Dear Reader,

Welcome to the Human Village. It's good to know you made it here alive.

I wanted to write down some of things you can expect to see around here to help you get accustomed to your new life in the village.

As you may have guessed by the name, this village is made for humans who live in Gensokyo. It's the safest place for humans to live in, as staying here basically grants them safety from the youkai who live in Gensokyo.

On top of that, there's also Keine Kamishirasawa. It's her job to protect the village from anyone who may threaten it's safety.

Of course with that being said, it's not uncommon for youkai to visit this place. I know I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but you don't have to worry. The village is meant to be a safe haven for humans, so, you know, you likely won't have to worry about getting eaten or anything.

Besides, youkai don't really visit unless it's to do buisness. And even then, there are stores that are made to cater to them. They're usually open at night though, when everyone's asleep, unless they're a night owl. But still, the youkai know better than to do anything that could cause the humans to rally against them. So once again, don't worry too much if you happen to run into any youkai around here.

Of course, while the village might not be the most...exciting place to visit in Gensokyo, there's still stuff to see and do around here.

First of all, there's a statue of an Eastern Dragon. It's known as the "Dragon Statue" (real original name, I know), and it's a statue of the Dragon God. Now the story behind that Dragon God is kind of a long one, and I personally don't know all the details myself. But from what I do understand, the Dragon God played a huge role in the creation of Gensokyo.

Anyways the statue was built by the kappa, and was designed to predict the weather. Pretty neat, huh? Heh. Anyhow, the eyes
change color depending on the weather, and even turn red when one of Gensokyo's "incidents" occur. Those are unusual phenomena that occur in Gensokyo, and are usually caused by troublesome youkai.

There's also the Hieda House, where Hieda no Akyuu lives. Her family is one of the richest in the village. Heck, maybe even one of the richest in all of Gensokyo, having several house servants and even a garden for growing vegetables.

From what I hear, Akyuu is the latest reincarnation of the "Child of Miare". So her memories from her past incarnations apperantly go back to over 1200 years! Crazy right?

Anyways, it's her role to collect information from some of the most prominent figures in Gensokyo, be they youkai or youkai hunters, humans and even gods. It's all compiled into something of an encyclopedia, called the "Gensokyo Chronicle". It's currently in it's 9th volume, and in my opinion, it's a nice way to get to know most of folks in Gensokyo. Of course, the youkai tend to tell Akyuu to make them seem stronger than they actually are, plus Akyuu herself even admits that she tends to exaggarate a bit as well. So you know, just take everything you read with a grain of salt. OK?

That aside, I also hear Akyuu likes FM Synthesis music. Umm...have you ever listened to video game music from say...arcade games or even the Sega Genesis? The Sega Genesis and most aracde games from the late 80s to mid 90s (I think) used FM Synthesis for their music. The music Akyuu enjoys is kind of like that. Honestly? As a guy who appreciates Sega Genesis music, which utilizes FM Synths, I think that's pretty neat.

Another place to check out is Suzunaan. It's a book-renting store run by Kosuzu Motoori. A sweet little girl if I do say so myself. Anyways it houses books from the outside world that somehow drift into Gensokyo. They call them "foreign books". Although on that note, I do wonder if they occassionally stumble upon things like comic books or manga. Heh. The thought of them having something like Superman or Spiderman is honestly kind of amusing to me.

Point is, don't hesitate to do some digging in there. You might find an old favorite of yours.

There's also a Temple School in the village. From what I hear, Keine works as a history teacher there. Yeah, It's amazing how she's able to juggle two separate jobs as a Teacher and a Guardian like that.

Oh. Hey, just one thing I want to give you a heads up about. From what I hear, Keine happens to look and act a bit different on the night of a full moon. So you know, keep an eye out if for some reason you need to go out at night.

One more place worth mentioning I think is Geidontei. It's a bar in the Human Village. So, you know, if you want, you can go and grab a drink and something to eat over there. Not much else for me to say about it other than that. I haven't visted it that much myself, to be honest.

Although now that I think about it, I think I heard something about a zashiki-warashi living and working there. ...I don't know much else about it beyond that. Maybe something about it being youkai-only during the after-hours, but nothing else...

But enough of that. That's all I have to say about the Village. I think you should be good to go now. Although just remember. Try not to leave the village unless ABSOLUTELY nessecary. Don't want any youkai eating you for dinner.

Alright. I'll see you around.


Yours truly,



An Interested Party

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, then I guess that means you're still in one piece. I don't know HOW you're still in one piece what with being out of the village and all, but nice going!

OK, so I know you may have found this message out in the open, so, it might be a good idea to find a relatively safe place before you start reading on. OK?

As for where you currently are, or rather where I've placed this message, you're near a place called Misty Lake. And no, this is not the same lake as the one from that level in Sonic and the Black Knight. You ever played that game? For it's terrible gameplay, I think it has a really great story, honestly.

Ahem, I'm getting off topic. Anyways, Misty Lake is a large lake located near the foot of Youkai Mountain. It's kind of like a waterhole, especially during the summer, given that many fairies and youkai tend to gather here around that time.

You may wonder why the lake is called "Misty Lake". Well you see the name comes from the fact that sometime around the afternoon, a strange mist tends to enshroud the lake. It's kind of hard to see when the mist rolls in, so the lake is sometimes said to be bigger than it actually is. I mean, doing the math (which is pretty hard mind you, because I suck at math.), I think it's about an hour's walk to go around the lake.

OK, so while I don't think anyone's gonna try to eat you here, you should keep an eye out for a fairy named "Cirno". She's an ice fairy who hangs out around the lake. Ironically enough, she's also very hot-headed, but also not the sharpest tool in the shed. Although from what I hear, fairies in general are pretty stupid anyways, so that's a given.

One notable thing about Cirno is that claims that she's "The Strongest". Believe it or not, while fairies are pretty weak creatures, being able to be defeated by an adult human, Cirno is actually pretty strong for a fairy. On par with a low level youkai in
fact. Hey, guess her claims of being the strongest aren't completely just air.

Still, with that in mind, it's just best to try and flee from her if she's tries to fight you. Take it from someone who nearly got frozen to death. Though honestly, looking back, that girl does crack me up a bit. Uh, if you ever do run into her, uh, maybe not tell her that? She'll probably flip out.

Besides Cirno, some say there's another fairy who hangs out with the ice fairy. I don't think she actually has a name, but I hear some folks just call her "Daiyousei" or something of the sort. I don't know much else about her, honestly, but most say
that she's a timid fairy who usually tries to keep Cirno under control. So I don't think you'd have to worry about her. At least not as much.

Another thing I heard is that the two fairies are friends with three other youkai. A darkness-manipulating youkai named Rumia, a bug youkai named Wriggle Nightbug, and a night sparrow named Mystia Lorelei. I don't think the three necessarily live in the area, and the rumor that the 5 are all friends is just that, a rumor. But still, whether they're all friends or not, it's best to be on the look out for those three as well. Especially Rumia and Mystia, since they're youkai who are said to eat humans.


Aside from those two faries, um, there's also a mermaid who lives in the lake. I believe her names is Wakasagihime. A mouthful, I know. (It's pronounced like Wah-Kuh-Saw-Gee-He-May). Anyways um, not much to tell you about her other than the fact that she's apart of an organization of youkai known as the "Grassroots Youkai Network". While I think the other known members visit her from time to time, I don't think they live around the area.

One of the members actually lives in Human Village now that I think about it...
I think it was a rokurokubi by the name of..."Sekibanki" was it? Anyways um, the mermaid is actually very passive. So you know, don't worry about her trying to eat you or anything. Heck, mermaids like her should be more worried about you trying
to eat her. Heh.

As for this Sekibanki fellow, she's a bit cynical and reclusive, but I don't think you'd have to worry about her eating you either. Besides if she does live in the village, she has to abide by their rules, so yeah.



One last thing before I wrap this message. Um, I don't know if you've noticed this yet. But there's actually a huge red mansion on the other side of the lake. I wouldn't recommend checking it out, but if you do decide to do so, just know that there's a vampire who lives in that mansion. So you know...be careful if you somehow manage to get in.

Anyways, um, I think you have it from here. I'll talk to you later. If you manage to survive.


Yours Truly,



An Interested Party

---

BTW, >>69117, sorry if my last post came across as rude.

That's all. See you guys soon!

>>69120
>can't wait for a castlevania comparison when covering SDM

Yeaaahhhhhh. Heh. I had loads of fun writing it! Heheheh.
How do I break it to them?
But seriously, thanks for saying so!

---

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, then you must be somewhere around the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
I don't know if you've actually heard of this place beforehand. I wouldn't be surprised if you did though. The Scarlet Devil Mansion is one of the most popular locales in Gensokyo, as well as one of the most mysterious.

The mansion is ruled by a vampire named Remilia Scarlet, who's also known as the "Scarlet Devil". Nobody knows when Remilia and her gang moved to Gensokyo, but it would have to be as earlier than, say, 1998. (They just missed the release of Sonic Adventure)

...Even then, the mansion was seemingly unheard of until the "Scarlet Mist Incident" back in 2003. Something about Remilia blocking the sun out with a Red Mist for...some reason. I don't know the exact details myself, honestly.

Thinking about it, the mansion itself wouldn't be too out of place in a Castlevania game...I dunno. Moving on.

