...


Some things never change. A heartening thought, in this time of crisis. Greeting me in my room, is nothing other, than the same, cheerful, albeit a bit irritated voice, singing the same, bawdy song about a goat and a cow, muffled, coming from beneath a wooden lid of the box where my treasures are kept. How sweet it is, despite the lyrics being at least inadequate, to hear that he hasn't changed one bit. Why is he here, though?
"... ah..." In the heat of slaughter, I didn't even notice when I'd sent him back. Yet another proof of how adrenaline can take over one's ability to think and remember consistently. Ironic. No, laughable, if only I was in the mood to laugh. "Sid."
Lifting the lid, I call his name, expecting a virulent comment in response...
"Master."
But nothing like that happens. The two of us look at each other, in silence, while realization slowly creeps into my conscience. Realization of the sight before me. Realization of all the blood on the blades stored within the case. All the swords, without an exception, are covered in blood. My most faithful companion too, is stained, with the sickeningly maroon liquid.
What a shame. What an accursed shame.
"Sid, I--"
I reach for him, but am immediately stopped by a tone that sends shivers down my spine.
"Master," he says, in a voice so different from usual, so extraordinary, my mind questions for a moment if I have indeed opened the right box "I'm going to say this only once, even though I shouldn't." it's almost as if thought a different person was speaking to me from the blade "It lies in my principles not to teach any of my owners what the should and shouldn't do, but I'll make an exception for you. Treat it," he adds quickly, seeing me open my mouth to rebut "As a compliment, not an insult. It's a proof that you're worthy of teaching."
"Sid, if you're going to--"
"What you did," he cuts in yet again, and I find myself unable to protest "Angered me. And not only me. You don't even realize the full weight of your doings."
"I know what I've done!" I yell out, desperately "I don't need a sword to tell me what is good and what is--!"
"That's why expressing my anger is everything I had to say." as if to prove that, he falls silent, and so do I. The momentary calamity continues for a few minutes, before he speaks up again. "You'll do what you deem proper. Now, let's move on, shall we?" the old, joyful tone makes it's comeback so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that I don't know what to say "There are many things to do, and cleaning my blade is only one of them."
He's right. We can't be sitting here forever, discussing morals and ethics. He's completely right - what I've done, is solely my problem, and I shouldn't let anyone else be involved. Not even--
"Kane!" Reimu. The miko, as if on a cue, the very moment I recall her name in my thoughts, enters the room. Panic. Bewilderment. Shocked, all I manage to come up with in that crucial split-second, is to snap shut the box, and sit on top of it, an exuberated expression of innocence, plastered all over my face. The girl whose day I probably ruined, gives me a single, surprised look, before remembering her business. "Kane." she repeats, now much calmer, then walks a bit closer, still keeping the distance, almost as if... As if she was scared. "Kane." and again "Are... are you okay?"
What kind of question is that? The room isn't covered in vomit, it should be pretty obvious I'm relatively okay.
I nod.
"Yes. Why?"
She clasps her hands behind her back, and lets her eyes wander aside.
"I... don't know. You seemed so... distressed, back in the shop... And then Yukari gapped us here, and..." Ah. She's worried. Genuinely worried. And here I feared the worst, frightened of the possibility that she might have figured out what took place behind her back... "... what happened back there? I heard screams... and noises... Kane... Don't tell me, that blood...?"

Everything collapses. All the euphoria of seeing her so calm, so... unaffected by it all, disappears in an instant.
She suspects something.
No.
She knows. I'm sure she knows. If she didn't know, she wouldn't be so afraid to approach me. She must have figured it out, no doubt.
I'm...

[ ] Confess. Let it all out.
[ ] "... nothing. The damn guard tripped me as a revenge for the day before yesterday, that's all. It was an accident. I swear."
[ ] Walk out, without a single word. If she wants, she can... see for herself.
[ ] "... you know it, right? You know what happened. Reimu, I did it for you, to keep you safe, so... If you ever tell anyone... If you ever tell anyone..."

==

Vodka was unavailable, and a vote appeared, so I updated this instead. Excuse me sowing chaos, and enjoy your sloppy road to... a very hot place.

[x] Walk out, without a single word. If she wants, she can... see for herself.

We make no excuses and we answer to no one. If we're going to act like Gilgamesh, we may as well do it all the way.

[x] Walk out, without a single word. If she wants, she can... see for herself.

I killed them. So?

[x] "... you know it, right? You know what happened. Reimu, I did it for you, to keep you safe, so... If you ever tell anyone... If you ever tell anyone..."

Let's see how crazy we can get.

[x] Confess. Let it all out.

Haven't played F/SN. I don't care about this Gilgamesh guy. All I know is that I don't want to be a fucking monster. Either she'll accept what we did, or we'll get a bad end or something. After our choice to simply murder them, I really don't care either way now.

That and I want to see her reaction when we admit it.

[X] Walk out, without a single word. If she wants, she can... see for herself.

[X] Walk out, without a single word. If she wants, she can... see for herself.

[x] Walk out, without a single word. If she wants, she can... see for herself.

I have no regrets; this was my only path.

{X} Walk out, without a single word. If she wants, she can... see for herself.

[x] "I got into another fist-fight with Barton, that's all. The situation's been cleared up. Don't worry about it"

[x] Confess. Let it all out.

[ ] "... you know it, right? You know what happened. Reimu, I did it for you, to keep you safe, so... If you ever tell anyone... If you ever tell anyone..."

[X] Confess. Let it all out.
[X] Make it clear that you realize that you went too far. Way too far.

Time to accept responsibility; we shunned it when the guards came, but it's more important to be sincere when dealing with Reimu herself. Besides, I don't see this incident as the kind to be let go very easily, so we should admit to our wrongdoing and get it out of the way. It's not as if we have any reasonable excuses for this, anyway; "I tripped" never works, no exceptions. That'll just make her worry even more; as happy as we should be that she cares enough to worry about us, we don't need to burden her any further.

You'll probably come out to find that Yukari cleaned up the mess, or that Keine has hidden its history for the time being. Best to not say anything at all just yet.

>>22590
>>22586

I appreciate posts like these. Perhaps they may not appear so to you, but they're actually really helpful. Inscrutable Arcanes of Writefaggotry~

About them updates... expect one later today.

[X] Walk out, without a single word. If she wants, she can... see for herself.

