==


Alright, since there's not much going on anyway, I'll allow myself to scribble a short rant. A short in YAF's scale, which means it will probably end up being pretty long despite my utmost efforts to keep it as brief as possible, while encuraging myself not to care, because no one cares anyway, and I like writing, so... Hell, it's already started.

Anyhow, TSR is nearly at the 70% mark, 60% if we take walling into consideration. Things will start to go down pretty soon, and I've already dropped a few hints about potential unfoldings... And potential twists. Doubt anyone will point them out, but they're an integral part of the story. The thing is, given the annoyingly sluggishly slow pace of /shrine/ itself, AS OPPOSED TO A CERTAIN OTHER BOARD, I've started working on a couple of other things. One/two of them will potentially become new stories. Now, I have TOTALLY NO INTENTION OF considered writing two at once. The full list is:

[ ] Call of Miserable Notions (AkA the new CoMN)
[ ] This Shattered Reality: Episode Two
[ ] This Shattered Reality - second run
[ ] Collaboration of Missing Numbers - Rewrite (CoMN from Renji's perspective)
[ ] Something completely new
[ ] For Starters


Now onto different things. If I get to start anything CoMN-related, I'll be moving out of /shrine/ with it. Either to /border/ or /th/, I haven't decided yet. TSR stays in /shrine/, and I don't know about 4S - it isn't really a fitting material for this place, as it doesn't even have the miko, neither any of the other shrine's inhabitants. Or to be blunt - I am unsatisfied with /shrine/'s infamy. Thanks to my... slippery grammar and style back in the days of TS, a stereotype had been formed, and stuck to /shrine/, marking it as 'the place where only that one shitty writer updates'. It has been proven many times that it's indeed true (like that one fake hijack by HY, where he posted updates written by me in my stead, and the place, as well as the story suddenly became a lot better, also my attempts to write stories on other boards, for instance, the one about the smoker guy and Aussie Mokou). I've no intention of denying it - my worry is my popularity. Without popularity, there are no votes. Without votes, I can't continue. Without continuing, the story becomes stale. Same goes for the lack of discussion - I don't know what the readers want, I don't know what they expect, and I have no suggestions to base the path I should progress along. Same thing happened to CoMN, though it was slightly different. Too often the option chosen was the dreaded [X] "...", rather than one of those that would have affected the direction of the story in one way or the other. Funny thing how people complained about the choices feeling 'useless, with no influence of the progress' afterwards. Well, whoop-dee-doo. Chossing [X] "..." every goddamn time isn't going to get you anywhere. It's basically a nod to the author, saying 'Hey, I don't wanna do anything, let happen what will happen'. Anyway, hopefully, moving to another board, and permamently sticking to my new trip (that I have dropped for the duration of TSR) will fix the problem. Also, I find it amusing how voting often stalls - totally coincidentially - at the number of five votes, and doesn't progress any further. Not suspicious at all.

That's it, for now. If it wasn't for my obligation to write, I would have simply abandoned THP, just like I had abandoned a lot of online communities before, and devote my life to drinking, playing vidya and working on my grades. Unfortunately, it would seem that whenever I try to back away, someone just has to bitch at me to write, thus triggering the obligation switch. Rotten fallacies of mine mind. Wish they would simply be gone.

Anyhow, if you read this, please include what you'd like to see in the future in your post, along with the regular vote. Thanks for flying YAF airlines, and we hope you choked on the lunch. We also sprayed potassium cyanide all over the bread, in case you were wondering about the strange aftertaste. Have a nice day.


pic related
fuck yeah

[x] Call of Miserable Notions (AkA the new CoMN)

No Renji perspective, no shrine shit, delicious Fuku only.

[x] "Absurd. I've got a better idea. You're going to clean it all, and I'll take Reimu out on a date."

[x] For Starters

>>please include what you'd like to see in the future in your post

Just keep writing, it's all good.

Voting with my trip on for maximum YAF-rage.

[x] "Absurd. I've got a better idea. You're going to clean it all, and I'll take Reimu out on a date."

[x] For Starters

I miss Yuka.

[x] "Let's hear Reimu's version first, shall we?"
[x] For Starters

[X] "Absurd. I've got a better idea. You're going to clean it all, and I'll take Reimu out on a date."

[X] For Starters
Finish at least one run of this. Please.

[X] "Absurd. I've got a better idea. You're going to clean it all, and I'll take Reimu out on a date."

[X] For Starters

If you do this can we resume where we were with Marisa and David?

[x] "Absurd. I've got a better idea. You're going to clean it all, and I'll take Reimu out on a date."
[x] For Starters

[x] "Fine. You better cast some light on why you're here though."
[ ] For Starters

Epileptic tree time.

Koganeiro Nanatsuyoru is the blond haired urchin that appeared in BKC3, which makes him the son of Seven and Yukari after what happened in TS2.

Reimu is actually Reimu II, the descendant of Reimu I and someone who hasn't been named yet. Mima is so close to Reimu II because she most likely was Not Quite Dead and probably came back to existence in time to take custody of Reimu II after Reimu I and her dad disappeared.

This is going to be Koganeiro's face when Nanaya says "I am your father".

[X] "Absurd. I've got a better idea. You're going to clean it all, and I'll take Reimu out on a date."
[x] For Starters

Even without the delicious shrine maiden it's all good. I loves me some crossover jazz.

>>22236

That...would be interesting if true.

[x] "Fine. You better cast some light on why you're here though."

[x] Something completely new, aka:
>Something with a loli as the protagonist.

Don't think we've forgotten, YAF. If not, then delicious Fuku is always welcome(without your bitching, of course) Second choice:

[x] Call of Miserable Notions (AkA the new CoMN)

[x] "Fine. You better cast some light on why you're here though."
[x] For Starters

>>22229

Well FUUUUUUU Whatever.

>>22236

While it would create more paradoxes than it would explain, I admit, it's interesting.

What's with the love for 4S

>>22249
Never really given a chance. Though I'd rather he write the Renko H-scene(and let's face it; everything else he never finished) in one go. To the grave I shall follow him.

Sorry for not updating today, my head feels like if was hit by a Shokk Attak Cannon, and I can't concentrate on anything more complicated than spamming basic infantry units in Dark Crusade.

>>22250

I can't believe someone actually remembers this. Do you still hold onto hope of seeing that scene finished? It would be nothing better or more special than any of the scenes I wrote after treacherously abandoning it, just so you know.

>>22251
Oh come on. You started it off with pink elephants, a leprechaun, and two very drunk -let's face it - idiots. You can't use your imagination to finish that off? Anon can; though they usually prefer a kick-start.

>>22252

No, look. What I meant to say was that if I was to make it fucked up and possibly unfappable - it would be no problem. Pink elephants and leprechauns have potential. But if I was to make a perfectly fine, normal, 'enjoyable' H-scene, there'd be a problem with making it any different from all the others. Renko is an ordinary girl, she has no unique traits (like Reimu's armpits, Mima's ceiling, Utsuho's radioactive cloaca, etc), and therefore her scene would be as bland as her character.

[ ] "Fine. You better cast some light on why you're here though."
[ ] This Shattered Reality - second run

Suka route, damnit!

'kay, got rid of the headache, and hit a streak of inspiration. Partially thanks to L4D finally finishing downloading. Giant fucking thing, but at least the wait was worth it.

==

[X] "Absurd. I've got a better idea. You're going to clean it all, and I'll take Reimu out on a date."

Fun? Since when is taking a bath with another man the kind of fun a normal, healthy male would regret missing out on? Not from today, that's for sure, for there are many things more appealing than getting naked in front of a man who has recently tried to kill you, made up a bunch cryptic excuses, then ran off to spread chaos in the kitchen and is now looking for a way of escaping the duty of cleaning up the mess wrought by his hands. I snort. This is simply ridiculous, just like every other thing he does, pretty much. Somehow, I can see why Reimu forgot about him so quickly after he had left - no sane person would like to keep someone as insane, in whatever dusty corner of his or her heart. And now, it would seem my shoulders have been burdened with additional responsibility of dealing with the madman yet again.
"Fun?" I repeat the question I have already asked in my thoughts "Oh no, Seven." Amusing, truly hilarious. Twenty minutes ago we were in the middle of a fight to death, and now I'm reprehending him like a parent does his child, despite being at least several years younger. Where's the balance? Why can't the world be white like chalk or black like ebony? Spare me. "The only fun anyone will be missing on, will be taking Reimu on a date, while the other cleans up the mess."
He clicks his fingers right in front of my face, still, I persist in perfect, intentional inertness. Trying to startle your conversant won't work, neither will suddenly looking all happy.
"Good idea!" whoa, what? This kind of submissiveness is almost confusing, why is he agreeing so eagerly-- "I'll go grab her then, and you go find a broom!"
Before I know, there's a palm slapping my face - my own, at that - with the speed of sound. It's brother quickly grabs the shoulder of the idiot who was about to rush off in a direction unknown. What a freaking idiot. No, this is all probably but an act, intended to knock me out of mental equilibrium. I was wrong - he still intends to wage war with me, only on a more even ground. Is he taking pity on me? You couldn't defeat me in battle, so we'll see if you manage with something easier? Don't give me that, rascal. You're a thousand years too early to push me around!
"Hold up for a second." my eyebrows are twitching, but my throat doesn't give up. Serenity in every tone, just as it should be. "You misconceived."
Seven gives me a confused frown. Drop the act already, would you kindly? I have no time for this!
"Was there anything to misunderstand?" he scratches his head neglectfully "And I'm the one speaking in riddles here, eh. So what's the deal?"
Don't 'what's the deal' me! I know this is just what you were looking to say, simply to throw me off the balance, but it's slowly getting overboard! No one would agree to believe that there are people as retarded as you try to make yourself out to be! Grab a hold of reality! Find a comfortable position, relax, and listen to me count down from five to one. Then, you'll find yourself in a state of hypnosis, and tell me why the hell do you bother with this constant play, how does that sound? As if. Accursed seed of malice, disappear already!
"Quit fooling around!" my fingernails dig into his coat, but he doesn't even as much as change his expression. Insolent, insolent, insolent! Oh, I want to kill him! And how! I want to kill him so much! But aside from the issue of him evading my attacks every goddamn time, there's also the one about him being, supposedly, Reimu's 'uncle'. As much as I hate the fellow himself, I cannot draw a sword against someone my woman values. For now. Appreciate it, Seven. Appreciate my goddamned honrado, mongrel. "Stop twisting the meaning of my words. The one to take her out shall be me. You--" I let go of his shoulder and point at his nose. He squints his eyes to keep watch over it. Like a child. He's obviously mocking me. "... you go and clean up the mess."
Almost lost my cool there, but the cavalry has arrived at the last moment - Reimu, jittery like a squirrel, quickly scuttles towards us both, uttering something along the lines of 'ah, here you are', or anything as obviously cliché. I cannot help but notice how her clothes are dirtied with white powder here and there. That should explain the flour in Seven's hair - he must've dropped a box or a bag when Reimu came storming into the kitchen to prevent him from using it. Unstrung bastard. Scaredy cat. Have more control over your movements! Anyhow, I've already settled the matter with the bastard, there's no need for Reimu to slice her wrists over it any more. So instead of letting her approach us, and start spewing out accusations, I give Seven a last, scolding glance, walk up to the miko, and stop her in her tracks.
"He--"
"Yeah," I cut into her line "I told him to clean up. Don't worry about it."
"But--"
Say," and again "How about we take a day off and go loaf somewhere else?"
"Didn't I tell you there's a load of work to be done?" of course, she just had to say what she had to say after all. But what can I do, other than sighing annoyedly? "You said you'd--"
"That's," I interrupt one more time "Why I said Seven would do it. Right, pally?" 'pally' gives me a wry smirk when I turn to him "This isn't some godforsaken hotel. You wanna stay? You've gotta earn it. Now." back to the miko, I place my hands on her shoulders, and start gently pushing her down the corridor, away from the freak "We're going."
"What?" she protests "What's with this sudden change? Didn't you say he was suspicious ten minutes ago? Hey, are you even--?!"
"Hey, kid!" this time it's his turn to cut the poor Reimu's lines "You're a punk, you know that?"
Whatever. At least we don't have to fight this one out, thank fuck. The way he submits to my cruel judgement is a bit distressing, but truth be told, I couldn't care less. If he screws up, then that'll only give me one more reason to kick his ass out the door. Still, a victory, even small, is always worth a grin. And so I grin.
"Fine, fine!" ah, yes. There's one more thing to take care of. "I'll go change, so you--" or not. Turning to me, she suddenly looks away, as if though there was something extremely embarrassing on my face. "... just go grab a shirt or something. There... should be one in the cupboard in... your room."
I shrug when she quickly takes off in the direction of her own. Looks like despite getting to know almost all of her, there still are some things to be discovered. Isn't that exciting?

What is less exciting, is that when I have finally reached my own chamber, something decided to break the usual order of things... And lurk inside, singing a cheesy song about a cow and a goat, in a muffled voice. Of course, the voice was no one other's than Sid's. Sighing, I slid the door open, and slipped inside...
"Hm?" But he's nowhere to be seen. Not on the floor, not on the mattress, nowhere around... Just what the hell? "Oh."
Right. I know why it's so quiet. His song, that is. Kneeling in front of it, I pull the case's lid open.
"--big, red and throbbing-- Why, hello, master."
"Sid." I do my best to disregard the bawdy lyrics, and shoot him a falsely surprised look "What are you doing here?"
"You tell me, master." he vibrates slightly, jingling against all the other swords "First you pull me out through that void again, don't make a single swing, and send me back. What was up with that?" Ah, yes... Right. I did indeed pull him out, and ended up never using him after all... Well, wasted energy, if anything, but what happened can't un-happen, unless we really wish for it to do. Even then, the chances are slim enough to forfeit bothering. "By the way, I don't know what enticed you to pull a living person through, but it was scary."
Wait.
"Excuse me?" I look down at him and frown "What person?"
"Oh, a really good looking, blonde lady. Cute, golden eyes. Really busty. Never seen her before." That... Doesn't make any sense. Why would a person... Hell, he was probably just having hallucinations of women, can't blame him. Being a sword for god knows how long must've put a strain on his brain... Or whatever he has instead of it. Anyhow, I may as well take him along. He's proven to be extremely silent when talking is uncalled for, so it should be fine. Besides, should he begin throwing inadequate comments all around, I'll just send him back. So yeah, onto my belt he goes. The weight feels almost nostalgic. "So... We goin' somewhere?"
"In a way." I answer "Takin' a stroll with the miko an' whatnot." somehow, imitating his carefree accent is fun "Though I'd let ya tag along. Unless your schedule is already full?"
"Nope." he resonates lightly "If you're referring to my beautiful ghost partner, I haven't seen her since yesterday."
"Lazy ghost." I allow myself a comment while rummaging in the cupboard. There indeed is a red, upper part of a kimono in there. Not really from the same set as my pants, but sod that, I'm no fashion maniac to care about such details. "Well, off we go."
"Adventure!"
"Adventure!"
With that chant on our lips, we leave the room and head outside.


