Thread 15. Someone reminded me I was a writefag and I couldn't think of an excuse to brush off updating for another day.
[x] "How about Souseiseki?"
Alice tilts her head to the side as you say the name.
"Souseiseki?" she repeats. The doll turns it's head towards her and blinks. Alice looks down at the doll in return. She says it again, under her breath as she looks at the doll. "That's a rather unusual name." Alice says, not taking her eyes off the doll. "But I rather like it." she adds with a smile.
"You do have an interesting naming sense," Yuyuko says, sipping at her tea. "I feel like I've heard that name before, though." You have your own questions about that later, since Yuyuko seems to know a lot more about the outside than you would assume she knew. That can wait though, as you take a sip of your tea. It very good, and from the way Yuyuko is looking at you, you can tell that she's come to the same conclusion about where your tea making skills had come from.
"So, what happened to you?" Alice asks, looking at your robes.
"Oh, you can thank Yuyuko for this," you reply. "She caught me pretty much instantly and separated me from her servant girl."
"That one with the swords?" Alice asks.
"The very same." Yuyuko answers, cutting in. "I knew my little Youmu was growing up, but to find a man inside her like that..." Yuyuko says, causing Alice to look away, a light blush coming to her face. She did that on purpose, you figure, or else she wouldn't be smiling like she was.
"O-oh, I see." Alice says, returning to her tea. "You certainly have a way with ghosts," she says, looking back to you. "And it's good to see you in person. I can put a face to the one that helped me through my problems."
Time passes as Alice, Yuyuko and you sit and talk. Alice spends most of the time talking about her research and the various things she found and fixed, and several ideas she had, and in return, you respond to her questions about what you've been doing since, up until you arrived. You also answer several questions from both Alice and Yuyuko about things in the outside world. Several cups of tea and a basket of rice crackers later, Yuyuko and yourself excuse yourselves and prepare to leave as evening falls.
"It was nice seeing you again, Kenshiro was it?" Alice asks. You reply with a nod.
"Yuyuko picked it." you admit.
"You're free to come by any time you want," Alice says with a smile, holding the newly named Souseiseki in her arms. "Hopefully I'll have a finished doll to show you."
"I'd like to see that myself." you say, since you had put so much time into the research.
"You can come by as you wish as well, Yuyuko." Alice says, redirecting her attention to her.
"I'd be more than happy to!" Yuyuko exclaims with a bow. "I had a wonderful day."
"I did too, it's rather nice to have visitors that don't try to steal from me." Alice says, looking off in the general direction of Marisa's house. With farewells said, Alice steps back into her house as Yuyuko floats away with you.
"That was rather fun," Yuyuko says, floating along on her back like she was laying down. "Though do you want to go back to Hakugyokuro already? I wouldn't mind playing around a little bit more."
>It very good, and from the way Yuyuko is looking at you, you can tell that she's come to the same conclusion about where your tea making skills had come from.
Youmu has too much on her mind to be worrying about something like that. I don't think she'll be paying us or even Yuyu much attention until she resolves her internal struggles concerning Youki.
[x] "Well, if you'd really rather not return, there is an ice fairy I am curious about..."
"Oh, a fairy?" Yuyuko says, rolling over again. "That sounds like fun!"
You were wondering how Cirno had been, and since you're out and about, you figure now would be the best time to go check on her. Question is, how to find her. As far as you remember, there was a lake involved, so maybe you would be best to start there. You veer towards the lake, visible from where you are already, and head along the banks.
"Oh, she lives around here?" Yuyuko asks, floating along beside you. You spend a few moments scanning the ground for any signs of life, when you notice a faint glimmer of light moving through the trees. You move in closer to see that it's Daiyousei, fluttering through the trees. Well, that's a start at least. You float through the trees, Yuyuko following behind you at a slight distance, trying to catch up to her. As you do, however, she vanishes from sight. You hear Yuyuko call out, and your turn to see a cloud of glistening metal spikes flying towards you. In a moment of panic, you think to fade, and just as you do, the blades pass through you.
"Wait!" you shout, reappearing. Daiyousei does indeed wait.
"Why were you following me?" she says, sounding slightly annoyed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you or anything. I'm looking for Cirno." you say, hoping to get some help from her.
She doesn't respond, instead she flies up to you, looking you over as she approaches. She looks a little apprehensive, and doesn't get too close to you.
"Why are you looking for her?" Daiyousei asks.
---
Future note, if I forget to include the dashes or some form of indication that it's time for votes, don't hesitate to vote. I very highly doubt I will ever make a multiple post update with a considerable amount of time between posts.
[x] "I've heard Cirno is a very smart fairy. I wish to talk to her about the things she knows, the things she doesn't, and about the things she would like to learn."
[x] "I've heard Cirno is a very smart fairy. I wish to talk to her about the things she knows, the things she doesn't, and about the things she would like to learn."
I got nothing, but just waiting for something better isn't getting anything done.
[X] "Because I heard she can make anything turn to popcicles."
Daiyousei jostles a little bit.
"Oh! You do know her." she says, offering you a deep bow. "I'm so sorry I attacked you! I thought you might have been a youkai, but..." she trails off, looking you over. "You're a ghost, right?"
"That's correct!" Yuyuko says, floating down behind the fairy and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Daiyousei squeaks and tries to shrug Yuyuko off, but to no avail. "My, what beautiful wings!" Yuyuko says, admiring Daiyousei's wings as they flutter uselessly. Yuyuko runs a finger along one, and Daiyousei's face turns a noticable red.
"Pl-please stop!" she cries, vanishing from Yuyuko's arms and appearing near you, fluttering away as she notices. "I'll take you to Cirno." she says, turning away quickly and flying off. You follow her, and Yuyuko tags along beside you. It doesn't take very long before you find a clearing, and you notice the familiar blue dressed girl flying around something. As you get closer, you notice that she's creating an ice sculpture of some sort. It lacks a fair amount of detail, but you're able to identify that it's supposed to be a woman, and that she's wearing a puffy hat with a triangular flap on the front.
"Cirno! Someone wanted to meet you!" Daiyousei calls out, flying towards the clearing with you. She turns around and sees Daiyousei and smiles, but that fades into a look of confusion when she looks at you.
