alright, so losing your head village option seems very strongly of Sekibanki

outside worlder looks to be Nue

and mouse... well there's only one there yeah? Nazarin.

hmmm gonna sit back a bit for this one.

oh yeah, and story arc guesses too.

Village - saving the Fortune Teller?

Outside world - Finding Kiene?

Mouse - well that would be old hell, so freeing the palanquin ship?

{X} Red

would be mine

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Let’s get Nazrin.

{X} Blue

[ X ] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

sometimes you just gotta get out for a bit, stretch your legs, y'know?

>>212442

or right uh... {X} Red

... I guess?

Well I’m going to do just leave this to be the absolute bloodbath it is, but for my favorite color

{X} Black

Also, I want to clarify I’ve been in this thread as an anon since close to the beginning, but decided to get a name after the reveal were characters in the story. I think this is rather fitting.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

Underdog Marisa without any magic but with extra knowledge of the outside world? And the only option for her to realistically beat anyone is by being clever with her arsenal? Bizarre outfit? Marisa Kirisame's Bizarre Adventure confirmed?

Anyway, this feels to have the most potential to be creative, especially if Marisa have to fight someone down the line. Imagine the crazy comebacks Marisa would pull off.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

I don't really know why, but I just like the concept as a whole. We have enough magic as it is in this series, why not add a different perspective?

{X} Blue, because blue.

Here we go!

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

{X} Yellow

Does the fortune teller even exist in this world?

As Kosuzu was the one to bring him to exist in the past timelines, or was i misinterpreting that scene in Forbidden Scrollery.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

{X} Blue

>>212448
He was a real fortune teller / diviner who cheated death because of Kosuzu's actions, but he was a real person. Kosuzu only did do the required stuff for him to revive (she used his manuscript to tell fortune herself, while ignoring some of the notes, disregarding them as nonsense. That was the specific requirement that let him be back from the dead: his work being disrespected). If Kosuzu hadn't done that, maybe he'd be back years or decades later eventually if his manuscript was found and used in the same way, but she wasn't specifically needed, could have been anyone.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder.

{X} Blue

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

RHET RHET RHET RHET RHET

{X} I like ultramarine blue and forest green. If you're only considering one, then blue.

So our options are pretty interesting.

- Option A starts us outside of Gensokyo, and given our current timeline, it is likely that we'll have a Touhou character who was originally from the outside join us, barring the Moriyas. However, what may clue us in is how Gooboi described the crystal's energy: "unknowable, undefinable". If we're gonna start on the outside, we're going to have to play as someone who could or eventually did find their way in- and those are Nue, Mamizou, and Sumireko. We could be related to one of them should we choose this.

- Option B gives us a unique dilemma; it screams PC98 with it being an entire callback to Marisa's SoEW appearance, but the catch is that it also takes from DDC as well. To elaborate, read the words that Gooboi uses here- "redhead" with "high-collared cloak", "cautious", "less eager to stand out", "losing her head." All of these are some of Sekibanki's signature traits, which may mean that should we choose this, we might be starting as a hybrid rokurokubi magician.

- Option C is pretty straightforward; "pack-rat", "long tail", "mousey". All signs lead to Nazrin, and potential affiliation with the Myouren Temple.

Honestly, if I were to choose...we need a new perspective. We're always getting youkai rebirths.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

Also, {X} Purple

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

Also
{X} red

Personally, my choice is easy:

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

Three reasons:
1: Multiple/detachable heads is a really unique setup to have, moreso than being another beast youkai. After a rabbit, a turtle-dragon, a bird and a fox, having a youkai that's just straight up a youkai is a nice twist.
2: While it's pretty clearly a Banki-option, I'm reading a bit of PC-98 Marisa in it as well. Purple clothes, red hair and a star-tipped wand all match with her very first appearance, and the lines even allude to it being like her past. And that's a really fun idea for an alt-Marisa.
3: Sekibanki has eye lasers. I feel this explains itself.

As for my favourite colour...
{X} Green!

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Blue

>>212445

{X} Dark Blue

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
{X} Yellow

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} Red

While I'm biased towards sekibanki, I'm hoping by being in the outside world there's a minor chance of being sumireko. Pretty sure it won't happen for a few reasons but I'm willing to take the bet. Also a reason I don't think that option is Nue is that iirc she's in hell at this time.
[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Green

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

This is the one that speaks the most recognition to me, and knowledge is power, after all. Plus, if we're in the village already, then I suppose someone will just have to remember that young Marisa had red hair at one point...
Also, not like she can't make some adjustments after she awakens her memories, right?

As for color:
{X} Red

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
{X} Pink

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

Banki time

{X} Blue

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Orange

I know that the other two are likely the Seki and Nazrin options, respectively, but I’m curious to see who the outside-worder leads to.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

>>212460 Oh shit, I think you're right, but I don't think that necessarily knocks out the possibility of Nue. It's very possible that Marisa got separated from her at some point. Maybe she got sent outside to Mamizou somehow 'cuz Former Hell is no place to raise a kid. Plus, the rather deliberate use of both unknowable and undefinable in this option points to Nue to an almost comical degree.

Anyways, I think this is the most interesting seeming option. We get an outside world start, a fun family (especially if this really is Nue and even still if not, honestly), and an unknown power that probably has a lot of versatility. Plus, the farther we get from the old life, the more interesting the resulting dichotomy gets, especially with Marisa's fractured memories here.

Also!
{X} Pink, but yellow has been catching up lately

So who the outsider Marisa is gonna be related to?
Sumireko?
Urban student in limbo: Alternate cut

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Purple

I am already very intrigued thinking about how an outside-world Marisa would eventually end up in Gensokyo. Also any paths to power she would take is bound to be interesting, she could go back to FIREPOWER methodology again but it's very likely that she picks other more feasible soft powers due to being in outside world.

There's also a conflict that could be setup with her new family in the outside world if it ends up nicer, although that's more a personal issue considering the Kirisames in this timeline have yet to prevent her from pursuing magic. Other Gensokyo-native families the Kirisames could push their demands from being a powerful family, but they can't do anything if its in the outside world.

Sure there's still the miniscule probability for the rest to find Marisa, considering Yukari is now helping them. But the outside world is a big big place.

>>212467
Considering the outsider option is presented as the 'POWER' option, the strongest of the three, I think it's most likely she'll still take a danmaku-is-firepower approach.

I'm pretty sure the outsider is Nue:
1: She has something 'squirming' on her back. Nue Tentacles are an obvious candidate, though not the only one. Also, she's a power-type, and an EX boss definitely qualifies.
2: People have mentioned the unknowable and undefinable things, but there's also an 'alien' dropped in there as well. Considering how direct the Naz hints are, and how heavy-handed the Sekibanki hints are, these suggest Nue as well.
2b: And the adjectives used in the choices are pretty suggestive, too:
[ ] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
[ ] The Red-headed Village Magician
[ ] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
Outsider is again called Unknown here. Redhead and Mousy are dead-on for their chief suspects.
3: Nue is in the underground, but that may not be a disqualifier: Nekosuzu was from the Outside World as well, but was actually a tiger in disguise. And it was implied Mamizou would be involved, in that case - even if Nue isn't there in person, Mamizou might be there to patch up the gaps.

WELCOME TO THE MARISA BLOODBATH

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

gonna be shilling HARD for outside worlder. potential interactions: sumireko, mamizou, nue (mom? probably!!!!), and kasen. honestly, it'd be pretty fun if we get marisa and sumireko causing problems and enabling each other on breaking into gensokyo- if marisa manages to dig up enough, she might even look for sumireko herself to get her help on how to break in. since nue might still be underground right about now, i think mamizou might be the one taking care of her? that or she's been taken in by someone else, though i can't say for sure who.

{X} Blue

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} yellow

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

Starting out from the outside world sounds like the most interesting route to me, and if what we're thinking of about her getting taken under Mamizou's care because of the circumstances is true then she'll probably have some bonus street smarts as well. Marisa being taken care of by questionable troublemaker figures sounds so fun. I'm also curious on how she's going to go back from the outside to Gensokyo.

{Blue}

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

I just like Nazrin, ok? And she's someone who can help us Find Things.

[X] Green

Oh! I get it! After vote upon vote of people fighting over various good options, instead you decided to make the problem this time having to ditch a fundamental part of Marisa's already fraying soul. That's nice. That's lovely.

So, the question is what we are most willing to give up... Her magical knowledge, her trailblazing nature, or her core strength? That's... really rough. I thought Kosuzu had it bad, but the other four ICs all got to gain more than they lost.

(Also, high likelihood of Mamizou either through Buddhism or Nue, so we're getting the depressing scene where Mamizou is going to insult Kosuzu when they meet.)

Oh, yeah! {:3} Purple.

the rest of this post will be dedicated of me trying to convince myself towards an option by doing some analysis, I'd love to work these through with some folks. Let's see...

The argument for Outside World, aside from just being different, is that it's brimming with potential and regaining our memories could help us figure out magic... plus, UFOs do travel among the stars, so we definitely keep those.
But on the flip side, unlike the other two lives we won't have a lifetime of supplementary studying to help understand the broken fragments of memory, so we're going to be starting from almost scratch. Is a Marisa without magical study even really a Marisa?
TLDR: Unknown Outside Worlder loses a lot of starting levels and resets all of Marisa's keybinds to the default, in exchange for a massive XP multiplier, Nue-powers, and theoretically being able to get back into the [Ordinary Magician] spellcasting class.

