Kiketsu Plushie Investigation Audio Log:

Are we doing this? Really doing this? I mean, Yachie's the boss and all, but they're a child's plushies!

...

As Asami, he-who-manages-Reimu, first of his name, put it, "Yes, shut up, and don't leave the file anywhere you-know-who might find it." Which is absolute fishbait. I don't know why she's suddenly so touchy about the plushies now. Everyone knows the girl loves those things, and she's still willing to dive into the pile when nobody's looking. Maybe the old man found out and teased her about it? Or the crafting goddess? (Sure hope the boss knows what she's doing working with that psycho.) Whatever. Beyond my paygrade.

What, you want me to call her "the miko" all the time? I know that's the cover story, but this is an internal file! Nobody's going to see it!

...

Fine, whatever. You're the boss.

Entry 1 - Genjii:

This one was the easiest one to verify. Our miko had dreamed up a turtle plushie with a beard, we check out the surface, and lo and behold, the Hak- what do you mean we're not using the name? Our miko's never supposed to see this file anyway, right?

Whatever. Anyway, the future youkai shrine has a giant youkai turtle of the same type, complete with beard.

Anyways, Genjii is absolutely our miko's favorite plushie. He's the one she insisted on taking with her when Yuuma attacked, and she loves him to bits. Like, literally to bits, the boss has had to patch him back together several times. She doesn't actually play with him as much, and when she does, he comes out on top, but he's the first one she'll cuddle if she's feeling down, and especially if she's scared. Though she tries to hide whenever she does it these days. It's a pity too, pushing her around on top of Genjii when she was tiny used to be a blast.

Interestingly, Genjii's also the only male plushie in the bunch. Which, taken at face value, means that he must have been the most important man in her past life.

...what? Look, you asked me t

"Freeze!"

The frog was wrapped in ice mid-leap out of the lake. The fairy caught it as it fell, then placed it on the pile.

The pile of 50 other frozen frogs, stacked like a pyramid.

"Whoa! It’s so tall now!" a boy next to her uttered, his eyes twinkling as they reflected the tower of ice.

"Of course," the fairy said, before standing up and puffing out her chest. "I'm the strongest, after all!"

The boy didn't know what power had to do with it, but he clapped anyway. After that, the two of them continued stacking frogs. Then they went deep in the forest, chasing each other amid laughter.

He could never reach her no matter how hard he ran, but that didn't stop him from trying. With every step he took, the chill on the ground only grew; a sensation that, by this point, he had already gotten used to. After weaving through the many trees, the sight of a glittering view finally appeared.

The fairy was floating above them, arms on her hips. "Haha! I win again~"

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he looked up. And there it was: their secret base, filled with a variety of structures made of ice:

Slides...

Climbing mounds...

A tower...

Even a whole mansion. All to themselves. The boy had seen this sight many times before, but even so, it made him giggle in excitement. I wonder what we will be making today? he thought.

He took a step forward, but then his mother's voice echoed in his head. "Do not ever approach such children!" He remembered her face; worse than any other time his mother found out about whatever other secret thing he hid from her. "Those children are not like you. They are otherworldly beings. If you spend too much time with them, they could whisk you away, and nobody will ever see you again!"

But her voice quickly faded; it always did. The boy took another step forward. They spent the rest of the day making anything and everything. The fairy's power allowed it; the only limitation was their imagination.

And what a li

The inky blackness is total, a lightless, weightless expanse where no human could possibly hope to see or breathe. Unknown horrors lurk in its depths, cosmic terrors ready to devour entire cities whole, the mere sight of which could cause madness. It is the void in purest form, a domain of madness that will gradually eat away at the islands of sanity that resist, before all is returned to that primordial state. Even stars die in the end.

Or am I lying? Stars die, but they are also born. The unknown may have terrors, but what's to say it doesn't have wonders as well? Are you an insignificant speck, or are you merely surrounded by a magnificent creation orders of magnitude beyond your understanding? The depths that have yet to be visited, the planets that are yet to be explored, don't they excite you? These final frontiers are the battlegrounds of our future, the last challenges nature has to throw at us. For the heroes that step up, stories will be written and songs will be sung.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Whatever fates befall the explorers of the future, the only stories that matter today are yours. Whether sea or stars, dreams or nightmares, show me that piece of fantasy that is yours, and yours alone.

Contest entries for the 2026 Halloween Contest go here! If you're unsure of what the thread is for, or need a reminder of the rules, please check >>/gensokyo/19790

The Scarlet Devil Mansion had contingencies to contain a raging vampire, but it was never a good day when those were put to the test.

Sakuya was best utilized playing support. A role that galled her, in truth, but one that was necessary just by the nature of the conflict. She could not meaningfully intercept the full power of the frenzied youkai, but her power was uniquely suited to avoiding it. Smaller attacks could be deflected by her knives, (not that it would prevent the mansion from taking a beating, but she could at least lessen the damage), and stopping time allowed her to pull her allies out of the way of any more powerful blows.