[x] "I'm Kenshiro. I want to eat shaved ice." Because nobody's come up with anything better.
>>53308 We may not have this chance again though, at least not for a while. Although, we need to meet Hina alone first, not while Nitori's around. That would be the most awkward introduction ever.
Cirno gives you a weird look again, and Daiyousei flutters over next to her giving you a strange look as well.
"I'm not that stupid!" Cirno yells, stomping her foot. "You're not me! I don't look so weak!" she cries, pointing at you defiantly.
Well, that was about what you expected. Yuyuko floats away from your side and drifts towards Cirno, who recoils a little bit as she approaches.
"H-hey! What do you think you're-" Cirno shouts, looking ready to fly away. She's cut short though when Yuyuko places her hand on top of her head and gives her hair a ruffle.
"Such a cute fairy!" Yuyuko says as Cirno bats Yuyuko's hand away, wings fluttering behind her. As Yuyuko's hand leaves, Cirno holds both her hands to the top of her head as a defense mechanism.
"What was that all abo-" she complains again, only to get cut off by Yuyuko jabbing her in the side with a finger. Cirno gives an awkward yelp and brings her arms down, wrapping them around her waist, leaving her open to another ruffle from Yuyuko. Once more her hands come to the top of her head, and once again Yuyuko prods her in the side and repeats the process.
"She's so adorable! Kenshiro, can I keep her?" Yuyuko asks, looking towards you.
"I don't think she'd approve of that much." you say, seeing Cirno looking quite flustered. Daiyousei however, looks a little amused. CIrno takes her attention off Yuyuko to look at you.
"Hey Mister, can you get your wife away from me? She's really weird!" Cirno says, and you freeze up. Wife? Yuyuko brings both her hands up to her mouth in a surprised reaction, and she looks at you for a moment.
"Wha- I..." you stammer, still a little shocked at the sudden outburst from Cirno. You need to explain the situation, but before you can find the words, Yuyuko floats over to you with a playful smile on her face. She's planning something already.
"Oh dear! It seems the little fairy doesn't like me too much," she says, floating up next to you and clasping her hands over your shoulder, using them as a headrest. "I was just looking to play too. I've spent so long tending to my darling I almost forgot what danmaku was like." she says, removing one of her hands and running a finger idly across your chest, while her words make your stomach do flips. There's got to be a limit to her acting.
"Danmaku!" Cirno cries, dropping her hands. "You play!?" she exclaims, wings fluttering.
"But I couldn't! I wouldn't want to get hurt and leave my Kenshiro alone!" Yuyuko replies. Yuyuko moves her head and catches your attention, looking into her eyes so close makes your chest tighten. "You could play with her!" she says, giving you a wink that wouldn't have been visible for anyone else but you. "Show her the man I fell for!"
Oh man... you're not sure if you can do this. Back out or not? Regardless, you need to mention to Yuyuko later certain acceptable limits of her playing around.
[x] "I'm afraid there's a slight issue, Dear. We've been together so long that my memories have faded. I cannot remember how to play games like that anymore, and I'm sad to say that even the memories of our wedding night are terribly hazy."
Regardless of Yuyuko's jabs at you, you're going to accept the challenge anyway. Might as well get to try out some of your own abilities, see if you have any actual natural talent or if everything so far had been due to the bodies you've inhabited.
"Fine then, I'll play." you say, managing to sound a little bold about it. Yuyuko withdraws and claps for you as Cirno zips up into the air and takes her position, and you do the same, facing towards her.
"Be careful Cirno!" Daiyousei calls up to the ice fairy facing you. She snorts slightly and thumps her diminuitive chest with a fist.
"I'm the Strongest! I can beat a small fry like this without my good luck frog!" she declares triumphantly. "In fact, I'll even let you go first!" she says, planting her hands on her hips. "I bet you couldn't even hit me!"
Well then, that sounds like challenge enough, might as well make the most of it. You feel like you definitely need to land a hit on Cirno now, just to see her reaction. The question is, how are you going to do it?
[] Recall Alice's powers [] Recall Hina's powers [] Recall Cirno's powers [] Try to find your own power
We have no dolls, so Alice is a bad idea. We didn't actually do any danmaku with Cirno, and I know she's an idiot, but she still probably knows her own stuff better than we do.
We did do some danmaku while possessing Hina though. We also completed her thing, so perhaps we get some kind of bonus for that, or something.
It might be best to try to remember Hina's abilities. You did have a danmaku game in her body after all. You close your eyes for amoment and think back to the day you played with Nitori, the feeling you had when you called up her power and made your attack. You can feel an energy running through your body, a tingling sensation running throughout you. This is familiar, you open your eyes and see Cirno is looking at you strangely, though she's maintaining her defiant pose. You bring up your hands to prepare to fire, when you notice a familiar looking ribbon wrapped around your arm. This is Hina's? No, the colours on it look a bit faded, closer to the faded blue of your robe and hakama. Well, this is an interesting development.
You focus your energy to your arms, and you notice the ribbon unfurling from your arm. Cirno starts to look a little worried as the ribbon floats loose and drifts ahead of you. You remember spinning as Hina, and almost as soon as you have the thought, the ribbon twitches and begins to slowly turn, the ends drifting through the air as it becomes a rotating S. The sight of it gives you an idea, and you form the image of the upcoming pattern in your head as you prepare. Bringing your energy forward, you create two balls of light in your palms and launch them forward. In response, the ribbon itself lights up, and smaller bolts fire randomly in a cone from the tips and center as it spins, creating a shower of lights. Cirno quickly disappears behind the wall of shots as the two larger orbs stop floating away and begin floating into the hail. You see Cirno appear to the right side of the wall of shots, and as you turn towards her, the ribbon moves with your body and continues it's assault while you conjure another two larger orbs.
You casrt the orbs forth, and once again you see Cirno appear from behind the lights, darting to the left. You're going to need to step up the challenge a little bit more, she's doing better than you thought she would. This time, you create two orbs and launch them forward, watching as they travel forward, then burst into a shower of smaller orbs. You hear a shriek, and you see a flash of blue light, followed by a shower of what looks like snow and shards of glass. The sound broke your concentration and the shots stop, drifting away until they fade into the air. You see Cirno hovering in mid air, wings fluttering quickly behind her. Even from this distance you can see the damage to her dress, and she appears to be breathing heavily.