The argument for the village dullahan is that we have a pretty smooth transition into our new lives. We're already a magician, we're already in the village, we're already quite strong. Cuts out a lot of the early struggles the other two will have.
But, on the contrary... We have to give up our unique style of magic, so it's unclear how much the broken fragments of spellcasting would even be usable to New Marisa. And is a Marisa without a Master Spark even really a Marisa?
TLDR: Red-headed Village Magician has to prestige all of Marisa's levels to the [Youkai Magician] class, but gets to keep those levels in their new form while also getting a bunch of starting bonuses and a sizable XP multiplier.

The argument for being cheesed to meet you is that we don't have to abandon our old lifestyle! We get to keep everything we valued about ourselves, can best utilize our past memories' fragments, and as the parmesan on top we have the Buddhists as an excellent support network. Maybe Nazrin's dowsing could even pass onto us somehow, letting us "find" more fragments of our human spirit?
The downside, though... if you refuse to step off the path you've taken in life, you'll never witness the wonders in the forest just beyond. Marisa's making a lateral movement instead of getting promoted. We're probably going to end up about as powerful as before, and might get left behind in comparison. Is a Marisa who would let her blazing soul be outshone by those around her even really a Marisa?
TLDR: Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler gets to just rewrite a few bits of the character sheet instead of having to roll an entirely new one, but gets a much less impressive XP multiplier than the other two.

Well! This analysis has just made it even harder to pick, now that I better understand what each pick of poison does. I don't want to even commit to anything, yet. I'm putting out this analysis, at least, but... Let's do a spellcard to celebrate such a wonderful (horrible) moment, shall we?

Star Sign - The Three Body Problem
Marisa summons two glowing clusters of Danmaku that glow with the power of the two lives she didn't choose, and starts emitting a gravitational pull at the same time they do. The force of gravity between the three objects flings them around the battlefield at high speed, likely to smash into an opponent, while also making dazzling patterns as it catches the Danmaku Marisa fires and makes it orbit or fling.
Did you know the goddess of hell with three bodies was once a goddess of witches and crossroads? It's impossible to know what advice she might give, as you sit at the intersection of your fates, each one pulling upon the others.

Ah, its time for the classic start where we debate the merits of each choice before a heated two horse race dominates the thread.

[ ] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
+ Strongest Choice, which is what Marisa says she wants
- Isn't a Magician at all, and may not get a chance to be an active Magician

The Nue option. Puts Marisa in the outside world and presumably ties her to Mamizou's journey to migrate to Gensokyo. As she is in the outside world, there is also a non-0% chance she gets to see Sumireko.

[ ] The Red-headed Village Magician
+ Magician Choice, which is what Marisa says she wants
- Completely changes what magician tradition she follows.

The Rokurokubi option. Gives her a connection to the entire Grassroots Youkai Network, and maybe also to Seija and Shinmyoumaru.

[ ] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
+ The Balanced Choice that keeps her life most similar to her old one, which is what Marisa says she wants
- The Weakest Choice in raw power

The life where Marisa gets to keep her lifestyle, at the cost of Marisa being the weakest individual. Ties her to Myouren Temple characters, which is always a treat. Has the funny bonus of us inadvertently replicating Marisa and Reimu's Hard Work vs Talent narrative by making Marisa about as weak as possible, compared to Reimu winning the lottery.

I'm actually about equally for the Nue and Mouse Youkai options, but for now will support Mouse Youkai since its behind in the polls. May change my vote later should it not gain traction.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

{X} Purple

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

Just because the outsider Marisa doesn't start with magic doesn't mean that she wouldn't be able to learn magic after she enters Gensokyo. She might even get her old magic teacher again, a certain puppeteer, or even the librarian as her teacher. I am also very interested in what Gooboi has planned with the outside world.

{Red} is my favorite color.

Pick your poison, indeed. If I want Marisa to be a Magician, I can't pick Option 1 in good faith. If I want Marisa to be confident and blast the enemy to bits, I can't pick Option 2 in good faith. But I really don't want to pick Option 3, either.

I suppose I can always undo later. So, as much as I am verklempt to choose any of these:

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

{Purple}

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{Red} is my favorite color as well.

From the wise words of anon: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

From the documentary Blazblue: "Magic? Science is true power!"

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

{Blue}

>>212473
To me,I'm reading it like Marisa, in the last time is a Wizard who levelled up in Rogue later on.

And our options are:

Drop all levels in wizard, to get a big boost in base stats. And become so good at Rogue in the process that even she doesn't know what she's doing.

Drop her levels in Rogue, maybe gain some in Wizard, and get some fun species bonuses in the process.

Keep her current balance of Wizard and Rogue, but lose a lot of base stats and get a harsher level cap, so she'll have to rely more on other things.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

For color i'll have to go with {Blue}

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
[X] Purple

Absolutely cheesed to meet you. This vote's on the mouse.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

The all the options sound good, but it's the mystery option that puts us in the Outside World, it calls to me.

{X} Blue

>>212473 here.
I agree with >>212479's sentiment on the builds we can go for here. I've also had a bit of a revelation, myself.

The more Marisalike we are, the weaker we are. Makes sense: not only is being like a human obviously going to be weaker, but the types of Youkai that become magicians are those like Patchy who need it to supplement their lackluster inherent powers.

Despite that, loathe as I am to pick it over the incredibly interesting power of Nue or the interesting backstory and connections of Rokurokubi, I'm going Mouse. Here's why:

- Firstly, obviously, we get to keep our Master Spark. Nue might not have the magic to use it, Rokurokubi might not have the focus to cast it without the Hakkero. And I am a sucker for giant lasers.
- We're probably going to either meet or have some old records from Byakuren, who would not only be a magician mentor for us, but also one who specializes in physical enhancement magic. That's the perfect kind of teachings for shoring up our weaker spirit.
- The descriptions all hint at somewhat of a focus on Marisa's nature as a hoarder of thingamabobs, whatsits, and magical secrets. Obviously she'd express it in any reincarnation, but if we have a mom who wields dowsing rods, we can probably assume we'll be able to pick up some of it on our own. Which is important, because...
- Crack open the toolbox and add {C} to the mana base, we're going to be making an attunement build. If we're physically weak, so be it! We'll just assemble Voltron and crush the enemy underfoot with an endless collection of magical items. The power of artifice and loving your tools so much they'd never even think about becoming Tsukumogami will carry us forward on homemade wings of wax.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

You know, in hindsight, I don't know how we never really picked up that our votes always started when we were being exposed to the IC's bared souls. With K/K kon-text, it seems so clear now. I suppose votes being in-story is just really hard to digest in the first place.

speaking of, can I admit that I never figured out what the "tie" between the three origin votes for Kosuzu was? did anybody figure out the connection there?

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} Green

I have a hunch this route might involve urban legends in some way, which to me are one of the most fascinating parts of Touhou.
I also think the vagueness of the outside world gives great creative freedom to the author... Go crazy, Gooboi!!!

Good morning, everyone, nice to see you all, let's have a good clean bloodbath.

Gonna think a bit more before I do the main vote (although I am leaning a way) but in the meantime

{X} A nice rich, deep teal

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

As much as I do want to see what sort of conflict we'd encounter starting in the Outside World, Banki just calls to me. Looks like Outsider shenanigans will be waiting for one of the bonus children.

Oh, and uh,
{X} Orange

>>212484
Pretty sure it was "mutability between related youkai species." Kitsune/Kuda-Gitsune/Inari, Kappa/Yamawaro, and... not sure what exactly for the cat option but there're in fact a lot of cat youkai.

>>212487
>None of the Marisas will have a working Master Spark at the start of the Arc.

Banki Marisa twin eyes Master Spark

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} Yellow

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

Bang-Bang Banki Banki

Se-e-e-ki Banki Banki

(Mouse would be my second option)

>>212487
Ayy! new GMpost mascot revealed!

Well, hm. I think I am going to stick with Mouserisa for the other reasons I had, but it's reassuring that every route will be able to get the ultra-hyper-obliteration-love beam. Redhead is more tempting, though...

This does, of course, raise the question of what flavor of spark each one could get, though, which is fun to theorize about instead of the difficult choice of poison picking. Obviously just spitballing, here, we'll see how things turn out, and I'd advise against basing your vote on it, but...

Undefined, Outsider Marisa
- Could be a technology based Master Spark, perhaps the return of her GFW extra stage card, Master Spark-like Flashlight, just powered up by using one of those flashlights that have hundreds of thousands of lumens. Make sure to have Marisa wear those sunglasses on her hat before firing, though.
- Nue (character) plays around with the alien aesthetic, so aside from just the tie to the stars it could perhaps be a ray gun, light saber, or orbital strike.
- All lasers are based on light, so what about a Master Spark outside the visual spectrum? It might not be nearly as flashy unless you were a mantis shrimp, but an invisible death beam is even more terrifying than one you can see.
- Why fire just one laser when you could mimic that one Green UFO card (invasion of justice, I think?) and fire a bunch of them at once?

Traditional, Village Marisa
- Obviously, laser eyes. Stare at things and they just die. Obviously a satisfying pick. Multiply the lasers even more with more heads?
- Perhaps a more alchemical based master spark, like brewing up a +3 Potion of Laser.
- A beam of pure elemental energy, for when you want to flavor your spark with the type chart.
- Channel her inner magical girl with that wand and fire a spark that is quite literally made of love.
Admittedly, while I'm sure she has potential, I do have fewer ideas for her since it's mentioned her entire nature is more traditional, which doesn't lend itself nearly as well to ideas in my mind for overwhelming laserpower.