Offense was a similar story; while enough of her knives would give even the Scarlets pause, this was not a case where overkill was an acceptable solution. If attempting to suppress an outbreak alone, she would be forced to whittle her opponent down, gradually chipping away at that near-limitless stamina until her energy was exhausted and her sanity returned.

Such measures had been necessary with Flandre twice in times past, and an entire wing of the mansion had been wrecked both times. She was thankful to have better options at present.

As her target gathered herself for another charge, Sakuya stopped time, fanning out her knives out to both sides. The wall of blades wasn’t a serious obstacle, a vampire was fully capable of charging through them… but to a creature functioning on instinct, the pain they represented was enough of a deterrent to shape its path. Her quarry charged for the one hole left in the wall, claws outstretched.

The maid let the charging youkai get within a hairsbreadth of her before stopping time once again. When it resumed, she was no longer in the attack’s vicinity, and Meiling leaped in to neatly field the charging youkai. The gatekeeper’s raw strength was less than either of their mistresses, but she made up for it with technique, dodging the swipe, grabbing the wrist, and executing a picture perfect over-the-shoulder throw to slam the vampire down to the floor, wings first.

Neither the throw nor the follow-up joint lock was more than an inconvenience to a vampire, but that had been planned for. Disruption

It has been the author's intention to reduce the burden of other curious people trying to study the fascinating complexity of a haniwa, and to achieve this, we aimed to shorten the text to about a third of the length found in standard texts. The shortening was to be achieved by brevity, the omission of repetition, and by the very extensive use of simple illustrations in the belief that ‘a little picture is worth a million words.’ Much repetition has indeed been avoided, and the book is little less than half the length of its original scripture.

It is doubtful, however, if the pictures intended to ease said burden are enough to provide a complete understanding of the anatomy of a haniwa, as its simplicity may have excluded some important details, and opting to use more detailed illustrations would not only cost more, but may also deter other enthusiastic researchers trying to grasp the concept. It is a general criticism of the book. The picture illustrating the neuromuscular control of the pupil of a warrior haniwa is itself necessarily complex, rivaling the Gensokyo map in complexity and is on too small a scale to allow easy understanding or even recognition of its parts.

It is unlikely that such figures as this will lighten any person’s burden in their pursuit to study a haniwa, although careful study of them, if sufficiently prolonged, will be worth while.

Autumn in Kyoto brought with it a chill in the air and the fresh scent of pumpkin spice. Alongside a brand new day for the Hifuu Club, who were currently at a coffee shop, discussing club activities and drinking coffee that was more dessert than coffee.

“You seem excited today, Merry.” Renko began. “Did you enter Gensokyo again?”

“Even better!” Maribel exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I saw a flyer attached to the Hakurei Shrine's torii gate announcing an autumn festival later tonight! This can be our first opportunity to experience Gensokyo festivities!”

“Easy there, Merry.” Renko said with a smile. “We still don’t fully understand Gensokyo. Who knows what we’ll encounter at the festival?”

Maribel gave a mock pout. “It’s a festival, Renko. What could possibly happen to us?”

Renko shook her head. “Fair enough, but you never know when it comes to Gensokyo. Even the most peaceful evenings can end in chaos.”

Maribel bursts out laughing, her laughter sounding like tingling wind chimes. “You worry too much, Renko. Just relax and enjoy the festival.”

Renko sighed. “Okay, fine. But promise me you won’t get absolutely wasted during the festival.”

“No promises!” Maribel grinned. “Now let’s go! We’ve got a long day ahead of us!”

“Wait, Maribel, it’s not even 12 yet-!!” Renko’s protests fall on deaf ears as Maribel starts dragging her best friend away from the coffee shop.

“I know, but why wait? Some of the Gensokyo residents might need our help preparing for the festival.”

Renko was eventually able to find her footing, and the two walk along the natural trail leading through the forest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this excited about something before, Merry.”

“Why wouldn’t I be excited? The Outside World barely celebrates anything nowadays, and it’s hard to feel festive when everything is so… artificial!”

The two friends approach the eternal cherry blossom tree that marks the boundary entrance to the Netherworld. The Hifuu club hadn’t visited such a place in years, as humans aren’t supposed to frequently visit the land of th

Gensokyo.

Also known as the land of illusions; this has been a land of unchanging rules and unchanging environments. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden's watchful eye ensured that no unwanted incidents could ever befall Gensokyo. Since then, this wonderful land has become peaceful. The bond between humans and youkai has been steadily improving, and there haven't been any dangerous encounters with humans and youkai.

