Leaderboard

A few odd drawings I made last night

Woohoo! It's so fun seeing a new chapter and everyone gathers back to this familiar old thread to discuss it . I thought I was a bit late to comment on the previous chapter, so I was holding off on talking here until the next post. Well, turns out that took much longer than I hoped :P . And speaking of writing this fanfic for a year, apparently there's a whopping 112 replies (113 including this one) on this thread?! Since when?!? I agree, I haven't really talked to Soshmal directly yet but oh-my-god he put in a ton of effort into his analysis. And best of all he was correct about it! So if you're reading this Sosh, you are awesome :) I think you're doing great work inspiring everyone to read closely and use our imaginations. No username idea? Okay then nanashi (no name), good to see you're enjoying the story so far! I remember being in the same situation as you, reading a few days straight to catch up to everyone. So no worries about having nothing to say. But if you ever have any cool ideas to share, we'll always be here :D As for the new chapter, I've been wondering who Ichibanki is. Never heard of him/her, is that one of Sekibanki's heads or something? I don't have much time right now so I might come back to this later and make a more educated guess. It's also nice that this week's options don't seem too consequential- after seeing Soshmal's previous post I was kinda worried I'd have to use my brain for the next vote XD. So yeah, I assume it doesn't matter too much what Sekibanki/Koggers do next so I chose danmaku, it sounds the coolest.

Hi, I just joined a few days ago. I've known Touhou way before I created this account so, don't expect me to not get short Shkiieiki Yamaxanadu jokes

I don't know if I'm late here and I don't have an account on Moriya Shrine, but I have been reading since at least the part where Marisa and Oscar meet released last year. This is one of my favorite stories I've read on this website. Sorry I don't have much to say.

Back again. Sorry for the delay one and all. I can't make any explanations you haven't already heard sadly. So if you were hoping for something new and exciting in my life, you'd be wrong. Onward to the entry. A little longer one. I wish I had time to put in the effort I wanted. But I think the quantity of the writing shows my dedication to you all at least. Love Soshmal and Gri's theorizing! I put a lot of tiny details into interactions at times. Both to hint at future possible plotlines and encourage speculation. Soshmal especially's picked up on a few of these. @Motaromc Yes indeed! From the first post, the voters are all playing nameless Kami who are watching our hero and influencing his choices and that of others in the narrative! And having your things taken by Jo'on. As for if you can run out, probably not. There are at least four of you she can pick things from after all. Though you might just get tired of her making trouble and kick her out. That'll be a fun mini-narrative, watching you all throw her out of your cozy temple in who-knows-where. If I ever make this into a real fanfiction, I'll probably come up with characterizations and appearances for my voters as Kami, but that's for future Yummy Toe to worry about. Don't worry about Osu. I have a special idea for him if things go very wrong...or possibly two. Its maybe too soon for one of these reveals. Weird to think I have been writing this for a year now...if only I had more time to do so. One of these days I'll tidy up the story and post it to an actual fanfiction site to see what people think. Or maybe learn 3D animation to post these on Youtube. One of these days...