Um, did you run into Hong Meiling? Probably not if you're still outside the mansion gates. I was just curious.

She's the gatekeeper and gardener of the mansion and apperantly is a youkai who comes from China. I hear some people tend to call her "China" because of that. I don't think she really likes it when people call her that, though. I don't really know what species of youkai she is, but I've heard rumors that she's actually a dragon.


Um, hey buddy, be careful if you try to enter the mansion. Meiling may sometimes sleep on the job, but don't underestimate her. When it comes to martial arts she's pratically unrivalled. Believe me. I've seen what happens when someone tries to break in. Let's just say, getting punched or kicked by her looks like it would hurt. Like a lot.

But hey, she's also very friendly, even towards humans, so you know, I don't think you need to worry about her eating you or anything. Besides, she gets her meals from the mansion anyways, so, yeah. If you don't plan on breaking into the mansion, you won't have to worry about her attacking you or anything.


Uh...heh...I know I've been going on about Meiling for a while, but what can I say? I think I may actually like that girl. I mean come on. That friendly personality? Her overwhelming confidence? Her breathtaking beauty? Her fighting style even looks as graceful as it does painful, if you ask me.

I did actually manage to talk to her a few times in the past few weeks, believe it or not. So it's not like we're complete strangers. Maybe I could...

No. I mean, we barely know each other. It's fine if she wouldn't want to go out with me anyways, I mean I still don't know how it would be if a youkai were to date a human. And besides she'd probably be dating someone else by now. Like...say...a cranky old fairy or something. Probably having plenty of..."passionate nights" with him too.

I mean, not that that's a problem. Even if she, say, were to choose that flower youkai who lives in the Flower Fields over me; Or her mistress' head maid; Or both, I would one-hundred-and-one-percent accept her decision.


Wait, the maid...oh right, that reminds me!


Hey if you do somehow manage to get inside, be careful. This may be my bias speaking, but the folks inside the mansion aren't as welcoming.

Let's see. There's a magician who spends most of her time in an underground library. She goes by name of Patchouli Knowledge. She's very clever and excels at magic. However she's also very sickly. I mean, I'd also have breathing problems if I spent a hundred years couped up in the library. Though thinking about, I'm sure a punch in the face may end up knocking her out cold...Eh, I guess give it a shot if she goes after you, though I don't know how likely that is to happen if you don't bother her.

Anyways, Patchouli is apparently more of a houseguest than a servant, so, you know...I don't imagine her using the formalities with Remilia that Meiling and the headmaid may use.

I'll explain the headmaid in a second, but, just so you know, there are also rumors of Patchouli having a sort of familiar who helps her around the library. No one knows much about this familiar, but there are many rumors on what she's like. Some say she's very obedient and good-natured, others say she's very impulsive and mischevous, others still say she's...how should I put this? Lecherous. Even going on the record to say that she's a succubus.

Regardless of what her actual personality is, like with Daiyousei, people just call this familiar "Koakuma", which apparently means "little devil".

Anyways, the Headmaid's name is Sakuya Izayoi. She's the only human living in the mansion, and notably enough, has the ability to control time itself. She's also likes to use knives for combat and even housework along with her time manipulation. She can even use her time manipulation to expand the inside of the mansion.

Now that I think about it...did you ever read or watch Jojo's Bizzare Adventure? From what I hear of her, Sakuya does kind of reminds me of it's main antagonist, Dio Brando... I wonder how often she gets that.

Anyhow, while there are other maids working at the mansion, Sakuya basically does most of, if not all of the heavy lifting, since the other maids are just fairies that Remilia took in. Let's just say, they're not the best when it comes to housework from what I hear.

Okay, but seriously, Time Manipulation? Hard-Working? Stoic and Elegant Personality? Being beautiful in her own right? How the heck am I supposed to compete with that?!

Still, Sakuya is something of an enigma, possibly even moreso than the rest of mansion's inhabitants...I mean some say "Sakuya" is not even the maid's real name. For all we know, she may not even be human.

So yeah. Like I said. Be careful if you somehow manage to get in the mansion. I don't know about Koakuma, but between Patchouli, Sakuya, who's known to be especially cold towards other humans, not to mention a bit...stabby; and Remilia being unlikely to let you live unless she were to find you very interesting, the inside of the mansion is not a very welcoming place. Heck even Meiling may give you some problems, since you would technically be intruding.


One more thing. I feel like I should absolutely warn you about this. The Scarlet Devil Mansion has a basement. DO NOT under ANY circumstances go in there. You see, Remilia has a little sister, and she's a little crazy...I mean, I don't think she's the "murder-happy-psychopath-that-wants-to see-the-world-burn-for-her-own-pleasure" most people make her out to be, but I don't think she's exactly the "sweet, pure and innocent child" most others make her out to be either. Good news is that she doesn't leave the basement too often from what I hear, so, you'd have to go out of your to find her if you were to run into her at all.


Although some do say that she did manage to make some friends as of late. Some even say that Meiling kind of acts like a big sister or even mother figure to her. I dunno if any of it's true, but if Meiling of all people is able to tame the little sister, I think that would make me love her even more than I already do.

Still, the bottom-line is just watch yourself around that mansion. OK?


Oh! But, hey. If you do decide to strike up a conversation with Meiling, do you think you could you ask her if she knows anything about the little sister? I mean, if she doesn't want to say anything, then just don't pry. She doesn't have to say anything about it if she doesn't want to, so, yeah.

Also...maybe tell her that I said hello? And that I hope she's doing okay?


Anyways I'm running out of space to write, so I'm gonna end it here. Hopefully see you again soon.


Yours truly



An Interested Party

---

Did you guys catch the reference to two other stories on this site that star our little Misuzu? Post if you know. Or don't. Whatever you wanna do. Lol

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, you somehow managed to survive the climb so far. Hey, that's pretty impressive! I don't think many humans manage to survive the climb up, considering the mountain is pretty unwelcoming to them.

Anyway, as you may have guessed, this is Youkai Mountain. It's Gensokyo's largest mountain; and surprisingly enough, is also a volcano. I don't think you need to worry about it erupting on you though. As far as I can tell, it's dormant. Although steam does occasionally rise from it.

Anyways, as you also may have guessed, the mountain is home to many youkai. Notably the kappa and the tengu.

You want to know what I find crazy? It's said that this mountain has been home to youkai before even the time of man. Come the present day, and it's apparently the most technlogically advanced area in Gensokyo. Though I'm pretty sure it's not saying alot in the grand scheme of things. I mean, look around Gensokyo for a bit. It looks and feels no different from Feudal Japan.

I mean, it's fine. At least the enviroment isn't getting damaged as much as in the Outside World. Gensokyians don't need to worry too much about pollution I think, so, yeah.

Anyhow, getting back on topic, the Kappa here specialize in creating things like weapons and tools, and the Tengu apparently specialize in print work for things like news articles and other publications.

Speaking of which, did you ever get your hands on the Bunbunmaru News? It's a news article run by one of the Tengu. Goes by the name of Aya Shameimaru. Her news article are usually the go-to for keeping in touch with what's going on in Gensokyo.

Though despite her claiming to only report the truth, she tends to exaggerate her stories just a bit. From what I learn, sometimes she'll even flat out lie, just to make her stories more interesting.

Point is, just take whatever she writes with a grain of salt.

There's also a rival news article. I think it's called Kakashi Spirit News. Yeah, I haven't read as much of it as the Bunbunmaru News. I don't know if you have either. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't, it's not as popular as Bunbunmaru.

From what I have read of it, yeah, it's nothing you wouldn't have read before. I hear it's author, Hatate Himekaidou (He-May-Kie-Doh) (gosh, that's a mouthful...), almost never leaves her home, so she prefers using an abilty called... "thoughtography" to gather research. Um...You ever used a search engine like Google? From what I understand, using the ability is kind of like that.

But, yeah, she's relies on information that's already been heard, so her article lack the speed and freshness of the Bunbunmaru News. Although credit where credit is due, from what little I've read, Hatate's articles seem very...informative and thoughtful. Like they were written from an innovative and progressive viewpoint.

But that's about all I know about the tengu, outside of the fact that they're also know for their ludicriously fast speeds.

There is also this wolf tengu, who goes by the name of Momiji Inubashiri. I hear she's very obedient and sometimes plays dai shogi with the kappa in her spare time, but nothing beyond that. Contray to what most say, I hear she doesn't get along with Aya too well. I don't know what her relationship with Hatate is, if there even is any, but I think the crow tengu has some form of respect for the her.

Um, hey, speaking of which, if you wish to keep going, be careful of the wolf tengu. It's their job to defend the mountain from intruders. Momiji in particular has the ability to see 1,000 ri (or 2,440 miles) ahead of herself, so I imagine it's not much further beyond this point before she starts to notice someone's here. If you do run into her? Well, let's just say that I hope you're good with a sword or something.

Anyways, onto the kappa. From what I hear the kappa live in the Untrodden Valley, which is located near the base of the mountain. The kappa are easily the most technologically advanced race in Gensokyo, although, they're also very shy by nature.

There is one kappa I'd like to mention. Nitori Kawashiro. Yeah, watch out for her, she's very shy like most kappa, but she's also a bit of a swindler and very greedy.
Not to mention she considers herself superior humans and even other youkai.

