>>72
>* LucasArts > Sierra. Figure that one out yourselves.

So, wait... that means no stupid deaths that we never could have predicted, right?

sweet.

ITT, we hit on everybody EXCEPT Sanae.

Behind you, the taxi's engine pitch catches and resumes as the gears shift, finding its way back down the road into town. Ahead, the dirt road dead-ends, merging into an old path too narrow for a car, curving up and around the large hill to the old shrine at the back. Well, presumably. Can't see it from this side, but you don't guess the old man at the tobacco store wouldn't have had much reason to lie about the place. It does seem almost deliberately hard-to-reach, so small wonder if it'd be as run-down as he said. Whatever, you've come all the way out here now, so you shoulder your backpack start up the path to see for yourself.

Trudging up the slight incline, your mind wanders back. It's been about a year now since you dropped out of college and took up this initiative for self-study in Japan. School and you have never gotten along well, and the university proved no exception. It didn't help that all the Japanese language and culture courses were chock full of those insufferable "otaku" geeks; try as you might, you just couldn't stand that crowd. And the classes were boring, anyway. So, you took what remained of your financial aid and what money your parents had sent, left the college, and took the cheapest plane you could find to Tokyo. Never a fan of big cities, either, you left it behind as soon as you could and started meandering across the country. This way, you learned more by a month of immersion than you did the whole year of college study; now, you're seriously considering recovering your losses by writing a book about the unbeaten paths in this country. Local dialects, festivals, tucked-away temples... whatever comes, you don't regret your decision. Hard times, perhaps, but a year well lived.

Sudden shortness of breath breaks your reverie. When did this path get so steep? Squinting your eyes against the light, you stop and gaze back down, then up the hill. No, it doesn't seem any steeper here than it has been, or likely will be. Then why are you so winded? You don't smoke near enough to affect you this badly (that pack you bought yesterday could easily last you a month, maybe two), and the physical labor jobs that've kept you fed have also kept you in pretty good shape...

Wait, there's something more. This light. Too glaring to just be the sun. It's like a lamp being focused on you. You move one hand up to shade your eyes and check its position, but stop midway through the action, noticing the trail of sparks that follow your fingers through the air. More than that, moving your arm up feels more like it's moving through a heavy blanket rather than empty space. You try moving ahead, but your legs meet the same sort of easy resistance, and it only gets harder with each step.

This is all too wrong. Your breathing gets heavier as panic starts setting in. Something must be wrong with you, but you can't think what. You haven't eaten anything unusual. Aside from your cigarettes and making friends with the odd bartender, you've lived your life fairly clean, so it can't be some drug flashback. Must be something medical. Affecting motor and vision, probably something in the brain. You're no doctor, but it can't be good. Town's too far. Have to make it to the shrine for help. You try to force yourself into a run...

...that turns out to be a mistake. The resistance in the air suddenly returns your movement back on you, amplified. It feels like you're being struck from every angle at once, all over your body. You stumble and begin to fall laboriously, the ground rising slowly to meet you. The light intensifies, spilling through your eyes and filling your head, blanking out ev

>>72
>For simplicity's sake, the only "route" for the first playthrough will be Sanae.

But /shrine/'s only route is Reimu, so yeah.

>For simplicity's sake, the only "route" for the first playthrough will be Sanae.
THANK YOU A FUCKING LOT
Let's NOT do like in /shrine/, shall we?

Nice, Moriya Shrine LA.
A Sanae is fine too for the first time. Give us some more infos about what characters there will be and who will be possible to get.

Your eyes open slowly. You're lying face-down on the ground, presumably just as you fell, one arm underneath you; the pins-and-needles sensation in it tells you that you've been lying like this for some time now. You roll over and sit up, blinking. Whatever was affecting you earlier seems to have passed, now, so that's good news. All the same, you decide as you climb to your feet, you'd better just stop at the shrine long enough to call the taxi back. Have to arrange for a doctor some...

...

...what?

Where'd the path go?

Where'd the hill go?

Fuck, where ARE you?!

You spin around, taking in the sudden change of scenery. You're standing not on a path on some hill, but what seems to be an outcropping on the side of a bona fide mountain. It's large enough that you're in no danger of slipping off, but it doesn't go very far in either direction around. Gazing up the mountain, you can't quite see the top; peering down, you can only just see the bottom. Looking out, the scenery has changed completely: foothills rolling out for a while, then woods merging into a dense forest, no sign of civilization that you can see. Questions swim through your brain, threatening to block out everything else.

[] Climb up, maybe the shrine's still there somewhere.
[] Climb down, get off this thing and find someone.
[] Sit down for a while, try to concentrate.

>>77
ITT: Butthurt Suwakofags

if it's going to be single-character-only, then let's keep the first playthrough short, shall we?

we haven't cleared even a single VN yet.

[X] Sit down for a while, try to concentrate.
Think first, then act.

[x] Sit down for a while, try to concentrate.

[] Climb down, get off this thing and find someone.