Hedgemage, Traveller Marisa
- Going off the idea of her mostly being a tool-based magician, perhaps a slightly more literal Magicannon? Just pop the furnace into a spot in the back and you've got a BFG.
- "Borrow" the pagoda to fire its gamma ray laser and vaporize things with shining death.
- Seeing as she's the smallest of the three options, if she were to do a Blazing Star and use herself as the bullet, she would get some pretty impressive results with the firepower of a Master Spark as thrust. Who cares if you're small when you're moving fast enough to shatter bones?
- If a Mini-Hakkero isn't enough power with Traveller Marisa, just get a mega-Hakkero! she might struggle to hold it, but I'm sure there would be economies of scale in terms of firepower.

>>212493

Weapons... are boorish. A true hero magician kills with her eyes!

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

{X} Grey.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
I've got a thing for outsiders and Marisa could hardly be as annoying as Sumireko. As much as Bankirisa seems fun, I think outsider Marisa could be a fun twist.
[X] Purple, specifically that shade that Reimu's hair is in UFO

[x] The Red-headed Village Magician
-[x] Green

...? :3

The Red-headed Village Magician

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
- [X] Red

I think this could be a good chance to catch up with more what Youmu & co have been up to, since we know the Buddhists are underground.

[x] The Red-headed Village Magician
{X} Green

>>212438
It was mentioned many threads back that one of Marisa's routes would involve Mima. I'm guessing that's the village magician route.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

Go big or go home, it was Marisa's goal going into this and all. Besides that I echo the sentiment that this would be a vastly different perspective from everyone else so far, and probably more interesting.

I'd also note that my initial guess for Outsider was somehow connected to Maribel Hearn/Yukari. Yellow hair and eyes lines up with most of her official ZUN cover art appearances, as does some phenomenal, unknown (even dreamlike?) power. Though, the Nue arguments put forward here seem very convincing, and a double dip on Yukari theming like that seems as unlikely as it would be fun to see.

It would also also be really amusing the thing behind her back she can't quite see is Literally Just A Stand, and this is in fact the full crossover episode.

{X} Black

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Dark Blue

>>212486
All right, back after more thinking, and while there are definitely tempting arguments in favor of the others this one is simply too irresistible to me.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} Violet

I'm sorry, but outsider Marisa is just too interesting not to pick.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
I like >>212474's point that it echoes the classical Reimu vs Marisa dynamic, and I think it has the best supporting cast. With outside world, it's just going to be Nue and Mamizou. I think Sumireko would be too young to be important at this point in the timeline. Meanwhile, even though I'm interested in Village life for more perspective on how it's become a zoo with youkai zookeepers like we saw in A/A, I feel like we won't really get a chance to meet anyone new there.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

This one is the best at borrowing stuff which makes it the funniest by default. And on top of that it's the funny mouse choice.

It can't possibly be any better.

{X} Green

>>212507
[UNDO] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Er... Scratch that. Just remembered that the Bhuddists are underground. I'm pretty fuckin' sick of the underground at this point. Want to get into a setting we haven't seen as much of.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder.

{X} Blue

[X] The Unknown Outsider

As for favorite color?
I’m quite fond of Blue and Purple

[X] The Unknown Outsider-Worlder

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

More head puns.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

{X} Red
rrat

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Feels like the most human-spirit aligned option, and that'd bring a nice balance to the stats (neutral Reimu, human Youmu, youkai Akyuu & Kosuzu. Okuu doesn't count on account of already being a Youkai.)

{X} Violet

[X] The Unknown Outsider-Worlder
{X} Purple

Nuerisa feels the most interesting to me, but Ratrisa is a close second. With her connection to the outside world I could see her leaning more into the science side, which would be a neat contrast between her previous life's magic side.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
-[X] Cornflower Blue

Seems most likely to focus on Marisa as a kleptomaniac. This is the girl who spent her entire first game as the solo protagonist getting rich off of black markets, she'd definitely want to get in with Nazrin. Plus, her description as a traveller suggests she might be capable of going to and from the outside world even if she's a Gensokyan native.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Mouse girl, mouse girl!

Also am a fan of Marisa inadvertently recreating the hard work vs. talent thing that >>212474 mentioned

{X} Blue

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Purple

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
To be honest I was about equal between Magician and Mouse, I just liked Mouse's appearance in the art better and it seems to be the more favored choice RN.
{X} Orange

[x] The Red-headed Village Magician

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

{X} Green

While the outside world would probably be interesting, there are two reasons that make me prefer this option :
A) diehard Mima-fannery. I feel it'd be shame to have Marisa so far from her roots
B) So far, Kosuzu has been the only immaterial children native to Gensokyo, and her whole arc happened in the Animal Realm. But she also had a whole thing going on about finding her true family whom she's been hidden to and from, and finally rejecting her abuser.
How about the opposite ? Marisa's coming to realisation her old family are just her neighbours that she didn't really know much, and her few memories of her past life hardly revelating any more ?
I can see it making for a really cool arc that'd constrast the previous ones.

C) I lied, there's a third reason. Multiple head Marisa heads going "IMMA FIRIN' MY LASER" is perfection.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
- {X} The most mystical color, Magenta!

To me, Marisa is defined by her pursuit of power, but on her OWN terms. If she wanted to, she could have become a Magician Youkai at any time she liked. Reimu might have something to say about that, but she could, if she was willing to make the sacrifice. That she DOESN'T try it is important in my eyes. The first option is cool because it's yet another shot at outside world shenanigans, but after the Neko vote I've kinda lost interest in seeing the potential people out there, and I just can't see Marisa willingly giving up all the magic she's spent years collecting. I think there's a decent chance of seeing Mima on any of the three routes if she's going to be an important character, and while Youmu did spawn in the underground, we only really saw Chireiden and Parsee. I want to go talk to people like Yamame, who we could have had for Reimu, or discount Mima. I don't think we'd be stuck down there, either.

Also, Marisa going from a cat to a mouse is whimsical in my eyes.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Purple
Underground is overdone

Counting to >>212523:
Main Choice:
[33] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
[16] The Red-headed Village Magician
[17] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Colours (:o):
-{9} Red (>>212438, >>212443, >>212454, >>212459, >>212461, >>212475, >>212477, >>212499, >>212513)
-{13} Blue (>>212441, >>212446, >>212449, >>212451, >>212456, >>212463, >>212469, >>212471, >>212478, >>212480, >>212482, >>212509, >>212517)
-{2} Black (>>212444, >>212502)
-{4} Yellow (>>212447, >>212458, >>212470, >>212491)
-{10} Purple (>>212453, >>212467, >>212473, >>212474, >>212476, >>212481, >>212496, >>212515, >>212518, >>212523)
-{8} Green (>>212455, >>212460, >>212472, >>212485, >>212497, >>212500, >>212507, >>212521)
-{2} Dark Blue (>>212457, >>212503)
-{2} Pink (>>212462, >>212465)
-{3} Orange (>>212464, >>212488, >>212519)
-{1} A nice rich, deep teal (>>212486)
-{1} Grey (>>212495)
-{2} Violet (>>212505, >>212514)
-{1} Cornflower Blue (>>212516)
-{1} Magenta (>>212522)

Uh... Are people allowed to vote on 2+ colours or just one, Gooboi? If so, I'll count their color votes on the next count (>>212452, >>212510).
Had to fix a mistake :/
:3

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
unlike a lot of the mouse votes i don't actually think we're going to get paired up with nazrin and the rest of the buddhists.

this is the route thats most like marisas past life, so i think we're going to be a runaway from a boring life in the temple who decided to strike it out on her own and learn magic rather than rot underground.

this is actually for one simple reason: gooboi isn't boring. none of the lives have had significant overlap with each other. reimu lived in the animal realm, akyuu lived on the moon, youmu lived underground, and kosuzu lived wherever tsukasa took her. this all rings to me of having a very independent marisa, and while i like all the fuzzy familial love we've had with the other immaterial children i wouldn't mind something different.

that's just my thoughts though

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} Yellow

Well, unlike Marisa herself, I kind of love all three of these options. The outside worlder is dripped out of her mind, for one, and potentially lets Marisa use the power of alien science for two. Potential chance to follow up Kasen's outside world maiden search or possibly see Keine she managed to escape the barrier.

Rokurokubi Marisa gets a personal story about avoiding/dealing with her dad(and possibly mom?). Especially after the whole lynch mob thing. An opportunity to dig into Human Village politics. It also gives us a PC-98 reference, so more chance of Mima. Of course, Banki would be family and so we might get the rest of the grassroots a bunch too.

Mouserisa seems to lean most into being a guile hero. Not a particularly strong species, Mouserisa would have to rely on the stuff in her pack to come up with something. We would probably get Nazrin, though since Nazrin wasn't sealed, we wouldn't necessarily get the rest of the Buddhist crew for a good while.

Ultimately, I'll go with

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

Having someone near their original family but ducking them would make for an interesting contrast to K/K, and basically all of the protags save for Akyuu, who is also ignoring them. Mr. Kirisame's reaction to finding out his daughter is a youkai now will be one to watch.