Though I also hear she'll leave you alone if you give her a few cucumbers. Actually, that basically works for literally any kappa. Still, I don't really know where you're gonna find any cucumbers without having to grow or buy them yourself...

I dunno. Just watch out for her if you try looking for the kappa, okay? Most likely won't try to eat you, but will try to scam you out of your money. And maybe, like with most kappa, she'll also try to take your shirikodama if you get too close to her. Which will kill you... Yeah... just, be on the look out, OK?


One last thing before I end this message. Um, you probably noticed that shrine near the top of the mountain. Yeah, um, if you want to try and visit the shrine, I suggest you take the tram. It's the safest way to travel to the shrine.


Um, anyways, I gotta get outta here before I get spotted. I trust you have things from here. I mean you managed to survive this long after all.

Alright, try not to die. Hopefully see you again soon.


Yours truly,



An Interested Party

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, then you made it to the Moriya Shrine. Congrats! I probably won't take as long with this message, since I can kind of feel the goddesses of this shrine breathing down my neck. They're not actually doing that; I hope they're not at least; But I don't like the feeling either way, so, yeah.


Anyways, um, you may have noticed how I said "goddesses", plural. That's because the shrine technically has two of them.

It's current goddess is Kanako Yasaka, a wind goddess. Quite the looker from what I've seen. Flipping hate her. Heh. No but seriously, as for her backstory, the story is that Kanako defeated the shrine's former goddess in the Great Suwa War, so now she's the shrine's..."main" goddess, let's say.

Anyway, Kanako wanted a lot of faith, but since most people in the outside world don't really care for religion nowadays, she moved the shrine to Gensokyo, along with the Wind God's Lake (it's the giant lake near the shrine).

Yeah, I honestly don't think very highly of Kanako. Wanna know why? Well aside from the fact that I personally don't really care for most religions all that much either.

This lady caused 5 FREAKING incidents in a row. Indirectly with the latter 4, albeit, but seriously. From what I hear, one of them almost destroyed Gensokyo.

She is ambitious, but in my opinion, she's ambitious to a fault.

Well, to her credit, the Moriya Shrine is the cause for most outside world tech making it to Gensokyo by selling bits of it to the kappa. So I can't begrudge her for that. (I cannot live without my boy, Sonic. I mean I could, but I wouldn't want too. Heh.)


Anyways the other goddess goes by the name of Suwako Moriya. She's the original goddess of this shrine. While she lost the it in a battle with Kanako, the two get along fine nowadays, from what I hear. I mean, she still inhabits the shrine, so, yeah.

Now, if you're looking for Suwako, just look for a girl wearing a hat with eyes on it. She also tends to hang out around frogs, I think. It's not because she's a frog goddess or anything, it's just that she really likes them. Either way, looking for frogs may be a good way to find her.

Also, she may look and act like a little girl, but don't be fooled, she's actually pretty old; the older of the two goddessess I believe. Plus she's the one who's able to control curse gods known as the "Mishaguji", not to mention she's just as capable at scheming as her partner in crime is.

So, y'know, don't anger her. Just don't. She'll probably curse you. Not like "cuss-you-out" curse you, like, she'll literally place a curse on you.


Of course, it's not a shrine without a priest or priestess, and this shrine's maiden is none other than Sanae Kochiya. She's also from the Outside World. She's very dutiful, and also very cheerful and friendly. From what I hear, she's also a bit of a geek. I mean, she's into, Mecha anime. You know, things like Gundam and the likes. I think she may also be a Nintendo Fangirl.

I mean, I get the feeling she's actually played Pokemon, what with apparently mentioning Pikachu on one occassion. I think. It doesn't really matter, since I don't really care for Pokemon myself, but hey, if she does like video games, that's great! So do I.

I'm more of a Sonic guy myself (in case you didn't realize by now...), but if I did get the chance to actually get to know Sanae, I'd like to know what kind of games she was or is into. I'd personally be down to play Mario Kart or Mario Party or something with her. Assuming she's actually played those games before and has everything needed to play them here in Gensokyo...


Though on that note, I don't know if you've visited the Hakurei Shrine yet, but putting the Hakurei Shrine Maiden and Sanae together kind of reminds me of the Mario Brothers. Sanae in particular does bring to mind Luigi.

Heh. So we have a shrine cared for by "Shrine Maiden Luigi", serving under "Goddess Eggman" and "Goddess...whatever character is similar to Suwako"; both of whom treat their maiden like their own daughter.

So I've heard at least with the whole "Mothers-Daughter Dynamic" thing of course. If it is true, then that's pretty endearing in my opinion, even if I don't like one of the goddesses here.


Anyways I'm rambling on at this point. Um, you should be good to go here. I gotta scram before the goddesses decide to either curse, or worse, kill me. Heh. But seriously, I need to leave before I do actually get cursed or kill... I'll see you around.


Yours truly,



An Interested Party

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, then it looks like you survived the trip to the Underworld!
Nice work!

Okay so, the Underworld is actually split up into multiple parts. Currently you're in the highest layer, Old Hell. Or is it Former Hell? I dunno you can just call it whichever. Either way, this is highest layer. Not that it's saying much.

The story here is that this used to be THE Hell. Though from what I hear, there was a problem with...overpopulation, so the Yamas decided to move Hell elsewhere. And this place became known as Former/Old Hell.


So yeah. It's kind of like an abandoned prison, as there are plenty of vengeful spirits here who didn't make the move to new Hell. Be careful of these guys by the way. Other than that, the place is also crawling with oni who lived above ground beforehand, plus other youkai that even fellow youkai want nothing to do with.

You probably already encountered the likes of the plague-manipulating tsuchigumo, Yamame Kurodani, and Parsee Mizuhashi, the Jealous Hashihime (or Bridge Princess) who guards...well the bridge between the surface and the Underworld.


Most other folks made themselves home in the Former Capital. It's not too far from where I placed this message, actually. The Captial is not so much different from a traditional Japanese village, and the place is filled to the brim with oni, as well other subterranean youkai.


Uh...hey, buddy. Watch yourself around those oni. They've always been a pretty...brutish bunch. Oni primarily like brawling, heavily drinking, and partying. They also hate dishonesty and liars, so there's that. Hey, if you think you can outdrink an oni, you're welcome to try. I wouldn't recommend it though. Then again, I've never been one to drink alcohol...

More than one drink is enough to make me feel like I'm about to keel over. And the taste...ugh...If there's one thing I don't get about folks in Gensokyo in general, it's why they like drinking something that taste like what you'd get if water was mixed with hand sanatizer...But, that's just a me thing. Enough about that.


By the way. Keep an eye out for one oni in particular. Name's Yuugi Hoshiguma. From what I hear, she's one the strongest oni down here. I hear the lady is able to fight without even spilling a single drop of sake from her bowl! That's pretty impressive! Believe it or not, she also runs an onsen town, as well.

Have you ever been to an onsen before? Probably not. I have been thinking about taking a dip in one, but from what I hear, it's not just some swimming pool mixed with a bathtub. There are rules to enjoying one.

Anyways I'm getting off topic. Uh, if you wanna try relaxing in a hot spring I guess you can check out her town while you're down here. So anyways, Yuugi. Pretty cool gal, but just as rowdy as an oni nonetheless. Although, from what I hear, I think she may also have a bit of a feminine side to her...Heh. For all I know, she could probably have, like, the girliest scream imaginable out of everyone down her. Heck the girliest out of anyone in Gensokyo. Hehe. Uh, if you cross paths with her, uh, don't try to find that out. Or tell her I said any of that for that matter. You'll probably just anger her either way, and I'll have someone who wants to kick my butt when they find me. Which is really scary, because oni in particular are physically VERY STRONG youkai.


OK, enough about that. One more place down here I'd like to mention is the Palace of the Earth Spirits. Did you get my message about the Scarlet Devil Mansion? Well it's actually kind of similar to that place in a few ways, I think. Like the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the
Palace of the Earth Spirits is a western-styled mansion. From what I hear it was constructed after the Underworld was seperated from Hell, and it's run by a youkai named "Satori Komeiji". She's...well, a satori, a youkai that possess a third eye, and has the ability to read minds.

Sounds like a pretty neat ability right? Well apperantly the rest of the world didn't think so. Yeah. Even down here, the satori were hated for their ability to read minds. Like, literally read a persons thoughts and feelings out loud. So now, Satori locks herself away in the Palace to avoid all the hate her kind gets. Yeah, thinking about it, I can't help but feel kinda sorry for her...

Anyhow, now she lives in the palace with all of the pets she's gathered throughout her life.
If there's any consolation for mind-reading, it's being able to understand what animals are actually thinking. It could be pretty useful for understanding the mute as well, now that I think about it...

Another noteworthy thing about Satori is that she also works part-time as a detective. Though how much "detectiving" she actually does herself remains to be seen.

Alright, enough of that. Like I said, Satori has plenty of pets, but there are two notable pets I'd like to mention.

There's a kasha, a cat youkai. Her name is "Rin Kaenbyou", though I hear that she prefers to be called "Orin". Anyhow it's her job to carry corpses to a place called the Remains of Blazing Hell, also called Hell of Blazing Fires, to keep the heat of Former Hell. Despite her...rather grim occupation, Orin herself is actually very upbeat and friendly, and doesn't actually kill humans herself to gain their corpses, preferring to look for those who are on the verge of death. Probably makes for a good dancer, as well.