>>80
What
My favorite's Sanae. Was that sentence not explicit enough? Don't get me wrong, I was thanking the author for his choice.

[X] Sit down for a while, try to concentrate.

>>85
Oh.

Well, you have to admit it looked a lot like sarcasm in that post.

>>81
>we haven't cleared even a single VN yet.
TS reached a True End, so yeah.

>>81
Now that you mention it, that is true. MiG is nearing its end.

Climbing up means going straight to the shrine?
Climbing down means meeting someone like Hina and Yuka or Momiji?

[X] Climb up, maybe the shrine's still there somewhere.

Sitting down in the middle of nowhere, when we have no idea what the surroundings contain and have just been injured?

Yeah, I'm going with no.

>>73
More or less. BAD END is still possible, but not as prevalent. Still quite possible to fuck shit up, though, so don't be too reckless. But don't be too cautious, either. Damn, I'm not really much help at all, am I?

>>76 >>77
Hey, hey, now. You want to hit on Nitori or Kanako or whoever, give it a shot. Might even work, who knows. I'm just saying, the only real GOOD END, *for the moment*, is Sanae.

>>78
Interaction of various levels will be possible with the whole Mountain gang, as pictured above.

>>87
Sometimes I can't really have the "natural" feeling in my posts. My english is still a bit lacking, since it's not my first language, but I can read it perfectly.

>>92
I THINK HE MEANT THE CAPS LOCK IN YOUR POST MADE IT LOOK SARCASTIC.

>>85 >>92
Ah, sorry. I misunderstood, as well. Really have to get in the habit of reloading the page before I post shit, too, it takes me so long to write. But no matter.

>>92
No biggie. Even some people who grew up speaking the language sound funny over the internet (myself included).

[] Sit down for a while, try to concentrate.

Light a cigarette

>>91
Momiji fuck yes, straight towards yiff end.

[x] Sit down for a while, light up a cigarette.

Looks like a sitdown is in order. Writing.

>>99
Just no smoking.

Aimless traveler. Mystic lands. Smoker.

Gingkonomous?

>>100
Why not? We must impress these primitive Youkai with our superior Earth technology.

>>102
We gonna roll up some leaves and smoke em once we out of cigarettes?

This is too much. This is just too Goddamned much. You take off your backpack and sit down, placing your back against the mountain and your pack beside you. Reaching into one pocket, you take out the pack of cigarettes and your lighter. Gotta relax. Gotta think.

Drawing out the first stick with trembling fingers, you place it between your lips. Okay, so. Last you knew, you were in middle-of-nowhere Japan, climbing a hill. You flick the flint on the lighter. Weird shit started happening, hallucinations and motor issues. You flick the flint on the lighter. You collapsed and passed out, and woke up here some time later, except here is not where you were. You flick the flint on the lighter. Most obvious answer is, someone found you passed out and brought you here. Except, there were no mountains near where you were. You flick the flint on the lighter. It still looks to be about mid-morning, so if you've been moved, which you MUST have been, it took whoever did it at least a day to do so. You flick the flint on the lighter. That's just ridiculous. Who'd pick up a stranger collapsed on a path and carry them who knows how far just to dump them on the side of a mountain? What's to gain from that? You flick the flint on the lighter. FUCK, what is WRONG with this thing!" You flick the flint on the lighter. Just make a flame, God damn it, that's the only thing you're for! You flick the flint on the lighter. You flick the flint. You flick. Flick. Flick. FLICK. FLICK FLICK FLICK FLICK FLICK

Growling in frustration, you throw the useless object away from you and watch it sail away past the outcropping and on down the mountain.

...brilliant. You beat the back of your head against the mountain, half expecting your dense skull to crack it open, and stare up at the sky. The now all but useless cigarette hangs on to your lip, mostly out of habit.

[] Fuck it. Climb up after all.
[] Climb down, maybe you can find it again.
[] Cry.

===

Will try to lessen the wall-of-text aspect soonish. Also, slow progression is slow, but things'll start moving soon.

>>103
>(that pack you bought yesterday could easily last you a month, maybe two)

[x] Fuck it. Climb up after all.
LOUSY EARTH TECHNOLOGY.

>>97
[x] Fuck it. Climb up after all.

Let's get this wagon train a-movin'.

[X] Fuck it. Climb up after all.

Crying's for wimps, and going down won't get us any decent information. Up, up to the top! Where we can survey everything!

>>104
It's good so far
[X] Fuck it. Climb up after all.

[] Fuck it. Climb up after all.

[X] Fuck it. Climb up after all.
Hope we won't fall down.

[x] Climb down, maybe you can find it again.

Futile, but this is what I would do.

Hell. No getting it back now, no sense crying about it. You put the cigarette back in the pack, and the pack back in your bag. Maybe they're not much good to you without the lighter, but you don't feel like throwing anything else away until you're certain you can at least replace it later.

