December Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: March 8, 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 midafternoon, once 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, which are spreading out even further with the onset of Spring. Strangely, there are many fewer flowering trees than might be expected.

Shinki Training

A well-appointed dojo has been prepared for newcomers to practice the 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 what look like old clothes and sheets rescued from the rag pile and hung from trees or stuffed with straw to serve as targets. Some of the children are trapping their straw-stuffed targets by dancing in circles around them, hands held as they sing the Kagome song; others are using cutting borderlines to bring sheets fluttering down.

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 interact with one of them or if you have any questions about handwaving an interaction.

Physical Training

The cherry blossoms that had begun to bloom across the Meeting Hall grounds seem to have experienced a mysterious mishap. Buds and half-opened blossoms alike have rained down from the branches, carpeting the fresh spring grass below with soggy brown and black rot. Several gardener shinki, with their sleeves tied back and sensible heavy aprons to protect their white uniforms, are raking up the fallen blossoms and trying to coax the trees back to health with powders and straw wraps to protect the trees' trunks from nightly chill. They need help: climb the trees and sprinkle the knots along the branches with invigorating powders to encourage fresh buds, or help the gardeners hold the straw in place around the tree trunks while it's wrapped with cloth, or just help rake up the dead flowers.

Besides the cherry problems, the gardens are beautiful and just beginning to burst into spring bloom. Tulips, crocuses and daffodils are sprouting everywhere, and once the borderline game is done, the child shinki are quickly organizing a garden-wide game of hide-and-go-seek. Find the best hiding spot you can, and make a break for home base as soon as you're sure the seeker is too far away to catch you! But don't run into anyone on the way.

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. A fresh springtime menu is available: lightly flower-scented teas, plum wine, and a variety of little savory or sweet snacks to nibble on while waiting for dinner. Dinner turns out to be okonomiyaki: bowls with mixed batter and a plate full of tasty add-ins are brought out, and griddles at the center of the table heated to let every guest set out their own favorite add-ins, pour batter over, and make a savory pancake. It's a little tricky to flip with the tiny spatulas provided, but it should only take a few pancake disasters to get the hang of it, probably!

After eating, a few doves will flutter into the room, dropping off scrolls to certain people, and the frazzled-looking adult shinki from the earlier training session dashes to the front of the room to try to keep everyone occupied. He's reading from a handful of printouts with corporate icebreaker ideas: pin a secret card to the back of everyone's shirt and ask whoever you meet for clues to figure out what it says! Fill out a bingo card with different skills or experiences your fellow gods and shinki have! Figure out how to stack every piece of furniture in the room onto just one table... play a game where you're only allowed to reply with questions... switch tables every five minutes and see how well you can get to know the other person there before your five minutes are up. Wait, isn't that speed dating? He seems to be running out of ideas.

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 some icebreakers
• Have fun~

Comments

[timeforpink]

[ Since Jen is in Training Mode (tm), she is practically at attention. Nothing can distract her now. o9 ]

The basics, yes. I know it takes time to master, so I want as much training as I can get.

[ And almost as an afterthought— ]

Thank you for offering. It's an important skill for us to have.

[ Maybe so, Jen, but it's okay to be a little bit chill... ]

[unlucky7]

[There's a sense in the way Jen carries herself that she's someone with training. That Ginia can appreciate; focus makes learning and mastering borderlines much easier. As she walks around the table, Ginia slashes a borderline down. It springs into form like a thin sheet of glass, a glimmer of light along the smooth surface the only thing keep it visible.]

We'll start defensive and then move into offensive. Go ahead and put down a borderline. Keep it up as long as you can, but release it if it gets too draining.

[timeforpink]

[ Taking a deep breath, Jen nods. This is still only her first day. She doesn't expect to be good at this yet, but at the very least she wants to show that her commitment to mastering this is firm. She points her fingers like she was taught to, concentrates, and draws a line on thr ground.

There's light, and there's the shimmering wall, and it holds—for five seconds.

Muttering a curse, Jen lets go and the line dissipates. ]

I'll get better. [ She may or may not have a solo training schedule in mind already. ] Will that be enough to train with you now?