Anyways, back on topic. Like I said it's Orin's job to carry corpses to the Remains of Blazing Hell. It's her best friend and fellow pet's job to maintain that heat. She's a hell raven by the name of "Utsuho Reiuji", or "Okuu", as most others call her. Apperantly, she has the ability to manipulate nuclear fusion. She also almost destroyed the entirety of Gensokyo.

From what I hear, the Moriya Gods, Kanako to be more precise, made her eat the corpse of a sun god by the name of "Yatagarasu". She did this because she wanted to turn the Remains of Blazing Hell into an energy source for Gensokyo. But this caused Utsuho to go mad with power and almost scorched Gensokyo into a blazing wasteland for her to rule over. Yeah, if Orin didn't send vengeful spirits to the surface to lure the shrine maiden down her, Gensokyo would have been toast.

Uh, be careful if you run into Okuu. Nowadays she's not malicous per se, heck she's more less described as...simple-minded. But her methods are apparently, "scorch-first-ask-questions-later".

Still, have you seen the way she looks? Looking at her, I can't help but get a sort of..."cyborg" feel from her appearance. Heck, I bet her abilities even feels like a mix between something...magical and technological, if that makes any sense...Magitech, perhaps? I dunno.


Oh, right. Um, one more thing. Keep an eye out for a little girl with a yellow shirt, green skirt, green hair, and a black bowler hat. From what I hear, that's supposed to be Satori's little sister, "Koishi Komeiji". Did you run into her beforehand? If you did, I doubt you would remember it.

Remember how I said, the satori were hated by the rest of world? You see, whereas Satori locked herself away to escape the hate her kind was getting, Koishi...closed her third eye. She did this to seal away her powers to escape the hate her kind was getting. However she also sealed away her...conscious mind, as it were. So now, while she's not hated, she can't be loved, sensed, or even remembered by anyone, unless she wants them to.

I'm gonna be honest, while I do feel bad for the sisters, I do find Koishi a bit unnerving. She's cute, yes. And she act's no different from an energetic little child, but there's something about it that just feels...not right. It's like she's a sort of...lifeless husk. It never feels like she's thinking, you know? And given that she can't be perceived by anyone unless she wants them to, she could be literally anywhere and you wouldn't even realize it...I mean, she could be right behind ME as I'm writing this message. Heck, she could be right behind YOU as you're reading it. Either way, if either scenario is the case, neither of us would even realize it.

Although, I did hear that she has recently wanted to start meeting people. For one thing, hear that recently she joined the Myouren Temple. Heh, some people say she even managed to befriend the little sister of the Scarlet Manor. I mean, they do act similar from what I hear, but I don't really know if it's true or not...But still if it is, then that's great! For both little sisters I mean. Would make wonder how well their elder sisters would get along, though...


Uh, anyways, I'm running out of space to write. So you know, stay safe down there, and I'll hopefully see you around soon.


Yours truly,



An Interested Party

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, then that means you're still alive. Hey nice job. You're doing great!
Most people don't last too long out here. Anyways, I'm gonna try and keep this letter relatively brief. The area around here can get pretty dangerous, quickly.

Right now you're in the Forest of Magic. Despite the fact it's not too far from the Human Village, not much is known about this place, other than the fact that it's pretty dangerous not just to humans, but also to youkai, believe it or not.

Yeah, between the man-eating plants, the toxic air and the inevitable misfortune that's said to to befall anyone who even thinks about entering, it's honestly a miracle that you survived for as long you did here. It's a miracle that I survived out here.

With having to deal with all of THAT, you'd probably wonder why anyone with live here. Well, to answer that question, the forest is known for the mushrooms that grow here, which are said to be hallucinogenic. That means they can cause things like hallucinations by the way.

Anyways, apparently there are a lot of magicians who live here for the sake of using these mushrooms to increase their magical powers. Yep. They live for the sake of harvesting those gross, smelly, mushrooms. Which are especially abundant in areas of the forest where the sun never shines.

Of course it's not too bad for the people who do live here. If anything it's considered a nice safe and secretive place for them to live.

For example, there's a witch who lives here, goes by the name of "Marisa Kirisame". She's very, boisterous, for lack of a better word, and spends most of her time studying magic. When she's not giving into her kleptomanical tendencies. Seriously from what I hear, her house filled to the brim with strange things she either collects or, as she would put it, "borrow" from others. And by "borrow" it's pretty clear she means "steals". Especially from the Scarlet Devil Mansion's Library.

Honestly it kind of makes me feel bad for those guys over there...what with the frequent break-ins. It's easy to blame it on Meiling for failing to do her job as a gatekeeper, though, in her defense, from what I've seen she's better at her job than most people give her credit for, so I'd just chalk it up to her being outclassed by Marisa.

Anyways, getting back to Marisa, from what I hear, she's also, believe it or not, pretty close friends with the current Hakurei Shrine Maiden. Very close actually. As in "Spends more time at the Hakurei Shrine then at her own Home" close. Hey, I guess bonds like that are bound to happen when you've known each other since childhood.

On the flipside, though, she apparently doesn't have the best relationship with her family. Especially her father. I don't have all the details, myself, especially since Marisa wishes to keep it private, but I think it has something to do with the fact her father doesn't sell any magical items at his shop in the Human Village.

OK, what I say next my be considered "controversial" around here, but I'm just gonna be honest and say that I don't really blame her father. I mean, I'm not going to tell Marisa, you, or anyone else how to live their lives, but I will admit, magic is a very dangerous source of power from what I learned, So any fellow human who decides to practice it...well let's just say they're making a pretty bold move, for better or for worse.

It's a shame too. If you don't have any way of defending yourself, magical or otherwise, Gensokyo can be a very dangerous place, especially for humans. I should know. While some of my interactions with Gensokyo's inhabitants were pleasant enough (e.g. Once again, Meiling), I had to risk getting eaten, killed, frozen to death, and possibly cursed just to bring you these messages.

So again, I'm not going to tell you what to do, but, just watch yourself if you do try to learn some spells. You could risk exposing yourself to some crazy stuff. OK? OK. Moving on.

There is another magican who lives here. Her name is Alice Margatroid. Y'know, like the character from that fairy tale, "Alice in Wonderland"? Anyways, she's a magician who specializes in doll manipulation. While Marisa is pretty boisterous, Alice is pretty...introverted. She also collects things like magic items, but it's not as bad as Marisa's hording tendencies. Not much is known about her past, but I think from I hear, Alice used to be a human like Marisa, but later turned into a "youkai magician", which means she doesn't have all the basic needs humans have, like food or rest. Of course she still does that kind of stuff, but it's not a requirement to keep living.

That aside, there is also this rumor that Alice is actually from a place called "Makai"...I don't know much about that place as of writing this, but from what I hear about Alice's connections to Makai, she used to live there before relocating to this Forest. Some say she's also related to Makai's creator and ruler. Whether it's being her adopted daughter, or even another one of her creations.

Some say Makai's ruler is a goddess named...Shinki, I think it was...I don't know much else about this "Shinki" woman. Heck, I don't even know whether or not she even exists...

But hey, um, listen. If you ever get lost in the forest, I suggest you stay at Alice's place for the night. It's not far from where I put this message actually. She may not be one for conversation, and may come off as creepy what with all of her dolls and whatnot, but trust me, she's actually very nice, one of the nicest people I've met in Gensokyo, in my opinion.

Oh yeah, I was stupid enough to try and explore this place, and got lost. I eventually ran into her house and she let me stay for the night (not that way, mind you). Like I said, she's very nice, as long as Marisa's not in the picture.

Anyways one last place I'd like to mention is Kourindou. It's an antique store somewhere between the Human Village and the Forest of Magic, and, believe it or not, is actually run by a man by the name of Rinnosuke Morichika, a human-youkai hybrid. He use to be an apprentice to Marisa's father, so he Marisa apparently have some history, together, but he later decided to strike out on his own to make the best use of his abilites, and so he opened Kourindou.

The store seems to sell all kinds of things from the Outside World. Although Rinnosuke doesn't seem to actually sell most of the stuff he has, due to the fact that he doesn't even know how most of the things in his shop work. When he does somehow figure it out, he ends up getting too attached to sell them. Another reason is because of the fact that he just doesn't get many visitors besides Marisa, the Shrine Maiden, and the Head Maid from the Scarlet Devil Mansion among others. On that note though, from what I hear, he did recently get a helper from the Outside World. "Sumireko Usami" I think was her name?

OK. Getting back on topic, Rinnosuke's not one for conflict, so there's that. Although his know-it-all-attitude can just cause him to go on and on about crazy-made-up-on-the-spot theories about objects he doesn't understand. He seems to enjoy explaining things though, so...whatever makes him happy I guess.

Still with all the ladies I've been talking about, it does seem kind of strange talking about a guy for a change. I mean, it's not like men don't exist at all in Gensokyo. I've seen plenty of them in Gensokyo. It's probably just that there aren't many noteworthy males in Gensokyo to talk about, human or youkai.


Oh hey, one more thing before I end this message. I don't know if you've heard, but there's this rumor that's been going around about Marisa. I think it was something about her being the former apprentice of a vengeful spirit, even learning magic from her...I think people say her name is..."Mima", or something...um...Much like with the whole Shinki thing, I don't know whether it's true or not, or if this "Mima" lady even exists.

