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

[beyondtheblade]

A somewhat melancholy, but fond smile suddenly crosses her face at that first thing. "You know, I suppose you aren't wrong. If I were to consider who I want to consider my family, my perspective changes a fair bit."

She blinks a little, but nods.

"I can understand that a lot, honestly. It took awhile for me to just... be able to push myself to pursue what I want. Even then, life has a way of circling back around... Fighting never stops." She looks around the room. "Not even here, evidently. Especially here, I would gather."

[cloakedinruins]

"It's something to think about. After all, blood can only go so far in the world."

He doubt that her family was like his, at least to the extent where she had to kill a member of it in order to save the rest of the world. But he wasn't sure, so he just didn't go into details, only smile faintly and glanced around the room. So far, nothing drastic had occurred but who knew what was going on with those that had left earlier.

"Duty to others before duty to self? I think most of us has that to some extent. As for fighting... I've found that all living things fight. From the smallest spore to the largest tree, fighting is a part of living. The choice we have is to find something worth fighting for."

[beyondtheblade]

She may not have had to do that yet, but there's certainly one she'd humor doing it to. Instead, she just replies lightly, "In some ways, it does not really matter at all."

She's going to just leave it at that unless prompted, but she nods.

"At least, that is what I've upheld for a long time. I've had inclination to think that perhaps sometimes, I should consider myself too, but... That may be harder here." She lets out a breath. "Yet, you are correct. Everyone fights, one way or another. I know who I have to fight for, at the least."

[cloakedinruins]

"Take it from someone who works way too much, finding time for yourself helps in the long run."

Shen Wei had his moments of reading trashy pulp fiction and listening to musicals, which sometimes ends up as part of his teaching courses for Chinese Lit in the mornings. He doubt that there were many students that had been paying attention enough to him to realize what they were actually talking about. Sometimes he barely had any time to wonder what he was teaching himself; it was way too early to be careful after all.

"Mm, do they fight with you?"

[beyondtheblade]

"It does, but," she shakes her head a bit. "That can be difficult at times. Especially when you don't have access to everything you've already built... such as the situation I find myself in, here."

She pauses a bit, thinking that over. "For all the ones I care for? Mm, in one way or another, I suppose that they do. In one way or another."

In that respect, she'd even count those who support them on the sidelines. They all provide something to that and fight in their own ways.

[cloakedinruins]

"Will it be that difficult to start again? Or are the materials hard to time in the Near Shore?"

Shen Wei had spent time among warriors, and then he had spent time by himself fighting to keep a peace he had a hand in making. He did not like it entirely, but he understood that to others he was not the approachable type.

"It must be nice to have people close enough you can be that close with."

[beyondtheblade]

Tsubasa blinks for a moment. She's normally one to take things very literally, so she doesn't understand what he means until she thinks for a moment at the first thing. "Ah, it is not so much physically building - I mean more, my career. I am a singer. It's something I had to work very hard to rise up in, and... I'm at the bottom, here."

She lets out a breath, and smiles lightly. "But, it is. We help keep one another grounded."

[cloakedinruins]

He is a science nerd that is also an alien who tends to forget that normal people don't think in literal terms. Considering the populace of the newer gods and their shinki, it wasn't that big of a stretch to think in terms of items than skills.

"Oh," he replied and then laughed at himself shaking his head. "I'm sorry; I have a lot on my mind... But I can understand that it is a hard place to start off at. I'm in a similar situation."

Although he feels his teaching career would be far easier to re-establish than a singing career.

"That's good that you have friends that you can rely on."

[beyondtheblade]

She waves a hand. She's a rather blunt instrument in conversation herself, and is prone to taking things too literal as well. She doesn't have the whole alien excuse, sadly.

"Not that I'm going to be too upset over it," she says, smiling a bit. "I'll make the best of things here. I already have a few ideas I can probably leverage, but... I need to find my legs, first of all."

Probably much easier, really, but. You also haven't heard her sing, she's pretty confident she won't have much trouble there.

"Mm, it is. Without them, I would... not be the person I am today."

[cloakedinruins]

"Don't we all," he murmured, looking at the pan and the pile of food. Shen Wei knew his habits and one of the more visible signs of nerves was his habit to cook and clean like one possessed.

He really needed to find himself other things to do besides that while he was here.

"I think everyone has someone like that in their life. Hopefully, you will always have them by your side for a long time to come, even here."

[beyondtheblade]

Tsubasa spies her own food, and realizes she's been talking instead of eating. She pops a bit in her mouth and chews thoughtfully, before nodding.

"As do I, at least, those who are here. I feel as though I would be in a rather poor state of mind without them, so... Here's hoping."