Have you ever thought what makes someone human? I know that’s quite cliché for where I am, but that doesn’t stifle my wonder. That seems to be a lot of what I’m doing right now. Wondering. Or maybe wandering? Sitting in bed, or rather futon, at the early hour of a morning is always like this. Just a constant stream of random nonsense for which some piece of coherent thought may stay to be what I think of for the rest of the day. If it can get attention next to its neighbor, the hangover. This one is light but no less annoying, like a small buzz somewhere in the farthest corner of my head.

A call from another room, “food’s about ready! You should be up by now!”

Ah the dilemma, to trudge out of the comfort of sheets and start the day or to remain in comfort with a lighter belly. Not a choice for me, as the footsteps approaching the door forecast the next few seconds.

“I’m not your mother, so stop making me get you out of bed and start your day already,” she announces with an authority enough to vibrate the room. I follow the command to suit with no haste in the slightest. Bidding farewell to my light conscious and greeting my now painfully aware of fuzz in the back of my head self. That won’t make today fun. Seeing that I’m following orders, my host gives a quick harumph and returns to the kitchen. Leaving me to lift my body off the ground.

Enough dramatics, though. I get up with that little extra effort needed for a futon instead of a standing bedside and change into my usual day clothes. This is no more than a simple white folded sleeve button up shirt and some old brown khakis with amounts of pencil lead staining the upper legs. It sounds simple, but I think it looks good for any occasion. The look is only really completed by the shoes, but I need to leave them off inside due to tradition in Japan. Maybe I should wear a tie to recover the lost professionalism.

Thoughts for another time, my benefactor will kill me if the food goes cold before I’ve had it. A quick bathroom run to wash my face and I’m at the kitchen in ample time. Just a moment late, as the kind lady has already set out the plates and is now sitting down at the low table.

And in the backshine of departing stars, the rabbits fancied they had an understanding.

The veil fell.

I open the blank scroll, pick up a brush, and begin writing.
"Today, on the 6th August, another outsider got killed." I stop at that single line, and sigh. I really want to add more, but I must stick to what I know, and maintain the archive perfectly. I want to add that he was extremely incoherent, and got killed by the militia after he snatched a sword and threatened to kill them if they got closer.
I put the brush down, carefully, and I stretch. Trying to forget the sight of his mangled body is an exercise in itself, but keeping notes is sadly all I can do. Speaking of which, let's see just how many outsiders are still alive by now.
"Five outsiders got in Gensokyo after their bus got lost..." Five, right. Three of them died before they could reach the village, and the fourth one died yesterday in the evening. Meaning there's only one left, and that poor sap probably doesn't feel all right.

I pick up my cane, and slowly walk to the window. At least today is relatively quiet.
"You got a new dead outsider? Can I eat him?"
And there she goes.
"They already cremated him. And by the way, I didn't give you my keys, how did you come in?"
"I made a spare."
I can't help but smile, and she does the same. Youkais are a troublesome lot, but I don't mind that one.
"Why visit me today? Are you bored again?"
"I finished my book. Got another one?"
Her eyes land on my weak leg, and her smile briefly disappear while her eyes grow enraged. She opens her mouth, but closes it after a while.
"I just might. As long as you tell me why you're really here."
She looks at me, a surprised look on her face, and turns away, her cheeks blushing. "...I wanted to see you."
"But you come almost every nigh-"
"That's different!" She cuts me, which is rather unusual for her. "I felt like I needed to see you. The youkais are whispering, you know? They say that the humans in the village will soon turn on each others, and that already they're killing each others!"
I hold back a sigh. "It's different, he was

Thread 1: >>41094
Thread 2: >>41628

[x] A stroll somewhere exotic. We could compare our philosophies and spells.

“Perhaps a trip to some dark, mysterious forest?”

“A dark forest, really?”

I pulled away from her. Clasping my hands behind my back, I strolled toward the gate. “Why? Are you afraid I’ll do anything… inappropriate?”

“What? Why would I even think that?”

Still clasping my hands, I shrugged. “Why, indeed?”

And yet, after a few steps, she fell in line beside me. “Surely, there’s somewhere better we can go.”

“Hm.” I chuckled. “Why yes, I think I know just the place.”

“Oh? Where is that?”

“Let’s allow it to be my little surprise, darling.”

She pouted. “Very well.”

Waiting barely until we left the gate, I unhooked my hands, grabbed one of hers, and dragged her toward the lightning-singed tree I’d come from. With a hop and skip, we’d returned to the infinite void and, from there, come out from another damaged tree, this time by a coarse dirt pathway, winding in switchbacks up a mountain face.

