Author Topic: Weekly Writing Challenge Thread the First  (Read 474277 times)

TAKE IT CACODEMON!!

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #840 on: June 15, 2011, 01:22:10 AM »
You mean like the actual Diablo canon has established? All of the heroes from Diablo 1 come back in Diablo 2 as bosses to be killed and put down, and in Diablo 3, all the heroes in Diablo 2 - save the Barbarian, who is used to all the violence and carnage - have snapped and gone utterly batshit.

Being an avid fan of Diablo, I think I like this idea :3

{Edit} Just looked at the quest parallels. :getdown: omfg ilu

Because what I was thinking was that everyone in Gensokyo goes mad and evil due to the arrival of a rather grim, dark hammer landing near the Shrine, which starts spreading around some sort of... Miasma.

The only ones left in hiding are the PC-98 characters... and Yumemi, the remaining scientist, uses her SCIENCE to send several portals and distress calls to other dimensions.

Basically, other schmup games. So you're going to get stuff like Evac-DOOM and Einhander and the pilots from Ikaruga and whatnot wrecking shit up and trying to get to the hammer to destroy it once and for all.

The main hero's the guy from Tyrian. Yumemi gets to serve as the Eirin-counterpart and Ellen is totally not Marisa.
« Last Edit: June 15, 2011, 01:26:40 AM by JackMackerel »
Sonata of Scarlet Sunflowers, a Flandre x Yuuka story. | Laziness of Daemonic Wastrels, wherein The Dude, Frylock, HW Guy, and David Wong get their asses kicked in Gensokyo.  | T.O.U.H.O.U.: Land of Shadows, a S.T.A.L.K.E.R./Touhou crossover. | Abomination, a monster story.

Esifex

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #841 on: June 15, 2011, 01:28:11 AM »
If you can somehow stick kind of to the prompt, it'll go. Write it if you want to, man.

Pesco

  • Trickster Rabbit Tewi
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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #842 on: June 15, 2011, 08:57:50 AM »
Because what I was thinking was that everyone in Gensokyo goes mad and evil due to the arrival of a rather grim, dark hammer landing near the Shrine, which starts spreading around some sort of... Miasma.

The only ones left in hiding are the PC-98 characters... and Yumemi, the remaining scientist, uses her SCIENCE to send several portals and distress calls to other dimensions.

Basically, other schmup games. So you're going to get stuff like Evac-DOOM and Einhander and the pilots from Ikaruga and whatnot wrecking shit up and trying to get to the hammer to destroy it once and for all.

The main hero's the guy from Tyrian. Yumemi gets to serve as the Eirin-counterpart and Ellen is totally not Marisa.

Sorry but lolwut...

I think in your case you'd need to familiarize yourself with what I said in the extra notes section of the pastebin.

Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #843 on: June 17, 2011, 02:57:59 PM »
Again, I will be continuing my bad habit of edit-completion. First off, player characters (will deal with the actual story later). There will be two descriptions: one for a "generic Protagonist" (just background) and one for a named Touhou character. Next post will contain actual story

Amazon:
Generic: Priestess (Miko)
Though overshadowed by Hakurei and Moriya in fame and influence, many small shrines continue to survive in Gensokyo. Often just offertories to the entire pantheon of kami (or even simply nature), these shrines have survived mainly through producing hard-nosed, practical miko who would become somewhat influential as historians, accountants, messengers and "odd-job women" through the mix of literacy, mathematical ability, and survival in Youkai-infested wild conferred by their training.

However, the old arts have not yet been forgotten. Lacking the sheer magical power required for extermination, these miko rely as much on wood and iron as on prayer and charms. From a young age, miko are trained in the art of either archery or throwing in the form of hunting and fishing; these skills are then developed for use in exorcism and battle. Though far from wealthy, many families continue to teach their daughters how to fight with naginata and yari; some that never amassed bow techniques have used javelins as ranged weapons. Combined with the miracles both great and small passed from mother to daughter, these techniques have made the miko formidable warriors.  In earlier times it was not unheard of for second and third daughters to set out from Gensokyo as traveling exorcists or mercenaries.

The relative peace of the last 10 years was not enough to dull these fangs sharpened over generations. Now, with the two largest shrines gone by the hands of their own miko and the land ravaged, it is the time for these countless unnamed priestesses to either shine as new beacons of faith or die forgotten.
------

======
Barbarian:
Generic: Oni soldier
To most of the human population of Gensokyo, the Oni are a forgotten nightmare of the past, forces of nature that even in jest have leveled cities far greater than the village. To most Youkai, the Oni were only slightly less of a danger; they were unpredictable friends whose definition of a good time was a drunken brawl.

Such simplistic characterization of Oni society misses many nuances. While it is true that the Oni have little in the way of law and order, it would be unfair to say that they lack a well-developed civilization. Oni metallurgy and architecture have reached degrees of virtuosity paralleled by only Lunarians in magic and the bleeding edge of modern humanity in science. Eschewing the systematic approaches of these two paradigms, the Oni instead cultivate their intuitive strength, both physically and mentally.

Likewise, simplistic stereotypes also hide another important aspect of the Oni: their devotion to history. Those quick to judge often assume that the Oni live primarily in the present. However, if anything, the constant partying of the Oni is in celebration of instead of out of ignorance of the past. Over drinks, Oni discuss and evaluate their perceptions of the past: history, instead of being concentrated in the hands of scholars, is instead  the literal life of the party for every party held. Interpretations are exchanged, assumptions are remade, and in the amniotic warmth of intoxication serves as a womb for new views.

This constant immersion in history, combined with an obsession with honesty, made the Oni ideal guardians of important locations. In the founding of Gensokyo, the Oni were oathbound to protect some places of power. In order to fulfill that promise, a number ventured above ground....
------
Touhou: Astral Knight Konngara
=======
Necromancer:
Generic: Hellcaster
The magic traditions of the Kasha were well-developed long before their formalization. The nigh-universal fear of corpses by nearly all species (Even some young Kasha begin using their powers with trepidation) added an element of terror to their already respectable magic, which, besides the standard exploding corpses and bone manipulation, included a number of curses (mainly dealing with bad luck and pain).

However, the true power of the Kasha lies in an ancient covenant; at the founding  of Gensokyo's hells, the Yama forged a pact with the Kasha: Provided that a Kasha carried the bodies of sinners to the hells, the Yama would allow the use of the spirits of the sinners for two decades by the carrier; this would serve as part of the spirit's punishment. A number of Kasha clergy soon developed ways to harness the spirits: first through direct use in attacks and then through binding them to shells, producing the first Golems.

A few enterprising magi took this further. Noting that there was no provision for when or in what condition the bodies had to be delivered, some Kasha developed methods that instead raised the spirits within their original bodies, teleporting the corpses into the hell of the blazing fires just before destruction by other means. The drive for efficiency resulted in simply raising skeletons for inexpensive casting. Further refinement allowed for the imbuing of magical ability into these skeletons, producing skeleton mages.

The next Yama frowned upon these measures, but allowed them under the condition that one corpse out of every hundred be carried personally by casters. This largely symbolic measure familiarized most of the Kasha community with the hells; when the pent-up animosity of the surface population was finally vented through mass deportation to the underground, the Kasha were ready.

The Tsuchigumo were similarly feared and sometimes hated, not without reason. Being relatively reclusive as a society, the Tsuchigumo put little effort into building relations with others. The few individuals who did venture out were not ambassadors but either bandits or mercenaries, two professions greatly aided by the control over diseases (both enfeebling and deadly) practiced through the clans, naturally earning enmity that would later come to be vaguely directed against the Tsuchigumo people as a whole.

If it had not been for the sealing of the two groups in the Hell of the Blazing fires, perhaps they would have never met. Perhaps these two traditions of death by degrees and afterlife by degrees would have never been synthesized. Even the wisest of historians can only speculate. However, the fact remains that they met. First, the magi of the two clans fought, then sparred, and finally settled into arguing, uniting their research and making their magic accessible to each other. The Kurodani clan was among the first adopters, sending many of its young on a pilgrimage to the fires of the hells, bearing corpses dug up during clandestine visits to the surface. There, they were ordained honorary Kasha by arcane and convoluted subsections within the original contract. At the same time, Kasha apprentices would spend years or decades among the poison-masters, learning even more curses as well as how to conjure plagues and other ailments. In 50 years (a blink of the eye to many Youkai), the schools had merged.

Meanwhile, the Kasha clergy collaborated with the priests and priestesses of the Tsuchigumo in creating a new theology. Far from the hardline Shinto expected of servants of the Yama, the orthodox Kasha worldview boiled down to a duality of life and death: all other concepts, including good and evil, sprang from some aspects of a balance or imbalance of the two. Tsuchigumo metaphysics, on the other hand, revolved around a oneness: all things  (life, politics, morality) were diseases in a sense: they spread from host to host, changing them overtly or subtly. Like diseases, some things are benign, some are dangerous, and some are genuinely beneficial. Over time, the two lines of thought were fitfully joined; the Kasha accepted life as disease while the Tsuchigumo accepted that what was absolute and unchanging could be better envisioned as death. Some Chinese nekomata sealed along with the Kasha for heresy popularized Taoism. The religion's emphasis on balance was well received and quickly incorporated into political rhetoric (as an aid in reducing conflict) and eventually came to rest as an important part of the new religion.

And so the hellcasters were born: mages from many races (some other youkai tribes decided to adopt the spells out of convenience) dedicated to a balance between life and death and its attendants, order and chaos. Seeing the balance disturbed by recent events, a number ventured to the surface...
------
Touhou: Rin and Yamame (If changes are to be purely cosmetic, have one be in animal form on the clothes of the other.)

=======
Paladin:
Generic: Half-ghost
In Gensokyo, the Yama has near-limitless power over the dead, as the superiors to the post (the Dragon and some high-ranking Celestials) tend to invest little time themselves in the actual management of the netherworlds. Moreover, in times of emergency, any act within a surprisingly lenient set of rules may be done without any oversight. Some other Yama have abused this to an extent, as an event as small as the entry of a single living being into the Pure Lands can be spun into an imbalance in the order of life and death. Shikieiki had often been tormented over such precedents; she had let quite serious events pass by without intervening, trusting the rational self-interest of the more powerful residents of the mortal world.

However, the most powerful of these residents simply disappeared on the eve of the great disaster. The three reawakened gods rampaging through Gensokyo were not only a real long-term threat to the inhabitants but were a direct threat to the Great [gap] Barrier. The Dragon Emperor and the celestials holed up in their city despite the clear signs of danger;  Shikieiki felt that it was not beyond her authority to aid the living against otherworldly threats if no other force was willing to stand up against such blatant violation of the Great Covenants painfully and miraculously birthed from the [writing] of the Great [gap] Barrier.

A number of the most righteous of the dead were chosen to stand as champions of Higan. Through an esoteric process hastily adapted to the current condition, these brave and stalwart souls were injected into the bodies of the recently deceased. Though successful in placing these volunteers (plenty more awaited a chance to protect their homeland, and even the various preta were willing to fight if it meant living again) upon the mortal plane, the method used left a significant portion of their spirit attached to but outside the body.

These "half-spirits", far from being liabilities, are instead the main tool of these warriors; magical energies can be channeled with great ease through these ethereal wisps. The "spreading" these "halves", allowed for Aura techniques that suffuse an area around the Half-ghosts with magical energies that either aid allies or hinder foes.  More traditional magic was also made available by granting these warriors the post of acting Shinigami, which bequeathed a set of powers optimized for eliminating the hordes of undead raised and imported into the battlefield of Gensokyo.

Judgement rod in one hand and Sword of Hisou (Mk. II) in the other, Shikieiki marshaled the forces of Higan into the world of the living.
------
Touhou: Youmu Konpaku
At the behest of Yuyuko, Youmu went to the world of the living in order to investigate Yukari's disappearance. What she discovered was a landscape blasted by magic of a scale that had not been used since the imposition of the spellcard rules. Cut off from return by the forces of Heaven on the grounds of sealing in "a great menace", Youmu wandered the lands, searching for any trace of Yukari. After a few days, Youmu conceded failure. However, her suspicions were roused, and she decided to investigate this "great menace" that the Celestials considered great enough a threat to seal up the pure lands. So began her quest....
=======
Sorceress:
Generic: Voile fairy
To the short and hectic lives of humans, nature seems to be an unchanging ambiance, the standard of stability against which all other things are to be compared. Even some of the Youkai make the mistake of assuming nature as it is now is a stalwart, immutable aspect of reality. Recent developments have shown otherwise. Just as the outside world must face the fragility of the current condition of nature in the face of accumulated decades of activity, so Gensokyo must acknowledge the subtle shifts in the "natural world" wrought by both generations of change and the recent calamity.

The Voile fairies are a living testament to nature's simultaneous ability to adapt and endure, to continue to exist heedless of those who insist that nature is something that should be, not something that is. Over the years in the service of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the librarian fairies have gradually adapted to their environment. The fairies in the western magic sections were among the fastest-developing; exposed to foreign spells with based on completely different conceptions of nature (Three elements: Fire, Ice, and Thunder, as opposed to Gensokyo's five: Fire, Earth, Water, Wood, Metal), they died from a number of causes: attempting spells, accidentally knocking over books, opening books out of curiosity, rattling certain shelves too hard, accidentally placing books of different elements into elemental circles, accidentally making magic triangles with three books of the same element, or standing within one hundred meters of any other fairies unfortunate enough to do any of the above. In the first few months of the adoption of fairy bookkeepers, it was not unheard of for one librarian to go through 300-400 "deaths" a day.
At first, the fairies continued dying as normal. As spirits of nature (closely aligned with water and  wood), the fairies were as vulnerable to fire as they were to ice (which was usually only within the domain of the Yuki-Onna) and lightning (A divine school of magic in theory allowed only to the Celestials). However, at around the third month, the unexpected happened.
A few fairies would survive explosions, charred but alive (regeneration was always faster from death). Some fairies would open less dangerous books without tripping the various security measures, a skill that most novice magicians needed years to develop. A number began developing affinities for these elements. Within another two month, the manse was populated by fire, ice, and lightning fairies.
Just as nature can be changed, so it changes itself. The subtle variation of each regeneration was directed into development by environmental extremes; ever so slowly, the fairies evolved.
Within a year, an even more miraculous event occured.
Patchouli had asked Koakuma to find a number of books. A few moments later, a number of fairies returned with every last one and a smattering of related tomes. Later questioning revealed that Koakuma had no hand in this; the only possibility was that the fairies had somehow learned how to read. Day by day, the number of explosions decreased. Within a century, the Voile fairies were a bookkeeping force that stood head and shoulders above the rest of the fairy staff in both combat ability and intelligence.
When Reimu wrecked the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the attendant magical energies changed the inhabitant fairies further. The fairies, out of survival instinct, channeled this strange prana, this breath of energy forgotten by Gensokyo. The act changed their very essence; the earth itself rejected its children. No longer bound to the rest of "nature", the Voile fairies lost their immortality. However, just as terror takes, so it gives. A new spark burned in these not-fairies, a spark of vengeance for what is now their only home. With fear as their shields and knowledge as their weapons, the Voile Librarians set out to reclaim the peace.
------
Touhou: Alice Matrigold
« Last Edit: June 27, 2011, 02:53:45 PM by LogosOfJ »

Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #844 on: June 26, 2011, 03:52:29 AM »
Here's an actual plot (naturally to be edit-completed before the deadline). Unfortunately, I was unable to do much without taking more than a few liberties with Diablo 2's original plot. Here goes:

Two months ago, a number of sinkholes appeared at the outskirts of the human village. From these sinkholes, a number of strange fairies emerged. These fairies wore terrified expressions and attacked anyone in sight with weak danmaku, lighting up the night sky at every odd chirp and snapped twig. Though more of a nuisance than a direct risk to life and limb, a few farsighted villagers noted the commotion and property damage and decided to hire some of the local youkai hunters to take care of the business.

