. Wonder what happens to the positive side of the equation.

Are they're always mindless or do they have degrees of intelligence? What do you get in terms of behavior?

[reloves]

[ Waver is making her brain work harder than it has in months, if not longer! But Minako is really trying to be helpful here, so she's seriously considering it for a moment. It's kind of a difficult question, and she ends up scratching her head for a moment before answering. ]

I wouldn't say they're entirely mindless, but they do seem to act on instinct most of the time..? I wouldn't say they're as smart as humans or anything, and maybe it depends on the specific ayakashi, but some seem to be capable of thinking at least a little bit.

[hypomeneo]

Would you say that's more true of the bigger ones?

[Waver was a teacher along with being a politician in that former life; mental workouts are allllll part of the package here. You have smarts, Minako - class is in session and it's time to use them.

Also, he would bet money on there being intelligent ayakashi. That's just how things tend to roll with these things.]

[reloves]

I'm not sure if it's just size..

[ .. geez, this is making her head hurt. Minako frowns like she really has to dig for the answer to this - thankfully it doesn't involve going anywhere near the black hole that is her complete lack of memories, so she's safe from doing something dumb enough to blight herself. ]

Maybe more.. the kind of ayakashi? There's simple ones that might have come into being with one task in mind, so that's all they know.. and then maybe others are more complex?

[ She shakes her head. ]

I'm not sure. You seem really interested in them though-- you must be taking this whole "dealing with ayakashi" task pretty seriously! Does that mean I can expect something in return for being a real help here?

[hypomeneo]

I believe in know thy enemy. In battle, success is based around how well you know both your own and your opponent's capabilities. Here... well, knowing yourself is a dangerous thing. So understanding ayakashi is crucial.

[Waver raises a palm as he answers; the words coming both from the part of himself that is Zhuge Liang and his long experience as a Lord.]

My gratitude at least. Hopefully the favor of knowledge being repaid in the future if I can use it well.

[reloves]

[ Yes, yes, Waver, you've already established yourself as The Smart Guy in Minako's mind. But now she's latched onto the idea of what she can get out of him, she's practically single-minded at this point. She even bounches from foot to foot a bit in excitement, a grin on her face. ]

Oh, there's actually some very specific knowledge you can repay me with right away! Right now!

[hypomeneo]

[SUDDENLY WARY.]

And what's that?

[reloves]

Do you have any tips on great hair products?

[ There's not a single indication that she's experiencing any sort of shame while saying that nor that she's joking. ]

[hypomeneo]

High grade salon shampoo and conditioner - sulphate free. Argan oil.

And cold water for washing.

[... then there's his homemade alchemy based hair masques to literally help seal in the magic but you need to max out your bond level with him to get the recipe.]

[reloves]

[ She seems extremely pleased with that answer. Especially since he gave the question some serious thought without calling it ridiculous or something.

Hence why she is literally giving him a thumbs up right now. ]

Great! I just knew you were pretty cool for an old man. [ That's.. probably a compliment.. ] If you need anything later on, just look for my name on the phones, Minako Aino! I'll gladly help!

[hypomeneo]

[His hair is very important, okay? Mages take that shit seriously.

Also, hey! HEY! He is from the later half of Generation X, thank you very much! He is mature... not old... despite mocking comments to Judar.

Zhuge Liang on the other hand is as old as sin. And since Waver is Zhuge and Zhuge is Waver, despite them being two separate people initially... okay fiiiiiiiiiiiine... don't rub it in too much.]

Good to know I've not become that guy that yells at people to get off the lawn, or some other rot...

[That is absolutely dry snark.]

I'll keep that in mind, my lady. Of course, being the old man I am, the phone might not cooperate, but I'll muddle through.

[And sarcastic cracks at his age. And at mage technophobia.]

[reloves]

Great, I'll be waiting!

[ She smiles, either completely oblivious to the snark or just willingly chosing to ignore it. You may be an old man, Waver, but at least you're one with style. And she can appreciate that! ]

Bye for now then..!

[hypomeneo]

Bye. See you...

[He waits till she's gone.]

Christ.

... I hope this doesn't set the tone for the rest of the day.

[... if he only knew.

But off he goes, in search of answers and his new god. What a start to a new life.]