She frowned. “A dark forest on a mountain. Your wisdom impresses me, dear.”

“Oh, hush. You’ll see its beauty soon enough.” I offered her my elbow. She glanced at it, a mask of uncertainty flickering across her face before she shook her head and linked her arm with mine. Together, we began a trek up the mountainside.

I breathed in the thin but crisp, mountain air, feeling its chill touch on my skin. “So, how was your temple today.”

She sighed. “For some mysterious reason, your presence has them rattled. Perhaps we should spend our nights at your place, instead.”

I gasped in mock shock. “Why, you’re not trying to kick me out, are you?”

“Oh dear, no. Why, I believe you had to lose to accept sleepi

He apologized first to the girl. “Sorry,” Kigaku mouthed to Kyouko.

“Sorry,” she echoed as the prophet bowed in shame.

“No—um. It’s alright. Really.” The book-girl shrugged in resignation. “I’ve memorized the contents, more or less. And it was only a matter of time until something like that would burst into flames, so it was only inevitable.”

“And why would that be the case?”

“Because,” she said, her orange eyes falling onto the yamabiko. The girl was half a word into her next sentence until she cut herself short, instead muttering to herself. She hunched over, and, as if the prophet and his companion didn’t even exist, she circled around, mumbling non-words all the while.

“Um. Hello?” Kyouko took a nervous step back and retreated to behind the prophet. “I’m not liking this, Ametsuchi.”

The man silently agreed. It was not just her demeanor, either: Both the prophet and the youkai sensed malintent. And though the book-girl seemed innocuous at first glance, a spell of malevolence took to the air around her.

Kigaku nodded to his assistant. “Excuse me. Miss?”

Kyouko relayed, though her voice barely carried over—she was busy pressing her face into the prophet’s back, cowering all the while. But no amount of decibels would have swayed the orange-haired girl: She was entranced. This was an unfortunate setback for the prophet—he had prior business with the bookkeeper, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

The prophet opened his lips. ‘Miss,’ he mouthed.

The girl stopped in her tracks, her glazed eyes turning to the man.

‘Forgive me, but I’ll be intruding.’ He took a step forward, and, delicately, the prophet put a hand to her left shoulder.

She recoiled, jumping back at the man’s touch. The girl looked like she was a moment from screaming, but instead, gray haze was forcibly expelled from her mouth. It materialized into a shape, vaguely human,

Whilst futo's old english and way of talk is one of her charms, One dost not wish nor hath time to write a entire story in it for my sake and thy time's sake, please understand.OK its because am lazy alright
--------------------------------------------------------------------

"... A world where every human may take a chance to cling onto their own density, a world where humans may explore this wonder world to their hearts. YES Hijiri that is the world I desire! Under Taoism of course." The elegant and charismatic one and only Crown Prince exclaimed!

Art thee words that were most likely being said in the room behind me. As for I, thou might wonder? hmph! The most brave and courageous job, of guarding thy door! yes this noble job of mine, is however in constant threat. As right beside me is a fearsome yokai. Or should I say YOKAIS, yokies?... THE POINT BEING the nerve of this despicable temple have brought two beasts to this meeting of thy's, THAT THEE CALLED FOR, is utter BULLSHIT

But if its thine own fate to be fallen in this hallway protecting the Crown prince's chamber THEN IT SH--" soooo hey Futo." huh?? Thy Yokai with blue hair and for some reason cloth covering thine beautiful sky texture haired is speaking to one? Thy other Yokai which seems to be asleep to A UNTRAINED EYE hast not moved a muscles, or more to be precise not moved a cloud.

" Thou wishes to speak to me?"

"..."

"..."

"So the temple is having a party and I was"----

BANG
"Alright Futo pack your things and lets leave, this was a complete waste of my time,much like Buddhism of course." The number one and only CROWN PRINCE said as she burst out of the room, were'est the wretched devilish monk than began to scream as loud as a monk usually screams.

"Do you really want to do this? Miko? ... after what you said there will only be one of us st

Lesson 1: Cirno

Hello, and welcome everyone. This is the first colloquium I will be hosting for my research into the ecology and lives of youkai and related beings. Thank you to the village elders for sponsoring this research. Before I begin with the first lecture, there is some organizational topics I need to discuss.

First of all, each lecture will be some fifteen to thirty minutes, maybe more depending on the amount of content I’ve prepared, and the number of questions asked. Please ask questions, I have not covered everything. Each lecture will be held here in the public school on Saturdays in the early afternoon by announcement, so it will not be every week. I thank Miss Kamishirasawa for allowing this to be held here. And no, I’m not technically a teacher yet, so I don’t have the right to come in here on my own authority.