{X} Orange

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
{X} A deep blue bordering on purple

I also didn't vote on colors, so

{X} Green

Hm. I've been seeing a lot of ideas being thrown around in a lot of directions. Since I've already voted, I think I could afford to spend some time on doing a little write-up on what we know about the origins, and what we can likely expect.

Honestly I probably should've done this sooner but these origin voting periods are usually given a day or two for everyone to filter in iirc (we're only at like 70-ish votes now, there's definitely a chance for it to flip from the Nue vote from more voters or Undos) and also I'm lazy. So, in case it changes anyone's attitudes about any of the votes, here's my little write-up! Note that I didn't thoroughly check my work but I believe I have a pretty good memory of what we've learned about the R/R setting so far

The first vote is definitely Nue. I give the actual moms for all three of these a 99% chance of showing up, and Mamizou is pretty likely too. Probably low Youkai to neutral starting spirit.
Characters we could also see outside:
- Kasen (looking for Reimu)
- The time travelers (live outside)
- Sumireko? (Depends on when she got into magic)
- Mike? (K/K potential origin.)
This pick likely renders Marisa magically inert beyond her Youkai nature. Let's imagine "magical proficiency" (MP) as a bonus stat, a la JSK or Resistance. This origin has starting MP 0. She knows how to use a phone, not how to cast a spell.
The tradeoff is that we have the base strength of the Heian Alien herself, who is extra stage tier for a reason.
We might spend some time in the outside world, but will ultimately be moving to Gensokyo because plot. We probably won't have any ties to anyone. Ironically enough, much of her potential story feels unknown to me, just because she's super out of context. We don't know a ton about Nue, and the outside world is a dead spot for period accurate info thanks to the whole premise of touhou.

The second vote is Seikibanki mom. Probably solid Youkai starting spirit, and actually good theoretical MP stat.

Depending on when/if the grassroots group formed, we could see some or even all of the DDC cast. Other magicians could potentially show up as well as more traditional mentors, like Narumi or Patchouli. If Mima shows up, but only on one route, it would probably be this one due to being close to her PC-98 depiction.
In A/A, we were shown that the current situation of Youkai in the human village is having to be careful terrorizing humans, since Reimu hasn't struck the fear of the Hakurei into them and Keine is AWOL. This means scaring a child, but away from a potential source of non Youkai danger, or towards their family.
The biggest potential conflict is being pulled between her current life and her previous, since she's right next to her family. The other two also have this, but she's going to be especially vulnerable to it. Seikibanki is relatively minor, so our prior life is probably going to just consist a lot of scaring people and studying magic.

Third vote is Nazrin. Human to neutral spirit, and middling theoretical MP.
Nazrin and Shou are both notable for not having been sealed away, so we might not actually see the Myouren crew (immediately, anyways.) Mamizou is also somewhat likely to show up here, just because of her ties to theoretical Tiger Kosuzu. Nazrin and Shou don't live very Youkai-like lives because of their ties to Bishamonten, so we might have the best chances of knowing more human characters. Honestly, her being friends with the Kirisames would almost be more interesting... that's just my own opinion, though.
Her likely conflict would be dealing with her lack of physical power through tools or magic, which could help her feel empathy towards her fragmented past life and be more willing to help out the other ICs instead of being sort of only doing it out of obligation.

Hope this brief little analysis has helped just set a foundation for what we could expect from each life.

>>212455 here.

I'm gonna offer two more points:
4: The others in the first five have all ended up with some form of tech upgrade, either with them now or potentially in the future. Akyuu and Reimu come from settings with better technology, Kosuzu had a bit of that and is now attached to the Yakumo family who also have great tech, and Youmu may very well become a nuclear reactor. having one IC who's actually at the same tech level as they were used to, but different in other ways would be a nice mixup, so I don't want the contemporary setting of the outside world. I've already mentioned why I don't want a beast, again for similar reasons of wanting a mixup.
5: Village Marisa is so far the ONLY option for anyone that's been heavily foreshadowed before the choice to pick it came up - discussed in-universe in both K/K and Y/Y, and Gooboi doubled down on it in the last epilogue of Y/Y. It kinda makes me think it may be a favourite, or at least a concept he's eager to explore.

>>212533
I will say, there's no reason Mouserisa can't be in the village as well. Less likely, but...

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

{Blue}

>>212534

Well, the previous Village Marisa foreshadowing has definitely been about Option 2. The last epilogue gave her Red Hair (Mouse-Marisa has dirty blonde hair), and there was also this from K/K (>>209753):

>“...So. You have leads on Youmu and Marisa?”

>Reimu nodded. “More than leads - I’m pretty sure we’ve tracked Youmu down. Judging by exactly what that tipoff was, Youmu’s probably the so-called ‘Phantom of the Underground’, and we’ve got someone investigating that rumor directly. So that only leaves Marisa. …Wondering why we haven’t found her, yet. Or at least the girl who’s supposed to be her.”

>Kosuzu nibbled away at her cookie. “...Ah, maybe I can talk to that. Chances are she’s one of the ‘forward-thinkers’, or at least her parents are.” Kosuzu pointed skyward. “There’s a lot of youkai who… value being able to stay in the village long-term over living it up now. So, at least while they’re in the village, they do their best to blend in with the humans. A lot of them had grassroots youkai networks or similar setups in place even before Haru started to get weaker, or they just work somewhere in the village undercover.”

And honestly, the biggest thing is just that there's almost certainly no other way to get multiple heads or any other super-weird youkai traits. A nue-risa has the tentacles, and you can see what I said in my vote post >>212455 about going with another beast.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
{X} Banki Red

Let's go pc-98!

Something else to note about Mouserisa is that, if she really is Nazrin’s daughter, she’s likely trained in Dowsing.

Now tell me that Marisa wouldn’t be all over Dowsing if she could learn it. It’s a magic that lets her find weird knickknacks and assorted treasure, which, besides just proving herself, Marisa’s biggest motivator is finding strange items, IIRC. I think she’d be thrilled to learn Dowsing.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
{x}blue

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician and [X] Orange

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

[O] Cyan

I just like the idea of a Marisa head flying around with her giant floppy hat. It amuses me.

Also Banki is cool

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
- [x] purple

I'm a little undecided between Nuerisa & Nazrisa here... both bring a bit to the table either power-wise or utility-wise that will help Marisa in the long run, even if in the case of mousyrisa might leave her a little behind in power currently. Stuff like what >>212538 mention or Nue’s ability to make things mysterious

On top of that both of them are tied to the Buddhists either currently, or from how the other timelines went at least very likely, and thus will have the chance to be taught magic by Byakuren. meaning that they will have a chance to get a major boost to their magic learning for the future. Maybe even with Byakuren’s brand of magic getting to pull off some I CAST FIST shenanigans. Even Nuerisa’s lack of magical knowledge is going to straight up vanish when Marisa hits Gensokyo.

Which… yeah Sekirisa just doesn’t offer much in comparison to either of those two. I’d like the pc-98 stuff that the hair and wand are hinting at, and I like Seki as a character… but unless there’s another Ran equivalent hiding behind the option… it's just not worth putting Marisa there for it. It just costs wayyyy too much future potential for Marisa in the long run to be worth it. And a lot of what it does give now… is redundant to what Kirisame’s magic provides.

I’m going to go with the nazarin option for now, might change my mind later.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
{X} Teal
Are we entirely sure that Mouse-rissa will stay as weak as she starts? Cause with that many magical doodads, the odds of stumbling across something legendary like one of the two Regalia that we haven’t seen in Touhou yet, like say the Yata-no-Kagami, (cause I dunno about you but replicating the Mini-Hakkero with the mirror of the Three Regalia sounds suspiciously like a Marisa thing to do) is low but never zero. Any chance is possible with enough opportunity.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
[X] Blue
Marisa that's a bit shy would be nice imo.

I'm pretty torn! I like the Outsider option the best by far on its own -- has one of my favorite Touhou characters and I really really do want see the outside world. But... compared to the other two I'm not sure it feels like the most interesting story for Marisa specifically, a lot of people have made really good points about how the other scenarios hit for her. But I reeeeeally want an outsider and I'd hate passing Nue up...

Such a difficult choice! I'd be fine with either the outside world or the Rokurokubi options... but the visual of Marisa's head just flying all over the place with eye beams is too good to pass up.
Plus, shyness can be overcome easier than an actual lack of power or ability.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
[X] Blue

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
- [X] B67AFF
I don't really get why people are concerned about this option being the weakest. We have a literal anime powerup we can access for any fights we actually need to win. So far, it's beaten:
1. Yuuma, souped up on dragon scales and a bunch of eagle minions
2. Komachi and Suwako by just TALKING at them
3. Suwako, again, this time powered up by the stuff that obliterated the entire of gensokyo.
4. Tsukasa. The actual opponent isn't that impressive but we summoned an ARMY with the night parade.

Like, power is not a concern we really need to worry about for the points where power matters. Outside of those big fateful fights, we can just use pocket sand and bring the opponent down to our level anyway. The other options are stronger, but this option aligns with Marisa's personality the most, making it easier to get into the mindset to re/awaken, meaning we can just hit the win button.