"Couldn't arrive any faster, could you?"
As expected, Reimu greets me in the world of sunlit nature with an angry scowl. Wearing the same outfit as two days ago, during our short trip to Kourindou and the village, she stands there, arms crossed on her chest, shooting me angry, slightly unnerved looks. The obvious answer is to smile, and so I do.
"My sincerest apologies." not really that sincere, but a bit of exaggerating never hurt "I could not decide what to wear, for such a fine occasion."
Unexpectedly, all she does is sigh, let her hands disentangle, and hang along her body. It would suit her more if she put them on her hips, but this way it's cute as well.
"What exactly are you so happy about?"
What exactly? Now, that is a rather silly question, Reimu. Come on, stop looking at me from under that brim, and admit it already. You're as excited as I am, if not more. Is that right?
"Who knows?" I shrug "Maybe I'm just looking forward to a date with the famous Hakurei shrine maiden?"
And that's the trigger. Her gaze falls to the ground, and before I can open my mouth, she turns away somewhere, looking at nothing in particular.
"... don't know if it'll be so fun."
"What are you talking about?" I almost chuckle "Of course it's going to be fun."
"I've never been on a date." Not that it wasn't to be expected. She's not a shrine maiden without a reason. I wonder how it is - does she remain a shrine maiden even after... That, or marriage? Complicated nomenclature, why must you torture me so? Either way, at least one person here has a little bit of experience, so we should do just fine. Reimu shifts her eyes back to me. "There," she says, smiling sourly "Have I unmanned you yet?"
"Not a slightest bit."
She snorts.
"Should've seen that coming." and sighs, raising her hands to the sky while doing so "Well then, guide me! Where should we go?"
There isn't much choice anyway.
"How about we get to the Human Village first, then decide about details?" I ask "A walk will do us both good." Oops, I seem to have pulled on a wrong string. Reimu grits her teeth, and stomps the ground. Twice. Before I know, there's an arm reached towards me, as well as an intensive, expectant stare. Caught me completely off guard, here. "What is it?"
"Paw."
So she says. Paw. Paw? Who the hell does she think she... Oh, to devil with that. I may as well listen to her for once. Still, what exactly is it she intends to--
"WOAH!"
... is all I manage to yell when through a sudden pull, my body is raised high in the air, lashed by gusts of air. My whole life, accompanied by treetops, dashes before my eyes...


... the grotesque rewind of memories ends abruptly, along with my helpless figure crashing into the ground, when Reimu brings the earth back close to her feet... But not to mine. My back, on the other hand, seems to have just met a new friend.
"Ouch." I groan while standing up, using Reimu's arm as a support "Be more gentle next time, would you..." Eh, no use scolding her now. Looking around, we seem to be in some sort of back alley in - how unsurprising - the Human Village. That was...definitely fast. Shook my plans up a little too, but it's nothing a quick rearrangement couldn't fix. She's still holding onto my hand when I turn to her. "Talk about crash landing. You're crazy, Reimu."
An angry glance from her eyes confirms my theory - she's simply embarrassed about the whole thing. And letting it vent through irritation. Why do I find that natural?
"Screw you. What now?"

[ ] Shouldn't be too hard. Go find a nice, tranquil place, have a few drinks, talk...
[ ] Let's see if she has a girl within - suggest window shopping.
[ ] Pay a visit to the school. It would be nice to see the beautiful teacher again.

==

Sorry 'bout the deleting, I forgot to include one, tiny part that should have been there.

{X} Let's see if she has a girl within - suggest window shopping.

[ ] Pay a visit to the school. It would be nice to see the beautiful teacher again.

>OP
>22223

Almost YAF, almost.

{X} Let's see if she has a girl within - suggest window shopping.

[x] Let's see if she has a girl within - suggest window shopping.

Well, one things for sure, she's already got a guy within, if you know what I mean.

[x] Shouldn't be too hard. Go find a nice, tranquil place, have a few drinks, talk...
[x] Let's see if she has a girl within - suggest window shopping.

>>22253
Feh. I enjoyed My Dog/Servant. That's not the point. Plain or not, you can't use your imagination to spice it up a little? There are never enough H-scenes. It just feels so incomplete, until things are completed, you know?

Of course, at this point, I'm not looking so much to get you to do it as I'm trying to get you to go off into another one of your nonsensical-YAF-rants, laugh, and then go back to bugging you just because I can.

[x] Let's see if she has a girl within - suggest window shopping.

Sorry, i haven't voted for a week now YAF. Too busy waiting for Owen to update, he created something awesome and win.
Well i hope i am no too late to vote for

[x] Call of Miserable Notions (AkA the new CoMN)
Needs more Fuku. The first one was good, a bit boring at times and with the end coming too fast. This was the best part of the story >>19806
>>19807
I guess you really put your heartblood into it. Probably because Eron was the most interesting Character in the whole story for me.

>That's it, for now. If it wasn't for my obligation to write, I would have simply abandoned THP, just like I had abandoned a lot of online communities before, and devote my life to drinking, playing vidya and working on my grades. Unfortunately, it would seem that whenever I try to back away, someone just has to bitch at me to write, thus triggering the obligation switch. Rotten fallacies of mine mind. Wish they would simply be gone.

You can't quit YAF, i won't allow it. You will never quit, you can't. /shrine/ is you. It calls out for you to write... forever. Write until you die, it is your destiny.

>Thanks to my... slippery grammar and style back in the days of TS, a stereotype had been formed, and stuck to /shrine/, marking it as 'the place where only that one shitty writer updates

There were always people who bitched about TS, but most of the people liked it. And it showed with the massive votes. People just liked it. But times have changed, you and the voters have. You aren't that horrible by the way. Stop downgrading yourself. You are as good as HY, only just not that much loved.

>I've no intention of denying it - my worry is my popularity. Without popularity, there are no votes.

You were never that much liked. Thanks to your trolling and the shit that went on you are hated and loved 50/50. Stop worrying about that and just let your stories do the talking. You changed your ways. A brand new YAF i guess. Don't know what good it would do to change your name, people still know who you are.

>>22266
>Don't know what good it would do to change your name, people still know who you are.

Yeah, I know, but I still like !rFAGH.MMLE more than !nmVOHsTRd. Plus 'Brimstone Society' sounds cooler than 'YAF'.

>>22267
no, it doesn't

[X] Let's see if she has a girl within - suggest window shopping.

Marvellous, at least she doesn't claim the will to take the initiative despite being inexperienced. That's good - a fledgling leader can guide to nothing but demise, and thanks to another illogical fallacy my mind just had to come up with, I find that reassuringly cute. Why? To keep it simple, and in relatively sweet words, let's say it gave me a nice vision of a hypothetical... coup de bite with her as the main focus.
But here we are, wrapping dirty thoughts in beautiful terms, while the girl herself continues on glaring with a bit of offence in her eyes, awaiting a response from the more experienced person in this relationship - me. But what is there we could do? Honestly, in a place like this, most of the ideas of a date an outsider can think of fail miserably already at the preparatory stage. Cinema? Nuh-huh, sorry, no cinemas here. A concert? More possible, yet still impossible to do at the moment, unless there's something going on we don't know about, and fortune will have us stumble upon it, and get caught up in the chanting crowd... So yes, this option goes out the door as well. Another thing that comes to mind is repeating the deal with Suika from two days ago - only in a more normal, and calm fashion. Would it satisfy the girl though? I doubt it, somehow. But what fails to prevail, gives me yet another idea. What do girls consider fun? An average outsider girl would spend her leisure time watching movies, shopping, maybe discussing girly things with other girls... That's beside the point though - what matters, is that while random fights and brawls appear to be her only hobby, Reimu is still - careful, I'm about to drop a bomb here - a girl. At least on the outside - her... if you'll excuse me the double entendre, inside is yet to be conquered. Ahem, anyhow, we might as well try doing it the classic way - let us engage in window shopping!
To underline the fact a decision's been made, I allow myself to nonchalantly brush the hair from my forehead with the free hand.
"It was a hard nut to crack," I say, while the miko - no longer a miko without her outfit, really - looks up at my gleeful expression "But I have deducted a conclusion that should appear appealing to us both."
However, the not my part of the 'both' doesn't really look pleased. Just the opposite - while I enjoy prolonging the moment as much as possible, she seems to be in a rush. Hey, the day is young! Forfeit the hurry, we're to enjoy ourselves, not worry about nonsensical things, while running a marathon. Relax, Reimu!
"Spill the beans already!" I can't tell whether she's being impatient, or scared about something. Hey, it's not like-- Oh. I see. Right, now I remember - on the first day here, she didn't want to be seen together with me either - a thing of reputation, getting in the way of my enjoyable company. "We can't be standing here all day long!"
And it would appear that she's still afraid of being found out. How... I don't know - adorable? Truth be told, the Reimu I like more is the one that scratches and bites left and right, but seeing her being so fidgety just because she's having a date - one of the most ordinary things in the world for a girl her age - is kind of fun too. Nevertheless, I can't help but agree - we definitely can't be spending all day in this alley, doing naught but arguing. What ticks me off the most though, is that all this time, she's been holding onto my other hand. Really, no matter how hard she cramps her facial muscles, the rest of the body still remembers what it is it should be doing at this age. How ironic. How amusing. It becomes even more so when she jerks up as I squeeze the aforementioned hand, and smile as warmly as possible.
"Alright, then." I pull her closer, and start urging towards the main street "Let's go!"


Ahh, the noises of the city feel unexpectedly relaxing. Just like the last time, my soul finds peace in this maze of people and buildings, perhaps simply because it reminds it of the former life I had abandoned when I decided to find a way into Gensokyo and stay there... Regrets? As much as I'd like to say 'none', there are some. Frankly though, they all bleach in comparison with the show on my hands right now.
Her steps are stable and rhythmical, but whenever anyone passes by, she would lower the brim of her hat, looking away... And snuggling closer to my arm. It really is sort of ironic - on one hand, she does not want to be recognized while walking hand-in-hand with a guy. On the other, it's her who insisted - in a way - on walking like this. Hell, I did nothing to change it, obviously, so it would be safe to say it's entirely an effect of her actions. First words and actions, now actions and actions are contradicting. But my mind refuses to mark is as anything other than 'cute'. Strange. Strange? No, perfectly natural, I'm sure.
"... hey." she speaks up when the road becomes less crowded, though still dares not to look up from under her hat "I never got to ask... What happened to the underground freaks?"
Ah, yes... That's right. Thanks to the ordeal with Seven, I ended up never reporting back to Reimu after going to 'wake them up'.
"They left." I say "Utsuho got back at night, and I guess Satori felt the call of freedom."
Reimu sighs.
"That's so like her." hm, weird. One would think she'd be pleased by getting rid of the unwanted guests? "Only confident when her pets are around."
I can't help but nod.
"Really." what pisses me off the most though, is that she took Rin back without my consent, but kick me in the gonads if I'm going to say it in Reimu's presence "And to think we were so polite and let her stay overnight..."
For a minute or so, silence prevails in the space between us, soon to be broken by another question. Reimu groans quietly, before speaking up.
"So where are we going?"
"Window shopping." no use keeping it in secret anymore. She would've come to know it sooner or later anyway. "I thought it would be fu--"
Forgetting all about stealth, she stops in place, looks up at my face from under the brim, and gives me an angry frown.
"Are you crazy?" rhetorical question "I can't afford anything but food, why would I--"
"That's," I cut in "Why I said 'window shopping'. We're not going to buy anything. Just... looking around."
Still not convinced, it seems.
"What's the point then?"
I sigh. This girl really lacks some basic ideas of normal ways of spending time.
"Look," I try to explain "Have you never gone to a shop solely to look for something you'd find cute, for the heck of it?"
"... never."
As expected. Of course, I should have seen this coming - after all, it IS a Hakurei family daughter I'm dealing with here. It's perfectly normal for her... not to be normal. Mima already told me she was forced to steal in order to satisfy the childish cravings - for sweets, et caetera. Damn, that was stupid of me. I really should have thought about it earlier. This whole mess may as well be a hindrance to her. Still, there's no saying before trying - and so I point at the nearest shop, which just happens to bear a sign with a shirt on the door. Clothes, huh? Good for a start.
"Well then, you never know, right? Come on," I pull her towards the said "Let's go inside, and find something that would suit you. There's no need to buy anything."
"Then what's the freaking point?!"
"Seeing cute things, Reimu." I say "You're a girl, you should understand. Sometimes, you can't get the cute thing you want. Sometimes just seeing it for a moment has to suffice. And that's why, I'm going to see you in a cute dress, whether you want it or not!"

The interior is nothing different from what you'd expect from a place such as this. Though there are no tiled floors, mirrors all around and nosy cameras on every turn, the place still carries that distinguishable atmosphere of a clothes shop, mostly thanks to the smell and numerous shelves - a large number of them situated behind a wide counter, forming something along the lines of an artificial maze, disappearing somewhere in the back - and... Well, let's say the clerk himself... somehow shares the climate of his shop. Bizarreness in it's full glory, the... guy, I think - it's almost impossible to tell because of the copious amount of makeup on his... her... face - seems to be in love with clothes that shine and sparkle with a slightest move. The nuclear-mushroom-style wig on his... you know, head, only strengthens the already weird image. At least the assistant - a tall, serious-looking guy - appears moderately normal. He nods, noticing me, and I answer in kind.
"Bonjour, bonjour[i]!" and here comes the freak. The clerk of indefinite gender springs out from behind the corner, and walks up to us, to my and Reimu's terror. "Please, do come in! Welcome to my humble store, [i]mon cheri!"
"Good... day, I guess..." I answer "Er..." it really is hard to concentrate on... it's face, when that shirt made of fish scales sparkles straight into your eyes "Can I--"
"Oui?" it's close. Too close, actually. For some reason or another, the bastard seems to have decided there's something really interesting about my face, and that it needs an immediate - and thorough - analysis. "Excuse moi, I thought you were a bit familiar for a moment." it scuttles back, to my relief "Yes, how may I serve you?"
I sigh discretely, and urge Reimu to step forward.
"Would there be anything cute enough in your store to suit a cute girl?" the miko turns at me with pretense in her eyes, but I continue regardless "She has absolutely no idea about sizes, and all the technical stuff, so if you'd be kind to... Hm?"
"Oui, oui!" the monster claps it's hands, causing the assistant to rush up to it's side, full of working verve. How nice must it be to work here, I can only fathom. My god. "Marco, take our pretty client to the changing room in the back, and find her the most magnifique dress the world has ever seen!" nodding, the assistant grabs a hold of Reimu, and gently, but firmly drags her into the more distant parts of the shelvy labyrinth. The poor girl shoots me a single, displeased glance before disappearing completely behind a corner. Serves her right, plus I'll get to see her in a cute outfit that isn't her usual shrine maiden clothes. Two birds with one stone, it couldn't get any better. "Monsieur?" oh, right, it could. For example if the damn thing would leave me alone to contemplate the beauty of the wooden floor in silence. "You're such a handsome young man! Say, I may have something just for you, something that would suit your... impressive figure!"
I frown.
"Is that so?"
It waves it's hand, another wave of vivid light assaulting my eyes without mercy. On of it's teeth appears to be more shiny than the others, and made of metal.
"Certainly, certainly! I don't show them to regular customers, but..." it's voice lowers to a whisper "I'll make a special exception, just for you~. How about it?"


[ ] Sure, why not.
[ ] I'd rather die.

[x] I'd rather die.

Creepy shopkeeper again.

Aaaaaand a bonus.

>>22265
>Of course, at this point, I'm not looking so much to get you to do it as I'm trying to get you to go off into another one of your nonsensical-YAF-rants, laugh, and then go back to bugging you just because I can.