The first round of hunters began by attempting to drive away the fairies. Nothing of note happened until a group of three ventured into the underground.

The air was rent with disturbingly childish screams; the three scrambled out of the hole with great haste. Gouts of blood stained their clothes and a trio of arrows protruded from the shield of their leader. Those witnessing the scene opened their mouths, as if to ask a question, but none could recall the whisper of curiosity that was silenced by a cry of surprise mingled with fear and disgust.
Impaled upon the spears of the other two hunters were the corpses of fairies. This in itself was already unusual: most fairies "popped" when "killed" to regenerate later. Blood and offal spilled from a number of wounds. However, the small bodies continued to move, twitching. The more-intact one screamed silently, its mouth working desperately to give form to a column of air that its broken lungs would never supply.
"We tried," spoke the one with the grim smile, the hunter preparing a simple exorcism, "to put them out of their misery".

Such an event had no precedent. The villagers pooled their funds and contacted Gensokyo's "Incident resolvers": the Shrine Maidens of Hakurei and Moriya, as well as the protean "Ordinary magician".   The three ventured into the claustrophobic passageways and catacombs, seeking the cause of this troubling "incident" like no other.

All three returned shaken. The maiden of Moriya seemed wrapped in her own world, mumbling strange words of power as she limped (not flew) home to her shrine on the Youkai Mountain. The Hakurei miko returned in the arms of Marisa in a fitful slumber. The witch in question smiled and joked, but only in a farce that she acknowledged with every troubled glance at her friend, the sky, and the ground, as if they would break at any moment. When asked about the nature of the incident, she would simply nod and say,
"later"

A feast was later ordained at the Hakurei shrine. The miko of Hakurei and Moriya brooded quietly while the witch celebrated wildly with an air of futility. The sage of Yakumo appeared only to limp away minutes later, a pained expression on her face.

Meanwhile, Eientei was evacuated, the caravan snaking out of the bamboo forest and through the village, heading towards the netherworld. When asked why by the various humans and youkai the group passed, Eirin Yagokoro offered but one reply:
"Because some fools wish to preserve a lie."

Marisa handed most of the recovered scrolls to Patchouli, while giving Rinnosuke a number of locked chests with highly convoluted lock mechanisms. The fact that the chests were undamaged by Marisa's usual lock-picking approach suggested that they were highly reinforced against magic, a hypothesis supported by their later survival of the village's destruction.

In the month after the incident, the three became more and more reclusive. Sanae hardly left her shrine; Reimu paced through the village at odd hours of the night; Marisa scrambled around in a semblance of concern that hinted at the seeds of madness. Time seemed charged, slow and heavy, as if some great turn of fate was looming over the horizon.

The time of the event was no surprise; the actual actions were. Reimu rampaged through the human village at the head of a phantasmal horde of youkai, their humanoid forms not cast off but instead warped into bizarre parodies by agony and magic. As suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared like some strange dream, her only trace being the swathes of destruction left behind. Sanae, bearing the heads of her two deities on a pike, descended into the now-abandoned Eientei and claimed the place as her dominion. At the moment of that declaration, the spirits of those who died in the forest began to return to their bodies, re-anchored by a novel yet nostalgic wave of hatred; portals opened to forgotten netherworlds and issued demons quite different from those of Shinki's Makai, demons more force than mind, a tide of malice instead of an actual army.

Marisa attempted to stop Reimu's rampage, cutting a bloody swath through the youkai. However, when she neared Reimu, she exploded....
into some sinewy [aberration] that glowed with [power], a monstrosity of monstrosities that left a burning trail as it slithered out of the village. From [its] (footprints?) rose similar horrors; gibbering creatures that sprayed acid with each breath, whirlwinds of magic given form and malice, and lumbering composites, assembled from corpses both fresh and ancient, stitched together haphazardly like macabre patchwork quilts.

In the darkest of times, small blessings shine brightly. The village was evacuated quickly; the majority of the adults (and all of the children) had managed to escape. The Scarlet Devil mansion and the Tengu aided in the evacuation before being forced to defend their own homelands. Moreover, most of the stronger monsters left with either Reimu or Marisa, leaving only a relatively weak picket. It had been decided by the remaining village elder (Keine) that the transplanted town requires protection. Funds were pooled to hire some hunters. So the story begins....

Act 1:
Your first quest is a trial-by-combat; Keine orders you to clear out a smattering of monsters nearby as your first assignment. The reward is some money and the trust of the other villagers.

Having proved your worth, you are approached by Patchouli, who requests that you kill Koakuma, who is currently in the process of raising more monsters from the dead.

Patchouli believes that the nature of the monsters is recorded in the various records hidden in the catacombs. She requests that you find both the remainder of the records (she explains that she currently holds a large stockpile of translation and encryption notes, while the actual data is, according to the notes, locked safely in the chests that Marisa "recovered") and Rinnosuke, whose ability to identify items will aid both her investigations and the player (as the player accumulates artifacts from fallen foes). After a daring run to Mystia's lamprey stand (in order to recover additional maps and a compass, as most landmarks were destroyed by the passing of Reimu and Marisa), the player character (PC) manages to find the village. Using a charm provided by Patchouli, Rinnosuke is safely teleported away, leaving you to lug back the chests from the middle of enemy territory.

While she and Rinnosuke work through the lock mechanisms and translating the scrolls, Patchouli requests that you kill the two Scarlet siblings for her, as they have both gone insane from the corrupting effect of Reimu. (She admits that, though she would rather do so by her own hands, her duty lies with protecting the village, Remilia's final request before her descent into madness.) Rinnosuke informs you that  the SDM is a bottleneck; following Reimu without the power of flight will require fighting through the current inhabitants of the manse, including Flandre.

The PC is first tasked with killing Remilia. Having holed up in a hidden reserve of magical artifacts (an extension of Voile), she sits upon some items of value.The PC kills the boss and loots the place.

Ichirin offers her services as a blacksmith should you find Unzan, who partially avoided capture through disguising himself as an item during the chaos of the first wave of hellspawn. The PC ventures into the Scarlet Devil Mansion. After rooting through the barracks, Unzan's fist (actually a hammer) is recovered. Ichirin enchants some of your equipment when you return.

When you return, Patchouli and Rinnosuke explain that the cause of these events is likely the Soulstones, artifacts of great power used long ago to seal away a trio of powerful beings that once terrorized Gensokyo: the Great Esteemed Companion, the Great King in Yellow, and the Great Everlasting Passion. Through their powers over the minds of others, they managed to control most of Gensokyo before their imprisonment. The potential fallout of their continued activity in the bodies of Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae is incalculable.  Though the deciphering of the scrolls is still incomplete, Rinnosuke decides to accompany you with copies of the more important segments of lore in pursuit of these three monsters. This raises a problem; Rinnosuke cannot fly and is relatively frail. Thankfully, Koishi offers a place in her caravan headed home to the Palace of Earth Spirits. Unfortunately, in order to ensure safe passage, the SDM must be cleared out first.

You kill Flandre and return to the Nameless Hill. The caravan carries you and Rinnosuke to the next act.

Act 2:
When you get to the Palace of Earth Spirits, you are greeted first by Satori, who explains the current state of affairs within the Palace outer walls. She also bars you from traveling to Myouren temple in the off-chance that they have escaped infestation. Of course, this annoys Minamitsu to no end, but she complies.

You stop by the tavern, despite Rinnosuke's protests. After all,  you aren't on an exclusive contract, and there's bound to be work. You find a possible lead from the tavern's owner, who speaks of a horrifying creature wrapped in cloth which bore a nameplate on its neck reading P__nc__s T_n_o. Victims were skinned and had limbs removed; beasts always returned tailless.

Upon hearing this, Rinnosuke brightens up and delivers more lore,
"
The sealing of the Three Greats was done by a team of seven individuals of great spiritual power. Of these seven were two humans, a kitsune, a Kappa, a Magician, and two mystical beasts rumored to be a Qilin and a western dragon made into a Shikigami. They were aided by one celestial, a recently-deceased young girl who provided the Soulstones.

A portion of the Great King in Yellow was sealed using the Soulstone fragment embedded into body of one of the humans, the Miasmatic Magus, since the final Soulstone was split in its capture. Said Magus was buried somewhere within the Hells. As the others died, their corpses were conveyed to the same spot by the Kasha to act as decoys. Heavily enchanted in order to serve as an additional line of defense against grave-robbers, these mummy-golems were relatively simple; they made no distinction between friend and foe.

The monster described is likely the corpse of Princess Tenko, the kitsune. Strange things must be afoot for her to be so far from her post.
"
You re-kill Princess Tenko to the great joy of the residents of the Palace. Rinnosuke, having progressed further in the translation, tells you that you need to find a Gravekeeper staff in order to open the tomb. When asked why you need to enter the tomb in the first place, Rinnosuke explains that, due to the damaged nature of the soulstone of the Great King in Yellow, a portion is permanently sealed within the Miasmatic Magus. It is likely that Marisa will attempt to break into the tomb to recover the corpse.

While exploring the hells, killing monsters for experience and loot, you stumble across the Kappa cube, which Rinnosuke identifies as an advanced piece of technology that, as well as restoring the Gravekeeper staff, will allow for you to craft certain items from others. Further into the hells, you find a strange staff next to a giant insect. After taking it back to Rinnosuke, it is identified as the staff part of a Gravekeeper.

During your stay at the Palace of Earth Spirits, the fires of the hells are suddenly dimmed. Utsuho, who controls the underground fusion reactor and heads the geological observatory, notes that the event is neither scheduled maintenance on the reactor or part of the underground's geological cycles; she sends you to investigate. You eventually stumble across the old Yatagarasu Temple. Within are a number of strange, serpentine beings. Upon slaying a few, you identify them as magical salamanders. You decide to keep a corpse for further study. After clearing out two floors of the temple, you manage to find a strange orb. Upon its surface is the inscription "Gaia Heart". You also take it with you.

When you return, Rinnosuke identifies the Gaia Heart as the headpiece of the Gravekeeper staff. He instructs you to use the Kappa Cube to reassemble the Gravekeeper. Rinnosuke and Utsuho convince Satori to allow you into the Palace proper, which was closed because it was being overrun by strange monsters. Further investigation investigation by the player reveals that the portal leads to a subsection of Makai used as a prison and magical laboratory created by Shinki. Hypothesizing that the Grimoire of Alice holds hints to the location of the Miasmatic Magus, Utsuho suggests you travel through the portal and ask Shinki.

After clearing the area of a horde of strange monsters, you happen across Shinki, who is, quite unfortunately, insane. After a few failed attempts at conversation, Shinki attacks. Her spells are surprisingly weak, considering her alleged post as creator of Makai. After her defeat, you check back with Rinnosuke, who hypothesizes that the influence of the King in Yellow did not augment but instead overrode Shinki's power, leaving her mind but a husk and her power only a bizarre shadow of its former glory.

Utsuho and Satori conclude that the strange wanderer who came and went immediately before the appearance of the monstrosities was Marisa. Rinnosuke hurries you along, fearing the reunion of the two fragments of the Great King in Yellow.

The Grimoire provides a portal to the Grave of the Guardians, as well as the location of the true tomb of the Miasmatic Magus. You find a nameplate outside the indicated room, like Princess Tenko's, it is missing letters, reading Mi_______ Ma___. It appears that this unnamed mage is quite a familiar evil spirit.

Once you enter the room, you find an empty coffin and a firefly youkai. Said firefly youkai begins to undergo a transformation, eventually turning into something vaguely resembling a praying mantis torso grafted onto a caterpillar's abdomen, to the chant of "I shall never be weak again". Despite being nearly killed by her first charge, you manage to best the creature. Shikieiki arrives to inform you that you were too late. While leaving, you nick a couple of scrolls from the tomb.

When you break the news to Rinnosuke, he temporarily panics before deciding to inform Satori. Satori then allows Minamitsu to transport you out of the Palace into Myouren.

Act 3:
You enter Myouren to find most of the surrounding area overrun by the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Though not serious in itself (with the possible exception of long-term ecological impact), this rapid growth accompanied large hordes of "Blessed" (as translated by Rinnosuke, avoiding the awkwardness of the label youkai or demon) as well as the conversion of most fairies in the area to the worship of the Everlasting Light.

You are introduced to the place by Toyohime. When asked what Lunarian might be doing in Gensokyo, she ponders a bit before disclosing,
"I had a disagreement with my superiors". She also tells you to find a Lunar Veil fragment, as the last protective barrier around the temple is weakening. You head out in search of it. After chasing a surprisingly tough "Blessed" through the tangled underbrush, you manage to subdue the holder and bring the fragment back to the village. Toyohime and Rinnosuke direct you to hand the fragment to Shou, who combines its power with her own in order to reinforce the current barrier and erect new ones.

During your adventures, you find an odd jade statue. When you return to have it identified, Rinnosuke notes that Minamitsu is a collector of such items. You exchange the statue for the Golden Bird of Eirin Yagokoro, who allegedly brewed the Hourai Elixir. You speak to the local alchemist, Suika, who investigates the strange powder contained within the bird. Though about 20% of the materials had been lost, the medicine is potent enough to provide a permanent increase in vitality. After some time spent gathering the rest, Suika hands you a potion. As advertised, you find yourself somewhat hardier after drinking.

In the meantime, Rinnosuke was building some strange apparatus with the help of Toyohime. Toyohime informs you that the Eternal Passion/Sanae is bolstering its own power over hatred and aggression by mixing it with longevity magic through a lunar artifact: the Eternity Orb. Rinnosuke notes that fairies normally have relatively short attention spans, so destroying the orb will not only make Sanae's shrine vulnerable to assault but also reduce the number of fairies under her thrall. Due to the magical link between the Great Passion, Sanae, and the Orb of Eternity, Rinnosuke believes that the power of the late gods of the mountain will be able to destroy the orb. He sends you out to find the remaining relics.

You find Kanako's heart (actually a strange pump make of some unknown metal) as well as Suwako's brain (wondrously preserved despite time and the various abuses it must have endured during Suwako's death) and Pyonta's eye (a magical glass orb) during your adventures. However, Kanako's tsurgi is apparently in the hands of the Council of Everlasting Light,  six fairies closest to Sanae.

Before heading to find those fairies, Suika asks that you find an old copy of the Gensokyo Chronicles. After battling through waves of fairies, you manage to acquire the volume. Unfortunately, it proves less than helpful; it only notes that Youkai diversity plummeted sharply after the first appearance of the Yakumo house. For your time, Suika hands you a special potion of learning.

Shou tasks you with killing the council. Cutting through hordes of zealots, you eventually find three members in Inner Eientei. Better yet, they drop Kanako's tsurgi. You use the Kappa cube to fuse it with the other artifacts, creating the Virtue of Wind God. With it, you smash the Eternity orb and head to face Sanae. The rank and file worshipers of the Everlasting Light stop attacking you.

After finding Sanae's shrine and defeating (or locking into a side room) the remaining Council members, you face Sanae. At first physically unimpressive (appearing as a rotting torso from a distance), Sanae releases a number of spine-like growths before attempting to fight at melee range. After some time, you defeat her and acquire her Soulstone, as well as a scroll written in some strange script similar to the one found in Mima's tomb.

A portal appears to Phantasm, the stage of act four.