>>212550
A few things:
1: Gooboi wouldn't portray it as a negative if he didn't intend to write it as such. We haven't yet been able ot insta-reawaken, and every time we have we've had to survive a few rounds of pressure, first. That may be a lot harder for Marisa overall
2: It's still a negative for Marisa as a character. She would personally hate that, seemingly about as much as losing magic entirely.
3: There may be plenty of situations where we need to succeed that don't qualify for Re/Awakening.

guys guys hear me out

ok I personally still pick the outsider BUT consider this, a small rat going around being sassy knowing she can back that sass up with her concoctions and tricks

>>212552
I laughed so hard I bit my tongue. Thank you for your services. Even if this vote fails, I will forever cherish the Tiny, Sassy Commander

>>212552

"So that's what happened to all of my cheese..."

>>212552
My heart is set on Maratsa. Thank you for this beautiful contribution, ayy lmao supporter

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
I wasn't even going to vote, I just like following the votes after reading the chapters on ao3. but that rat convinced me. Amazing work.

>>212552
"You calling' me small, buddy? You saying I'm short, bub? Bold words, tall guy. You better laugh while you can up there in the clouds. Down here, where I sit with ants? I can reach your kneecaps."

>>212557

Rat Marisa will also just continue to enable the running gag that she is the shortest character in all of Touhou, especially if she has a rat form

I'm not the person that wrote >>212525 but more the person who asked for head puns in >>212512.
Counted until >>212558

Main Choice:
[33] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
[22] The Red-headed Village Magician
[24] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Colours:
-{9} Red (>>212438, >>212443, >>212454, >>212459, >>212461, >>212475, >>212477, >>212499, >>212513, >>212537)
-{16} Blue (>>212441, >>212446, >>212449, >>212451, >>212456, >>212463, >>212469, >>212471, >>212478, >>212480, >>212482, >>212509, >>212517, >>212535, >>212547, >>212549)
-{2} Black (>>212444, >>212502)
-{5} Yellow (>>212447, >>212458, >>212470, >>212491, >>212527)
-{11} Purple (>>212453, >>212467, >>212473, >>212474, >>212476, >>212481, >>212496, >>212515, >>212518, >>212523, >>212543)
-{9} Green (>>212455, >>212460, >>212472, >>212485, >>212497, >>212500, >>212507, >>212521, >>215531)
-{2} Dark Blue (>>212457, >>212503)
-{2} Pink (>>212462, >>212465)
-{4} Orange (>>212464, >>212488, >>212519, >>212528)
-{1} A nice rich, deep teal (>>212486)
-{1} Grey (>>212495)
-{3} Violet (>>212505, >>212514, >>212550)
-{1} Cornflower Blue (>>212516)
-{1} Magenta (>>212522)
-{1} Deep blue, bordering on purple (>>212530)
-{1} Cyan (>>212542)
-{1} Teal (>>212546)

Counted "Banki Red" from >>212539 to just "Red".
Counted the color Hex code from >>212550 as "purple" (described as a "very light purple" by searching Google)

>>212559
I wrote the note on purple but forgot to add the message quote to the line and change the number to 12. lol

>>212560
>>212559
OMG I'm tired, it shows. It's counted correctly on violet. It's the note that's wrong: I should've said "counted as violet" and the color description should have been "very light violet" and not "very light purple". So scratch the message above and count this one. For real this time. Third time's the charm, I guess.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
Pink!

>>212456
[undo] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
color is the same.
the drawing inspired me to change my vote.

>>212463

[UNDO] The Red-headed Village Magician

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Give me the sassy small rat who bites ankles with spite

>>212564
>>212563
I meant the other rat, but this one is nice too.

>>212563

These are all so cute!

I was writing IHtRtbH when the idea of an illiterate Reimu came to mind. I don't think there's much of anything that I could do with it, though, and it would be too similar to what I'm already writing, but like a comedy instead. It's still fun to think about, though.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
{X} Red

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Green

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
Man I really wanna see a nue Marisa

>>212563
That backpack feels very Marisa. Even if Mouserisa doesn't win, I am glad we got to see the design in full. I bemoan the loss of her floppy witch hat, but sacrifices must be made for the rodent.

SoeW Mari is always good to see---despite only having red hair in the one game it's def made an impact.

Outsider Mari is solid too. Looks like the type of silly girl to wear sunglasses shaped like stars.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
I'm fine with any of these, but I do like that backpack in >>212563

I have no preference on colours. Is this supposed to be something like "hey look at all the hollow psyches that were guiding the Immaterial Children, in all these vibrant colours"?

>>212571
Outsider/Nue Marisa looks like one of the Marisa variants from the gacha.

>>212563
any chance we get to know what the previous candidate was, or will it be be a possible option for sanae and tenshi in the future?

of all the ICs, i think youmu is the only one who won't recognize sekirisa- akyuu and kosuzu live in the village and would probably remember the kirisames have red hair, and reimu, well. reimu.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

The Nue is maybe my favourite mythological monster, so I guess I'm obligated to pick the option that maybe makes Marisa one. Although ironically I don't have any strong opinions on Nue Houjuu under normal circumstances, and would generally like Banki better. But tentacle monster Marisa sounds fun. If this is one of those interpretations of Marisa that are really, really dependent on seeing herself as "self-made" to maintain her sense of self-identity, it'll be interesting to see her struggle with being reborn as a famous top-tier youkai (mind, I think that Marisa perceiving herself as self-made is already pretty lacking in self-awareness, but she can't wave away the objections as easily this way).

And, hey, Nue is one of the few youkai that Reimu's been shown as genuinely enthusiastic about. That could be fun when they meet back up.

... shit, whenever someone asks me my favourite this-or-that, I forget everything I've ever liked. I've suddenly gone colour-blind.

[X] Uhhhhh a vivid royal blue?

... wait, maybe lavender? Let's just stick to royal blue.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
Between personality, power, and magic, I'm most comfy giving up power. All three drawings look amazing, though! I love the little details like that tiny rat drawing on the backpack, or the RGB clips on Nuerisa.

Excellent art as always, Kosu! I spent some time looking for all the star motifs on the outfit, felt like a hoshi saga.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

I'm torn between this one and the outside world option. In the end, I think I just like red more.

Also:

[X] Red

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
- {Light Red]
Looking at her design, I think this is the best chance of getting to meet more magicians

>>212480 here
[UNDO] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

The people have convinced me that Mouserisa is the way

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
- {X} Green
Earn that cheddar, earn that dough! Win the rat race and bake a cheesecake!

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
This is the most interesting and unusual option.
{X} Blue

>>212572
You're right! Nuerisa was heavily inspired on "Lunar War Enchanter" Marisa from Lost Word. I found it very fitting since she's the "outsider" of the group. On one hand I wanted it to be very noticeable, but on the other hand I didn't want it to be a 1:1 copy of it. There's also some "Digimon protagonist" stuff there blended in as Gooboi said, too.

Nazrisa, apart from Yuasan's mouse Marisa, draws inspiration from Nazrin of course but also from Fairy Wars' Marisa and a little bit of SA.
I changed her usual witch hat for a straw hat, because she's the one always outside in the sun exploring for ingredients and stuff that's why the backpack is worn down.

Bankirisa as Gooboi said is a mix betweek Sekibanki and the original PC-98 Marisa. She has a more simple, discreet outfit because she's the one in hiding, and a flashy outfit would make that more difficult. She's also the shy one.

>>212571
I'm very happy on how the backpack turned out.

>>212575
Thanks! I love putting little details like those whenever I can!

This vote for me was the hardest, because not only all sound like a great option, but of course having helped on the designs makes it so I want to see all three win. So I'll help the underdog for now:

[UNDO] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

Woo! Binge read the whole story on a rec from a friend, managed to catch up in time to vote

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
{X} Black
I like the symmetry of having every character being partially an animal. There's a pattern at this point, no reason to break it now

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
{X} Blue

Damn, this vote is going kinda crazy. Looks like people aren't thrilled about the idea of a Marisa who doesn't do the funny borrowing bit, though, if the vote changes are any indication.

>>212584
We're on the ship of Theseus and someone just asked for a ladle. Honestly, I might join the tally corps just to track favorite color by vote instead of en masse, just to see the trends.

Fascinating stuff, though! Nue has had the plurality since the beginning, but the other two have pretty steadily risen up.

>>212473
Just read this and it's making me super split between the mouse and the nue. On one hand I DO NOT want to do yet another underground run, like I said.

At the same time, the mouse is the literal best option considering that that anon said. Marisa's abilities to do magic and trailblaze are what I would really consider to be her most important core traits.

I believe it would be the worst outcome for her to lose either of those. As for strength, she was already a human. And on top of that, she earned a good deak of her strength through hard work.

It might make it harder for her to reawaken, but I don't want her to need to ditch the two things that actually make Marisa, well, Marisa.

I'm super split. Ugh. Is someone willing to talk at me to try and sway me or something?

>>212586
>>212473 here! I actually don't think we're going to be underground anymore (Some people fact checked, and apparently Nazrin and Shou weren't sealed underground.) so we probably won't be getting the buddhists for at least a fair bit, if at all.

I'm still a big fan of Mouse for the other reasons, but we're probably starting more in the woods or village outskirts.

>>212508 me :)
>>212586 me 2 :)

Ugh, screw it. I can tolerate the underground. What good is strength or maintaining good magic know-how if you can't persue your passion or even recognize yourself anymore? At all. This isn't gonna be like the changes in character the other ICs ended up with.

>>212587

Yeah, that's a pretty good addition to the pile of reasons, too. I'm glad there is a chance we start above ground. Alright, then. Screw the outside world and being some powerful nue. Screw being a -banki with none of Marisa's charm. (It's a shame, the PC-98 aspect is cool, but still. It's the absolute worst choice as she loses the most there.) It's mouse time.