If you're really curious, you could try asking Marisa or her shrine maiden friend on whether or not "Mima" really does exists. They might not give you an answer, but I think it's worth a shot. As for "Shinki"? You could try going to Makai for some answers on her and possibly even Alice, but I also hear Makai is crawling with strong youkai, and even demons from what I hear. So you know, I wouldn't recommend it. You could also try asking Alice directly if she knows anything, but even if she does, I doubt she'll tell just anyone.


Okay, anyways, just hang in there for as long as you can and I'll hopefully catch you later.


Yours truly,



An Interested Party

Dear Reader,

You managed to find this message? Nice going! You sure you're not some sort of exploring god or something? Heh.

Okay, to be fair, I did place this message near the entrance of the forest, so it's not very hard to see.

Anyways, as I was about to say, this is a forest of bamboo known as the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Real original, I know. But it is a pretty fitting name. As it would imply, it's very easy to get lost around here. You ever played Super Mario RPG, and made it to the Forest Maze? Think of the Bamboo Forest as that area, except bigger, flatter, and filled quickly growing bamboo trees. Something like that, I guess?

Of course, all hope isn't completely lost (heh) if you lose your why here. Keep an eye out for a woman with long white hair, red bows, and red...pants? Overalls? Point is her clothing is pretty...masculine, so to speak. Anyways, the lady's name is Fujiwara no Mokou. She may seem blunt and easily angered...and she is. I should know. But she'll help you find your way out of the forest if you get lost. Of course she's not one for conversation, so, y'know, don't expect her to talk a lot.

Yeah, I kinda got lost here and I just so happened to run into her. I think she was pretty annoyed to find me wandering aimlessly around this place. I mean, she seemed pretty annoyed. But enough of that. She didn't say much about herself, so I decided to do some...digging after I made it home.

Apparently she's an immortal. An Hourai Immortal to be more exact. Hourai Immortals are said to possess complete immortality from drinking a forbidden elixir known as the "Hourai Elixir". Nothing can break them, nothing can tear them, they can't grow old, they can't get sick, and most importantly, they can't die. They basically live an endless life.

It's sounds cool, I know. But apparently Mokou doesn't think so. In fact, I think she considers it a curse. I won't go into the full story of how and why she drank the elixir just yet, but I think you can guess she went through some major crap beforehand.

Anyways, she's a loner by nature, so she doesn't really have a lot friends. One of the only friends she does have, believe it or not, is actually the guardian of the Human Village, Keine.

Despite not having a lot people she calls friends, I think she's fine with most others, so long as they don't irritate her. Though, there is one person Mokou does hate with every fiber of her being. Kaguya Houraisan.


For context, have you ever read The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter? Probably not if you've never lived in Japan. It's an Old Japanese fairy tale. The basic jist is that a bamboo cutter finds and raises Princess Kaguya, and she grows up to be the most beautiful woman on Earth. Because she does not want to get married, Kaguya gives an impossible task to five suitors who want her hand in marriage.

Turns out, Mokou's father was one of the five suitors. He failed his task, so Mokou wanted to get back at Kaguya for embarassing her father, and the family name. Some time after Kaguya supposedly returned to the moon, Mokou killed some guy named Iwakasa, after he saved her life no less (Yeah. I'll admit, that's pretty messed up...), took the Hourai Elixir for herself, and so here she is, unable to die.

I know. That's a lot of lore to wrap around your head. The kicker? Turns out Kaguya didn't leave for the moon. She actually stayed on Earth, and is now the head of a Japanese mansion hidden deep inside the forest, known as Eientei. Nowadays Mokou and Kaguya often kill each other in the many death matches they have together.


Oh hey, speaking of which. Despite her hatred for Kaguya, Mokou's also willing to guide anyone who's looking for Eientei. She's even on pretty good terms with the rest of the folks there from what I hear, so don't hesitate to ask her to guide you there if you're looking for it.

I won't get into the why (seriously, you don't wanna know), but I was actually in the forest looking for Eientei, and let me tell you, it's the go-to place if you're sick or injured.

Y'see, besides Kaguya, Eientei also houses a lunarian named Eirin Yagokoro. She's basically Kaguya's right hand, and a well known medical genius from the Moon. She's a natural genius, and is able to make literally any drug or medicine imaginable! That's pretty neat. Her ability could've been really useful several years back, thinking about it...

Anyhow, she's also an Hourai Immortal, like Kaguya and Mokou. In fact, she's even the one responsible for creating the Hourai Elixir. With the help of Kaguya, of course.

Eirin also has an assistant of her own. She's a moon rabbit, although nowadays, she apparently prefers to be called an "earth rabbit who comes from the moon". Anyway, her name is Reisen Udongein Inaba, or just Reisen. As you may have guessed, Reisen use to
live on the moon, but she fled due a supposed war known as the "Lunar War" back in 1969, after the Apollo 11 crew supposedly "invaded" the moon.

Of course, I don't think there was actually any...warring going on. Though I vaguely remember hearing that the crew was injured and the lunarians sabotaged the attempt for humans to establish a foothold on the moon...

Regardless, Reisen eventually made her way to Gensokyo and met with Kaguya and Eirin. So now they're giving her a place to stay, and in exchange, she works for them, as well as protects them (not that they would her to defend them, but hey, I'm sure it's still appreciated).


So, yeah. Reisen does most of the manual work around Eientei, and Eirin also sends her into the Human Village to sell any medicine she creates. I honestly like Reisen (No. Not that way). I don't talk to her often, even while she's in the village, but I learned that she
apparently has the ability to induce insanity with her red eyes. Despite that, ironically she's one of the most...well adjusted folks I've run into/heard of in Gensokyo.

I mean, nothing against anyone in particular, but most folks in Gensokyo...Well they tend to have a few screws loose. Of course, this isn't to say their neccessarily evil or mean or such, after all, my previous messages named folks in Gensokyo who I think are pretty friendly, or at the very least helpful. And I'm not saying Reisen is a complete exception to the eccentric ladies and (seemingly few) gentlemen of Gensokyo, but overall, she seems fairly rational, and I honestly think it's a breath of fresh air.


From what I hear, she's also apparently an exceptional marksman, even having a handgun that resembles a megaphone. Although some do say she also uses, or has in the past used, actual guns, which does honestly bring to mind most Newgrounds characters thinking about it. Maybe I should try asking her if she knows of any other firearms next time I see her...

Anyhow, like I said, I like Reisen. It's just a shame she apparently has to go through so much at Eientei. You see, at Eientei, Reisen is sometimes subject to..."Punishment Time" by Eirin. It's somehow both not as bad as it sounds, and also just as bad as it sounds at the same time. And you wanna know what's worse? There's another rabbit who lives there (we'll get back to her later) who's always playing pranks on Reisen. Yeah, I honestly feel sorry for Reisen. I'm sure having to deal with all of THAT leaves her always so stressed out.

Hey uh, if you ever get medical assistance from her, be sure to give her a pat on the back or something. I think she deserves it.

Anyways onto to the last notable memeber. Tewi (Pronounced like "Tay". The W is silent). She's a mischievous earth rabbit who's notorious for playing pranks, especially on Reisen (again, poor girl), and scamming the populace of Gensokyo. Yeah, she looks and even acts like a childish little troublemaker. And she sort of is. But believe it or not, she's actually the leader of all the earth rabbits, and apparently is much older than she appears. Heck she may even be one of Gensokyo's oldest residents.

Anyways, Tewi is said to bring good luck to people who manage to find her in the forest. Though the very few who do spot her use up their good luck finding their way back home. Though honestly, in my opinion, it's not a complete loss. Either way, she is still a notorious prankster and scammer, so you know, watch out for her and any traps she has.

Before I end this message, I think I should talk a bit about Princess Kaguya. As previously stated, Kaguya is the princess of Eientei and Mokou's arch-nemesis. Contray to popular belief (and Mokou), she is NOT actually a total sociopath. I don't recall having spoken to her personally, but I have heard she's pretty eccentric and wild, and a bit haughty, but overall pretty carefree. Because she hardly ever leaves Eientei, some say she's a bit of a shut-in, or as some would say, "NEET", but I do think I have recently seen her in the Human Village, with Mokou no less, so, I guess that debunks THAT rumor...

Can I just say something about her? Remember how Kaguya is said to be the most beautiful woman on Earth? Honestly, looking at her in person? I mean, she's not ugly, she's pretty good-looking, but...I've seen prettier. Of course that could just be me being biased towards a certain gatekeeper. I dunno.

I wonder how Kaguya would feel if she heard that thinking about. I get the feeling she'd
either be insulted to hear that, or absolutely relieved. I mean, after what happened in the past, I'm sure even uttering the word "marriage" in her presence would be enough to give her an aneurysm. Heh.

But enough about that. I'm just rambling on again at this point. Just be careful not to get lost in the forest, alright?

Oh! And if you do run into Mokou, tell her I told you to keep eye out for her, and that I wanted to thank her for guiding me out of the forest the first time.

Alright, I'll leave you to do your own thing. Again, watch your back in there.


