OtakuDemo Shrine Maiden Application

[OtakuDemo]

SHINSEI SEINARU MONASTERY APPLICATION
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Out-Of-Character (OOC) Section


IN-GAME NAME (IGN):
OtakuDemo


DISCORD NAME & TAG:
OtakuDemo or Demo7554


WHAT IS YOUR TIMEZONE?:
U.S. Eastern Standard Time


DO YOU HAVE A MICROPHONE?:
Yes


DESCRIBE YOUR ACTIVITY ON THE SERVER:
Since my introduction to SRP back in May of last year, I have logged on almost every day! Some of the roleplay scenarios I have participated in are school roleplay, crime roleplay, gang roleplay, romance roleplay, and animal roleplay. What keeps me logging on is all the people I have met icly, and later became friends with oocly. When I first entered the server, I was almost immediately thrown into gang roleplay. I first found this server with a good friend, and we both went two completely different paths. At the time, my friend’s character Haise was learning about the underground of Karakura while I spent my time meeting new people and roleplaying an average school life. Eventually our paths crossed, and my old character was forced to enter the gang known as “Man’en.” Since then, I have been talking to them on discord making memories every day. I continued playing this server and becoming more and more part of the community, my attention shifted to a more serious environment. As my roleplay experience increased, I began to work on improving my detailrp. To me, detailrp not only helps me fully show my characters personality, but it teaches me oocly how to be more descriptive when I talk. At this point in my SRP experience, I have never had a role besides grade 7-12, rabbit, and duck. I am actively searching for a path to continue my growth as a member of the SRP community and I feel that joining the shrine faction will help me substantially. I hope that I will continue to meet new people, and roleplay to my best ability.

My activity shifts around my work schedule, but here is a chart explaining my activity:
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Day of the week​	When I am on SRP​	My IRL work schedule​
Monday​	5:00PM EST - 10:00PM EST​	5:30AM EST - 4:00PM EST​
Tuesday​	5:00PM EST - 10:00PM EST​	5:30AM EST - 4:00PM EST​
Wednesday​	5:00PM EST - 10:00PM EST​	5:30AM EST - 4:00PM EST​
Thursday​	5:00PM EST - 12:00AM EST​	5:30AM EST - 4:00PM EST​
Friday​	8:00AM EST - 12:00AM EST​	I don't work this day​
Saturday​	8:00AM EST - 12:00AM EST​	I don't work this day​
Sunday​	8:00AM EST - 12:00AM EST​	I don't work this day​

I will try my best to be online when I can. I will also give notice when I am going to be inactive in advance.


WHAT POSITION ARE YOU APPLYING FOR?:
I would like to apply for the Maiden position.


WHAT KNOWLEDGE DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE OF SHINTOISM AND ARE YOU PREPARED/WILLING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RELIGION?:
I understand the basic concepts of the Shintoism, like how it is a polytheistic religion that believes in supernatural entities known as the Kami. I can name a few off the top of my head such as Susanoo the Kami of storms, Inari the Kami of good harvests, Hachiman the Kami of war, and Omoikane the Kami of wisdom.

I also know that before entering the shrine, you must first cleanse your hands at the temizuya located before you enter the shrine. This can be done by first picking up the ladle called a hishaku with your right hand and filling it with water. Second, you want to pour the water onto your left hand, cleansing it. Afterwards you would repeat this except by doing the exact opposite to cleanse your right hand. After both of your hands are cleansed, you would then use your left hand to scoop some water, bringing it up to your lips cleansing your mouth. You don’t want to consume the water; you only want it to touch your lips. Finally, you hold the hishaku so the scoop part is facing up so the water can run down and cleanse it.

Another thing I know is that it is customary to bow before walking through a Torii gate. You must do this, whether you are entering or exiting the gate. The reason that you must bow is because it represents the entrance to the domain of the Kami. You must greet the Kami as you enter their domain, showing your respect. To do a proper bow, you must stop in front of the Torii gate and bow forward as far as you can.

I currently have an extremely low grasp on Shintoism, though I am fully willing to learn as much as I can. I love reading about Japanese culture, and Shintoism piques my interest. I am willing to read books, do research, and more to learn more about the religion.


WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT FOR THIS ROLE OVER OTHER APPLICANTS?
The first thing I believe that is something that makes me stand out is my willingness to make time for SRP and my high activity within the server. Since May, I have fallen in love with this server and community. I am a huge fan of roleplaying, and having a whole community of friendly people that share my love makes me so happy. I have logged on almost every single day since I began. If I join this faction, I promise to continue being highly active and help where I can. Due to my work schedule being stationary, I have a lot of free time. Whenever I am needed, I will try my hardest to be online. Even though I have 3 characters slots I usually play, I mainly play as Mirai. My other characters are Vanessa J. Osiris (Grade-12) and Fumiko Togomi-Misono (Grade-10) aren’t played nearly as much. I do not have any alt accounts, so if I am online, I will be on Mirai helping at the shrine.

Another thing I feel that makes me stand out is my goal to stay with the shrine faction long term. With this experience, I hope to become part of the faction to learn about Shintoism and all the interesting beliefs it holds. I love to study history and learn about religions around the world. In this faction I seek to not only learn about Shintoism but share it. I hope that one day I can use what I’ve learned from being part of this faction to teach other members of the SRP community about the religion. I have been looking for a home within the SRP community, and I feel that I would be right at home in the Shrine faction.

The final thing I feel sets me apart is my preparation to join the shrine faction. As of late, I have been visiting the shrine to get a head start on learning some of the tasks that will need to accomplish icly. This includes reading tarot cards, learning about Shintoism, preparing tea for a tea ceremony, and more! I realize that I would learn my tasks if I joined, but I am a strong believer in putting in my best effort into anything I do. I have been enjoying my time visiting the shrine. Every time I visit, not only does my character Mirai learn, but I do as well. Learning the basics beforehand will make it a lot easier for me to settle in.


DO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOU WILL HAVE TO ATTEND MANDATORY TRAININGS TO BE TAUGHT MORE ABOUT SHINTOISM AND THE ACCORDING PROCEDURES?:
I acknowledge I will have to attend mandatory trainings to be taught more about Shintoism and the according procedures.


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In-Character (IC) Section

SECTION 1: Character Details


CHARACTERS FULL NAME:
She would lean in for a deep bow before saying
“Hello! My name is Mirai Tachitsu, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”


CHARACTERS TITLE (E.g. Mr. Mrs. Miss):
Mirai would hold a smile as she spoke
“I go by Miss, thank you for asking.”


CHARACTERS AGE (E.g. 21-80):
She cleared her throat and said
“I am 24 as of this month.”


CHARACTERS MARITAL STATUS:
After a sigh, thinking of her tragic love life, Mirai responded with
“I am currently single.”


CHARACTERS NATIONALITY:
With a patriotic grin, Mirai happily stated
“I am Japanese, born and raised!”


CHARACTERS PHONE-NUMBER:
Mirai would hold out her phone, displaying her phone number before replying
“My phone number is (030)-979-6514, call me whenever.”


WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR APPLYING TO WORK AT THE MONASTERY?:
“My first reason for applying to work at the Monastery is because of my environment as a child. Growing up, my mother and father were heavily involved with our local shrine in Tokyo. Every weekend we would wake up on Saturday and visit the local monastery to pray to the Kami. My parents both had your everyday nine to five business jobs, so they would bring me to the Monastery, and I would spend the entire day with the maidens and priests listening to stories of the Kami. I would like to show my gratitude to the Kami by helping maintain the place I hold dear.”

“My second reason is finding out more about myself through the wisdom and guidance of the Kami. I am at the point in my life where I must find a job to take the next step. When thinking about a future career path, I can’t think of anything I want to do besides being a maiden at the Shinsei Seinaru Monastery. I feel that to learn more about myself, I must first learn about the Kami and the past.”

“Another thing that motivates me to become a maiden is my new father Sōzen. When I turned 18, my parents stopped being able to see me often due to a surprise job opening across the country. It was at this time that I was taken in by another member of my family, Sōzen Tachitsu. During my time living with him, he taught me all sorts of things regarding Shintoism. He showed me some holy objects such as the Tamagushi! He told me tales of what he learned in Osaka, and even taught me how to do the Kagura dance. I would like to serve the monastery in his honor.”

“Every time I visit the shrine, I always make sure to stop and talk to Miss Haruka. She is like an older sister to me, and she has helped guide me on my path to becoming a maiden. Even though it was not required of her, she has taught me so many things, and I hope to learn so much from her. I would like to make her proud, and show her efforts were not in vain.”

“The final thing that motivates me is my drive to learn as much as I can from my elders. I feel that the knowledge of our elders should be held with care. As generations go on, traditions tend to change, and I would like to bring Shintoism into everyone’s life that is willing. I want to spend time with priests and hold conversations with the other maidens, soaking up as much knowledge as I can. I will eventually need this information to spread it to the generations that come after. My love for Shintoism is deep in my soul, and I want my passion to inspire others.”