Act 4:
You arrive in the Bastion of Calm, a hastily-erected encampment heavily shielded from the ambient magical energy. Shikieiki gives you a first quest; Apparently, Tenshi was the last known holder of the soulstones, tasked with hiding and guarding them. Obviously, she failed, and was dragged into Phantasm by the Blessed. Shikieiki requests that you free her spirit from the Blessed shell into which it was injected.

You find Tenshi's new body. The vessel is extremely durable, as expected for a prison for such a powerful being. After the shell is slain, Tenshi's spirit rises and begins talking.

Shikieiki and Rinnosuke are in for an unpleasant surprise. Tenshi herself had placed the Soulstones into the three maidens. Worse yet, the act was ordered by a powerful faction in Heaven. As Tenshi explains,

"
The Three Greats are pure beings; the domains of Hatred, Terror, and Destruction are all necessary in preserving faith and hence they are always welcome among us. It was a mistake to even aid in sealing them away; being hated is manageable, but being weak is not. Shikieiki was a fool!
That is why they must be loosed again! So that the world again shall see the importance of purity and piety!
Fortunately, the choice of sealing is to our benefit. The Soulstones may have been designed as prisons, but the sheer complexity and raw power of their magical currents make them vulnerable to subversion and excellent power sources. Had that [being] intervened, we would have not been so fortunate.
 
That's probably what they would say, anyways. Me? I'm in it for adventure. After all, we Celestials don't get to visit Phantasm very often.
"

You return to Shikieiki to inform her of the turn of events. Rinnosuke instructs you to break Sanae's Soulstone immediately. In order to do so, you need to secure the Illusion Foundry and a Phantasmagoria Womb (conveniently attached to a stick to serve as a weapon). Near the foundry, you find a smith using said items to forge weapons for the Blessed. You defeat it, take the hammer, and, in three strokes, crush the stone.

Shikieiki's final quest in this act is killing Reimu. Nearly dying against a relentless torrent of needles, amulets, fire, and lightning, you eventually emerge victorious. Again, a scroll is dropped. After smashing this Soulstone, you head in pursuit of the last Great: the King in Yellow/Marisa

Act 5.

Mayohiga is surprisingly pristine within the defensive perimeter established by the Oni. However, a few steps outside reveal a horrendous battlefield, littered with corpses (thankfully mostly Blessed). Your first orders are to break the siege. The siege weapons are run by rudimentary creatures driven by a large, bloated Overseer. After the death of the Overseer,  a rain of projectiles falls onto its former position. No longer led, the workers abandon their posts at the weapons. Upon your return, Nitori offers to "socket" one piece of your equipment.

The second request is given by the captain of the guard. You are tasked with rescuing a number of Oni from enclosures lined with fried bean moats using a teleport spell provided by Ran. After completion, Yuugi begins to hire out mercenaries.

Chen and Layla disappear after an argument. Ran suspects something is amiss. Sure enough, Chen is found imprisoned in an ice cave. After being thawed out, she fingers Layla.

Apparently, Layla intends to give the Seal of Clouds to Marisa in exchange for the safety of her sisters. This would allow the King in Yellow/Marisa free access to the Anchor of Yakumo, a mystic artifact closely tied to the very fate of Gensokyo. You slay Layla (a formidable caster in her own right), but the seal is already gone.

Lacking the seal, you must fight your way to the Anchor. The other three Prismriver sisters test you first.

Within the chamber, you notice Marisa, currently wearing the form of a [knot] of eldritch [threads]. Thankfully, her spells, though unique, are only marginally more dangerous than Reimu's. After a pitched battle which rent the air with arcane energy and esoteric curses, you finally best the King in Yellow. Disturbingly, she drops three scrolls but no soulstone.

Shikieiki teleports into the chamber upon Marisa's defeat. Unfortunately, the anchor has already begun to shift; a barrier uncuttable by even Shikieiki's modified Sword of Hisou covered the remains of the King in Yellow as a tendril from the Anchor snaked out to meet it. You are given a portal out before Shikieiki begins a ritual. The Sword begins to consume itself after thrown, this time slicing through the barrier and landing in the Anchor, which petrifies and shatters.

Surprisingly, the Great Hakurei Barrier is still intact, if not stronger than ever. However, Ran warns of great changes in the near-future.
*Credits roll*

Additonal lore:

Scroll of the Miasmatic Magus (Mima's tomb)
"
1. It wasn't easy, but I managed to create a processing and recording subroutine that will record my discoveries. Understandably, this was of relatively low priority; simply dealing with the King in Yellow and its alien thought processes requires many layers of automation. Thankfully, the lessons in shikigami use were enough to create "imaginary" ones out of [regions] of my own brain. I'll probably have to find ways to observe and utilize my surrounding environment.

2. External observation is up and running. Though the anti-magic wards nearby are quite strong, there are some farther away that were recycled from my old stocks. With a little tweaking, I was able to both strengthen their fields and use them for additional processing power. A little more time and I will probably be able to extend surveilance to outside my tomb, as well.

3. .....What....
In my time imprisoned, I've managed to further observe the Soulstone. With its physical and some magical components already immitated by ribcage, it seemed sturdy enough a prison.
However, a serious design flaw exists. In order to obtain the raw power needed to maintain the binding, the stone directly accesses magical currents from Phantasm. This is not surprising, considering the Heavenly origin of the device. In this case, it is a serious liability. Phantasm is the [holy land] of the Three Greats. Given time, the stones will be easily subverted. I have already begun to make countermeasures. Unfortunately, doing so within the timeframe will require a deeper understanding of the King's psychology. Though I risk subversion upon failure and significant mental changes in simply considering such a plan, it is the only way. Should I fail, it will be explosive and spectacular, alerting my companions to the risks of the Soulstones

(more research notes)

15.
They
THeY
I
*sob*
DIIIIIIEEE!
THEY KILLED HER! THEY WAITED FOR HER DAUGHTER AND THEN KILLED HER!
I'll make them pay.
*heh*
It's almost clever. Her line was tied to the safety of Gensokyo. So they married her to someone important and killed her right when she gave birth. The father slit her neck personally.
....and I never knew her real name....my Esteemed Companion......
WHY?
We should have seen when they gave you that name. I should have known better, that those small-souled lice would do something like this. I thought they would forgive her power because it was like the light they worshiped...
......

(returns to research)

118.
Its [dark], not like a [void] but like the [consumption]
I wonder if this is the [result] of being [near] this. I don't just [go], I get restrained.
Maybe I'll reincarnate right back into this body. Like that Continuous Hell that old codger mentioned....
"

Scroll of Sanae (Dropped by Sanae)
"
1. Ever since that, I've started to write like this. It's bizzare. I never saw this language before, but it feels like its pushing its way into my head, driving out anything else. Its so natural. Kanako jokes that I must have drank up a god of knowledge in one of the pools underground. Can't she tell I don't want to talk about that? Still, this is insane. Maybe that weird book, Snow Crash, was right about the whole neuro-linguistic programming fluff. After all, you can't let common sense hold you back in Gensokyo, right?

2. Reimu's off to sulk and Marisa's being more annoying than usual. She just broke into the shrine and started a "Your Mother" joke contest with Suwako. The gall of that! When I offered to teach her proper piety, Suwako just laughed it off. The nerve! Didn't we come all the way to this strange place to gather faith? Even the weakest don't show respect beyond the barest of rituals.

(journal entries referencing Mecha Anime, electric appliances, and proper schooling. An undercurrent of despair and resentment become more and more apparent through the later entries)

30. WHY THE HELL AM I IN THIS S**THOLE OF A PLACE? JUST BECAUSE THEY COULDNT GET THEIR S**T TOGETHER IS NO REASON TO DRAG ME ALONG! NOTHING HAS F***ING CHANGED EXCEPT THAT S**T HAS TO BE SHOVELED FROM THE SEPTIC TANK EVERY WEEK. NO-ONE CARES ABOUT THIS LITTLE SMEAR OF A SHRINE ON THE MOUNTAIN.

F***ing gods. Give them an inch and they ruin your life for no reason. "We can live naturally!" for the love of whatever you pray to don't say that again it means nothing dying of measels at age 5 is quite natural aren't you a d**n god of technology anyways

I bet I could do better.

Why not? Its not as if they do anything. Just sit there and the world holds itself together. Pathetic.

How should I kill them?

Suwako can get strapped across growing bamboo. After all, that's quite a natural death, isn't it?
Kanako better remeber that she's a god of metalurgy. That way, she'll know that I didn't cheap out with this aluminium spear. Better yet, add some saw mechanisms. Make her suffer from losing in her own element.
heheheHAHAEHA.....
"

Reimu's scroll
"
1. Even though its all over....
Those screams continue to echo through my mind. In my dreams, I find myself facing them again.
That fairy which tottered around with an open ribcage spilling its secrets it looks like nature does need *those*.....
Sanae's sulking back at her shrine. I hope her gods can help her recover.
Marisa came over today with a bottle of sake. She was all laughs, but didn't drink any. When she noticed me writing, she asked,
"Oh, so you picked it up, too, huh?"
I didn't even realize that I was writing in this script. The thought of my mind changing without my notice scared me.
Is this why the Satori were feared?

2. Strange eyes are appearing in the shadows. I first suspected Yukari, but it isn't like her to disappear when noticed.

3. I woke up from a nightmare, in which my mother tried to devour me. I still can't recall her face. A strange aura seems to follow me wherever I go, a strange sensation tugging at the edges of awareness.
Marisa scheduled a celebration at the shrine today. Normally, I would have refused, but something in her eyes made me want her to stay. Yukari appeared and left suspiciously. Maybe I should ask her about this?

(More records of nightmares)

40. I. have. to. go.
It was never clearer. My last dream had me in the dominant role. Marisa, Sanae, and Yukari had their heads bowed at my feet. Suika, despite being giant, bowed until her forehead scraped the ground. I felt strangely euphoric.

Then someone began to rise. I pointed my finger at them and conjured a stream of lightning and needles. She huddled and screamed. I continued, feelilng a smile growing on my face

I'm becoming a danger. I must head East. the [gap] is waiting.
"

Marisa's scroll (King in Yellow drop)
"
1. Huh. This new language is pretty useful. Not only is it fast and simple, but it is very good for magic chanelling. Efficient and predictable, just 20 or so characters can encode a simple fireball.
Still, its strange. When using magic, I find myself unconsciously drawing power from reserves I certainly did not have before the incident. Maybe its from some of the artifacts I pocketed?

(Research notes)

20. *garbled characters reading out a half-complete weapons enchantment*
Damn, that was [close]. Nearly got [consumed] I think [it] [got] something and then [forgot] about [me]
[] can [hide] here for a bit, but [it] has my [body]
[] detect similar magic from [her] and [her]. So this is the [power] of the Soulstones?
Dammit, []! [] are powerless [now]

(garbled text)

$@.
not [difficult] complex [method] fragment [mind] [cloud] [thought] but [lag] when [access]
another [stowaway]. Familiar. [Anchor] nearby, steer [this] close, can [subvert] [this].

...
"

Mima's Scroll
"
1. I'm trapped in some strange puzzle of a mind. For some reason, this is very familiar. Without even thinking, I had already erected the proper wards, subroutines, and slave processors to remain safe from mental contamination.Whatever this is, it appears to be headed towards an artifact that reeks of Yukari's power. I wonder..

(rediscovering old research)

14. Marisa is also here. She's gotten much closer to whatever this is than I have and has suffered for it. Though I still can hear mostly human impulses, there's still the odd contraction. Thankfully, she has enough algorithms to stay sane, but I fear that she's been taking too many risks in hand-optimizing some of them.

(some time considering what to do with Marisa)

17. We managed to communicate. I admit that the new [script] is far more efficient and harder for [that] to detect, but it gives me the occasional head (mind?) ache. Marisa already has a more-or-less watertight plan. The problem is that it depends on things that I (and probably Marisa) don't fully understand. Still, better than nothing. We basically have to sit and wait. Moreover, Marisa is starting to succesfully translate the thoughts of [that]. Apparently, some of her mind is infecting it, bringing it closer to us. Perhaps these strange beings find us as abominable as we find them?

...
"

Yukari's Scroll (also dropped by Marisa/ King in Yellow)
"
1.This was the perfect setup.
I overestimated the Dragon Emperor. Though usually a good idea when dealing with enemies, his enemis hated me even more.
After all, even minor negotiations with the Dragon can stretch out for months; small things add up over decades, and meticulous planning is his suit.
Unfortunately, he missed something major. Dissent among some influential factions led them to join some of the Exoteric parties. Though treacherous attendants were only enough to stall things for a day, it was enough for the re-release of the Greats to go unquestioned.
Worse yet, the assasins themselves used numerous Soulstones on me. It was enough to leave me immobile for a week and significantly weaker for the rest of the month needed for the full recovery of the Greats.
Worse yet, our best fighters were chosen as vessels. Thankfully, none of them will sucumb without at least weakening ther charges. That gives maybe six weeks before a total cleanse.
I decided to hole up in my Anchor. Anything that can reach it is probably powerful enough to destroy the [gap] barrier anyways, so rediverting power if a fight is necessary won't be much worse.

2. Marisa lives! I was able to contact her after a greatly weakened King in Yellow was defeated by a youkai hunter. She is begining to assimilate it as I write. The possibilities arising from this are endless. At the very least, the Great will no longer be pure, so it will be out of reach of any of the Heavens. Mima was also residing in the corpse. She plans on abandoning it after Marisa deactivates the soulstone. Unfortunately, Shikieiki shattered the Anchor out of desparation. I'll have to retreat to the secondary one buried under the Saigyou Ayakashi to recover. The Great [gap] barrier has been permanently broken by this act, though, so its only a matter of time before the rest of the Blessed invade.....
"
« Last Edit: July 06, 2011, 05:00:58 PM by LogosOfJ »

Pesco

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #845 on: June 26, 2011, 07:21:55 AM »
I hope to see the character backgrounds of the assassin and druid class too.

Dead Princess Sakana

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #846 on: July 05, 2011, 05:17:13 PM »
Alright, it's about time to declare:

~ Contest Closed ~

Announcing the winner is gonna be done by Pesco soon.

After that, expect a new challenge to start on Sunday.

Pesco

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #847 on: July 05, 2011, 05:30:32 PM »
The lack of entries was disappointing. And if people were unsure of how to approach the topic, the lack of questions was equally bad. I'll give credit where it is deserved because there was at least something impressive enough that I changed my mod design to accommodate.


Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #848 on: July 06, 2011, 04:07:16 AM »
 :colonveeplusalpha: Still Not Done!
May I still use my above post as storage for the rest? It will be done by about 6AM eastern time. It'll work if that is before or after judging....

EDIT: What's in the image, anyways? Vtunnel isn't working, so I can't get to Imageshack.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2011, 05:57:15 AM by LogosOfJ »

Dead Princess Sakana

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #849 on: July 06, 2011, 10:19:00 AM »
EDIT: What's in the image, anyways? Vtunnel isn't working, so I can't get to Imageshack.

It's a screenshot with the Diablo character-classes being replaced with the ones you wrote up.
Which means you won.  ;)

Though it would be nice if you could still provide Pesco with the rest of what you wanted to write  :3

Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #850 on: July 06, 2011, 05:03:58 PM »
Done....
Seven Hours late :colonveeplusalpha:

^Sakanamoto-san
Thanks....? (Sorry, I don't know how to politely accept compliments)

Dead Princess Sakana

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Reimu 2: Lord of Maidens
« Reply #851 on: July 11, 2011, 08:33:35 AM »
Did I say Sunday? I did say Sunday. And luckily it's still two hours of Sunday in Honolulu, so I'm safe  8)

That said, here is your new writing prompt, everyone. Recently I read an interesting phrase, which basically amounted to: "If someone could even describe the most trivial daily events in interesting and exciting ways, wouldn't they be a genius?"

