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You awake into this world with a scream.
Your eye flies open as your vision blurs. Panicking, you quickly stand up only for you to immediately fall over. You feel like you want to vomit.
So vomit you do, as you crawl over to a nearby tree and hold onto it for dear life as you puke whatever was inside your digestive system.
A few minutes pass as your show of repugnance slowly fizzles out. A sigh of relief passes over you as you move closer to the tree and plop yourself onto it for support.
You're breathing steadily now. Your eyes aren't blurry any longer and they adjust to the moon-lit night.
Looking around you realize you are in a forest, an ancient looking woodland to be more specific. The trees that surround your corpse (Did you just refer to ourself as a corpse?). Are old and- wait who said that?
(Me you fool, I am your conscience.)
That... Isn't normal. You think to yourself, one would think it impossible for your own conscience to have thoughts independent of your own, let alone have it's own voice.
(Well, something clearly happened before we woke up here. I don't remember much myself so I'm hoping you could fill me in.)
Ah right, your current predicament. You snap out of your thoughts and take another look at the forest around you.
You don't even know where you are. How does one even find themselves in a forest?
Like a quick clap of thunder however, you suddenly realize something.
Your breathing quickens in panic as it becomes increasingly obvious to you that you cannot recall a single thing before your awakening.
(Shit.)
You can't remember anything.
(Okay look I know this is a bad-)
You can't remember your life before waking up here.
(Let's just take a breather and coll-)
You can't even remember your own name.
(FOCUS.) Your conscience shouts.
(Look, we can't sit all day moping about the fact that we can't remember anything. Need I remind you we're in the middle of a forest?)
I guess you're right.
(Good, now get up and let's get out of here.)
With as much e
Aaaaand now Marisa is wondering if there's a corpse in her house.
THE STORY SO FAR:
The world has ended, but five (well, it’s complicated) humans get a chance to do it over, and make things right. Only problem is, for their second go around, they're not going to be 'human'...
Kosuzu, Reimu, Akyuu and Youmu have all remembered their pasts, and through significant trials and tribulations, begun the path of fighting against the doomed future. Of the five Immaterial Children who were wound back in time together, only one’s fate remains unknown - the former magician, Kirisame Marisa.
In this life, she is Houjuu Marisa, raised on the island of Sado in the outside world. Spending her childhood years looking up at the stars, the arrival of the Spiral Comet awoke her inhuman heritage - one she was completely unaware of, and equally unprepared to deal with. Having fled her life on the island, she now searches for a way to get to Gensokyo, ever chased by a mysterious group.
She is not the only one exploring the mysteries of the city she now finds herself in - she is joined by Goutokuji Mike, a young maneki-neko of the modern world also on the run from home. Together, they discovered the Lunar Rainbow Market, and with the assistance of powerful benefactors managed to evade their pursuers.
Their time at the Scarlet Talent Agency ended poorly, yet not fruitlessly - not only were they joined by fellow mystery-hunter Kotohime, but a mysterious shadow of a witch managed to contact the young Houjuu, and point her on the path towards discovering her nature and purpose. This has proven to be another pain point for Mike, who feels herself falling behind the young changeling and wants to catch up. Perhaps the Vanishing Path and the prisoner of the shrine it conceals will give her a chance to prove herself…
Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449
[X] When you get a chance, talk to Zanmu. That no-holds-barred training she offered previously might be good for getting more comfortable with her tentacles, and not falling on her face when trying to fly.
I'm not sure if this pole is still up but I think it would be neat for marina to get more a handle of herself and explore the new possibilities, also not just go fully down technique just because it's the cool new thing for this arc. There will be other chances to max it after all
[X] When you get a chance, talk to Zanmu. That no-holds-barred training she offered previously might be good for getting more comfortable with her tentacles, and not falling on her face when trying to fly.
I apologize if the voting time has passed for this. As this is my first ever post here and am not aware if there is an expiration date.
