The Elements Of Gensokyo - Act One: Borderful Infestation Parasite

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

--- Commencing...
--Connecting...
-Connection established!
Welcome To The Elemental Plan-
Bzzt.
Bzzt.
Bzzt.
Silence.
G-
Ge-n-s
Gensok-
Gensokyo.

----

"Your time is coming, Mortal. Soon, you will save or damn the world. It's your choice."

---

                                                                                                   The Elements Of Gensokyo


For so long, mortals have been living their own dull, somewhat pitiful life when compared to the lives of those who live in the mystical world of Gensokyo. Gensokyo had first appeared in the old japanese texts, when youkai, oni, and kami roamed the lands. After a certain time, it vanished without a trace, away from the quietly advancing, more skeptical world that had been evolving, to adapt to the changes it had made to it's own environment. Soon enough, the human race had taken over the world, with their technological advancements that would change the way they all lived. they no longer believed in God. In myths. In legends. Science was everything... And eventually, it would be the death of them. As they harvested the energy of the universe, they were unraveling a secret, so dark and terrifying, it would forever scar them for eternity; but no. They used it. Used it to their advantage, and, anti-matter was made.

God would never forgive them. No, they would all die. Perish in their own creation, so he stopped the flow of advancements, forever holding them in a state being able to make anti-matter, but unable to use it. What he didn't know was that with the anti-matter that was produced, void of all elements, it would be the bane of his very intention. It would release, the Chaos.

God slept. Nevermore, and forevermore.

His four children wept, at his misdoing, the Firstborn went to stop the Chaos from it's core. The second went to Gensokyo. The third made forth the Chosen Ones. The forth crafted Destiny.

----

Here, begins the story of the Chosen Ones, to save or damn the Earth. The Universe, and and everything that will and shall exist.

---

"I await your answer, child."

---

Rules(The most basic of them all, the rest in the sign-up thread.)

1) Sign-ups are still open!
2) You will begin your first post in the real life, the second post on your character will be by me.
3) Achievements are now... achievable!
4) I will control all Touhous, even yours, until you get your connection to them, and you will control that chosen Touhou.

[XinXin]

Bump bump. Alyssa pushed her hair back a bit. It was getting in the way of a book she was reading. In the crook of her left arm, she held her dear doll, Mira, tightly. Bump bump. The car kept its unsteady movements. Eventually, the car, or rather the limo, came to a creaking halt. Alyssa closed her book with her left hand, as well as placing a bookmark, as the other assisted in bringing the book to its side. It was quite a heavy book.. Alyssa walked like a princess out of the car, making sure she lined up after her mother in order to prevent any supposition of her being rude that might arise out of misunderstanding, a constant worry. The Royal Castle was quite grand today, as it always did whenever she occasionally came by. Noticing the family entering the doors, she followed suit, lagging almost at the back but yet still seeming quite normal.

The entrance room was simply remarkable in every form. The design was exquisite and the entire place pretty much shone. Still, nothing that amazed Alyssa, not ever since the first time she came here. She could not wait until dinner would end, just so that she could find a corner to read in again. Sustenance and then back to her books and dolls. That was what Alyssa did and there was largely no complaint about it. Life dragged on and her world gradually expanded as it did. It was not far too interesting a life but it was sufficient, and that was all that she needed.

Dinner went by, and Alyssa carefully and skilfully shoveled each mouthful as the incessant talking from either of her sides went on. There was not much to do but eat for her. No one was far too interested into talking to a girl who constantly seemed mute. To others, she just seemed like an uninteresting little girl with nothing to say.

"May I please be excused?" Alyssa kindly asked her mother, a ritual more than a courtesy.

"You may." The reply came from her mother. It was quickly said as she immediately returned to conversation afterwards. Alyssa lightly jumped off her chair, standing up and pushing it back a little bit. She left on her right side and pushed it back in, leaving with her book. She always went to the castle library, a little ways from the dining room but nevertheless close enough to walk to. It was a quiet, cosy place that rarely had visitors. The librarian sat indulging in all the surplus of stories and never really bothered to do much since there was so little to do anyway.

Quiet. Alyssa would sit here and wait until the dinner was over and all the conversations came to a close.

Just wait.

Waiting for it to end.

[Aya Squawkermaru]

There was a small, cluttered room. The walls were covered in rough sketches. Along one of the walls was a western-style bed. The room had a dresser with a radio along with a few miscellaneous objects, and a small bookshelf crammed with books. The most distinguishable feature of the room was the large desk along the wall closest to the door. It was covered in devices of measuring, schematics, and prototypes for devices not yet on the market. Sitting at this desk was a very sleep deprived man.

Newan yawned as he sketched in his notebook. It was full of sketches of general ideas, of schematics, of concepts. He was currently working on a hydrolysis device that would send the hydrogen into a processing plant to be turned into fuel, and would force the oxygen atoms to bond into breathable molecules. Designing the fuel processor had been simple enough, and as oxygen was unstable, it desired to bond into O2 with or without outside assistance. The only problem that was giving him ire was making the hydrolysis device more cost effective. While they had been able to colonize the moon, the lunar pioneers had been forced to return the next year due to budget restraints.

While Newan could have been working on the antimatter problem like all of his colleagues, he had decided it was pointless. As interesting as the stuff was, the only use for it he could see, aside from studying it, was as a weapon. Newan may not have liked humans very much, but for the most part, he was against war. While a few of his colleagues had said that they could find another use for it, he new nothing would come of their efforts. Everyone in the lab knew that he was one of the best engineers in the Northern Hemisphere, and even he couldn't find another use for antimatter. As such, he had decided to leave it up to the Physicists instead; while he did have a degree in theoretical physics, it was simply a Master's degree, not a Doctorate. The Physics Doctors were better suited for these things.