You know, I always tried to provide an educated guess and a complete review whenever I appear here but MAN, Have you guys seen Soshmal above me? An entire essay just to analyze a few choices and very organized too, with a few emotes and expressions there just to make our reading a bit less dry. I tip my hat to you, friend, masterfully crafted I say! Perhaps I have always tried to be a "Soshmal" myself but seeing a professional at work is enlightening. Maybe I'll keep being the funny guy then or at least try to be one. Still, you won't escape from this little debate though. First of all, while I agree with most of your observations, I must point out that Ozzy and Houdini both have yet to meet Alice, so it might be impossible to dream about her unless a bigger player is at work... and considering this is a dream then I already have my suspicions. The second is about Rumia, why her? I can't rule out this possibility since we had already talked with her before, it's literally the first plot we stumbled upon arriving here but I have some other ideas that might be acceptable too. Mainly Sekibanki herself, Houdini just met her and she didn't really introduce herself to him, which already paints her as a "stranger" and the "self-loathing" part could allude to a future plot that Yume might be working on for her, from the little we saw in the recent chapter, we know Seki dropped out from school and is apparently unsatisfied with her current state of life, considering she mentioned about how living while hiding is bothersome, nothing straying too far from what we about her so far. Oh, while I was busy thinking, Master Gri went ahead and already posted a reply right above me, I had completely forgotten we had a "shinigami" dream before, I probably wasn't part of the party here yet. Now that I think about it, maybe the dreams aren't just an in-universe "skip" of sorts, it reminds me of a quest I read once about a kitsune guy who worked for the Moriya shrine I believe, and had some interesting dreams from time to time. I never got to read everything in that quest, maybe I should go search for it one of these days. Still, like Master said, there is no need to worry too much here in particular, I decided to go with the stranger option in hopes of being either Rumia or Banki but best friend is also a solid option. Hello there Yume! Glad to be talking to you. So, I liked this idea so far, it gives us, your local "Yappers" more ammo to keep yapping and it's always funny to see how much we missed the mark. With that said, this is probably my FOURTH WIN in the coin toss and I'm also on a winning streak by the way, without counting my victory from Nyoko's side. It's a shame I failed my ultimate goal for the last chapter which was making Eientei known but I still leave victorious today, Sexybanki just happens to be my favorite Grassroots member not only because I think her name is funny but also because Dullahans reminds me of an old anime I watched as a young teen, a quick google search said the name is Durarara!! I won't go into details but I used to be quite a big fan of that headless biker girl, hehehe. However, now that I think about it, the coin toss is rather interesting, I didn't care back then but you mentioned we were the "Kami" once right? And Jo'on is currently taking everything we own to decide for the next draw. Can we run out of things to use for the coin toss? I remember someone losing a Kimono before and now someone else has lost some jewelry. Have I lost anything to her? I have a feeling we won't be seeing Ozzy for a while. Poor guy. I hope he can find something edible inside Saddam Hussein's hiding place. Also, I have a feeling that he will probably end up leaving on his own, and we'll get to play both Houdini and Oscar at the same time. I just hope we won't keep those two separated for too long.

Greetings, First of all, congrats Yumetou . It's been 1 year since you've started posting this story (Time sure flies). Thank you for keeping this going for so long. Here's to more adventures. Now, for this week chapter, while some intros spoil a little what will happen in the chapter, I feel the one for this week ruined the twist a little. Still, I am happy about the result, and so far I like what little insight we got for Houdini's rescuer (good timing too, I just finished Kubinashi Recollection for the 2nd time). In canon, we mostly see Aya and Mamizou going in and out of the village as they please, and both belong to very dominant youkai species, so seeing the perspective of weaker youkai living in the village could be refreshing (although in your story, we already saw Team9 studying at school, but they are kid, so I don't expect them to do much else in the village compared to an "older" youkai). Also, yet why is there a head in there exactly? To keep watch on the food in case someone tries to steal it ? Or maybe to give a passerby a good scare there's a quick opportunity to get "faith"? Anyway, the choices: I like the choice presented: more consequence-free than usual, so we can choose what "vision" we want to learn more about the past (dream of best friend), the present or the future (all the other options) . Despise this opportunity, I am drawing a blank here. The "best friend" option seems the most straight-forward one, so I would go for one of the others to learn more about what is going on currently (or what could happen). Pretty similar to what I would have written, so I won't bother detailing my theories. I wasn't sure what "Afflicted" meant at first, but my hunch was Wriggle. While I would enjoy seeing Team9 again, I don't think it will move the plot forward a lot. We know that Team9 is in danger, but we are powerless to do anything other than watch the situation gets worse (unless Keine notice something's wrong, but I wouldn't bet on that). I would avoid that one. Its sad we only got one choice, but those are the rules. As for "Stranger's Self-Loathing", I got nothing and haven't though of Rumia. I am really not sure about what this choice could mean (somehow, I have some doubts it concerns Rumia), but it sounds grim (I am most curious about that one). "Witch's strings" does sound like Alice, but she wasn't introduced yet. Like you said, it could be a change in perspective, so we could see Marisa talking about the stranger she met at the village. Yet, if it's really about Alice/Marisa, then this feels like another the start of another plot thread. I think it's better to keep it simple, so I would avoid this one too So either "best friend" or "stranger" .... As you said, "best friend" could be an opportunity to learn more about Oscar previous life. I would go with this one for now. Oscar already had a bad dream last time (meeting the Shinigami), so I would spare Houdini and avoid it getting a bad dream about "someone self-loathing". Vote for whatever you wish. My vote this week is not one of confidence.