"You... missed! Hah..." Cirno gasps between breaths, taking her defiant pose once again, though with a very half-hearted enthusiasm. The ribbon drifts back to your arm and fades away. You've got your own questions about that, but it's best to find out more later, since it looks liek this game might be over already. "I... need a break..." Cirno says, dropping from the sky quickly. Daiyousei looks a little paniced and rushes to where Cirno is falling, but she stops just before she hits the ground and flops down on the ground, sprawling in the grass. You float down as well, to find a very starry-eyed Yuyuko watching you. She quickly grabs you by the shoulder and pulls you aside as you come within reach.
"That was incredible!" she exclaims, keeping her voice low. "Are you sure you're from the outside?"
"Yeah, though I have been here a few days already." you say, feeling a little embarrassed at the praise. "It helps that I was thinking about the last girl I was in though, I actually played Danmaku with her body before, so it was sort of an inspiration."
"That's still amazing!" Yuyuko states, patting you on the shoulders. "I wasn't expecting anything like that!" Yuyuko says, looking towards Cirno, still laying on the ground, with Daiyousei sitting next to her, fanning her with the hem of her dress. "We should go see how she's doing."
You float towards Cirno, and as you approach, you feel Yuyuko slip one of her arms around yours. Guess she's still playing up the 'wife' angle. When you get close enough, Yuyuko actually sets herself on the ground and kneels next to Cirno.
"Oh, you look quite worn out!" Yuyuko exclaims, giving Cirno a once over. "You sure you didn't get hit?"
"N-no... I grazed... a lot though..." Cirno says between heavy breaths. Poor girl must have really been given a run, or just be seriously out of shape. Could a fairy even be out of shape? You notice that the grass nearby has a few spots of water, probably from what looked like the snow melting, and there are several shards of what you now realize is ice laying around. You pick up one of the shards and turn it over.
"Where'd this come from?" you ask, turning it over in your hand.
"Oh! It looks like a piece of an ice shield..." Daiyousei says, but trails off towards the end, her eyes flicking over the Cirno for a moment. A shield of ice, huh? Probably to keep from getting hit. You see Cirno looking up at you from her position on the ground. She's caught her rbeath a bit, but she looks defiant again already. You wonder if you should bring up the issue, since it's pretty clear she made an attempt to not get hit. Still, she did do a rather good job at avoiding the shots as it were, so maybe she deserves some praise.
[x] "You sure did an ice job dodging all that." [x] "You've got some cool moves."
You're such a bastard. You head over the Cirno's side and kneel down, a stupid grin on your face.
"You sure did an ice job dodging all that," you say. "You've got some cool moves."
Cirno's face turns to one of sheer confusion, while Daiyousei shoots you an angry glare. Yuyuko, however, barely contains herself, bites her lip to keep from laughing. Thankfully, no one else is looking at her. Daiyousei looks like she's about to say something, when Cirno suddenly bursts out laughing.
"I get it!" she cries after she stops laughing long enough to talk. "Ice! I'm an ice fairy! That's pretty sharp!" she says with a big grin.
... Well... no, actually it's best not to think about it too much. Daiyousei sighs, and the annoyed expression leaves her. You just grin back, and reach out yourself and ruffle Cirno's hair. She whines, but otherwise doesn't move to stop you.
"Too tired, you win this time." Cirno says, giving you an even wider grin. "You're not too bad for a weak human." she says. "Maybe you were me for a little while."
"Maybe I was." you reply, removing your hand from her head. Yuyuko floats over to you and rests her head on your shoulder again. Cirno gives her a look, then looks back to you.
"Your wife is really pretty." Cirno says, which causes you to jump a little. Sure, you were allowing Yuyuko to play it up, but still. Yuyuko replies to this with a slight giggle.
"What an observant little girl!" she coos, tugging on your arm. "You sure we can't keep her?"
"I don't know, it would be up to her." you say, looking down at Cirno, who is looking a little confused at the both of you.
"Who are you anyway?" Cirno asks. You were kind of hoping that question wouldn't come up, actually.
"We're from the netherworld, Hakugyokuro." Yuyuko replies, before you even get a chance to talk. Cirno furrows her brows and nods understandingly.
"What's a netherworld?" she asks with the same expression. Wow. Yuyuko just laughs.
"It's a place where the dead go." she replies, getting the same straight faced nod from Cirno.
"Ah."
Cirno pushes herself up into a sitting position.
"You feeling okay?" Daiyousei asks, but Cirno simply pounds her fist to her chest again.
"Of course! Of course! I'm the strongest! A little thing like that doesn't bother me!" she exclaims, getting to her feet a little uneasily and brushing off her skirt. You stand up as well with Yuyuko, who returns to her normal floating. The evening is starting to get darker now that you notice, and Yuyuko pulls at your arm.
"We should probably head back soon, right?" she asks you, then looks at Cirno. "Do you think she could come with us?"
Cirno has already gone off to the ice sculpture and is patting it, small flashes of blue appearing at points where she does. Daiyousei has followed her, watching her. She seems a little occupied with what she's doing, so you're not sure. Apparently though, it's your decision to make. Should she come with you?
It'd be unfair on Daiyousei if we took Cirno away. Also, if we did take Cirno and leave Daiyousei, i'm sure word would get to people who can hurt us that we 'kidnapped Cirno~' ('cuz that's how Daiyousei may see it)
So, [x] I think we should let her stay here, it would be mean to take her away from her friends.
[x] I think we should let her stay here, it would be mean to take her away from her friends.
She'd just be scared and/or bored there anyway. Also, bringing a perpetually respawning being to visit the land of the dead? WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
I don't see possession allowing us to complete their routes, so this may be our best chance.
Goals for Cirno likely include feeding her astonishing (for a fairy) hunger for knowledge and teaching her a bit of humility while still fostering her ambition. She can learn a lot from us if we frame lessons as challenges or games.
Goal for Daiyousei is probably to make her more independent so she can develop her own personality, while influencing Cirno positively so that Daiyousei doesn't have to worry so much about her.