Well, guess what. I happen to absolutely adore ranting, and utilize my fondness of it in real life as often as possible. A little less on the internet, though I still retain the ability to go on about ANYTHING for at least fifteen minutes without stopping once to gather thoughts together or think what to say next. That, and exaggerated gesticulation are my two calf loves - I have a couple of tics of my own, and a couple of learned gestures that have found their way to root themselves in my mannerism so firmly, sometimes it's troublesome. It would explain why Code Geass remains one of my favourite anime series - it both overdramatic speeches AND overdramatic manners of the protagonist in copious amounts, and never hesitated to show them, often both at once. It was easy to find a brotherly soul in Lelouch, who loved those as much as I did.

Anyhow, about the scene. You are right saying it would be nothing hard to make the process of making love to Renko a special one, but what of it, if the girl herself is bland like snow in Arctic? There may be thousands of fetishes in the world, enough to fill a book, but even resorting to one of them won't make her any more interesting.
Still, if you want me, I might give it ago, as soon as I encounter a favourable mood. That is, whenever I feel like it.


>>22266
>You are as good as HY, only just not that much loved.

You DO know I never take praises seriously, right? In fact, whenever someone praises my work, I first look for any signs of irony or concealed sarcasm, and then, having not found anything, simply disregard him/her. On the other hand, I tend to take criticism a bit too personally, perhaps. Anyway, no one on this board would agree that YAF is as good as HY, only 'less loved', and therefore I have no choice but to slap a plaquette saying [TROLL] on your forehead. The glue will take a few minutes to dry, so don't move around too much, would you kindly?

[ ] Sure, why not.

Sure, why not?

>>22273

People that rant too much aren't well liked.

>>22275

I realize that full well, but fortunately, I'm friends with people who are either as rant-y as me, or simply like listening to me ranting. You really should hear me babble about metaphysics after three-four cans of Lech.

[x] I'd rather die.

[x] Sure, why not.

>You DO know I never take praises seriously, right? In fact, whenever someone praises my work, I first look for any signs of irony or concealed sarcasm, and then, having not found anything, simply disregard him/her. On the other hand, I tend to take criticism a bit too personally, perhaps. Anyway, no one on this board would agree that YAF is as good as HY, only 'less loved', and therefore I have no choice but to slap a plaquette saying [TROLL] on your forehead. The glue will take a few minutes to dry, so don't move around too much, would you kindly?

You are a sad person you know? You ask for feedback on your writing etc and here you have my opinion.
I said the same thing months ago and some other time too long ago.
It's sad that you think so lowly of yourself.

[x] Sure, why not.

Reimu: "Hahahaha! What the hell is that?"
Kane: "Shut up"
Reimu: "But you look adorable in that lion suit!"

At least it will brighten up Reimu's day. This will turn into a good date, I know it~

>>22273
I understand full well. But even girls with their own special points have been put in bland scenes; some you've made are no exceptions(especially with Reimu; you've used her up like an old, sweaty gym sock). So I really don't get what you're trying to say. Text is left up to the imagination of the readers to turn into a visual; plain girls can be a fetish, too. Just changing random details in the writing, something as little as hair color, can morph the scene immensely.

>>22279

But there haven't been that many Reimu H-scenes anyway. The ones in TS1, then My Dog... But other than that, were there any?

>>22278

I'm a natural pessimist - it lies within my principles not to get too pumped up about anything, because disappointment is often too severe for another victory to make up for it. That, and the recent events of my life (the ones I mentioned in the second thread: educational, and family) have taught me one important thing: it's not worth it, to worry about each and every ordeal in your life. I want to be a duck, from whose wings, water streams away without a traNOTPERSONALBLOG NOTPERSONALBLOG NOTPERSONALBLOG

Goddamnit, you guys. Stop pulling on my strings.

I'm going against myself here, but thanks. I appreciate your praises, and while I don't consider myself worthy of them, it's heartening. You brought a smile on my face, as much as I'd like to deny it.

>>22280
It's okay, just rant and use it as your personal blog. This is no 4chan, so i don't mind.
Nearly a year YAF, soon you writing here for a year. Can't pinpoint it down to the month. Something March to May.
I expect something glorious for that date.

[x] Sure, why not.

Like father, like son. History repeats itself.

>>22281
It's been nearly a year already? Time sure flies.
We've been writing for a really long time...

>>22281
April first. That's the date for the one WUIG thread that happened on the touhou VN forum, so this site was taken over and other writers started soon after.

Hm, still not enough votes. Anyone's busy making out with their valentines, eh? How nice to be a single on the 14th of February~

Anyhow, if anyone's up for Dawn of War or Left 4 Dead, catch me on #MiG (irc.rizon.net) or on steam - the name is 'YAF', I'm the one with a Walfas' Reimu avatar.

[x] I'd rather die.

[x] I'd rather die.

[x]Not interested.

[x] I'd rather die.

[x] I'd rather die in a fire.

Well, I've got no updates, but I've got this.

On another note, congratulations, you've avoided yet another BAD END. Goddamnit.

>>22325
That was a bad end? Dear lord. I can only imagine.

>>22325
Get back to work nigger.

Alright, still no updates, I was forced to attend a family dinner today, and all the free time I had I spent on playing L4D, and writing a Satori H-scene you can read in /th/. I promise updates tomorrow though, and I think you can trust me when it comes to promises. Right?

Oh, and by the way. I made a deal with Giddy - if he draws me a topless Fuku, I'll start CoMN. Just makin' this public~ 4S will re-start here in /shrine/ after TSR ends.

>>22346
DRAW DRAW DRAW DRAW DRAW DRAW
I want CoMN 2

[ ] Sure, why not.


why not?

>>22346
>4S will re-start here in /shrine/ after TSR ends

Aw, fuck.

Eh, my laptop is in pieces - the damn thing crapped out on me again, but at least I have finally pinpointed the direct cause of all the trouble - and I'm absolutely unused to writing on my desktop's keyboard. Excuse me any errors that you may find within the update.

Anyhow.

==

[x] I'd rather die.

... so it says. A special exception, is it? No matter how you look at it - that is, the thing making the strangest of possible propositions - at least it seems to recognize, or perhaps sense the superiority of the person before it. Am I grateful? No, satisfied, rather, though other than that, there's also this strange premonition, a faint hint of danger, luring an unexpecting victim into a trap made of unknown, but perilous substance, whose true form I cannot even fathom. It would be nice to grab a couple of new threads, but as I previously explained to Reimu, we had not come here to buy stuff. So the main reason for even agreeing to this abomination's suggestion has been pretty much erased. What can I do, beside giving him an apologetic shrug? Maybe it's a bit degrading, but one has to preserve at least shams of politeness. I would rather die than go with you anywhere, let alone a separate, empty room - is what pushes onto my lips from inside, but saying that out loud could be taken as an insult... Which, while it in essence is, could ruin our brief stay here. So, for the sake of the date, I better bite my tongue.
And shake my head.
"No, thanks." again, I shrug "Your offer is most appreciated," amazing how the lies come out almost on their own "But I am not here to dress myself."
The thing appears a bit disappointed, if not shocked, that someone had the guts to refuse such a gracious proposition, but quickly returns to it's previous, 'how may I help you'-expression, the one that you can see on every clerk's face in the world. At least it seems to understand, as opposed to me - still confused about it's gender. Honestly, this doesn't forebode well, I can say that from the perspective of a potential client. Good thing I'm not exactly in the mood to give marketing lectures to someone who probably has a much longer experience than I do.
"That is indeed a pity, mon!" it says, full of artificial grief. What's what, but you have to give it to him - he's a great actor. Why do I say that? No idea, it's only a fleeting feeling, that something is off, and accusing him of affectation is the first thing that comes to mind. "I was fairly sure you and I had similar tastes!"
Whatever those are, I am fairly sure they aren't similar. There is no way someone such as I would share preferences with a mountain of make-up, artificial hair and glittering clothes, not now, not in the nearest future, not ever. Be it a post-apocalyptic world, full of danger, where the only choice would be to wear those, I would still flinch before the prospect of wearing a mass of tiny, shiny, plastic discs, fearing to appear like a loony who has just snapped away from the First-Of-May Equality Parade. I would rather die than wear something like that, honestly - I've done many stupid things, but even for me, there are some borders that ought to remain uncrossed. This just happens to be one of them.
Anyhow, it seems to have caught the hint - and goes back to doing whatever it was doing before our arrival, in particular, meddling with something behind the corner. Lucky thing, had it tried any persuasion, I would have persuaded it first, with much sharper arguments, to forfeit the idea of forcing it's style upon innocent civilians. Why am I even so scared of what it might be hiding somewhere, where no normal customers ever go? Idiotic premonitions, but they've yet to fail me, and so I have no choice but to trust them. Besides, somehow, I find staring out the display window, and patiently awaiting the sight that is sure to blow my mind away much more entertaining. What kind of dress will it be? The assistant looked ordinary and reliable, at least perhaps I can have faith in his tastes. Other than that, wasn't there a saying 'not the robe adorns the man'? In this case, the person in question is not a man, but the meaning stays true - I'm sure whatever she tries on, it will be-- Magnificent?
"... eh?" Is that Barton I see walking in this direction with a bunch of other guards? Undoubtedly it is - he's leisurely strolling down the street, just like we were before, but it's obvious he's on a patrol - one does not normally take an armed escort along for a walk, does he? But there's also one more person... A guy... A rather old guy, at that... "... oh hell."
I recognize him. The person walking alongside Keine's favourite, is no one other than the one I had treacherously knocked out, and stole a large portion of his wares. It all becomes clear. Their restless eyes, scanning every window they pass, as if looking for something... For someone... Looking for me. Curses, why now? It may be simply a coincidence, but I doubt they'd find themselves in the same exact district I've recently entered so quickly. Master - whom I ironically named like that - must have remembered my face... But it's illogical, why would they know I'm here..."Unless someone spilled the paint and reported a sighting of a blonde freak in red clothes, in a company of a long, black-haired girl... In other words, Reimu. Shit, even in disguise, she was still distinguishable enough, even from afar. A fact that entertained me so much has now turned against me, in the worst possible moment.

[ ] Go outside, and face them. Reimu does not need to see this.
[ ] Take up the clerk's offer after all, at least outwardly.
[ ] Ask if it would be okay to check up on my girl. Blame it on the impatience.

==

>>22350

What is so bad about it? /shrine/ will remain active, and provided that Giddy draws what I desire, I will also be able to work on CoMN at the same time.

>>22352
History told us that you can't write two stories at once.
You never finished that one story

[x] Ask if it would be okay to check up on my girl. Blame it on the impatience.

{X} Go outside, and face them. Reimu does not need to see this.

sup

bitches

>>22353

Which one?

[x] Go outside, and face them. Reimu does not need to see this.

Let's go say hi to Keine's boyfriend.

[x] Ask if it would be okay to check up on my girl. Blame it on the impatience.

>>22356
the one you just updated today after a month delay

>>22352
>What is so bad about it? /shrine/ will remain active, and provided that Giddy draws what I desire, I will also be able to work on CoMN at the same time.

I'm happy that you are writing and giving continuity to the stories. What pisses me off, is that you're going to another story before we do Suika route. TS had Reimu and Mary route done, 4S has a broken Yuka route, CoMN may have Fuku route but has Renji as protagonist.

For fuck's sake, what abnout my oni!?

[x] Ask if it would be okay to check up on my girl. Blame it on the impatience.

>>22363

Wasn't TS1 a Suika route?

>>22367

Reimu Route Normal End with some sex with Suika near the end.

>>22367

People couldn't decide between Suika and Reimu, so they chose both. Since harems are shit Suika was put to the side and Reimu took the spotlight.

If we're talking about stiffed characters, Wriggle Nightbug and Mima. Wriggle got continuously less play in each iteration until she was eventually forgotten entirely. Mima just kept on dying to the point where no one would even bother.

>>22361

AAA was never meant to be finished. It was an experimental field, built to test my H-scene writing skills. It should have ended after the first in-game night, but lo, I was too young and foolish to know when to stop. AAA will continue updating sporadically, and will probably NEVER reach any sort of end. Unlike that short story about the smoker guy and Aussie Mokou in /others/, which I incinerated after I had finished experimenting.

>>22363
>>22370

Whoop-dee-doo, you would've met a lot of other characters, if you hadn't stuck to Reimu so fucking much all the goddamn time. Truth be told, I kinda forced some Utsuho interaction, simply because I was tired of the miko.
Actually, if you had chosen to suggest her sleeping with Kane, she would have still been here - remember, Utsuho is an airhead. 'Sleep with me' means 'sleep with me' for her, nothing less, nothing more. In fact, thanks to you returning the pet to it's owner, the latter got gutsy enough to leave, taking Kane's prize along with her. So yeah, sleeping with Usuho (and I mean sleeping) would have kept her at your side. Now she, Rin and Satori are gone due to the scenario. Same with Tenshi and Iku.

>Mima
Hey, it wasn't me who outright refused to listen to her request while the miko was freakin' asleep.

>Wriggle
There were a lot of occasions to go outside and meet the fauna. All were deliberately ignored.


Excuses, excuses. Let's just continue, and see how it unwinds. CoMN's not going to start until the requirements are met anyway, and 4S is scheduled for after TSR. I'm sorry, Suika guy, but I only do what I'm told to do by the majority.

>I only do what I'm told to do by the majority.

Oh sure just blame Anon again.

>>22377

If it's blaming Anon for choosing to continue 4S instead of doing an another run of TSR, then yes, I do feel authorized to do it.

>>22376
>Whoop-dee-doo, you would've met a lot of other characters, if you hadn't stuck to Reimu so fucking much all the goddamn time.

Fucking Reimufags, spoiliong all the fun for everybody else. This is why I've started to skip through most updates.

>>22382

Hah, I read this CYOA for the Reimu! If not for YAF Reimu wouldn't see very much attention at all.

[x] Ask if it would be okay to check up on my girl. Blame it on the impatience.

>>22382

You have no fucking idea how much that hurt.

[x] Ask if it would be okay to check up on my girl. Blame it on the impatience

>>22387

What else did you expect? Reimu route was already done and now it's being done AGAIN.

>>22390

Still, it's not all the same. I tried tweaking her character a bit, took out 80% of the retarded stuttering, and the protagonist is thinking in slightly different patterns than Naya - though they're still a bit similiar. I probably shouldn't be saying this, but if you've no interest in what your compatriots brought onto themselves - and onto you as well - don't read at all. There may be a lot of text, and while I don't claim it's all extremely important, there are often hints, winks and references thrown in, that make the experience fuller than the one you get by skipping most of the content.

And there's also the thing of my pride being hurt. I always was the one to say 'don't vote without reading', and I still hold onto that. Unless you don't vote, in which case, I guess it should be okay.

>>22391
No, your Devil May Cry references do not give a fuller experience.

>>22383
>If not for YAF Reimu wouldn't see very much attention at all.

YAF is not the only author to have done interesting things with Reimu. Her character in Soviet Gensokyo, Desdaxis' horror story, Harker's /eientei/ story, School Days, Scorn's FLA, EZMode's ghost story, and HY's /sdm/ story have all had fairly compelling characterizations.

>>22392

I've yet to reference DMC in this playthrough.

>>22391

I still try to read it for you. I like your stories, it's just that enough is enough, and I can't take any more of Reimu.

>>22394
HEY KID

YOU'LL COME TO LEARN THE MEANING SOON ENOUGH

I had a long post written up backing you, Yaf, but I decided against a wordy comment.

So here's the TL;DR version. /shrine/ is Reimu. This TSR run is Reimu. Fags shouldn't come reading this expecting otherwise, and shouldn't come expecting us to change targets so late into the game. This is a Reimu story. If you do not want a Reimu story, go elsewhere. Or perhaps write your own story if your characters aren't getting the love you think they deserve.