Yours Truly



An Interested Party


P.S. Tewi, if you're reading or watching me write this message, leave Reisen alone. ...You're not gonna listen, huh? Whatever. Just be careful. A rabbit is still a rabbit. The werewolf who wanders the Bamboo Forest might decide to try to and eat you one of these days. Who knows? Your good luck might not be enough to save you from that.

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, then you made it to the Myouren Temple. I would congratulate you, but it's honestly not much of an...adventure to reach this place. Heh.

Anyways, let me tell you a bit about this place. Before this place was a temple, it was originally a sort of airship known as the Palanquin Ship. It was eventually renovated into the temple it is now, but it's still capable of transforming into it's ship form, but only when the Chief Priest chooses to do so.

Oh, yeah. I should probably go ahead and talk about the Chief Priest.

Her name is Byakuren Hijiri, and she's a Buddhist nun and magician. From what I hear, she's a very nice lady who's looking to actually to do the (seemingly) impossible and bring peace between humans and youkai. Her reasoning is a long story, actually. You see, she's actually the older sister of the temple's namesake, Myouren Hijiri.

The story is that when he died, Byakuren wanted to look for a way to preserve her own youth, so she turned to some sort of black magic. To keep it, she became a youkai exterminator. But she came to love the youkai just as much as she loves humans, so she started helping them by hiding them away and pretending to kill them. Anyways, word eventually got out about her deeds, and she was eventually locked away in Makai in Hokkai. It wasn't until a few years back when some of her youkai followers attempted to set her free, and so here she is.

Funny thing? I think I've heard that some people actually say that she could be compared to Jesus Christ. You know, the Son of God himself?

It's an odd comparison in my opinion, but I'm not going to dispute anyone about it. Like I said a few messages back, I don't really care much for religion, myself anyways. But, I can commend Byakuren's kindness. Without just going ahead a mentioning a certain someone, I can always appreciate a person who's willing to show kindness.

Anyways, let me go through some of Byakuren's followers.

There's Shou Toramaru. She's a tiger youkai and is said to be the avatar of Bishamonten, a god of treasure and warfare. She's also a high-ranking priest at the Myouren Temple. She's said to have the ability to gather treasures, though some say that she frequently the things she has, like her Jeweled Padoga. Publicly, Shou is said to be gentle and composed. In private though? She's said to be a bit more...emotive, even being said to fly into a fit of rage sometimes. Oh yeah. She also carries a spear with her, but it's mostly just for decorative purposes, or to be used as a walking stick.

Anyways, Shou also has a sort of assistant. Her name is Nazrin. She's a mouse youkai (which makes the whole assistant thing pretty ironic. You know, tiger? Cat? Usually preying on mice?), who's skilled dowser. Some even say she's the leader of mice. She doesn't live at the Myouren Temple like most of Byakuren's followers, but she does live in a hut in Muenzuka.

You see the thing is, when interacting with Nazrin, you might need to be a bit...assertive. She's kind of an egomanic due to her being backed by Bishamonten, so if say, you wanted to ask her to help you search for something you've lost, being polite with her will just inflate that ego. Of course she is pretty timid and will run away if frightened, so...there's that.

There's also Ichirin Kumoi, and her nyuudou, Unzan, who by the way, is a guy (shocker, I know). Ichirin used to be a human, but now she's a youkai. Of some sort. From what I hear, Unzan use to be a man-eating nyuudou, but was defeated by Ichirin, who was human at the time. Because of her courage, Unzan devoted the rest of life to protecting her.

So yeah. Nowadays Unzan is apparently very shy and will only ever talk to Ichirin. Just don't get him really angry, though. Trust me, I don't know what is meant by "thundering out", but I'm pretty sure you'd be in for a world of hurt if Ichirin doesn't intervene. But yeah, that's about it for those two. Not much else to say about them, especially Ichirin.

Onto Murasa. Well actually, "Murasa" is her last name. Her first is actually "Minamitsu", but most people just call her by her last name from what I hear. Anyways Captain Murasa, we'll just call her, is a ship phantom, a ghost who died in a shipwreck, most likely from drowning. From what I hear, in the past she was feared for being a ship-sinking phantom, and while she was eventually tamed by Byakuren and is apparently more benign nowadays, she apparently still has a habit of causing water-related accidents.

From what I hear, she kind of has to if she doesn't want to move on to the afterlife. Thinking about it, I also hear that the Palanquin Ship's design was based on the design of the ship Murasa died on. I wonder if that has anything to do with her joining Byakuren's crew...or her attachment to this world for that matter.

So, yeah. Murasa is for the most part fine, especially when at the temple, but you should still watch yourself around bodies of water when your alone.

Um...hey on that note, I have an idea: You know how I said Murasa is the spirit of a drowning victim? Well that would mean it's possible that she probably never learned how to swim, possibly due to trauma. If she does try to drown you near a body of water, try forcing her into the water instead! You know, like pushing or throwing her into it, assuming you're strong enough.

Then again, she IS a ship phantom... I dunno if she's even tangible to a normal human. And even if she was, there is also a chance that throwing her into the water would probably just anger her if anything. Y'know what? Never mind. Just be careful around bodies of water, especially if you're alone.

Anyway, moving on. There's also Kyouko Kasodani, a rather recent addition to the Temple. She's a yamabiko who serves the temple as a priest-in-training. She's also responsible for the cleaning duties around the temple. From what I hear, she also formed a punk rock band with Mystia of all people called "Choujuu Gigaku", and even occasionlly helps Mystia with her stall.

...Yeah. Suffice it to say, Byakuren does NOT approve. I mean, I can see where she's coming from, but it's whatever Kyouko wants to do. Anyways, despite her...rather questionable choice of friends, Kyouko herself is actually very friendly towards humans, albeit a bit timid. She's also very loud, being a youkai that embodies mountain echoes. Hey, at least her talents are being put to good use.


While the Myouren Temple group is mostly harmless, I think the one you need to especially be wary of is Nue Houjuu. She's a...well a nue. In fact she's said to be the Nue from the legends.

Anyhow, Nue is a mishcievous girl who has the ability make any object, including herself, unidentifiable. She's basically a shapeshifter, except she can also shift the shape of others. She enjoys scaring and pranking humans, and is pretty shameless about it. Don't be fooled though. While she may look and act like a teenager, she's actually a very old youkai. Said to be over 800 years old, in fact.

She's not very... well-acquainted with most of the other youkai at the temple from what I hear. Although, she does have one other friend who lives at the temple (we'll get to her in a minute). Some people say that she actually managed to befriend Remilia and Satori's little sisters, now that think about it. I'm not so sure about the former, but considering that Koishi has recently coverted to the Myouren Temple, I think it's at least plausible that she and Nue are at least acquainted.

But enough about that, onto Nue's friend, and the last notable member of the Myouren Temple crew. Mamizou Futatsuiwa (How do you even say that last name?). She's a bake-danuki or tanuki who used to live in Sado, a city in the outside world, before Nue summoned her to Gensokyo. Mamizou has the ability to disguise things, including herself. So her ability is basically just like Nue's. Kind of funny, huh? Heh.

Anyways, as for Mami herself, she very much looks, acts, and even talks no differently from an old lady. But still, she is a tanuki, which are notorious for being tricksters. So, y'know, just saying. You might wanna watch yourself around her. Oh yeah. She also hates foxes, which kind of takes some points off of her for me, and I'm sure you'd know why if you've read my previous messages.


So, you're probably wondering why Nue summomed Mamizou in the first place. Well you see, there's actually a mausoleum located directly under the temple. It's called the Hall of Dreams' Great Mausoleum and it houses the esteemed Toyosatomimi no Miko, and her gang.
Mononobe no Futo, a hermit with a rather outdated dialect and who claims to be a shikaisen. Soga no Tojiko, a vengeful spirit who has the ability to cause thunder. Seiga Kaku (Or as I like to put it SEIGA Kaku), whose also a hermit. And Yoshika Miyako, SEIGA's Jiang Shi servant.

I won't go to deep into them, since this message is long enough as it is, but let's just say Miko and her gang are Taoists. So, while I won't say she and Byakuren aren't on speaking terms per se, the Mausoleum and Temple crews are still at odds with each other. When Miko was resurrected, Nue called Mami to be a sort trump card against the Mausoleum crew. So...yeah.

The Mausoleum themselves crew should also be fine enough, but I want to advise that you stay particularly wary of SEIGA. People say that she's a "wicked" hermit. Plus she has the ability to pass through walls, so, you know, it might be tricky to stay away from her if she somehow sets her sights on you. Not that it should happen if you're not interested in Taoism (I hope at least), but still, just be careful of her.


Oh yeah! There is one more person I think is worth mentioning. A karakasa obake named Kogasa Tatara. She's not exactly a member of the Myouren Temple, but she does frequent the cemetery at the back of the temple.

Kogasa has the ability to surprise people, but she's not very good at doing so. Because of this, and the fact that she use to be an unwanted umbrella, she's known to easily get depressed... Yeah, putting it that way, I can't help but feel bad for the girl...

But hey. Despite it all, she's still pretty cheery, and also very friendly around humans, especially children. She's also a suprisingly good blacksmith, from what I hear. That's one way to utilize her abilities. So yeah. While she will try to get a spook out of you, she's ultimately harmless. So don't worry about her trying to eat you or anything.