And thus here is the new theme:

~ A Day at Hakurei Shrine ~

Ah, the Hakurei Shrine, spiritual and social run down center of Gensokyo. And lots have we heard about the adventures and heroics of its maiden, Reimu. But what when she isn't out to fight youkai? What when there aren't any incidents to solve? Rarely are the stories about those times told.

But now, this is exactly your task. Tell us your view on the daily happenings in Gensokyo and the lives of its residents.

This should be a nice calm task to start off into the hot summer. Remeber to keep cool and drink much as you write. And most of all, have fun~

Deadline is as usual in two weeks, so July the 24th.

Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #852 on: July 14, 2011, 06:54:45 AM »
A writing challenge for a day at the Hakurei Shrine? I might actually try this...

Spaztique

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #853 on: July 18, 2011, 09:44:26 AM »
I'm gonna try this, but how mundane do the events need to be? I don't plan on any danmaku battles, but I do plan on mischief.
Making Touhou music and actually-pretty-decent Walfas animations since 2011!

Dead Princess Sakana

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #854 on: July 18, 2011, 04:13:46 PM »
Whatever you think fits is good to go. But I will be nice and say that mischief is certainly alright to include ;)

Phlegeth

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #855 on: July 20, 2011, 10:13:40 PM »
?Mornin' sunshine!?

?Wha,? Reimu said groggily and turned around and saw a bright and cheerful face staring back at her.  ?What the hell, Marisa!? she yelled.

?I was bored and wanted to see whatcha were doin',? Marisa smiled.

?Ugh,? Reimu groaned, ?nothing worse than waking up in your own bed with someone strange.?

?I dunno, wakin' up in someone else's bed with something strange is pretty bad.  Like this one time I woke up under Parsee's bridge with Komachi.  She doesn't like talkin about it.  Am I embarrassin??

?Very,? Reimu said, ?Now leave unless you're going to help me clean.?  She wasn't going to clean, but she felt a head ache coming on and had to get rid of the source.

?Yea right,? Marisa scoffed, ?I don't even clean my place.?  She said and flew off on her broom.

Reimu pulled off the covers and got dressed.  She walked out into the hallway, the light was gently filtering through the windows.  She put her arms over her head and stretched before making her way to the kitchen.  She opened the cold box, she kept forgetting the technical term for it.  The kappas and Sanae made it for her.  It was suppose to keep food good for awhile, if she could keep food in it.

?SUIKA!? she yelled and was met with silence.  She sighed to herself, ?she eats and drinks all my food and then runs off and plays with Yuugi or Tenshi.?

She looked around the empty room again before heading outside.  Outside, she turned around and looked at the empty building again before heading into town.

* * *

Kourindou has expanded vastly and quickly.  It's no longer just an antique store, it sells goods from all over Gensokyo, the Underground, and Heaven.  It has even opened up trade with Makai.  Negotioations are still on the table with the moon.

?Good morning!? Reimu was greeted by fairies when entering.  She bowed and walked in.  She grabbed a basket and went to the food section.

?Here's that stuff Marisa likes,? Reimu thought to herself and put it in her basket.  ?Suika likes this,? she thought to herself again.  She was looking around for other things, when she saw Sakuya; the maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion pick something up and put it in her basket.  Curious, Reimu walked over picked up what Sakuya was looking at.  ?Do the people over there like this stuff?? she thought to herself and put it in her basket.

?You're only getting things other people like,? someone said to Reimu behind her.

?What?? she said turning around and saw Satori and Koishi standing there.

?Why don't you get anything you like?? Satori asked.

?Why would I get something I like,? Reimu asked in a confused manner, ?I'm already at the Shrine.?  She walked off before she could she the slightly bemused look on Satori's face.  Even though she couldn't see that, she could her the less subtle Koishi laughing.  Embarrassed she walked to the check out line.  Even with a bigger store, Rinnosuke is the only one who handles the money. 

Or ZUNny as it is called now, ever since that one mishap Yukari had while really drunk that changed everyone's currency in Gensokyo to these weird paper slips.  It took a little while and some panicking but everyone realized they had to same amount of money they always had.  And while all that was going on Komachi was explaining why she woke up underground with a witch.

?That's be 3700 ZUNny,? Rinnosuke said.  Reimu dug through her purse and pulled out a 5000 ZUNny bill that had Eirin's face on it.  And for those curious; the biggest bill, the 50,000, had a picture of some guy no one knew on it.  ?Here's 1300 in Chenge back.?  It's called Chenge after a snarky comment by Ran, but Yukari did not want to give her the satisfaction.

* * *

Back at the Shrine, Reimu was in defense position.  She felt another presence from inside.  She slid the front door open and yelled, ?You've got brass one's attacking my shrine in broad day light!?

?I'm not Marisa,? a familiar voice said from inside.  ?Or Rika,? she added a second later.  Alice walked out of the corner with a handkerchief tied across her head and a mop in one hand.  ?Marisa said you were cleaning so I came to lend a hand.  When I saw you weren't here, I decided to go ahead and start with the cleaning supplies I brought.?  She explained nonchalantly.  She looked at the bag in Reimu's hand, ?You...didn't plan on actually cleaning??

?I just said that to get rid of Marisa.  That was too loud first thing in the morning,? Reimu said and walked towards the kitchen.

?Uh, if you're not actually going to clean, I'll leave,? Alice said.

?No no, it could use a nice cleaning,? Reimu said from the kitchen.

?Alright, let's get started, it shouldn't take long!? Alice said.

* * *

Two hours later, Reimu and Alice were in a corner of the main room laughing.  ?'It was a mimic,' she said,? Alice was explaining to Reimu.

?And they believed her?? Reimu asked.

?Believed her?  Hell, they rewarded her for her bravery!  Well, in a way, that's how she became our maid.  I still don't know Shinki really believed the door to our treasury was a mimic or not,? Alice said and both laughed again.

?It's about time for her to show up,? Reimu said after she caught her breath.

?It sure it,? Alice said and like responding to a cue, a black shadow flashed across the window.

?REIMU!  REIMUUUUUUuuu-whoa whoa oh oh shhiiii---? the was screeching, followed by a crashing noise out in the hallway.  Marisa came limping into the doorway, ?What are you doing?? she said looking at the two in the corner.

?We mopped ourselves in,? Alice said.

?We're stuck until it dries,? Reimu added.

?You can just fly over it,? Marisa said.

?Oh,? they both said quietly and started laughing again.  Marisa didn't know what was going on, but she started laughing at them all the same.

?Go clean that mess you made,? Reimu said and through a broom at her.

?Not my house,? Marisa said moving out of the way.

?It's your mess!? Reimu yelled.

?It's your stuff!? Marisa retorted.

Reimu looked at Alice, ?Don't look at me.  It's the same excuse she uses at her own place.  'They're Patchy's books,' she says or 'They're your books.'?

There was knock at the door, interrupting them.  Reimu floated over the kitchen floor and gave Marisa a gentle, friendly shove out of the way.  At the front door, Remilia was standing there under Sakuya's umbrella.

?We came for the sleepover,? Remilia said.

?Sleepover?? Reimu asked and gave an accusing look at Marisa who met her with a just as confused look.

?See, I told you we were early.  She just gets so excited so easily,? Sakuya said.

?What sleepover?? Reimu asked.

?Satori said you were having a sleepover and wanted me personally there,? Remilia said with a  proud look.

?Yea, Satori said you were havin' a sleep over,? Marisa explained.

?You thought it,? Satori said coming up behind them.  ?You wanted people to come over and stay awhile.?

?Well,? Reimu said looking at everyone, ?sure let's have a sleep over!?

?Are you sure,? Marisa asked, ?You're hallway is kind of a mess.?

Reimu gave her a completely unamused face, ?You're not invited.?

Marisa shrugged, ?That's never stopped me before.?

?We brought food,? Satori said, holding out a basket.

?Us too!  Us too!? Remilia said producing another basket.

?I didn't bring food,? Marisa said.

?We know!? everyone yelled.

That night was filled with laughter as everyone set around and talked.  They eventually cleaned the hallway and surprisingly enough, some of Marisa's things were in there.  But since she earlier disowned everything in the hallway, they were divided up amongst the people who helped clean.  All of the Many Incidents, Many Accusations have lead to ever lasting friendships amongst all the people, even the ones who have vanished.

Spaztique

  • Writer, Animator, Easy Mode Advocate
Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #856 on: July 22, 2011, 10:49:38 AM »
Well, this one certainly turned out longer than expected, and an unexpected fight showed up in the climax (I planned on making this a little more subdued, but it just didn't feel complete without the explosive finale), but I'm proud of it.

Note: Please PM me any misspellings that you catch so I may fix them. There appears to be a bunch of hard-to-catch ones I missed in proofreading.

Trivia: In the four days it took to write this, I had two cups of Earl Grey, three cups of ginger tea, and four cups of blueberry green tea.

"Tea Off"
By David Zimmerman

Reimu's morning routine came to an abrupt halt when she realized she had completely run out of tea.
Bathed and dressed for the day, Reimu couldn't check the shrine grounds for any danger without a good cup of tea to wake her up. The only energy she ran on was a half-eaten breakfast and the fear of knowing a youkai could be out there right at that moment. That week, there were already six youkai encounters and six quick exterminations, so it was only inevitable something was going to show up eventually, and she had to be ready for it.
She checked the storage house for any spare tea, but the only thing inside were hundreds of copies of Aya's newspaper and a few invites to an upcoming event at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The alter only held bottles of wine and other assorted booze. After what felt like an hour, Reimu gave up her search.
?I'll just patrol the shrine grounds without any tea,? she thought, ?What harm could it do??
It wasn't until halfway around the shrine did Reimu decide to take a quick rest under a tree. She hadn't planned on taking a nap, but that's how it worked out.

When Reimu came to, she heard a familiar tomboyish voice shouting, ?Wakey wakey, Reimu!?
Reimu opened her eyes to find Marisa hovering above her; her broom was resting against the side of the shrine and her witch hat was sitting on the porch. Marisa said, ?You're not supposed to pass out until the afternoon.?
Reimu struggled to her feet, feeling like she had a keystone tied to her back, saying, ?I'm really tired this morning, so I thought I'd just take a nap.?
As they walked back inside, Marisa said, ?I'll say. You made breakfast and you barely ate half of it.?
?I'm sure I ate all of it.? When they were in view of Reimu's table, she said, ?Look: there's nothing left.?
?That's because I ate the rest of it,? said Marisa. Reimu backed away an inch, knowing she took a bite out of everything and that Marisa must have indirectly kissed her by finishing off her meal. Marisa continued, ?Such a shame you don't have any tea left.?
Reimu asked, ?How did you know about the-? Then it hit her: the only way Marisa would have known was if she stole the tea herself. Reimu stepped forward into Marisa's face and yelled, ?Why you little- You stole the rest of my tea!?
?Me? I didn't steal anything, and this time, I'm bein' honest!? Marisa emptied out every pocket she had, only to reveal other gadgets and gizmos she stole elsewhere and no tea.
?Then perhaps some youkai took it all,? Reimu said, looking out the shrine into the dense forest, ?Or maybe it was those three fairies.?
?But yesterday,? Marisa said, ?you told me we only had enough tea for one more cup, and you used the last of it yourself.?
Reimu's tense posture dropped into a closed humiliation. ?Oh,? she said, ?So I did... Huh...?
Marisa said, ?Maybe that's why you look like you're in no condition to cover the shrine today.?
?That's not true,? she said, leaning against the entrance, ?I can defend this shrine with my eyes closed.?
?Then how come you passed out in the middle of patrolling the shrine grounds?... Reimu?... Reimu?? Reimu's blank eyes stared into nothing and her posture dropped until she was no longer leaning against the entrance, but sliding down the wall until she hit the ground, keeling over.
After Marisa slapped her around a bit, Reimu jumped back up and said, ?Where was I? Oh right: I can defend this shrine with my eyes closed!?
Marisa couldn't help but notice Reimu stumbling as she stood up. She said, ?You're lucky Mima never knew your weakness was a lack of tea, or she would've had those Yin Yang Orbs ages ago.?
?That's also a lie,? said Reimu, ?I was more of a cake person than a tea person back in those days, and I still beat you two.?
?Probably also explains why you weighed a lot more, too.?
Reimu yelled, ?Hey!?
Marisa said, ?I was thinking of dropping by the Scarlet Devil Mansion today, but I guess I can run off to the human village and swipe some tea for you.?
?No thanks,? said Reimu with her hands in hips and her head held high, ?As the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, it wouldn't be right to depend on outside help. If I can hunt all those youkai alone, getting tea alone will be no problem at all.?
?You have a point, except for the fact you just passed out two seconds again, and the fact I've helped you on more than half of your youkai hunts, and you took all the credit.?
Reimu looked down at her and groaned, ?Shut up, Marisa. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden needs no help!?
?Fine then,? Marisa said, walking outside. As she picked up her broom and put on her hat, she said, ?In the meantime, I'm gonna go 'check out' a couple of books from the Scarlet Devil Mansion's library. I'll be back in a few hours to check on you.?

Reimu watched Marisa jump on her broom and fly off, thinking, ?The nerve of her. Everyone knows I'm the one responsible for resolving those incidents. I'll show her! Come sundown, I'll be sitting on a throne of tea!?

Reimu picked up her wand and amulets from under the tree, grabbed four Hakurei Yin Yang Orbs and set them into orbit around her, and ran down the path to the shrine, ready to take off. She leaped into the air, and within moments, she found herself falling flat on her face. She felt two orbs slipping out of their orbits before hearing them tumble down the stairs.
?Ow!?
Flying required as much energy as running, and maintaining more than two Hakurei Yin Yang Orbs, both sapping Reimu's energy to work, was like carrying two one-kilogram weights for each orb.
Reimu stumbled to her feet, dusted herself off, and groaned, ?Fine. I'll walk.?
She climbed down the long stairway from the shrine courtyard, walked the dirt path through the dense forest, and snuck her way past roving fairies looking for a human to prank. Had she been more awake, she would have realized this is why nobody ever visited her shrine; because not only was it far from the human village, but you already have to be a skilled hunter to get there. She also would have realized it was terrible idea to take a quick break in the forest while drowsy.

When Reimu opened her eyes, she found herself tucked into bed on the Hakurei Shrine floor.
?It must've been a dream,? she thought, ?There's no way a lack of tea would have that much of an effect on me.?
?Good mornin',? yelled a surly voice across the room. She opened her eyes to find the little pandemonium Suika on the other side of the room, taking sips from her sak? gourd.
Reimu carefully got up, nursing her sore back, and asked, ?What are you doing here??
?I found ya' passed out in the forest,? she said, ?so I carried ya' back here.?
?So that wasn't a dream??
?'fraid not.?
?What were you doing in the Forest of Magic??
She sighed and said, ?It's a looong story. Let's just say a certain doctor and certain princess came stumblin' over to Youkai Mountain drunk as all Hell, ramblin' about they got a wine worm from a certain three fairies who stole it from a certain shrine maiden after it was given to her by a certain oni.?
?Are you saying the Mischevious Three Fairies replaced your jar of sak? with an identical one, stole the original for themselves, and it somehow ended up in the hands of the Lunarians? Because that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard... Either way, I hope you find them. It's about time somebody pranked them.?
When Suika began speaking, nothing came out of her mouth: her mouth moved, but she did not make a sound. Reimu wondered if she was having an insomnia-related hallucination until she looked outside to see a fairy wing poking out of a bush. Suika asked something inaudible as Reimu picked up a homing amulet and threw it outside. The three fairies jumped out of the bush and flew into the forest as the amulet chased them. With their powers no longer in effect, Reimu smiled as she heard one of them scream, ?Retreat!?
Reimu asked, ?See what I mean??
Suika nodded. She said, ?Now, what were you doin' passed out in the middle of the forest??
?I was on my way to the human village to get tea until you carried me back here.?
Suika gave a nervous laugh and said, ?Oops. Oh well... You know, I could carry you to the human village.?
?I don't think that's a good idea,? Reimu said, lying back in her bed, ?If the human village sees you, they'll probably get that history eater to hide it again.?
?I'm sure someone'll just come by with tea,? she said, ?It's not like you never get any donations. It's like you said that one time: 'The value of faith is economic strength!'? Which is probably true, given that nobody's really seen the god of the Hakurei Shrine before. Reimu knew this, meaning nobody was going to come by with tea, so she'd have to simply push her way to the human village.