[UNDO] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

>>212586
To me, part of the appeal of this is seeing how characters stay the same and change when you change the conditions around them. Putting Marisa in a world without magic and seeing how her character traits would emerge is a really fun idea for me, which makes Nue appealing. Does she become a magic fanatic in the real world still, or does she fixate on other things?

My personal favourite is Banki-Risa because the changes are relatively few or would seem to encourage her to be more adventurous - born in the village, now a youkai, laser eyes - and yet she seems to have gone to the opposite result from what you'd expect, and I'm curious what the author sees as the keys to that.

Mouse Marisa, meanwhile, is just less appealing to me because whatever the changes are, they've come more full circle. She's still very close to normal Marisa, with relatively minor differences.

>>212589 me :) (last time I muck-up the thread with posts.)

Honestly, I think I'd still be okay with the nue option. It's just not what I want for her.

Seeing the banki option win might actually make me cry a bit, though. I may be a little too weirdly invested right now. I think I'd basically perceive it as a total ego death for Marisa. It wouldn't be her anymore.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} Blue

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
{X} Green

>>212587
Eh, canon has kinda gone back and forth on that? Shou's dialogue in UFO always kinda implied she was sealed with everyone else, but her character profile from the same strongly indicated she was, at least, not with everyone else, even if it wasn't clear where. Her recent manga appearances seem to be sticking with her being underground, and likewise, Rin in Unfinished Dream seems to think she and Nazrin are "underground friends" (Nazrin seems less keen on the friendship, but seems to have been in Old Hell).

... and also, according to that one epilogue, IIRC R/R's Rin and Shou know each other, so I'd assume Shou and Nazrin are underground with the rest.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

>>212594
True, but... Mouserisa is wearing a straw hat because she's in the sun. I think, at least, in R/R canon, we'll be above ground to start.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
rat 🐀🐀🐀

Thank you Gooboi and Kosu for the full models reveal, it really helps for reference purposes... but it doesnt help me with the vote dilemma at all because they all look SO GOOD ughg

so I made one more thing to convince myself to not jump ship. I'll still be content whichever Marisa win this bloodbath

>>212591
Bankirisa is not too different from Marisa's personality in SoEW and PoDD, so a big part of her route would probably involve speedrunning her PC-98 character arc.

>>212585
ok scratch what i said earlier I have the utmost of respect for tallyanon for managing to keep track of all this because these votes are bloodbaths. If I'm going to do this I need to set aside like an hour to write a script or something to track it for me and then carefully input the data.

For those curious, though, as of >>212597 my (rough, unchecked, probably off) count is:
34 votes Outsider
27 votes Village
38 votes Traveller

so that's neat!

>>212598
You just keep popping out banger after banger. I love how each girl has a completely different response.

>>212599

The problem i have with bankirisa is what exactly is the route going to give Marisa in the long run after she's done that speed run? What is it going to give her that the Kirisame side of her isn't going to be providing her anyway?

I mean heck the fact that she would need to speedrun her pc98 character arc at all right around the time of EoSD indicates that the bankirisa route puts her behind even her human starting point

Not to mention the implications of what has been mentioned in the other routes of reuniting the ICs with their human families which isn't something Marisa Kirisame would look forward to at all.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician
Redrisa FTW babyyy

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} Yellow

X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
{X} Blue

So, I'm a bit worried about Mouserisa, partially because I think some of the concepts involved might be too similar to Kosuzu's arc, but mostly because I think it's missing the point of IC's in general.

On the similarities to Kosuzu side, you've got the low initial power level, with the general plan of "run, hide, sneak around, maybe you can be a hero one day". Which runs the risk of a lot of the situations/scenarios in this arc sounding pretty similar to last arc. Not to mention this would be the fourth arc set either underground or in the animal realm, and possibly another dark one if you're starting at the bottom of the food chain in former hell.

But here's the more important point. Isn't Marisa getting reborn as herself but worse missing out on the main story concept? Reimu became a mafia princess, Akyuu became a soldier and a servant, Youmu became a pet (admittedly the smallest change of everyone), and Kosuzu was first an abused tube fox, and then an actual hero. All of these characters got thrown into vastly different roles than what they had in their first life, and changed in dramatic ways because of it. To me, that's what makes R/R so compelling. But if Mouserisa is basically canon Marisa but worse... where's the change? How will she end up the sort of unique character you could only get from R/R's unique setup, as opposed to just Marisa with mouse ears and lower firepower?

I'm pretty neutral on which of the other two to pick, but both Nue and Banki sound more in the R/R-spirit (namely, giving Marisa a truly new situation to adapt to), so I'm going to swap to the one that has the better shot of winning.

[UNDO] The Red-headed Village Magician
[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

>>212598
No, thank YOU for the art!
I loved the sassy rat, and now the unknown Marisa. Peak comedy.
Only Bankirisa missing now

As for designs, I've been having a lot of fun with that and I'm glad it can be of use to help others who want to make their own fanart. Sometimes I take a long time between proper drawings because I've been distracted making designs or sketches I never end up showing to anyone save for Gooboi himself and a couple friends. Other times I just end up playing videogames with friends but don't tell anyone

>>212605
I would argue that even if the arc is similar, the character is entirely different. Marisa is not going to need a self-confidence boost, she’s going to be hitting the ground running, and the word “stealth” is foreign to her vocabulary.

Also, I think Gooboi is tired of the underground, and Nazrisa would be out of the underground. Like, Marisa would have been hit by Akyuu’s psychic blast in Yester/Youmu if she was in former hell, and if she somehow missed the events of Redo/Reimu and Kaizou/Kosuzu if she’s in the animal realm, she’s pretty blind. Most likely, she’s a traveling tinker/merchant who travels between various settlements in Gensokyo, given the description.

TL;DR I think that Nazrisa will get to be somewhere we’ve never been, and have a very different character arc than Kitsuzu. Heck, given the planned origin for Nekosuzu, Nazrisa might even be in the outside world!

>>212563:
Your wish is my command. :3

Counting to >>212605:
Main Choice:
[38] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
[27] The Red-headed Village Magician
[37] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Colours:
For [x] The Unknown Outside-Worlder:
-{5} Red (>>212443, >>212454, >>212459, >>212475, >>212477)
-{8} Blue (>>212446, >>212451, >>212469, >>212471, >>212482, >>212509, >>212580, >>212592)
-{6} Purple (>>212453, >>212467, >>212496, >>212515, >>212518, >>212523)
-{2} Dark Blue (>>212457, >>212503)
-{4} Green (>>212460, >>212485, >>212507, >>212569)
-{1} Orange (>>212464)
-{1} Pink (>>212465)
-{4} Yellow (>>212470, >>212491, >>212527, >>212603)
-{1} Teal (>>212486)
-{1} Black (>>212502)
-{1} Violet (>>212505)
-{1} Royal Blue (>>212574)

For [x] The Red-Headed Village Magician:
-{5} Blue (>>212449, >>212478, >>212547, >>212549, >>212583)
-{4} Green (>>212455, >>212497, >>212500, >>212521)
-{2} Yellow (>>212447, >>212458)
-{4} Red (>>212461, >>212537, >>212568, >>212576)
-{1} Pink (>>212462)
-{3} Orange (>>212488, >>212528, >>212540)
-{1} Ultramarine Blue (>>212530)
-{1} Cyan (>>212542)

For [x] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler:
-{4} Red (>>212438, >>212499, >>212513, >>212577)
-{9} Blue (>>212441, >>212452, >>212456, >>212463, >>212480, >>212517, >>212535, >>212539, >>212604)
-{3} Green (>>212472, >>212579, >>212593)
-{5} Purple (>>212474, >>212476, >>212481, >>212543, >>212550)
-{1} Grey (>>212495)
-{1} Violet (>>212514)
-{1} Cornflower Blue (>>212516)
-{1} Orange (>>212519)
-{1} Magenta (>>212522)
-{1} Teal (>>212546)
-{1} Pink (>>212562)
-{1} Black (>>212582)

For People Who Voted on Color Only:
-{1} Black (>>212444)
-{1} Green (>>212531)
If your post is listed here and you would like to link your main choice post with your color post, please make a post stating such. It'll be noted in the next count.

Note that:
>>212486 (A Nice Rich, Deep Teal -> Teal)
>>212510 (Please choose between Blue & Purple)
>>212530 (A Deep Blue Bordering on Purple -> Ultramarine Blue)
>>212537 (Banki Red -> Red)
>>212550 (B67AFF -> Purple)
>>212577 (Light Red -> Red)
If your post is listed here and you would like to choose another color (or if I corrected your post incorrectly), please make a post stating such. It'll be noted in the next count.

Notices:
>>212589 & >>212605, please mark your original posts so that I can determine what color you wanted. Your change has been counted, but I need the color that you chose. If you didn't choose a color, feel free to make a post stating such (Make sure to mark your 2nd post so that I know who you are :/)
>>212559 & >>212600, I appreciate your efforts but... Stop stealing my job :( (Also, your vote tallies were slightly off :3).

Anyways... Does this work, Gooboi? :3

>>212607
And continuing this point, the only character so far who really changed roles is Kosuzu, and her entire arc was about changing her role in the narrative from a bystander to an active participant in combat.