... not going to comply. Whatever self-seeking thoughts convinced her she can freely involve herself in my own affairs, are of no interest to me. There's been enough of threading around people completely unrelated back when we were taking care of your problems, Reimu. What happened was my doing, my responsibility. There is no need for you to know, and if you know already, there's no need for me to reveal anything. Who the hell do you think you are? Those are my problems, my pile of muck you're trying to shove your curious hand into. Back away, or you'll lose a couple of fingers. Her face, stretched in a now clearly fake, false worry, avoids my eyes, as if though the sheer stare of them could transfer the weight of guilt onto her conscience. How ironic, for you to come and ask for a confession, then retreat like this. It would seem that no matter the feeling of liability for the events that occurred, she's but a coward in the end. It is proven then - she knows, but is afraid to admit it. Then, I should have no reason to either.
Brushing the unruly wisps of hair off my forehead beforehand, I slowly lift myself off the ground. Calmly, without any unnecessary elation, no sense of fault, I exhale the air that's been being kept contained in my lungs for a good minute or so, up until now. My would-be partner in crime grants me only a fleeting glance, no regard for my own feelings. Why is it, that the only one I trusted has to act so extraneous, hostile, even? I'm disappointed. Hurt. My heart is bleeding, Reimu.
But it's not like I sought compassion in your person in the first place. It's not like I... expected you to understand.
Without a word, I begin marching forward, fast enough not to give her too much time to think, but slow enough to satiate that irritating, foolish impulse, causing the little part of me still present to hope, that maybe - just maybe - she's only acting, playing on my nerves.
Then, when I pass by her, almost brushing her shoulder with mine...
"... Kane." she speaks up. I stop in place, eager to hear her explanation. "... you know..." a short pause. I can feel her fidgeting around, hesitating what to say. What a farce. "... you know you have nothing to fear from me, right? My job is to exterminate youkai, not humans... And you... And I..."
"Spare me."
Disappointing. In the end, all she does is make up weak excuses. There's no point to this, none whatsoever.
Leaving her to her lies, I retreat from the room, wishing to free myself of her company as fast as possible. Not to be forced to listen to her voice anymore. To get rid of the sight of her face before I lose it.
The door slams behind me, with malice I'd never expect from a simple piece of cheap wood.

It hurts.


...



Why? - is the question that's been haunting, and torturing me ever since this morning. Why in my foolishness, did I allow Satori to escape along with her pets? Why did Seven come to the shrine, and why did Reimu seem so familiar with him? Why did my precious date have to turn out as it did? Why couldn't Barton back away, instead of forcing me to cross blades with him? Why were we met by someone so unexpected it caused my mind to falter? Why is Yukari Yakumo here? Why haven't I seen neither Mima nor Suika yet? Why, even though we'd gone through so much together, became so close to each other, is Reimu unable to understand? This isn't the time to be asking for confessions, cretin shrine maiden! There's a time to think, and a time to act, and it would appear that the former ran out several hours ago. There's no time for hesitating now, Reimu. Either we take it to the end, and accept what's happened, or...
Or what?
"Made a mess?"
The odious voice of whom I almost killed not so long ago greets me from one of the side passages, stopping me in the tracks of angered rush. Only now do I realize I've been chasing something intangible out of a reflex, paying not attention to whether where or why I was going to. It's owner, cocky as ever, completely oblivious of the fact he's neglecting the duties I put on his shoulders to take care of, stands leaning against the wall, arms crossed on chest, smirking at me from under that slightly too long fringe of his.
I cast him a wry grimace.
"Not your business."
"So you made a mess, huh?" Is he deaf? Purposefully, most possibly, to mock me, or scorn my utmost efforts not to involve anyone else. Insolent idiot, no one sane puts his head on the way of a charging bull! Do you want to get killed like everyone else?! I've already killed you once, and even if it takes a thousand of attempts to finally make you bleed, there should be enough swords to pull that off! But before I'm able to blurt out that ridiculous challenge, he speaks again. "Well, whatever it is, I suppose it's really none of my business."
Damn right. Finally something reasonable. There might still be hope for you, Seven.
"... what's your point, then?"
"Oh, nothing." he shrugs in a carefree manner "Morbid curiosity, if anything. How did Reimu react? Did you confess?" To hell with that! There was nothing to confess about, can't you understand?! It's MY responsibility! It's MY problem! "Judging from your expression, not really, eh." it would seem that my face is more talkative than my tongue today "Well, that's better. We can do our part while she's out investigating."
Again, I grimace at him, unable to conceive the meaning of his cryptic words. Acting mysterious won't get you anywhere, mongrel. Speak sense, or not at all! But more importantly...
"Investigate?" I ask, perplexed about that single, falsely irrelevant word "What do you mean, investigate?"
Seven's lips stretch in what I take is an all-knowing smirk. Insolent... But it was me who asked, knowing the answer might not be of the kind I'd like to hear - or see, for that matter.
"Hey, we both know she's that kind of a girl." he says "Whenever something fishy happens, she always goes to investigate, be it out of duty or interest. Often endangering her life in the process, too. Though," a wink "I'm not sure if the source of that knowledge should be mentioned, hm?"
Indeed, it shouldn't. Regardless, why is he so sure of her going off on her own to find out what happened? That would be stupid, dangerous, even! If any of the villagers finds her, and I'm sure she's quite known at the village, as is the perpetrator of the thievery - and now murder - being a friend of hers, it's going to get ugly. God damn it, why is it that just as I escaped her eyes, I'm forced to again chase them in order to save the ass of their owner? What a wretched fate, but if that's to continue--
Slam.
As if on a cue, a noise echoes down the corridors, a noise of the main entrance to the shrine slamming shut violently.
"There she goes."
"Curses--!" I try to launch myself after the source of it, but lo and behold - there's a hand on my shoulder, preventing any further action "Let go--!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Seven clicks his tongue thrice, looking at me like if I was a mischievous kid, about to run off after pulling off an incredibly stupid prank "You should also know there's no stopping her while the investigation lasts. Besides," he even allows himself to smirk right in my face "As I said, there's something else we need to take care of. We're allies, remember?"

[ ] Sod this alliance! Reimu, I need to stop Reimu!
[ ] Right. It's painful to admit, but he's right. I wouldn't be able to catch up with her anyway.

{X} Right. It's painful to admit, but he's right. I wouldn't be able to catch up with her anyway.

Can't even fly.

[x] Right. It's painful to admit, but he's right. I wouldn't be able to catch up with her anyway.

[x] Right. It's painful to admit, but he's right. I wouldn't be able to catch up with her anyway.

[ ] Right. It's painful to admit, but he's right. I wouldn't be able to catch up with her anyway.

[x] Sod this alliance! Reimu, I need to stop Reimu!

[ ] Right. It's painful to admit, but he's right. I wouldn't be able to catch up with her anyway.

[x] Right. It's painful to admit, but he's right. I wouldn't be able to catch up with her anyway.

First off - the picture.

Why? Straight to the chase - I'm feeling as if though I was slowly burning out, I need some time to think, and relax. This part too, proves to be rather problematic, as I would have never expected you to make such a... adjective cut out, not to spoil anything... decision. The reasons behind it also make me curious, but if you don't want to reveal them, I understand.

Anyhow, there might be an update tomorrow, but that depends entirely on my ability - or disability - to break the chain of events that will ensue into smaller parts, with choices in between. Writing walls is what I would like to avoid doing right now, seeing how the quality's been degrading gradually over the course of the last few updates. Shit served in small doses is always better than swallowing a giant pile of it at once, no?

>>22603

If you want a reason, can't help you there. Been pissing against the tide lately. Apparently anon wants our dear protagonist to be a homicidal maniac. The story has been turning rather unenjoyable because of it as well. Last several posts have had very little in the way of interaction with the miko, and now anon votes for even LESS interaction. Not cool guys, not cool.

Though I will say that some of the options ended up being written to an extreme I did not expect based on the choice text, such as the last one.

>>22606

: >

>>22603
One of the hottest Reimus I've seen ion a good while.