I shoulda known it was too easy! While I'm admittedly a little disappointed bnuny didn't get to meet up with the other runny babbits, Sekibanki (I think) is definitely an interesting option for saving Houdini nonetheless. She doesn't appear all that much in canon or fanon, so she's somewhat of a blank slate and I'm excited to see how she's handled. The basket full of food she's carrying could imply that she's on her way to a meeting of the Youkai Grassroots Network, which may take them as far away as the misty lake. Poor Houdini has a rude awakening and a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to get back to Oscar! On the topic of Houdini, what I wanted to discuss last time (before I ran out of time) was the possibility of them turning into a youkai. For one, Houdini is old. Probably very old, given how Oscar referred to him as being "...as old as [he] was when [they] met". I can't recall if we have an exact age for Oscar, but he must be in his 20's at least. This would indicate that Houdini is at the very least (but likely more than) 10 years old, which is also the maximum of the domestic rabbit's average lifespan. Animals in Gensokyo that well exceed their expected longevity have the tendency to transform into youkai. There is also the emotional distress that poor Houdini must be experiencing; knowing his best friend is in mortal danger, getting so close to people who can help and yet ultimately being rendered powerless by his old bones and rotten luck. Extreme emotional distress is another path via which animals can become youkai, a particularly relevant example of this being in WaHH, when Tewi sets up a bunch of pet rabbits to be abandoned so the distress would turn them into youkai she can command. That was another one of the reasons that I was hoping for Houdini to reach the Eientei crew, but that's enough of that. Let's move on to discussing this entry's options. All of them are interesting, if a little cryptic (in a good way! no need to clarify, Yumetou!). Anyways, my personal interpretations and thoughts on them are as follows: As context, I'm writing this with the assumption that this entry's options will lead to a perspective change as opposed to a dream sequence like we've seen before, but I'm willing to be wrong. "Best Friend": Oscar Diggs I think my reasoning for this is pretty self-explanatory, given how Houdini and Oscar seem to share a deep bond. If this is a perspective shift, going back to Oscar could be interesting. If we're lucky, it could lead to Oscar escaping on his own and maybe getting some character development as well. If we're unlucky, this could be a game over. IMO, the time Oscar's spent trying to fend for just himself (or him and Agappa) have been some of the highlights of this series. While this option is definitely high risk, it could also be high reward. If it's a dream sequence, we could get some more context on what lead up to Oscar's spiriting-away. While not absolutely essential, it could still provide some interesting perspective on our protagonist. "Witch's Strings": Marisa (or Alice?) While this option almost certainly refers to Marisa, which I'll assume to be the case, the 'Strings' part makes me think of Alice the puppeteer. I'm definitely overthinking this though . Whether this is a perspective shift or dream sequence, this option could give us vital information on one or two of our main quests We could get more information on the meaning behind Agappa's prophecy It could also reveal some sort of connection between Marisa and Oscar. Remember when Marisa freaked out when she opened Oscar's wallet? I NEED TO KNOW WHY, DAMMIT!!! This doesn't seem to have anything to do with the situation at hand, however. Doesn't mean it's not viable, just that we would be delaying our current quest (not dying) in favor of another. "Afflicted Soul": Wriggle I'm pretty sure this option is in reference to Wriggle and her possession This option is the one that most makes me think that this time the dream will be a perspective shift, as my smooth brain can't see what wriggle would have to do with a dream sequence. Could lead to team 9 saving Oscar, but given that it's the "Intrigue" option, it could be more sinister. Who knows, the inugami might just win out and bring Oscar further from rescue. Either way, this is one of two options that deal with the situation at hand, whereas the Marisa and Rumia options deal more with other quests Agappa, due to her ability to see the curse and her connection to the afterlife, would definitely feature heavily here. Agappa is probably my favorite character in this series so far, so getting more characterization for her would be pretty cool : ). "Stranger's Self-Loathing": Rumia This option is by far the most cryptic, and potentially very interesting. I personally think it refers to Rumia due the hints I think I've picked up on throughout the story that Rumia is facing an inner-struggle in regards to her nature as a man-eater. There are several different ways I can see this going. Most likely it'll just help us resolve one of the first quests we got, find Rumia. It could also bring Kimiko back into the fold, but I don't know how (I had a whole train of thought on how this could happen but the moment I sat down to write it out I lost it...) There is also the potential that this could resolve both the current situation and the finding Rumia quest at the same time. With both her and potentially Houdini out in the wider world, there's always the chance that they could bump into eachother, and maybe he leads Rumia back for help. Anyways, you guys are probably tired of listening to me ranting by now, so I'll cut it off here. All of these options seem pretty interesting to me, so I think I'll hold off on voting until I get the chance to hear some more of you guys' thoughts. Hope you all have a wonderful week and that Yumetou can finally catch a break : )

