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Out-Of-Character (OOC) Section
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IN-GAME NAME (IGN):
Ahimotu
DISCORD NAME & TAG:
ahimotu
WHAT IS YOUR TIMEZONE?:
CET (Central European Time).
DO YOU HAVE A MICROPHONE?:
Yes, I do. I just prefer not to use it.
DESCRIBE YOUR ACTIVITY ON THE SERVER:
My activity is about 8/10. School takes some time away from me, so some days I might not be able to be a lot more active than usual, but I can usually stay online for a few hours, more on weekends. As I don't really play more than one character, this would mean that my activity would be completely dedicated to the shrine faction. I'm currently on the football team, but it recently loss a very huge amount of members, most of them my friends and the ones I enjoyed the most to roleplay with, and I lost motivation to continue there. I found myself recently roleplaying a lot over to the shrine, so I want to put my dedication there.
WHAT POSITION ARE YOU APPLYING FOR?:
Maiden.
WHAT KNOWLEDGE DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE OF SHINTOISM AND ARE YOU PREPARED/WILLING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RELIGION?:
I currently know the basics, and some specific things, so maybe a little more. As I got more into the shrine roleplay, I managed to find myself some documents to study and know more about the practices, tradition and what is/expected to do at a shrine, the types of kami, the most important ones (such as Amaterasu, Inari or Susanoo), yōkai (Bakeneko, Inugami, and kitsune to a more specific extent), a few specific types and other spirits (such as yūrei, the ghosts, or mononoke, the vengeful spirits), and a bit about The Seven Lucky Gods. I read about the celebrations as well, not to miss obviously festivals. I've always had an interest in Shintoism as a religion in general, and decided to learn more about it through the roleplay at the shrine, which is seldom seen by many, but a lot of interesting things happen. Perhaps I managed to dig further into details of basic knowledge, but I'm sure I have a lot more to learn with time given, and learn more from other shrine members as well.
WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT FOR THIS ROLE OVER OTHER APPLICANTS?
I believe that my roleplay could be a huge factor. To elaborate further, I believe I could bring a very good type of roleplay for the shrine faction, and entertain others with it. I am a quite open type of person, so I really like to take part into roleplay and do the most of it, mostly when it's a role such as this. I believe the shrine is one of the very few factions that allows you to roleplay by yourself and with others, or immerse you into new culture and learn from it, which is something I want to do during my time here if I'm accepted. I've been roleplaying my character in college for a while now, experienced mostly team-involved roles such as council, and as of current football, which I intend to quit in case I'm accepted. That increased my ability to communicate with others and be open to a kind of roleplay, that could even help advance the shrine's lore and make it a very cool environment to be in. One of my goals is to manage to increase the shrine faction's influence, let more people visit to show what they're missing out on.
DO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOU WILL HAVE TO ATTEND MANDATORY TRAININGS TO BE TAUGHT MORE ABOUT SHINTOISM AND THE ACCORDING PROCEDURES?:
Obviously, I think that might be one of the most fun things to do as well, learning more about what I'm interested in.
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In-Character (IC) Section
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(Disclaimer: the quotation marks will imply that my character is speaking!)
SECTION 1: Character Details
CHARACTERS FULL NAME:
"My full name is Asami Jaibatsume, I married Mee-young Jaibatsume, taking her last name. My birth name is Asami Hasegawa."
CHARACTERS TITLE (E.g. Mr. Mrs. Miss):
"Mrs., but use Miss or Ms. I don't want to feel older than I... am not..."
CHARACTERS AGE (E.g. 21-80):
"I'm twenty-two years old."
CHARACTERS MARITAL STATUS:
"I'm happily married."
CHARACTERS NATIONALITY:
"I'm Japanese."
CHARACTERS PHONE-NUMBER:
"My phone number is (030)-804-2310."
WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR APPLYING TO WORK AT THE MONASTERY?:
"I've been in contact with the spirits themselves, and one of them specifically helped me. A kitsune, whom I hated at first but then proved to be of good will. That isn't the main reason I want to work here, though. We can say that just pushed me into learning more, and try to become an official member of this shrine. The more I lived in Karakura, the more I realised that I was becoming someone I truly wasn't. So much that when I met the 'normal' ones here at the shrine, I felt ridiculous. Why? I wasn't born here, my hometown is Tokyo, and whoever has lived there for at least one month knows what I'm talking about. Everything moves fast, but tradition isn't lost, and mostly manners. My parents grew me strictly, one could say. The 'dream child', the one that never bothered to ask, or wasn't particularly stressing to take care of. I was taught how to live by myself. After some events of my life I don't want to specifically talk about, I decided to move here for college, to take my mind off. I thought: free college, and no taxes... what can go wrong? I immediately felt like a stranger, because it was a whole new world to explore. I won't deny though that the lack of manners, or tradition was noticed in an instant. As it's human nature's, I adapted to these ideals and grew to be a pretty immature person, feeling the freedom to act like I wanted. I slowly came to realise that, and as I grew, I managed to be more self-conscious about myself, and decided that I needed to distance myself from the city. I first came to the shrine just to visit, but then it became pretty common, until it was the only thing I ever wanted to see. I hated everything else. I hate everything else. I love peace and balance, something the shrine can offer. Even if it's just basic cleaning, or making tea, I find these activities relaxing and it's something my mind needs. I am pretty sure by the time this is viewed, I will have finished my Master's course, and have the degree. I noticed that the shrine, but mostly forest is often attacked by evil spirits, and I want to give my contribution in that aspect as well, maybe even learn to use a blessed weapon when my trial is over, or work with blessings. I've heard a lot about it both from spirits and some shrine workers, and at one time I held one to protect a maiden and a priest, coincidentally, two people that I know and care for. Keeping them safe was all I had in mind at that moment, and I want to make that 'keeping safe' more general, and keep everyone safe. I have trained in various kinds of martial arts for over ten years... yes, I started out at a young age as recommended, which allowed me to learn hand-to-hand combat, but also armed combat with katanas, and other types of weapons, including 'shuriken', both the stars and the stick."
TELL ME WHAT HISTORY AND INFORMATION YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SHINSEI SEINARU MONASTERY:
"From what I know, this shrine was built in 744 by some Buddhist monks, planning its use for Buddhism before being burned a few times. It was then rebuilt as a Shinto shrine, named the Shinsei Seinaru Shrine. The monastery is pretty much uncommon from the usual shrines, the first element is its elevation from the ground, being placed among the mountains allows it to have a better scenery. But as for its internal characteristics, you can pretty much find the most common things, such as the worshipping hall, where you can put offerings to the kami, a dojo to train, a tea house to make ceremonies, a gift shop where usually omamori, or lanterns are sold, the fortune telling hut, where you can get a reading, the torii gate... remember to bow to it. One time I didn't, and I had three consecutive thunders right before me in three different directions, I decided to bow, and suddenly the sky cleared... this should be proof that the kami care if you bow, so do it... moving on, there's a cave with some engravings, assumingly a story but incomplete, probably narrating the story of the fires happened previously, in fact there's part of the old shrine that hasn't been restored. Moving on, this might actually be an uncommon answer, but there's technically another shrine which is located behind the kami's hall, around the koi pond area, as in other shrine, that area is restricted from access. This shrine worships Chiharu-Yamatsumi. As of recent, I got "training" from one of the priests, Sho Hirobayashi, well, it was more-of showing what a maiden is expected to do and know. I went through the proper way to perform the temizuya cleaning, prepare the tea ceremony, read fortune, feeding the koi in their respective ponds, and taking care of the shrine. I think I can pretty much do four of the five tasks, as I didn't really understand the cards' meaning, but hopefully I can do so if I become a maiden."
WRITE A LETTER TO THE MONASTERY LEAD:
2023/10/22
"Dear Kannushi,
I hope this finds you well, and that everything is going for the best.