Reimu got up and made herself a cup of water, which did very little to help: it was tasteless, empty, and did nothing to wake her up.
She tried a little exercise: putting as many Yin Yang Orbs around her as possible, but she could barely keep more than three in place; each orb after the second reeked havoc on her stiff muscles. It not only made her more tired, but it made her more thirsty.
She asked Suika for a brief duel to get her blood pumping, but before Reimu could react, she found herself wrapped in Suika's burning chains and a fist flying into her soft face. While this plan did not work at all, Suika's energetic demeanor gave Reimu a new idea: guzzling Suika's sak? would not wake her up, but she did become too drunk to care about being tired.
A few blood alcohol points later, Reimu slurred, ?I think that did that trick! I'mma head off the human village now. Good luck huntin' those fairies.?
?Okay,? Suika said, ?But if you need me, just yell. Now, time for some fairy huntin'!?

After Suika disappeared into the forest, Reimu galloped down the stone path of the shrine, ready to take off. Once again, Reimu leaped into the air, and once again, she fell flat on her face. Not only was she still groggy, but she was drunk, so of course it felt like a good idea to fall asleep in the middle of the shrine courtyard.

When Reimu woke up, she felt a pulsating headache and every bone ached from lying on the floor for so long.
?It feels like those first days all over again,? she thought, ?I can't fly, I can barely use the Yin Yang Orbs, and I can barely travel anywhere without falling asleep. All I need is Mima showing up, trying to capture me and the orbs while I'm like this, and this will officially be the worst day ever.?
?Are you alright?,? asked a poised young lady, sounding much like Sakuya.
She opened her eyes to find the white-haired maid holding a parasol over her vampire mistress, both hovering over her.
Remilia said, ?I thought you didn't pass out until noon.?
Reimu used every last bit of energy to get up. She asked, ?What are you two doing here??
Remilia asked, ?Didn't you get my invites? We must've sent four or five of them.?
Looking in the warehouse that morning, she did come across the invites, but she paid absolutely no mind to the event it was for, tossing it in there the moment she got it from the Mansion's fairy maids. Reimu said, ?I never got an invite.?
?Those stupid fairies,? grumbled Remilia, ?I knew we should have sent the invitations to our Third Annual Tea Fest personally.?
The words ?Tea Fest? entered Reimu's head and struck every right chord, and before she knew it, she blurted out, ?Tea Fest?!?
Sakuya said, ?We are holding a very large tea party at the mansion, and we have invited residents from all over Gensokyo. We are going to be tasting a wide variety of teas from both Gensokyo and the outside world, and we were wondering if you would like to prepare some of your matcha to end the expo.?
Remilia added, ?If it's good enough for me to risk goin' outside for, it's good enough for the party! We came down here last minute to see if you were interested.?
?Yes,? yelled Reimu with a wide smile, ?Take me with you!?
?Great,? said Remilia, ?Just grab your tea and we'll be on our way.?
Any sense of hope dropped from Reimu's face and posture, asking, ?W-What??
Noticing the sudden change in Reimu's tone, Remilia said, ?Oh, don't tell me you've run out of tea.?
Reimu's sulking made it pretty clear that she did.
?No need to worry,? said Sakuya, ?We have more than enough fresh tea leaves at the mansion if you wish to prepare it from scratch. In addition, you can drink any other tea you want, free of charge.?
Remilia sighed, ?It's not the same, but I guess it's the preparation that counts, right Sakuya??
?Alright,? said Reimu, still a bit tipsy, ?But could you carry me there??
?Carry you?,? asked Remilia, stunned that Reimu would dare ask such a thing, ?What do you think I am? Your personal pony ride? I should be the one riding you!?
?Miss Sakuya,? Reimu asked, ?could you-?
?I only give pony rides to my lady.? she said.
?But I wasn't going to ask you to give me a pony ri-?
?And even if she said I could, I doubt you're light enough to carry.?
Reimu yelled, ?Hey!?
Remilia shook her head in disappointment, saying, ?Then I guess if you're not going to cooperate, we'll take our leave. Come, Sakuya.?
As Sakuya got on her hands and knees and Remilia climbed onto her back while taking the parasol, Reimu yelled, ?Wait! Could you at least bring some tea back??
?No way,? Sakuya said, still on all-fours, ?We have to reserve it all for the guests. We already ran out of tea the first two years in a matter of hours.?
?Please,? cried Reimu, ?I'm in dire need of some tea!?
Holding onto Sakuya's braids like reins, Remilia turned to Reimu and said, ?If you want tea so badly, why don't you just ask that witch to steal some for you? Otherwise, you're going to have to leave this shrine.? She whipped Sakuya's braids and yelled, ?YAH!? Sakuya took off and flew towards the mansion, neighing.

As they disappeared into the early afternoon sky, Reimu realized she had just crossed the threshold of begging for help; from a youkai, no less. She could have simply waited for Marisa, but after announcing that the Hakurei Shrine Maiden needed no help, she didn't want to turn out to be as big of a hypocrite as she was.
?Just as long as Marisa doesn't catch me being helpless,? thought Reimu, ?I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask someone for help.?

Reimu yelled for Suika, and she dashed her way back to the shrine. Reimu asked her for a ride to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but there was one problem once they got over Misty Lake: it was perpetually foggy and Suika was perpetually drunk. This vignette ended with Suika carrying Reimu back to the shrine in damp clothes.
After changing, their next trek had Suika carrying Reimu to the Kourindou Antique Shop, only to find a sign on the door reading, ?Closed. Currently selling all of my teas at the Scarlet Devil Mansion's Third Annual Tea Fest. Come back tommorow. ~Rinnosuke Morichika.? Instead of going back, Reimu asked Suika to resort to the Marisa method of finding pick-me-ups: breaking down the door and raiding the store. The most they could find were a case of thin silver-and-blue cans with big, red, blocky roman letters reading ?Red Bull Energy Drink? before Suika dropped Reimu off at the shrine and ran back into the forest.
One sip of the fizzy, excessively sweet, rotten-banana-and-medicine-tasting concoction, Reimu thought, ?If oblivion had a taste, this is it... Better finish it to see if it works.?
When she finished the ?energy drink?, she was simultaneously wide awake and groggy: unable to move much and kicked around by pulsing headache, but unable to really fall back asleep. Indeed, she just drank the equivalent of oblivion, sending her into a state that is neither awake or asleep. Despite having a nutrition table like the rest of the foods in his shop, she wondered if she accidentally drank fuel for a magic reactor. After all, why else would it say ?Energy Drink? on the front?

Reimu spent the next half hour resting her head on her table, trying to nurse her headache, until she heard that all-to-familiar ripping sound: a gap was opening somewhere in the Hakurei shrine.
?Yukari,? she shouted, ?I'm in no mood to fight you right now.?
?I'm not here to fight,? echoed Yukari through the shrine.
Reimu looked to the entrance to find Yukari in her casual purple dress, holding a saucer with a very large cup with steam coming off the top; from a distance, it smelt like potent, strong tea.
Reimu struggled to her feet, asking, ?I-Is that-??
?I heard about your predicament from the others at the Scarlet Devil Mansion's tea party,? she said, handing Reimu the saucer and the cup, ?So I brought you the blend I made for the party. We were even going to have a slideshow showcasing its effects.?
Reimu thought, ?How kind of her.? Still tired, a bit drunk, and sick from the ?Red Bull?, Reimu took a huge gulp of the warm and fruity tea without asking what it was; its flavor was an odd mix of fruits, vegetables, a hint of nuts and beans, pork, and who-knows-what-else.
?Strange flavor,? Reimu said, examining the empty cup, ?but it's good. What is this??
With a menacing grin, Yukari asked, ?Have you ever heard of 'Sleepytime Tea'??
Reimu nearly felt her pupils shrink as the cup dropped from her hands, shattering on the table. She screamed, ?You gave me 'Sleepytime Tea' when I'm in dire need of a morning pick-me-up?? It was a little past noon by this point.
?Of course not,? Yukari said, ?I know better than to give you something like 'Sleepytime Tea'; it's far too weak. So, I gave you something I call 'Coma Time Tea'.? Reimu would have gasped, flinched, or yelled, ?Damnit, Yukari,? if every muscle in her body hadn't gone numb that instant. The last thing she heard before blacking out was the gap youkai telling her, ?Good night, Reimu.?

When Reimu came to, her body was hunched over the donation box; the metal grates felt cold against her bare, naked skin. She heard the sounds of squeaking gears and Yukari whispering to someone, ?She's waking up. Run for it!? Reimu opened her eyes to find Yukari slipping into a gap and Aya scurrying to take down flashbulbs and lighting mattes.
Reimu sprang up and rushed inside to grab her amulets and her wand, regardless of clothing. From the lack of tea, the booze, the ?energy drink?, and now the coma tea, every step felt like wading through drying cement. She was nowhere fast enough to get her weapons in time, and when she ran out front, Aya was but a dot in the sky.
Reimu stood there like an idiot, blank-faced, naked, and still sleepy.

Reimu barely redressed herself: she put on her bloomers, her skirt, and her sleeveless shirt top and didn't bother with the chest wrap or the sleeves. All she could do was lie on the stoop of the shrine and wait for Marisa.
In addition to eventually drinking tea, she'd have to eat her words, ?The Hakurei Shrine Maiden needs no help.?

It was nearly evening when Marisa came flying back to the shrine. In place of her normal witch hat, she was wearing a foam saucer with a foam tea-cup on it, and on her hand was a foam finger with the pinky extended; the letters on the hand read ?SDM's 3rd Annual Tea Fest?. Around her neck was a necklace of plastic tea leaves. ?You are not going to believe this,? she said with a big grin, ?The Scarlet Devil Mansion was having a tea party in the library, and it was completely open to the public!?
Reimu crawled her way to her across the warm stones of the shrine walkway as Marisa continued, ?They had every kind of tea in existance: black tea, white tea, green tea, blueberry tea, lemon tea, ginger tea, ginseng tea, orange tea- They even had combinations, like blueberry green tea. I would have brought some back, but they completely ran out. Oh, and how come you never told me about that slideshow that you posed in? The 'This is what happens when you drink Yukari's Coma Tea' slideshow? I'll tell you, it was hilarious! And quite sexy if I do say so myself.?
Reimu gripped Marisa's ankles as tight as she could with the little energy she had left, looked up at her with bloodshot eyes, and strained to say, ?Go to the human village and get me some tea.?
Marisa's smile ceased instantly, dropping her lips and eyebrows into a squished confusion. Of all the people she knew, Reimu was pleading for help: pleading for tea.
Marisa said, ?Um... Uh... What happened to, 'I can do it by myself,' and, 'I don't need your help,' and-?
Reimu gripped tighter, digging her fingernails into Marisa's legs. Like a dying woman, she strained out, ?Just... get... it...?
Even with all of the youkai they have battled, this sight scared Marisa more than anything: the nearly-undefeatable Reimu Hakurei was brought down not by some demon or some monster from another realm, but a simple lack of brewed plant leaves.
When Marisa backed away, Reimu had no more energy to keep herself up, lying limp in the shrine courtyard.
?O-Okay,? Marisa said, inching away from her as if Reimu was about to explode, ?I-I'll be right back. I'll try and get the usual. In fact, I'll get a few extras just in case the usual doesn't work... Yipe!? She jumped on her broom and took off at a speed that made her teacup hat fall off.

Although a blast of barrage fire can painful, it was the long, permeating sting of defeat that hurt the most. Today, Reimu remembered how much it hurt.
?It's official,? she thought, lying on her side in the fetal position in the shrine courtyard, waiting for her tea, ?I've humiliated myself in front of Marisa. This day can't possibly get any worse.?

?Oh, how the mighty have fallen,? said a familiar old voice: a green-haired spirit in blue robes who Reimu has not seen for a very, very long time; a month, to be exact. Reimu's pounding heart was the only thing that moved.
?Of all the random encounters,? thought Reimu, ?Why her?!?
?I have waited a long time for this,? said Mima, looming over the blank-eyed Reimu, ?and now I finally know your weakness. Just as long as you don't have any tea, you're completely helpless, and the Hakurei Yin Yang orbs will be mine!?
Using her staff, she rolled two orbs from the shrine over to Reimu until they were close enough to sync up with her, and then she picked up Reimu and began flying over the shrine towards the caves to Makai. When things just couldn't get any more degrading, Reimu used every last bit of strength to scream, ?HEEEEEEELP!!!?
?Scream all you like,? she said, ?Nobody's gonna come to such a dilapidated old shrine to help you. You're coming with m-? POW! A fist slammed into Mima's face, sending her flying into the treeline and Reimu plummeting onto the shrine roof. When Mima reoriented herself, she saw a small girl with horns on her head and chains on her arms standing over her in a fighting stance (or fighting stumble to be more accurate).
?Nice to meetcha,? said the horned girl, ?I'm Suika, and I take out the trash around here, and you look like you're cluttering the shrine!?
?An oni?,? Mima asked, staring at the rare creature before her, "I really ought to visit this place more often.? Mima withdrew her staff and said, ?No matter: I'll make short work of you and take the shrine maiden with me.?

Unfortunately, Reimu was on an angle of the where she could only hear the fight, and she had no strength to climb up and watch. She heard Suika yell, ?Get over here!,? followed by the jangling of Suika's chains reeling in Mima and her fists flying in Mima's helpless body. She heard an explosion, bullets whizzing by, and Suika screaming, ?Ow!? With another spell card, Reimu heard thunderous stomping and Mima yelling, ?How did you become so big?! AH!? BAM! A powerful punch sent Mima flying so fast over the shrine roof that Reimu felt her whizzing by into the shrine courtyard. She tried opening her eyes to watch, but all she could see was Suika's bloomers as she jumped over the shrine, still in her giant form.
Hearing the bullets fly and the punches being thrown, Reimu thought, ?The strongest youkai in Gensokyo is fighting the most powerful spirit, and I'm missing it!?

On the ground, Mima's shots endlessly pelted Suika, feeling like hundreds of tiny static shocks, forcing her to reduce herself back to normal size.
?Not bad,? said Mima, ?but what happens when you run out of those cards you've been using??
?I don't think that's any of ya' business,? Suika said, pulling out one last card, ?cause you'll be done-for by then. Now, how's about a little PANDEMONIUM?!?
The card flashed and then crumbled into a black hole, spitting bullets in every possible direction. Suika was able to hold back (it was her card, after all), and Mima struggled to keep her distance, but she managed. Reimu, however, found herself getting dragged closer and closer to the edge of the room and towards both the giant black hole and the endless, random barrage of bullets.
Just was Reimu was slipping off the roof, she felt something tug at her leg and drag her away into the sky. Dangling upside-down with her skirt over her head, she couldn't look up to see who was dragging her off, whether it was a friend or foe. She could only think, ?I'm doomed.?
?What did I miss?,? asked Marisa, flying her from the battle to the opposite side of the shrine.
Shocked awake by nearly falling off the roof, she said, ?I thought I was a goner,? just as Marisa flew her inside.
?Not yet,? she said, handing Reimu a steaming cup of tea. She said, ?I brewed this on the way over with my reactor. No need to thank me.?
As Reimu began guzzling that sweet, warm nectar of the gods, Marisa opened her bag and pulled out a kettle, a bottle of steaming hot water, and a box of instant tea packets. She said, ?Let's start with the fastest, then we'll work our way up to the best.?