Just finished rereading this while thing over on Ao3, and I feel Marisa needs her instinct to be at least 0 and not negative 3, so that way she wont accidentally hurt people again. She has basically no instinctual control over her abilities, in fact they actively seam to fight against her. Even her shadow self basically told her to chill on hating her instincts. Plus I fear that she will hurt herself at this rate.
[x] Reisen is a brilliant little kit, and this was the time for her to shine. Just like with Chen, all I needed to do was give her a little support and encouragement.
I still remember back when Chen made her first spellcard. It had taken a lot of effort on both our parts - for all her good qualities, Chen simply wasn’t a natural with danmaku. Staying still while you cast a spellcard and the other person shot at you went against every instinct my kit had, and while spellcards with movement did exist, they were more difficult for a beginner. Making matters worse, the order for me to treat her as my pet made it difficult for me to teach her to the degree I wanted. (When she grew frustrated and started mewling for kitty cuddles, I almost had to tie my own hands to stop the shikigami from indulging her.)
But nevertheless we persisted, and finally she had her first spellcard ready to show Yukari. And my little girl was nervous. The shikigami possessing me had been anxious that everything be perfect for its master, and while that drive had helped in focusing enough to teach Chen… it had left my kit with stage fright, her voice wavering as she asked if we could maybe practice another week first.
I’d felt an almost primal urge to just embrace her and make the problem go away. To pick up my little girl, hug her, assure her she was the best kitten in all of history, and leave the spellcard demonstration for later. But that would have just delayed the problem and made it that little bit harder for Chen to stand on her own when “later” finally came. She’d done a good job, she’d put in the work, and “Kishin - Soaring Bishamonten” was a fine entry-level spellcard. As much as I wanted to hold her hand, that would be holding her back. She didn’t need my protection… just a little encouragement.
So I knelt down, and pet her. A quick stroke as my fingers traced a line from her fluffy ears down her cheek. She went completely still, looking at me as I told her not to worry. That she was ready, that she’d worked hard, and that Yukari was going to be just as impressed with her as I was. And in my kit’s eyes I saw the worry fade away as Chen fought her fear with pure, earnest determi
>>215149
It would be really funny if after all the bonding and trauma Greg and Satori have been through together, seeing Greg as a fox is what gets Satori to fold and get with Greg
After reading the little blurb from snippets about physical contact, I think it'd be really funny to see Ran trying to seduce Matthew and continuously being outdone by him unintentionally
New thing I've been thinking about: of the 3 possible powers Greg presented for the Jesus urban legend, I'm guessing the third (casting out demons) is probably Yuyuko's goal for Youmu or Greg(or possibly even Greg's dad).
Considering the specification on demons that possess people, it would be the best option to kick Tamamo out of Yukari's body and might be able to kick out the Shikigami spirit from Ran, which as I understand the shikigami spell would effectively release Ran. It could even cast out urban legends, which would be an instant fix for Remilia and get over a hurdle for Koishi.
Resurrection could also fit thematically for Greg or his pop pops, seeing as how all but like maybe 3 people think they're dead, and that could lead to an "awakening" of sorts for Greg's youkai nature. It might also affect Youmu, turning her into a full human for all that entails.
The healing power meanwhile doesn't really fit onto Greg or Youmu though. Maybe for Greg's dad. For Greg in particular, he's made his mark trying to keep people out of bad situations or making the best of them, not healing them(for his childhood trauma, he was the one being healed by Sumireko, not the healer).
I'm mainly considering Greg, Greg's dad and Youmu as the candidates here because they're the only ones to have ties to Christianity at present(and Ran, but I doubt the everyday villagers know about that).
This is also much less likely, but as I was reading the story I briefly theorized that Greg might get the literal antichrist as an urban legend as some sort of possible bad end; fox features might count as a "mark of the beast" and he simultaneously divided and united his class as a kid (like the antichrist is said to do to Israel)(I think)(I don't know that much abrahamic lore).