>>22606
I feel the same way anon

>>22603
You are a writer. You have to accept the choices Anon makes and make the best out of it. Draw out the most possible out of it. If you can't do this......

>>22611

Oh, I can. There isn't a pool of mud I couldn't get myself out of - and even if you mobilize all your might to... disturb the flow of the story, I'll burn myself first before you can bury me.

The question is - would such a struggle be enjoyable for you? Is the current situation enjoyable? TSR is your story as much as it's mine, and while - from what I gather - the opinions regarding Kane's latest deeds are divided, the most desirable outcome would be to please everyone, not just a part of the already small readerbase. The first and foremost goal of the story is to entertain the readers, and if we neglect that goal, something terrible and catastrophic in effects is bound to happen.

>>22609

We think alike. Have a yafaggotry-free version of it.

>>22608

I take it that emoticon is an expression of agreement?

>>22603
I haven't gotten my Mima route, so I'm trying to spoil it for the rest of you because I'm a childish asshole.

I don't votespam, though.

>>22612
IF a choices is picked that divides the readers and not everyone is pleased with it then you have to put in some things that will please the other side a bit.

And regarding the other thing. Yes i like the story so far even if people don't like the recent going ons. I don't mind and i am entertained. I would give a 7/10 at the moment.
When the story turns to shit i will tell you so.

And don't think so much about how many people you have that read this. There are enough and i even think you got a bit more people reading your story recently.
If you have even one guy reading and liking your story then it is a full success. At least i will always read what you write.

>>22614
>IF a choices is picked that divides the readers and not everyone is pleased with it then you have to put in some things that will please the other side a bit.

That shouldn't prove to be too problematic... What could be, though, are readers that ceased to care, like >>22567 and a couple of other people.

>7/10

Fair enough. I don't really give TSR all I have, neither do I plan things out carefully and watch my every step, like I did during CoMN. Truth be told, while the final conflict has been slipshodly formed in my mind, I've yet to decide what to do with it... Whereas things like 4S, or the aforementioned CoMN had their full form from the very beginning. So - yeah, TSR's pretty much been surfin' on whatever momentary whim swayed my thoughts.

>And don't think so much about how many people you have that read this. There are enough and i even think you got a bit more people reading your story recently.

I didn't mean to whine about the small readerbase I have. More than that, my intention was to point out, that I wouldn't like to lose any part of it because of silly things like conflicts between them and the other readers.

>If you have even one guy reading and liking your story then it is a full success. At least i will always read what you write.

... you know, I wanted to write something really melodramatic here... But that'd be silly.
So I'm just going to say: thanks. That's nice to know.

Speaking of the reader base... how many people even visit this site? It's something I've been wondering for a while. Sometimes it seems as if there's only like 20 something people, others it seems like it's gotta be much much higher. It would be interesting to know how many unique hits this place gets a day/week. Might also give the writers a better idea of how many people are even potentially reading their stories.

>>22616
>how many people even visit this site?
Not enough.

>>22616
A mod said a while ago about 50. But not everyone likes every story here and not everyone votes. 10 voters per story plus the people who don't vote and just lurk around.

>>22618

Makes me wonder about how large the western fanbase is in general.

>>22619

It's small, alright. THP is also a very restrictive tag.

>>22618
Me and Ranmi estimated it when we were mods. Back in early summer last year it was somewhere between 2-3 hundred people, give or take a bit. Not sure how far it's dropped since then.

updates

>>22627

You're doing this to spite me ;-;

I'll try, today. The next part shouldn't be too hard, though I've yet again jacked up my laptop, and am thus forced to use the desktop keyboard, which feels extremely uncomfortable.
On another note, thanks to a nostalgia rush from two days ago, my mind came up with a decent idea for a heartwarming, musical (it's an adjective, not a noun) short story, which I may realize sooner or later. It's all noted down in my notebook - just like the ideas for 4S - so there's no danger of me forgetting it accidentially.

>>22629

Man, how do you manage to mess up your laptop so much? Do you like, download viruses for fun?

>>22629
Hell, i waited whole 2 days before kicking into your lazy ass. Get back to work nigger.

>It's all noted down in my notebook - just like the ideas for 4S - so there's no danger of me forgetting it accidentially.

Right. And then it goes boom and you are left without any ideas.

>>22631
No, it's more of a hardware issue. See, my battered brick happens to be a Toshiba A60 - a model often reported to suffer exactly the same issues I am suffering right now. Sudden bluescreens, faulty management of physical memory... Also a very funky power socket, as well as problems with overheating. Now, while I've pinpointed the cause of the most problems - the faulty mainboard RAM - I have no way of removing it without interfering with the mainboard's integrity. You see, I'm not the richest of men, and this laptop isn't exactly mine either. I'd rather not mess with the hardware myself, in fear of jacking something majorly up, and I can't afford a professional do it for me right now. The procedure would require a forceful removal of the integral ram, and closing some circuits, which field I have completely no experience in.
Now, the LATEST problem, is the aforementioned funky power socket - it's completely broken, and a new one would cost me - again - too much for the current situation.

Thank heavens I've got this working desktop, although coping with its Radeon 9600, which can't run 90% of new vidya isn't exactly an entertaining thing to do.

>>22633
>Right. And then it goes boom and you are left without any ideas.
The only possibility I can see coming, would be if one of my dogs ate it. Which isn't going to happen.

... I hope.

>Get back to work nigger.
A few more days, probably 'till Monday. My core imagination reactor ought to be fully charged by then.

>>22635

I've got an old Geforce FX 5500. I can't really run anything, game wise. Not that anything has seemed too appealing for me that hasn't come out on the 360. Still, as long as the thing can run Touhou, photoshop, and flash just fine, I don't really care too much.

>A few more days, probably 'till Monday. My core imagination reactor ought to be fully charged by then.

So... drinking beer until you pass out?

>>22637

I haven't had a single alcoholic beverage since... uh, yesterday. But it was only a glass of rum, so it doesn't count. Don't judge me, man. Don't judge me.

YAF again here, with some new material for you to enjoy.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?kzm2xzf2qzh

What is it, you ask? Well, in simple terms, it's the first block of TSR, implemented into a VN engine. It has some bugs, breaking the text into 58-character lines takes ages, but I think it turned out pretty good.

Your comments, and opinions are highly welcome, and I am eagerly waiting for any expressions of interest in this form of writing.

I liked it, but what are you planning to do with it?

>>22639
looking good. Just get rid of that ugly grey box with the blacksih background. And change the text color and format. Stay with one color. The background and noises are well done.
The writing is as good as always.

Now you only need to voice all the characters yourself and it will be a hit.

>>22640

Nothing. Unless you want me to?

>>22641
>Now you only need to voice all the characters yourself and it will be a hit.
>The background and noises are well done.
>The writing is as good as always.

I sense sarcasm.

[x] Right. It's painful to admit, but he's right. I wouldn't be able to catch up with her anyway.