TELL ME WHAT HISTORY AND INFORMATION YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SHINSEI SEINARU MONASTERY:
“My knowledge is slim when it comes to the history of the Shinsei Seinaru Monastery. From what I know the shrine was originally built by Buddhist monks in the year 744 in the the mountains of Karakura. The Monestary worships Chiharu-Yamatsumi, the Kami of the mountain. Within the Monastery, there is a tea house, gift shop, and dojo for all the public to delve into. In the center of the shrine, up the stairs is the hall of worship. People may go up to the hall of worship to give offerings whether it is yen or food and pray to the Kami. If you go even further up the mountain, then you will reach the old shrine. There is only a very tiny portion that survived the fires that happened throughout the years. I believe Sho told me the reason that the building survived was because it was the closest to the heart of the Kami. In the history of the Monastery, there have been a couple occasions where the Monastery was caught on fire. In 1176 after a rebellion occurred by the monks that lived there at the time. Sho also told me that the Monastery was rebuilt in 1228. It also was burnt again a bit over 300 years later. Apparently, it was rebuilt sometime in 1617. When I asked Sho why it burnt down, he told me that it was burnt down as a message when the citizens of Karakura were rebelling against the warlord of Japan. I learned so much from talking to all the people at the Monastery. I hope to learn more about past events sometime in the future!”


WRITE A LETTER TO THE MONASTERY LEAD :
“Dear Kannushi,

I hope this letter finds you well! My name is Mirai Tachitsu, and I am a 24-year-old woman. I have decided that I would like to devote the rest of my life to worshiping the Kami and taking care of the Shinsei Seinaru Monastery. Over the span of my childhood, I have grown fond of Shintoism. My love for the religion first sparked from my parents taking me to a shrine in Tokyo whenever they had to go to work. The Maidens that babysat me quickly began to feel like family, and I want to be just like them. Eventually as I grew up, I moved to Karakura and became a frequent visitor to the Shinsei Seinaru Monastery. Since then, I visit the Monastery at least once per day to pray and give offerings to the Kami. When looking at all the career paths that are available to me, the thing that drives me is my undying devotion for Shintoism. I am extremely grateful for your time reading this letter, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day.

Sincerely, Tachitsu Mirai”


BACKSTORY (100+ Words):
"I would be lying if I said I didn’t have it made as a little girl. I had two caring parents and a protective brother. I grew up partially in Tokyo, and I moved to Karakura to become closer to my once together family. My mom was my role model at this point in my life, and I would often try my best to be just like her. She taught me how to cook, clean, and how to be the best me I could. The one thing that has followed me throughout my life is Shintoism. My parents could never get a babysitter whenever I was a baby, so instead they took me to the shrine to watch over me while they went to work. Most of my time at the shrine was listening to all the fascinating stories that the maidens would tell me. Eventually, when I was four, I declared to my mother that I wanted to be a maiden when I grew up. I remember her giggling to me, saying that I would have to wait a long time before I would be ready for such an endeavor. When I first entered school, I began to take a liking to reading and drawing. I spent most of my free time at school drawing pictures for all the friendly people at the shrine. Over the years, I started feeling as if my family was the workers at the shrine. Everything changed in my life when I was just about to turn thirteen, and I moved to Karakura to be closer to my distant family. I enrolled into Karakura high school, and everything was going well. It felt like I entered a completely new world. Instead of looking toward my family for guidance, I decided to visit the Shinsei Seinaru Monastery. I made offerings to the Kami, worked on my homework, and read/drew while drinking a warm cup of tea in the evenings. Even though I was just becoming acquainted with the maidens and priests, I felt as if I was home. Eventually, when I turned 18, I realized that it was time for me to pick out a career path. After thinking about it for a week or so, I began to feel a calling to the Monastery. I felt a sense of duty to take care of the place I hold dear. Once I decided to commit to my dream job, I went to visit a maiden who I already knew well named Haruka T. Sakura-Ki. When I told her about my wish to become a maiden, she instantly offered to be my teacher. From that day forward, Haruka began teaching things such as making a cup of tea and reading tarot cards. During this time, I also met a distant relative by the name Sōzen Tachitsu. We spent hours talking about life, and paths we would like to achieve in life. It seemed almost like fate meeting him, especially since my parents basically weren’t in the picture anymore. They both made a quick decision to move back to Tokyo after my dad received a once in a lifetime job opportunity. Even though I still loved them with all my heart, I decided to stay in Karakura since I had made so many friends at Karakura high school. At this time, I didn’t really have a place to live, and I was living with some friends. Out of the blue one day, Sōzen asked me to live with him. After much thought and consideration, I joyfully accepted, little did I know this would end up having him adopting me. Looking back on my past now, I am extremely grateful for the people I have met, and I can only thank them for directing me to the right path. As of right now, I am 24 years old, and I have continued studying Shintoism. I am now ready for the next chapter in my life. After living with my newly found father for 6 years, I turned in my application to become a shrine maiden."