Imagine a tiny spark, as minuscule as a speck of dust, yet as brilliant as the most gigantic stars in the universe; slowly and lazily floating above nothingness. A nothingness where nothing and everything, paradoxically, exist simultaneously. Perhaps you don't remember, but you've been here before. Maybe it was that time before you were born, before or after your conception. Maybe it's the same place you go to every time you sleep, that brief, pleasant time before the next day begins. Maybe it's the place where you ended up, like all the others you've known and forgotten throughout your life.
Ah, now that I look at you more closely, it seems you're on your last breath. Tragic, but expected for your kind, whatever you were before ending up like this. Believe it or not, it's hard to tell from your appearance. Tidy yourself up a bit, okay?
But well, it seems you've been floating in nothingness for quite some time. That's odd, since you should have been picked up by a shinigami, if they even bother to do their job anymore...
Of course, our boss would have already taken matters into her own hands.
Or at the very least, turned into a vengeful spirit. Hmm, have you even visited the banks of the Sanzu River? I heard the Ministry finally allowed the installation of—
Please, focus! We have a job to do.
Ah! Where were we? Oh, yes! You, the spark, whatever you are, continue floating, illuminating the void with your nonexistent light, dancing with a carefree attitude. After an eternity of dancing—you need to work on those moves, by the way—you stop. And as you stop to a stand still, you explode with tremendous force.
Your consciousness awakens ~ ❤.
Hello there, long time lurker(wow has it been a few years) and first time thread maker here.
I wondered if anyone here would be interested in an story.(dumb question)
I am in posession of 2 brainchildren that for the love of all won't leave me alone. The first one developed into an red line, having the bare bones in the beginning, conflict with a few characters and an potential climax. It has no end since the other parts still swim around in the depths of my brain.
Well, all in all i want to know if anyone has enough interest to vote, comment and interact with me while putting up with my ADD, formatting mistakes, slipping grammar(im german) and an irregular release schedule that at least i can guarantee will lead to an end of the story.
It will begin as pretty standard gappy story,with votes on what an mc we will creating, mc will NOT be powerful very fast into it. There will be so much choice making(for hopefully our amusement and to help the plot along) and at last i will add an stat sheet with the skills of mc and an archievement tab. Everything astounding and all deaths(connected to the choices)will get one, with a bit of flavor Text the first time.
So yeah... i want to let this fester for 3 days before coming to an decision if it's worth it.
See you.
Wonderfully jobless and with too much time for the next 8 months
Alastor Darkwood
The Curse writhes, its barely distinguishable face contorting in baneful agony.
“No,” it says. “The sacrifices that I have made, the evils that I have felled—they were all for you… for us. I have made the darkness my own so that none could harm us. I have never wished to become what I am now… and yet, that was the only path forward. To preserve us.”
“There is no us,” you hiss. “We are not equals, nor will we ever be. Since my conception, you’ve used me as nothing more than a tool. Then, as you scurried away, you had deserted me just as you had deserted my priestess. I had naught but the curses I’ve inherited from you. But in your last waking moments, you had placed the greatest curse on me thus far: To become Hakurō.”
“The mantle you adopted had led us to this point: You, our priestess, and I have all reunited. And I have suffered as you have—am I not also You?”
“No. You are not. And by Amatsu’s will, we are no longer bound to each other.”
You manifest an item in your fist—it should be a familiar sight to Roku, though it is now merely a remnant of what it once was. You reveal a crushed talisman as you open your palm. Within its charm is now sediment, thanks to the assistance of the Hakurei Miko. To think that such a delicate piece would house the bond between three murderous deities and the ties between them. But all it takes to sever those ties are the hands of one mortal shrine maiden.
Even between the darkness that scarred Roku’s face, his expression displays an emotion that you are well acquainted with: fear.
“You understand now. Without Amatsu, you are nothing. You are merely a forgotten god. No, rather, you are but a crude beast. And I, Hakurou, am the embodiment of worldly hatred and vengeance. Because that was what you have made me. And for what purpose? To selfishly imprison the soul of my priestess and corrupt those consumed in the Maw, turning the innocent into the cursed? Amatsu may have once been the harbinger of chaos, but I know no truer evil than you. Yet, in your thirst to eternally
And then what happened, Author...?