Standing up, you shift your gaze upwards again. The top of this mountain is still beyond your vision, but maybe there's something up there. A better view of the surroundings, anyway. At the very least, you'll have climbed a mountain for the first time in your life. Picking up your backpack, you slip both arms through the straps and take a deep breath. Letting it out, you find a foothold in the cliff face and push yourself up, grasping jutting rocks in each hand. Pulling yourself up by these, you repeat the process, inching your way up the mountain.

The cliff is not a straight 90-degrees up by any means, but steep enough to earn its name. Without any gear or safety measures, you take it as slowly and easily as you can. You're not sure how far you've gone, since you don't dare look down, or how long you've been climbing, but the grade seems to be leveling out to a point. Of course, that may just be wishful th--

"HALT, INTRUDER!!"

You freeze in place, flattening yourself against the cliff. You look up, but can see no-one, and nowhere for them to stand. Whipping your head around to either side shows the same; just a cliff, no signs of any life capable of shouting at you. More hallucinations?

"IDENTIFY YOURSELF!!"

No, there it was again. Someone's definitely addressing you, sounds like from... behind?" Cautiously, you turn your head as far as you dare, and try to keep your grip from what you see.

Hovering - HOVERING - in the air behind you is a man in a loose white shirt and a red-black patterned hakama. In one hand is a metal shield, decorated with a maple leaf; the other hand is only just caught in your peripheral vision, but seems to hold a large, curved sword. Long black hair hangs down his back. His back... something about it bothers you, but you can't put your finger on what. Something about his head, too. Maybe if you could get a clearer look at him, but... no way, not worth the risk.

"I REPEAT! IDENTIFY YOURSELF!"

[] "Y... you're flying."
[] "You first."
[] "Uh... ok."

(If #3, suggest a name or something. If you'd rather just leave it blank, that's fine, too. Again, sorry I'm so slow.)

[] "Uh... ok."

Just go with anon.

[] "Uh... ok."

My name is Cu Chulainn.

>>115
Seconding Cu Chulainn
[X] "Uh... ok."

[x] "Uh... ok."

My name is Cu Chulainn, legendary Celtic Hero.

[ ] "Uh... ok. My name is Cu Chulainn. Are you my master?"

>For simplicity's sake, the only "route" for the first playthrough will be Sanae.

Sounds good to me. Especially after losing her in MiG (you fucking idiots), this should help ease the DESPAIR.

What's her apparent age in this story? It seems to vary wildly in fanart.

[] Fuck it. Climb up after all.

[X] "Uh... ok."

Anything but Cu Chulainn.

>>120

Crap. I'm slowpoke.

[x] "Uh... ok."
Fifthing Cu Chulainn so we can get on with the story.

Going with...

[] "Uh... ok."

My name is Cu Chulainn.

Do we get a spear if we go with this?

fuck yes Lancer.

[X] "Uh... ok. My name is Cu Chulainn, legendary Celtic hero."

[X] "Uh... ok."

My name is Ginkgo.

[ ] Chicken with polenta, and a few peppers and onions to add more flavor.

"Uh... ok," you manage to stammer out. Whoever or whatever he is, he pretty clearly means business. Still, it manages to cross your brain that giving him your real name might not be such a hot idea. Better think of something to give him, though.

"My name is... Cu Chulainn."

...wait, WHAT? Cu Chulainn... from the Celtic legend? What the fuck made you think of that, of all things?

"All right, Chulainn." (He bought that?! Maybe he doesn't know the legend, but it still doesn't sound very realistic. Still, he didn't even blink, and you're not about to correct him.) "What is your business on our mountain?"

[] "I don't know. I don't even know how I got here."
[] "Honestly, I'm just trying to find a way out of here."
[] "My business is my own."

[] "I don't know. I don't even know how I got here."
[] "Honestly, I'm just trying to find a way out of here."

[X] She mentioned dessert, right? Why not make a cake?

[X] "I don't know. I don't even know how I got here."

Hopefully everyone just shortens our name to Cu, or something.

[x] "I don't know. I don't even know how I got here."
[x] "Honestly, I'm just trying to find a way out of here."

It fits together so well!

>>119
16 or 17. On the subject, our dear Mr. Chulainn is about 21.

[x] "I don't know. I don't even know how I got here."

>>131

They can call us Cuch. Pronounced Cooch.

[X] "I don't know. I don't even know how I got here."
[X] "Honestly, I'm just trying to find a way out of here."

>>128


[x] "I don't know. I don't even know how I got here."
[x] "Honestly, I'm just trying to find a way out of here."

you accept multiple choices, right?

>>127
>>130

Wrong thread.

[X] "Honestly, I'm just trying to find a way out of here."

>>136
Write-ins and multiple choices accepted, provided they make sense, yeah.

>>135
Heh. Think I may just use that.

>>137
Kinda what I figured. Multiple tabs, etc.

>>140

They posted their answers in Border, if you haven't guessed.

>>127
>>130
GOD DAMN IT YUKARI.

>>141
I had, thanks.