SECTION 2: Self-Knowledge Details


What duties do Shinto Priests and Maidens have?:
“The Shinto priests primary duties include being the leader in worship while praising the Kami. They also must maintain the shrine, keeping it well kept. They also read tarot cards, make tea, and clean the shrine. It is the priests’ job to ensure that the city is safe from the evil spirits that lurk. As for the maidens, they share a lot of tasks with the priest. You may see them doing a sacred cleansing, making tea, or even simply cleaning around the shrine. One thing that the maidens do is perform a beautiful dance called the Kagura dance to show their dedication to the Kami.”


What are the steps needed to be taken at the purification trough before entering the Shrine?:
“Purifying yourself is extremely crucial before entering the shrine. To do so, you must grab the ladle at the purification trough with your right hand. Using this hand, you must scoop up some water with the ladle and use it to clean your left hand. Afterwards, you will do the same except vice versa. Once you purify your hands, you want to then use your left hand to scoop a bit of the water and hold it to your lips. Doing this will cleanse your mouth. After you are done, you want to hold the ladle with the scoop pointed to the sky, letting the remaining water run down it.”


How are offerings to a Kami performed?:
“In order to perform an offering, you must first slot one hundred yen into the box or food, though it all depends on the Kami you are reaching out to. Afterwards you must ring the bell over your head, then bow two deep bows followed by two claps. You keep your hands held together, and then you speak your prayer. After you are finished, you would bow one last deep bow, and then you are done.”


How do you perform a tea ceremony ritual?:
“To start off the ceremony, you must first greet and offer seating to your guests. Next, you will need to take out all the items you need to make the matcha tea. The necessary items include: a silk cloth, bamboo whisk, tea scoop, tea strainer, matcha, and a kettle. The most important thing to keep in mind is the preservation of the tea’s purity. To do so, you will need to clean all your tools using the cloth before continuing. Now that everything is clean, you must fill the kettle with water and place it on the stove. While your water is coming to a boil, take some time to scoop up some matcha and add it into the bowl over a filter. Filtering the tea ensures there won’t be any clumps. From what Haruka told me it is wise to pour the boiling water into a separate bowl, allowing it to cool down. The reason she told me this was because pouring boiling water onto the matcha would spoil the taste. Once the water is at a reasonable temperature, approximately 80-85 degrees Celsius, you then want to add the water to the matcha. Instantly, you want to grab your bamboo whisk and begin to stir the tea in an “M” shape. You can make your tea thicker by tweaking with the water to matcha ratio. Finally you would bring the tea to the table. Traditionally, you would join your guests and enjoy the tea with a light meal.”


Explain what a Tamagushi, Ofuda and Kagura Suzu is and what they're used for:
“A Tamagushi is an offering that represents our hearts that we give to the Kami. It can be given at funerals, weddings, and other Shinto events. It is a decorated sakaki tree branch. Some decorations include zig-zag strips of washi paper, and silk.”

“An Ofuda is a type of talisman that is seen to have the power of the Kami within it. It can be made from paper, cloth, or even metal. They can be used for multiple things like protection or finding love. Most people either keep them on them or leave them somewhere specific in their home.”

“A Kagura suzu is an important part of the sacred dance called the 'Kagura dance'. They are a set of 12 bells organized into three separate tiers. From what my father taught me, the ringing of the bells is used to purify the spectators of the performance.”


(OPTIONAL) Based on your character; which other Kami would they worship?:
Based on my character, they would worship Omoikane, the Kami of wisdom. When Mirai is faced with struggles, she often looks to them when she needs an answer. She heavily focuses on bettering herself mentally and believes that knowledge is power. Omoikane is also the Kami that drives Mirai's will to learn more about Shintoism. Even though Mirai is quite intelligent herself, I believe that she would give all the credit to Omoikane.

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