Allies? Out of is mind, is he? There is no alliance between us, no treaty has been signed, not even verbally, and yet he claims that we’re… allies, huh? Insolent dog. There is no truce to speak of, the whole ordeal is simply a ruse to force me into serving his own purposes. There’s nothing more, nothing more, nothing more to that. Nothing but his insane foolery I’m getting dragged into. But as much as it infuriates me…



He may be right. No, no, no, such thinking is bad, but I cannot deny it – he’s right. In a way, he’s right. Reimu isn’t the kind of person to discontinue an investigation, no matter the reason. I could attempt to stop her, but… What for? The chances are slim either way, and wouldn’t it conflict with what I’d said before I left? Her excuses don’t matter. If she wants to witness that mess… It’s her call. It’s her own, accursed curiosity that’s about to bring demise to blissful ignorance. She’s the one who wants to taint her conscience with the blood of six people I had murdered, and it was her who decided to do it anyway. It has NOTHING to do with me. It’s entirely her fault. It’s all her fault. It’s all because of her…
Six… The oddity of that number strikes me again with renewed force. I… really am forgetting something…
“…”
No words escape my careless mouth when I shoot Seven a furious glance, nor are any needed. The fool catches the hint flawlessly, and removes his filthy hand from my shoulder. Much better. I could swear it weighed down as if though it was made of lead. It’s all but an illusion, wrought my own, wretched mind. I am still not used to it. STILL not used to…
“Made up your mind yet?”
Like HELL I have! Will your mouth never shut close, Seven?! How long will I have to endure your bothersome voice?! You’re but a spot of blight upon MY vision of the world! It all began when you appeared, what's the point – what’s the GODDAMN point of this harassment?! I could easily throw myself through the black void again, and pop up somewhere in the village, but what good would that do? In case I bumped into anyone who recognizes my face… More heads would have to roll. More victims, more blood spilled, more killing. More, more, much more killing. Every unwilling witness would have to die. It would be… an endless loop, crammed with deaths of the innocent. There is no need… Definitely no need for that. I don’t want that…
… do I?
My palm feels extremely hot, but it’s the only shelter from Seven’s playful gaze I can manage to raise.
“… fine.” my dry lips mutter “I have no idea what this all is about, but…”
“Ah, moving on, finally.” he answers, to my bewilderment “The faster we get it done, the better. For me, and for you as well.” A smile stretches his lips. “We really do have a lot of things in common this time, kid.”
There’s no strength in my arms to throw a punch his way. I can only stare, perplexed, as he begins to stroll down the corridor I had angrily rushed down, before he treacherously jumped out of the blue, with a ridiculous plead. No, perhaps it wasn’t a plead. Perhaps, he knew from the very beginning I wouldn’t find the courage to…
No, it’s not that. It’s definitely not that. I have nothing to do with Reimu right now. She herself wills to plunge her hand into a blazing hot furnace, and I can do nothing to stop her from burning it. I can do nothing… I shouldn’t do anything…

… why do I get this terrible premonition I’ve done something wrong?
Why… did I abandon the task of protecting my girl from any dangers so casually?
Wasn’t I… supposed to guard her?
“… no.”
It feels almost refreshing to shake my head, almost as if the feeble gesture alone forcefully returned the whole of available consciousness to my head. There is nothing that can be done. All that remains, is to avert my attention, and seek another errand to take care of. Following Seven, in his silent, but uncomfortably leisurely saunter ought to suffice, for now.



The two of us arrive at the oh-so-familiar door to the kitchen not even two minutes later, but despite that, my thoughts have somehow managed to calm down a little. It doesn’t matter how critical the situation I’d left behind was, when the new coming one turned out to be so… intriguing. Why does this simple room fill me with such ridiculous curiosity? There is nothing rare about it – all remains just as I remembered it, maybe with the lack of…
Lack of presence of anyone around. And the peculiar premonition of something lurking in the shadows. Something… Like a faint source of heat playing on my senses, radiates its manifestation from beyond the door.
Seven taps my forearm, and leans closer, whispering so quiet I can barely make out the words.
“Just go inside and meet Yukari. I…” he winks “… am going to make an entry from elsewhere.”
Yukari! That is what I was forgetting so carelessly! Thanks to the whole ordeal with Sid and Reimu, I completely forgot about what Ran had said. Yukari is waiting for you – both of you. There is only me here now, but I’ve already acted as the… host of the place once, there shouldn’t be any problem with me tending to the guest on my own, or at least I hope so. Let us trust in Yukari’s fabled leniency on this one. In case something happens, I’ve got that cheeky bastard to get my back…


“Seven?”
No more. In my unawareness, I have let him slip away unnoticed. What did he say? An entry from elsewhere? I can only ponder the meaning of those words when my hand pulls on the edge of the sliding doors, as leisurely as is possible, in the face of meeting someone of Yukari’s kind. Deep breaths, Kane, there is nothing to fear.
“Ah.” And there she is, sitting at the table with a bored to death face, she smiles, finally receiving some company. Not that it’s of any special worth to her, I presume, but when there’s no carps around, even a shrimp is a fish. I’m sorry to disappoint you, Yukari. “At last. You must be…” she puts a finger to her mouth, in a gesture quite inadequate for the beauty she emanates. Long, blonde hair, curly in some places, straight in the others, yet still unbelievably tidy, covering her forehead with a curtain of strands, almost blotting out the gaze of a pair of golden eyes, so profound I find myself out of breath. Her lips are so naturally pink, I can’t help but wonder how they would feel. “… Koganeiro. Koganeiro Nanatsuyoru.”

