godsoffortune: (Default)
The Far Shore Mods ([personal profile] godsoffortune) wrote in [community profile] thenearshore2019-04-16 07:01 pm

April Training

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: May 8th 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, 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.

    Once the speech is over, new gods are joined with the rest of the gods in a larger room, although it still has a raised stage and tatami mats. There are worried whispers that they might be given another questionnaire to fill out as was the case a month and a half ago, while others are wondering if this is an impromptu conclave to follow up on Suijin's findings on behalf of Amaterasu.

    Well, after a few minutes, Fuujin arrives - with Kaede close behind him. "I hear you all plan on sticking around, so listen up." He crosses his arms and walks towards the front of the stage. "You want to prove we can trust you so much, you can pull your own weight. This whole time, we've been training you and your shinki. Time to show us what you've learned and just how much effort you're willing to put in off the battlefield. Kaede, explain." Fuujin steps back, and Kaede steps forward.

    "What my Lord Fuujin means is that we will begin accepting volunteers for temples of the New Gods to host these training sessions. Training should continue to cater to the needs of God and Shinki alike. Prospective Hosts should contact me, Lord Fuujin, or one of the other Counselors Lady Suijin and Lord Raijin, if they are interested in opening up their temple, so that we might make recommendations based on your planned activities." Kaede bows to the crowd. "Lady Suijin and Our Lady Amaterasu also send their regards in this matter."

    Although Fuujin harrumphs a little at that final remark, Kaede steps back. "Alright, that's it! Go on if you've got other business."


Shinki Training

    There are stacks of informational pamphlets sitting out on tables around the dojo. There aren't very many of the white-robed shinki around, but the few who are present 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. Outside, in an area carefully roped off with red ribbons, are six animated training dummies, but they are damaged in a way that doesn't make them terribly useful as targets. A couple of shinki are trying to repair them on the fly without success, all by hand.


Physical Training

    Amaterasu's shinki took the time to reassemble Bishamon's obstacle course on these grounds! Climb walls, crawl through mud, jump across randomly spaced stumps, find your way through a maze and collect one of each of five different-colored ribbons being handed out by shinki attendants for completing each section within the allotted time. Every so often, Amaterasu's shinki high-five each other for setting a good example for future training sessions and sound excited about being allowed to participate in trainings instead of managing them all the time.

    There's another segment inside the hall though, away from the noisiness outside. There is a place set up to do low-strain stretching exercises called Rajio Taisou. Afterwards, this includes a duration exercise for practicing seiza sitting position. Those who succeed for at least 15 minutes are treated to an immaculately prepared hot drink of traditional green tea, or a similar sort of beverage upon request, then another at 30 minutes, and so forth. Don't worry, the drink cups are the traditional size - slightly smaller than a modern mug.


Rest and Refreshments

    While the usual refreshments and snacks are available, for those who are still up for it, Amaterasu's shinki have one more session that everyone can participate in. They'd originally planned for it to be shinki songs only, but say they decided to make it more general singing practice. They'll sing a handful of kindergarten-age songs twice-through each as warm up, and then move on to some popular enka tunes as well. They have light koto accompaniment, a small piano, and a drum.




In Summary:
  • Get all the information you can handle
  • Discuss with your temple-mates if you'd like to volunteer to host training
  • Choose your style of physical training: high- or low-impact
  • Enjoy singing together
  • Have fun~
kagenonadeshiko: (fond; amusement)

[personal profile] kagenonadeshiko 2019-05-20 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
It's a tough job! But I think you can do it.

[There's a humorous edge to her tone but she regards the girl with total seriousness. She's seen glimpses of just how capable Nanako can be when given the opportunity and a little bit of guidance when necessary. She's more than just an adorable little girl, as important as it is to never lose sight of the fact that she's a child.]

Being a big sister is hard work. Sometimes it's frustrating and thankless, too, but you're smart and you're kind. Those are very important big sister qualities to have.

[And as much as Ayumu tries, she can't be "big sister" to everyone, forever. Especially if she's doing double duty as a surrogate mother. In her experience, one to be mother and another to be "big sister" works best for everyone involved.]

And many people need a big sister in their lives, including Toyo-chan.

[And another wide smile.]

So what do you think, Nanako-chan? Think you can be a big sister?
yousaytron: (You know what they say)

1/2

[personal profile] yousaytron 2019-05-20 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
["I threatened Shiro".]