>>22396

HEY KID
I'M A COMPUTER

The second one was unintended... Other than that, since when is using similar phrases - phrases that aren't really that special - referencing? Do I reference System Shock by using the word 'insolent'? Or 300 with 'madness'? Morrowind with 'I'll make a special xxxxxx' (as in: special trip, same low price, etc)? Guilty Gear with 'here comes the [insert a name]'? You're looking to deep where there's nothing to see. Concentrate your... attention somewhere else. On chess, for instance. Chess is a nice game, and can often mean something more than just being a game... If you catch my drift.

>>22397
>/shrine/ is Reimu

No, it isn't, faggot. If it were, /shrine/ wouldn't be /shrine/, it would /reimu/.

>>22397

Shut up your hypocrital dolt. You didn't think twice about changing the first TS run target to Reimu. Why don't you go write a story about reimu alone if you don't want the other characters in?

>>22387

You are also to be blamed YAF, even if partially.

>>22393
having reimu in a story =! Target is reimu or even interacting much with reimu, fortunately for me YAF provides much of the second. I've been infected with YAF's Mikolust, and I fear the only solution is more Miko.

I also feel that way (as in characters don't get enough attention/camera time/whatever) about Yuuka, Lily, and China

hahahah, oh wow.
Poor YAF, he always gets the shitstorm even if he is innocent.
But i have to agree with >>22397
/shrine/ is Reimu. This TSR run is Reimu.
He really writes her so adorable. You just can't choose someone else. If you don't like it just vote for someone else and don't bitch about it. YAF just writes the story with the votes that he gets. Nothing less and nothing more. Give the man a break, he doesn't deserve your hatred.

>>22401

Wat :V

I wasn't even around for the first run of TS. I came across it later. In fact, I only finally found this site just as the final run of TS came to it's disastrous end. Secondly, my point here is that we have ALREADY CHOSEN REIMU AS THE TARGET. Switching now would be retarded.

Picture, for a moment, that this were a movie. Our beloved protagonist chases after this one girl for 3/4 the movie. He pierces her hard shell and connects with her, and shares all kinds of intimate moments. Then right before the climax, he suddenly forgets about her and chases someone else? Now we only have 20 or 30 minutes of this movie left to explore this new character. All whilst all hell is breaking loose. Wouldn't that feel rushed? Wouldn't that be unsatisfying?

Well, that's what a previous poster was suggesting we do. And what they were complaining about. We've already invested time that we can't get back getting to know this character. A character that many of us (at least the voting majority) like so far. If you were to start getting to know someone else, you would not be able to delve far at all before BAM! YAF's dispair machine slaps you in the face with it's cold, metallic claw, with all the drama that is about to unfold.

Then, in the aftermath of the battle ( or whatever YAF's devious pit of despair that he calls a mind comes up with) were left with an abandoned Miko that will no longer want us and a semi-friendly Utsuho (or whoever you want) that wont be attached enough for anything, and we end up with neither. This is why the phrase "stay on target" exists.

If this were real life, yes, switching targets might work, because we would have plenty of time after the shit hits the fan to get to know the characters. But this is a COYA. After the story part is over, so too are our chances to bond with characters.

Additionally, I never said I did not want other characters in it. I, in fact, enjoy the other characters. Utsuho, Satori, Rin, Tenshi, Iku, Suika, and Mima were all interesting. But we have already pretty much locked in a Reimu route. Expecting us to suddenly switch is just plain retarded.

If you want another route, such as Suika, Mima, or any of the others, then VOTE for it next time. I'd have been all for a Suika route, as it is a scientifically proven fact that YAF's Suika is love.

Of course if you DID vote against Reimu, then it means you got outvoted.... which means the majority wants Reimu this time. Sorry, thems the breaks. All I can say is just take it easy, and wait for another run or another story.

Finally, I have to say this. Yes, /shrine/ IS primarily Reimu. The Miko gets next to no love on this site, and you dare complain when YAF, the writefag most known for writing Reimu.... writes about Reimu? That's like me walking into a candy store and being outraged when they don't have apples. She's the main-fucking-character of the series, yet is almost always written as a complete asshole (Which is the EXACT OPPOSITE of canon). Even Yaf's Reimu is a bit of an ass, but at least she's a lovable one.

We have stories about fucking monsters that are known to devour outsiders that wander in, and yet they are still portrayed as nicer than the fucking miko who constantly has to save people from said monsters (doing so with a smile on her face and a witty remark). The same miko that invites said monsters over for tea after punishing them. I mean hell, have any of you actually played the games? Half the time Reimu deliberately tries to avoid fights. And most the time she's randomly attacked. Some of the incidents she solves are pretty fucking serious as well. Remember Remilia's scarlet mist? Yeah, that was threatening to kill people because the mist was so thick.

Or how about when the mean miko stopped that Yuyuko girl from making that tree bloom. Man she's such a bitch isn't she. Oh wait, that's right, half of Gensokyo was going to freeze or starve to death because of the extended winter.

You know the reason Reimu doesn't get donations? Its not because she's lazy. Its because she isn't enough of an ass to kill all the youkai that keep visiting, and they scare off people that would donate. If anything Reimu is too soft.

Of course, I'll give you Tokiko. Reimu was kinda being a bitch there. Miko's gotta make money somehow I guess. Though I suppose humans randomly attacking Youkai for "loot" is pretty much fair play.

Sorry about ranting about that, but it has to be said. Reimu gets next to no face time on this site, and people tend to dislike her for reasons that are purely fanon. Retarded fanon at that.

By the way, some time you might want to check a dictionary before you use such a large word as "hypocrite". Doesn't really apply to this situation, but I give you one extra point for at least trying to sound big. 1/10 overall.

>He really writes her so adorable

That's because he only writes her. =/

>>22411

Oh god, gimme a minute and a can of Lech, I'll get to reading in a sec...

==

[X] Ask if it would be okay to check up on my girl. Blame it on the impatience.

It's always been like that - whatever great happens, reality sends a crisis upon my head sooner or later afterwards, as if to keep me from getting too happy about it. For the love of everything colourful and sweet, why? What have I done to deserve such fate? Nothing, nothing at all, not counting a couple of unfortunate incidences that earned me the interest of the law enforcement units, as well as a certain shop keeper, whose goods I had forcefully... captured. No, it's not wretched fortune that brought this kind of unfolding on my poor head, it was my carelessness alone that's thrown even more worries onto my tired shoulders. How foolish of me, to immerse completely in the cheerful atmosphere of a date while it was obvious I would be at least of mild interest to the guards after the excess from two days ago? It's all her fault, it's all the fault of that goddamn miko. Of course, I have nothing against her behaviour, it was cute in it's own way, and who in the hell would blame a girl for being cute anyway? I know a guy who would never do anything like that, and his name just happens to match mine.
But it's not the time to be contemplating my stupidity. There is always a time for that, and it usually ensues after the time of action, and it would seem the latter has just supervened, and so, I turn to the clerk, busy with whatever he might be doing behind there, then speak up, putting an audible prod into my tone.
"Would you mind," I ask, having ensured he's paying attention "If I went to check on my girl?"
Every single scale of his shirt jingles dully when he puts a finger to his lips. The gesture alone is sickening, not to mention the person who's making it. I think there ought to be a barf bag dispenser somewhere in this store, no sane person would leave this unattended.
"Mon!" he winks with one of his purple eyelids "So impatient, aren't we?"
Impatient, of course, though for a different reason. I haven't an eternity to cope with the chatter, so it would be best if I simply agreed, in spite of what me might think of me - not that it matters anyway. For him, I may as well be a denim-wearing moose, for all I care. So, giving him a nod is what I do.
"Let's say it's that." even though it isn't "So, can I...?"
"Oui, oui!" his agreements is almost too eager for my tastes "Feel free to!"
At least there's one less obstacle in my way, so wasting no more precious seconds, I quickly jump into the maze of shelves, and using the same, old feat that served me so many times back in the shrine, find the place where Reimu is.

Where Reimu is changing. Well, supposedly, as all I see is a small, classic stall, the kind you'd see in any average clothes shop. The curtains are drawn, and standing in front of them, is the assistant guy, holding a pile of clothes of various colours in his hands, impatiently tapping his shoe on the floor. Understandable - but I've no time for friendly banter. Announcing myself would be stupid, so instead I make sure to make enough noise, not to startle him by an accident. Without a word, we exchange meaningful looks, and after a second, the clothes land in my embrace, the one who's been holding onto them up till now nodding me goodbye, and disappearing behind the shelves briefly afterwards. How nice, to meet someone who understands everything perfectly at the long awaited last. One person with brains among a sea of morons - not really a good ratio, but it'll have to suffice. Needless to say, the clothes soon land on the floor, as I jump into the stall, ready to suppress any sings on surprisal the miko might show.
"Wa--?!" It pays off - her words are cut off by my lips swiftly moving onto hers, my hands on the wall above her shoulders. But as opposed to the one we had this morning, this kiss isn't pleasant at all. No, it's merely a countermeasure, a mean of silencing her voice, in order not to raise any suspicion. Unfortunately, she seems to think otherwise, and sighs deeply after it breaks. "Wha... What's with you?"
Had this been another time, I would have appreciated the sudden red hue that's crept onto her cheeks. I would have probably also appreciated the fact all she's wearing is the bottom part of her own outfit, and a set of bandages wrapped around her chest. On a peg to the right, hangs a fine dress, it's colour matching the one of Reimu's usual clothes. The guy has the sense, I must admit. But I'm digressing.
"Silence." I whisper "Don't say anything."
It would be foolish to think she'd keep quiet, especially given the situation, and the fact my face being so close to hers is probably driving her crazy, as her eyes seem to be saying 'oh god, what should I do?'. For the love of god, why must such things happen in the least appropriate time? Wretched, deuced luck!
"... trouble?" at least she retains enough self-control to lower the volume of her voice significantly as well "What is it now?"
I gently shake my head, careful not to disturb the fragile space between us.
"Provided you keep your voice down, we might be able to--"
KNOCK KNOCK
My heard almost implodes at the sudden noise, coming from the other side of the curtain. Someone taps the stall's walls with something hard.
"Mr. Koganeiro?" a voice I recall from somewhere asks, a bit unsure "We know you are in there, so if you would be so kind to come out..." Curses! Foiled again! No, rather, what the hell am I doing?! Haven't I pretty much cornered myself by coming here?! My god, just what is wrong with my head today?! I should have seen this coming - it was probably the atrocious clerk that ran outside, with a curious, hideous smile on his face, asking humble guards what is the problem, and why they look so distressed. Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN IT! Reimu shoots me a frightened glance, but I'm too busy being furious at myself to care. I should have...! "Now, don't worry. Come out, and no one will get hurt."

[ ] There has to be another way out. HAS TO BE!
[ ] "The only one getting hurt WILL BE YOU!", rain swords through the curtain, no matter who's on the other side.
[ ] Walk out. As calmly as possible. Feign ignorance.
[ ] Do nothing. Remain perfectly still, and hope for the best.

[ ] There has to be another way out. HAS TO BE!

[x] Walk out. As calmly as possible. Feign ignorance.
[x] "Can this wait? We're a bit busy here."

Raining swords is a no-no on a date (keep that in mind for real life, by the way.) We're in a stall, I doubt there's a way out. Windows and changing rooms don't mix, and I doubt Gensokyo has many air ducts. They obviously know were in there (probably heard us as well), so waiting is out as well.

Raining swords can wait, we can do that any time, and I doubt our guard friends will expect it even if we were in the middle of a fight, especially considering our last bout with the guards. Though if we do end up raining swords, how about something along the lines of "Here, allow me return them to you".

>>22411

So yeah, to keep it brief, you're my bro.

>>22412

Again, it may be my foreign mind playing tricks on me, but I can't understand what it was you were trying to convey.

Also, a pic to go with the update - couldn't attach it, cause I was posting from my desktop. The damn laptop is too prone to crashing to do anything but browse the internets, and it wouldn't run L4D anyway.

>She's the main-fucking-character of the series, yet is almost always written as a complete asshole (Which is the EXACT OPPOSITE of canon).

She seemed pretty bad in SSiB, which is canon, isn't it? Well, at least on the beggining.

>We have stories about fucking monsters that are known to devour outsiders that wander in, and yet they are still portrayed as nicer than the fucking miko who constantly has to save people from said monsters (doing so with a smile on her face and a witty remark). The same miko that invites said monsters over for tea after punishing them. I mean hell, have any of you actually played the games? Half the time Reimu deliberately tries to avoid fights. And most the time she's randomly attacked. Some of the incidents she solves are pretty fucking serious as well. Remember Remilia's scarlet mist? Yeah, that was threatening to kill people because the mist was so thick.
>Or how about when the mean miko stopped that Yuyuko girl from making that tree bloom. Man she's such a bitch isn't she. Oh wait, that's right, half of Gensokyo was going to freeze or starve to death because of the extended winter.
>You know the reason Reimu doesn't get donations? Its not because she's lazy. Its because she isn't enough of an ass to kill all the youkai that keep visiting, and they scare off people that would donate. If anything Reimu is too soft.
>Of course, I'll give you Tokiko. Reimu was kinda being a bitch there. Miko's gotta make money somehow I guess. Though I suppose humans randomly attacking Youkai for "loot" is pretty much fair play.

So? Since when does the protagonist have to be liked just because he is the protagonist or because he is the good guy? That's like saying Darth Vader doesn't deserve his popularity just because he is the villain. Or even Sephiroth, but FFVII is a bad example anyways.

Villains can be more awesome/cute/badass/adorable/loved/etc than the hero.

>>22418
>Villains can be more awesome/cute/badass/adorable/loved/etc than the hero.

Or not. It varies from series to series. I would trade any of Marvel's villians for any of LoK's heroes, for example. Or the other way - I would rather take a pack of shivans into my house, than cope with someone of He-man's sort. Personally, even though my tastes tend to sway from one extreme to another, when it comes to heroes/villians, I would rather choose someone who's in the middle of the scale. Chaotic Neutral, in pen&paper RPG terms. A good example would be Sapkowski's Geralt from 'The Witcher' series - you may know him from the video game, but he's a tad bit different in the books. Or, not to look around obscure sources, Jack Shaftoe from Stephenson's 'Quicksilver'.

[x] Walk out. As calmly as possible. Feign ignorance.
[x] "Can this wait? We're a bit busy here."

>>22418

What exactly did Reimu do in *any* part of SSiB that could be considered bad? Nothing even really happened in SSiB until they got to the moon. And why are we even mentioning SSiB in the first place? It's pretty much the smallest portion of the Touhouverse there is, despite how long it has been running. Its like 17 chapters of nothing happening, getting trapped on Namek, and getting thier asses kicked by Freiza in profoundly stupid ways. Yes, thats right, I just said SSiB is Dragonball Z, but with magical girls. I know you were all thinking it anyway.

Anyway, you've got 13 games which Reimu appears in (out of 14). You've got her appearing in two separate manga series (SSiB and both incarnations of the fairy manga). Then she's also in two fanbooks (BAiJR and PMiSS). Top that all off with what I think is the most in depth look at the Gensokyo setting: CoLA.

In all of that material, she does something that could be construed as "bad" or "mean" only a handful of times, and even then it's usually because of something pretty major. Like, you know, someone destroying her shrine three times within the span of a week. I mean, fuck, even characters that appear for only one boss fight tend squeeze in more ass-holish behavior in thier breif appearance than in all of Reimu's career combined. Yet for some reason she is portrayed as a mean spirited, harsh, ultra violent, sharp tongued, uncaring, heartless bitch with boundless greed. And for some reason this is the fan perception of her by what seems to be a large portion of the community. My question is: "why?"