“Er—uh, yes.” I nod, solely to hide my embarrassment “I’m Koganeiro. Kane, for short, it’s bothersome to use my full name. And you’re… Yakumo--”
With the corners of my eyes, I notice her nodding eagerly.
“Yukari.” She cuts in. “Just call me Yukari. I’ve heard much about you.”
… huh? That… sounded natural, but there’s something wrong. Am I mistaken?
“Have you?” I ask, forgetting my discomfort “From whom?”
Her face freezes for a few seconds, before she releases a troubled laugh, which I use to sit at the table, opposite of her. Only polite.
“Ahaha. From… various people. Eh…” She looks around conspicuously. “So… where’s Reimu?”
“She had to go… take care of some things.”
“Ah.” Yukari lets her stare drop. “Well, that’s unfortunate.” Unfortunate indeed. I can’t help but feel a little awkward, faced with this situation. Yakumo Yukari herself is sitting right in front of me, and is clearly expecting something, while I’m still stuck on the preliminary stage of the conversation. It feels… wrong. Maybe I should consider serving her tea instead? That ought to be a natural thing to do, right? Yet, I can’t move from the spot. There’s something clearly wrong with her. With me. With us meeting here. Definitely… And where is Seven? “Actually, it might be better like this. You see--”
“WELCOME TO GENSOKYO!” Speak of the devil! The damn bastard swings the other set of doors – the one directly behind my displeased conversant – ajar, and like a raving madman he is, barges inside, not paying heed to such trivial things like closing the door behind him. Without a delay, not paying any attention to our discontent, he seats his damn ass beside Yukari, and to her annoyance, wraps an arm around her shoulders. “Oh, Yukari, that was a brilliant plan!” he says, still oblivious of everything around “I’ve been wanting to surprise him like this ever since we met!”
Insolent… Insolent, insolent, INSOLENT! Just as she was about to get to the point too! What sort of intoxicating audacity is this?! How come that every time, every goddamn time, someone just HAS to find the most inappropriate moment to jump onto my stage, and blurt out mind wrecking nonsense?! Why, for the love of everything that has ever existed, why does it appear to be the only skill of that damned idiot?!
Nevertheless, to my amazement, instead of expected anger, Yukari’s face shows only some kind of unexplainable shock.
“Wait,” she asks her beaming – I think - acquaintance, blinking her eyes numerous times “You’ve… met already?”
“Ah, yes, yes.” Seven replies leisurely “It seems we were both late to the party, you and I.”
“How is that--” the shocked beauty turns to me, and her stare is so intensive my throat feels arid all of a sudden “You weren’t supposed to--”
“Oh, Yukarin, Yukarin.” He doesn’t let her finish the line. “No need to act so tense! We’ve only exchanged a few words, nothing more. Nothing fishy going on. Right?”
Nothing fishy? Interesting choice of words, considering how you don’t particularly hide any of your intents. Don’t try to depend on my poor memory, Seven, for it still remembers all the nonsense you revealed after our chess match had ended in a draw. I don’t get a single thing, but I’m sure Yukari, for example, would love to hear it. Am I mistaken? Judging from your sickeningly charming smile, you wouldn’t want that to happen, is that correct? Well, too bad.
“Actually--” I try to start, but then something else hits my ears. None of that bullshit from Seven’s mouth, none of Yukari’s bewildered questions. It doesn’t matter how weird it feels… It’s still there. A feeling of something… big nearby, closing in. Is it… I twist my neck, pricking up my ear “… outside?”
“Huh?” Seven expresses his ignorance, but turns to listen as well. It’s definitely there… Really loud, albeit drowned out by the walls. A noise of… many feet… climbing a set of stairs… “Oh hell. Those fuckers assemble faster than you’d think. Yukari. We’re out of here.”
“Huh?”
She tries to protest. To no avail. Seven, in all his cheekiness, pulls her closer, almost as if to kiss her. Or are those only my dirty thoughts?
“We’re out of here. Screw the plan, we were too late anyway.”
“But what--”
“Time to scram. Kid,” he turns to me “You’re on your own in this one. Sorry.”
Before I’m able to as much as open my mouth, the two of them, holding onto each other, disappear into darkness that’s wrapped itself around them, conjured out of thin air, and seconds after, where there were two people leading a puzzled conversation, there’s no one.
But it doesn’t matter. I don’t know what it was all about, nor do I care. Whatever Yukari’s reason for coming here was, she’s gone now, along with that loony. Now matter how important it may have been, it seems the grand revelation will have to wait until I’m done with the current task…
“… right.”
No time to banter with myself, there are more urging matters to attend to. It’s only a premonition, but I’ve got a feeling I know what the ominous sound portends.
And it can’t be any good.

Chaos ruling over my thoughts, I dash out of the kitchen, and head for the main entrance.


Where the noise gets much more audible. And when I hear what it consists of… I wish I didn’t come here.
“Burn the shrine!” “Bring the justice!” “Murderer!”
Voices. Tens, dozens of them, all screaming, chanting something I cannot make out of the clamour. Only every now and again, one of the choir’s members raises his, letting me hear the threatening message. Without looking, I can tell what awaits me outside – a mob of thirty or more people.
“Come out!” Again, one line raises above all the other, and reaches my ears so clearly it almost hurts. “We’ve got the Hakurei miko! Come out and no one will get hurt!”
“Pay for your crimes!” “Avenge our guards!”
I adhere to the door, unsure what to do. Shame, shame, shame, SHAME, SHAME! Despicable, wretched fate! I knew it, knew it, knew it, knew it, KNEW IT! This couldn’t end well, someone was bound to notice sooner or later, and it didn’t help we left no tracks behind. Careless, uncautious! Why did I let myself act so forgetfully?! And now they’re here, they’re here for my head. They… They even caught Reimu, whom I had idiotically let wander off on her own! Unthinking. So ignorant, Kane. Do you enjoy this kind of unfolding? Knowing that there’s so many of them, out to seize your poor, foolish head? Do you enjoy the fact that your woman, the very one for whose sake you did it all, has been caught? Do you, do you, do you, do you, DO YOU, NOW?!
Without me noticing, my nails begin to claw at the door.
This isn’t good. No, that’s a too mellow description. I’ve been had. This is the end. There’s no escaping now. Whether I walk out and give in to the mass, or…
“…”
No. There’s always an alternative, no matter how hopeless the case at hand may be. There is always another option to choose. I haven’t even decided whether to accept my deeds or not yet… and they’re already here. They’re already here to punish me for them. Will I let myself be punished? Will I? WILL I?

[ ] Face the wrath of the crowd. I can’t… leave Reimu alone.
[ ] Retreat deeper into the shrine. It isn’t the time yet.
[ ] Disappear. This place is lost. I can only run.

==

In other news, I've coded more TSR VN.

[x] Face the wrath of the crowd. I can’t… leave Reimu alone.

bad end?

{X} Face the wrath of the crowd. I can’t… leave Reimu alone.

>>22642
No. I was serious.

[x] Face the wrath of the crowd. I can’t… leave Reimu alone.

[x] Face the wrath of the crowd. I can’t… leave Reimu alone.

Kneel, mongrels. You are standing in the presence of a king.

It's a bad end in every direction. Well, I can't exactly say it was a bad idea to go back to an earlier point, anyway. To be burned? Boring and shameful. To get lyched by the mob? Still shameful. To run away and be shot down by Keine? Shameful. In the hopes that 2 may lead to a genocide(which we'll probably kill Reimu in turn) or 3 will have a forest named after us, I'm heading away from 1. Reimu isn't going to be killed by the villagers, though she may lose the shrine.

[x] Disappear. This place is lost. I can only run.

[x] Face the wrath of the crowd. I can’t… leave Reimu alone.

You have your five votes YAF, update please~

>>22652
Maybe when he is sober again monday or tuesday

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnw5obzFZQw


==


[X] Face the wrath of the crowd. I can't leave Reimu alone.