He yawned again, and checked the time. 2:00 A.M. He closed his notebook, and got ready for bed. While being essentially self employed (the laboratory was more of a tool than a workspace) did have its advantages, it also meant that he fell into unseemly habits like waking up at lunch time. He set the alarm for 9:00 A.M. in an attempt to wake up at a more reasonable time, and drifted off into dreamless sleep.

[CrowCakes]

The dull whirring of an electric fan was the only thing that broke silence in the idle room. Besides the turning of pages, there was nothing noisy, nothing chaotic to disturb the peace that hung in the room.

The cold breeze swept into the apartment room, chilling the resident. His legs shivered, but his eyes remained focus on the papers he had to read. His mouth moved, but no words accompanied his recitation. One arm rested on a table beside him, while the other was busy clutching the papers.

Vante scanned through the list again and again, making sure he pronounced each character correctly. It didn't take too long for him to tire of it.

"Why did there have to be so many characters? Paulit-ulit lang sila!" Despite having studied the Japanese language system for five years now, Vante could not get over the fact that it was bigger than any other language he knew. Even after such intensive studying, he could not treat it as a regular thing for him to practice.

The night was full, and he had been reviewing the full table of katakana since the afternoon. He was now sure he had gotten the pronounciation down, so he continued by writing the characters in the air. At the school he worked in, he had observed the teaching methods of his colleagues; they spoke continuously for one entire class, never missing a beat. He knew, of course, that they had spoken Nippongo all their life, and five years was not going to cut it.

So here he was, studying like crazy.

"I'm a teacher- assistant, even- and I'm still burning my brows like I did years ago," he grumbled. He would be a full-blown teacher after a year. Being assigned to mathematics, he was pretty excited.

Monograph after monograph, combination after combination, he traced. He could already imagine holding a whiteboard marker and writing across the board-

Right away, he put the list down and shook his head. "...that was too real. I'm not going to try that again," Vante got up, obviously startled, and walked over to his bedside. Laid against the wall was a rectangular black sheath with red edges. He opened it up and shot the contents upwards. Out came two bamboo sticks, one of them landing back, and the other taken by Vante.

He began spinning it loosely in with his fingers. Here was something to take his mind off stuff. The stick spun lazily and was barely kept in place.

Vante's eyes were now on the clock. It was only 8:30 PM, way too early to go to sleep. This was going to be one long night, he thought.

Vante strolled around the room, waiting for something to happen.

[Sampson]

Gale sat on the edge of his bed, his arms wrapped around his legs.  He glanced out the window of his apartment.  The sun was setting. 

There was absolutely nothing to do.  He had finished his textbook.  Again.  He had gone through some of the practice problems.  Again.

So here he was, bored out of his mind.  Again.

Sleeping wasn't an option, even if he was tired.  Some of his classmates were having a party in a nearby apartment, and he could easily make out the beat of the music being played.  Judging by the fact that even he was invited, most of his class was probably there.  For a moment, he considered just stopping by.

He quickly banished such a thought from his mind.  I'm just bored.  That's all.  Besides, I'd probably just annoy them.  And I know they'd annoy me.

But what was there to do? 

Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  Nothing had happened, nothing was happening, nothing would happen.

Gale's life was extraordinarily boring, and yet he still fancied it much more desirable than anyone else's.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"I'm impressed," the man said. "I have to admit to doubting you, but you prooved me wrong."

"I did tell you it would work, Mr. Seito," Aesera said.

"Yes, you did. I was concerned, I'll admit, mainly because of how unconventional your plan was. Your reputation is certainly well-earned."

"I like to think so," Aesera replied. Aesera was in Japan on a business trip to conclude a business deal, and the 'business' part had just been finished. Seito, an executive in the company that had brought her in, had decided to take her to dinner as thanks, although Aesera knew what he really had in mind; no matter what the country, men were still men, and she was a very good-looking woman.

Aesera had been born and raised in the U.S.A., but English was not the only language she spoke. She did a lot of business with foreign-owned corporations, and was fluent in multiple languages, including French and Japanese. She was still working on Japanese writing, though; she could read it, but it usually took her a moment or two, nowhere near the automatic level she was at with other languages. But that would come with time.

"Well," Aesera said, "I thank you for the dinner, but my flight tomorrow leaves fairly early, so I'm going to return to the hotel and get some rest."

"Oh? I must admit, I was hoping you could spend the evening with me." Aesera chuckled. "What is it?"

"Oh, not really anything important," Aesera said. She did enjoy the reactions she got when she told people she was a lesbian, but that didn't mean that she went around announcing it to everyone. "It was a pleasure working with you, Mr. Seito," she continued, getting up from her chair. She donned her backpack-she'd gotten some interesting looks when she came in wearing it, but she didn't care; she had it with her at all times-and bowed. "I hope to have the chance again in the future."

--------------------------------

NOTE: Although Aesera is speaking Japanese, I'm not going to be using Japanese honorifics, mainly because I don't know really anything about doing so. Just assume she's using the proper ones.

QUESTION: For the purposes of this roleplay, do compases function normally in Gensokyo? I ask because Aesera's survival kit includes one.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(I need Orphea.Russ to post before I can drag all of you into Gensokyo... Or maybe I'll do it in my next post. Who knows? Oh, and by the way, my character is already in Gensokyo.)


Bzzt.
Bzzt..
Bzzt...
"Really now, was that so hard?"
"Urgggghhhhkkk"
"Shut up, you insignificant littl-"
A squish is heard, before tearing and ripping emerges from the darkness.

