Everyone’s waiting for you to continue. The thing is, you didn’t have anything to follow up after that. But you don’t want to disappoint, so you say the first thing that comes to your head.

“And then we can beat him up,” you conclude, earning the respect of battle-happy shrine maidens across the world. You’re sure Reimu’s clapping in her head with the approving nod that she’s giving you.

“...Him?” The badger sputters. “As in, the other guy… and not me, y-yes?”

“Do you want to be beaten up too?” asks Reimu.

With a somber expression, he shakes his head slowly and silently.

“Good.” The shrine maiden jerks a finger to the mountainside. “Now take us to your boss, leader, or whatever you call him.”

Despite how talkative the badger initially was, he does not say a word through the forest’s passage and the climb up the steady hillside. With Reimu following right behind the badger, it looks like he’s being walked to his execution—and the shrine maiden, his executioner. He stops at a patch of open area. Around is conspicuously clear of brush, as if all the foliage was trimmed away. All that’s missing is quiet in the forest, a dark mist that permeates through the woods, and you’d be wondering if you’re experiencing a serious case of deja vu.

A horned figure steps out from the cover of the trees. Just like the badger described, the youkai has a ruddy, taurus-like face. Dark splotches color the sides of the man’s face like oil, finished with a black muzzle that juts out. Mino, you think for a second before discarding it.

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

[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

Canto I
Of yore, there were six dragons of the Eastern Sea
Heaven hath blessed all that they did
Those of past and those of wisdom were of the same body and mind

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

It is dark outside. A crescent moon is staring down the surface of the earth, littered with buildings laid around like hives. In a big city, men go on about their daily lives as usual, congregating together in a formless crowd and going about their day. Most return from their hard day at work or class, and some only set out to begin their duties. A variety of bars, night clubs and other establishments start their working hours. Families reunite and tell one another stories of today. At this time though, none of this is immediately relevant.

Deep below the ground, a network of train stations runs their course. A group of people working in concert for hundreds of thousands others, working like a well-oiled machine. Or perhaps a closely intertwined system of gears? Most wait around the tracks, waiting for the next train, painted with a myriad of social-looking advertisements. Our interest today lies inside a certain train car on this certain Friday evening. There is a blonde girl nearby, with a stylish-looking haircut. There’s an old couple, trying to chat even as the train picks up speed, it’s noise growing louder and drowning out most sounds. A wide variety of people looks busy, concentrated as they all stare into their phones. There is someone else asleep in a passenger seat. They’ve spent at least two stops with their eyes closed and haven’t noticed that they’ve missed their station. They must be truly enjoying their rest.

Incidentally, that somebody also happens to be you. What are you?

[-] A working man, trying to do good.
[-] A student, learning as they go.

This is likely to be a mistake. Let’s find out whether this is one or not.

Seeker of Class Consciousness

One miserable day, Patchouli Knowledge steps out her pure concrete cubicle in Beijing’s People’s Social Research Institute in hopes of accelerating her death with a cigarette, only to notice a young girl acosting strangers for help on reading Hegel. Exiled from her town in rural America to Beijing in order to learn how useless communism really is according to her family, Patchouli curiously takes her up as an Intern in hopes of making her a professional dialectician. However, Lysithea, along the way encounters many levels of false consciouness until the ultimate realization of revolutionary theory being something that must be actualized by all workers of the world, not by specialists of freedom or philosophy.
This is a detournement of soulnight114’s Seeker of Knowledge

Chapter 1

"Damn you, Remy," Patchouli cursed as she leaned on the side of the marvelous, all glass and steel People’s Social Research Insittue office in downtown Beijing. Remila being Patchouli’s boss.

“You've been cooped up in your concrete wage cage for too long. I know you love your dull, flat, and sharp concrete furniture but go take a smoke break so that the person below you could steal your useless position once you catch lung cancer. Don't worry, Koakuma can keep an eye on your spreadsheets of which pregant mother to kick out of their entry level position.”

That was how Patchouli found herself out of her office and forced to be out among the repulsive proletariat and commoners. If it wasn't for the ciggarette Remy practically threw at her, she would’ve tried sucking the life force of an innocent worker out of pure rage. Despite being a specialist of Marxist philosophy in a prestigious government research organization, she despised the worker as do all bureaucrats. A strange but all too common contradiction.

30 minutes. That was how long she had to last, and it had already been 25 minutes. Soon this ordeal would end, and she could go back to her lifeless cubical, ideally for another 3 decades. Cozy and content among her meaningless party loyalty awards, absurdly terse literature on the history of post modernist literature by sout

It was late summer, the cicadas worked hard, producing their buzzing songs, although one would find it irritating, the sound was nothing to worry about for the Shrine Maiden, who was currently asleep.

Of course, someone had to interrupt her affairs.

"Yo Reimu what are you doing ze?!" comes the witch sliding the door of the shrine open without care.

"Ugh~~" Rubbing her eyes with a troubled groan, Reimu slowly lifted herself off her futon. "How many times do I need to tell you not to enter like that Marisa?!"

Still rubbing her eyes, the shrine maiden adjusted her skirt and walked over to the kitchen "You know what, whatever, I'm gonna have a snack, want some?" The witch giggled in approval, entering the shrine proper.

Meanwhile, somewhere else

A hidden path extended deep into the woods, although I called it "path" It was sparse and hard to follow for nobody had used it for maybe decades but at the end of it one would be directed to an old worn-out shrine abandoned in the woods.

The once white and pristine walls were covered in vines and the woodwork was infested with mushrooms and soaked to the brin by the rain. Once someone slid open the now rotten front door, however, they would find its interior walls filled with inscriptions and runes that connect with a magic circle right in the middle of the room.

Looking at the forest again a bit of hesitation spreads thoughts but is not like I have another choice as I don't have a home left for me anymore.

Checking if anything is in order I set my backpack down and check my belongs:

a week's worth of military rations, a Swiss knife, my purple charcoal (to complete the magic circle), my old man`s photos, and an old book with a blank cover with the instructions for the activation of the magic circle alongside 20 or so firecrackers with two types, one with intention of making a lot of noise but the explosion was small and the other type made a big explosion, nothing to kill but to stagger to get me wherever I was fighting enough for me or to run or to me go on the offensive myself.

Finally, after completing my wo

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 left her life on the island, she now searches for a way to get to Gensokyo - though why she seeks it, even she couldn’t say.

But though she has left her home behind, she is not without allies. She has met up with Goutokuji Mike, a friend she met online, and together they’ve decided to search for a path to the mysterious Gensokyo. Perhaps the Rainbow Market, hosted by the mysterious Tenkyuu Chimata, will provide their first step to uncovering the hidden world they seek…

Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449 >>205720
Again/Akyuu >>206017 >>206302 >>206595 >>206906

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 Magician, Kirisame Marisa.

But among the five, Marisa is the one who lost the most. She was the first to succumb to the black flames that consumed their world, and was at risk of losing herself entirely when their rescuers arrived. Bringing her back into the fold could prove difficult, especially when the powers Marisa’s been burdened with are beyond anyone’s understanding… even her own.

Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449 >>205720
Again/Akyuu >>206017 >>206302 >>206595 >>206906 >>207202
Yester/Youmu >>207370 >>207705 >>208027