Yoon. [Please... no.] I really hope you won't have to make that kind of suggestion again.

[Like, he understands where you're coming from, but it's probably for the best that he only found out about it under these circumstances. He can't have someone he cares about making threats toward someone else he cares about!!]
yousaytron: (It's not a ocean it's a stars)

[personal profile] yousaytron 2019-05-20 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[But, moving on,] Thank you, though. [For looking out for him, and for saying as much.] Knowing him well for so long has given me a lot to think about, you know?
swordofzero: (moresadface)

[personal profile] swordofzero 2019-05-20 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
[Suzaku glances down to see Tamaki begin to climb, he seems to be taking the same route that Suzaku did but slower. That's fine, Suzaku continues, making sure to go the easiest route that he can find. No need to make this harder for the other man than it needs to be.]
mithrarin: (hold onto your hat)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2019-05-20 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Right, that's... not what I meant. I meant the species. My kind of people. Not humans.
onehandsomeslickninja: (i got this)

[personal profile] onehandsomeslickninja 2019-05-20 02:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[Edge isn't a soulless shinki, of course, and has never worked with one, so his opinions on the matter are utterly ungrounded. He just figures that treating one like any other person can't go wrong.]

Then we are bound to oblige. [He bows slightly to Toyo, making his cape swirl dramatically behind him. Ladies love the cape, right?]

What do you think of hamburgers? That's quite Western, isn't it? [The division still confuses him a little, since food-by-direction doesn't really jibe with anything tucked away in his mostly-memoryless mind.] It'll be my Royal Treat.
handsome_genius: (you did... what exactly?)

[personal profile] handsome_genius 2019-05-20 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Was it that koto this whole time?! No way...

[ He's sitting up straighter in disbelief. It's the only instrument he's seen, but then again the shinki were (DEFINITELY!!) sitting in such a way earlier that he couldn't see it!

That had to be it.

For sure. ]
handsome_genius: (grumpy side-eye)

[personal profile] handsome_genius 2019-05-21 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ He sighs outwardly, then repositions his hand. As he slices it downwards and across, his finger positioning shifts out of place as he takes another breath to say the word: ]

Line.
handsome_genius: (campfire nights)

[personal profile] handsome_genius 2019-05-21 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
Mmm, well...

[ The place he wanted to go to no longer existed. That was part of the problem. ]

Not particularly. I do think that walking like this with you, holding your hand, would make the rest of the evening nice wherever we walked.

[ And that was the truth. ]
handsome_genius: (smile of pride)

[personal profile] handsome_genius 2019-05-21 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
Well, me too, obviously!

[ He smiles and laughs a bit Keith's reaction. Yes, the image of small Yoon threatening Shiro probably amuses Keith. ]

I wouldn't normally think that being with a god you used to know was safe for a shinki, but he seems to understand it really well. The way... Yona did.

[ And this is perhaps the first time he's mentioned her name without immediately going into a depressive spiral. ]

I know it's not the same... I get that you've known each other for years before now. But I remember how overwhelming it was when I remembered everything about Yona and Hak all at once...

[ He puts a hand on Keith's shoulder. ]

At least you'll have time to figure it out - living at his temple and all.
kagenonadeshiko: (a little unsure)

[personal profile] kagenonadeshiko 2019-05-21 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
Hamburgers? I don't think I've had that before. How about you, Toyo-chan? That sound okay to you?

[Toyo keeps nodding, bursting into more delighted sounding giggles. Apparently, this little lady does, indeed, love cape. As for the older one, well, she seems fine with it. She's not frowning; in fact, she seems mildly pleased and content.

It's a start?]


Hamburgers sounds fine.
brynwieldr: (Distant)

[personal profile] brynwieldr 2019-05-21 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
--ah.

[Leo steps up and adjusts Yoon's hand.]

There. You're not holding the position properly.
kagenonadeshiko: (content to serve)

[personal profile] kagenonadeshiko 2019-05-21 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
[By the time her helper returns, Ayumu's finished wrapping the knee and moved on to the hand. She's in the process of cleaning it out when he shows up with the mochi. Ayumu glances over, surprised, but also clearly very pleased.]

How nice of you! Thank you very much. Say thank you to him, Toyo-chan.

[Toyo does just that, piping up in a clear tone like a bell, as Ayumu continues her ministration.]