[ She doesn't want to waste Ginia's time. ]

[unlucky7]

[Once in awhile there's a shinki that gets it right away and can hold borderlines for several seconds into minutes with ease. Ginia was not that shinki at the start and the sight of the borderline flickering to life and fading seconds later is familiar. Her smile is reassuring.]

Of course.

First, you'll want to say "line" out loud when you're casting. It's possible to cast without it, but at the start, it helps direct your focus.

Second, keep intent in mind. A borderline is a shield to protect so it's easy when there's a target to keep away. It's why it's so effective against ayakashi. Since there aren't any here, feel free to focus on keeping me back if it helps.

[timeforpink]

[ Jen nods. That helps. The guidance about defense is especially helpful given it's peaceful here.

Okay. She gets into position again, says "line!" firmly, and concentrates.

There's a little wobbling at first, but the border holds firm for longer now. Ten seconds, a little longer-- Jen lets it go when she starts to feel a little drained. No sense expending all her energy on just two tries, right? ]

That felt better.

[ She allows herself a small, quick smile as she meets Ginia's gaze. ]

[unlucky7]

[Much better. The improvement is already there and Ginia grins and gives a thumbs up. Her own borderline may still be up, solid and unchanging, but the months make a difference. She's held her borderlines for hours on end, minutes in peace is nothing.]

Good! Remember that feeling, of creating it and how it feels to hold it. It gets easier, I promise.

[She walks over to her borderline, easily passing through it back and forth. Makes sense, her barrier should hold other things out but not impede herself. But by changing her focus, Ginia creates a barrier that resists herself too. She reaches out and raps her knuckles against the barrier, knocking on the now solid surface.]

Most people don't realize you can use a borderline to resist yourself too. Useful if you need to create a bridge or do things like this.

[Taking a few steps back, Ginia gets a running start and leaps at her barrier, jumping off it for more height and doing an easy flip on the fall down. Show off.]

[timeforpink]

[ The praise bolsters Jen's resolve. Practice will get her to master this basic technique.

She was one of the people who wouldn't have expected a borderline that could feel solid to the caster. She murmurs a soft wow as Ginia taps her knuckles on it, and then laughs a little. That's some well deserved showing off. ]

About how long did it take you to master that?

[unlucky7]

[Ginia leans against her barrier as she thinks. Having been around for so many months, it's hard to pinpoint when she learned and mastered things. Unlike spells, once she figured something out and practiced, it clicked pretty quickly.]

I'm not entirely sure. Once you have the basics for borderlines, all other things follow pretty quickly. It's the confidence part and knowing you can do things in the first place.

[She pushes off the barrier and dispels it in the process.]

Want to try attacking borderlines? Sometimes people have an easier time with that than defensive borderlines.

[timeforpink]

[ So, that means Jen will do great once she's practiced enough. Excellent. ]

Sure. This is the first time I've heard about that, though. Is the casting process the same?

[ Knowing the method Helps. It's just how she is, it seems. ]

[unlucky7]

Yes, but instead of thinking of a wall, you want to focus on a blade edge.

[Ginia takes one of the brochures off the table and sets it on the ground. Left hand in halberd position, she focuses on channeling the borderline into a slicing edge. She slashes her hand through the air, a neat slash across the paper.]

With practice, you can cut exactly what you want to cut. Starting out, you might end up slicing deeper than you intend. Give it a try.

[timeforpink]

[ A blade edge. Jen nods, concentrating, and points her fingers like a halberd. Aiming for one of the pieces of brochure on the ground, she swings her hand down while calling "line!"

Just like Ginia said, the borderline cuts an inch or two into the ground, but it does cut. That's good enough for her, for starters. ]

This is more versatile than I thought. [ And she has a good foundation to work off now.

She gives Ginia a smile. ] Thank you.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia smiles and gives a thumbs up.]

Borderlines attacks hurt ayakashi, but it's not a rending. At best it'll slow them down, sometimes chase them off. It can also cut through weaker borderlines.

[timeforpink]

[ All of which translates to "they can be used to protect people" in Jen's mind. ]

Got it. [ This calls for more training. o9 ] Time to get back to the temple and find a spot to practice. I'll see you around.

[ And if there's nothing else, she'll head off. ]