For those of you that do not know me, my name is Tanner Regas, an outsider who wandered in. I’m attempting to make a curriculum for the public school that is more focused on some basic sciences and mathematics. Reason for this is that I was a high school physics teacher… someone who taught young individuals their basic curriculum, and I saw that there was an opening for such a position here.

A: “How come you aren’t dead if you’re from the outside?”

I was left in the village proper. I don’t know why I was in the village proper to begin with, but whatever.
So I went for the position, after I got dumped here, that is.

Any further questions about me personally can be held until after the colloquium. Transcripts of which will be recorded by the servant of Lady Hieda present. Thank you for your hard work.

Onto important topics, the class itself; this course will be describing the life, physiology, and general attributes of whatever research subject I have been working with before each lecture. Some cursory observations on things like their daily routine, or inductive hypothesis on a species as a whole will be given at my own discretion. I will be sure to write whatever sources I used as peripheral here on the board. Importantly, I made sure reference Lady Hieda’s own effective youkai encyclopedia, the Per

"It's kind of weird looking, ain't it?"

It found the final, coveted vestiges of its slumber cruelly wrenched from its weary mind, as its senses were filled with uncomfortable heat and the varied din of a surrounding mob.

"I've never seen a lizard get this big, do you think it's some kind of youkai?"

"Of course it's a youkai! There's no way a lizard could grow to this size."

"You don't think it eats flesh, do you?"

"What else could those teeth be for?"

"I hope it isn't dangerous.."

"How did it even end up here, anyway?"

The last question was accompanied by a slightly forceful prod against the beast's nose, it huffed in irritation and tried desperately to reclaim its lost tranquility. This would prove to be fruitless, as evidenced by a startled cry.

"Don't poke the damn thing! Do you want it to wake up?!"

"Well, it might have been dead for all we know! how else was I supposed to check?"

"Keep poking it and you might be dead the one!"

"No one should do anything until the Head Priest gets here!"

"That's right! Lady Byakuren will take care of everything!"

"For the record, if this thing tried to eat me, I would just run."

"Oh? And do you really think that you could outrun a monster like that?"

"I don't have to outrun the lizard, I just have to outrun you~"

"Why, you-!"

It chose this moment to discreetly open its left eye. It winced and rectified the action, regretting the decision as the sun's rays seemed adamant on worsening the dull ache in its head. Momentarily forgetting about the crowd of unknown voices, it hissed irritably as both its eyes opened and slowly adjusted to the light. Near immediately, someone noticed that it was waking up.

"G-get away from it! It's awake!"

"Wha-?! Gyaaaah!!"

Faster than any living thing it had ever witnessed, the creatur

Depending on who you ask. You’d get a lot of different opinions on this fantasy land called, ‘Gensokyo.’

If you were to ask the folks in the Human Village, they’d say that the land is nice so long as you stay inside the walls of the village. But if for some unfortunate reason you’d have to travel out of it, they’d still say the land was mostly fine so long as you’d stay within the well-traveled roads.

And avoided the enormous Forest of Magic.

Stayed away from any large fields of sunflowers.

Kept your distance from any large patches of spider-lilies.

Took care not to attract attention from the Tengu from the mountain

Made a large detour around the lake and avoided the scarlet mansion.

Oh and if you somehow had the ability to do so, stayed away from the big hole in the sky over yonder unless you want to visit the netherworld early.

Among other hazards.

‘But it is a nice place regardless!’ So they’d say.

If you were to ask the question to a youkai who was more willing to make conversation and not gore you for a snack ‘just because,’ They’d have a higher opinion of the land as a whole. But also mention some, if not a good chunk of the same hazards the villagers mentioned.

Then you’ve got the individuals that are practically the center of these hazards who’ll tell you that Gensokyo has no issues and will stare at you blankly and/or oddly for even suggesting that there might be some issues with this little land of fantastical paradise.

But who were you to think? You were just an outsider dropped into this hot mess out of nowhere. A case of ‘Right place, wrong time,’ that you quickly found out was all too common for something seemingly uncommon.

Months went by, through multiple strokes of luck and will. You had somehow managed to carve out a little niche for yourself as another ‘problem-solver’ of sorts. Taking cases from the village and, on the rare occasion, the more sophisticated youkai.

Luckily for you, the majority of cases were just small-time stuff. ‘There’s a weird noise coming from the attic!’ that would turn

(A short outside of /shorts/.)

A loyal host of Mononobe men-under-arms made midnight march for Iware.