The inexhaustible vitality of fairies is perfect for reinstilling Yuyuko with a zest for life. Youmu would do well to have someone to play older sister to. Daiyousei is of a temperament perfect for learning the arts of courtesy and diplomacy under Yuyuko's instruction.
With Daiyousei's levelheadedness and Cirno's drive and charisma, together they have the potential to drastically change the place of fairies in Gensokyo for the better.
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
I like this, though that still leaves whether Cirno is up for possibly leaving Letty Behind. That fact that Cirno's building a statue for pretty much says she still cares for Letty. Meh.
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
[x] "Yuyu, let\'s ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
>>53854 >I like this, though that still leaves whether Cirno is up for possibly leaving Letty Behind. That fact that Cirno's building a statue for pretty much says she still cares for Letty. Meh.
Are we in season for Letty? That the ice melted into puddles seems to indicate otherwise.
Anyway this is a temporary thing. Nobody himself isn't going to stay in Hakugyokurou forever, and nor will the fairies.
And we can actually use this: Cirno wants to impress Letty, right?
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
>>53870 Eh, it's not like we seem to have a time limit, why not sidequest a little? Yuyuko's having fun, and getting close with her is important anyway, I'm sure of it.
Youmu wanted time ALONE to decide what she wants to write Youki about and even if she wants to do so.
Furthermore, what Youmu is deprived most of is unfettered interpersonal interaction, outside of the safe zone that provides her with a simple set of rules to follow (performing her duties, serving guests, being in Yuyuko's presence). She needs to develop a broader way of categorizing people than just "master", "guest", "enemy", and "potential enemy".
I think minimizing her contact with Yuyu and having her interact with Cirno or Daiyousei for a while would be therapeutic.
Heh, funny how people are so sure Cirno and Daiyousei have routes. Do they really have one? Are we even going to possess them next? Think before using the tokens, we need them for the harder and real routes.
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld."
I just did. There was no "Route Completion %" or anything else we had after been hijacked from Alice's body or completing Hina's route.
Also >Hijacking Youmu would allow you to swap direct control between the body and Myon, though you'd have to figure out how to first. Figuring out how to do things would actually be important no matter the character.
[x] "Yuyu, let's ask both of them to come with us. Fairies normally would never get to see the Netherworld." [x] Clue token: Cirno [x] Clue token: Daiyousei
Cirno: The strongest of Gensokyo still has plenty of weaknesses of her own. Letty is a huge inspiration to her, and Cirno wants to do everything she can to impress Letty. She sees her as an older sister, and is constantly trying to find a way that she can keep Letty up all year long rather than just in the winter. She also happens to be rather smart, as far as fairies are normally concerned. Her stubbornness and huge ego prohibits her the humility to ask for help, however.
Daiyousei: Daiyousei's a very protective girl. She cares greatly for all other fairies, and will put herself infront of threats to save them, even if it means being hurt. However, she has low self-esteem, and she relies on others emotionally, to give her a sense of how she should act. Alone, without anyone familiar to interact with, she's very withdrawn and shy, since she is used to relying on other fairie's judgments on how to act.
"We could ask them both to come with us," you say, looking to Yuyuko. "They wouldn't normally get to see the netherworld, afterall."
"That's right!" Yuyuko says, rather surprised. "All the more reason."
You clear your throat a bit, and Cirno and Daiyousei look up at you.
"How would the two of you like to see the netherworld?" you ask. Daiyousei looks to Cirno, who looks back at Daiyousei, and then down at the statue.
"Can I bring Letty?" she asks, patting the statue.
"Sure, so long as it can be moved." you reply, floating over to the statue. From up close, you're a bit amazed to find just how much actual detail there is in the female statue, down to folds in her clothes. "This is really well done!"
"Of course! Ice sculptures are nothing when you're the strongest!" Cirno exclaims, fluttering down behind the statue. Now to figure out how to carry it with you. You look back to Yuyuko.
"Any ideas?" you ask, and Yuyuko flaots forward, several spirits floating out from nowhere and encircling the ice statue. Effortlessly, the statue is lifted from the ground, and more spirits appear and wrap themselves around it. Cirno watches with an impressed look on her face while Daiyousei stares in amazement.
"That should do it." Yuyuko says, floating into the air. "You ready to come along now?" she asks the two girls. Cirno flutters up into the air towards the statue and pokes at one of the spirits, and Daiyousei tags along, watching intently.
"That's pretty awesome!" Cirno exclaims. Yuyuko flies past you, statue in tow with Cirno and Daiyousei following behind it. You hear the two fairies chattering about where they're going, already sounding a little curious. You catch up to Yuyuko, and she smiles at you as you approach.
"Hakugyokuro is going to be pretty lively for a while." she says as the two of you ascend into the clouds.
"It'll be something for sure." you reply. The flight continues, Cirno bragging to Daiyousei about one thing or another, and Daiyousei playing right up to her ego with compliments. After a while, you approach the cloud line and pass through it.
"Ah! I can't see!" Cirno complains from behind. Soon enough though, you emerge from the clouds in front of the large door.
"Wo~w!" you hear Daiyousei gasp. "That's such a big door! How come no one's noticed it before?"
"It can't be seen from below the clouds," Yuyuko says, turning towards the two fairies. "Though a lot of people do know about this place already."
"I wanna see inside! I wanna see inside!" Cirno cheers. Yuyuko and you begin to float towards the top of the door with the two fairies and the ice statue, and cross over. In the process, the dimming light of evening gives into the pale light of the netherworld. Doesn't look like much changed while you were gone, though it has darkened a little bit. In front of you, the huge staircase rises towards the edge of sight.
"That's a lot of stairs..." Daiyousei says with a slight bit of concern, but Cirno claps a hand on her shoulder.
"It's nothing! Just watch!"
Several minutes later, you finally reach the top of the stairs. It would have taken longer, but Yuyuko had decided she was hungry again and sped up, leaving everyone else to catch up to her. She stopped at the top of the stairs though, and you soon find out why as you arrive to see three girls in matching outfits floating just near the top of the stairs.
"Ah, you're back!" one says, the blonde in black says. "We came here looking for you but were told you were out."