----------The Hakurei Border

A Drago- No, I mean The Dragon, flies around the southwest corner of Gensokyo, too high to be seen by those on the ground, and shielded by a thick mist that cannot be penetrated from the outside. The people bellow do see some streaks of pink and red, but that's about it. Thunder clouds gather around the area, apparently circling around The Dragon. A purple glow emerges from the skies. The youkai in the area flee; The people too. Squish. Squish. Squish.

Tendrils of darkness emerge from within the border, furiously whipping around, destroying the life in the area, spreading the darkness that advances throughout the southwest border. A scorching wave of fire blasts through the border, as the tendrils retreat, only to soon come back with even more vigor. Red eyes glow from within the border, their stare emits waves of red lightning; Cracking the border. The Dragon releases another breath of flame, following by his upper body penetrating the border to devour the darkness. It worked. The darkness comes to a halt. The tentacles are furthermore held back by white crystals that have burst out throughout the southwest border, surrounding and piercing the blobs of abysmal energy.

But the crack has been made. Only Yukari can fix it. And to do so, It would cost her life. The border's infection has begun; The Chosen Ones will arrive in due time.

Yukari doesn't know about this, and, even with her wisdom and control of all borders, she is unable to fix the Hakurei Border without sacrificing her Life - But that would lead to even greater consequences. The slow decay of ALL borders. The Dragon roars in anger. Even those as far as Youkai Mountain, can hear distress and anger in it's unleashed voice.

--------

"So, Byakuren, what are we going to do today?"

"Same old same old, child. We're gonna get more people to join our temple. We need more believers, anyway."

"You don't have to call me child like everyone else, Byakuren."

"Ohh? But it's just my way of calling people. I'm a monk, anyway."

"I know, Byak. I know."

Byakuren steps outside the Myouren Temple, stretching herself and being engulfed by the early morning sun. The other girl steps out too, fiddling with her iphone a little, as she looks around the Temple.

"Why was I called back here again anyway? Yukari said there was no problem with the Border like last time..." The girl asks, stuffing her iphone into her pocket.

"I don't know, child. Maybe it's your fate to stay with us in Gensokyo?" Byakuren giggles a little.

Kyouko stops sweeping the floor, turning to face Byakuren and the girl. She waves enthusiastically, and the girl waves back, Byakuren however, just gives her a smile.

"Where are the rest, anyway?"

"Probably sleeping. Kyouko wakes early to sweep the Temple, so she's always here. Oh, I almost forgot. Shinki's coming today." Byakuren says it with great joy.

"Your master?" The girl looks at Byakuren.

"Yeah. She says she wants to meet you."

The girl sighs. It's gonna be a long day.

[Orphea.Russ]

(Sorry, I haven't exactly been keeping a decent schedule as far as sleeping goes. >>;; )

Rhiseza walked quietly through the library, pulling a small cart of books along with her. Everyone else had left for the night, but as usual, she stayed behind to get more work done. I wasn't that she was a sort for workaholic, but more that she felt more at home here, really. So she continued walking through the library with the cart, placing books where they needed to go.

... She liked this. It was quiet here, nobody would disturb her. She could stay and think about everything, anything.

She looked back at the cart, and noticed it was empty now. Good. She removed one of her own books from her bag, made her way to her favorite spot in the back of the library. and started to read.
Just another hour, then I'll go home...

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

---The Hakurei Border

Crackle. Crackle. The red lightning wisps around the massive crystals that have impended the darkness' way. Jolting and cracking the crystals slightly, the faint, reddish glow in the dark border reaches the end of it. The lightning strikes the edge of the border, with all the might it has, before fading away. The white crystals glow brightly, sapping energy from the darkness, but it is too late. One bolt of red lightning reaches the tiny crack that was made in the border. It expands the crack, before fading away. The Dragon roars in anger, releasing rainbow danmaku from it's body just like how the princess of the moon would. The darkness is pushed back even more, now to the back of the border. Massive pulses of rainbow energy envelope the skies in the southwest. The Dragon's servants scramble. Red and pink can be seen flying away from the southwest.

The Border had been penetrated.

--- Rhiseza
The area outside the library cracks, releasing furious purple light that penetrates through to the skies. No one sees it. It's late, and people are sleeping. The books in the library are affected by the dense, purple atmosphere that has covered the entire structure. They crumble. Into black dust. You jolt up in surprise as the ground shakes before your feet. Purple cracks rupture forth in the air around you. It's light engulfs all. You sink into a massive gaping maw in the earth. And in all of that, you could'nt even scream. You can hear your own hearbeat, increasing, as your fear does, but ironically, you also feel at peace... Like this feeling is that you've always dre-

"The Blade that shall cut through the heavens."

The voice shocked you. You land butt-first on the ground. Blood red flowers grow all arond you. They look delicate... so... unique... You have arrived in the underworld. Welcome to Gensokyo.


---Aesera (Compasses only work in the base land on Gensokyo. As in, doesn't work in Heaven, Underground or Makai.)

You walk along the streets in the late evening as the sun sets, setting a warm, orangy glow throughout the area behind and slightly in front of you. As you walk further and further up the road, purple light begins to engulf the sun's rays behind you. Cracks form on the buildings behind you as you walk; you never turn back. You never feel like something's happening. You feel nothing. But feeling nothing is mor- You stop in your tracks. Right infront of you, where the hotel is, or once was, in a massive, tentacled gap. You turn and run, only to see yourself confronted by the great purple cracks towards the abyss that lie infront of you. The tentacled blob advances, and you step back, only to fall into the purple light.