Counting #1 and #2 as joint winners:

===

Business?

"I don't know. I don't even know how I got here," you answer, repositioning your grip on the rock. "Honestly, I'm just trying to find a way out of here."

The man scoffs. "Trying to find your way off a mountain by climbing further UP it? Not very bright, are you?" Now that he mentions it, that does sound kind of stupid. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

"And on top of that, I'm to believe you just suddenly appeared here." He shakes his head. "Not good enough, sir. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me for questioning."

At this, he turns and floats away at a walking pace to the right, apparently heading around the mountain.

[] "H-hey, wait! I can't fly!"
[] Don't say anything. Wait until he's out of sight, then...

[ ] Beam with pride, and brag about the cake.

[x] "H-hey, wait! I can't fly!"

[X] "H-hey, wait! I can't fly!"

[x] "H-hey, wait! I can't fly!"

Well, we can't.

Damnit, Chunonymous, Belmonymous, Nanayamous, and Futanonymous can't fly. Can any non-touhou fly?

>>144

Not again. Are they doing this on purpose? Seriously.

>>144
Cake, lie, etc.

Also, [X] "H-hey, wait! I can't fly!"

[X] Don't say anything. Wait until he's out of sight, then...
[X] JUMP

[X] "H-hey, wait! I can't fly!"
Some Fag guy, where is my Momiji?

You turn your head around to watch him go. Does he expect you to scuttle over there across the cliff? Or...

"H-hey, wait!" You call after him, "I can't fly!"

He stops and turns around. "What?" Pause. "What are still doing there?"

"I said, I can't fly!"

He frowns and moves in closer to you. Now you see what was bugging you about his head before: sticking out of the hair on top of his head are two pointed, triangular ears, covered in fur the same black as the hair. Any doubt as to their authenticity vanishes when they both turn towards you. This is a man with dog ears. Actual dog ears. By extension, some corner of your mind reasons that what you noticed on his back was probably a dog's tail. The rest of your mind, though, is following your body's lead and cringing as far back as it can manage, as this freakish flying dog-man leans in close and sniffs at you.

"Human," he pronounces, eyes widening, then narrowing, then widening again. "You're a normal human."

You throat gulps, then manages to produce an affirmative-sounding squeak.

Eyes still wide, the "man" (just think of him as that, it'll be easier) crosses his arms, shield covering his chest, sword tucked under the opposite arm, and stares at you. "This is... quite unprecedented. Humans know better than to come up here, and those few who try never make it THIS far." He reaches up with his shield-bearing hand and strokes his chin. "Right. I'm definitely going to have to take you in now. Hold still."

The man vanishes behind you. You hold yourself as still as you can, tensing up at the sound of metal-on-metal. No blade in the back, though, just two hands under your armpits to support you. "Let go of the cliff, sir, I've got you now." Shaking, you decide to just go along with it for now and let go. Gravity kicks in, and your lower half drops, but remains attached to your upper half, which is held by the apparently-stronger-than-he-looks "man". A sudden "oof!" from him and a short drop in altitude starts you panicking again.

"You're... heavier than you appear," he mutters. "Hang on." The cliff passes before your eyes up and to the left, until you reach another, smaller outcropping, on which he deposits you. You turn around and back against the mountain as far as you can go. The "man", his sword now sheathed somehow behind his shield, reaches into the sleeve of his shirt and takes out a small whistle. He seems to blow a pattern into it, but you hear nothing. Replacing the whistle, he crosses his arms again and just floats in place. "Won't be long now, sir."

[] Wait quietly.
[] "...you said, 'your mountain' earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"
[] "...so, uh, what's your name, then?"

[] "...you said, 'your mountain' earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"

[x] "...you said, 'your mountain' earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"

Time to display our total lack of knowledge about Gensokyo.

[X] "...you said, 'your mountain' earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"

The lack of spaces in your selection boxes make them incredibly claustrophobic.

[X] "...you said, 'your mountain' earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"

>>152
[X] Jump back and ready your sword.

[O] "...you said, 'your mountain' earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"

>>158

Someone's tabs are off.

[X] "...you said, 'your mountain' earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"

The More You Know!

>>160
They can't be off anymore. Expect this to continue for looong time.

[x] "...so, uh, what's your name, then?"
It's not fair that he knows we're the god damn Lancer and we've got nothing on him.

>>158

Border's to the left.
I'm starting to think this is intentional.

>>162

At very least it's helpful in telling me that another page is worth the effort of refreshing.

[X] "...you said, 'your mountain' earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"
Are we not pathetic. Caught by the Tengu Mountain Patrol, and most of all carried by a man, not even a women.

[x] Wait quietly.

Silence hangs in the air, making you even more nervous than you already are. You have to break it with something before you snap. Clearing your throat, you raise a question that's been bugging you.

"You said, 'your mountain', earlier. Whose mountain, exactly?"

The "man" continues watching you impassively. "Our mountain, of course. The tengu's." A slight pause, then: "And the kappa's."

