007 | Clean Up Your Act

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Spring cleaning
When: All day April 15
Where: All around the Heavens
Summary: The Heavens don't like things being cluttered, so it's time to clean up a little bit.







Main Hall

While the main hall of the Heavens seems spotlessly clean at all times, that's not the case at all. In fact, it's been at least a decade since the last time they actually cleaned everything out properly. There are a lot of hidden closets and back rooms that have layers of dust and dozens of boxes filled with nothing but junk. Who knows, though! You might find something interesting and useful in there along with all the garbage.

Suprises

Unfortunately, some of the older temples on the Far Shore seem to have some interesting surprises tucked away, ranging from cursed artifacts all the way to magical creatures locked up in long-forgotten rooms. You are free to be creative with this as a way to get your characters into trouble while cleaning.

Complimentary Dinner

After all of your hard work, you deserve to have some tasty food and refreshing beverages. So the Heavens have provided that for you, so that you can wind down after a long day. It's not as fancy as the banquets they often put on, but there is a nice array of food and drinks for everyone to enjoy.

Counselling

As usual, there is a white-robed shinki bearing the gold chrysanthemum of Amaterasu sitting at a table in the Main Hall. There is a small sign that denotes her as the counselling shinki. Anyone is welcome to approach her, and she will smile serenely at anyone passing by as well.



In Summary:

• Clean up your home
• Help clean others' homes
• Get the main hall clean too!
• Hope no hidden magic jumps out
• Seek counselling if you need it
• Enjoy your complimentary dinner
• Have fun~

Comments

surprise! (disclaimer: this is not a gag tag)

[killsthebuddha]

[ As it is, Sanzo has been stepping exceptionally lightly around Hakkai. Wandering into that room with that hand-spider-monster-nightmare and that smile on the man's face? That's not an ideal scenario at all. Really.

For fuck's sake, Hakkai.

He's just going to go now. He doesn't get paid enough for this shit.

Hell, they don't even pay him. ]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai darts a glance towards the open door-- ah, he's leaving already.

He ducks under a swing of one of the creature's clawed hands and grabs another at the wrist, snapping the leg joint with an elbow strike and ripping it entirely off with a vicious twist. Pale ichor spatters across the hardwood floor.

Hmm, when he's done, maybe he should mop.]

[killsthebuddha]

[ Later, because he really should, he ends up sending a text message: ]

Fuck it, it's reincarnation.

[ There, he did his part. Whether it was in a timely fashion or not isn't his problem. ]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai's startled when his phone buzzes, and more startled when he sees who's sent the text.

He stares at it for several long seconds before thinking about his reply. There are a few possibilities: a., Sanzo is reaching out to smooth things over after that stupid fight, stupider breakfast and the awkward silence since. B., something else has happened with their doubles.

C., he supposes, Sanzo's run into the friendly young woman wandering around calling herself Genjo Sanzo.

He keeps his answer noncommittal, to fit all three options.]

I'm fairly certain it is.

Which doesn't have to mean anything about us.

[killsthebuddha]

[ D. It's a little of all of the above, really. ]

Not about us besides the fact that we have shitty karma. What I'd like to know is what it means about Samsara.

[reformedsinner]

[This is too complicated a subject to address in one text message. Please enjoy the following barrage of them, as fast as Hakkai can type.

He's been thinking about this himself, too.]

Have you seen the gods here who mention being from "different times" or "different worlds"?

If the Heavens have the power to draw souls from any point in time, why would they not be able to bring the same soul in from multiple points?

In which case, I think it means two things.

1) They cannot remain here as gods forever. Our existence means they will return to the wheel.

2) Being "a god" or "a shinki" doesn't mean anything.

[killsthebuddha]

[ There's a delay before he responds, slower than he'd like. This might have been better done in person, but he can't help that now. ]

almost what I've been thinking. 1 has problems. Forever is a stupid concept but

If different times, their actions now should affect their later incarnations.

[ Unless there was a reason not to. If one, the other, or both happened to be simulacrum, that might be an explanation. It's a terrifying one.

Time for a new topic. ]

I might not be the latest in the cycle. I met Genjo Sanzo today.

[reformedsinner]

We don't know how many incarnations there are between them and us, of course.

We also can't know if their "future" actions from our perspective have already affected our "past."

Ah. The young woman? So did I.

[What does that mean about free will and fate if what they do here has already affected their future incarnations? If only Gojyo even remembers what happened in their mortal lives? If it's true that the incarnations Genjo Sanzo the young woman is talking about are somehow their future selves... or another past?

Whatever it means, Hakkai supposes it can't be helped. They'll have to keep making their own choices.]

[killsthebuddha]

I'm not thinking about this past versus present shit anymore.

She said she knew the Merciful Goddess. Damn convenient that she's her "replacement."

[reformedsinner]

I don't think we know enough about it for anything but idle speculation.

Is the one she knows the same as the one she replaced? She should talk to Bishamon about it.

[None of the other things she'd mentioned were accurate to the people Hakkai knew. Surely, the gods would remain the same throughout time, if she was just a former or future reincarnation of his. Surely, Kanzeon Bosatsu is herself. If even those of them who remember can trust their memories.]

[killsthebuddha]

That's a start. I'll tell her to. Not that we can trust the answer.

[ If memories could be removed or sealed or whatever the hell they were, then they could be created artificially. That, too, inexorably slides down a horrifying path. ]

Anyone in power could be propping this farce up.

[reformedsinner]

Anyone at all could be lying, but if that's the case, they won't have their stories straight.

[And besides... Bishamon seems trustworthy. Perhaps it's just her patience with his rudeness that makes Hakkai think that, but he still thinks of her as reliable.]