You don't know how long you have fallen, but finally, you land headfirst onto a bush. Well, you're a lucky one. Landing on that rock would mean d- A rock? Where are you?

You have arrived behind the Moriya shrine, just beside two large boulders and one behind looking much like a frog. Welcome to Gensokyo.


---Gale

Really now? Your life, extraordinary? I doubt. But it soon will be. This all knowing, all seeing voice that echos through your head really doesn't sound like yourself. You wonder to yourself why you're actually thinking that way. As your gaze turns away from the setting sun for a moment, you notice a faint purple glow on your textbooks. You dismiss it as just your imaginations. Turning to look at the glow of the sun once again, you thought you saw your room move. Nah, but random hallucinations. Again. The sun seems more purple now. No, that's just your window. You pull your arms off from hugging your legs like a pus*y. Really now, there's no problem with this. You stand and open your window. You stick your head out, and sigh as it really was just your window. You close your eyes for a moment to embrace the last warmth of the day before it all turns dark before you. As you open your eyes, the sun is purple. And... it's rushing towards you... It's too fast for you to even react, let alone open your mouth. You are swept into it's raving course.

Hot. Really hot. You open your eyes to see you on a rocky cliff surrounded by fire. The word hell comes to your mind first, but where are the tortured souls?

Unyu? You hear from quite a distance behind you. You turn back and see a cave. You have arrived in the Hell Of Blazing Fires. Welcome to Gensokyo.



---- Vante

As you pace back and forth from the room, you seem to think that your room is closing around you. No matter, it happens when you're slightly stressed or something like that. And it doesn't affect your mental or physical health, so why bother? Another cold breeze comes in, blowing your papers off the table. You turn and scramble to get them all back in order before they're lost somewhere. As you gather them, you seem to think the words are purple as your eyes glance over them. A second look reveals that they are in fact, black. You keep the papers in order, and go back to spinning your bamboo stick. As it spins and spins, it seems to turn purplish in color. Too much Inception? Maybe. Who knows, anyway? As you continue spinning the stick, you look back up to the clock. 8:34pm. You blink, as it seems that time has passed too fast? Maybe, maybe not. You look back to your bamboo stick. A crack appears on it. Your mouth opens slightly. No voice comes out from it. You can't stop spinning the stick. Purple light ruptures from the crack. It engulfs you.

As you emerge from the purple cloud which is your mind, you notice to be surrounded by bamboo. And a yakitori stand. You have arrived in the Bamboo forest of the Lost. Welcome to Gensokyo.


---Squawkers

A dreamless sleep is what you wish for, but God doesn't give you a dreamless sleep. In the middle of the black, hazy surroundings that you picture yourself in, you notice a purple glow. It's dim, but noticable. You get up, and start walking towards it... Closer and Closer you go, trying to get to it's source. Of course, you do get to it, only to see yourself up on a mountain of swords, before rolling down into the darkness once again. In the darkness now, you don't see the purple glow. You see eyes. All around you. Tentacles extending out to reach you, to tear at your flesh, to devour your very soul and being. To-

You wake up in a cold sweat, panting heavily as you stand, looking at the clock. 2:10 am. You spent 10 minutes sleeping. You lie back on the bed, and close your eyes, only to see that purple glow once again. You walk towards it... closer, closer, and open your eyes. Amazing. You're outside your window. And, falling. MY GO-

You fall into the purple crack in the ground. You actually feel yourself being caught before you open your eyes. You're in an awkward situation. In the arms of a... girl, as you can judge by her chest, as your head's burried in it. You have arrived outside Myouren Temple, in the...ahem... firm grasp of Nanaya Longinus, next to Byakuren and Kyouko. Welcome to Gensokyo.



---Alyssia

You wait and wait, but the conversations almost never end. You fiddle with your spoon alittle, and look around. To you, it's quiet. But it's annoying. You turn to face the front again, only to fall back, now without a chair. Your arms flail in desperation, no sound comes from your hoarse throat. You grab anything near you! Anything! You grab your faithful doll. It seems to be smiling at you. The others don't seem to notice you falling through a huge, toothed jaw into the unknown. Well, it's too late for them to do anything anyway. As you fall and fall, you close your eyes, gripping onto  your little friend the doll ever so tightly, before light engulfs you, fading slowly. You open your eyes.

You're in the back of a store. A really messy one. You can hear noises out front.

"Oh, one just appeared right here?" It's a man.

"Yeah, one just did." Another man. You can see this one clearly. He has molten magma for skin, a head shaped like a demon, horns extending far back, lightning crackling around his body on the left and fire on his right. He slowly shifts back to look like a normal human... thing.

You have arrived in the back of Kourindo, with Rinnosuke and Azeri Zenxsoul, secondborn of God. Welcome to Gensokyo.
-----

(Azeri is an NPC, who only Rinnosuke, and currently, Xin Xin's character only know. Oh, and Rinnosuke is his Touhou.)

[Aya Squawkermaru]

(OOC: I had to do some digging to figure out who Nanaya was. Oh, and you just had to give me the awkward entrance, didn't you. )

Newan blinked, then jumped out of the arms of the girl who had caught him and onto the ground. "Um, thanks. And, er, sorry." With that, he began to assess his situation. So, I must have fallen underground, although I don't know why the underground would have a sky overhead. It's probably a false dome set there by the government to manipulate the people into thinking that they are on the surface. In that case, I probably shouldn't mention that I'm from the actual surface, lest I get arrested by their government for- no, now is not the time for conspiracy theories. I can deal with that later.