You return from the world of nightmares. The boundary between Amatsu’s domain and the corporeal world begins bleeding onto one another. What is once darkness now forms the steps before the Hakurei Shrine, and, though you walk betwixt the realms, it would only be a matter of time until the divine returns to the ethereal stream. And when you step out of the darkness, you shall be Roku no more. In that sense, Hakurou, too, will cease to exist. So then… what will emerge out of the Maw?
Not Roku. Not Hakurou. Just… You.
You take the first step back into Gensokyo, returning to the familiar foothills. But what awaits you is a rather peculiar sight—before you is a frantic Akyuu pulling a mostly-disinterested Tewi by the wrist. Upon seeing you, she immediately curses under her breath and shakes the rabbit away.
“Damn it all. Were we too late?”
“For what?” you ask. “To throw me a birthday party? Nonsense. It’s never too late, even by a month. Or was it a couple of months?” You half-expect a sarcastic retort from the purple-haired girl, but she’s unusually silent. “What? Cat got your tongue?”
Tewi shakes her head. “I’ll be blunt. Since your disappearance, Akyuu’s turned into a raving lunatic. She’s been rambling on about how she thought you were in the middle of unsealing some kind of freakish power, or something like that. But, frankly speaking…” Tewi’s expression grows more solemn. “You do seem different.”
“I guess she’s not too far off. I did kinda make a deal with Amatsu, and—wait, how’d you figure that one out?”
“I don’t think it takes a genius to put two and two together.” She points up. Above the landscape is a rift in the border, remnants of the Maw filling up the space between.
“Oh.” You stare at the rift, contemplating the trouble. “I can fix that.”
“Can you do it soon? I think Akyuu is having an episode.”
“I’m not,” she finally responds, though her face is deathly pale. “I’m just coming to terms that my worst nightmares are coming to life.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“What else would you b
THE STORY SO FAR:
The world has ended, but five (well, it’s complicated) humans get a chance to do it over, and make things right. Only problem is, for their second go around, they're not going to be 'human'...
Kosuzu, Reimu, Akyuu and Youmu have all remembered their pasts, and through significant trials and tribulations, begun the path of fighting against the doomed future. Of the five Immaterial Children who were wound back in time together, only one’s fate remains unknown - the former magician, Kirisame Marisa.
In this life, she is Houjuu Marisa, raised on the island of Sado in the outside world. Spending her childhood years looking up at the stars, the arrival of the Spiral Comet awoke her inhuman heritage - one she was completely unaware of, and equally unprepared to deal with. Having fled her life on the island, she now searches for a way to get to Gensokyo - ever chased by a mysterious group.
She is not the only one exploring the mysteries of the city she now finds herself in - she is joined by Goutokuji Mike, a young maneki-neko of the modern world also on the run from home. Together, they discovered the Lunar Rainbow Market, and with the assistance of powerful benefactors managed to evade their pursuers. Now, they turn their eyes towards the other unearthly secrets in the area, seeking a path to the land of fantasy.
Having made arrangements for their meeting on a forum for discussing cryptids and urban legends, a number of others have followed their lead, seeking out the local mysteries in separate groups. One such individual is the tenacious eccentric Little_Bunny, who has tried many times to infiltrate the Scarlet Talent Agency and confirm its suspected otherworldly connections. Marisa and Mike have come across one such attempt, and are about to watch one of the forum’s local legends in action…
Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu
If I remember correctly, the reason Nue’s power turned things into UFOs was because that was what Sanae thought they were. And the power of rumors spread that perception from there.
That may be the case, but this Marisa had a UFO appear in her transformation sequence:
>Immediately, the broom gave way beneath her, dissipating into stardust. Marisa flailed, tumbling over herself as she fell through the sky. She hit something big and yellow - a flying saucer? And bounced off, dazed.
She's also shown a fairly consistent interest in space and aliens in general. and her tentacles on both sides have shapes evocative or stars and space ships. I think it's a fairly safe bet that she can conjure the UFOs, at least under the right circumstances.
Maybe it's one of the other abilities Chimata can pull out of her?