"Ah, the Prismrivers!" Yuyuko says, placing her hands together. She's about to continue when Cirno flys up behind her and appears over her head.
"Wah! It's you guys!" Cirno shouts, causing all three girls to jump at the same time, though each shows a different emotion. The blonde has a look of annoyance, the blue haired one looks shocked, and the brunette looks pleasantly surprised.
"Cirno!" the brunette calls, floating over. She extends her hand, and Cirno reacts by completing the high five. "It's been a while, eh?"
"I didn't know you were around here!" Cirno states, a big smirk on her face. "I'd have given you another shot to beat me again!"
"I'll have to take you up on that later," the brunette replies, ruffling Cirno's hair. She reacts by swatting at her hand, and she withdraws with a laugh. "We've got to talk to Yuyuko."
"Hey! Are you staying around here?" Cirno asks. The brunette gives a nod and gestures to Yuyuko.
"We work for her anyway, so we're here a lot." she replies. Cirno looks absolutely thrilled to hear that, her face lighting up.
"I didn't know there were familiar faces around here! I should have come along sooner!" Cirno says, looking at the other two girls. They don't say anything to her though, they simply nod to her presence.
"Well, we need to talk to Yuyuko now, so if you don't mind-" the blonde begins, only to get cut off by Yuyuko, who has a rather odd serious look on her face.
"Not right now Lunasa. I'm hungry." she states, rather plainly. The blonde simply sighs and rubs her forehead, and the other two laugh. "We can talk over food."
Yuyuko floats past you with the ice sculpture in tow, and Cirno flys off, with Daiyousei and the brunette following her, picking up some conversation. You start to follow along, when the blonde girl, Lunasa, calls your attention.
"Who are you?" she asks, looking you over. Right, you forgot about that part. Question is, how do you answer.
>>53939 I think he meant that Cirno's route didn't have any of those things that were present in the other routes. It was really poorly worded, though.
>>53921 >Then use to complete the hard route, faggot. We are on YOUMU's route (that's the hard one), and NOT CIRNO's
Wastoid, we ALREADY KNOW what Youmu's problems are, and they are being dealt with as fast as they can be.
Secondly, we're on the route of whoever we're currently helping. There's no "lock-in". As Mode has stated repeatedly, we can come and go as we please from one Touhoe to another every night as we please, or earlier given forced ejections.
In this situation, we can potentially help a lot of people at the same time. After all, Touhoes do not exist in a vacuum. But if you'd rather we twiddle our thumbs and stare at the sun for a few hours while waiting for Youmu to deal with her internal issues in lieu of entertaining Yuyu, please feel free to use a write-in.
Relatedly, if you feel trying to possess her again would be lead to anything other than route disaster, again, feel free to use a write-in.
>I just did. There was no "Route Completion %" or anything else we had after been hijacked from Alice's body or completing Hina's route.
Yeah, just like there was no "Route Completion %" when we had been ejected from Youmu's body. The reason being, we hadn't actually done anything to progress their route!
>Yeah, just like there was no "Route Completion %" when we had been ejected from Youmu's body. The reason being, we hadn't actually done anything to progress their route!
This. Also, I hadn't thought of the route report at the time in Cirno's route, but not like it would have made a difference really, since you didn't really do much either than chill a classroom and get caught.
>Mode, i think this time you can write that h-scene easily.
That was one of the first scenes I wrote when I decided how this route works. Getting it is another question, though it's easily within reach so long as you make all the right decisions.
Kinda hard when you don't know what to vote for, because there is nothing to vote for. We can only depend on Anonymous there to get ALL the choices right. I think you don't want to write that Yuyuko scene and made it hard mode for that.
>"Who are you?" she asks, looking you over. Right, you forgot about that part. Question is, how do you answer.
Modified bandwagon.
[x] "Identity? It seems to change every few days. I seem to be Yuyuko's husband 'Kenshiro' at the moment." [x] "I'm not really a proper ghost; more a Karmic renegade similar to Yuyuko, but recently deceased and an outsider." [x] "Anyway, Miss Lunasa Prismriver, can you tell me about yourself? You work for Yuyuko?" [x] "You're a musician? Strings? You ever try playing an electric guitar? I'm sure my friend Nitori's got a Gibson or a Fender laying around somewhere..." [x] "You're a poltergeist, right? So what differentiates poltergeists from ghosts?" [x] "I didn't catch your sisters' names..."
Lunasa seems prickly, but she's also honest, fair, and levelheaded. The Prismriver routes will likely be complex, so it may be best to make a good first impression. Lunasa's music is depressing, so introducing her to some strings with some real "kick" might help allow her to project a broader range of mood modulation. Double bass might be more suitable than an electric guitar, but I like the idea of modernizing the Prismriver's other instruments to match the keyboard.
>>53991 Well, yeah, but the Prismrivers (except possibly Lyrica) don't play actual instruments, but simply the phantom representation of them. Giving her a real electric guitar wouldn't really give her much to work on.
[x] "Identity? It seems to change every few days. I seem to be Yuyuko's husband at the moment."
Lunasa's jaw simply drops, and you can almost hear her switch off. Obviously not the answer she was expecting.
"I'm so happy for you!" the blue haired girl cheers, clapping her hands together, but Lunasa turns to her.
"He's not being serious Merlin, he's just being an idiot." she says, sounding rather annoyed. Merlin looks a little confused, and looks at you.
"Then... what?" Merlin scratches her head while Lunasa simply crosses her arms.
"Blame Yuyuko. Cirno made an assumption and Yuyuko's playing along." you say, cutting off Lunasa before she gets to say anything more. It doesn't seem to improve her mood any, and she simply closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
"That sounds like her alright." Lunasa sighs, turning away from you. "We should catch up now." she says, floating off the ground and following after everyone else. You follow as well, and Merlin floats up next to you.
"So, you and Miss Yuyuko aren't...?"
"No, she's just pulling one over on Cirno." you say, explaining it again for the girl. She frowns a little.
"That's too bad, I think Yuyuko would be a lot happier if she had someone to be with." she replies casually. Your chest seizes up for a moment at the thought of it. True, Yuyuko was easy on the eyes, but you couldn't actually stay with her, could you? After all, you've set yourself to help as many people as you can. Recent memories of the days events come back to you now, Yuyuko on your arm, eating together. It wasn't too bad to be together like that, but...