You blink, several times, trying to process this. "Tengu... and kappa? But, that's ridiculous. They don't exist outside of stories."

"Is that a fact, sir." Not a question. You take the hint and keep your mouth shut.

You haven't much longer to wait, anyway. Another person flies up from below and stops next to the "man". This one has the same... um, accoutrements, and is dressed in a similar manner, but is quite clearly female. It's not just the patterned skirt in place of hakama that tips you off, though; save for the ears and tail (white rather than black), she's quite attractive. Hell, in spite of them, really.

"Sorry it took so long," she says, glancing you over before turning to the man. "What's the trouble?"

[ ] Let the man explain it.
[ ] Offer your story first.
[ ] Introduce yourself cordially.

[ ] “Retreating, Miss Half-ghost?”

[X] Introduce yourself cordially.
[X] Offer your story first.

Don't want that guy getting any of the details wrong.

[ ] Offer your story first.
[ ] Introduce yourself cordially.

[X] Introduce yourself cordially.
[X] Offer your story first.

I can't decide, so I'll just go with this.

>>169
..... Oi.

Whoops, meant to include a picture with that one, seeing as how we have an actual character, now. Well, I'm sure you all know what she looks like, but here she is, anyway.

[x] Introduce yourself cordially.
[x] Offer your story first.
We know much more than he does.

[X] Introduce yourself cordially.
[X] Offer your story first.

>>172
stop encouraging him

[x] Introduce yourself cordially.

[X] Introduce yourself cordially.

Best to be polite.

>>172
>>Oi.

Jewish huh?

>>178

Eh? No. Why? I thought 'Oi' was a common expression of exasperation.

>>179

It is.
Among Jewish people.

There's also the weeaboo side, but I'd like to think people here are better than that.

>>180

Ah. I didn't know that.

>>180
maybe he's british you idiot

>>182

That'd be even more embarrassing.

>>181
themoreyouknow.jpg

Hey, she's a cutie. And you're not half-bad either, if you must say so yourself. Maybe you can charm yourself an ally in this stew you've landed in.

You stand up and, still supporting yourself by gripping the stone behind you, manage a polite bow. "Hello, miss. My name is... Cu Chulainn," you say, catching yourself on that name again. Jesus, could you have thought of anything more ridiculous to saddle yourself with?

She looks back at you and smiles slightly. Can't tell if it's working, or she's just amused at your foolishness, though. "Momiji Inubashiri," she says before turning back to (you're guessing) her partner. "What's the deal with him, then?"

"You see, Miss Inubashiri, I was..."

"Found the guy about halfway up the mountain, climbing up," the man replies, interrupting you without so much as a glance. You clamp your mouth shut with a huff. Jerk. "Says he was just trying to get down, though. Also claims he has no idea how he got here. Sounds unlikely, I know, but it would explain how he got that far without tripping the alarm."

Momiji sheathes her sword in turn and crosses her arms. "Maybe, but how does that explain how he got here in the first place?"

"Well, uh... haven't figured that part out yet."

"Hmm. So, why'd you call me up here? Just take him back to Home and make a report."

"He's heavy."

Sigh, roll of eyes. "Oh, for... fine, I'll take the left side. Don't forget the blindfold."

"Right, ma'am." The man reaches into his shirt sleeve again, this time producing a red strip of cloth.

"Blindfold?" you ask pointlessly. "What for?"

"Security reasons, sir," he states, hovering just in front of you. "You understand." You don't, actually, but he wraps the cloth around your eyes anyway, and you've sense enough not to fight back here. Two pairs of hands grasp each of your arms and lift you up again.

"Oof!" This time from Momiji. You feel yourself drifting away, carried by the two, um, tengu, you guess. "You're right, he IS heavy."

"Told you so."

"Suppose it's that pack he's got?"

"May be. Don't want to leave it behind, though, in case it's evidence."

"Hmm."

Then, silence again. You figure there's not much to be said in this position, but still, it makes you nervous.

[ ] Just keep quiet, stupid.
[ ] "Where are you taking me?"
[ ] "You can't just blindfold me like this! I have my rights!"

[z] Just keep quiet, stupid.

[X] Just keep quiet, stupid.

[X] Hum the tune to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" as they carry you.

[X] Hum the mission impossible theme.

[x] Just keep quiet, stupid.

>>189
YES.
[X] Hum the tune to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" as they carry you.

Please fit this in, somehow.

[x] Hum the tune to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" as they carry you.
GODDAMN YES.

[X] Hum the tune to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" as they carry you.

You know this is perfect.

Silence. Writing.

[x] Hum the tune to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" as they carry you.

Hell yeah.

[x] Hum the tune to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" as they carry you.

...I hope we aren't going to gain the power of humming or something.