Meanwhile, on the shrine grounds, Suika's spell card began running out of power, feeling less like a black hole hurling out a barrage of bullets and more like a stiff breeze spitting out a bullet when it felt like it, just before fizzling out.
?Aw crap,? said Suika.
Mima smiled and said, ?Didn't have any backup plans, did you??
?Well, pummelin' seems to have worked in the past, so I think I'll try that now. Chaaaarge!? Suika made a mad dash straight towards Mima, who charged up her staff in the meantime. If only Suika had known Mima survived as long as she did without spell cards, she might've rethought charging her in a straight line.
With one wave of her staff, Mima sent a barrage of bullets hurtling into Suika just as she was ready to headbutt her; the point-blank blast of magic sent Suika hurtling down the courtyard and into the shrine tori, where she then lied motionless.

?Now,? shouted Mima, turning to the shrine, ?It's just you and me.?
She winced at the sight of Reimu on her feet, wand-in-hand, with Marisa was by her side adding, ?And me.?
?Marisa,? yelled Mima, ?you traitorous little-?
Marisa held up her reactor at Mima and screamed, ?MASTER SPAAAAARK!!!? Mima flinched away, but Marisa's reactor did nothing but puff out a cloud of smoke. ?Whoops,? said Marisa, ?I forgot I used up all my sparks to boil the tea on the way over here.? Reimu stared at Marisa, and Marisa asked, ?What? It did its job, right??
Mima chuckled for a bit at the exchange, but then Marisa said, ?Oh well. Reimu, do what you do best.?
Reimu nodded and pulled out one of her spell cards, saying, ?I will.? Before Mima could float away, Reimu dashed down the shrine walkway, leaped into the air, and she stayed airborn as she chased down Mima. In a last-ditch effort, Mima hurled shot after shot at her, only for Reimu to dodge and weave gracefully around each volley. Then, Reimu held her spell card high and screamed, ?DUPLEX BARRIER!? The card dissolved and created two inescapable cubes of glowing blue energy around them: one surrounding Reimu, and a larger one trapping in Mima. Mima watched in terror as Reimu chucked amulet after amulet into her side of the blue cube of energy, moments before they all came spitting out on Mima's side in an endless, growing loop until she could no longer find a place to dodge.
The amulets cut their way through Mima, splintering her into thousands of pieces, which then fell into the woods.
Reimu Hakurei had returned.

After a brief sealing ritual, Reimu stuffed Mima's temporary fragments into a sak? jar. After confirming with Marisa that nobody was listening, Reimu told Suika, ?If you ever run into those three fairies, give them this.? She gave Suika the jar, and Suika couldn't help but giggle at the idea of what would happen if those fairies released such an obtrusive spirit.
When Suika set out for the forest, Reimu told Marisa, ?As for us, I think we need to make up for lost time.?
Marisa asked, ?Lost time??
Reimu said, ?It's a good thing we have two tea kettles between the both of us.?
Marisa grinned at the idea.

Even though that day had been a waste, there was still tomorrow, and with everything Marisa had bought (or at least stole from who-knows-where), they knew tomorrow wasn't going to be a repeat.
Yet, as the evening drew to a close, Marisa couldn't help but feel there was something wrong with Reimu: at her table, surrounded by every tea known to humanity, drinking cup after cup, Reimu didn't really smile or look up at her.
?Today's been interesting,? said Marisa, pouring a mix of green and ginger.
Reimu sighed and said, ?Yeah.?
Marisa asked, ?What's wrong??
?Nothing,? said Reimu, staring down at all of the tea around her.
?Is it because Yukari put you in a coma and had Aya take lewd pictures of you? Or because Mima knows you're not a morning person without your tea? Or because you missed the biggest tea party of the year??
Knowing nothing could top what just happened, Reimu looked up at Marisa and asked, ?You don't think I'm helpless, do you??
Marisa chuckled for a bit, and then she said, ?Nah! A helpless person could never take down youkai like you do.?
"But I couldn't have won that battle today without your help," she said, "Maybe you were right. Maybe I do depend on you for help."
?Askin' for help doesn't make you helpless,? said Marisa, actually sounding sincere for once, "What's askin' for help than just another way of helpin' yourself? As long as you can find one person who cares about you, I don't think you'll ever be helpless."
Reimu must've known she was blushing. She averted her eyes down to her reflection in the teacup, smiled, and said, ?Thanks.?
Marisa said, ?I just think you're stubborn.?
She looked up and shouted, ?Hey!?
?I'm just bein' honest,? she said. Reimu sighed and continued drinking her delicious variety of teas; a rainbow arrangement of sweet, sour, spicy, and tangy flavors next to a mountain of sugar and a river of honey, putting her in tea paradise. Marisa said, ?If you would've just asked me to help from the start, you could've avoided all of this.?
As soon as Reimu finished off her cup, she began pouring another, saying, ?But that's not how things in Gensokyo work, now do they??
 
« Last Edit: July 26, 2011, 06:18:29 PM by Spaztique »
Making Touhou music and actually-pretty-decent Walfas animations since 2011!

FinnKaenbyou

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #857 on: July 22, 2011, 08:53:23 PM »
I hope this actually falls under the contest category. :V

-----

A storm was brewing.

She couldn?t describe the feeling in words. She?d tried, once, when the tengu had tracked her down for an interview. At first she said it was like goosebumps running across her body all at once. Then she?d tried to say it was like a bolt of lightning striking her in the back, sending energy pulsing through her bloodstream. Finally, she?d tried to explain that it was as if she was the storm itself, indignant and ready to burst.

The feeling was all of these, and yet more. By that point she was getting an awkward stare from the Shameimaru girl, so she just gave up on explaining. It was a shame she couldn?t show her how it felt - the feeling of a storm forming in her veins, like it had drifted through the air and entered her as she breathed in.

She casually turned to her left, altering her flight course to head straight towards the ominous black clouds in the distance. The day was in its final throes, the sun sinking in the distance. She?d heard once that humans believed in a giant dragon who ate the sun during an eclipse, and they had to scare him away with noises and cries to save the earth.

She?d never met a dragon who?d eat the sun in her line of work, but she wouldn?t write off the possibility.

Today had been a slow day, she thought to herself. The skies had been almost empty, and moving from cloud to cloud had been harder than usual. Technically, she was meant to wait in the clouds so that no-one saw her, but she?d never really held to that system. Too much effort, and it meant staying in the woozy whites for too long. If she hung too close to these little balls of fluff they sort of leeched at her, pulling her strength away until she was lazing her way across the sky just like they were.

But it had all been building up, she realised now. It was a long calm phase before the real storm reared its head. She could make it out now - several kilometers both long and wide, and tall enough that she could swim in it with ease. It was only just beginning, the first droplets of rain beginning to fall towards the ground miles beneath her. Gensokyo was going to have a miserable evening.

Meanwhile, Iku Nagae would be having the time of her life.

It took a few minutes of flying to reach it, but with every second the cloud grew larger. The first bolt of lighting darted down towards the earth, and it was like a switch had been flipped in the back of her mind. It was as if until now she?d been flying around with her brain in the OFF position, and only now did she truly come to life. She raced forward, her speed doubling and her heart pumping wildly.

There was always a sense of nostalgia when she flew into a storm cloud. It brought back the memories of her time training in the rivers, that burst of adrenaline that rushed through her when the currents grew wild. When the waters raged, so did she; when they were calm, she drifted past without a care in the world. Still, no mere river could compare to the energy built up within this cloud - and as the rumbles of nearby thunder reached her ears, her entire body started to tremble in anticipation.

Iku had no time to sit in place. The power of the storm was being channeled through her, and she raced the lightning to see who would be the first to make it out. Her dress flapped to and fro behind her, its scarlet edges slicing at the sea of black surrounding her. From the moment she?d been given it by the emperor of the Dragon Palace it had become her most prized possession, and not just because it let her take to the air. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, billowing in the furious skies as the wind spiraled around her. She?d come to treat it almost as a second skin now - she felt naked without it, only half the woman she was when she was flying through the sky like she could have only dreamed of once.

Bolts of lightning leapt around inside the cloud, crackles of thunder following right behind. Each flash forced Iku to blink, moving slightly away from the source of the blast. She knew that there was a chance the lightning would strike her, that she was putting her life at risk by staying here. In spite of that - or maybe because of that - she continued on unfazed, letting the bolts pass within metres of her face. The closer they came, the stronger she felt, with her heart soaring every time the thunder blazed in her ears.

Every inch of her body felt awake now, alive. She was the storm - volatile, furious, with limitless energy and rage. If she?d been flying with a companion, they?d never have been able to keep up with her - and if they were on her bad side, the lightning crackling around them would be the least of their problems. She continued her blitz through the cloud, a manic grin glued to her face. This was her element, she knew - she was never truly at home in the water. This was where she belonged - in the eye of a storm, in the midst of one of nature?s most beautiful calamities.

Then, almost as soon as it had started, it faded.

Iku felt it right away - a choking sensation in her throat that forced her to stop and grab at her neck. By the time she?d caught her breath she could feel the storm beginning to dissipate. The cloud had been cut off from its supply of warm air, she knew, and without a supply of power the storm was unable to maintain its fury. The last of the rain was released, and Iku didn?t realise she?d sunk beneath the cloud until the rain pushed her hat down over her eyes. She pulled it up, feeling like she?d spent a week in the woozy whites.

This was the low that accompanied her euphoric high. She couldn?t avoid it. The two were connected at the most basic level - she couldn?t have one without the other. It would pass in a few hours, but until then she barely had the strength to keep herself afloat. Looking to her sides, she saw that even her clothes had drooped down as the winds died.

Iku forced herself to move forwards, seeing a small wave of cirrus clouds nearby. She flew in, and the warm embrace that enveloped her felt like she?d returned home. Without so much as thinking she leaned backwards in the air, spreading her arms out and looking upwards at the sky. She could just make out the stars through the cloud cover, shining down on her as she closed her eyes.

As she fell asleep in the middle of the skies of Gensokyo, she wondered how many dragons it would take to eat all the stars she could see from here.

Iced Fairy

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #858 on: July 25, 2011, 04:31:26 AM »
*Bong* *Bong* *Bong* *Bong* *Bong* *Bong* *Bong*

Orin stretched and yawned as the great Grandfather clock rang out the hour.  She considered sleeping for a little longer, but her stomach quickly reminded her of the other important thing in life.  So after kneading the couch she'd been resting on for a bit, she hopped down and made her way over to one of the Palace of the Earth Spirit's kitchens.

Asagi gave her a low wuff and a few tail wags before the inugami returned to it's breakfast.  Rin graced the dog with a gaze and a tail lash before moving to get her own food.  She briefly considered switching to human form to get into the pantry, but the door was open enough that she could simply paw it open.  As she did the delightful smell of corpses rolled out.

Orin didn't bother hunting down her dish or pulling off chunks.  She just jumped onto the two corpses there and started eating.  It wasn't the choicest of meats, but it was good enough to start off the day.  Besides now that Okuu had gotten the power of a god they'd had a lot more corpses to spare.

After finishing up breakfast she hopped back down and headed out to the courtyard, and the hell of blazing fires concealed beneath it.  It was time to go to work.

The massive shutters that once served to keep the lost souls within the hell of blazing fires sadly required her to leave her cat form.  She took a few seconds to get used to the feeling of hands, before starting up the winches and cranks to open the doors.

The heat wave that hit her when she opened the floor of the courtyard was intense, almost as hot as the place had gotten back when it was the old hell.  As a kassha it wasn't too dangerous for her, but it was still hotter then she really liked.  ?You're overdoing it again Okuu,? she groused.

When the fires were this hot the only thing to do was to open up the shutters all the way and let the heat out for a day or two.  Still that did make her job easier.  Perhaps she could go out and tour the surface world after she finished here.  With that pleasant thought in mind she started working the crank again, humming off key as she did.

?Brains!?

Orin looked over to see a group of little fairies, each dressed up like a zombie.  ?Hey guys.  You wanna come with my today??

The lead fairy giggled and spun around before grabbing onto the crank and starting to spin around.  Orin kept humming as the other five joined in.  These little flame spirits would do almost anything if they could be convinced it was a game.  Admittedly it took them a while to figure out which direction to spin, but after that they did all the work while Orin sat back and watched.

When the shutters were fully open she clapped.  ?Good work girls.  Let's head out.?  The fairies chattered amongst themselves at the praise, then flew to hide in the skulls that she had in her cart.  Orin nodded as the skull's eyes filled with blue flames to match the other evil spirits that followed her, then upped the amount of power she was leaking as a youkai.  Now she could ignore them as she pleased, while still being sure they were somewhere nearby following her power.

That done she zipped down into the former hell, towards the nuclear reactor.  Telling Okuu to turn the heat down wouldn't take long.  And then she could grab the elevator and go out to play.

---

?Line up!? Chen said to the assembled cats.  Orin carefully moved into the line, making sure to keep at least one normal cat between her and the shikigami.  Chen was terrible about sensing intruders, but Orin didn't want to risk it just yet....

Chen continued her little spiel.  ?Alright, everyone, you know the drill by now. If you think it?s gonna land on the red side, stand on the left. If it?s gonna land on the non-rusted side, stand on the right.?  Orin slinked to the left as Chen fussed with the coin then dashed for the box of fish as soon as Chen's attention dropped.

?Hey!  No cheating!?  The nekomata pounced at her.  It was a good attack, one that would have caught a normal cat.

Orin of course just flew back away from Chen's dive, then dashed through the air into the box.  She transformed to a humanoid as she swiped the sardines, then quickly downed the fish before Chen could steal them back.  Chen hissed in annoyance as Orin licked her fingers clean.  ?Looks like my win, kid.?

?What the hell, Rin!?  Chen snarled.  ?Is your master not feeding you?  Is that why you're stealing from house cats??

Orin snickered.  ?I'm doing fine, but it's more fun to catch food yourself.  Perhaps you're too young to understand that, kitten.?

The stray cats scattered as Chen's tails bristled.  ?You second rate pet, I'll show you the power of a Yakumo!?

?Sure sure.?  Orin snapped her fingers.  ?Fireballs, girls.?

The five fairies dashed out of the brush and began floating around Orin in a circle.  Chen jumped out of the way as they started tossing mini fireballs.  ?Nyahaha!  See ya round little house kitten!? Orin spun and began her retreat.

?Grr, I may not have familiars, but I'm way faster then you!?  Chen curled up into a spinning ball and slammed into Orin's back.

Orin immediately shifted to cat form before Chen could get a good hold of her and latched on to the nekomata's tail.  Chen changed in response and tried to pounce on Rin.  Orin of course just rolled on her back and batted the smaller cat to the side before counter pouncing.

The two rolled and tumbled in the air as the strays and fairies looked on.  Chen was incredibly nimble, but she'd spent too much time in human form to really be good at this.  A fact Orin was happy to drum into the nekomata with her paws.

?What's all this noise, Chen!?  The two cats froze as Ran's annoyed voice called up from the village.  As one the two nekomata broke their grapple and dashed away in different directions.  Orin hoped that the kitsune would head after her wayward shikigami first, but she wasn't about to slow down to find out.