OK, so that should be about it. If you do decide to visit the Myouren Temple and they ask you anything, just tell them I wanted you to look out for them. Oh, and if you do get to know her, maybe ask Byakuren if she knows anything Alice or Shinki? Since, y'know, she's been in Makai herself and all.

Anyways, once gain, just take care, and I'll hopefully see you again soon.


Yours Truly,



An Interested Party


P.S. Murasa, if you're reading this, I am definitely not planning on tossing you into the water, even if you are planning on drowning me. OK? OK, have a nice day.

Dear Reader,

Hey, good job, you made it to the Afterlife!

I mean, I'm not saying that I'm happy if you died or something. That's not what I was implying.

The afterlife is actually split into multiple parts. The three I'll go over with you right now are Heaven, Hell, and the Netherworld.

Before I get into that, where you are right now, is the Sanzu River. It's a river shroudded in mist, and from what I hear, the souls of the dead have to cross the river to reach Higan, where they await their judgement by the Yama.

Assuming you're still alive while reading this, you must've reach this place through the Road Liminality. It's a road that's main traverse by ghost and phantoms, but the living can also walk down this road, so, it's a safe bet.

Anyhow, only the dead can cross this river with the shinigami's boat, assuming they can pay for it. Gensokyo's most well known shinigami is a lady known as Komachi Onozuka. Of course, she's just a ferrywoman so, it's not her place to take someone else's life. Plus, despite being, y'know the spawn of the Grim Reaper himself, Komachi, from what I hear, is actually laid back and is known to be a bit of a slacker.

I don't think ever met her myself, but I gotta say, from what I've seen of her, she's also quite the looker. Not as good looking as a certain gatekeeper in my opinion, but still. Not that it matters or anything. Actually on that note, I do actually hear that some people tend to compare the two. Something about the two being redheaded ladies who are lazy (which isn't completely true in Meiling's case), and...ahem...rather shapely. Heh.

Actually, um, before I forget. Laziness aside (plus the whole Grim Reaper spawn thing), I also heat that Komachi is actually a very nice girl. But I wouldn't recommend getting on her bad side. From what I hear, she still takes her job as a ferrywoman very seriously, and she doesn't take too kindly towards anyone who messes with souls. I mean, I'm sure you're the kind of person who wouldn't do something like that, but, you never really know, so, yeah.

Anyhow, Komachi works under the Yama of Gensokyo, Eiki Shiki. She's not Gensokyo's highest authorities, but she comes pretty close. It's her job to judge the souls of the dead, determining whether they go to Heaven, Hell or the Netherworld. One thing I hear Eiki is known for is her long-winded lectures, which are never unwarranted mind you, because she's known to be able to perfectly judge something as black and white, or good or evil.

I mean. I don't think she's doing just for the sake of complaining about something, I'm sure she has good intentions behind her lectures. I mean, if I wanted to keep someone's chance of going to Hell as low as possible, I'd be a bit strict too. So, y'know, she may be a bit strict, but she has good intentions I think. So I suggest that you just bear with her, alright?

Oh yeah! I almost forgot. You may notice that Eiki a sort of rod or stick with her. That's her Rod of Remorse. From what I hear, the more sins that are written on the rod, the heavier it becomes. It's apparently used to punish sinners. It might not look like much, but judging (heh) from what I've heard, I'm sure getting hit by that thing would hurt, like a lot.

Anyways onto, the three areas.

First off, there's Heaven. This is where those judged worthy go, as well those who've achieved nirvana in the cycle of reincarnation. That's what I've heard at least.

Anyway, Heaven is home to Angels (no big surprise), Celestials and other heavenly beings. It's inhabitants tend to live carefree lives just fishing, singing, dancing and downing sake and peaches, with the occasional viewing of Earthly activties.

OK. There is this story I've heard. There is this one celestial who was bored of her life in Heaven. Her name, I think, was Tenshi Hinanawi. Anyways she was bored of her life in Heaven. So what does she do? She causes an incident. I kid you not. She ended up apparently destorying the Hakurei Shrine and went around fighting Gensokyo's denizens because she was bored. Yep.

From what I hear, though, her...rebellious nature got her kicked out from Heaven so nowadays she spends her time on the surface. Though I also hear she has managed to make some friends on the surface, so, I guess there's that.

Anyways, moving to Hell. This is where it get's a bit tricky. Y'see from what I hear, Hell is actually a collection of different realms where souls are condemned and imprisoned and tortured. Sounds pretty dark, but it's Hell we're taking about so that's to be expected. Of course, it's not to be confused with Gensokyo's Hell, which is Former Hell.

Oh yeah, one thing I think is worth mentioning. Remember how I said, Eiki is one of, but not exactly Gensokyo's highest authority? Well that's because she's eclipsed by Hecatia Lapislazuli. I hear she's the Goddess of Hell which puts her in charge of all the hells, whereas Eiki only has jurisdiction over Gensokyo's Hell. Though, you wouldn't really know Hecatia is, top dog as it were, from the way she dresses. I hear her choice in clothing is... Gothic? Emo? Something like that. I mean, I guess it's fits?

But enough about that. Last but not least is the Netherworld. Aside from the Yama sending souls there after being judged, I hear another way to reach the Netherworld is by passing the Barrier of Life & Death, a giant door. It's locked, but you could enter if you, say, fly or something.

I haven't visited the Netherworld myself, so my knowledge is pretty limited, but I do hear that the it's a pretty calm place, even having seasons. The shrine that overlooks the Netherworld is called Hakugyokurou (So many hard to say names...), and the head of Hakugyokurou is the ghost princess, Yuyuko Saigyouji.

I don't know much about her personally, since she hardly ever leaves Hakugyokurou; or at least that's what I assume; but I do hear she's pretty cheerful and a whimsical. I also hear that she's a bit of a glutton. Seriously, if she does eat as much as people say she does, she could probably make the likes of, say, Yoshi, Kirby, or even Goku look like they're all on a diet.

Yeah, it's honestly amazing how someone who committed suicide out of fear of their powers over death iself could be so carefree. Also have you've seen how she looks? She is quite the beauty, honestly. In fact, I think she even surpasses Meiling in that respect. Again, it hardly matters, but still.

Still, as with Komachi, you shouldn't underestimate her. She is a ghost PRINCESS. She wouldn't have gained that position if she didn't earn it. Plus, she still has to ability to manipulate death. If she wanted you to die, then you'd die. Also, she's said to be a lot more cunning than she let's on.

Anyways there also Youmu Konpaku. She works as Yuyuko's servant, and is also the gardener and swordplay instructor of Hakugyokurou. She pretty straightfoward and diligent, but also said to be pretty half-baked. Because of this, most others tend to pick on her, and even Yuyuko likes to tease her often. Of course, I don't think Yuyuko is trying to be malicous with Youmu or anything. I have heard of interactions between the two that are honestly kind of sweet.

Thinking about it, their relationship could be considered less-so master-and-servant, moreso mother and daughter, kind of like with Sanae and her goddesses. Heck even Yuyuko's constant teasing could be chalked up to a parent just trying to have some fun with their kid.

But enough of that. However you view Youmu and her relationship with her mistress, she is, in my opinion, still not to be messed with. I hear that one of her two swords, the katana "Roukanken", is a sword that was forged by youkai and can cut through almost anything. Her smaller sword, Hakurouken is a family heirloom and can cut through a person's confusion.

Yeah, Youmu use to train under a relative named Youki Konpaku. While the relationship is unknown, he seemed to either be Youmu's father or grandfather. He disappeared one day, but apparently Youmu thinks it's a part of training.

That aside, I also heard an interesting rumor about Youmu. I think it started sometime around the Incident regarding the divine spirits? Y'know, the one with the Great Mausoleum gang. Anyways, the rumor is that Youmu is actually dating a guy. Shocking, I know. Something about, making an effort to take better care of her appearance as a result. I haven't really seen Youmu too much myself, so, I don't if it's true or not, but if she is dating right now, that's neat! I'm happy for her. I'm sure Yuyuko would be too.

On an unrelated note, I also hear that Yuyuko is actually close friends with one of the youkai sages of Gensokyo. Yeah, Yuyuko is actually close friends with the Gap Youkai herself, Yukari Yakumo. Have you met her yourself? I wouldn't be surprised if you did. She is responsible for most humans ending up Gensokyo, after all (myself included). Or spiriting them away, as she would put it.

Hey, um...be careful around Yukari. She may seem like a woman who loves playing pranks when she's not asleep (and she is), but she's still a force to be reckoned with. Her boundary manipulation basically gives her reality warping powers. She's powerful enough to have a shikigami, a kitsune named Ran Yakumo, who's already powerful enough to have a shikigami of her own. A bakeneko named Chen. Plus, Yukari is apparently a master planner. To her, you'd just be another pawn in whatever scheme she has. Not to mention the fact that she seems to know everything that's going on in Gensokyo. So like I said, just don't let your guard down around Yukari.

Although, thinking about it, I did hear something about her as well. Something about her being related to a human from the Outside World. I think her name was "Maribel Hearn" or something of the like. Yukari's said to be very old though, it kind of makes me wonder how she and this "Maribel" girl could be related.


Oh, hey before I end this message, I think you shouldn't linger around here for too long. From what I hear, spirits from the Animal Realm, one of Hell's realms, have been getting a bit...rowdy lately. Something about Gensokyo's land losing ownership after the opening of its markets? Anyways, from what I hear, the spirits and even Gensokyo's beast youkai are vying for control.