I'm writing this letter today, as I made a decision to serve to the Shinsei Seinaru Shrine as a maiden. I have been visiting the shrine quite a lot the last few weeks, and I met a lot of friendly people, and maybe a few less, but this time spent had me reflecting on myself.
I've been in a few shrines in the past, and always admired the religion, the work of the miko, and priests. During my time here, I managed to meet spirits, some bad, some good, and I wanted to find out more, for two reasons: study who is above us, and protect us from those above us that use their power for harm.
I took my time to learn about the basics of a maiden thanks to priest Hirobayashi, and just fell in love with all of it. I want to show my devotion and dedication to this shrine to preserve its beauty, helping with every task needed, learning to grow myself and my knowledge.
Sincerely yours,
Jaibatsume Asami"
I hope this finds you well, and that everything is going for the best.
I'm writing this letter today, as I made a decision to serve to the Shinsei Seinaru Shrine as a maiden. I have been visiting the shrine quite a lot the last few weeks, and I met a lot of friendly people, and maybe a few less, but this time spent had me reflecting on myself.
I've been in a few shrines in the past, and always admired the religion, the work of the miko, and priests. During my time here, I managed to meet spirits, some bad, some good, and I wanted to find out more, for two reasons: study who is above us, and protect us from those above us that use their power for harm.
I took my time to learn about the basics of a maiden thanks to priest Hirobayashi, and just fell in love with all of it. I want to show my devotion and dedication to this shrine to preserve its beauty, helping with every task needed, learning to grow myself and my knowledge.
Sincerely yours,
Jaibatsume Asami"
BACKSTORY (100+ Words):
(This I'll write in third person, as my character wouldn't easily talk about it)
Asami Hasegawa was born on February 19th 2001, in Shinjuku, Tokyo. She grew in a quite wealthy family, due to her father working as a surgeon for the main hospital, and her mother a high-ranking in the National Police Agency of Tokyo.
Asami grew pretty much like the normal kids, except for the fact that the lack of her parents' presence caused her to live "on her own". Her parents taught her basic cooking, laundry, and everything she needed while they might've been absent. This took a toll on her, but instead of growing into a very uneducated person, she was quite the opposite. It was pretty common for her to make friends, and luckily she grew maturely, and the things she missed from her parents, learned on her own. She had a great admiration for her father, so much that she wanted to follow on his steps and become a surgeon herself.
That's until her father was found guilty of twenty-three counts of murder when she was about twelve, causing her father to be arrested and be locked into a facility for mental health after he managed to plead insane. Asami's view of him was completely shattered and destroyed, and so was she. Being grown strictly, she knew to keep her emotions in, but it caused her to suffer from a permanent damage that completely deprived her of showing her emotions. She had to testify against her father, having to face whom she thought was her idol, become her nightmare. That's when she decided she'd follow her mother's steps instead, deciding to become an amazing detective, and reading people's personality with great accuracy, so that she wouldn't let a mistake like her father happen again.
After ten years of struggling with depression, trying to put her life back on track, she immediately noticed the failure. She could no longer look at the world, and she imagined it was because of her hometown. At the age of eighteen, after graduating high school, she decided to look for a college outside of Tokyo, and then she ran across Karakura. She decided to attend there, since education was free, expecting nothing too bad. After all, who wouldn't want to live on an island?
She arrived at the age of nineteen, attending the college long enough to get a bachelor's degree, and meeting the love of her life: Mee-young Jaibatsume. When she first arrived, she knew that nothing would change and that she'd always see those shades of grey, until her eyes shone a new light. Her eyes were met by Mee-young's image, the colors flooding back into her. Having been so long, she was confused on what she felt, so she decided to walk along and ignore. Later on, she found herself hanging out with her, feeling the same sparkle before starting to date until marriage, totalling almost four years of being together.
Asami grew as a person with Mee-young, and even decided to join the student council, having deemed that she was stable enough, and fit for the position. She was a harsh one, pretty much the badass councillor that you either hated or loved. She was voted as the second best councillor during student awards, having lost to Itaru Saiky. Though, after some problems, she decided to leave the council, and join the football team instead for females. She managed to take part of the tourneys, but unfortunately the Bobcats had the best bets and won.
