[?] in terms of arcs, how much longer are you planning to continue R/R?

[?] What media most inspired you with writing? (in general and with R/R)

[?] Whats your favourite Touhou character | official media | fanmade media?

[?] What was your favorite vote so far?

[?] Not sure if this is spoilery or not, but what can the UFOs do? Big and small... Because I watched a Mirae Somang animation and... Yeah, I wanna kidnap Akyuu with Marisa's new ride if we've got a tractor beam. It'd be funny, and likely *very* confusing to everyone else. Also, Marisa would definitely do it to prank her friend.

[!] May i offer you a Nue in these trying times?

[?] You've said before you liked to do this again once you finish the series, right? Would you do it with the same characters but different choices? Different characters? Or a brand new incident altogether?

[X] No. You hated to admit it, but you were barely holding yourself together.

Ran needs a break, honestly, and we have Miko to manage the meeting. Putting her in won't necessarily help her prepare - it might just give the conspirators time to probe at what she knows while she's too weak to resist.

In truth, my personal vote would be taking the third option for her listening in from a private space, which gives some of the potential advantages of votes like >>214568 while still preserving Ran's personal dignity, but with the way the cookie's crumbling I'm joining the No faction.

[X] Yes. If there was anything you could do, you needed to know.

A little thought back to >>206212

I was just thinking, why was Patchy so impressed with our display? (Other that the whole 'Roach isn't human and he's now tapping into that hidden potencial' thing) So I came up with a little bit of a crack pot theory: Gregor can imbue the power of his other side when one is sealed.

I don't really have much evidence besides his punishment acting up and 'Greg is too much of a wuss puss to have his Kitsune/Shikigami side to be just that good' but the thought of him canabilizing his minor subjects and have uber-powered illusions was on my mind recently.

((Also it would be cool if this was actually the case and he gets a second binding (that he has the keys to) to make his mind fkery match Koishi's.
Though where would you even attach that since it need to be both A. Somewhere not uncomfortable/dehabilitating and B. Strapped to something that instantly combusts due to punishment.))

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

It was finally the day. Reimu almost felt as though she were dreaming. Of course, if she were dreaming, she wouldn’t feel her sweaty palms, or the friction as she gripped her sleeves.

Nor would she feel her mother’s warm hand on her shoulder. The older shrine maiden gave her daughter a gentle, reassuring smile. She had dressed up for the occasion, a long, flowing white kimono over a red skirt. A pair of bells hung from her hair, gently chiming in the breeze. Rather than her usual gohei, which was about half a shaku shorter than her mother, a longer staff, about a shaku and a half taller than the woman, was held in her hands. Reimu thought it seemed impractical to use, but some of her predecessors had apparently used similar weapons to great effect in their times.

Well, that wasn’t her concern for the moment. Soon enough she would get her own gohei, and she’d probably end up wielding it until the day she died. Hopefully that was a long time away. Reimu had heard the judge of the afterlife could be a little long-winded. Being a ghost wasn’t in the cards either. Setting aside that she’d probably get hunted down, Reimu didn’t want to end up being as crazy as Mima. Though that other ghost girl didn’t seem so bad. What was her name again? Ana?
Reimu was pulled from her thoughts by her mother clearing her throat. She wasn’t as nervous as Reimu was, a calm expression on her face whereas the newer shrine maiden felt her lips being tugged down by concern.

“Don’t worry, my child. There will be nothing I ask of you today that we haven’t done several dozen times these past few weeks.” The veteran shrine maiden assured, giving Reimu a confident look.

Her mother was right, of course. For all that it had been annoying, it was true that the routine she was to go through was one she was more than familiar with. But there was one big difference between practice and today. The pristine garb wasn't something she had to wear when practising. Washing out her purple hair dye was new as well, though she would be allowed to re-apply it a few weeks after the ceremony. Neither of those were what the young girl was concerned about, however.

“But there’s gonna be people

...ohhhh dear, hopefully this isn't the beginning of the end and this doesn't end in either a mutual kill or a near one between Haru and Mima...

It was a funny little ceremony that the Hakurei had, she mused. Not truly a traditional shaman’s initiation, far too martial for that. Made sense, for the shepherds who protected the little sheep of the village. Still, it wouldn’t do for her to underestimate the red and white women for their pageantry. Together with those three hags, they controlled the state of Gensokyo. Perhaps that upstart would change things, but she had never been one to trust in little brats.

Mima, the lady of vengeful spirits,knew a simple truth of the world. That there was only one person she could truly and wholeheartedly trust.

At present, she watched the proceedings through a pair of binoculars. Using magic to observe them would usually be preferable, but with the intuition that those miko were known to have, it was safer to use mundane means for now. She’d crash that party soon enough anyway.

Now that Mima looked more closely, one of those hags was present. Sitting among the crowd, as though she were just an ordinary human was Kasen Ibara, the most self-righteous woman in the country. Funny, considering she had killed more humans than many youkai could ever even dream of. One of the ‘sages’, two and a half cripples that liked to boss people around.

It was an annoyance, but only that. That woman’s artificial arm was anathema to vengeful spirits, but fortunately, she would be wary of unleashing its power in front of humans. The fool seemed to have got it into her head that she was a friend to humans, so she wouldn’t want to frighten them. More than that though, even the gap hag wouldn’t undermine her pet shrine maidens by revealing themselves as youkai at such a public event. The cryptic one might reveal her true nature, but Mima hadn’t seen or heard about her for at least two decades. Perhaps she had been too enamored with remaining hidden and accidentally gotten herself dissipated, Mima chuckled to herself.

By now, the initiation itself had come to an end. Her window of opportunity was opening. The last time a yokai had tried to interrupt the Hakurei’s initiation, they had been exorcised by the ambient power that the ceremony itself had. Best to wait a few minutes to make sure sh

>>214352

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.

>>214353

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?

>>214365 New thread

[X] "I am being chased by a foul creature of the night and require shelter."

[X] "I am being chased by a foul creature of the night and require shelter."

Reputation +0.01

[X] "I am being chased by a foul creature of the night and require shelter."

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.

[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.

[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.

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

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.

New thread is up
>>213997

[X] takes the offer of Mima and Shingyoku.
[X] takes Youmu's offer to meet Yuyuko.

[X] tells them that he will think about it.
[X] takes Youmu's offer to meet Yuyuko.

[x] tells them that he will think about it.

[x] takes Youmu's offer to meet Yuyuko.