Reimu the yakuza princess may seem like a stretch, but she’s already got the sort of “raised to a privileged position since birth, can basically do anything so long as she doesn’t cross a few specific rules, feared and respected by pretty much everyone, gets to beat up anyone she wants with no consequences” Yakuza Princess effect from her status as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.

And Youmu? There are three(3) things different about her new life. 1: her pink-haired mistress who wears blue is a different person. 2: she has a sister and wings instead of a ghost half. 3: She lives underground instead of above the clouds. That’s it.

Now, Akyuu also has quite a few parallels between her status as the Child of Mirae and a Moon Rabbit in that, in both lives, those around her see her less as a person and more an object.

Kosuzu definitely has a lot of differences between her human life and her Yokai life, but look at how she started out: a non-combatant who had no real practical skills that existed to basically be a friend of the people who actually got stuff done.

For better or for worse, all Reincarnations end up similar to their origins. Heck, we even get the similar dynamic in all three options here. Nuerisa is a literal outsider who doesn’t really abide by rules, Bankisa is a magician, and Nazrisa is a guile hero who uses her wits and hard work.

Of the three, I’m most interested in Marisa the hero of guile, skill, and hard work. Marisa the outsider/outcast is never really relevant, and Marisa the Magician is overdone.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

We already had a turtle, a bunny, a bird, and a fox. Every Immaterial Child so far has been some manner of beast youkai. The concept is starting to get stale. I say we inject some variety into this and pick a non-beast youkai to spice things up a bit.

Besides, being from the outside world will give Marisa a better understanding of outside world science. She will eventually regain her memories, and her knowledge of magic along with it. Just imagine the chaos she could cause by augmenting her magic with science. Magical explosions that comply with the laws of physics instead of working against them, allowing for more destructive power than ever before!

>>212610
Just being a little technical, but isn't the Nue a chimera? Head of a monkey, tiger's limbs, body of a tanuki, and a snake for a tail. I know Houjuu Nue isn't really a "beast" but I'm kinda going off of how the Nue is originally depicted in legends.

"Which animal youkai are you Marisa?"

Marisa: yes

>>212610
hate to pile on the "um, actually" wagon but I just want to point out that it irks me a little with the argument that they're all just animals.
Reimu is a Dragon. Akyuu is a completely different species from Earth Rabbits. Kosuzu is a Kitsune, not just some random fox. (Youmu is kind of just a bird I won't argue over her)

It'd be like saying Reimu/Youmu had no non-animal picks because she would've been a Crow Tengu, and Youmu would've been a Wolf Tengu, Or calling the potential Vampire Akyuu a bat.
Focusing on the animal features and not the mythical bits kinda misses the point imo.

(besides, there are only so many youkai species among touhou, a bunch of them cannot reproduce, like tsukumogami, and a majority of the others have at least some animal qualities. the only ones that really stand out to me as having none are Oni, Magicians, Generic Youkai, Yuki-onnas, and Rokurokubi.)

I also just really dislike the Outsider one. We're basically giving up on ever being stellar at magic with it. Even if we studied a bunch ASAP, Marisa's memories are basically patchwork. We'd get some fundamentals, but look at all those underlines. Magic takes years to learn, and we've probably lost quite a few. At best, we waste a ton of time getting back up to the tier the other two are at. It's my subjective opinion, but I'd really rather have an origin who does have magical ability.

Originally, a nue was a kind of bird. Nowadays is either a chimera of different animals (which animals change depending on the story you're reading) or a shapeshifter.

According to wikipedia:

"The monster in the Heike Monogatari, in the end, was merely "something that cries with the voice of a nue, its true nature unknown", and was not given a name. But nowadays, this particularly famous monster is usually identified as a "nue".

In a derived sense the word "nue" is also used to refer to entities of unknown true form."

>>212613
Pretty much this. Like, Marisa the magician may be overdone, but it’s overdone for a reason. Magic is Marisa’s primary motivator and her first love. Practically everything she does is in service of learning magic. Throwing all that away feels antithetical to Marisa as a person.

As for the other two? Bankirisa is in a similar boat, where she aimed for the traditional magical path instead of blazing her own way, which doesn’t sit right with me. Marisa does her own thing, and refuses to let others dictate what she does.

And Nazrisa? This stays the most true to Marisa as a person. She lives by her own rules, and still has her magic. Sure, she loses some potential, but isn’t her relative lack of magical potential the reason she uses the Mini-Hakkero in the first place? Marisa has never been about just having overwhelming innate raw power, she’s been about leveraging every single scrap of knowledge and preparation to her advantage.

Giving up that sort of underdog energy feels like a betrayal of Marisa as a character. I’m sure Gooboi can make it work, but Marisa giving up her knowledge of magic for anything doesn’t sit right with me.

>>212613
If we're going to be specific, Youmu is a hell raven, with the possibility of being an avatar of Yatagarasu. Not your run-of-the-mill raven.
(I just find funny that you defend the others so fiercely and then "and Youmu is just a bird", the disrespect!)

Banki Marisa feels like a previous creature

>>212616
Also thank you Kosu for defending Youmu!! She's more than just a bird!!!

>>212617

*Precious creature

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
I'm sorry, Magician. I'd vote for you, but you're just too far behind at this point, so I'm you with my second best pick.

[X] The Red-headed Village Magician

>>212617
>>212598
nice art!

Seeing Nuerisa's drawing made me smile when I saw it

also the logo for this arc

>>212616
You're right. I'm sorry, Youmu, you don't deserve the vile shade I threw at you.

>>212617
I adore each and every one of your drawings. Thank you for your services.

>>212621
Always lovely seeing your logos! Looks great. I love the gradient too, and how it covers all three potential hair colors.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{Black}

>>212598
Nuenis censored

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

{X} Blue

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Black

Fire burn and cauldron bubble, black on white spells nought but trouble.

I cannot resist Jojorisa.

Also I keep missing the updates on this from the platform smh.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
I sort of just want to push this vote as far as it can go.

>>212563
> Nuerisa was the last to be decided of the three, and the one that replaced a potential double-up option in my big post a while back. The previous candidate for the role would be way, way too harsh on marisa if picked - not least of all because, due to having so few memories, she'd start out illiterate.
Upon settling 90% of the design for her, we started joking that she looks like a digimon protagonist. so naturally, we gave her a set of goggles to match.

So Nuerisa summons Yokai to beat up her opponents.

10000% IQ.

I am also someone who wants to challenge the character, make them look for new ways forward rather than just continue from their life as a human. I do trust that they remain fundamentally themselves, even if who they are has to be expressed differently. I also, frankly, do not care whether she ends up strong or weak in itself – this isn’t a video game, victory means finding a satisfying ending more than winning fights, and Gooboi will certainly give us paths to victory on any route.

So I’m trying to muse more on how I feel about these scenarios for Marisa thematically and what challenges they give her. I can only make my own speculation, but...

I as well think Mouserisa ultimately seems most similar to her past life. Which did admittedly have a good arc, even if as stated continuing that is not my own preference. She was already a weak creature working hard to find ways to make herself strong. If anything, I almost feel like the difficulty here would be frustration at *not* getting more out of her youkai rebirth, especially when she has to stand short next to someone like Kosuzu, who was a pretty helpless civilian before and has now hit the absolute jackpot. Also it would be funny if Marisa ends up Buddhist-aligned when she meets up with Reimu again.

Bankirisa is a very interesting scenario because it feels so personal. She’d be near her previous family, which is a complicated sack of worms that she probably won’t like confronting. She has all-new incentives to keep a low profile and exercise caution, so she can’t build herself up as the big flashy lasers and explosions lady. So her self-image and self-portrayal are at issue, and she has to tap into and/or face parts of herself that she doesn’t prefer. A more intimate drama, maybe; all versions of her change in some ways while staying the same in others, but this one almost seems to have moved *backwards* in a few. On the lighter side, head puns are very fun.

Nuerisa, then, seems more like a challenge to Marisa’s worldview, her interests and values outside herself. She’ll start out in the most dramatically different place living a much different lifestyle... Heck, if she’s in the outside world maybe she’ll find all the modern tech stuff she used to be curious about passe! And she’s powerful, but the nature of that power is drastically different from anything she used to pursue, so she needs to cultivate a whole new relationship to it. Even though they’re all youkai, this one still feels the most inhuman, which is interesting for someone who really clung to her humanity in her previous life... though again she has to give up humanity now regardless.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
{X} Yellow

But also consider:

Nue-mama.

I rest my case.

>>212630
There is a counter-counter argument I must suggest:
Burying yourself in the warm fuzzy fur of Shou and hugging her and telling her surely she'll be in the next game.

[ X ] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
{ X } No favorite color

>>212615

>Magic is Marisa’s primary motivator and her first love. Practically everything she does is in service of learning magic. Throwing all that away feels antithetical to Marisa as a person.

Don't wanna be too rough on this, but I feel like your view of Marisa's character is rather... superficial. Marisa's whole thing isn't just about winning through magic, it's about winning through her own hard work. When there's a goal she had in mind, no matter the odds, she will eventually reach it. That's the appeal of Outsider Marisa. How would she overcome the challenges in her way without any magic? How long would it take for her to reach the mastery she had in her previous life? Will she eventually give up on her magic or will she stay determined to gain her power again? In my opinion, this option have the most drawback of all the other three, which is why it's so interesting.

This is the underdog option.

>>212630
Counterpoint: Bankimama.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder.

The way I see the three choices, they scale in strength and how similar they are to Marisa's previous life.