After her team was basically emptied, she decided to visit the shrine more often, where she met spirits and learned more about them, and the shrine itself. A spirit she particularly bonded with, a kitsune, what they call them: Kitsa. Her interest growing in the religion, she decided to finally join the shrine as a maiden, sending her application letter.
SECTION 2: Self-Knowledge Details
What duties do Shinto Priests and Maidens have?:
"The Shinto priests are quite important, as they carry out most of the ceremonies, host wedding ceremonies, but mostly to keep a sane contact between the kami and the worshippers of Shinto. This can be done through offerings and prayers. Priests can also take onto the administrative side of things, such as refurnishing the shrine, restoring it or even bettering its structure. Here, they also have the duty to keep the city safe from evil spirits that threaten lives. Other than that they also make tea for the guests, and cleanse the grounds. The maidens have pretty similar tasks, in fact they could be considered priestesses. The maidens usually perform sacred cleansing, or the seat of god (Kami no Kura, or Kagura) dance, which is used to show the presence of kami as its being practiced.
What are the steps needed to be taken at the purification trough before entering the Shrine?:
"First, don't put your hands in the temizuya. Please. Now, to do it properly, you have to take the hishaku ladle with your right hand, pour water on your left hand, allowing it to go down on your forearm, although in most shrines you don't have to do it to your forearm. Then you do the same with your right hand, hold the ladle with your left hand and pour water on your right hand, repeating the same process. After that, pour some water in your hand and rinse your mouth with it and spit it away. Last, important step, dip the ladle one last time before holding it vertically to allow the water to drip down on the handle to clean it, before setting down the ladle."
How are offerings to a Kami performed?:
"If one wishes to make an offering, they have to place the offering in the box, which is usually 100 yen at this shrine, but it can be food offerings as well depending on who you're offering to, to which then you will ring the bell, bow twice and then clap twice as it's usual for Shinto prayers, before bowing one last time to complete the process."
How do you perform a tea ceremony ritual?:
"A traditional tea ceremony is a lengthy event that starts with a multi-course meal, matched a serving of thick tea, and finishing with a bowl of thin tea. Nowadays though, many tea ceremonies are shorter, and they're mostly about enjoying the thin tea. The ceremony usually requires a tea bowl, a kettle, a whisk, matcha and a strainer. You start by boiling one quarter of the kettle with water before adding it into the remaining three quarters of matcha, and then mixing the substance to make the thick tea. You can serve this with some light foods as well. To make the thin tea, usually served at the end, you use more water than matcha powder. The guests in the meantime are sat on the mattresses where you first indicate them to sit. Some elements you should consider for the sake of others: dressing modestly, and refraining from using strong fragrances, and removing jewelry that might damage the tea equipment or flavour... if possible."
Explain what a Tamagushi, Ofuda and Kagura Suzu is and what they're used for:
"A tamagushi is a Shinto religious offering, typically consisting of a sakaki tree branch with sacred paper streamers attached to it. The sakaki branch is often decorated with zigzag-shaped paper and other symbolic items. Tamagushi are usually used in Shinto rituals and ceremonies as a way to purify and offer respect to the kami. An ofuda is a type of amulet made with a sacred piece of paper or wood that is engraved with various religious symbols, prayers, or the names of the kami, sometimes even spirits. Ofudas are often used for protection, blessings, and keeping off the negative influences. Though, from what a spirit told me, there are these 'divination ofudas', that have the power to actually change things... and I was actually subject to being affected by those, using them to change my behaviour. The Kagura Suzu is basically a set of twelve bells that are used during the Kami no Kura dance, said to purify visitors and activate divine powers."
(OPTIONAL) Based on your character; which other Kami would they worship?:
(Answering this in third person as well)
You would never guess: Inari. Asami views herself in a kitsune, having quite the foxy look to herself as well, other than resembling the said deceiving behavioural traits of a 'fox'. After Kitsa has done so much for her, and for the safety of her wife, she is nothing but grateful despite their past.
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