Words are only likely to bury you deeper, so you just hang in there, no pun intended. The pair drift along, and it's hard to judge any direction or distance, making the trip seem to take forever. You realize gradually that you're humming, the tune coming up from somewhere way in the back of your mind. Unable to place it immediately, you keep humming it until you get to the "awooooo" part. The realization hits you, and you barely manage to keep yourself from busting out laughing.

"What was that, sir? Something you wish to say?" Oops! Guess a little something must've escaped, after all.

"What? Oh, uh, no, no ma'am, nothing at all."

"Hmm."

......His hair was PERFECT.

That did it. You keep it down to giggling, but that just did it. You don't even know why it's so funny, really, it just is. Besides, the laughter really feels good. Fortunately, neither of them make any comment on it.

Pretty soon, you hear a roaring noise coming from very close by. You'd probably have heard it sooner, but, well... anyway, the sound is so constant, it can't really be anything other than a waterfall. Your progress stops for a moment, and you can barely hear something squeaking over the falls, like pulleys working, and the sound changes slightly. Forward motion, and you hear the water hitting something solid above you, then the roar begins to recede slightly. Your feet touch solid ground, flat and smooth, and the hands release you with a twin "phew!". If that kind of thing keeps up, you just might consider getting insulted.

"I'll get back to patrol, then," the male voice says, and you feel a change in the air, probably from him flying away. The pulley sound again, this time coming from directly above you, and the roaring continues just as before.

A pair of feet land not far to your left, and a single hand firmly grasps your right arm. "Come on," Momizi says, walking forward and tugging on you just a bit. "This way, please." No idea where you are or where you'd even go if you run, you just let her lead you around. Through hallways, around corners; other feet heading in other directions, sometimes passing you by; snatches of conversation, other noises you can't identify. Then, finally, a door opening, and you are pushed through it, turned around, and the blindfold removed by Momizi. You blink as a reflex, but the light in here, wherever you are, is low enough that you don't really need to.

"Wait here a while, sir." Momizi backs out of the room and shuts the door, a further click locking it. You turn around and look at where you've been taken. It's a small, square room, seemingly cut right out of the living rock, though the walls and ceiling are not as rough as you'd expect. The room is bare, except for a table and two chairs, facing each other. Likely an interrogation room of some sort.

[ ] Sit at one of the chairs.
[ ] Sit on the table.
[ ] Find somewhere to hide.

[ ] Sit at one of the chairs and look for stereotypical waiting-room magazines

[z] Sit at one of the chairs.

[ ] Sit at one of the chairs.

[X] Sit on the table.

I have no need for these things you call "chairs."

>>201
"Ooh, the latest Youkai's Digest!"

>A pair of feet land not far to your left, and a single hand firmly grasps your right arm.

D'oh.

[x] Sit at one of the chairs. Look for a flame we can use to light a cigarette.

[X] Sit at one of the chairs.

>>206

We'll just agree to say she put her arm across our shoulder.

[ ] Sit at one of the chairs.

[X] Sit on the table.
I come back and have MOMIJI!
Too bad there is no Momiji good end at the moment. Well this is going to get interesting, needle time.

Glancing around the room, you don't really see any other option than to take a seat and wait, so you set your pack down on the floor and plop down in the far chair, facing the door. And you wait.

...

And wait.

...

Yawn. What's taking her so long? You stretch your legs out and lean back in the chair, staring idly at the ceiling. Thoughts roam across your mind like aimless buffalo. It occurs to you that if these walls were flint, you might be able to light up while you wait. They're not, but at least you might get some use out of that pack, after all. Of course, once that's gone... do tengu smoke?

...

Man, you wish you had something to read. Perk up: read? Hey, have you still got that news magazine in your backpack? You zip it open and are about to reach inside to check, when the door opens and Momizi finally returns, dress unchanged but sans armory, holding a sheet of paper and some kind of stylus. You also notice for the first time the small, odd-shaped, pointy red hat on her head. Was that always there? Actually, come to think of it, that guy was wearing one, too. Must be part of the uniform. Anyway, you take your hand back out of the bag and zip it up again, making a point of nonchalance.

She closes the door behind her. "Taking something out, or putting something back?"

"Neither," you decide to be straight with her. "I was going to get a magazine while I waited."

"Hmm." She seems to accept that, and sits at the chair opposite you, placing the sheet in front of her and taking the stylus in hand. "All right, then. For the record, you said before your name was...?" She pauses and rolls her eyes to look at you expectantly.

[ ] "Cu Chulainn."
[ ] "Sorry, but that was a lie before. My real name is..."

(Don't like the Chu? Here's your last chance to change it!)

[x] "Cu Chulainn."
NO

[X] "Sorry, but that was a lie before. My real name is..."

Antares.

I don't know, that star was the first thing that popped into my head.

[x] "Cu Chulainn."
Cu Chulainn is fine, fuck the haters.

[X] "Cu Chulainn."

[X] "Cu Chulainn."

Anon worked hard to get it. Why change it, niggers?

[z] "Cu Chulainn."

[ ] "Cu Chulainn."

Awesome name is awesome.