[x] A wicked hermit appears
You decided to cut directly to the chase. “Is Miko here?”
Seiga floated around you in a circular arc, forcing you to turn to keep her in your vision. “Now, now. You’re being quite the rude guest. Insulting my darling Yoshika, leaving your companion to fight her while you ran on ahead…”
“My heart weeps for you,” you said flatly. “Is Miko here?”
“Fortunately, you’re also quite the interesting one,” she replied, completely ignoring your question. “A servant who is a master, once a master of many servants, but now ensnared by her own trap. And one who condemns a servitude more benign than that which her life has been defined by. What am I to make of you?”
“A person looking for information,” you told her. “Specifically, where is Miko?”
“Is there a reason for me to just tell you?” the wicked hermit asked. “Surely the fair thing would be a trade of information, no?”
Reisen glanced back and forth between you and Seiga. “That doesn’t seem unreasonable?”
Knowing exactly where this was going, you glared at the hermit. “What is unreasonable is the knowledge she wants. This wicked hermit is after the shikigami ritual.”
“Didn’t you just- ack!” Reisen started before one of your tails flicked across her legs, making her yelp.
Seiga laughed, floating right up to your face. “Tamamo-no-mae’s reign of terror was followed by dozens of copycats utilizing her work. There’s little point for you to safeguard that knowledge now.”
“Knowledge that my past self went to considerable lengths to eradicate,” you spat. “What makes you think I would hand it over to you?”
“Perhaps because your lips have been loosened already? Alice has been talking quite a bit about her living doll while fighting my pet zombie.”
So that was why Seiga showed herself. “Alice will not abuse the knowledge, whereas you are a self-professed wicked hermit. The answer is still no.”
She was unfazed, smirking back at you. “Everyone has their price, and I’ll find yours eventually. Or perhaps hers?”
You grimaced. That was an unpleasant reminder you’d need to stre
And that ties it up. Wow.
I'd like to start writing on this, so I'm declaring a sudden death tiebreaker. Next vote wins.
The Dragon once bathed in his own unkempt squalor, standing upon coals of agony. There, she appeared before him, a forgotten angel, halo in the form of ringed Dragon horns, who granted him purpose.
Though the Imugi knew that his Kitsune was gone, he still heard her gentle voice in the winds and felt her embrace in the warmth of newfound sunlight. Yet memories that had once burned bright within his soul would eventually wash away like an uncaring tributary, as the waters of time always flowed impartially. He walked over the cobbled path, paved by generations of humankind. There on the stones lay centuries of progress, blessed by peaceful steps.
Since Seoyang’s conception, rainfall was a promise of constancy: So long as it rained, the people would know that the Imugi still protected the land. Yet, it was in his absence that the land truly flourished. The sun’s embrace promised change to the lands of Seoyang; it could once again prosper and inherit new life. One must not water their crops every day, after all.
The Imugi, in pursuit of rain, knew only overcast. The sun was a distant, unclear idea. Underneath the misty veil of Seoyang, one could only see what was in front of them, and anything further would only be haze, nameless and formless in thought. The Imugi was no exception.
He had finally opened his eyes beyond the rain and mist. And, to that Dragon, the fleeting sunset that poured beyond the Seoyang plains was vivid and beautiful.
Wasn't expecting this. So, is that it? We finally done with this one? Kinda reads like an epilogue, and it doesn't seem like there's anywhere else it could go.
Well, it was an interesting little tale, if so. I appreciate the whole... hard to really name it in a convenient way. It's got elements that feel like one of those fantastical chronicles you see a lot in East Asia, where it's a story of a lot of things happening over a long period, and there's supposed to be some conceit of credulousness around them, but they're almost certainly strange and fictional. That's the sort of feeling I get. Also, I probably said this way back, but I appreciate the flavour of something non-Japanese sprinkled in but in such a way that it doesn't necessitate a whole lot of weird circle-squaring that people often get into. It's just something fantastical that blends into something else fantastical.