He turned back to the three girls at the temple. "Um. Hi. Where would this be, then?" Though his mind screamed at him for ignoring the fact that one girl had gradient hair and the other seemed to have dog ears- not to mention blue hair- he ignored it for now, knowing that questioning what was before him wouldn't get him anywhere. Not yet, at least. "I mean, usually I'd think this was a dream, but, well, you know..." Normally, he wouldn't be this flustered, but it seemed that he hadn't done as good a job of eliminating his primal urges as he had thought.

(OOC: I may as well get this out of the way before any actual fighting goes on. Will danmaku work essentially the same way it does in the games, just represented by text instead of seen?)

[Sampson]

Gale looked at the seemingly endless fire before him.  Judging by the intense heat, it definitely seemed real.

He hesitantly took a deep breath through his nose, then began coughing violently.  The air smelled absolutely terrible, worse than anything he had ever smelled before.

I'm probably dying from carbon monoxide poison.  Sure, it's odorless, and I don't recall ever reading about hallucination as a symptom, but--

Wait.  I should be dead by now.  Large amounts of carbon monoxide--

Maybe I am dead.

Well, everything would make sense, then.  He was in a rather hellish place, after all. 

What am I thinking?  Hell doesn't exist.  I'm not stupid.  I'm obviously just dreaming.  That's the only thing that would make sense.  Although I don't recall ever having a dream as lucid as this one. 

He looked again at the cave behind him.  Regardless of whether he was dead or not, he certainly had no desire to stay where he was, and he did recall hearing a voice from what must have been inside the cave.  He began walking quickly in its direction.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Okay, shit's stopped happening for now. Step one: look around. Where the hell am I?
 
An examination of the area didn't provide much in the way of answers. There was a nearby structure-looks like a shrine-but that was the only nearby sign of habitation. Looks like I'm on a mountain. A big one, too, I think.
 
With no immediate danger detected, Aesera moved on to another issue. Okay, gaps and cracks and tentacle-things, and I fell in and ended up here. Can this actually be real? And the answer was that it could. Yes, it seemed like something that shouldn't be possible, but there was always a chance that this was wrong. So yes, there may be only a very small chance that it was real, but there was a chance. Which made the best course of action obvious. If this isn't real but I act as though it is, I've lost nothing, but if it is real and I act as though it's not, that could potentially cost me my life. So I act on the assumption that it's real. Okay, step one: look through my pack and make sure I have everything. Then step two: change my clothes. Business attire is not appropriate at the moment.
 
Aesera opened up her pack and went through its contents. Okay, everything's here. Good. She took out her compass and examined it. Okay, this seems to be working properly. It's pointing in a constant direction, of course. May not actually be north, but it's good enough for my purposes.
 
Aesera changed clothes quickly, then folded up her business suit and put it in the pack. Much better. She removed a bottle of water from the pack before closing it. Okay, step three: check that shrine. If there are people here, that's my best chance to find out where I am and what's going on, and it's the best way for survival.
 
Aesera approached the shrine. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

[CrowCakes]

Vante snapped out of his reverie to find himself in an entirely different place. For miles and miles, bamboo grew, obscuring anything he would have seen past them. The nighttime sky didn't quite help things, either. Finding that he was still spinning his stick, he shook his head, stopped his hand, and put the stick at his side. He whipped out his iPhone- why not- and checked for a signal, if movies were to go by.

He found nothing. What was I thinking, none of that stuff ever happens!

Beside him was a yakitori stand, which looked out of place in this bamboo forest, more so with the cook behind it. What would those be doing here? No one in their right mind would want to come here, he quickly assumed.

Curiously, he took a step closer to it, noticing that the stand's owner was probably unaware of him. Vante's head nearly met the cart as he stumbled forward. The nausea from the previous experience had befuddled his sense of balance, so as he leaned on his baston, his body rested diagonally instead of a normal straight.

Was this a  dream? Maybe he could find ask around; he would find out where he was, whether it was a dream or not, or if this was even real. Vante gathered his wits and went in front of the stand, facing its presumed owner. "Um, excuse me, but would you mind telling me where I am?" he asked politely. It was a wonder he even remembered politeness in the midst of chaos.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(Yes yes, Nanaya is my own character. No, not the one for Tir Na Nog. I've posted Nana's sign-up in the sign-up thread, anyway. So, I'm both the godlike Gm and a player myself. Oh, and yes, Danmaku is the same as the games, but there will be physical fighting too.)

---Vante

A woman turns from her cleaning up in the stand. As she turns, her long white hair blows in the constant, cold breeze that seems to penetrate through the bamboo. She tilts her head a little, before stuffing her hands in her red overalls. You notice papers being tied to her hair and on her overalls.

"So, it'h seems that you're new'h here, man. What can I get for ya?" The woman grins. "I surpose I can take one last orda' before I close shop, anehway." The cold breeze comes again, and you begin shivering, she however, doesn't.


----Aesera

The shrine's back is somewhat abandoned, you don't hear much, but you can feel as though you're being watched. It's not really that fun to be watched for your every move, is it? You scan the surroundings once more, and notice a few frogs in the distance. Nothing unusual, you can see a lake upfront, anyway. As you walk forward towards the shrine, you think that you can hear sweeping. Horray, salvation. Not. If this was real, randomly walking to the noise could cost you your life . Just like any other horror movie you've watched. As you call out to the sound, and perhaps anyone else in the shrine, you hear a low, knocking sound behind you.

As you turn around, you see nothing, so you turn back to face the front of the shrine. Knock Knock. It comes again. You turn. Nothing. You're starting to get annoyed at the noise, so you throw your arms back behind you, hoping to get, or startle whatever that's making that noise.

Kero! You caught onto something. Feels soft, silky. Like hair. You turn around to see that your hands on a small girl's head. Her hat on the ground. The eyes on the hat stare into your soul.