[X] "Cu Chulainn."

With a name like this, we need a spear.

[X] "Cu Chulainn."
Allright, but can we shorten it somehow?

[ ] "Cu Chulainn."

We're a dog talking to wolves. By the way, how the hell do you pronounce this? Crazy damn Celts.

[x] Kuririn
Just because all this talk of Cu Chulainn reminds me of that doujin.

>>222
With a Name like this you will die protecting a girl.

>>226

Not before killing people we hold dear and breaking self-imposed rules.

>>227

Don't forget that we'll only ever use our strongest weapon against people we'd rather not use it on.

[X] "Cu Chulainn."
WHY NOT.

>>223
how about Chuchu?

>>231
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga62uiXbEjI

>>229
It has not even started yet and youkai Anon is already a pityful human being.

>>225
...not quite sure if I want to know...

Anyway, Cu Chulainn it is.

===

"Cu Chulainn." Eh. Could do worse. He was supposed to be quite the badass.

"Mm-hmm." Using the stylus, she notes this down on the paper. You guess. Even upside-down, you can tell whatever she's writing isn't any alphabet you recognize. Maybe some kind of shorthand?

"And you claim to have no idea how you came to be on the mountain, correct?"

[ ] "That's right."
[ ] Shrug.
[ ] "It's the damnedest story, I'm telling you..."

[ ] "That's right."

>>226
Good, then we can get through with the forced Sanae route faster and get back to happy free will.

[x] "It's the damnedest story, I'm telling you..."

[X] "That's right."
Stay with the Truth.

[ ] "That's right."

[ ] "That's right."

>>236
So Chuchu will die protecting Sanae, true end?

[ ] "That's right."

>>236
vote like I plan to: hit on everyone except Sanae. it'll be fun, even if it's routeless.

[X] "That's right."

[X] "That's right."

[X] "That's right."
Next new game we have to get Momiji and make furry babies.

>>245
10%.

>>242
If we have to force play the Sanae route, why not get the best ending with her. She is more love then Reimu.

...if we get caught out in the name bit later, we should say something like "well, it's my screen name, see?" and hope the matter gets chalked up to culture difference.

[X] "That's right."

[ze] "That's right."

>>248
Or we will become the embodiment of our namesake.

The resurrection of Cu Chulainn, if you will.

>>251

Which is why we need a spear, yeah?

You know, of course, that we're gonna end up being called "Ku-chan" or something, right?

>>254
>>They can call us Cuch. Pronounced Cooch.

>>254
Ha! That's even better than Cuch!

Anyway, yeah. Writing.

>>254
we've already decided that it's going to be Chuchu.

>>247
I'd say a Sanae end after we've hit on all her friends would be better than a Sanae end all by itself.

>>257
Looks like Anon is going to be shizo about the choices. That will be fun!

>>254
Ku-chan is fine too.

>>245
We're working on that in Something Happening at Gensokyo.

Well, maybe not the babies part, but there's already been a TAIL FEEL SO GOOD h-scene.

It ended in BAD END, admittedly, but oh god, it was worth it.

>>257
Or possibly even Chucchan.

"That's right."

"Mm-hmm." More writing. She sets the stylus down, puts her arms on the table and crosses her fingers in front of her. "And you say you were trying to..."

Mid-sentence, the door opens, and another tengu walks in. This one's taller, with black hair, and no ears. She's got the same weird hat, though, a white shirt with short, poofy sleeves, and a short, frilly black skirt. Possibly just looks taller because she's walking on red geta, with a single high base. It's a wonder she can even stand in those things, let alone walk. Maybe the black wings coming out of her back help her stay balanced. You take a moment to reflect on how easily you're accepting this sort of thing now, and after such a short amount of time. A good sign? You hope so.

Momizi turns and suddenly stands upright, sending her chair clatter backwards. "Miss Shameimaru! What--"

The new tengu, Shameimaru, waves her back down with an easy expression on her face, and closes the door behind her. "Relax, Momi. I just heard about our intruder and recognized a story in the making." She takes out a small notebook and another of those styluses, and leans up against the door, smiling. "Pretend I'm not even here."

Momizi fidgets for a moment more, then pulls her chair back to the table and sits down. "V-very well," she stammers. You're no expert here, but this pretense seems to be a bit more than she can manage.

"All right, as I was saying... uh... oh, yes! You claim you were trying to leave the mountain, but our patrol found you quite clearly climbing further up it. Do you deny this?" Scratch that last observation, she's slipped right back into police mode with hardly a ripple, her hard stare boring into you.

[ ] "Er... no, I guess I don't."
[ ] "Is all this really necessary? I just want to go home."
[ ] Look to the newcomer. "You want to hear my story?"

[ X] Look to the newcomer. "You want to hear my story?"

Also, SHAMEIMARU

[X] Look to the newcomer. "You want to hear my story?"
Listen to my Story.

[ ] "Er... no, I guess I don't."

Hopefully she'll let us explain further.