I have NEVER seen anyone ever write Reimu even close how she acts in any canon material. To me she's always been an interesting character. Her job is to exterminate youkai, yet she treats them on equal terms, even instituting the spellcard system so youkai could face her in a fair fight (and no, this wasn't to protect Reimu's life, and if anything it's a handicap against Reimu considering what her innate power is). She's lazy, but has a strong sense of duty when it comes time to do her job. She's aloof and even apathetic, yet is friendly with pretty much everyone. She's nice, but has no qualms about roughing up youkai if they get in the way (Pretty much all of which either deserve it or are literally asking for a fight anyway). And besides all of this, she still acts fairly normal.

I think this is the reason people don't write her more. She's such a well defined character without any real "gimmicks" to her personality that she's just plain imposing to write. Most authors here rely on personality quirks or gimmicks (yes Yaf, even you, sorry) and try to pass this off as good characterization. But it is not. The true test of a good writer is to make a normal character interesting. Any idiot can make a gimmicky character interesting for a bit, but the novelty will wear off quite quickly, and you'll be left wondering what the fuck to do once it comes time to explore the character more deeply. Why do you think so many CYOA's fail within a month, or suddenly slow to a crawl out of nowhere?

Yes, some characters have gimmicks or quirks. That's fine. Marisa is practically a kleptomaniac and says "ze" a lot. Does this alone make her a good character? No, it doesn't, but it is something interesting to work with. Unfortunately, this seems about as far into her personality as some writers seem to delve.

I could say this about any character really. The biggest culprits off the top of my head are Flandre, Yuka, Reimu, Marisa, Patchouli, Yuyuko, and to a lesser extent Yukari. Probably in that order as well. These receive some of the worst characterization I have ever seen, and the poorest understanding of their characters by writers.

In closing, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to be anything to be an interesting character. Heroes can be as interesting as villains. It's just that villains are much easier to write. The key is to truly understand the character you're writing. What motivates them, why they do every single thing they do. When a character is reduced to nothing but a single personality trait "Reimu is grouchy" "Marisa steals stuff" "Flandre is crazy and explodes stuff" "Patchouli is apparently Yuki Nagato from Haruhi, but somehow with less personality", THAT is poor writing, and boring to read.

PS: Yaf, didn't mean anything about that "even you" remark. You use the tsundere gimmick a lot, but you at least use it somewhat well and balance it out with a bit of genuine writing (that and you've really toned down the tsun part since writing Fuku). As I always say, there's nothing wrong with a gimmick or cliché. They are tools, and like tools you must use the right one for the right job, lest you ruin your story.

PPS: Sorry for clogging up your thread with two long posts. I just think it's about time someone said it.

[x] Walk out. As calmly as possible. Feign ignorance.
[x] "Can this wait? We're a bit busy here."

[x] Ceiling-hang.
[x] Have Reimu go out and address the guards. We've slipped out the back after trying to sneak a peep on her. That lecher!

>>22411
>>22421
Jesus christ. And here i thought YAF wrote long comments.
I am having a hard time staying focused while reading his.

[x] Ceiling-hang.
[x] Have Reimu go out and address the guards. We've slipped out the back after trying to sneak a peep on her. That lecher!

>>22421

Alright, so to answer.

About the gimmicks and cliché character traits - I think we use them, to stay as true to the canon as possible. Not that there's much canon to speak of, but no one sane would write Marisa being an anemic bookworm, unless it was some sort of bizarre-Gensokyo-verse, or something along the lines. You see, the thing is, people EXPECT Reimu to be greedy, Marisa to steal stuff, and Flandre to explode stuff. In order to avoid NOT GIVING THEM ANY PERSONALITY AT ALL (in case they're episodic characters), we grab those easily accessible clichés, and use them to fill the gap under the 'character' section. The main issue with CYOAs is their short run-span. Perhaps I'm not in the position to speak, but I do not think any self-respecting writer would allow himself to rush character development, to jam as much of it into a 100-200k words long story. That's the main advantage of the classic, novel-style method - you get a lot more space to describe, develop, and set your characters in motion. In CYOAs, there's simply no space for that.

About Reimu - I agree wholeheartedly. Almost everyone whom I've spoken to of the miko, claimed she just beats the people that stand in her way. The game dialogue often claims otherwise - it's the people in her way that want to fight, not the other way around. But it would seem the 'asshole shrine maiden' stereotype is rooted too deep in their consciousness to actually pay attention to what things really are. Or I'm simply being trolled for liking an unpopular character. Derp.

Anyhow, my trick for episodic characters with no space for development, is giving each of them a distinguishable, unique trait. Utsuho - playful airhead. Tenshi - shy masochist. Iku - mature woman with a beautiful voice, and so on. If they get chosen as the dreaded 'target', they get more 'screentime', and thus development. As you could have witnessed, Reimu, being the said 'traget', has received a lot more backstory information and personality traits (in this case, how unfortunate her life as a child was, how much she must have liked Seven for acting as her uncle, and that the habits she acquired back then refuse to die), as opposed to other characters.

It's a whole different dimension if the said character is the narrator/protagonist of the story. There was nothing special about Fuku's personality - all she started off with was an 'antisocial' label on her forehead. But, being the one whose perspective the story was told from, the label had started to grow, and soon became a fortress, with numerous towers, strong walls and gates. Funny thing is, most of the character development tends to take place inside the readers' minds, not the story itself. A good example would be whatever story used the time-skip deus-ex-machina - having no readymade development to swallow, the ones reading the story have to come up with it themselves. It's a cheap, and dirty trick, but surprisingly, it often works out well.


Oh, and I don't mind long comments, even if they're off-topic. I do enjoy a good conversation.

[x] Walk out. As calmly as possible. Feign ignorance.
[x] "Can this wait? We're a bit busy here."

>>22421
>What exactly did Reimu do in *any* part of SSiB that could be considered bad?

Read the part when a rabbit reaches Gensokyo and collapses in front of the shrine.

[x] Walk out. As calmly as possible. Feign ignorance.
[x] "Can this wait? We're a bit busy here."

>>22433
I didn't forget about that scene, I always thought it was nice that Reimu took her into the shrine instead of slaying her on the spot like she's supposed to. That and her attempt at claiming the veil was so half assed one might wonder if she was even that serious about it.

YAF:

I agree with you on most points. The thing that bothers me is when an author feels they need to alter a character to fit their story. If you aren't going to portray a character accurately, then that means you're really not even using that character. You're just using the name and appearance. Its a cheap move, and it's only going to disappoint people that are actually fans of that character. And for what? So the character will fit your story better?

The analog I see here is Hollywood film adaptations. A recent example that stirred some controversy is the Dragonball live action movie. It seems to share next to nothing but the name with the original source, so my question is: "Why?"

It is only going to be an insult to fans that actually wanted to see the movie. And they are the only ones that would actually go and see it based on the name. The people the movie is made for (general public), don't benefit from including the franchise name, and wouldn't be any more likely to go and see it ("what the hell is dragonball? sounds dumb"). So you end up with a movie that people might have liked otherwise, but now it is an insult to fans because you had to go and name it "Dragonball".

Do you see the similarity of the situation? Reimu is the original series. The "mean" version that writers love to use is the movie adaptation. The only people that benefit from trying to include Reimu are Reimu fans, yet you're just pissing them off by butchering her personality when you could have just made a new character and spared everyone the trouble.

As for time frames, I do agree that CYOA stories have little space for character development. Sometimes you can't help if a character (especially a side character) feels one sided.

Writers, please keep this in mind. If you're going to write a one sided character, at least make sure that the side you're showing is at least accurate. Touhou is NOT hard to research, as 90% of it is translated and up for your reference. DONT use fanon or fan perceptions of a character as a base (unless it is a parody). Its fine to use fanon for ideas, but at least consult the source material first. There is a LOT to go on. 14 games, three manga series, two short story series, and three fanbooks. That is a ridiculous amount of reference material. And nearly all of it is translated and easy to find. There is no excuse at all.

And no, doujins do not count (again, unless you're writing parody.) Just because you read a few yandere Alice doujins doesn't make you qualified to write her.

Bottom line: If you come to a point where you need to a change a character to fit your story, it as an indication you have failed as a writer. Characters make the story, not the other way around.

Again, sorry for being so long winded. I really do like the stories on here, it's just frustrating to see so many talented writers basically write themselves into corners that could have easily been avoided. And it is disheartening to see so many stories ending so abruptly. But it is even more disheartening to have the few remaining stories be so different from the source material that I have to wonder why the authors are even writing here in the first place.

>>22435
>when you could have just made a new character and spared everyone the trouble.
Yes, and that's why we liked Fuku.

>>22435

Again, I agree, and again, I don't mind.

>>22437

Speaking of which... Giddy finally drew that one thing~

>>22438

Post it in /at/.

>>22435
If, as you say, inaccurate portrayals of the characters can seemingly do nothing but anger fans of the original works, I honestly have to question how so many doujins have managed to find enough success and popularity with fans to warrant making more, particularly the ones that are neither porn nor parody. For that matter, I would wonder why the fanon interpretations of the characters have managed to endure for so long, if such a strong base already exists for the original, canon versions.

The problem with your assertion that characters should stick to the source material in this case ignores the fact that a major reason varying interpretations of the characters exist at all is because the original works left a lot of room for such interpretations to begin with, intentionally or not.

While maintaining some connection to the original work is important, as that is part of the point of basing a story (or comic, or whatever) of off it, I believe that taking some liberties with the source material can be just as important. A story that seeks to be too much like the source material is as pointless as one that seeks to be nothing like the source material. If you enjoy the original, then what need is there of something that seeks to be nothing more than a carbon copy of it, especially when the medium is basically the same? Movie adaptations, no matter how close or far they go from the source, can at least rely upon the addition of music and visual spectacle to give the audience an incentive to watch, but when both the source and derivative work are of the same medium, what is there to offer that the original already does not?

Part of the appeal of these stories, at least for me, is the varying ways the characters can be interpreted. You know those projects in school where everyone is given certain materials, and told to make something with them? I view it kind of like that. Just because one person was already the first to make things a certain way with those materials doesn't mean everyone else has to make the exact same thing, and in fact if they did that would be extremely boring and completely defeat the whole purpose of the exercise. Sure, some ideas work better than others, and some might not work at all, but that's all a part of the fun.
After all, that is what all of this is about. Fun. Entertainment. It doesn't matter how faithful or unfaithful you are to the source. What does is whether or not whatever you choose to do is entertaining. You could have the most faithful recreation of ZUN's writing style and characterization ever, but it doesn't really make a lick of difference if you fail to make it entertaining in the process. Likewise, it doesn't matter how creative and original your ideas and interpretations are if they're executed so poorly that your story works better as a cure for insomnia than as something to read for enjoyment. At the end of the day, all I am looking for is an entertaining read, and if the characters stray from the source in the process to accomplish it, then so be it. Countless myths, legends, and fairytales have varied and been altered according to the interpretations of whoever was telling them. It hardly seems inappropriate for something as steeped in fantasy and mythology as ZUN's Gensokyo to be treated much differently.

...of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

>>22440

I was going to reply with another lengthy post (half agreeing with you, actually), but I think enough is enough. I'll make a topic about this elsewhere sometime. There will even be tea and everything. It isn't right to subject readers to this when they just want to read the damned story and see more of the delicious miko.

That and, I just happen to be one of those that want more of YAF's Reimu. Eagerly awaiting the next update.

>>22439

It's not the time yet, sorry~

>>22441

Right. I've been a little busy lately (mainly with L4D and fooling around with both of my computers' hardware), though there weren't enough votes anyway, so no time was wasted. Expect updates today and tomorrow (notice how it's an 'and' instead of an 'or'), we'll see about Sunday.

Oh, and one more note. Just a hint: if you don't like something about the story, don't be afraid to voice your complaints. After all, if it isn't you whom I'm writing it for, I don't know who is. So, I'm open, and will welcome any reprooves, remarks and questions, because it is always good to improve oneself, for the sake of the people you're doing something for. Praises are a bit less appreciated, for reasons already mentioned.

Stay sharp, have some cropped tits.

>>22442
>Right. I've been a little busy lately (mainly with L4D
>L4D

Say, how good is L4D? I was tempted to buy it, but I chose Crysis instead ot it, and next game I buy is probably going to be Mirror's Edge.
>Just a hint: if you don't like something (...) don't be afraid to voice your complaints

I want some uncropped tits.

>>22444

L4D's the most fun on multiplayer, preferably with skilled buddies. Hint, hint. Versus is buggy as hell (FPS drops when melee'd, fucked up collisions, etc), but good for some mindless fun.

But yeah, if you've got someone to play with, go ahead and buy it. I, for one, always welcome a new player. That, and sometimes we #MiG bastards miss out a single person to have a full quartet - playing with bots is a pain in the butt, since they're slightly retarded (read: fucking stupid). The only thing that our L4D sessions lack is the coordination done through voice communication - the only ones speaking are me, Uboa, Anonymaster, and... I think that's all.

As for the uncropped tits, check /at/.
Also, writing now. Not expecting a hooray, there, but just letting you know.

>>22445
hooray nigger

>>22415

Why crawl air ducts, when you can gap?

>>22446

Whoop-dee-doo.

==

[x] Walk out. As calmly as possible. Feign ignorance.
[x] "Can this wait? We're a bit busy here."

Tch. Don't worry? Don't worry, he says? How can I not worry when a bunch of armoured folk crash my date like a swine falling through the roof in a retarded cartoon, falling on my back with the full weight of consequences of acts that should have not even seen the light of the day?! Insolent, cheeky dog, the person I ironically dubbed 'Master'! This isn't how you deal with what you might consider thievery! Dishonourable! Do you not have the courage to come out of the shadows by your own, and challenge the fate, to take back what you think is yours? Nothing but a foolish, gutless rascal you are! It would seem that the term 'fair play' is out of Gensokyans' minds' reach. Insolence, nothing but insolence!
Quieten yourself, me. Pour some oil on your troubled waters, this isn't the time to be plotting revenge, nor cursing the effrontery of your enemies. Not when your girl, your woman is around. Pull the stirrups, and settle down. Think. Analyze. Adapt. Violence is not an answer to every dilemma. There must be an alternative way out of this disorderly mashup of coincidences. There still is time to mend your mistakes, and perhaps turn them around, to serve your purposes. But more importantly, it's Reimu who matters the most. It's my, and only my fault, I can't be pulling her into my problems again without a good reason. Therefore...
"... gh." I groan quietly, and pull back, full of regret at the breaking of this specific atmosphere that's been reigning in the space between us up till now. Really, it's how she remarked back when Tenshi walked in on us - they always find the worst possible moment to butt in. Like an annoying mosquito in the night, when you're doing your best to fall asleep, since in the morning, you have to wake up early for work. "Can't this wait?" Don't know about that, but I, on the other hand, don't wait, and losing no time, slip out of the cabin, careful not to reveal too much of what's inside to whoever interrupted our little... Excess. "We were a bit busy in the-- Oh."
Well, well, well. Who do we have here? The guy who dared to my date up, turns out to possess an extremely familiar face. No, not that I feel any attachment to it, but you don't really forget the face of the youngster who you'd beaten up on his first day of duty, and then laughed in his face about it. Likewise, I'm sure he didn't forget the face of the guy who kicked his sorry ass, and is now gaping in shock at me, just as I'm silently staring at him in mild irritation. This isn't how I imagined this moment. Rather, I wonder if it's some kind of trick - Barton has both the brains and the brawn, he may have sent this guy here for some bizarre, complicated reason... Or I'm simply thinking too much.
"... it's you." says the unfortunate guard, finally "Well... I would like to request you to... come with me... for a moment."
"Hope it's really not going to take long." I respond "As I was saying, we were rather busy in there." Rather than the guy giving me another half-assed answer, my eyes catch a silent thump from behind - from inside the stall. Ah, secretive, but not enough to take such a comment without at least protesting a little, are you, Reimu? That's nice. Really, really nice, if I may say so myself. Never change. "Alright then, take me to your leader."
Nodding, he turns his back on me, and begins to march back towards the counter. I can only ponder the foolishness of the act as I follow his steps, obediently like a defeated, but sure of victory beyond any doubt.