Still she'd accomplished something important with her little game.  It wouldn't be good if the younger cats got too arrogant, right?

---

After she was sure she'd given Ran the slip she headed off to the village proper to rustle up some corpses.  Sadly, it seemed that no one had died recently in the village so she moved on to the next stop on her itinerary; the Hakurei Shrine.  She could sleep in the sun there until Reimu made dinner, then eat a bit before going home for supper.

At least that's what her plan was.

As Orin cleared the line of trees around the shrine she saw there was an intruder in the shrine.  An interloper claiming her rightful place.  There, in the sunning spot next to the pond was a calico cat taking up her space!  Even more insulting, the intruder had only one tail!

This would not do.

Orin dropped from the sky to approach the interloper from the ground.  As she did she allowed her power to leak out, knowing that it would put any non magical beast under her influence.  ?Oi!  What are you doing here??

The intruder didn't jump up and run away like he was supposed to.  Instead he yawned, stretched and sat up to look at her, tail lashing.  ?Hey, Genji.  Who's this new girl??

?New girl?!? Orin yowled back.  She lowered herself to pounce on the fool and beat some sense into him when the pool suddenly bulged and overflowed.  They both had just enough time to leap away before the water soaked them.

?Hey, watch it Genji!? they both said.

The ancient turtle ignored the mental chastisement from the two cats.  ?That girl was captured by Yukari.  Something about letting the spirits from the underground out.  Reimu said she'd look after the creature.?

?Who's a creature ya bearded bottom feeder?? Orin hissed down at the turtle.  Genji merely rolled his eyes and sank back into the pool.

?Huh, you'd think the boss would tell me if she got a pet,? the other cat said.

Orin's tail started twitching furiously. ?Hey!  I'm not her pet.  I just drop by sometimes.  Miss Satori is my master.?  She glared at the intruder. ?And who are you to question me?  For that matter what are you?  You've only got one tail...?

The calico blinked at her, then started washing his face.  ?You're awfully possessive for someone who just drops by sometimes.?

Orin growled.  ?You're awfully familiar for a newcomer.?

?Ah there you are.?  Both the cats turned to see Reimu walking towards them with a box in hand.  ?I got some of that strange mochi that's all the rage in the outside world, so I need your powers.?

?Tch,? the calico's ears twitched. ?As you command.? Reimu plopped down on the back porch and the cat flew quite gracefully over to her lap.

Orin's curiosity was piqued.  She hopped onto the porch and found a good sunning spot there. ?So... you talk big but you seem to be at Reimu's beck and call.  Not very cat like of you is it??

?Well that's because I'm not a real cat,? he replied.  Orin cocked her head at him in confusion.  What was he saying?

?Eh?  You can talk to cats??
  Reimu peered down at the calico.

?No she can talk to catlike things.? To Orin's surprise the cat on Reimu's lap morphed into one of the yin yang orbs Reimu used as options.

Reimu looked at it.  ?Oh.  So now only I can hear you.  Weird.?

With another poof the orb transformed back into a cat. ?Currently she's using my abilities in order to eat sweets and not get fat.  You youkai should challenge her more often so I don't have to waste my time on such matters.?

Orin snickered as Reimu swatted the calico's ears before popping another mochi ball in her mouth.  Then she stretched and curled up on the porch in the sunlight. ?Sorry.  I only go all out when something important's on the line bro.?

Orin stretched and purred as the calico sighed.  Today had turned out to be far more interesting then she expected.  She'd have to drop by the Hakurei shrine a little more often.  After all as the best kassha in Gensoukyo, it was her duty to teach this cat who wasn't a cat how things were done around here.

But for now, she'd sleep in the sun until dinner.

Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #859 on: July 25, 2011, 05:02:09 AM »
Yeah, it will soon become obvious that I can't do slice of life to save my own. Let's see where this goes.
Edit: This is an author tract. Please do not kill me and instead settle for mutilation, psychological torment, and flaming.
Edit: Yeah, I'm a fan of Anathe's works.

Terran Animism

Reimu woke up to a sunrise like any other. Rising with the sun, she tottered about half-asleep, conducting the first rites of the day with a precision born of routine. After some time, she plunged her head into a bucket of cold water drawn from the nearby well. This ablution complete, Reimu went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Without incident, her first meal of the day was prepared almost exactly like her first meal of the year. The only deviation from procedure was the method of boiling rice; an arrangement of barriers was used in lieu of a metal pot, since said pots were undergoing repair at the blacksmith of the human village. Said barriers were textured with noise (Yukari's term for deviations from an initial shape) in order to avoid a repeat of the first attempt at "better living through magic", which resulted in an explosion that sprayed the ceiling with boiling water and rice (Reimu was spared burns by another barrier
used as an apron. An absentee god is a god that cannot complain about the (mis)use of the powers granted to its mortal agents. ).

After eating, Reimu decided to sweep the grounds, but noted strange disturbances in the magical currents around the shrine. After a cursory examination, she concluded that the source was about one meter from the front entrance.

She began boiling water in a tea kettle and snatched a bag of tea leaves from a conveniently-placed cabinet. Guests were arriving, after all.

The disturbance vomited forth not only its source (Yukari Yakumo, sage of the Eight clouds, etc.) but a "hungry ghost" (Yuyuko Saigyouji of the netherworld) and her gardener (Youmu Konpaku). The neck of some bottle protruded from a smaller disturbance *gap*. Some discussion led to a request to stay for the rest of the day; some wheedling led to a flustered Youmu donating a few coins of various denominations; some tea reminded Yukari of a time and place long lost that she did not share.

Reimu acknowledged those things without noticing them; she continued to sweep, settling into the rhythm that was both imposed on and shaped by her actions.

As she swept, Reimu listened to the cicadas; their noises at the border of continuous chirp and unitary buzz. The birds chirped and trees swayed.

All was united in some pulsing power.

Being a miko meant being no stranger to nature. Reimu's mind (and soul?) expanded and enveloped the surrounding area, first feeling the strong thoughts of her guests and then the various youkai in the surrounding forests; a hazy signal somewhere between soft light and melody emanated from the approximate bearings of the homes of Marisa and Alice. The Mountain of Faith was the feeling of a gentle breeze with a hint of mist woven into sunbeams, one of which alighted upon the Hakurei shrine. Eientei and the Scarlet Devil Mansion were tones of startling clarity accompanied flickering lights and simple shapes, hinting at barriers formed not through such a power as Hakurei in itself but by the subtle manipulation and redesigning of other sources. All of these things pulsed with strong, clear purpose.

The human village was like a tapestry of bees, with the desires of each resident interfering with that of the desires of all other residents, averaging to a tone analogous to brown. Closer inspection revealed hundreds of colors, each submerged by others and the haste of the viewer.

Such things became obvious with practice. Reimu slowed her breaths and stilled her pulse, striving and struggling to do nothing. The change was gradual, but the transition was almost epiphianic; non-perception of time squeezed small increments into sweeping differences. Here, earthy hues dominated, with the slow pulses of the trees as a foreground and background to the rise and fall of entire populations of creatures, their individual buzzes little more than background annoyance. This level of perception was not as familiar as the previous one to Reimu, but she was at the same time no stranger to it, as it was another holy space entrusted to the gods. From the brooks, rivers, and small pools of water essence arose, subtly changed by the presence of a master in Gensokyo (Suwako). The very air was similarly impregnated with divine potential. This reservoir of power was at a moment flowing, a tributary current that funneled to the Youkai Mountain and its resident god. Zephyrs in this current danced, with some larger patterns forming into self-sustaining flows not too different from newborn Youkai. Perhaps some other god of wind would arise if Kanako left, or else this energy might merge with other flows into some rainbow river, mixing and merging to finally coalesce into some Deity of Everything that demanded the Utmost Respect and honored only the power of the written Word.

The next step was even farther removed from ordinary experience. This perception was characterized by an almost unbearable purity; what was left of the ground was flat and monotonously white. Chains snaked through the air, hanging on each other, sprouting from the ground, wrapping around empty spaces that seemed to wander. Reimu recalled Yukari's explanation of the enforcement of spellcard rules; in order to impose such comprehensive control, the very base of Gensokyou's magic must be the source of limitations. And so the purest of places was bound with the purest of restraints, restraints that extended upwards with privileged gazes, seeing but remaining unseen, enforcing things which lost most of their meaning at such a generalization.

Reimu had been in this place before. Somehow more than just a new perception of the world, this layer existed semi-autonomously. It was within this place that Reimu would hide when using Fantasy Heaven, turning the odd magical current into torrents of amulets.

Of course, the purity was not the only characteristic. As much as this space was Reimu's so it was one of Yukari's domains. Near Reimu, cracks laced the floor. As if willed into decay, an area large enough for Reimu to enter crumbled, revealing a strange, purple-tinted space inhabited by countless eyes and numerous, shadowy arms. Yukari's essence was stronger than ever here, as if the sage was the shadow and the *gap* was (were?) the sage.

Reimu steeled herself. Beyond this point was something novel, something unimaginable and hence unimaginably beautiful and unimaginably terrifying. It had no definition in Reimu's mind, so it was possibly anything, including something far beyond understanding or even beyond the imagined possibilities of understanding.

With one shaky step, Reimu plunged into the gap. Instead of traveling through it, her body (was it even that, at this point?) tore through the gap. The world of white chains seemed to hurtle away.

Reimu found herself temporarily blinded in a space that filled her with a sense of vastness. She waited for her senses to return.

And yet there was nothing.

The Nothing was suffocating, blinding, and deafening. Nothing flowed. Magic was Nothing. Movement was Nothing. Reimu was all that existed, and only her fears of being Nothing convinced her that she was not Nothing.

She had dived deep, taxing her mind and her control over her body to get closer to true nature. She had steeled herself, preparing against hundreds of possibilities from indignant kami to blind idiot gods, out of curiosity and determination, to bring herself to the true spirit of the world, the very earth that held and nourished all life, human and Youkai.

She had found nothing.

Unbeknownst to her, Reimu's fears had buoyed her away from that appalling panorama of void. She found herself hearing only the chattering of her guests. She opened eyes that she did not remember closing to spot some shapes on the horizon.

"Marisa will be here, too."

The sun had crawled incrementally higher into the sky. The trees swayed and cicadas sounded as they did before. Nothing had changed.

"Hence, the illimitable inane," whispered Yukari, loudly and cryptically, allowing the seven syllables to hang in the air.

"Well, if nothing that exist matters, then you just have to make or do what matters to you, right?" A blonde head in a distinctive black and white hat stood at an odd angle. Marisa's broom hung on an unfolded chair sat in from of a table with a go board devoid of pieces.

"She's awake"

"Good morning, Reimu", chirped Marisa.

The sun had already passed its zenith.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2011, 03:58:55 AM by LogosOfJ »

Dead Princess Sakana

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #860 on: July 26, 2011, 03:19:40 PM »
Due to busy schedules we judges won't be able to do any work this week. Thus this WWC is Extended by one week, until July 31st. Sorry for the inconveniences ^^

Spaztique

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #861 on: July 26, 2011, 06:18:58 PM »
In that case, excuse me while I clean up some of the schmaltz from my story's ending (among other tweaking).
Making Touhou music and actually-pretty-decent Walfas animations since 2011!

Aya Squawkermaru

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #862 on: July 26, 2011, 06:28:23 PM »
Hmm... I originally wasn't going to participate due to learning about this only one day before the original deadline but now...

Not that what I write will be all that good, but might as well get some practice in.

Alfred F. Jones

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - A Day at Hakurei Shrine
« Reply #863 on: August 07, 2011, 04:25:01 AM »
IT'S TOO FREAKING HOT AUGH


Like this, but more books and more swimsuits.

Yes, it's still summer. The most recent entries have been tempting to sleep on for a week longer, but it's time to wrap this up. This time Sakana will be providing most of the commentary!

It was a tough one to pick, but the majority goes to Iced.

They were all borderline non-qualifiers, though, since some people's ideas of slice-of-life are just a little too packed full of action. Iced's almost has a little too much going on for a "normal day" event, but it still met the main qualifiers (can't help it if Orin's idea of a normal day is a lot more active than, say, Reimu's). Rou's is similar to Logos', taking a character's everyday task and turning it into something special through description, but because of how short they were, that ended up weakening their entries. Spaztique's entry is entertaining and fun, certainly a nice piece of writing, but way too full of unusual events to count for the "everyday" theme, as with Santora's.

---

This is such a cool prompt that I hope it will explode into your brains with as much awesome as the following picture conveys.

August 7, 2011: "Gensokyo: Where Myth Comes to Life"

This is classical mythology, right? Okay, good.

Mostly thanks to Touhou, a lot of us have learned a lot about Eastern (specifically Japanese) mythology and folklore. But I know for a fact that a lot of people have wondered about how much fun it would be to see other world mythologies represented in the world of Gensokyo. So dust off those ideas of King Arthur riding into Gensokyo on the back of Quetzalcoatl, because this is the contest for them! Mixes of various mythologies are welcome. Generally you should keep them to more old-school myths (sorry, Robot Unicorn Attack), but with the sheer variety out there, this will hopefully not be a huge problem.

I will generally take entries at their word, even if they're oral tradition and local folklore, but due to the wonders of the internet, most of those are now written down somewhere, so if you could include any sort of link to the original myth you are taking elements from, that'd be swell. For ideas (and also for good reading in general), this thread comes highly recommended.

Deadline is in two weeks as usual, so that's August 21st, I believe. Have fun writing, folks!

Bias Bus

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Where Myth Comes to Life
« Reply #864 on: August 08, 2011, 12:23:01 PM »
This sounds like it would run up my alley, I think I may have something for this but I'm not entirely sure if it fits the skinny of this here challenge.

Eh, I'll figure something out eventually (or at least until someone ahead of me posts).
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Phlegeth

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Where Myth Comes to Life
« Reply #865 on: August 11, 2011, 03:48:24 AM »
?The world is veiled in darkness. The wind stops, the sea is wild, and the earth begins to rot,
The people wait, their only hope, a prophecy....
'When the world is in darkness Four Warriors will come....'
After a long journey, four young warriors arrive, each holding an ORB.?  Sanae giggled excitedly, ?this is just like Final Fantasy!?

?There's only three of us though,? Marisa pointed out.

?And we're not holding anything,? Reimu also pointed out.

?Where's your sense of adventure?  Of romance!? Sanae yelled.

?Running into a fortress that suddenly appeared and started draining our lands energy without a plan is hardly my idea of romance,? Reimu said.

?You say that like we had a plan every other time we rushed in somewhere,? Marisa laughed.

?AH-HEM!? a person ahead of them coughed loudly.

?What is that?? Marisa pointed at it.  It was a short really tan looking girl.  Her skin was almost red and she had a Golden Crown on her head that looked like a mountain.  Her white hair was cut short and her side burns pointed out at you and didn't cover her large ears.

?I am not a that!  I am Hanuman!?  She yelled.

?I think it's an enemy,? Marisa said.

?I am no enemy!  I'm asking what business you have at Pamcha Mahabhuta and if I don't like your answer I will have to ask you to leave,? she said sternly.

?That sounds like enemy talk to me,? Marisa responded.

?Please,? Reimu put her hand on Marisa's shoulder, ?let's try not to pick a fight with everything this time.?  She turned her attention to Hanuman, ?Is that Pamkuna Matata--?

?Pamcha Mahabhuta,? Hanuman corrected.

?Yes, that thing.  Is it that fortress?? Reimu pointed.

?Yes it is,? Hanuman answered.

?We're going to stop it, it's draining our lands energy,? Reimu answered.

?I am afraid I can not let you do that.  We need the energy for Akasha,? she said and readied her weapon.