---Gale

As you walk closer towards the cave, you start hearing random noises. Really random noises, like squeaks here and there, stomping, Ouching, and the occasional"Unyu!" Soon thereafter, you reach the mouth of the cave. You stick your head into it, hoping to just find a glimpse of hope that would successfully pull you out from the burning world of- Well, it's just really, really hot in here.

Just like hell. You constantly sweat, and walk deeper into the cave, only to almost be, hit by a fluffy... wing? You grab hold of it, only to hear another "Unyu!" You;re holding onto someones wing. It's a girl. With... wings... and an eye in her chest. that comes out of her shirt... Wha?

"...Hi! Who're you?" She asks.



----Newan

After unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, stumbling into the, again, yet again... firm grasp of the - positioned in the center, most normal-looking girl, you ask the obvious question that people would ask in that situation.

What's your bust size? No! No! I mean. Uhh... Like where are you and such.

The girl that you landed on had, by now, ran away into the temple, leaving you alone with the more mature woman, and the little girl with weird ears. The smaller one just smiles brightly. So brightly that you uncontrolably smile back. The more mature woman giggles alittle.

"Looks like you scared off Nana."

"I what?" You respond

"First things first, child. You're not in a dream. You arrived here just like how she did, but... There arn't any... problems now, so I don't know why you're here."

"Wait wait, so where am I an-"

"Gensokyo." Byakuren nods as she says this.

"Go find Nana to ask more. I'm going to get an important guest soon."

You nod, before stepping closer into the temple.

"Oh, and take care!" The woman shouts. You arn't sure what that means, though. You're probably more confused on other things to bother about taking care of yourself now.

[XinXin]

Alyssa hugged her doll tightly. Something was wrong here. Looking at the two men in front of her, she felt unsafe, insecure, especially because one of them had momentarily seemed demonic. And how she entered here, what actually happened? It was odd and she had no idea where she had been teleported, or even when she had been teleported to. The fact that they spoke about her as if there were others who were in the same situation made her fret about whether this was one of those government experiments she reads about where random people are kidnapped without a trace. Still, there was no reason to go insane. This had already happened and there was no reason to rationalise her situation far too deeply without even looking what was in front of her. Long-sightedness means nothing if one cannot even get past what is in front of them.

"Who... are you people?" Alyssa warily questioned. It was not wise to ask for too much. A little was enough. Just enough to find out her immediate situation. She kept an aura of calm around her although the fact that she wrapped Mira tightly was evident that she felt unsafe. This place was unusually messy to her, even her toilets were often cleaner than this. Perhaps this might have even been the countryside, and her demonic mother found her unsuitable to be married off and dumped her here. Still, maybe this might lead to another life, a life better than the one she had been subjected to. That was all she held on to.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

Rinnosuke turns, walking closer to face the girl, sighing all the while. He then bends down and pats the girl's head. Azeri stands by his side, smiling.

"Why, hello there little girl. My name's Rinnosuke. You don't have to know his name." Rinnosuke points to the still smiling Azeri and gives a reassuring nod.

"We're not here to hurt you at all." Azeri then interjects, "This isn't some sort of secret government program. Thing." Rinnosuke turns to stare at Azeri, before the two of them break into laughter. It soon stops. Rinnosuke then ushers Azeri outside, as he reassures Alyssa that he isn't going to hurt her. He then sits on his chair and drinks the tea on his table.

"So, what's your name, little girl?"

[XinXin]

"A-Alyssa. Alyssa Crendelheim." Alyssa muttered, watching each and every of Rinnosuke's actions. She scans him carefully, analysing him as if a machine. People are difficult to understand, and Alyssa knew that fair and well especially when she watched her mother act so docile in front of all the other nobles. It was beautiful in its complexity, but disgusting in its nature. It also gave Alyssa quite a fair bit of worry as she watched how Rinnosuke was so relaxed. She looked around the area, somewhat in boredom and somewhat in worry. She could not do anything so as long as she did not understand Rinnosuke. She proceeds to walk over to the table, standing opposite Rinnosuke.

"Where am I? I don't really recall how I got here and it's hard to feel normal if I don't know where I am, don't you agree?" Alyssa knew better than to question who that man was. Firstly, it would not have contributed to her situation at the moment. Secondly, he was just plain creepy and she definitely did not want to step on anyone's toes.

[Orphea.Russ]

Rhiseza hurriedly stood up, very confused now. And maybe a little bit scared. Wherever she was, she didn't recognize those flowers... Never seen them in any of her books before. Maybe they've been trying to create new kinds, or something?
... Yes, that had to be it. Now on to the next thing.
What in the name of all gods just happened. She didn't really know. She must have been dreaming. Yes, that had to be it. Purple cracks and the ground tearing itself open? Nothing like that could happen. No way.

And yet, where was she? This place didn't look remotely familiar, even from mythology... Was she even alone here?

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

---The Hakurei Border

Darkness has now settled in the tiny gaps in the constant danmaku, gigantic white crystals, and the magical boundary itself. It lies in wait, as it has done what it can... For now. The Dragon has stopped it's roaring. The red and pink strips that fly around the area have stopped moving. Disappeared entirely. Chaos has been put to a stop? No. It's buying it's time. And once it's time comes, the universe will tremble, crumble, break, and burn forevermore. Despair will flood the lands of spacetime. Nothing will live. God will die. But for now, Chaos has done what it can to begin the infestation. The Corruption shall slowly spread throughout the border, and no one shall ever know. Or will they know, in time? God's slumber is calm...