If you've ever wondered how it feels to face the one whom you've stolen from with a cocky smirk on your face, completely oblivious to the rules of good upbringing and the obligation to at least apologize, let me tell you: it feels great. I know I should probably show more respect for the man, since his creations pretty much make up for the character, but somehow, I find myself unable to stop smiling. Like a kid that's pulled a seriously malicious prank, so certain of his own invincibility, the presence of the victim doesn't even matter. Speaking of the victim... If eyes could toss daggers, his would be shimmering with blades at the moment. Shame and offence - how typical. A master in his craft, a dog in his personality. Where's your tail, 'master'? Ah, could it be it's curled up between your legs? Shame, shame, shame.
"Good afternoon, boy."
But of course, I'm not the only one smiling in the fellowship. Out of seven people, only two seem to know how situations such as this should be handled.
"Would have been better," I snort and put hands on my hips "If you hadn't interrupted my afternoon delight. There better be a reason for this."
"There is." Barton replies, the smile not disappearing from his face for even a second "I assure you."
"It better be a good one, then." 'Master' opens his mouth to say something when I run a hand through my hair, but ultimately backs away at the last moment. How predictable. "Because if it isn't, I might consider filling a complaint." As if the joke I just told was splendid beyond belief, the moustached guard lets out a hearty laugh. Inappropriate, but thanks to that, the two of his subordinates, including the one who dragged me out of Reimu's reach, relax visibly. Utilizing this short interruption, I take a quick look around, only to discover the assistant guy is missing. Not gonna get involved, eh? Too bad your employer doesn't share your views, and curiously stares at us from behind the counter. Sod him, I've more important matters to attend to, than worrying about a mass of sparkling plastic gaping lustfully at my lower back. "So what is it?"
Like I said, more important matters. At least Barton is a responsible enough guy not to waste precious minutes on laughing at poor jokes.
"To cut to the chase," he resumes after a brief cough "You've been accused of assault and thievery, by this," and points to 'Master' "Humble citizen."
"Vamn right, you vere!" Ah, ah, ah. Impatience prevails after all, doesn't it? Not able to contain your anger, 'Master'? What's wrong? "Those svords vere meant for bargain, not vor some filfy kid to play vith!"
Oi, oi. Aren't you going a bit overboard, there? How noisy, he's practically begging to shut his dirty mouth. But before I'm able to do so, Barton does it first, by sending him a meaningful glance. 'Master' falls quiet within a second. A respectable man on the right stool, I must say, I was right in putting my own bits of respect in that man.
"Easy, men." he says "There's no need to get pumped up. Let's just proceed according to the protocol, and everything will be nice." Nice, no dice. Everything would be nice, if you didn't interrupt my date, Barton. Now you've crossed the line, and although I esteem you, I won't hold back if the price for continuing the leisure time is kicking your ass again. There's nothing wrong in battling conflicts out, even if it ends up being a little... Messy. "There are two ways we can do this... Either you admit to the crime, and return the stolen goods, or we can always take you to miss Keine, and she'll take care of the rest." Barton smiles "Though I'm sure it's only a misunderstanding. Still, a duty is a duty." he adds under 'Master's' glare "So let's get over it as fast as possible, shall we?"

[ ] "Very well, then. Take me to Keine."
[ ] "No, Barton. I'm innocent, but I will also refuse to prove anything. You've no right to judge me."
[ ] "Yes. Yes, I did steal the swords." grin "What of it? What are you going to do?"
[ ] "I apologize, but I can't comply. Get out of my way, and let me leave, or I'll be returning the swords... In a very painful manner. You, of all people, should know the risk, Barton. Out of my way."

[x] "Yes. Yes, I did steal the swords." grin "What of it? What are you going to do?"

[x] "Yes. Yes, I did steal the swords." grin "What of it? What are you going to do?"

Nigger deserved a hooray

>Why crawl air ducts, when you can gap?
Because you can't.

{X} "Yes. Yes, I did steal the swords." grin "What of it? What are you going to do?"

[x] "Yes. Yes, I did steal the swords." grin "What of it? What are you going to do?"

I fear not your werecow wife.

>>22445

I've been enjoying the game every time I head to my friends house. I much prefer co-op on advanced, but unfortunately most my friends want to play versus all the time.

The problem with versus (at least on the 360) is how bugged and unfair for the survivors it is. In the no mercy campaign, nearly every level has one or two parts where the zombies can block the survivor's progress with no way to get by. Clogging the elevator, moving forklifts, dropping a dumpster into the manhole. All of which can be accomplished before it is even physically possible for the survivors to get to those parts. By now these exploits are so well known that it literally happens every other match.

[X]"I did not steal the swords, I merely gave them a for existence: to serve me. The swords are rightfully mine, and anyone who says the opposite is sinful criminal."

>>22453

It's just the opposite on the PC. Due to some technical problems, every time someone melees your ugly, infected face, the screen goes white, and your FPS drops to 2-3, leaving you - obviously - vulnerable to attack. From both the stun, and the sudden graphical glitches. Enough said the best tactic for an infected after being punched, is to mash every single button and hope for the best. No other way. Here's hoping Valve releases a fix for the damn thing soon. Preferably along with the DLC. Anyhow, it's like I said - the more, the merrier. Catch me, or any of the #MiGgers on steam, if you do get L4D.

>>22450

Eh, I dunno.


In other news, more Fuku drawings! More boobs! More hairy legs! Yay!

[x] "Yes. Yes, I did steal the swords." grin "What of it? What are you going to do?"

>>22458
Where is CoMN2 then.

>>22462

Still hesitatin' to post it, yo.

>>22465
Why is that so

>>22466
'Cause you's a ho.

[x] Put on the most diabolically evil grin you can manage and stare at them in a condescending manner.
[x] "What if I did? What of it, Barton? Do you want them back so much you'd be willing to drag me out here and interrupt my date? Oh, I'd be happy to return them to you, with interest, if you so desire"
[x] Snap your fingers and call forth an army of swords(to make it look just that easy) all pointing at him. "Well? I'm waiting".

>>22467
cool story, bro

[X] "Yes. Yes, I did steal the swords." grin "What of it? What are you going to do?"

Hah. As fast as possible, he says. How ironic, for the one who interrupted my date, and made one of his men butt into my private business, to suggest something like that. I can't tell whether it's impatience, or the false premonition of a giant misunderstanding going on that drove him to such a choice of words, but one thing is for sure - in the end, he'll be the one to regret that decision. What is it you mean to imply, Barton? You don't possibly believe I would simply admit to the crime, as you yourself seem to be convinced about my innocence, now do you? They say the surprise factor is crucial when it comes to battling an opponent of greater strength and numbers, as well as fighting on an unknown ground - all of which apply to the current situation I found myself in. Very well, then! I'll be knocking you off the tracks, Barton! Your inattention shall become your demise! I accept this opening!
And sweep a hand through my hair while doing so. He doesn't even flinch at the leisure of the gesture - it would seem my mannerism has become a sight ordinary enough for people not to give two damns about it. A pity, but regardless, the impulse is stronger than the common sense. I flash everyone a sigh of my teeth, grinning mischievously, full of glee at the prospect of what's to come.
"Yes." a short pause ensues, but not long enough for anyone to pick up the baton "Yes, friend. I did steal the swords."
Like an icy layer melting away, Barton's smile slowly dissolves into nothingness, substituted by a rather troubled, almost sarcastically inverse expression - a sour grimace, of unexpected surprise and grief. Exactly as I predicted - the play is unfolding in the most foreseeable manner possible. What next? Will he insist on dragging me to the commissariat after all? Or will he rather think of forcing me to pay a visit to Keine, and get my history scanned, and all the secrets revealed? I'm fairly sure you're thinking of that, Barton. You're thinking about that without a doubt. It's as if all your actions were announced beforehand. You may reach to your sword's pommel, but it doesn't puzzle me. You may take a step forward, but it doesn't surprise me. You may ostentatiously clear your throat, but it it's an attempt to return the favour, and knock me out of balance, there's some really severe disappointment in it for you, Barton. This is but a play, and your role has almost played out.
"If that is so," he states, in a voice so clear and articulate, one might thing he's talking to a child "Then I have no choice but to believe you. If you'd be so kind to--"
"What of it?" I cut in, crushing his certainty even further "What are you going to do, Barton?" Stupid question, I already know the answer, but it would seem only polite to ask it anyway. Yet, instead of an equally well-defined answer, all I receive is a blank stare. From everyone gathered, including the irritatingly curious clerk. Does he really want to get involved? Some people just don't know their place, do they... Anyhow, he's of no concern to me right now. Barton is. "Duel me again? Propose a deal? Let it slip, maybe? Do you really want to take it all the way through?"
Finally, some sort of reaction, though it being a sigh doesn't forebode well, at least for the entertainment factor of the show. How boring.
"No." he says "It's no longer between just the two of us, boy."
"Hell, of course it isn't." because by interrupting my date, you have not only enraged me, but also my girl "Too many people got involved to keep this personal."
"Exactly." he nods, although I'm not sure if he really understood "I'm glad we agree."
"So?" I tap Sid's sheath impatiently "What are we going to do?"
"Well, for one, we could politely settle the whole thing by returning the stolen property to it's righteous owner..." hah, that. Of course he had to propose that sort of a deal sooner or later. Foolishness, nothing but insolent ignorance. Their 'righteous owner' is no longer that guy, Barton. It's me. Me, me, me and ONLY me. No one will usurp himself any rights to claim MY belongings as his. No one, never. "... though given the look in your eyes, I take it you don't consider that a possibility."
"Hah! Hahaha! Hahahaha!" I can't help but laugh. Of course! How clever you are, Barton! How smart of you, to figure that out without any additional hints! Truly, a splendid spectacle of wits and deduction! Are you a detective? Oh, wait, you're a city guard, that would naturally imply being stronger and wittier than the rest of the population, right? Don't get so cocky, bastard. Do NOT underestimate me! "Of course I don't! When playing cards, you don't demand for yours to be returned after they were won from your in a fair battle, now do you?"
"This isn't a game, boy."
I throw my arms aside, and give them another insanely loud chuckle.
"Life ITSELF is a game, Barton! Do not try to break the rules!" to no effect. All of them remain equally calm, maybe with the exception of the guy who brought me here. "The swords are now mine, and unless you take them away by force, no one shall lay their hands on them."
Barton's lips curve in some sort of a wry scold. He is obviously not pleased with such an unfolding. To hell with him. No one who suggests something as outrageous as taking my property like if it was his own, gets away unscratched.
"Then..." he slowly unsheathes his sword "I guess we have no choice but to do it the hard way. Don't worry." he says, noticing my grin get wider "We're not allowed to kill anyone, unless they're proven to have killed one of us themselves."
His accomplices follow suit, enclosing a circle of bodies, armours and swords, around my firmly standing figure. Insolent dogs, they want to take me all at once? How dishonourable! People are watching, Barton, why do you persist in the intent of staining your pride?

[ ] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.
[ ] Do nothing. They have no right to inflict any harm on me, unless I do something to provoke them.
[ ] I'm forgetting someone. There is no time for fooling around with those mongrels. Leg it.

[x] I'm forgetting someone. There is no time for fooling around with those mongrels. Leg it.

[x] Shower of swords in all directions!
[x] Run away, grab your miko, and get back to the shrine for some tea and cookies.

We'll take her on another date some other time.

[x] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.

Swords everywhere.

[x] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.

Sad end ahoy!

[x] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.

Our swords will blot out the sun.

[ ] I'm forgetting someone. There is no time for fooling around with those mongrels. Leg it.

[ ] I'm forgetting someone. There is no time for fooling around with those mongrels. Leg it.

[X] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.

[x] I'm forgetting someone. There is no time for fooling around with those mongrels. Leg it.

[x] I'm forgetting someone. There is no time for fooling around with those mongrels. Leg it.

[x] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.

Women & children

[X] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.

[x] I'm forgetting someone. There is no time for fooling around with those mongrels. Leg it.

[] Ask Sid, if it wants to return to its previous owner

[X] I'm forgetting someone. There is no time for fooling around with those mongrels. Leg it.

Let's go and become again a Nanaya, right guys? However, our name is Koganeiro, so let's try to be calm, even if we can turn them into cheese with our swords. What, do you want to get a Psyco end so badly or what?

>>22500
>However, our name is Koganeiro

Which was based on Gilgamesh, who would have no problems with killing anyone. Also, Nanaya only killed only one guy bedised Red.

>>22500
>Let's go and become again a Nanaya, right guys? However, our name is Koganeiro, so let's try to be calm, even if we can turn them into cheese with our swords. What, do you want to get a Psyco end so badly or what?

what

[x] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.

Borders of Babylon

Playing a bit too much DMC4, eh YAF?

"And we're all satisfied..."

"Hey, kid!" haven't I heard this somewhere before?

What's next, are we switching back to the original hero, Nanaya, for the rest of the story? Might as rename Kane and Seven Nero and Dante.

>>22506
>Playing a bit too much DMC4, eh YAF?

I would, but my rig can't even run it. Still putting up with that ol' Radeon 9600 I am. Plus thanks to the flow of time, my cooling fans are getting a bit clunky, forcing me to de-clock the CPU frequencies in order to lower the temperature... Of course, I could keep it high, but then the fans go at it at >4000 RPM, which sounds like an old, soviet vacuum cleaner. I can barely run L4D in 1024x768 without ANY effects on this setup.

And the 'hey, kid' phrase? I know it reminds you of DMC, since it's the most recent source where it was used, but it's not the only one. Remember the old GI Joe edit? I've recently re-read a book I read back in elementary, by Stanisława Platówna, the title... Fuck, I don't think it was ever released outside Poland... 'Kid Calls for Captain', or something along the lines. Basically it's about a little boy, helping an older runaway from home by letting him stay in his shed. Thanks to the latter being a compulsive liar, the little one is fed a story about him being a retired captain or some ship or whatever, so obviously, the older guy is the 'Captain', and the younger one is the 'Kid'. In overall, it's a pretty poor read, but it's always nice to go back in time and shatter some nostalgia goggles. Oh, and the title comes from the Kid spraypainting 'Kid calls for Captain' everywhere in his town at the end of the book, after the fucker who leeched off him gets taken away by the police.

... I forgot where I was going with that.