I'm actually gonna head back myself after finishing this message. Once things settle down, I'll go ahead and write one more message. If you've been following my other messages, I'm sure you'll know where to find it.

Anyway, just try to hang in there. Stay safe!


Yours Truly,



An Interested Party

Dear Reader,

Hey! You made it to the Hakurei Shrine. I knew you could do it.

It may just look like a small run down Shinto shrine, but believe it or not, the Hakurei Shrine existed long before Gensokyo was sealed, which was sometime in 1885. The Hakurei Shrine Maidens lived in this place for many centuries, including the current shrine maiden; Reimu Hakurei.

It's her job to protect to protect and maintain the Great Hakurei Barrier, as well as exterminate any youkai who threaten Gensokyo's peace.

Reimu is also the one who developed the "Spell Card System". From what I hear, it was made to give even relatively weak humans and youkai a chance to win, defend themselves and even potentially defeat the Hakurei Shrine Maiden. This means no one should die or even get gravely injured during a fight (Keyword "should").

Spell Card Battles also put an emphasis on beauty (or "flashiness" as I would put it). It's kind of hard for me to explain, you'd have to see one for yourself to get an idea of what I mean. The best way I'd describe one is that It's like watching one of those shoot 'em up games in real life. Except prettier. And with girls. And potentially more dangerous.

Honestly, seeing it in action a few times myself, I think would make a pretty sweet video game or something. Heh. Imagine that.

Anyways, enough of that. Back to Reimu herself, she's a very talented individual as I'm sure you can see, but she's also pretty lazy. Most people also say she's a bit grumpy. Possibly due to these reason, along with the fact most youkai she "exterminates" tend to end up hanging around the shrine, Reimu doesn't get many visitors, and as a result, not many donations. I mean, it's not like she's too poor to live, but at the same time she's not the most...financially stable girl in Gensokyo.

Despite all of her faults though, I think Reimu still does have some sense of duty. I mean, she must if she's still willing to go out and protect Gensokyo. In fact, while a lot of people say she won't hesitate to cause actual harm to them, I hear that in reality, she does wish to bring peace between humans and youkai. Heh. Guess her and Byakuren aren't so different, huh? Ehhh, don't tell her I said that. OK?

Besides that, believe it or not (and this a very important fact), Reimu and her shrine are actually essential to Gensokyo's existence. Long story short, if Reimu goes down, it's only a matter of time before Gensokyo does as well.


So, remember how I said youkai tend to visit her shrine? Well I'd like to go over some of her most frequent visitors.

Let's see. Well first of all, remember Marisa from the Forest of Magic? Not a youkai, mind you, but you might remember how I touched on the fact that she and Reimu are actually close friends. As I also mentioned, Marisa even spends more time at the shrine than she does at her own home.

Don't tell either of them I said this, but I honestly find it pretty sweet that their as close as they are. It's almost like they're sisters or something. Though it could be argued that they're more like lovers. Though I'm don't really know which way either of them swing, so I'm not just going to assume... Point is, they're pretty close; I think it's sweet; moving on.

There's another person who frequently visits Reimu. Her name is Kasen Ibaraki, and she's a hermit. From what I hear, she's very kind and polite, but also very preachy, especially towards Reimu. Could probably give Eiki a run for her money in that respect.

I also hear that Kasen has an affinity for animals, with her ability being to literally guide animals. She'll even take in any animals she finds cute. Makes me wonder how she'd react to meeting a certain blue hedgehog and his friends...

Anyways, I also hear that she's also a bit of a glutton (not unlike a certain ghost princess), and has something of a sweet tooth. I did hear something else about Kasen. I think it was something about her actually being an oni, or something of the sort. I don't know her too well myself, so I don't know if it's true or not...

Speaking of oni, another frequent visitor is an oni named Suika Ibuki. She's pretty jolly and a bit childish, but no less powerful than any other oni, being strong enough to throw large boulders single-handedly from what I hear. She can also manipulate density and sparseness, which she can also use to change her size, create miniature versions of herself, and turn into a kind of mist.

I already talked about the Oni in my message from the Underworld, so not much else to say about her. Other than the that I personally wouldn't want to get involved in a drinking session with her.

For a while, there was another resident of the shrine. It was an inchling princess by the name of Shinmyoumaru Sukana. I hear that she was staying in Reimu's care after being defeated by Reimu and her allies in an incident. Something about an amanojaku named Seija Kijin tricking her into starting some sort of revolution.

Anyway, little Shimmy was staying with Reimu as she was waiting for something called the Miracle Mallet to regain it's power. It's an artifact that was used by an inchling named Issun-boshi, who stole it from an oni (ironic considering an oni frequents the shrine). In fact, Shinmyoumaru is actually descended from Issun-boshi.

I also hear that Shinmyoumaru is actually good friends with Reimu, and surprisingly enough, is also on good terms with the likes of Tenshi and even Seija. I don't know what to say about that.

Reimu also has a fairy living under her shrine. She's a fairy from hell who goes by the name of Clownpiece. Yes. That's her name. Anyway she use to live in Hell with her master, Hecatia, but now she apparently lives in Gensokyo under her masters orders. Clownpiece herself as the ability to cause people to go insane, much like Reisen. Though whereas Reisen can do this by having one look into her red eyes, Clownpiece does this by with the flame of a torch she carries with her.

Fun fact about Clownpiece, her outfit apparently resembles the American flag. I hear she chose that design after seeing the actual flag on the Moon. Don't know much else beyond that.

The last frequent visitor I want to talk about is Aunn Komano. She use to be a normal komainu statue, it wasn't until one relatively recent incident that she came to life. Apparently even as a regular statue, she was still concious of her surrondings and was able to see Reimu and the others. So, based on that, she's been watching Reimu basically since the very beginning.

As for Aunn herself. She is such a sweetie. Have you met her yourself yet? She's so hard working. Kind of cute too. But that's besides the point. She guards places that are considered "sacred", considering it kind of volunteer work; mostly the Hakurei Shrine, but she is also known to guard the Moriya Shrine as well as the Myouren Temple. She also has the ability to create a copy of herself, which comes in handy if, say, she has to leave the any of those places unattended. Though it does also tire her out, so she prefers not to use it for too long.

So yeah. That's some of the shrine's most frequent visitors.

There a few others though. I didn't talk about the poverty goddess Shion, the gap youkai herself, or even the old turtle who's rumored to live in the pond at the back of the shrine.


So, that's it. That's just about everything I have to share with you. Of course there is more to Gensokyo than all stuff I talked about. I didn't talk about the flower youkai mentioned in my message about the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the Lunarians, the Lunar Capital, or the Animal Realm.

Oh, hey! Speaking of which, um...did you hear any thing about the recent incident? Yeah. Not only were Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae were involved in resolving it, but also Yukari's shikigami, Ran Yakumo, surprisingly enough. Suika and Aunn were too, involved from what I hear. That's all I'm gonna say, but, yeah. I'd figure I'd just mention that. It's honestly pretty surprising that the gap youkai's shikigami would go out to resolve an incident on her own accord. Unless it was a direct order from Yukari herself...

But enough of that. Like I said, there's so much to see and do in Gensokyo. So many people to meet. I'd probably waste a hundred pieces of paper mentioning every single thing about this land. Though there is only so much a regular human like me can do around here. As much as I would love to write and explore more of this place, I feel like I've done everything I've set out to do.

I stand by my point, though. Gensokyo is certainly an strange but interesting place. It honestly wouldn't feel out of place as the setting of a video game. I mean, the Spell Card Battle's already looks like a shoot 'em up game in real life. I personally think a video game starring Gensokyo and it inhabitants would be pretty sick!

Wonder what the game would be called though...maybe something like "Touhou Project", or something of the sort. You know, since Gensokyo is located in Eastern Asia, and the kanji "東方" means something along the lines of "eastern direction"?

But enough of that. I don't know if you plan on staying or leaving Gensokyo, but if you are planning on staying for whatever reason, then I wish you the best in whatever dreams you're pursuing here. I know it sounds weird since I wrote these messages to a person I'll probably never meet face to face, but I hope you at least found my them even somewhat useful. If so, then I'm glad I wrote them to you when I did.


I bring it up because...when I started my adventure...I was actually considering leaving Gensokyo when I was done. I mean, my folks back at home are probably worried sick for me. I did disappear without a trace after all. But as I explored more of Gensokyo, learned more about it's culture, it's people; even getting to know some of them personally, like Meiling for example (with that causing me to...well you know.)...it caused me too...well...I mean, don't get me wrong. I do miss my friends and family. I'm just saying, I might need to give some more thought to whether I decide to stay here, or go back home...


Um...Hey, could you do me one more favor? Maybe if you meet Reimu, ask her if she knows anything about "Mima" or "Shinki" or any of the other rumored indiviuals people have been talking about? And...tell her I said that I think she's doing a good job at, y'know, keeping the peace in Gensokyo, and to keep up the good work.


Enough of that. I need to head back to my place and...well think about what's next for me. Like I said, whatever it is you decide to do, my hypothetical reader, I wish you the best in it.


I'll see you around, buddy.



Yours Truly



An Interested Party

---

Fin.