---Alyssa

"Alyssa. Such a pleasant sounding name, would'nt you agree?" Rinnosuke looks at her doll, and has already noticed how she acts. "You're a refined young lady, arn't you, madam?" Rinnosuke seems to know something. Something that includes you. Majorly. Rinnosuke drinks another sip of tea from his cup, sighing a little.

"Well, make yourself at home here. You're going to have to stay unti-" Loud bangs and rocks falling stop him in mid sentence. "Well, looks like I spoke too so-" Stopped again in mid sentence, as a blonde girl, wearing a weird, half western half... english witch outfit busts through the door, apparently by kicking it, holding a broom in one hand and a book in the other, she loudly proclaims...

"KOURIN! I'M HERE DA-ZE~!" The blonde witch? looks at you.

"Whos her, ze?"


----Rhiseza

There's the constant sound of water flowing, and a slightly warm breeze that comes from the direction of the river. Funny, it was cold a moment ago. The blood red flowers have a unique pedal shape, stem and leaves, after your closer inspection. You start to doubt that people could actually make new species of plants like these, so unnatural, so mysterious and gloomy, yet so, majestic in it's own way. Truely a puzzle of the soul. Now, on to the purple cracks. It seems to be like some fantasy movie, like when a magician summons a portal to get a demon from hell or something, just that it's mostly fire in those stories.

You look to your right, and in the distance, the river. You stride through the bloody flower field to reach it. You think you can make out a boat in the distance too.

---

(After You all have achieved your spiritual link, your Touhou is yours! And, I'll stop majorly bunnying your characters, so I can type more walls of text just for me~

[Orphea.Russ]

... A boat? Maybe someone's here then.
Rhiseza hurried towards it, hoping to get some answers. Answers that make sense.
... Wait. It was cold but a few minutes ago.
What is going on here?

[XinXin]

Alyssa stared at the funny witch-looking girl. She seemed pretty hyper and flighty, not down-to-earth in the slightest. Alyssa was quite surprised by her entrance, and did not really know what to do. She only did what she could do, react with her gut.

"I'm Alyssa." Alyssa quickly answered. The shock only lasted for so long. "And who are you?" It was entertaining watching this funny girl jumping around like a child as if she were in a television show, and was greatly emphasising every single movement of hers. Alyssa kept her cool, however, and just continued looking at her without laughter.

[CrowCakes]

"No, thank you. I just need to get somewhere that looks safe."  Now that he thought about it, was he feeling hungry? He did feel kinda full, because he had downed three cups of water a few moments before getting whisked away to who-knows-where, but had his dinner been enough?

"Wait, you did say you were closing up, right? Could I come with you to wherever you're going? Or, at least, drop me off at a town or something?" For roughly five years, Vante had asked the same thing to friends and colleagues: a ride home "or something," as he would often add. However, anxiety began to build up inside him. He had never done that anymore after arriving in Japan, for fear he would be regarded as inconsiderate or lazy.

And now that he was- let's face it- lost, he even had the gall to make that same request to a total stranger. He could only brace himself for the reply.

(OOC: I have just appeared beside Mokou. Oh, so many ways to meet Mystia)

[Aya Squawkermaru]

"Er, you too, I guess." With that awkward farewell, Newan headed into the temple itself. While he thought it was odd that you would make a temple out of an overturned boat, apparently this "Gensokyo" was full of oddities.

Newan had no idea where to go, so he chose instead to simply wander around the temple, occasionally knocking on doors and calling out "Nana?"

[Sampson]

"I--I--" stammered Gale, his eyes fixated on the eye in the middle of her chest.  There were many things that were strange about the girl, but the eye definitely took the cake.

It's just a dream.  She's all in my head.

But he had never dreamed of people--if that was the appropriate term--as strange and detailed as her.  He wasn't the most creative person in the world.

Well, it's still incredibly hot in here, and she's in my way, so...

"I'm Gale Halebeck," he said.  After a moment of hesitation, he added, "Just what in the world are you?  And where are we?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

It was all a matter of expectations. Someone who's likely going about life as usual isn't a likely danger, although coming out of nowhere isn't a good idea; better to call out so it doesn't look like you're sneaking up on them. But the noises from behind? A bit more concerning. Looks like it's just a young girl, though. Let's see, that looks like a Japanese shrine, so I'll try Japanese.

"Sorry," Aesera said. "You startled me." Not much else around here; does she live at this shrine? "Do you live here, little girl? Oh, I should introduce myself I'm Aesera. What's your name?"

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

---Aesera

Kero... The girl mumbles, pushing your hand off her head anc picking up her hat. She then promptly puts it on before looking back to you, pouting alittle.

"Yes, I live here. Kero. My name's Suwako. And you have a weird name." The girl fiddles with her hair and examines your clothing. Those eyes on her hat stare into the depths of your soul. "You don't look from around here. Where are you from?" She then promptly starts to speak a little english. "Do joo undarstand me?"


---Gale

"Unyu?" The girl pokes your cheek and looks at what you're wearing, looking quite confused.

"You're a human. Why are you not dead? Why are you not in there?" The girl unconsciously flexes her large, bird-like wings, while the orange eye that somewhat resembles the Eye of Sauron from Lord Of The Rings, fluxtuates. The girl rubs her head with her right hand as she narrows her eyes. Funny, you thought you saw one of her arms have some kind of cannon or tube or something.

"And Gale is a weird name... Maybe..." The girl is confused again. "Oh! You asked for my name! It's Utsuho! And I'm a Yatagarasu!" Your mouth drops in surprise. What in this world...?