Finally got to write out a post. And after a rough day of work too. Before I go to bed, I've mentioned some choices the group makes have a random outcome. This is a good example, with myself setting up a pool of options and rolling a 1d100 to determine which outcome happens. In this case, I rolled a 71. Higher than the 1-39 I planed for Reisen and 40-69 for Tewi. Who found Houdini then? Well normally I would post the table of options, but I didn't get around to it. All I can say is you can probably guess. Instead of a direct action, Houdini is visited by a dream, from a mysterious force, the same Oscar has access to. As his familiar, Houdini can draw on knowledge through dreams as well. After a quick aside, he is sure to wake up, a little stronger and with more options for attracting help for Oscar.

Rokurokubi 'Pulley Neck' One of the more common Youkai to emerge from humans, Rokurokubi are universally drawn from human women, usually those from red light districts. They are said to be transformed due to some cosmic misdeed, though the nature of this misdeed can range from blasphemy against the Kami to simple infidelity. This misdeed need not be performed by the victim of it either. Often Rokurokubis inherit this punishment from their husbands or fathers, who go unpunished for their actions. Possessing unnaturally long and extendable necks, Rokurokubi conceal their abilities by day. By night, their use their elongated necks move their heads around as their bodies sleep. Their snake-like neck they usually use to drink oil from hanging lanterns. Though they may also hunt small animals, frighten unfortunate victims, or restrain people. Though frightening, Rokurokubi are seldom harmful to humans. Often preferring to live among humans, and usually unaware of their condition. There are a series of similar beings widely fitting in the same class. While the youkai Nukekubi and devil Dullahan are similar in some respects, it is best not to confuse them. Dullahans and Nukekubi are both significantly more dangerous than a Rokurokubi, and seldom take kindly to being compared to the more benign Rokurokubi. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= It burned her hand. Searing against her fingers even as they ran against the texture. Scars, black as midnight, forming over her fingertips. A little hiss escaped between clenched teeth as the fabric ran against her small digits. Until all sensation in her hand ceased. And she had no choice but to let go. She raised her hands. Ignoring the sound of the stream passing beneath her as she held up her dull hands. Scars, black as pitch, greeted her gaze, covering each of her hands. But despite the memory of the pain, Rumia only felt sad she could not feel it against her fingers again. Close her eyes, and think of how things used to be… The hands lowered. The odd sound of birdsong surrounding her as she sat in the shadow of a boulder. A familiar shield against the sun...It may have burned her much as the ribbon did. But the sun’s light only brought pain. The ribbon’s touch, the fabric, it brought back...happier, memories. If only they had stayed forgotten…Humans had been easy enough to ignore. Even with her abiding hunger, there were plenty of other tasty things to eat, when the gnawing got too bad. Sometimes, she could almost convince herself there were no humans in Gensokyo. That she had no idea what they tasted like. That she had never been friends with one. Until... Her eyes turned down to the creek that ran over her bare feet, forming a pool. A miserable face gazed back at her, its cheeks stained with dried tears. But she could see something in its eyes. The same feeling that gnawed at her gut. Hunger…and something else. Kimiko was right. Her fingers could scarcely move properly. She had no idea it was a stone in her grip until she had thrown it into the water with all her might. The furious splash startled fish and bird alike as she huddled against her knees. Purposefully avoiding the water’s surface now. “Miko...would my friends hate me, if they knew what I did?” The murmur of the creek was her only reply. “I’m sorry…” =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The basket jostled. Rousing the sleeping rabbit from his dream with bleary winks. Light stole around the woven basketting, illuminating the head opposite to him, sleeping as well. He could hear voices outside, and with his strength returning, he nuzzled at the edge of the basket. His rescuer was standing in the shadow of an imposing looking building. A Buddhist temple, he was sure. The redheaded girl peering