As a Nue, Marisa could have more raw potential and strength, but it's the most outlandish of the three lives, even taking her outside of Gensokyo. It could be the one that leads to most mental conflict or confusion.

As a rokurokubi/nukekubi magician, Marisa still has some of that, but is in a somewhat lesser position, living undercover in the Human village. Something of a middling ground between strength and a familiar scenario, and why I personally chose it.

And as a nezumi, she's the most similar to her previous life, scavenging and finding ways to overcome her inherent weaknesses as a human, in this case, a nezumi. However, she's also the weakest of the three lives, so conflict would likely come from physical conflict.

>>212549

Seems like the 'banki Marisa is out. With that in mind, gonna switch to my 2nd preference.

[UNDO] The Red-headed Village Magician
[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

>>212632

I mean you could make a similar argument for all three forms of Marisa. Each one is giving up something that helps make Marisa as effective as she could potentially be, and all three have to overcome a fairly large hurdle to get back to form.

Nuerisa is the only one who isn't practicing Magic at the start, but that will mostly amount to being behind on Magic Practicals rather than losing any of the Knowledge she actually has. Rebuilding this base, as well as getting ahold over whatever Power over the Unknown that she recieves, is going to be her main conflict.

Banikirisa's issue is likely going to be the conflict between her Memories and her current life, as she is about as orthodox of a Magician as possible, something that makes Marisa less effective overall as her two lives conflict more on how to approach problems. Her conflict in this one, other than interacting with her family, is rectify the difference between an Average Magician and the Ordinary Magician.

Nazrisa's issue likely is instead going to be more rebuilding her base in general, and any interpersonal issues it leads to when she is comparing herself to the other IC. While I generally don't like comparing Stage boss tiers to power, its hard to deny that the difference between a stage 1 boss like Nazrin and a stage 4+ boss relationship that every single one of the other IC ended up with. Marisa's reward for remaining like herself is a conflict around reliving her Hard Work v Talent narrative on hard mode.

or, to summarize it as >>212635 did, the three trials being faced by Marisa could be of integration/learning (Nuerisa), personality conflict (Banikirisa), and weakness (Nazrisa). All three couldn't manage a proper Master Spark to start (and incidentally, makes the final Spell Card vote very funny as there is a 100% chance we try to do so anyway).

>>212633

Look, I love mamas as much as the rest, but I would actually like Marisa to have a more sisterly-relationship with all three of the options. It levels out the power balance a bit more and gives a more unique narrative compared to the other IC.

>>212632
Word up. In another world she'd be Iron Man but girl and blonde.
Seriously, they both zip around, shoot lasers, and have an emphasis on offense.

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

We haven't even hit autosage yet.

>>212632
You raise a good point. I still prefer Nazrisa, but Nuerisa does hold a bit more interest to me than Bankisa, because why bother retaining magical knowledge of you’re living a life dictated by the expectations of others?

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder.

Does anyone know what's the updated vote count?

>>212641
Is that not precisely what makes it interesting?

Character interest is built on disparity, tension, and conflict. One of the things that make Sanae, for instance, interesting is that she's used to being special in the Outside World, and in Gensokyo, she's really not.

Nuerisa challenges a bunch of key parts of Marisa's identity, and the idea of her figuring out what she can reconcile amd what she has to give up is interesting. "Self-made" was always a bit of a stretch for someone who was lucky enough to be born into a magical world, to be raised in a wealthy family, to have a magician as powerful as Mima for a teacher, and to have a family friend like Rinnosuke looking out for her, but it's completely untenable if she's born as a youkai with immense in-born power. Likewise, being an Outsider, with the path foward as a magician blocked by an accident of birth, where she can work twice as hard and get an eighth as far, challenges it from another angle.

Bankirisa challenges the freedom aspect of her identity. What if she wasn't in a situation where she could just flout expectations as easily? How does she adapt to live with being someone who can't just run away to chase her dreams and can't just not bother with trying to pass for normal?

Then I'm sure Nazrisa has something hidden up her sleeve, but I'm just not interested enough to want to find out. As is, I find it lacks texture. It's something that largely "fits" with Marisa as she was before. I don't see very easily how it changes or challenges her. I, personally, don't see the appeal.

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Black

>>212644
going by the latest tallyanon tally, I believe it is
[45] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
[27] The Red-headed Village Magician
[42] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

I think Banki is unfortunately probably out of the count at this point, with an 18 vote deficit. (Unless a bunch of people decided to do a last minute undo, I guess.) I respect the people who aren't settling for their second best pick, though!

Still too close to tell between the other two, though. There's been a surprising trickle of votes for them even now- I'd honestly have assumed most people would have already voted.

I'm curious how the votes would fall if we had another "tiebreaker" like we did between Nekosuzu and Kitsuzu, but I'd understand if Gooboi's fine just settling for whichever one gets the slight majority.

>>212647
[46] outside worlder votes now. ambushed by yet another vote. this story has bigger reach than I thought, clearly.

>>212648
All me btw

>>212500
Since my first choice is unlikely to win at this point...
[UNDO] The Red-headed Village Magician
[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

>>212649
"Officer Kotohime reporting! We've received reports of voter fraud, and are investigating. Hey, swarm of the same person holding multiple votes, have you seen anything?"

>>212645

Nazrisa's texture arguably could be about the selfishness of Marisa's lifestyle as well, as if the IC know that they had some influence over what Youkai life they reincarnated into, why would Marisa chose a Nezumi of all things, especially when all of Gensokyo is on the line. But I would 100% agree that its conflict seems more to be with its interactions with the other IC rather than Marisa actually looking to change herself, and I suspect it would instead be Nazrisa's bizarre adventure to cobble together the equipment she needs to recover her "Ordinary Magician" status.

Going by Gooboi's comments on the issues each Marisa has with Master Spark, Nazrisa's flaw is that she is just too weak to pull one off, which I feel at least signals that Nazrisa is mostly a simpler story about getting the power needed to actually contribute as a IC, and what that means relative to the other IC. It would also make Marisa following Kosuzu have the additional texture of being in opposite situations, as Kosuzu went from weakest to the strongest or second strongest in raw power, Marisa going from second to dead last would be an interesting contrast.

Ultimately I am fine with all three possibilities, and TBH I somewhat am sad about missing out on the additional perspective on what Human Village life is like as a Zoo run by the Tengu that Bankirisa would allow (though I suspect Reimu will reassert some autonomy once she gets settled in, and a irate Reimu causing chaos should be fun regardless.)

[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder
{X} Lime Green

>>212576

[UNDO] The Red-headed Village Magician
[X] The Unknown Outside-Worlder

[UNDO] Red
[X] Red

Having read the arguments, I'm feeling the call of the unknown much stronger now. Plus Marisa having lived a drasticly different live, but unlike Aykuu without having remembered anything, feels intriguing. It's actually even larger then difference then what Aykuu had. gensokyo and the moon have a lot more in common when it comes to culture then the outside world, especially if she grew up in a major city. A powerful youkai hiding out in a human dominant society, perhaps making past the barrier into a world where she's free to be herself, only to finally remember who she really was, and how to mix those parts of herself? Lot's of story potential there!

Calling it now, Marisa's hobbies in the outside world is to pretend to be bigfoot, a UFO or, the loch ness monster, but when someone points a camera at her she makes herself look blurry so their photo quality looks like ass and so no one believes them

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

>>212647
I don't obsessively check this story for updates. I check it like every few days

>>212654
Does it even count as an undo if you pick the same color you did the first time?

>>212651
You'll never catch me!!!

[Unidentified "Onion Routing"]

>>212656

Probably not, but I don't know how the votes are counted on this site. I assume it's by hand. In which case, it's probably easier to have the reminder and not over count my votes. And if they don't need the help or have a program for it, then it's just funny. Funny is still good.

>>212659
I count it by hand, but you don't need to undo & redo your color vote if it's the same.
:3

Banki voters start changing vote to your second favorite choice. Lol. Make this as close and chaotic as possible. It'll be funny.

wouldn't it be even better and more chaotic if Banki voters start a rally to gain more voice instead?

>>212662
Perhaps, but the deficit is huge right now, and any votes you're getting at this point are realistically going to have to be from Undo's.

I guess the choice for second is subjective, but if you're interested in Marisa as a character (as she is in Timeline B) or as a magician, Mouse is closer, while if you're interested in raw power or the non animal argument (I still don't really get that one tbh) you go for the Nue option.

>>212512
[UNDO] The Red-headed Village Magician
[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

No opinion on color.

Come on! Let's make it a tie!

>>212663
ngl the Nue option can have good potential for her development as a magician too. I think It can be a test for Marisa on whether her will to be a magician is strong enough to still pursue her magic studies, even when she has a strong alternate raw power to consider

[UNDO] The Red-headed Village Magician
[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler

Sorry to undo my vote again, and I'm truly sorry to Bankirisa's supporters but her chances are pretty slim now. I'll shift my vote towards the second place to see if Nazrisa can make a comeback or if she will end up falling short.
Makes the finish line more exciting.

I'm going to sleep now, can't wait to see who wins!
See ya!

Found this story through some art on tumblr, and read through it all! Amazingly written stuff. Loved it!

[X] The Mousy, Freewheeling Traveler
[X] I like a Dark Orange a lot. Not fully brown but close.

I want to see Marisa scrounging around for mushrooms. It's enrichment for her.