Will I? No. No. No. No, no, no, no. NO. NO. This is wrong. Thinking like this is wrong, running away is wrong, letting them do as they please is wrong, I've already done so many wrong things, why is it that they just keep on coming, and coming, and coming?! Those bastards took my woman, took my dignity, my treasure, trespassed on my ground, MY shrine, MY world, MY...! My... my... No. I'm wrong. I'm wrong, so wrong it's impossible to get any worse. It's my fault. My doing. A creation of my own, careless hands. Settle down. Even if they bear fists, bear judgement, bear spears and pikes, even if they carry their own righteous cause on their shoulders, it's still nothing, nothing, NOTHING compared to what I deserve, to what I received, to what I... Reimu. Reimu. My woman. My shrine maiden. The one I so recklessly let go to meet her doom, to meet her imprisonment... How stupid of me, to let her jump into the fire I rescued her from two days ago. Idiotic, foolish, impudent, overconfident--!!!
Calm down. Pacify those thoughts. Let the anger subside. Nothing was lost yet, we can still obviate any potential damage, we can still... Sort this out? Vain hopes, Kane. You're fooling yourself, nothing more. There's no way out. First your own sword, then your woman, now those people...
Those people. Right, there's a crowd waiting outside, chanting their accusations like a possessed lunatic, over and over, and over, and over, like a broken tape player. With them shooting their tongues off like that, how will you be able to concentrate, to tidy the issues, to explain to Reimu that... What happened before... It was only a nervous reaction, only a...
Because I... after all... can't...
"HELL!"
No regard for anything or anyone, I slide the door ajar with a force so great it almost made them fly out of their frame. Even if that happened, nothing would change. There is nothing that would matter more right now, matter more than that single spot of red among the sea of generic grey and brown, faceless, irrelevant people, now suddenly silent, faced with the presence of a manifestation of everything that's been bothering me.
They all really do fall silent. When stepping outside, I lean against the nearest of the pillars holding up the canopy above. It doesn't matter if I look weak. Those people...
One of them shuffles, almost without me noticing, a bit closer, breaking the firm line of living wall spread before me, like a bailey of flesh, built entirely to separate me from that spot of reddish hue...
"...!"
He says something, but my ears are deaf to it. Reimu. Now I know what's been missing. What escaped my mind so inadvertently. Six people... no wonder. The one holding my dearest woman on her knees, is no one other than the assistant boy from the store, now having ascended to someone more than just a background noise in the song of reality, safe behind the backs of his brethren, staring at me, so sure of his victory. In his hand, another possession of mine. The very first weapon I had acquired, and lost later. Pressed against Reimu's neck, ready to be fired in a moment's notice. The stun gun I committed my first crime with.
"Rei--"
I try to call her name, but it would seem the crowd is intent on not letting me do even that. Another fool breaks away from the band, and grabs his predecessor by the forearm, screaming something, yelling... a warning? It's so hard to concentrate...
"--insane! He single-handedly killed Barton and his unit! Don't go on--"
"I don't care!" The fool rebutes. "Matthew was my friend, there's no way I'd ever acknowledge--"
"Hey. You." I nod my chin at the guy, which action takes every last bit of self-control my weakened consciousness can dig out. The crowd does nothing. No matter how hard they boasted while I was still out of the sight, now they're silent like mice under a broom, afraid, scared, trembling, shivering, SHAKING, MUTTERING, CURSING, BACKBITING--... Silence. Silence, SILENCE, SILENCE! Disobedient thoughts! Regain the focus! Reimu's life is in their hands, and so may be mine, if... If I don't restrain those... impulses...! Why... why, why, why?! "Back. Away." Every word is a strain for my brain, a strain so great it almost makes me faint on the spot. "Or..."
My hand, on its own, as if though it was an entirely different being, a separate entity, reaches behind my shoulder, invoking, recalling the same kind of feeling, the same energy... And reality obeys. Out of black nothingness, a steel handle appears, and following it, the rest of the blade.
Those two fools back up instantly, knowing there's no hesitation present in my gestures. I need to rescue her. It was my fault she's gotten involved, it was my fault.... so...!
"DON'T!" Sudden scream. Muffled warning. The only voice that matters tells me not to. Foolish. Stupid. She doesn't realize the danger. She doesn't know how deep the muck we're in is. She doesn't know... "STOP! STOOOP!"

[ ] Save Reimu. Remove all the obstacles. She's mine.
[ ] Control yourself! More killing isn't a solution!

[x] Save Reimu. Remove all the obstacles. She's mine.

Kill 'em all

[X] Control yourself! More killing isn't a solution!

[x] Control yourself! More killing isn't a solution!

[x] Save Reimu. Remove all the obstacles. She's mine.
[x] Let your soul scatter in vivid color.

[X] Save Reimu. Remove all the obstacles. She's mine.

Mongrels. They deserve to die.
They all deserve to die.

[X] Save Reimu. Remove all the obstacles. She's mine.

You people want to be Gilgamesh so bad? Then let's not half ass it and do it right. Hell, we've already murdered in cold blood so why not jump off that slippery slope?

[x] Save Reimu. Remove all the obstacles. She's mine.

You are all women & children.

(≖_≖)

[ ] Attempt to control yourself! More killing isn't a solution!
[ ] Save Reimu. Remove all the obstacles. She's mine.

Failed attempts~

>>22668

Like if you didn't see that coming.
I did, but hoped for the other option to win.

[X] Save Reimu. Remove all the obstacles. She's mine.

Stop? Stop? STOP? No. No. There's no stopping now. Nonsense, gibberish, nothing but illogical rubbish you speak, Reimu. Don't you get it? There's nothing that would require stopping here. Everything, everything is in move, and despite all that has happened, despite all the lessons I have taught you, you still, still, still, STILL, STILL insist on throwing yourself into the jaws of danger? You don't know, do you? You don't know anything, Reimu. You don't know anything, any single fact, not even a smallest datum you get. How much worse must your life get for you to finally grasp its brutality? There is only one undisputable thing in this world, Reimu. One verity, one certain detail that no matter how hard you might try to deny, you won't be able to.

You. Are. Mine.

Mine, mine, mine, and only mine. And even if it takes all the willpower in the world to overcome this bizarre haze that has spread over my thoughts, even if it takes a whole eternity to send it back to oblivion, even if it takes the lives of everyone present...
Even if it takes your own life as well...
I... will...
"... be gone."
I step forward, my inanimate army making its splendid return, just like yesterday, during the fight with Satori.



I am... Koganeiro Nanatsuyoru.
And hell follows in my wake.


The world falls silent when the flesh begins its insane dance with steel, filling the air with glorious fountains of blood and other fluids whose nature should remain shrouded by mystery. A wedge of shining metal ploughs deep into the sea of meat, me in the middle, brandishing everything I have around, no regard for who it hits, for who enters its range. Whenever my sword strikes, ten or more follow, whirring, to finish the deed, while I launch another wave of attacks. The world is grey. The world is...

They scream. They charge. They die. No one gets to get close enough to challenge my skill, no one, not even one, pesky peasant, with those fancy, makeshift weapons of theirs gets to land a hit.
How many more? How many more will end up as miserable lumps of raw meat, before I reach her? Nothing, there is nothing in my head. Not a slightest feeling, not a single thought. All that remains, all that matters, while all the steel, following my whim like if it was a part of my body, spins around, is that hint of red among the grey. My goal. My target.

A faceless figure with a spear stands in my way.

I cut its body apart with a simple nod.

Another one jumps at me from the right.

It dies before even touching the ground again.

"...!"

Blood splatters on my face, flooding my eyes with reddish haze, blocking out everything else.
But it doesn't matter.
"..."
It's right before me. In the end, he didn't even move. He didn't find the courage to fire the weapon he brandished so courageously. Fool. Coward. His grey, colourless hand blots out a part of the red mist I came here for. The hand that has touched my possession.
Nail it.
A sword shoots from above my shoulder, and separates his palm from the rest of his arm, flawlessly, so cleanly everyone should gasp in amazement.
A scream from behind.
I silence it with another gesture. Not even turning around. No need to. For the goal is right before me.
So without a second of delay, I throw myself into its embrace.

Soft, soothing warmth brings back the colours of life to my mind.

The sound makes its return, flooding my ears with nothing but screams of pain.