EDIT: oh, right. I know. I was recently approached about the overload of references in my story by one of the readers. Obviously, he considered it rather irritating, but I, on the other hand, was pretty clueless, so I asked for a couple of examples... Turned out the 'references' I made I had totally no idea they were references at all. For instance, the 'I might just be a genius' phrase was mentioned. The problem? Supposedly, it's from some manga or doujinshi, but I have totally no idea where, or what it is from. Another thing? Apparently some parts of interaction with Reimu look like some parts of some visual novels. I don't remember which exactly, I don't remember the titles of said VNs, simply because I just don't read them. Bah, the whole concept of visual novels appears pretty stupid to me. Want a good story? Read a book. What, can't stand the lack of graphics? That's your problem. Get some illustrated books, if you must.

So to summarize - you're looking for references where they DON'T EXIST. Like that one time I was accused of ripping off Kino no Whatever after posting an idea, while I STILL don't really know what the damn thing is (let alone its full title). Maybe it's the thing of reputation, maybe not, I don't really care. I've already given up on making references, long ago, simply because Anon taught me it's not worth it to sneak subtle winks and jabs at certain creations in, because the possibility of anyone noticing them, and appreciating them, is pretty low. Of course, I still DID throw in a couple of them in TSR, but as expected - they went right over everyone's heads.

EDIT2:
Besides, I suck ass at DMC, thanks to the looooong break since the last time I played the 3rd. I doubt I'd be able to even finish it on Normal. Of course, there's always Easy, but... Playing DMC on easy? Come on, only scrubs do that! So yeah, I bought a six-trigger pad this Friday, and decided it would be good to reinstall DMC3 and give it a go... Well, it wasn't. My pride was crushed.

>>22510
>Like that one time I was accused of ripping off Kino no Whatever after posting an idea, while I STILL don't really know what the damn thing is (let alone its full title).

Kino no Tabi?

>>22512

Yeah, I think that's it.
Holy Christ, how the hell does she (he?) pull the trigger in that revolver? Isn't the guard a little... you know, too little? Not to mention the whole thing is ridiculously small...

Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. Ass. God damn.

>>22510
in the time you wrote that rant, you could have updated.

>>22513

As you can see from this photo, the Colt 1851 is actually quite small in real life. The grip sits farther away from the trigger in comparison to modern revolvers; you'd only use the tip of your finger to pull it.

>>22510

So I take it you dislike manga, anime, movies, games, and any other form of story mixed with visual elements? I can understand not liking visual novels (not really for everyone), but that was a rather ignorant statement to make.

>>22510
right. No one is goin to buy that. just continue to play the fool if you think this will work.

>>22510
I always thought you were a little dense; thanks for coming out of the closet. I no longer have to pull my hair in frustration.

That aside, I notice quite a number of references and memes being used in your writing, and I appreciate every last one of them. They make the story even more of an interesting read.

>>22514
Agreed. YAF, nigger, back to work, etc.

>>22517

No, perhaps I worded myself wrong. I dislike treating visual novels as creations of the same level as books. Stories told in VNs are often shallow, depend on the art to attract the potential reader (watcher? User?), and have nothing really special to offer, WHILE I've seen people state, that visual novels should not be seen as something less sophisticated than, for instance, classics of written fantasy. No. Fuck them.
Movies? I rarely watch them, but I find some of them really enjoyable. 300 had me pumped up for a few days straight, Breakfast Club made me think 'gee, thank fuck I don't have problems like that', Being John Malkovich had me laughing out loud numerous times over the course of the movie. Still, I don't see anyone claiming stories told in movies are equal to those told in books - because they aren't. Movies, games, manga, anime AND VNs depend on the 'visual' factor much more than on anything else. Yes, I am an oldfashioned conservatist. I'd behead anyone who tells me ANY goddamn VN has a better, deeper story than, let's say, Narrenturm or Quicksilver. I've seen people claim that some vidya have better stories than the best of the books (crown example being Persona and Final Fantasy series), but that's clearly fanboyism at work. Even Legacy of Kain - the series that had me reading summaries and analysis for hours in order to understand what the fuck happened - cannot compare to the more ambitious books I had the pleasure of reading. Of course, there are also opinions, tastes, and preferences that should be taken into consideration, but if it's about literature, the one printed on paper is the only way to go.

>>22520

Well, sorry to ruin it for you, but there's a high possibility of 90% of these 'references and memes' being something only you see, and what I had no intention of putting in. Hell, most of the few ones that I did throw in are to rather... obscure sources. I may be wrong, but I seriously doubt anyone here has read The Witcher, Star Diaries, Queen of Cosmos (my first S-F read, sob, sob ;-;) or the already mentioned Narrenturm. No, I'm not going to point any of them out, that would be a rather silly thing to do, since they're supposed to be a jab in the side, not a punch in the face.

EDIT: about writing, I apologize for that. Ever since Sunday, I've been under the continuous influence of a very annoying sinus headache, which took away not only the ability to sleep properly, concentrate, but also all of the motivation as well. Fucking thing won't stop aching until I lay down on my bed, with my head hanging from the edge. Which isn't exactly a comfortable position. Actually, it's not comfortable at all.

>>22524

I can say the same of most books I've read. Oftentimes I find the stories quite shallow, and the only reason they seem deep is because of the sheer amount of text devoted to describing things. A kind of fake depth, if you will. I can spend twenty pages describing a rock, but that doesn't make the rock any more interesting or relevant. I see the visual novel medium as cutting out the middle man. A way to get rid of needless and distracting description text, whilst instantly giving the reader an understanding of the setup of a scene. Add music to fit the mood, and a visual reference for the characters, and now you can focus on what matters: The story. And if you enjoy writing description text, you can still do so to your heart's content, without having to write long, distracting passages to describe the setting.

Of course, a story is a story regardless of medium. And no matter how you dress up a bad story, it is still bad. I'll grant you that VN's and other media aren't always (or often?) "deep", but then you should also consider what really makes for a deep story. Afterall, not everything must be conveyed in words.

I'll say right now that I am not by any means a prolific reader. In fact, these days I barely read at all. I happen to find visual mediums much more expressive, especially when it comes to characters. I enjoy the fact that pictures/animation can convey subtle things that would not be feasible in text, since one must consider over-description and the pace at which the text will be read, when writing.

In it's best, a visual novel could say more than a purely text novel ever could (pretty much by definition, really). All whilst avoiding the time constraints and compression that plague movies. The problem is that like any medium, there are going to be good and bad examples. And considering the age of the VN medium, it should be expected for there to be a rather poor ratio of good examples.

I could also point out the fact that for every good book there are probably ten or twenty terrible ones. This is one of the reasons I do not read often. It is nearly impossible to short out the shit from what is salvageable.

I should make it clear that I am not an avid visual novel reader. I do not speak japanese, and whilst I have nothing at all against hentai games (at least the concept, as most are executed poorly), I find precious few visual novels that both suit my tastes and go beyond a mere "dating sim". However, I do find the medium fascinating and full of untapped potential.

As an example, a weakness of your own writing would be that you seem to have a difficult time conveying setting and character descriptions. If it weren't for the fact that I already know what the characters and places look like, it would be difficult to form a strong image of the scenes in my head. You may take it as an insult, but I think you would be rather suited to the medium. Don't take what has been done as an indication, but more what can be done.

It is similar to how video games started to be turned into a story telling method, or movies before that, or graphic novels before that. Even various literary techniques had to come into their own over the course of hundreds of years. A medium is only what you make of it, so make something great.

I find myself once again apologizing for taking up so much space discussing something that is detracting from the story, but I find your counter-argument at least worthy of a more well thought out response than my initial reply. I apologize if my thoughts appear scattered, as it is late.

>>22524
Then just keep doing whatever the fuck it is you're doing(minus the jerking around that keeps you from updating, of course).

To be truthful, I did not catch that goldfish reference in ATO until someone commented on it(I haven't seen mention of that show in years); and you can't say such things are mere coincidence. At least not all of them. On the plus side, it shows that your readers are being very attentive. That's always a good sign(on the basis that they're not doing so with ill-intent).

Now about that headache. I'm not one to get fancy with all the mumbo-jumbo they try and push on you nowadays. Take an asprin(or two), a hot shower(till your skin burns), and get some sleep(about 15 hours of it). You'll feel better.

>>22525
>You may take it as an insult, but I think you would be rather suited to the medium.

No, actually, I do my best to cut short the descriptions of things you are supposed to know and be familiar with already. Is there any sense in describing, for instance, Reimu's usual garment, when all of us - I think - have a settled image of it present in our minds? I see none. Another thing are the details of the protagonist's looks, which are deliberately skipped, in order to allow you to imagine him however you want. TSR was meant to carry much more possibilities of inputting your own traits and patterns - through write-ins, or chosen options - into the character, as opposed to my another creation, CoMN, where the main heroine had a settled name, personality, and appearance. It also had a symbollic indicative, in form of being allowed to choose the name yourself - back in the young days of THP, named protagonists would often show more personality than the unnamed ones - and I'm intent on sticking to that tradition. Protagonists named from the start are solid blocks of data, with no way of modifying them in more drastic ways. Protagonists with chosen names come with a predefined set of traits which you can edit at your own leisure. Unnamed ones are clean cards, free to be scribbled on as you please.

>I see the visual novel medium as cutting out the middle man. A way to get rid of needless and distracting description text, whilst instantly giving the reader an understanding of the setup of a scene.

Here's the dog buried. You see, a vast majority of visual novels' target audience does not care about the story told within, and tends to make their choices based on the fondness of other factors. Which inevitably led to the creation of dozens of shallow stories with good artwork, music, lots of sex, in order to sell as many copies to consumer whore zombies who flood the market with their poorly spent, consumer whore money.
While I understand the aforementioned 'other factors' add to the depth, take a minute and think - do they only 'add' to the depth, or in fact 'create' it? When you strip a VN of the sprites, backgrounds, music, voices, and examine the most important part (or what should be the most important part) - the story, it often turns out that what ought to be the strongest link, is actually a creation done on a knee, during a fifteen minutes coffee break, unable to defend itself on it's own. The trick? Humans' senses are easier to stimulate by visual and sound effects, because most of the current populace lacks what is so important in reading books - the imagination. In order to fully enjoy a book, you need to be able to 'generate' the characters' appearances, settings, voices, and many more things yourself - many of today's people can't do that, and thus see the 'old, plain, boring' medium as such - old, plain, and boring. But what they consider the worst about books, we consider the best. You're not fed readymade parts, in form of graphics, sounds, voices, music, backgrounds, et cætera. When reading a book, you actually create the described world arm-in-arm with the author. You partake in the great act, and direct half of the action yourself, as you please, make the characters look however you want, make the setting unfold itself according to your tastes, you are the co-director of a magnificent creation. Unfortunately, as I previously remarked, many people lack the ability of thinking creatively, and ignore such a beautiful opportunity, in favour of devouring pre-prepared, lacklustre, mass-produced merde, that won't - and cannot - change, no matter how hard you may wish for it to.

It's the same with video games - people would rather gaze upon a spectacle of special effects, than apply a little bit of imagination to make those blocks of polygons represent noble - or evil - warriors in their heads. Probably in fear of cutting their eyeballs on the edges of the low-poly models. The actual game-play however, is a completely different story, and a one for another time.

And speaking of merde, I've recently acquired a few books by Stephen Clarke - 'A Year in the Merde', 'Merde Happens' and 'Talk to the Snail'. The guy has a very interesting style, and while it hurt my wallet quite a bit to afford them, I don't regret a single grosz (currencies, currencies) spent on it.

>>22526

Thanks for the advice, I've already shot myself up with some prescribed painkillers, and even though they drove me rather drowsy, I'm still having problems with sleeping consistently. Enough said, I went to sleep at 8PM yesterday, woke up at half past 1AM, couldn't sleep until after 4AM, then slept 'till 10, got up, ate a few things, at 1PM took a short nap, and so on, and so on. My biological clock feels like if had been messed with by Hitchcock, and then shot several times in the gears.

Jesus

in b4 everybody in this thread is YAF talking to himself.

[X] They cannot kill me. But I, on the other hand... Should have no restraints.

Whether it is the sense of duty, or simply your in-born stupidity, I don't know, and neither do I actually care - it doesn't matter if you insist on making a fool out of yourself, what does, is that for this innoble goal, you've stepped into my private business. Not only that, though! It would seem that your subordinates don't mind dipping their boots in mud either! Is the whole of your guard so naive? Come on, don't go on shattering my visions of your profession so leisurely!
Yet despite having drawn their swords, all they do is observe my smirking face in silence. Irritating, still, unmoving aura spreads its reign over the shop, where no one, not even the clerk, or the missing assistant, make any noise, too scared, afraid, or maybe amazed, not wanting to disturb its conquest. Calmly, as if it was but an innocent play, I run a quick analysis on the situation. There are four opponents, out of which one is confirmed to be a formidable threat, and one - to be a very weak link. That leaves a duo of targets with unknown level of skill, as well as strength and potential danger they may prove to be. A bit unfortunate, but it's nothing we couldn't fix with a little bit of caution. Still, what bothers me the most, is their lack of action - as if though they were waiting, patiently, but not without betraying signs of nervousness, for something to happen. What is it, Barton? Why not move in already? Why not drive that sword through my throat already? Do you fear going against your principles? Of course you do, for the responsibility of breaking them by the hands of anyone in this room will inevitably fall onto your shoulders, am I mistaken? No, it's all true, and you realize that even better than I do. Then how should we solve this little dilemma? One cannot hope for a fight to ensue, if neither of the sides are willing to make the first move. In this department, I miss the lunatic that I almost killed this morning...
"... ha." That's right. Almost killed. In the end, he survived the salve, but it was only due to my ignorance of his abilities, that led to this unfavourable outcome. In a manner of speaking, I did kill him... I launched a barrage of swords, tools made for accomplishing such things, straight at his torso, aimed at all the vital points, in order to - obviously - end his life. I've already killed once... So why am I hesitating to kill some more? "... right..." my dry lips utter, independently of my mind. There is nothing wrong with killing. No, in fact, it is them who plunged themselves onto my sword. Just like before, Barton proposed crossing the blades, only now, it surpassed the borders of innocent play, and has become an all-out war... A war where his men will likely do their best to aid him in battle... Which means only one thing - more heads will roll than there will stay. A pity, but what can I do? But just as a story needs a preface, a fight must be ignited manually too. "... well, then! Entertain me!"
Saying that, I step away from the crescent moon of opponents' bodies, and draw my own blade. I can't tell if he's as excited as I am, or if he even approves of what's about to unfold before his eyes - and what is going to be performed using his own body, but truth be told, it doesn't matter a slightest bit. He may possess the sharper tongue, but as long as I'm alive - it is me who's in charge. In any case, this time doesn't differ from any other - he resonates resolutely in the air, dispelling the hitherto status quo like a bad charm. The moment I slide one foot to the back, and firm my pose, Barton does as well. It can't be told who learned from who.
"Disarm him!"
But just as predicted, his cowardice knows no boundaries. Instead of coming at me as he should, instead of following the challenge enclosed in his previous words, he stays back, while his subordinates, his mindless slaves, unaware of their own demise looking them in the eyes, scatter around in this narrow space, and charge at me.
Clueless. Inexperienced.
Careless. Incautious.
It doesn't matter if there's four of them - they don't even know what they're doing. Really, even in cowardice, you betray admirable traits, Barton. Better them than you, is that correct? How about we prove you right, then?
Not waiting for his approval, I target the weakest link in the chain, and step forward. They surround me, but none of them raises his sword. None, except the one whom I raise mine against. The very one whose ego I kicked on the very first day here. The very one who dared to interrupt my time with my woman. None other, than the one who will be learning a very practical wisdom today!

Clang!