around tombstones, until she closed her eyes and let out a breath. “You can come out Kogasa. You know you won’t get any Faith from scaring me anyway.” The rabbit’s worn eyes stared up, unable to perceive more than colors as a woman holding an umbrella stepped towards them, her face looking downcast as she approached. “Oh, its just you Sekibanki...I was hoping to scare someone today…” “Yeah, well. That’s life. C’mon. I bet Kagerou and Wakasagihime are waiting for us at the usual place.” The blur of blue and soft white slowly resolved itself as the figure approached, It was a young woman, dressed in a modest but distinctive blue dress. Holding a large umbrella, a comedically long tongue swirling behind it as she approached as though hiding itself from view. Hetero-chromatic eyes of blue and red giving Sekibanki a disappointed look, which she either ignored or failed to notice. The expression on her face vanished as she turned her eyes down to the basket. Only now noticing the fluffy white face which sat on the brim of the basket. “Who’s that?” “Huh? Oh, this is a new friend I made. I found him passed out in the square in front of the Heida Temple. If I hadn’t passed by, a dog or hawk probably would have gotten him. Doesn’t talk much, but he’s pleasant to be around.” “Hmm…” The blue-haired youkai considered him for a moment. Before with a sudden burst of energy, she rushed towards him. Mouth opening wide as her tongue rolled out, hands grasping towards him. “BLEEEGH! You look delicious!” Houdini’s only response was a wiggle of his nose. For a moment, Kogasa held the face, as though hoping the rabbit might change his mind and back away in terror. When he did not, she slumped forward. “Not even a little fear...I can’t even scare a rabbit.” “Yeah...that’s life.” Sekibanki didn’t feel her response was helpful. Especially after repeating it twice. But there wasn’t anything else she could think to say in that moment. The words hung in the air for a moment. Before she turned and stepped from the cemetery. The footfalls of the other hurrying to catch up. “I’ll tell you what Kogasa. When we get to the Lake, I’ll let you have first pick of the food.” “You know human food can’t sustain me though Seki-chan…” “Yep.” “...What did you pack this time?” “You’ll have to wait until we get there.” “Is anyone else going to be there?” “Just Ichi. She’s in the basket.” The talk of the two made the blood of the old hare stir, bringing him from a preemptive drowsiness. The lake? So far from the village! Oscar could be dead by the time he got back! Looking over the basket though, he could only see the food, packed in its fresh bamboo leaves, and the sleeping second head of the woman holding the basket… There was no time to lose. He had to save his best friend. Outside the basket, the two continued their conversation, rising along a path towards the northern gate. “So what have you been doing lately, Koggers?” “Why do you call me that?” “Its funny.” “Well, if you must know, I tried babysitting some of the children who go to the Myouren Temple.” “How did that go?” “Awful...They wouldn’t listen to me, they pulled at my umbrella, and then when I tried to scare them, they started calling me ‘umbrella ghoul’ and throwing water on me! So rude…” “I mean...you live in a graveyard. Kids are going to find that weird.” “Yeah but you would think I—” Their conversation was cut short, as the basket rocked in Sekibanki’s arm, before the head of Ichika rocketed out of the wicker basket like a cannonball. The sleepy rabbit following after. His body made youthful in his adrenaline, his paws landed on the head as it bounced down the slope. Half running, half-rolling underneath it as it went down the stone street. “I-Ichibanki!” Seki shouted after the head. Kogasa could only stare in stunned silence. Some voice in the back of her head wishing she could roll her head through the Village...maybe then the townsfolk would fear her. "S-someone should help her!" Kogasa managed. “Stop staring then, umbrella ghoul—let’s go!” The reply Kogasa had half-formed broke into a shout as Sekibanki pulled after her, the two youkai chasing after the rabbit and the head as they rolled into town… =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= How will the two Youkai try to catch Ichika and Houdini? = Sekibanki will extend her neck to try and grab Ichibanki. = Kogasa will shout for the townsfolk to help. = Use Kogasa's control over the weather to slow him with a strong wind. = Sekibanki fires a concentrated danmaku into the ground ahead to make a hole for Ichibanki to land in.