You notice Merlin looking at you, a bit of wonder in her expression.
"You okay?" she asks, sounding a little curious.
"Ah, yeah, I was just thinking of something."
Your mind wanders again, though sticking closer to events on hand. You wonder how Youmu's been doing, since you've been gone for quite a few hours now. On the same hand though, you're curious as to what Cirno and Daiyousei think of the afterlife. You're also a little curious to know more about these other three girls you've just met. They seem to know Cirno, and they work for Yuyuko, though you thought that Youmu was her only servant. You could probably have time for all of these things though, question is, which do you start with?
>you've set yourself to help as many people as you can
What? When did we do that? The way I saw it seemed like we were just making the best of an odd situation. Our 'survival' required us to inhabit someone else's body, which is kind of a crap deal for the owner of the body, so we tried to fix things a bit while were in them. That's not the same thing as dedicating your entire life(or unlife) to altruism.
You're still trying to help as many people as possible. Whether or not you're going to go above and beyond the 'call of duty' until you can find a permanent solution for your circumstance (capture, ascension or escape), you're still going to make the best out of as many people's lives as you can. Of course, it's still possible to turn things around at any time, should votes go in that direction.
>>54019 >What? When did we do that? The way I saw it seemed like we were just making the best of an odd situation. Our 'survival' required us to inhabit someone else's body, which is kind of a crap deal for the owner of the body, so we tried to fix things a bit while were in them. That's not the same thing as dedicating your entire life(or unlife) to altruism.
Jesus Christ, this is what happens when people read only the archives and none of the discussion.
>>54097 >Torn between Yuyuko and helping as many people as possible. We could always come back to her later, she'll still be around. Even if we do make it to Celestial, apparently they're free to leave Heaven whenever they want, so that shouldn't be a problem. Although, I guess we'd have to let go of our "worldly desire" of being with Yuyuko? Fucking philosophical catch-22s.
I just realized, being friends with Yuyuko actually gives us a huge loophole if we ever end up getting judged by Shiki: >You can speak with her after your death. >Normally when you die, after you set out on the road to rebirth, cross the Sanzu river, and receive the judgement of the ten lords during Higan, even if you've done no wrong, you go to the Netherworld and await reincarnation or enlightenment. >You will definitely see her there. That's if Komachi doesn't just destroy us on sight, of course.
I wonder if we can make our way back to Hakugyokuro after a possession? Kind of like returning to base between missions?
[x] Ask the Prismrivers if they know anything about the gray wasteland. [x] Ask if they know anyone who's broken out of Higan before.
"Hmm, nothing in particular, no. Higan is mostly empty, no one really stays there aside from the Yama, the shinigami and souls seeking judgment." Lunasa says after a moment of thought, then turns to Merlin. She looks like she's about to ask something, but turns back to you instead. "Sorry, nothing really."
"Ah, well, do you know anyone that's ever escape from Higan?" you ask. Lunasa shrugs.
"Frankly speaking, you don't. It would be quite difficult to do so, even assuming you were able to get away from a shinigami in the first place. Though if it were her..." she says, trailing off. She must be talking about Komachi then. "I expect that they'd probably send a shinigami to try to capture any that escaped though, so they wouldn't last long even if they did get away."
You decide not to say anything more on the matter, given the circumstances. You're not entirely sure you can trust letting others know the truth about your situation, and you expect that Yuyuko will probably turn aside any questions as well, or at least you hope she does. You eventually reach the kitchen with the other two, and you see the brunette standing at the stove, Daiyousei nearby, but Yuyuko and Cirno nowhere in sight.
"It's unusual to see you cooking, Lyrica." Lunasa says, drifting over to the girl. She looks up at Lunasa and gives a thumbs up.
"It's nothing at all!" she exclaims. "The least I can do afterall."
"I'll help too!" Merlin says, floating over to Lyrica.
Seems things are under control here, though they didn't have any information that could ahve helped you. Cirno and Yuyuko are missing now, and you still haven't seen Youmu. You wonder if you should go see if you can find either of them, though you could also stay here and help the girls with cooking if they need it.
>>54103 >You can speak with her after your death. >Normally when you die, after you set out on the road to rebirth, cross the Sanzu river, and receive the judgement of the ten lords during Higan, even if you've done no wrong, you go to the Netherworld and await reincarnation or enlightenment. >You will definitely see her there.
Unless Siki sends you to Hell.
Then you go directly to Hell. Do not pass Hakugyokurou. Do not collect $200.
Yuyu is playing with Cirno. Let her have her fun; it's why we brought them here. Dinner is cooking, so we'll see them again soon. We should ask Youmu if she'd made a decision yet in private.
You decide to go looking for the two missing, Cirno and Yuyuko. The thought of trying to find them in all of Hakugyokuro is a little daunting, though if Yuyuko is still movign taht ice statue, there's not a lot of places you could think to look that would be good for it. Except maybe the rock garden.
Turns out your suspicions are correct, as you find Yuyuko and Cirno both at the internal garden, Yuyuko has placed the statue down, and Cirno seemed to be going over it again.
"It's rather cool here a lot in Hakugyokuro," Yuyuko says to Cirno. "So it shouldn't melt too easily."
"That's handy." Cirno says, fluttering away from the sculpture. "Though I'm stilll going to check on it often."
Yuyuko turns to see you, and makes a gesture towards the rock garden and the sculpture.
"Looks good here, doesn't it?" she asks, Cirno looking towards you now.
"It does." you reply, not wanting to disappoint. "I was looking for you two, wondered where you went. Everyone else is in the kitchen cooking."
"Oh?" Yuyuko chirps, floating past you quickly. "I wonder what they're making~!" Cirno remains behind, looking at the statue. She has a sad expression on her face, and looks like she's thinking of something. Now that you think of it, she called the statue 'Letty', didn't she? Is this statue something important to her?