Why don't you take one while I'm finishing up here, 'kay? I'm almost done.

[And then maybe all three of them can properly relax a bit and make introductions. No more obstacle course for either her or Toyo today. Ayumu's nerves simply can't take another spill like that.

Thankfully, Toyo seems content to snatch one of the mochi off the napkin and starts munching on it.]


Did you get some for yourself, too?

[That's directed to her young assistant.]
kagenonadeshiko: (content; just listening)

[personal profile] kagenonadeshiko 2019-05-21 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
It was Susano'o. He broke in and tried to steal one of my pillars. So I beat him up with a broom and tried to set him on fire. He never came back again.

[That sure is an oddly cheerful and reminiscing tone Ayumu's taking while describing the attempted murder of a home invader but at least it's not a sad memory so there's that? Then she looks a little wistful.]

My temple was very strange, too. It was all stone, not made of the wood and paper screens I'd been accustomed to. I couldn't sleep in my bed so I exchanged it for a futon that I bought myself with an urn I'd sold. Deku-kun brought me some traditional Japanese decorations so I'd feel more at home. Over time, I slowly started adding my own.

[Ayumu supposes she'll continue her remodeling in time, once the offerings start coming in again. She's not going anywhere and it still wasn't the dream home she'd hoped it might someday be when she'd left off with it.

Of course, she could just go to the main office and put in for a move to a better neighborhood than the Western District but even if her neighbors come and go and there's the occasional stray ayakashi about or volcanic eruption, it's still home.]
myblueskies: (smiles all round)

[personal profile] myblueskies 2019-05-21 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
You're welcome Toyo-chan! [He watched as she took the mochi and the lady continued helping her knee. He wondered if Elfnein had any books about helping people when they got hurt, he thinks it would be a really good thing to learn!]

I'm okay miss I ate lots already! [There are a lot of mochi on that napkin though.] If Toyo-chan is a shinki then she will be really hungry! But I'm sure she will share with you, won't you Toyo-chan!
revolutionfalcon: (glance back)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2019-05-21 01:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[Shun primarily remembers Susano'o for the garbage he'd tried to pull with the noise ayakashi not long after Shun arrived, so the fond reminiscence does not strike him as at all weird, instead getting a decidedly understanding nod.]

That bastard deserved it, honestly. At least he stayed gone after he did something stupid enough to call everyone's attention to kicking his ass. [Most of the real nasty pieces of work have stayed gone after someone took it upon themselves to get rid of them, which is something Shun at least appreciates somewhat about this place.

The temple reminiscence has him considering his own - he's never been much for decorating, but he supposes he has a few things here and there now.]
Most of my "decorations" are things people have left when they vanished. Even early on, I ended up with pillows from that Fortuna who had a temple full of the damn things. I suppose the actual temple being mostly earthen helped me adjust, though. Especially the underground, that felt more like a bunker and I was a lot more prepared to live in something like that when I got here.

[A traditional home would have had him uneasy as hell trying to adjust back into, but his basically-a-dug-out-hill temple has worked pretty well for him, all things considered.]
onehandsomeslickninja: (i got this)

[personal profile] onehandsomeslickninja 2019-05-21 02:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[This little lady has excellent taste!]

Perfect! I know a place that ought to come as close to the standards you two deserve as any place can. [Laying it on a little thick never hurt anyone!] And as I'm generally at liberty, I offer the choice of time to you.
priforprince: (hikyoin)

[personal profile] priforprince 2019-05-21 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Primension.

[ A quirk of her eyebrows. ] At least master that much before engaging a genius in conversation.
priforprince: (sewa)

[personal profile] priforprince 2019-05-21 03:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Mm. [ Such an attitude does indeed seem....encouraged.....by the master of the temple. ]

None would dare.

[ Never Hibiki’s fault she gets into trouble, you see. Always the other guy. Or passing stupidity. Or the fabric of reality itself.

But never, ever Hibiki. ]
kagenonadeshiko: (uncertain; dubious)

[personal profile] kagenonadeshiko 2019-05-22 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
[It doesn't hurt but it is a little strange to hear when one's not used to it. For a split second, Ayumu's expression is very much akin to a cat that's being pet for the very first time in its life and isn't quite sure what to make of the experience. She's not pulling away or protesting though so the approach is a getting a positive (ish) response?]