---Newan

As you continuously call out in the long hallways, passing the occasional statue of a buddha and such, you begin to feel bored, anxious, and a little irritated. You notice something like a black skirt that had just waved past the hall in front of you. You step forward, calling out Nanaya's name, but soon enough, what you meet is not that girl which you awkwardly landed on. You find another girl, walking towards, what you can see, a garden, from the last door of the hallway. She's waring some black clothing that leaves her back exposed, for... Tentacles?

You notice three pairs of tentacles, three blue, three red. The blue ones look like long, thin paper-like ribbons with arrowhead points. The red ones look more like mechanical scythes.


---Vante

"Erh? So you don't want to eat. And you're lost or somethin'?" The girl chuckles, pushing the washed dishes aside from the sink. "Dis' ere is called da Bamboo Forest of the Lost, anyway, so I'm not surprised you somehow lost your way here, human." The cold breeze is back again. "So, I'ma guess dat you're from the human village, so tell me, hows Keine?" The girl has, by now, finished cleaning up the yakitori stand and closed up. You stand alone in the cold breeze for a few moments before she comes out and stands next to you.

"Yeah, I'll send you back to the village if ya want, but it's late, and I would'nt take the chance ta' go back now... Eterni'ty hurts, ya know, human?" You have totally no clue what she's talking about.


---Alyssa

"Erh? Name's Marisa-ze. Nice to meet you, Aly...ssa." The blonde girl has some trouble pronouncing your name, but no problem, it's all good, I mean, it still sounds the same. Marisa soon took a seat beside Rinnosuke, who was still calmly sipping his tea.

"So, Kourin, where'd you find her-ze?" Marisa tossed her broom to the side, and had taken one of Rinnosuke's random books on the table to flip through.

"She was lost, so yeah." Rinnosuke lied, and it was quite blunt indeed, it would be noticable to people who didn't know him well, but...

"Lost?" Marisa looked at Alyssa, before noticing her doll. "Fan of Alice, girl?" Instintively, you nod.

"Could you bring her to Alice for me, Marisa?" Rinnosuke holds back a laugh.

"What for-ze?" Marisa places the book back on the table, not "feeling" it to borrow it until she dies.

"Just do it." Rinnosuke sips his tea once again.

"Alright. Lets go, Girly." Marisa grabs her broom, adjusts her hat and barges out of the shop, waiting outside for you.


----Rhiseza

The breeze constantly shifts between warmth and icy coldness, and you get closer and closer to the river, and the suspicious boat, you hear snoring. Not the manly kind of snoring, but... You trip, landing face-first on some of those weird blood-red flowers. You arn't hurt thanks to the thick grass, but you do sneeze. Standing, you noticed that you tripped on a wooden stick of some sort. Traveling up it's length with your eyes, you see a wickedly sharp metal edge. It's a scythe, and next to it, is a more mature woman. Sleeping. Drooling.

Well, such a fun day.

[Sampson]

Gale knew a bit of Japanese mythology, enough to know what a Yatagarasu was.  From what he read, they symbolized something along the lines of divine intervention. 

This dream is making less and less sense.  Why would my subconscious care enough about Yatagarasu to make me dream about them?  And I don't recall ever reading about giant eyes.  Ugh...

"Uh..h-hello, Utsuho," said Gale slowly.  Judging by the cannon on her arm and the eye on her chest, this girl was dangerous. 

Well, if I anger her, she might just kill me.  Which would wake me up.  I'm not quite sure I want to go that far, yet.

Then he remembered something odd Utsuho had said.

"W-Wait...what do you mean...why would I be dead...and where's 'there?'"  He turned behind him, the valley of fire still visible through the entrance of the cave.  "You don't mean in the fire, do you?  Just what is this place?"

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

---Gale

"Unyu... Humans can now live hereee?" The girl starts scratching her head, getting really confused. "So even if I did burn Gensokyo, nothing would happen?" The girl shakes her head. "I failed anyway... an- Unyu!" She just hit her own head with that arm-cannon of hers. Well, fantastic. Your question interrupts her train of self-thought and stuff like that. You can only imagine 6-balls in her head now, for some weird reason.

"Huh? Oh. Thats the Hell of Blazing Fires. Where Orin burns dead bodies to power up the place." Utsuho smiles. "For the Kappa in the mountain or something. I dunno. They didn't tell me much. I'm the source of their power, anyway." Utsuho points to the eye, as it sparks and crackles with energy, it closes, before opening to reveal a Nuclear-radiation symbol. It closes again and out comes the Eye.

"Unyuu..."

[Sampson]

Oh, she's just a manifestation of my curiosity toward nuclear physics.  Of course.

Wait.  Did she say--

"Dead bodies?"  Gale suddenly felt even hotter.  "Gensokyo?  Wha..."

He looked at the confused expression on Utsuho's face and sighed.  She didn't seem to be able to answer more than one question at a time.  Why would my mind make such a stupid person-ish-thing appear in my dream?

It seemed like the only thing to do is to find someone else to answer all of his questions.  If I don't wake up beforehand, naturally.

"Uh...who's this 'Orin' you mentioned?  Can I meet them?"  As appealing as meeting this corpse-carrying Orin sounded to Gale at the moment, he really didn't think he could bear speaking with Utsuho in such blazing heat for much longer.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"I understand you," Aesera said, still speaking Japanese, as this girl didn't seem very good with English. "And no, I don't think I'm from around here. To be honest, though, I don't actually know where 'here' is. I'm from a place called 'the United States of America', but I was actually in Japan most recently. I'm not really sure how I got here." Or if this is even real. "I just found myself over there, saw the shrine, and decided to see if there was anyone here. Which you are." Probably not alone, though. "Does anyone else live here? Any family or anything?"