The girl in my arms is shivering. Why? Silly, I'm here. You're saved.
"Reimu..."
She remains silent, taken aback by all the killing I've done just to save her. Do you see it now, Reimu? Do you see my determination? Do you see my... love? This is my love, Reimu. Embrace it. Take it all in. You're mine, and I'm yours. No one, ever, will be allowed to disturb our peace. I won't allow them. Just like those poor fools right there. Do you see how those who try to pick on you end up?
"... Ka..."
She tries to speak my name, but the instant her mouth opens, I move my lips onto it. My reward. My warmth. My saliva. My tongue. My warmth. My lips. My shoulders. My back. My shrine maiden. My Reimu. My woman. My, my, my, my...
She squirms around when I force her into a kiss, as affectionate as my feelings for her. She tries to push me away, but I know it's only the effect of the shock. She'll come to love it, she'll definitely--
"--GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Ah. Careless. I was so absorbed in tasting the inside of her mouth I allowed myself to be actually pushed away. So strong. So forceful, Reimu. So...

Rip.

A sound of ripping skin. Metal grating against the bones.

Pain.

Red flooding my vision.

And when I lower my gaze to see what exactly prevented my fall...

A blade protruding from my stomach. One of those primitive, lowly tools the fools I have killed bore. Is that... my blood?
"Haha-- kah. Haha."
I laugh. Cackle. Cough. Spit blood.
Reimu's eyes widen in horror when another blade suddenly springs from my chest, like in a grotesque horror movie. Someone behind me yells. Right... I didn't get all of them, did I?
So I turn around.
Calm like never before, I take two more poles into my belly. And answer in kind. Without a second thought, I pay them back wholeheartedly, nailing their bodies with tens of swords.
It feels almost like if all the air in the world has just been burned away, leaving nothing to breathe with.
Another peasant drives a knife through my shoulder. His head is sliced in half a second after.
"Ha--"
I want to sigh, but for some reason, the ground has suddenly gotten closer. Much closer. Someone seems to be tampering with the gravity, or...
Ah, another. Impales my exposed back. His legs are no more.
"Ha...--"
One more, this time aiming for my neck.

That one I cannot stop.
The blood flooding my lungs feels incredibly hot. But there's no pain. No remorse. No anger.
Only a calm certainty, that after all... I did fulfill my promise.

Soon, everything will fade, and we'll return to our normal lives, Reimu and me. We'll smile, laugh and kiss again. We'll...

Both die.

Happily.

And rot in the afternoon sun, so ridiculously scorching it's almost hilarious.

How come...




I can't feel anything...





But the gentle call of wind..."



[BAD END]

...



The wind that sways the branches of the tree the two of us are resting under, on a hill overlooking the vast expanse of the Forest of Magic. Long, blonde strands of hair flutter in the air, helplessly giving into the sudden, yet delicate gust that's decided to mark this particular second of life. I look up to Yukari's face and smile.
"This kind of feels nostalgic."
She looks down, an equally warm smile stretching her beautiful lips.
"A bit, maybe."
Silence ensues, only interrupted by the sounds of nature around, as I continue to lay, relaxed, on the ground, using Yukari's lap as a pillow. Funny, how she doesn't seem to mind at all. I don't either. This really feels nostalgic...
"So..." but we've wasted enough time "The kid's dead, huh?"
"So it would seem."
Her expression doesn't change.
"A pity."
"A pity indeed."
I sigh.
"So did you really think he'd be able to dispose of me?"
Still nothing, she remains as calm as the trees around, unmoving, unfazed.
"Yeah."
"Hah." I snort "What was that? Not even gonna try to lie your way out?"
"You said once I was a poor liar." More than that, it's the fact that I've already seen through you too many times to find anything surprising in whatever whim may sway your mind. How many times have we sat like this, Yukari? How many times have we discussed this already? "So there's no point, right?"
"Another question, then. Why?"
"Oh, that's simple." she replies "I changed my mind."
"Changed your--... You women, all equally indecisive."
"Blame Reimu for that."
"Ah, yeah. Wonders of parenthood, huh? Came to love her, didn't you. That's why you wanted to stop me."
"Pretty much. It was your plan to--"
"It was my plan," I interrupt "But you agreed to it so eagerly I had problems with holding your busty self back for quite a bit, remember?"
"..."
And that's it. That's all she has to say. How do I know? I just do.
The kid is dead. Reimu will probably take some time to recover from that, and most of all... Someone will have to clean up the mess. One piece off the board... And we're left with three. This went more smoothly than I had expected it to. No, I probably owe the kid a thank you. Too bad he's dead. He really had the potential. Without him... Throwing another piece off might be a little hard...
Still...
I feel Yukari squirm around, and quickly take my head off her thighs. She stands up, and having walked away a few steps, lets out a muffled groan.
"Time to go back and pick up the pieces."
"Right."
... but there's nothing that can't be done. This world will end, in one way or another, but before that happens...

... why not entertain myself a little more?

I stand up, without a noise, and put a hand in my pocket.

Changed your mind, did you, Yukari. Well, I'm sorry to tell you this...

... in a moment, there will be only two pieces left...



I changed my mind as well.



The knife shines ominously when I raise it in the air.




[END OF TAPE]

[REWIND]
[STOP]

hahaha

[x] Back three choices.

Have to find a way to create sword danmaku, so you can swordspam without all those needling consequences.

[STOP]
[HAMMERTIME]

>>22676
>oh god did i just actually post that i am such a faggot

Not exactly helping there, bud.

By the way, I wrote an update for 4S cuz I was bored, luls.

And that's what happens when you try to act too much like Gilgamesh without actually being him.

Ugh... I was really hoping we could go without a bad end in this one, but then anon has made our dear protagonist so monstrous, I find it difficult to believe that there can be a good end now.

>>22682

Your hand-wringing only makes my penis harder.

>>22682
Yeah, we're boned.

I'd prefer to restart, but that's not going to happen.

>>22684

I'm happy with going back three choices, myself. Kane has actually been pretty fun so far. In fact,

[x] Back three choices.

just for good measure.

[x] Back to when we were confronted by Barton.

Too far? Well, I'm voting it anyway.

[x] Back thirty choices.

[x] Back three choices.

[x] Back three choices.

[x] STOP

Let's get the main event started

>>22694

... the 'Main Event' being?

>>22685
>Kane has actually been pretty fun so far.

... eh. Really? I thought he was rather... I don't know. Bland? A bit boring too. And somewhat depressing to write.
Naya is way nicer to write, which I was reminded while writing that aforementioned 4S update.


Anyhow, still waiting. Also, it would save us a day or two of waiting (damn, this dead /shrine/, I want to write, dammit! I want to write dem Akyus!) if you included the option you want to take this time around in your posts.

>>22695
Right, then.

[x] Back four choices.
[x] Confess. Let it all out.

Let's save ourselves the trouble of dealing with a stubborn miko and a dumb-shit uncle.

When did the site come back?

>>22699
It's been back since Saturday.

Intermission.

I am displeased. For various reasons. The pace's been slowing down, the story is heading in a direction neither the writer or the readers like, the protagonist is a ball bundle of depressing insanity to write.

Solution.
1) Drop TSR, since as we've already reached an ending, there should be no regret.
2) Either re-start 4S and see if it can still progress at its previous pace (50 posts a day), or...
3) Take another week-or-two-long break, and work on other, not-THP-related things.