"Dog!" My mouth screams when the swords clash, chaotically, in the air. My fingers almost let go of Sid's handle because of the vibrations, but by some stroke of fate, he remains in my grip. "Know your place!"
And again, against all the odds, I'm the one who has the upper hand. The blades dance in the air, both led by inexperienced hands, but mine is the one which prevails in the end.

Clang!

Another swing, and the enemy steps back, thrown back by the impact, lowering his sword...

And that is the hint.

There's no time to hesitate.

The others are only watching, expecting someone who joined the guard to win.

How severe will their disappointment be.

So, without any further ado, I change the grip...



And drive the steel straight through the leather cuirass on his chest.

Our shoulders hit each other, when he lands in my deathly embrace.

And I feel nothing. The sensation of the sword piercing the armour, the skin, the muscles and the heart means nothing to me. Blood slowly dripping from the handle, and onto my hands is irrelevant. His dying gasp is nothing but a wretched prize for the efforts. So are his friends' muffled screams.
But I don't care.
While they yell his name, I kick the useless corpse off Sid's blade, and let it fall, like a lifeless, rag doll, onto the floor, leaving it to stain it with maroon blood. Fool. Nothing but a maggot. You call that a fight? Mongrel, even a blind whore wouldn't call this a challenge!
Flicking the sword from the blood, I raise a hand.
"Is there anyone," I say, ignoring the shocked faces of everyone present "ANYONE who thinks he'll do better than him? Come on! There must be someone!"
One of the two remaining guards snaps. Yes, just like that, he opens his mouth, and with a primal, animalistic cry on his lips, charges at me, blade raised high in the air.
"Matthew!"
"AAAAAAAAARRRRGHHH!"
It's no use, Barton. Calling his name won't do a thing. He's already lost. Lost in his own emotions. Lost in his own delusions. Lost in grief, and finally... Lost for this world.
"Marvellous!!"
Again, I recall the vicious impulse, the one that allowed me to defeat Satori, and take an attempt on Seven's life, to summon a dozen of swords to surround my body. But even this one is not worthy touching my possessions. No.

Woosh.

All of a sudden, there's nothing in his hand. Perplexed, he raises his chin to take a look at the uplift arm... only to discover the demise hidden within such a behaviour a second after. Momentum. An opening. His charge didn't finish, but left enough force in the body to get close enough to get it's exposed neck cut. By my blade.
Blood splatters on the floor, joining the previous fool's, mixing with it, like dirt mixes with sand.
The now lifeless, but not yet dead body crashes into the wall behind me, while I stand unfazed, yet again flicking Sid's blade from the ugly liquid, casting the remaining mook a glance he will probably not forget till the end of his live. The end that will come soon anyway. How amusing, look at his face stretch in horror! Look at him back away, like a scared cat, who discovered the furry thing on the floor is not a carpet, but a big, and angry dog, capable of snapping his neck with a single movement of its paws.

"Matthew...!"
And of course, Barton.
I turn to him.
"That's two." I can't tell if his face is scared, or disgusted "One reason more than enough to get serious, don't you think?"
He gives me a wry grimace, that I suppose is meant to fill me with resentment for myself. Not in this life, Barton.
"You...don't know what you've done..."
I don't know..."Oh, but I do, Barton! I realize full well the weight of my actions! I've already killed before, so it doesn't matter! One more, two more, three more, four, five, ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand more - IT DOESN'T MATTER! You play with the sword and DIE by the sword! You interrupt my life, and I interrupt yours! It's only fair, Barton. Don't try to say otherwise, for I will not tolerate any lies.
"Still not quite sure, huh? Let me..." I raise a hand and point at the only remaining subordinate of his "Convince you further."
It's a desecration, an obvious misuse, but for the sake of negotiations, I cast away the useless thoughts, and nail the body of unexpecting fool with swords.

How boring.
He falls to the floor after just two seconds.
"... magic..." however tedious the spectacle, at least it seems to have invoked some sort of reactions in Barton's thick skull. You're going to fight now, or what? This is really getting duller and duller with every second. "But if you're a magician, why the Hakurei shrine maiden...?!"
"Speak," I interrupt "No ill words of the Hakurei miko, Barton. I warn you. One bad thing, and I'll be making you into a needle pillow."
"... you're out of your mind." he mutters, as if the words weren't directed at me at all. Am I, really? No, think of the factors that brought these consequences on your head, Barton. Think of your mistakes. The one insane enough to butt into my life was YOU. "You're a madman..."
"Hah!" I almost break in laughter at that word "A MADMAN?" no. You've crossed the line, Barton. There is no escape anymore. Had you fallen on your knees, and begged for forgiveness, there would have been mercy. But it's too late. "I'll make you swallow your words."
He grants me a single, sad glance, before letting his gaze fall to the ground. His fingers clutch the sword as if it suddenly become several times heavier.
"... I swore not to kill anyone but youkai anymore..." he mutters "But if disposing of you will make the world a brighter place...!"
Everything according to the scenario. Come at me, Barton, come.
"Entertain me!"
But since you'll be the last one to go to hell, I've got a special goodbye present for you...
Our swords clash, deflecting each other's swings, changing each other trajectories in a way that leaves us both open for attacks. Attacks that never come, because neither of us wastes any time before recovering, and renewing the attack. He doesn't mutter a word, and neither do I.
But this isn't how I wrote his fate. This isn't how it will end. This isn't how I predicted the outcome.
One more impact, and we both back away, panting heavily.
"I liked you boy." he gasps, not without difficulty, while I smile to myself "There was... something good about you."
Foolishness. How cliché. Did you really think I would fall for such a cheap trick, Barton? No, you've overestimated your abilities to bluff. Your lies are but a background music for my greater plan.
"No banter." I say, raising my sword yet again "Either you finish this, or I will."
"Very well." At least he seems to understand what's going on. For that, I admire you, Barton. I admire your wits. You're... so different from everyone else. Almost... likeable. If only you weren't such a naive fool... "Let's end this...!"

Just as expected, he dashes forward, his blade raised at an angle to deflect mine.

But little does he know...

Come...

It was but a...

Dirty trick...

He's almost there.

A cheap trick...

A yell on his lips.

A feint.

"What?!"
He gasps in surprise when the blade he was aiming for vanishes into thin air, when his own, grazing my forearm, hits the ground.
When I, still smiling, reach behind my back, and in the split-second that he takes to recover from the shock, pull out something...
Something big...

Something that I saw only once...

But deemed a present generous enough for the honourable guard to receive.

The chainsaw that I noticed laying in a pile of junk in Reimu's shed.

The very one that I'm holding in my hands now.
The very one that causes Barton's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"This is...!" full of glee, I awaken the beast. It roars, twice, before breaking out of it's slumber completely, and with a screech so horrible, so terrifying it sends shivers down my spine, it begins to move. "Your end!"



...


It couldn't be helped. I couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. It wasn't my fault at all. If they weren't so stubborn, if they weren't so cocky, so sure of themselves... This could have been averted. It... didn't have to happen. It was all a simple coincidence, unforgiving for the both sides.
But now, that everything's been done... There's no going back.

The clothes Reimu gave me are soaked in blood. What a waste of good thread.
The chain broke on the spine of the one I used to call 'Barton', rendering the saw useless. Junk. It should have remained in the shed, to rust forever. Well, at least it performed it's task - or rather, a half of it - quite nicely. That wasn't a painless death he received, but a man of his sort shouldn't leave the world quietly. No, the roaring of a gasoline engine is a suiting noise for him to pass away in.
I drop the thing to the floor, and dust off my hands.
"... well."
It wasn't a clean job either. Now that I look at it, the room is full of blood and intestines. Whoever the hell will be forced to clean this up, won't be pleased. But speaking of which...

"... loony! Y-you're a loony!" Ah, yes. 'Master'. And the clerk, who somehow found himself at his side. Why didn't they run? Their foolishness is beyond my comprehension. "Stay avay! Have...!" he chokes on his words when I come close "Have mercy!"
Mercy. How amusing.
I grin.
"Mercy..." and pull a sword from behind my back "Is something only a fool would believe in."


...


I can't show myself to Reimu in this state - is what I thought when I got back behind the counter, and inside the maze of shelves.
It shouldn't be considered thievery, if I grab a change of clothes now, right? Well, then, let's find something similar enough not to look too suspicious...


...

"What happened?" The first question I am met with after returning to the stall, is of course that. "What was that noise?" And that. Reimu is visibly disturbed about what took place, but the fact she hasn't freaked out yet proves she's been in here all the time. Good. I wouldn't want her to see that bloody spectacle, now would I? The only thing to regret, is that she's back in her own clothes... A pity. "I heard screams, and... and that noise..."
How... heartwarming, to see her so worried, although I'm not sure if it's me she's worried about. Nevertheless, to give her a reassuring smile, is the best thing I can do.
"Nothing important." I say in a calm tone "The problem's been dealt with. No one will disturb us now."
"No one..."What do you..." ah, how fidgety. Still not able to believe my assurances? That hurts my feelings, Reimu. "... there's blood on your face... just what..." But it's not the time to be listening to her. We need to get out, and obviously, the front entrance is out of question. That leaves... No possibilities at all. "Kane? Are you listening to me?" No, there is one more. I may have only tried it on swords before, but if I make the... opening a bit wider... It might work.
So I close my eyes.
Reimu's words are of no concern. All that counts... Is to leave here as fast as possible.

And after a second, we both fall into nothingness.


...


Pop!

With a silly sound like that, we - me and her - land painfully on a wooden floor.
"Oh?" Though the impact wasn't too great, the... journey itself left me a bit dizzy. I'm fairly sure we're at the shrine, but... Reimu looks around with confusion in her eyes, not sure what just happened... Which I don't find any weird. I'm quite unsure as well, but... No, this is the shrine, for sure. It would take at least twenty of such rides to make me forget those corridors. The only thing not fitting the image, is a woman dressed in something between a dress and a nightshirt, looking at us from above, holding onto a broom. "Oh. Hello." I recognize her. There's no mistaking her for anyone else. Blonde hair, strange, cat-like ears, and a load of tails behind her back, there's no doubt. Ran Yakumo. Still, just what is she doing here? "You must be the one miss Yukari spoke about. Welcome to the Hakurei shrine." she smiles, as if to counter the nonsense of her words "I see you've already met Reimu."
"Eh?" the mentioned shrine maiden voices both mine and her thoughts "Ran? What do you..."Wait, is Yukari...?"
"Yes, yes." Ran nods eagerly "She's here as well, waiting for you in the kitchen. She said your friend... would come as well." saying that, Ran looks at me "Hm? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
It... doesn't make any sense. No, wait, actually, it doesn't make any sense at all, because it doesn't have to. Yukari came to visit, that's all, and unless Seven... Wait, that's right. Seven, where is he? Don't tell me... No. No, no, no. I don't even know what the hell is going on. Collect yourself, me!

[ ] "Reimu, go get changed. I'll go... and see Yukari."
[ ] No way I'm leaving Reimu's side. Let her decide what to do.
[ ] "Ran... Can I call you by your first name..."There's another guest in the shrine, right? Where is he?"
[ ] None of this matters to me. I need to wash the blood off my face. And fast. It itches.

==

This has been a nightmare. I know I shouldn't ask for it, but pardon my any mistakes, okay? My head fucking hurts...

{X} None of this matters to me. I need to wash the blood off my face. And fast. It itches.

Itches suck~

[x] "Ran... Can I call you by your first name..."There's another guest in the shrine, right? Where is he?"

Good work. You can rest now YAF. get a good nights rest it's already 8.

[ ] "Reimu, go get changed. I'll go... and see Yukari."

[x] No way I'm leaving Reimu's side. Let her decide what to do.

[x] "Reimu, go get changed. I'll go... and see Yukari."

I wonder what will happen once word gets out that the shrine maiden's friend murdered a group of guards.

[X] None of this matters to me. I need to wash the blood off my face. And fast. It itches.

Itchy

Tasty

[X] None of this matters to me. I need to wash the blood off my face. And fast. It itches.

>The chainsaw that I noticed laying in a pile of junk in Reimu's shed.

FUCKING

AWESOME

[x] "Reimu, go get changed. I'll go... and see Yukari."

Seems this one is gonna take a while.

>I wonder what will happen once word gets out that the shrine maiden's friend murdered a group of guards.

I've just recovered my lost interest in this story.

>>22541

I figured the result would be interesting regardless if we acted like either a thief and run away or a bandit and attack them. It's just a pity Barton had to go, I couldn't help but like the guy.

>Yukari came to visit, that's all, and unless Seven... Wait, that's right. Seven, where is he?

Busy killing Mima.

[x] None of this matters to me. I need to wash the blood off my face. And fast. It itches.

>>22537
>>22541
>>22543

I highly doubt that it matters. With the dreams Kane has been having of Reimu's past - should they be real - we're looking at one of the many ends of this story as being the father of the next Hakurei generation. If the miko's reputation is ruined because of us(and probably already has been), the only reparation is reproduction(in which case, the child might be taken away by Yukari - to be raised "correctly"). If it doesn't just stop at that, we're looking at Seven winning favor to kill us(whether it be from Yukari or the villagers), and the miko going berserk(most likely to stop Ran and Keine if they are to be entered into the equation).

Don't take my word for it, though. I'm half-expecting this turn of events from YAF, while at the same time half-expecting anon to fly right on by a truly happy ending.

WTF, guys? Why the hell did we have to jump from "chaotic good" right to "sociopath" in one choice? You just killed your precious miko's approval rating.

And I liked Barton. ;_; What's with his name, though?

God, Anon's (we're) afflicted with Down Syndrome or something.

>>22546
Eh, we got her affection too fast anyway. Gensokyo is a land of miracles, just not that kind. You gotta work for it.

Wow anon... just wow. We went from a charismatic guy that summons swords and doesn't afraid of anything to a psychotic murderer. In one post, at that. That has got to be a THP record or something.

I am surprised Reimu did not end us when she started hearing the sounds of us murdering innocent people. Kinda wish she had.

>We went from a charismatic guy that summons swords and doesn't afraid of anything to a psychotic murderer
More like "to a charismatic murderer that summons swords and doesn't afraid of anything."
Doesn't seem anything like a psycho. Just an arrogant bastard.

>>22548
It's quite simple, really. We were interrupted while trying to get some, so we decided to eliminate the problem. I honestly don't see anything wrong here.

And Reimu is love. Now stop wishing for worst-case scenarios.

>>22547

Hahaha, you know what? No, there's no way you'd know. Hah, if only you knew... Anyhow, that's the same thing I thought back at the end of day one. But you see... There's a good reason for that, as unconvincing as it may sound signed by my name.

>>22552
Exactly, it isn't. Now I don't want to see you post unless it's got an update attached to it. Shoo. Shoo.

Gilgamesh, the villainous "Chaotic Good" King of Heroes. Honestly you might be retarded if you didn't see this coming.

>>22553
Eh, there's no winning vote yet, so I'm just gonna declare today a Faggotry day. Seek me in /th/.

>>22554
I haven't played F/SN, I don't know shit about its Gilgamesh. Here's hoping I ain't doing anything wrong.

>>22555
Youtube has gameplay videos if you care at all.

>>22555

I'd say you pretty much have it down.

[x] None of this matters to me. I need to wash the blood off my face. And fast. It itches.

>>22558

Cool.

>>22556

I searched for some U/C replays, to rip off some battle taunts... But hell, most of 'em doesn't translate well to english. A pity. What sounds relatively cool in japanese, sounds completely generic in english. A thing of being used to the language, I know, but still.