[x] Praise her hard work. [x] Ask her what's wrong. [x] Anecdote: "Cirno, have you heard of a place called 'Antarctica'? It's a continent on the Outside, far to the South of Japan. In Antarctica the weather is always cold, there are no seasons, and everything is covered in snow & ice that never melts. Even so, life manages to thrive all the same." [x] Anecdote: "Although it isn't Antarctica, there are some places so cold that people actually build their homes out of blocks of packed snow. They're called 'igloos'. Even though the ice walls themselves are cold, they provide insulation and protect against the biting winds. So even though the cold could kill the people, they also need the cold to live." [x] Anecdote: "Another thing that might interest you is that on the Outside it's actually winter for half the year, because when the North half is in Summer, the South is in Winter, and vice versa." [x] "After dinner I wanted to get your opinion, as a spirit of nature, on some... important things going on in the Outside. Does that sound OK? Or too boring?"
I really, really want to build Cirno into a conservationist.
Yeah I read that doujin too. Still its too wordy. Save two of those anecdotes for later. Just say enough to interest her.
[x] Praise her hard work. [x] Ask her what's wrong. [x] Anecdote: "Cirno, have you heard of a place called 'Antarctica'? It's a continent on the Outside, far to the South of Japan. In Antarctica the weather is always cold, there are no seasons, and everything is covered in snow & ice that never melts. Even so, life manages to thrive all the same." [x] "After dinner I wanted to get your opinion, as a spirit of nature, on some... important things going on in the Outside. Does that sound OK? Or too boring?"
[x] Praise her hard work. [x] Ask her what's wrong. [x] Anecdote: "Cirno, have you heard of a place called 'Antarctica'? It's a continent on the Outside, far to the South of Japan. In Antarctica the weather is always cold, there are no seasons, and everything is covered in snow & ice that never melts. Even so, life manages to thrive all the same." [x] "After dinner I wanted to get your opinion, as a spirit of nature, on some... important things going on in the Outside. Does that sound OK? Or too boring?"
"The sculpture looks very good," you say, walking over to it. It's still surprising that it's so detailed, like a real person had been transofrmed into a statue. "Did you make this yourself?"
Cirno just nods, still looking a little sad.
"What's wrong?" you ask, a little concerned for her.
"I miss her," Cirno says, looking at the statue and she floats towards it and wraps her arms around it's waist. You notice for the first time that the statues positioning is specifically tailored. A slight bend in the abdomen with the head looking down towards Cirno, one hand resting against Cirno's side and another on top of her head. No way. "I want her to come back. I have so much I want to tell her..." Cirno says, trailing off. You see a slight glistening in her eyes, she looks like she's going to cry. You have a hard time finding the words to say.
"Where is she?" you ask, hoping you're not treading on dangerous territory. Cirno wipes her eyes.
"She leaves every spring and goes away. I don't know where she goes, and she won't ever tell me." Cirno says, tearing up again. "I wish I could go with her. Everyone gets mad at me anyway if I play around, so I might as well disappear too." she says, turning her face away from you. You feel a little sad yourself, though something sparks in your mind, something you think might pick up her spirits a little.
"Cirno, have you ever heard of a place called 'Antarctica'?" you ask, curious as to Cirno's knowledge of the outside. She turns her head back towards you and shakes it slowly, the ice hand on her head ruffling her hair a little. "It's a continent on the Outside, far, far to the south of Japan. It's always cold there, and the snow and ice never melts. Even despite this, there are a great many things that survive in the cold there."
Cirno's mouth drops open, and her wings twitch slightly.
"Really!?" she asks, pulling herself away from the statue carefully. "There really is such a place in the outside?" You nod.
"It really exists." you reply.
All the sadness on Cirno's face disappears and her entire face lights up as she flies into you, wrapping her arms around your neck and laughing happily.
"It sounds awesome! It's perfect! I need to see it, I'm sure Letty would love it!" she practically screams, her excitement almost overflowing. She floats away from you, wings flapping madly. "I need to go now! I have to find Letty and bring her outside to Antarcita!"
You chuckle at her mispronunciation, but you place a hand on her shoulder and catch her attention.
"You can't just leave Gensokyo like that though, can you?" you say, and Cirno blinks in surprise.
"You're right! The Border! Rats." she curses, lowering herself to the ground and crossing her arms, pouting a little. "I need to cross the Border." she says, looking around like she's going to find something to help her. She looks up at you and you can almost see the light go off in her head.
"You know a lot about the Outside! You can help me get there!" she says, pointing up at you. You're not exactly sure how to respond to that. Sure, you probably could in some way, so long as you found a way back yourself, but a way out for more people? Then there's the question of how they'll handle the outside, you're not exactly sure how fairies and magic works outside the border, if at all. That's something to worry about if the time comes though.
"I have some questions for you in the meantime, Cirno." you say. "Those can wait until after dinner though. I figure you're a spirit of nature, so I wanted to get your opinions on some things that are happening in the outside world. Is that okay?"
Cirno tilts her head aside, her wings fluttering briefly.
"Uh, I guess? I don't know that much about outside though, I'm not old enough to have seen the world before the border. Letty might know more though, she's been around forever." Cirno says, scratching the side of her head idly.
"We should head back to the kitchen for now." you say, walking past Cirno, though you realize that you still don't know if Youmu's come around yet. You're a little curious about how she's doing. Cirno buzzes past you and heads towards the direction the kitchen is in. So long as she's going on ahead, you could take a look around for Youmu, or you could just head to the kitchen and let her come around on her own.
I think we should start getting Cirno to think about the concept of a place that's cold all year round. Maybe not to IN-level extremes of artificial permanence, but like a large underground ice cellar or something.
You should probably find Youmu. You have been gone for a long while, and you kind of expected her to be waiting for you when you returned, though that's more of a passing thought. You decide to start your search logically, heading towards Youmu's room first. Unsurprisingly, she's in there, but the scene within catches you off guard. Balls of ink stained papers litter the room, stacks of blank paper lay around haphazardly, and Youmu sits off to one side of the room, sitting on her knees and leaning over a large ink-spotted mat. As you approach, you notice that the paper in front of her has a great deal of characters written on it.
"Yo-" you begin to call her name, and she shrieks and jumps slightly, stiffening straight up. She wheels around on one knee and you see that her fingertips have been blackened from ink, and the brush she holds seems to blend into her hand from all the ink. It doesn't stop there either, spattered ink decorates the hem and skirt of her dress, as well as several drops and smears on her face and chest.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she shouts angrily, throwing a crumpled ball of paper at you. "Why are you in my room?"