I wanted to say 'I'll take my time and wait with the final decision 'till tomorrow', but it shouldn't be my own decision, since it is a widely known fact that YAF is his readers' slave.

There's an episode of One Outs for me to watch, and some unexpected journalism faggotry for me to write due tomorrow morning, so if you make your decision before I go to bed, we might start today... and meet the first update at 7AM tomorrow, since I've already done the next part of 4S, and am ready to post it.

Write-ins not particularly welcome, but always appreciated.

picture not related

[x] CoMN

[X] 4S (Take a break if necessary)
I really liked it when it was running, definately more than TSR. In addition you already wrote an update for it and appearently enjoyed it too.

[x] Mima route.

[X] 4S (Take a break if necessary).

While I may have said Kane is pretty fun, Naya is preferable. Call me crazy, but when Naya goes into murder mode it's more "Holy shit awesome" than Kane (Except the chainsaw. I still think killing Barton was retarded, but that was awesome).

So Kane's just gonna lie here in a puddle of blood, with Reimu traumatized for life, and nobody got laid? What kind of shit ending is that? I'm disappointed in the enthusiasm you never had, YAF.

[X] 4S (Take a break if necessary)

>>22707

Sorry, I don't want to write ANOTHER story with a sad/bad ending. CoMN was sad enough to leave me craving for a different kind of ending - in particular the one I had planned to realize since the beginning of chapter two... and I ended up really writing it.

The difference between CoMN and TSR is that the latter is much more spontanic. CoMN had been thoroughly planned out since the very start, while TSR was more of a spur-of-a-moment-kinda thing.
Of course, it leaves a possibility of coming up with a solution for this whole mess, but... Can you really see it? I can't. And to repeat myself, I'm not going to write another sad ending. Unless we go back in time and erase 1/4 of the progress to prevent this undesireable unfolding, but seriously... That'd be even worse. There's nothing more depressing than having to throw your work out the window.
Also, don't worry. Reimu's not going to be traumatized for the rest of her life... And even if she is, it's not going to last long. It all should make sense if you pay a little bit of attention.

>>22703
>I really liked it when it was running

Yeah, me too. Since it was fast.
If it retains that fast pace which made it enjoyable, I may continue it, if not... Guess a longer break never hurt anyone.
That is, if it wins.

Well, you had your time, and mine just happens to have run out a minute ago. Looks like we won't be starting right away. A pity.

[X] TS (Take a break if necessary)

>1) Drop TSR, since as we've already reached an ending, there should be no regret.

Yes. No regrets.

>2) Either re-start 4S and see if it can still progress at its previous pace (50 posts a day), or...

In a bit but not yet.

>3) Take another week-or-two-long break, and work on other, not-THP-related things.

lol right. That was a fun thing to say. But no, get back to work.

>since it is a widely known fact that YAF is his readers' slave.

Yes you are right. You are so close to one year nearly perma writing. After that you can take 2 weeks rest or so.

[x] CoMN
is what i really want to see.

[x] 4S (Take a break if necessary)

I really didn't care for CoMN all that much honestly.

Undecisive, /shrine/.

Well, your loss. I've got a relatively free weekend coming up, but it would seem I'm going to spend it with the vidya. No complaints here.

Pic related - one of the two games I've bought solely for the purpose of killing all the free time. SATAN-POWERED BULLETS. Shit couldn't get much more awesome.

>>22719

not your blog, faggot

>>22719
Right.
Get back to work nigger.

[X] 4S (Take a break if necessary)

Start it back up again already.

So, we messed up so badly even YAF doesn't want to see the end of it? Go us! I wish I had an appropriate image macro or .gif to post.

>>22721

I would, if I could.
In the meantime, I'll just be over there, killing monks and shooting SATAN-POWERED bullets all over the place, thank you very much.

>>22724
go take your break yaf, write more when you come back.

Fuck I'm disappointed about this; I have had my fill of action and just wanted some Reimue lovin.

>>22725
No. He has to write.

>>22725
>go take your break yaf, write more when you come back.

So I shall.

>>22725
>Fuck I'm disappointed about this; I have had my fill of action and just wanted some Reimue lovin.

Tell me about it. It's not like I hadn't taken this sort of outcome into consideration, but when all went down, I realized this... isn't what I wanted. I know, it it rather selfish to drop a story simply because the readers took it in a direction the writer doesn't like, not to throw any jabs at anyone in particular, but... The thing is, I'm not the only one dissatisfied with it, now am I? Murderer Kane is not impossible to write, only... depressing.

You know, it's the third story of mine suddenly turned upside down by one or two stupid decisions. First TS3, which got fucked over by some (confirmed information) votespamming faggot, then CoMN, mainly thanks to the hassle around HY 'hijacking' it... And now TSR. It wasn't perfect - could use more interaction with other girls, Utsuho in particular - but it had its own... charm. Only to be set on fire by a single overlooked fact, and the course of action that followed the trail of ignorance laid by it. Guess that answers the - I think - indirect question asked in >>22723 too.

>>22726

Be afraid, by using the phrase 'has to', you've awakened my inner rebel. Your post made be authentically angry, and even now that it has subsided, I still can't bring myself not to express my displeasure at your words.

In other news, I had a talk with Vodka last night regarding Adahn... and my notes have grown in size a bit over the course of the last few days. Make of this information what you will.

>Be afraid, by using the phrase 'has to', you've awakened my inner rebel. Your post made be authentically angry, and even now that it has subsided, I still can't bring myself not to express my displeasure at your words.

Just my own selfishness i guess. But you are right and for that i apologize. It was very unfair towards you. You are doing a good work against all the odds you had to face up until now.

>>22728

Multiple people call you a lazy nigger and demand that you continue to write, and you don't blink an eye.

Someone posts a message which implies that your labor is mandatory, and you get angry?

The ways of you writefags are strange and foreign to me.

>>22728
Listen here; you cocksucking, lazyass, nigger fucktwat with the chocha-sombrero and Fifi-the-leg-humping-wonder-poodle sonofabitch.

You MUST write. It is in your blood. We're just reminding you of your inevitable, painful, eternal - fate. It's not our fault you chose this path, filled with regrets. Now shut the hell up and get back to work, you [see line 1, insult 3].

>>22733

The less sane you are, the easier it is to come up with a story that no one has ever thought of before. It's a fact settled long ago, that almost all of the writers that have decided to walk down the trail of fulfilling their fantasies have one mental problem or the other. Or a lot of them.

>>22735

This, on the other hand, made me smile. Thanks.

>>22730

Ah, don't sweat it. I overreacted a bit, and allowed myself to sound melodramatic. Force of habit.

NOTICE

4S will re-start at:

02:00:00 Saturday March 14, 2009 in GMT
21:00:00 Friday March 13, 2009 in EST
19:00:00 Friday March 13, 2009 in PST8PDT

It will continue from where it had left off, unless demanded otherwise.

Recap of hitherto events: [] YES [] NO


The test run will last 'till Wednesday-ish, to see if the pace is quick enough to keep the story satisfying.
Until then.

[x] YES
Make it 24 style.

[x] YES

Make it Dragonball Z style.

[x] YES

[x] YES

>>22742
I wouldn't care much for recap, if it wasn't for this. So [X] YES

[x] YES