Of course, nothing is perfect in life, and even a sanctuary can have casualties. The youkai of darkness had her occasional meal, and the nameless youkai that lacked decorum proved dangerous towards humans that strayed too far from the village. As a result, a true bond between humans and youkai would prove to be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible.

This is why the Human Village still remains as the only “safe zone” for humans. The Hakurei Shrine and Moriya Shrine are also considered safe from youkai, but they have their own “dangers.” The Hakurei Shrine Maiden partied with youkai so often that most of the villagers were confused as to whose side she was actually on. Surely someone who’s supposed to protect others from youkai wouldn’t be partying with them, right?

As for the Moriya Shrine, it rests at the epicenter of a dangerous youkai environment. This has the side effect of deferring human worshippers, as they believe the dangers of Youkai Mountain are far too great to risk a visit to the Moriya Shrine, even if they utilized the ropeway. In fact, some people are deathly afraid of the ropeway, as they think the tengu will “prank” the humans by cutting the ropes.

Obviously, this is just paranoia, as the tengu are aware of the consequences that would come of doing something so catastrophic.

With that being said, the morning of another autumn day in Gensokyo brings us to a home within the Human Village. More specifically, the mess of notes and journals that I refer to as my home. My name is Jacob, and I’ve recently become a private investigator in the Human Village. Although it’s more of a hobby that I don’t take too seriously. As most of the investigations I partake in are the result of a certain kleptomaniac magician stealing the prize

In the sky above Gensokyo hung a grand fortress, the Shining Needle Castle. To an observer from the Outside World, a castle suspended in midair would already be a spectacle - the fact that it hung upside-down, its parapets plunging toward the earth and its deepest dungeons grasping for the heavens, only compounded the marvel. But in Gensokyo, few gave much thought to the castle, or to its lord, the tiny inchling princess Shinmyoumaru Sukuna. It was just another wonder in a place saturated with them.

Today, though, someone was interested. A lone youkai flew through the damp summer evening air, checkered cape fluttering in her wake. Seija Kijin, the amanojaku who had once been Shinmyoumaru's partner in a failed attempt to overturn Gensokyo's social order, was making a beeline for the castle. The two had unfinished business, and Seija was here to settle it.

The doors of the Shining Needle Castle swung open at Seija's kick. Two hollow suits of armor, tsukumogami animated as doormen by the power of Shinmyoumaru's Miracle Mallet, creaked metallically over to block the amanojaku's path. She sent them both clanging against the opposite wall with a backhand blow.

"Hey! Pipsqueak!" Seija bellowed into the echoing halls. "Where are you?"

Shinmyoumaru cringed in her sewing room as Seija raised a ruckus. She'd been dreading this day.

The time she and Seija had spent together as the Revolution had been sweet strong wine, an intoxicating dream of liberation she'd greedily gulped down. She had been savior of the oppressed, heir to the Miracle Mallet, the world's biggest inchling, Seija's hero. With the two of them together, the overwhelming power of her Mallet mated with Seija's brilliant strategic mind, she'd felt they were unstoppable. Then, the shrine maiden had shown up to stop them. Reimu fought her way through Seija and her tsukumogami allies, through everything Shinmyoumaru and the Mallet could throw at her, until the Mallet ran dry of energy and Shinmyoumaru ended up a helpless prisoner in the shrine. Quite the hangover.

Seija, though, was cunning enough to avoid capture and kept fig

/hate

Let me tell you
how much I hate
what you did with this place your hands on your

-huh?
...no, that's...that's not right...

Is it?

Again...

Start again.
Before the rain the flood the storm

"Hate".
Noun.
An intense negative
emotional response towards certain
people, things or ideas, usually related to opposition or revulsion toward something.
May also be used as a verb, such as “I hate the rain, I hate the noise the drip drip dripping on my head in my head like filtering silt and drip drip
drip

drip

With the festival bustling away, nobody notices furtive figures darting through the crowd. They dart from shadow to shadow, flowing so naturally that not a single person feels their passing. Their footsteps are swallowed by cheerful chatter, and not once are their forms ever seen by a human eye. As the celebration approaches it's natural crescendo, the last of the figures slips from the grounds. Their destination is outside, in the rice fields beyond.

Do they walk through the flooded paddies? It would appear so, yet not a single ripple marks their passing. Their path winds and wends up the hill, until the festival is but a single bright patch in a quilt of deep, earthy colours. Just shy of the peak is their destination; a small circular plateau, waiting for their last companions to arrive.

There is no need for greetings, nor reminders of their purpose. The ones who have made this trek need not sully this gathering with idle banter or redundant reminders. Their voices will be put to one use, and one use alone; the stories each one bears in their soul. After but a few moments of silence, one figure stands up, looks over their audience... and begins to tell their story.

Contest Entries for the 2025 Halloween Contest go here! If you don't know what's going on, or you just want to see the rules, follow this link: >>/gensokyo/18584