I guess it would have been nice if the whole relationship between the imugi, the kitsune, and their offspring had been a bit more evenly covered with the rest of events happening, but I know that there was a certain break between intentions and execution, so I can't lay too much fault.
If this isn't over, uh... well, oops?
Either way, glad to see you still alive, Moral. I hope we can get some closure on some of the other things, too.
I'm usually not one to have notes at the end of a story (I believe in letting the story speak for itself, yadda yadda whatever nerd), but I've been very gently persuaded to share some thoughts about the story so here ya go.
The story was very (and I really mean very, very, very) loosely inspired by Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven. All of the Cantos were adapted from the actual lines of the epic poem. And guess what—I’m one of the few people who even bothered directly translating it from the source material. I guess my esoteric knowledge about random shit did come in handy. I didn't use the whole thing because it later devolves into Joseon political-isms, but I found it strangely compelling enough to base a short story about. Specifically, I thought about the different dragons that could be found in Eastern mythology, and saw a perfect in-between (a Korean Imugi) that was like a dragon but also not.
I mainly wanted something that deviated from the usual Touhou antics while still being believable that this particular story could fit into the overall setting. Well, I tried at least. That's probably the biggest gripe I have with this piece: It's very explicitly isolated from Gensokyo. I definitely wanted to integrate Gensokyo more with the entire plot, but there isn’t much you can do when a dragon doesn't care about vacationing in figurative Youkai hell.
The story is also a lot different from the draft idea, where it was supposed to be about interesting similarities between Korean/Chinese/Japanese mythology, and the Dragon would mainly be pointing these out. You could still see parts of that when the Imugi offhandedly commented about koma-inus and haetaes. I decided to forego this in favor of immortal suffering because, at the time, I was feeling like I wanted my characters to be miserable. I know, stupid reason, but I’ve written other things for even stupider reasons than that. Who knows, maybe I might still run on that idea as a sequel using Seoyu? I’m just kidding, I don’t really want to have another story on my plate when I have other obligations to fulfill. Unless?
I don’t t
THE STORY SO FAR:
The world has ended, but five (well, it’s complicated) humans get a chance to do it over, and make things right. Only problem is, for their second go around, they're not going to be 'human'...
Kosuzu, Reimu, Akyuu and Youmu have all remembered their pasts, and through significant trials and tribulations, begun the path of fighting against the doomed future. Of the five Immaterial Children who were wound back in time together, only one remains - the former magician, Kirisame Marisa.
In this life, she is Houjuu Marisa, raised on the island of Sado in the outside world. Spending her childhood years looking up at the stars, the arrival of the Spiral Comet awoke her inhuman heritage - one she was completely unaware of, and equally unprepared to deal with. Having fled her life on the island, she now searches for a way to get to Gensokyo - ever chased by a mysterious group.
But though she has left her home behind, she is not without allies. She has met up with Goutokuji Mike, a maneki-neko and fellow mystery hunter, and together they’ve decided to search for a path together. A narrow escape from her pursuers has brought them into contact with the gentle Ibaraki Kasen, the divine Tenkyuu Chimata, and the crafty Nippaku Zanmu. With such a trio of powerful figures behind her, Marisa’s fate is set to turn…
Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449 >>205720
Again/Akyuu >>206017 >>206302 >>206595
Counting to >>213993:
Main Choice:
[1] “Think Zanmu knows how to get in?” There was a strong chance whatever she was doing here had to do with Marisa’s predicament… and she didn’t seem to mind them knowing what she was up to.
[17] “Let’s watch Little_Bunny in action.” She had a grappling hook, and who knew what else? Whatever she was investigating was probably really cool important. Besides, they could always ask Zanmu later.
Clearly a close vote, nothing much to say.
:3
[X] “Let’s watch Little_Bunny in action.” She had a grappling hook, and who knew what else? Whatever she was investigating was probably really cool important. Besides, they could always ask Zanmu later.
>213983
Yeah, Kotohime was also my immediate first thought, but I wasn't sure how that would work with her also in Gensokyo during Y/Y. Your idea definitely makes some amount of sense, though, and that's more than enough for this dork.