"I was wondering what you've been doing. Yuyuko and I went out for a bit an-"
"What!?" she gasps, dropping the brush in her hand. "You took Lady Yuyuko somewhere?" she says, looking stuck somewhere between shock and disappointment.
"Well, it was her idea, and we've seem to come back with more people..." you say, thinking of the surely ongoing party taking place in the kitchen. Youmu starts hastily gathering up the balls of paper nearby and shuffling them into a corner.
"They're likely making a mess as we wait and harassing Lady Yuyuko, I need to-" she rants, and you walk over and stop her, placing your hands on her shoulders. She bats one of your hands away and shrugs the other off. "Wha-" You cut her off again by replacing your hands and giving her a little squeeze.
"Calm down." you say, trying to get her to listen to you and calm down, since she's obviously a bit flustered. She does calm down, but maintains her annoyed expression.
"Why do you keep touching me? Do you not value your hands?" she asks, sounding quite pissed. You take your hands off of her to avoid further souring her mood.
"There's no problems, Youmu. Just relax. I was worried about you, but it seems you're just fine after all, if a bit of a mess." you say, looking over the ink spots. Youmu does as well, and her face turns a little red.
"Ah, I've made a bit of a mess haven't I..." she says, looking up at you. "Get out of my room, I'm going to change." She doesn't even wait for you to move, she pushes you out of her room rather easily and closes the door behind you. You decide at least to wait for her, and a few moments later she opens the door again, wearing a rather plain looking green robe, tightly tied. She's carrying her ink stained clothing, and walks past you.
"I'm going to clean myself before heading to the kitchen. Try to keep things in order until I get there. You're my stand in for house chores, so I expect you to be able to handle something like this." she says, disappearing into another room a short way down the hall. Might as well leave her alone for now then. You couldn't imagine it being such a hard thing to keep everyone in line. You head back to the kitchen, and the Prismrivers seem to be in a bit of an argument over what to make, while Cirno sits at a short table nearby eating a bowl of ice cream with Daiyousei. Yuyuko also sits nearby, nursing a cup of tea. No major problems it seems, so who to talk to is the only concern.
[X] Tell the Prismrivers that Youmu is in a tizzy, and ask them to refrain from inter-sibling hostilities in her presence tonight. [X] Get Yuyuko an orange or something to eat; if Youmu thinks we've been letting her go hungry, she'll be pissed. [X] Check the kitchen to make sure nothing is on fire and wipe up any mess. [X] Mental note: Next time Youmu is around, search for Myon.
[x]Talk with the Prismrivers, they're the only ones making a fuss. [x]Mental note: Next time Youmu is around, search for Myon.
Well, the only ones making a racket so far are the Prismrivers, so might as well deal with them now.
"What's all the noise about?" you ask, walking up to them. Lyrica turns to you first and floats away from the other two.
"We have a difference in opinion over what should be made. Each of wants to cook something, but we have conflicting tastes. I prefer stews and soups," she says, patting herself on the chest. Next she turns and gestures to Lunasa, who has her arms crossed again and looks irritated. "Lunasa prefers pasta," and she turns once more, gesturing to Merlin. "And Merlin likes finger foods. We can't all cook at the same time obviously because of the space, but the other two just won't get out of my way and let me cook."
"I'm the best cook, Lyrica," Lunasa declares, coming forward. "Besides, soup takes too long to cook."
"I haven't had a turn to cook in a long time!" Merlin whines, floating forward as well. "Besides, finger foods best serve large amounts of people."
Seems like none of them are going to want to back down, and they seem to be pushing the decision onto you now. Then again, you could always cook something yourself.
[X] Volunteer to cook. Cook all they want, then try to remember Mystia's yakitori. [X] Make lots of food for Yuyuko, or at least the enough for Youmu to arrive and help.
[x] "I understand and would like to taste all your cooking; however, it's not proper to let the guests prepare the hosts' dinner." [x] "Besides," Avert your gaze and bite your lip. "I'll say with a small amount of ego that I want to show you all my own cooking." [x] "And if it doesn't taste too terrible, maybe you'll invite us over for dinner at your own residence sometime?" [x] Whisper into Yuyu's ear: "What's Youmu's favorite food?"
[x] "I understand and would like to taste all your cooking; however, it's not proper to let the guests prepare the hosts' dinner." [x] "Besides," Avert your gaze and bite your lip. "I'll say with a small amount of ego that I want to show you all my own cooking." [x] "And if it doesn't taste too terrible, maybe you'll invite us over for dinner at your own residence sometime?" [x] Whisper into Yuyu's ear: "What's Youmu's favorite food?"
[x] "I understand and would like to taste all your cooking; however, it's not proper to let the guests prepare the hosts' dinner." [x] Whisper into Yuyu's ear: "What's Youmu's favorite food?" Superior write-in.
[x] "I understand and would like to taste all your cooking; however, it's not proper to let the guests prepare the hosts' dinner." [x] "Besides," Avert your gaze and bite your lip. "I'll say with a small amount of ego that I want to show you all my own cooking." [x] "And if it doesn't taste too terrible, maybe you'll invite us over for dinner at your own residence sometime?" [x] Whisper into Yuyu's ear: "What's Youmu's favorite food?"
[x] "I understand and would like to taste all your cooking; however, it's not proper to let the guests prepare the hosts' dinner." [x] "Besides," Avert your gaze and bite your lip. "I'll say with a small amount of ego that I want to show you all my own cooking." [x] "And if it doesn't taste too terrible, maybe you'll invite us over for dinner at your own residence sometime?" [x] Whisper into Yuyu's ear: "What's Youmu's favorite food?"
[♳] "I understand and would like to taste all your cooking; however, it's not proper to let the guests prepare the hosts' dinner." [♳] "Besides," Avert your gaze and bite your lip. "I'll say with a small amount of ego that I want to show you all my own cooking." [♳] "And if it doesn't taste too terrible, maybe you'll invite us over for dinner at your own residence sometime?" [♳] Whisper into Yuyu's ear: "What's Youmu's favorite food?"