Well, I don't know for sure. My temple only just returned and I still need to go shopping for some things for Toyo-chan and Joss. It'll have to be after I had some time to go through our things...

[She trails off into a mumble, looking down a moment. It's just dinner. Hamburgers. She and the children need to eat regardless of any cleaning or shopping she needs to do. Edge might be a little weird sometimes but he's not a bad person. He's not going to hurt her or the children.]

But um... give me a couple of days to settle in and take care of a few things first? I can call you then. Joscelin might like to come, too, and it wouldn't be fair to him to just bring Toyo-chan.

[Oh, the hurdles of asking a young mother on a date.]
galrarm: (of lies you started believing)

[personal profile] galrarm 2019-05-22 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
It was. But you figured it out in the end, which I count as a win for you.
kagenonadeshiko: (surprise; blush)

[personal profile] kagenonadeshiko 2019-05-22 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Toyo looks to the boy, uncertain of how to respond until she sees her goddess give a tiny nod after which the little girl nods as well. Stuffing one mochi in her mouth, Toyo reaches for another and shoves it toward Ayumu's mouth.

Clearly a little flustered by sudden appearance of a pastry in her face, Ayumu pauses in her task just long enough to take a small bite of it and she smooths a bandaid across Toyo's scraped palm.

Once Ayumu's done chewing and swallowing, she sits back on her heels, wiping off her hands before taking the mochi properly from Toyo.]


Thank you. Both of you. How about we just find a nice quiet spot to snack and relax, hmm?

[She gives the boy another grateful smile.]

I'm sorry. I don't believe I caught your name! I'm Ayumu and as you now know, this is Toyo-chan. You're right about her being a shinki. She's my newest - assigned to me just today, as a matter of fact.
notatyrant: (79)

[personal profile] notatyrant 2019-05-22 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Slow down a bit, geez!]

Yes! You get to live with me and umm I'm the god of the trees.
kagenonadeshiko: (wistful; softer moments)

[personal profile] kagenonadeshiko 2019-05-22 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
A bunker sounds like it'd be fairly convenient considering what goes on around here. Those ayakashi Susano'o set loose broke one of my pillars and ruined my flowerbeds. A god that I did not know perished on my grounds that day, defending me in an attack.

[Yamato had still been here then, grieving over the departure of his beloved master. Her Axel had still been alive then, too, off fighting to protect his other gods. She'd never blamed him for being away on that day, especially considering how often he'd been with her before.

It all feels like a lifetime ago. And in a way for her, it was from another life on this shore. Those strange memories that don't quite fit into her life yet she has absolutely no doubt had clearly happened somehow.]


I don't have many tokens from those who's passed on from this place. Only my memories of their existence here. Though my first shinki did leave me a 'thank you' note before disappearing one day. And Sheryl-san - I'm not sure if she was still around then or not - left me a picture and her autograph to remember her by.

[And there's a sudden, soft, bittersweet smile.]

But I hope they're all happy and living peaceful lives wherever they are now.

[If they're somewhere - anywhere - living good lives, Ayumu can make peace with that.]
revolutionfalcon: (Default)

[personal profile] revolutionfalcon 2019-05-22 07:14 am (UTC)(link)
The entire temple is basically dug into a hill, so even the parts of it that aren't underground are fortified better than most places. [Which Shun definitely appreciates on some level, since it feels a lot safer in some respects than a typical temple might. Then again, as an Egyptian god, a stone temple probably would have been what he'd gotten otherwise, which he wouldn't have complained about.

Ayumu's experience with things left behind has him considering how often he's encountered it himself. He does recall receiving things from most people who've disappeared, though there are definitely some who hadn't left anything.]


I have at least one thing from most people I was close to who vanished, even if it was something small like notes or letters, or I had to get it from someone else. [As was the case with Yuto, who'd left some belongings with Lavi and Hajime that had been passed on.] It makes me wonder whether some of them actually departed without them, though with shinki it might not make much difference.

[Reisi's sword had been a major example of that, but he'd been a shinki, so he might not be alive at the other end at all. Then again, that has been called into question before.] It's hard to tell with all the conflicting information we've gotten, but if people have been able to get home to live out more in their own worlds, I don't see why we should doubt that others who've vanished have made it home.

[Besides the weird soul dolls, but they haven't really heard hide nor hair of those since they were found.]

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