?Told ya, she was an enemy,? Marisa said and pulled out her Mini-Hakkero.

?I guess it's down to what we're good at then,? Reimu said.

Reimu and Sanae flew in to close the distance between them and Hanuman, Marisa flew back.  Reimu started throwing out homing talismans and Sanae throwing out snakes in all directions.

?You think some snakes and pieces of paper are enough??  Hanuman taunted.  ?And why aren't you doing anything??  She pointed at Marisa who has been setting back and watching.

?I didn't really feel like it, but if you insist,? she pointed the Mini-Hakkero at Hanuman.  ?MASTER SPARK!? she yelled and a large beam erupted from the device and engulfed Hanuman.  When it cleared, she stood there staggering.

?I'm telling Yayu on you!? she yelled and ran off into the fortress.  The three girls all looked at each other and nodded and gave chase.

They chased her to the top of the fortress where there was a lush garden filled with many different kinds of fruits and vegetables and two rows of trees leading down a path.  Hanuman flew down the path and entered the door at the end.  When the others tried to fly through the door, it slammed shut.

?My, my,? a sophisticated sounding voice came from behind them.  They turned around and saw a woman in a long flowing light blue dress, she was carrying a trident.  And her long dark blue hair reached past her waist and she was wearing a golden tiara with a giant ruby inserted in it.  ?I am Ap,? she said reaching out a hand and helping Reimu up.  ?And what brings you all up here??  She said with a gentle expression.

?We're here to catch that monkey!? Marisa yelled.

?No,? Reimu said placing her palm over her face, ?we're here to shut this place down.?

Ap's face darkened, ?I'm sorry, but I can't allow that.  I must ask you to leave.?

?We're going to have to decline,? Sanae said.

?So be it,? she picked up her trident and pointed it at Reimu.

?Careful,? Sanae shouted, ?she has a type advantage over you!?

?What?? Reimu shouted, insulted.

?She's a water type and you're a fire type!? Sanae explained.  Reimu looked at Marisa, who shrugged.  She looked at Ap, who also shrugged.  Reimu took that second to throw a talisman at her.  It exploded and she staggered back.  Ap jammed her trident into the ground and created a tidal wave that expanded in all directions.  They all jumped over it.  Marisa started focusing on Ap with her basic laser.

?I've got this!? Sanae yelled.  ?KANAKO!? she threw out her hand and a vapory Kanako appeared behind her and threw many onbashiras straight at Ap.  She jumped to try and avoid them, but they rotated and knocked her in the foot, throwing her to the ground.  She tried to get up again.

?Stay down!? Reimu yelled and threw another talisman at her.  It exploded and she fell back down.

The door opened behind them and they ran down the stairs and into the fortress.  Looking around, it was well light and covered in gold.

?When this is done, you think I could take a wall back home?? Marisa asked.

?Why?? Reimu asked.

?So I can melt it down and sell the gold of course,? Marisa laughed.

?Of course,? Reimu rolled her eyes.

?We lost that monkey,? Sanae said suddenly.  They all stopped and looked around.  Reimu looked at a large door.

?Let's check that one out,? she ran to it and opened it.  There was a woman standing there, waiting on them.

?Hmph,? she said eyeing them over.  ?So you're what all the fuse is about.?  This woman was wearing a green pointed hat with a brown out line that looked a little like cow horns.  She had wavy brown hair cut just above the shoulders  And she was wearing a green shirt with a gold design around her stomache that looked like another pair of arms.  ?My name is Prithvi and you will not get past me.?

?Heard that before,? Marisa said.

Prithvi stomped into the ground and brought up a large rock and she punched it, causing it to splinter into many tiny rocks.  They all flew towards the group.  Marisa responded by throwing out many stars and Reimu and Sanae threw out more of their attacks from earlier.  This joint attack cause Prithvi to stagger.  After she regained her composure, she threw her arms out to her side.  She stomped on the ground and flung her arms forward and three giant boulders came rushing at the group.

?I know what to do!? Marisa shouted, ?Non-directional laser!? she yelled and produced four beams and they rotated around her and destroyed and rocks and pushed Prithvi against the wall.

?Now take us to the control room,? Reimu demanded.

?No,? she said and stomped on the ground again.  They fell for a really long time.  They hit the ground with a thud.  They looked up and saw the hole close up.

?Why that little, when I get back up there,? Marisa said, grabbing her broom  and ready to fly off.

?What?  How'd they get ahead of me!?  They all turned around and saw Hanuman at the entrance of the room they were in.

?Monkey!? Sanae shouted.

?I'M NOT A MONKEY!? she yelled.

?Hey, hey now.  What's going on down here??  They looked above them and saw a girl floating above them.  She was wearing a sky blue outfit that left her belly button exposed.  Her hat was particularly strange.  It was red, orange, and yellow on top and was green wrapped around her head and was blue, indigo, and violet flowing behind her.  She also had a friendly smile.

?Vayu, they called me a monkey!? Hanuman yelled.

?It's probably the ears,? Vayu said bluntly and Marisa laughed to herself.  ?But never mind that,? she held out her hand and just lowered her ring finger, ?Check this out, Prana BEAM!? she yelled and a beam erupted from her hand.

?Whoa!? Marisa yelled and jumped back and grabbed her Mini-Hakkero.  ?Master Spark!? she yelled and the two beam collided and exploded into a large burst of energy!?

?Ha ha ha,? Vayu laughed.  ?That was awesome!?

?I'm guessing she's the Marisa of this group,? Sanae said.

?Did you see that, Hanuman??  Vayu started looking around and saw Hanuman slumped over against the wall and sighed, ?Silly Hanuman, terrible time and place for a nap.?

?Yea, most likely the Marisa of the group,? Reimu agreed.

?Alrighty,? Vayu said floating down, ?let's get down to business.  You guys want something and I don't want you guys to have it.  And I'm bored enough to put up a fight.  So why don't you turn around.?

?Could you point me to the treasury?? Marisa asked.

?Hmm,? she pretended to ponder, ?no.?

?Can I take a wall with me??

?Alright, but you got to take the one separating my room from Ap's.?

?Deal,? Marisa said.

?That settles it,? Reimu said and Sanae nodded.

?Let's loosen the foundation then,? Vayu said and floated up.

?Even after all of that, we still have a fight,? Reimu sighed.

?I'm out of bombs,? Marisa added.

And with that, a whirlwind surrounded Vayu and two lightning bolts struck out and started rotating along with the whirlwind.  The group started circling around with the lighting bolts and firing at Vayu.  After a few moments the whirlwind and bolts stopped.  Vayu's eyes lit up with excitement.  Bolts of lightning started rotating out of her.  And if that wasn't enough, she started firing off Prana Beams.

?That's it!? Sanae yelled suddenly.  ?SUWAKO!? she yelled and a black orb surrounded Vayu and energy was being poured into it.  Then there was a sudden release of the energy ontop of Vayu and she fell to the ground.

She looked up, ?This is exciting, I almost never get to use this attack!?  She said and floated to the air.  She stopped in the air and there was ripple behind her and then she suddenly took off and flew towards the wall.  The group all jumped out of the way.  But where she was, rainbow of bullets erupted and started following Vayu.  But before the first bullet reached her, she jumped again.

?She's moving too fast,? Sanae said.

?This is one of the times where we have to wait until they tire themselves out,? Reimu said.

?Easy for you to say when you have all three bombs left,? Marisa said.

Vayu jumped again and bullets were coming from all directions.  ?Fantasy Seal,? Reimu said waved her arms and multi-colored bullets came out and cleared away all of Vayu's bullets.  After seeing this Vayu jumped four times in quick succession.  She was about to jumped again, but stopped suddenly.  All the bullets vanished and they all turned and looked Vayu who was visibly out of breath.

?You...guys...are good,? she said.  ?I can't...keep up...like this.?  She let out a few deep breaths.  ?Go ahead, I won't stop you.?  She pointed ahead of them before falling over.  Once again the three looked at each other and nodded before running ahead.

They entered a new room with a giant status tube, it appeared that something was in there but it was hard to make out.  There were all sorts of tubes leading into the status tube; pumping all sorts of things into it and making it hard to see.  There was a woman with fiery red hair over looking the whole thing.  She turned when she heard the group enter.  There were rings around her eyes, it appeared that she hasn't slept in days.

?You will not stop me from bring Akasha back!? she yelled.

?No reasoning with this one,? Reimu said.  The others nodded in agreement.

The woman yelled and rushed at the group.  Reimu cocked an eyebrow at this and simply swatted her away with her Shide.  The woman caught it and smirked, ?Honestly now,? she said and picked it and Reimu up and threw them aside.  ?I may not have slept in awhile, but do not under estimate me!? she said.

?And who are you?? Marisa asked.

?Agni,? she responded.  It was at that point, they noticed her hair, the reason it appeared so fiery was the fact that it was on fire.  She waved her hands in front of her and two pillars of fire rushed at Sanae and Marisa.  They jumped out of the way and started focusing on her.  Agni jumped out of the way and clasped her hands together and then thrust them forward, producing a large fireball that split into many smaller fireballs before heading towards Sanae and Marisa.  Out of the corner of her eye, Agni spotted a talisman and jumped out of the way.

Agni looked towards the sky and pointed at the ground in front of Sanae.  The entire fortress started and shaking and a flaming rock fell from the sky and exploded in front of Sanae.  She put up her arms and was pushed away.  Agni looked up again and this time pointed straight at Marisa.

?MOVE!?  Reimu moved and teleported behind Agni and kicked her to the spot Marisa and the rock she called hit her instead.

?Heh heh heh,? she laughed.  ?You're too late,? she said.  There was the sound of glass breaking and they all turned around and saw the status tube shatter.  A figure stepped out.  It was ethereal, there were blue, green, sky-blue, and red clouds floating inside it that gave it the figure off a woman.  ?But, that's not...? a worried look washed over Agni.

The clouds all turned blue and it raised it's hand towards Agni and burst of water rushed over her.  She hit the wall and slumped over.  It made a noise that sounded like a mix of laughter and coughing.  It turned it's sights on the girls.

?It's going to attack!? Reimu yelled.

?Let's not give it the chance!?  Sanae jumped in front, ?Kanako!? she yelled and Onbashiras flew at the being.

It flew backwards and hit the ground hard.  It jumped back up and was green.  It let out a growl and started throwing rocks.  Marisa took off running and sled under one and jumped and hopped off another and started to alternate between her focus and unfocus.  The being was taking more damage then it should have and fell to the ground.

?Hey,? Reimu said, giving an unamused look to Marisa.  ?I thought you weren't going to cheat anymore.?

?I never agreed to that,? Marisa said looking up with her hands behind her head and whistling.

The being hopped up and let out a loud yell, changing it's color to sky-blue.

?Whatever,? Reimu said and started firing her homing talismans.  The being built up energy in it's hand and fired it straight at Reimu.  She did her teleport kick and the being went flying again.  It changed it's color to red and stood up doing that weird laugh, cough.

?Do it,? Marisa said looking at Reimu.

?You have two  left,? Sanae insisted.

?Yea, sure let's end this,? she said.  ?Fantasy Seal,? she fired her multi colored orbs at the being and they all connected and it was knocked off it's feet again. 

Before anyone could react, it flew into the sky and was colored gold.  It let out a loud yell and burst of energy that knocked Marisa and Sanae out cold.

?So you want to do it that way,? Reimu sneered at the being and was met with it's laugh.  ?Fine,? she pulled out her last card.  ?Duplex Barrier!?  The being let out another yell.  With a flick of the wrist, Reimu redirected her barriers around the being and had her attack reflected back at her four times.  This time the being vanished.

?And you said I cheated,? Marisa said from the ground.

?This is within the realms of what's possible,? Reimu retorted.

?I didn't know your Duplex Barrier worked like that.?

?It's my spell, it works how I want it to,? Reimu explained.  ?Come on, let's go home.?

* * *

A couple days later at the Hakurei Shrine Marisa came crashing down from the sky.  Reimu looked over at her friend lying in the ground and sighed, ?Can't you walk up the stairs like a normal person??

Marisa popped her head out of the dirt and shook her self off, ?Why bother learning to fly if I'm not going to use it??

?So did you come for any reason other than to eat my food??

?Yea actually, the trees in the Magical Forest have started coming back to life,? Marisa proclaimed with an oddly proud face.

?That's great!? Sanae said walking up the stairs, ?I came to say the fish in the lake at my shrine have returned as well.?

?I would like to apologize for that,? someone said from above them.  They looked up and saw three figures hovering above the shrine.  ?I made a miscalculation and drained to much energy from the land.  What you fought off was that excess energy fused with Akasha here,? Agni pointed beside her.  There was a young lady with long silver flowing hair and silver gown to match and her eyes were gold and purple.

?You just could stop until you killed a deer,? Marisa joked.

?Pfft, we killed more than just one,? Vayu laughed.

?Vayu?  Why are you here?? Agni asked.

?I asked around and after she beats you, we get free food and tea,? Vayu said excitedly.

?Umm....you're not going to fight me again...are you?? Akasha asked in a squeaky voice.

?I wish, we'd have to win on a higher difficulty than easy,? Marisa said.  Agni and Akasha looked at Reimu and she just sighed and shook her head.

?So, do you guys know Shou?? Sanae asked out of the blue.

?Nope,? Vayu said.  ?Who is that??

?She's like the Avatar of Vaisravana or something,? Sanae explained.

Vayu floated down and got in Sanae's face, glaring.  ?So what are you saying?  Buddhism and Hinduism are the same??

?What?  No!  I just--? Sanae was flustered.

?That's racist, Sanae,? Marisa said.

?Racist,? Vayu said shaking her head.

Thwack**Thomp*  Vayu and Marisa were cowering on the ground, holding there heads with an angry Agni and Reimu standing above them.

?Ignore those two,? Reimu said.  ?Let's go inside and have some tea.?

?Fine!?  Marisa shouted.

?Let's go have our own tea party!?  Vayu said.

?Yea, our tea party will be a thousand times better than your teaparty!? Marisa shouted and the two of them left for Alice's house.

THE END
[/b]

I hope this fits.  My first idea was of Agni, Vayu, and Prithvi being expies Reimu, Marisa, and Alice and going on adventures in there own place.  But I didn't know if that would work, so this came up.  Only Vayu's personality survived.  Also her appearance and final spell card are totally not based on a certain pony.  And on that note, Akasha's appearance is totally not Mary Sueish either  :V

Alfred F. Jones

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Where Myth Comes to Life
« Reply #866 on: August 21, 2011, 04:06:59 AM »
The proper Librarians use green for their announcements, but I like red and orange better.

Deadline extension! New deadline is August 28!

The extra week is for the 10D release. On that note, after today, the MotK staff will stop enforcing the 10D spoiler policy, and its content is fair game for entries. Look forward to it!

Joveus Molai

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Where Myth Comes to Life
« Reply #867 on: August 28, 2011, 07:02:11 AM »
I was going to write something for this Weekly Challenge, but my typically slow writing speed combined with a wonky summer schedule has been my downfall.  :fail:

Congrats on your (impending) victory, Sanrisa!(?)

Bias Bus

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Where Myth Comes to Life
« Reply #868 on: August 28, 2011, 04:32:56 PM »
I was planning to write for this as well, had a good idea but lolhurricane and power issues fucked things up royally on my end.

God dammit all to hell.

Looks like we might have a winner by default this round again, huh?
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OkashiiKisei

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Re: Weekly Writing Challenge! - Where Myth Comes to Life
« Reply #869 on: August 28, 2011, 06:26:23 PM »
Was also planning to post something, but I worked too slowly... I'm only at about halfway through...

Ah well, better luck next time.