[X] "No, I guess I don't. I kind of figured that getting higher up would give me a better view of my surroundings."

>>266
I like this. Seconding,

[x] "No, I guess I don't. I kind of figured that getting higher up would give me a better view of my surroundings."

[z] "No, I guess I don't. I kind of figured that getting higher up would give me a better view of my surroundings."

Write-ins are usually interesting.

[x] "No, I guess I don't. I kind of figured that getting higher up would give me a better view of my surroundings."
Thirding, so that we make ourselves look less stupid.

Those Tengu sure are nice, not even some light torture.
Chuchu needs some scar on the face or at least an eyepatch.

...suddenly I'm reminded of Catch-22, and not in a good way.

[x] "No, I guess I don't. I kind of figured that getting higher up would give me a better view of my surroundings."

[X] "No, I guess I don't. I kind of figured that getting higher up would give me a better view of my surroundings."

[x] "No, I guess I don't. I kind of figured that getting higher up would give me a better view of my surroundings."

>>271
This is kind of unrelated, but I had a thought all of a sudden--
What if you really DO fall into a doorknob? Or down the stairs?

Write-in won out. Incoming.

>>272
Never have seen that. Add it to my Netflix queue, next time I think of it.

>>276
I meant the book.

>>278
Same difference, right? Or is it one of THOSE adaptations?

But I digress.

===

You sigh. "No, I guess I don't." Momizi picks up her stylus again (and Shameimaru starts scratching away immediately), but you continue before she can write. "I kind of figured that getting higher up would give me a better view of my surroundings. I didn't mean to trespass or intrude on anything, really. I just didn't know where I was, and hoped I'd see something familiar."

"Hmm." Momizi (and Shameimaru) notes this down and looks back to you. "Which brings me nicely to my next point, your claim that you don't know--"

"Ohh, yes, the mysterious point of entry!" Shameimaru suddenly interrupts excitedly, taking a step out from the door and leaning forward towards you. "I hear you just sort popped up on our mountainside, with no idea how you got there! From this, and your clothes and belongings and such, I'd bet my lucky camera you're an outsider! Is this true?" By now, she's a step away from breathing on you. You glance back to Momizi; the irritation (probably not intended for you) on her face fades and is replaced by expectation. Guess that's the point she was getting at, too.

[ ] "I... don't exactly know. Outside of what?"
[ ] "Yeah, that's right."
[ ] "Oh, so you're a photographer?"

[ ] "I... don't exactly know. Outside of what?"

We're an Outsider.
Which means we shouldn't know what an Outsider is.
Logical choice.

[X] "I... don't exactly know. Outside of what?"

That'll definitely confirm we're an outsider.

[ ] "I... don't exactly know. Outside of what?"

[x] "Oh, so you're a photographer?"
Question with a question what can go wrong?

[x] "Yeah, that's right. By the way, if you know that much, does that mean you know I dropped my lighter? Did you find it?"

[X] "I... don't exactly know. Outside of what?"

[X] "I... don't exactly know. Outside of what?"

[x] "I... don't exactly know. Outside of what?"

I totally didn't realize what I'd done with those choices until after I'd posted it. Subliminal thingamawhatsits, I guess.

Anyway, writing.

>>279
I haven't watched it, so I can't say.
That's why I said the book, specifically.

You glance back and forth between Shameimaru and Momizi. "I... don't exactly know," you say slowly. "Outside of what?"

Momizi has hardly taken a breath before the reporter tengu breaks in. "Outside of the border, of course! Outside of Gensokyo! Oh, but it makes sense you wouldn't know about that, being an outsider and all..."

"We don't know for sure yet that he IS an outsider, Aya," Momizi counter-interrupts. "Just that he's got sense. Or good preparation. Now, would you KINDLY step back to the door and allow ME to continue MY questioning?" The emphasis makes her point as subtle as a two-by-four, which is probably only just enough to soak through the reporter's oblivious enthusiasm. Holding her hands up in capitulation, she obediently backs away to lean against the door again, stylus at the ready. You thought you had their relationship pretty well figured out from the moment Aya entered, but now you're not so sure. It's still clear they're friends, though.

The police tengu clears her throat and quickly notes this down on her sheet. "Assuming, for the moment, that what you say is true, what is the last thing you remember happening before you woke up on our mountain?"

You're about to relate the story, but something seems missing. You haven't heard Aya scratching down your last revelation. Flicking your eyes over to the door, you see her still leaning against the door, her stylus poised above the notebook, but her face is turned away from you. Is she staring at the wall? No, wait, she must be...

Momizi's hand reach into your line of vision and her fingers *SNAP!* your attention back to her. "I'M asking the questions here, I'M the only one you should be watching!" she says, her voice not quite shouting, but still ringing in the small room. "Now, tell me, what do you remember?"

[ ] "Is something up out there, Aya?"
[ ] Tell her what you remember.
[ ] "I was born at a very young age..."

[ ] Tell her what you remember.

>>288

[X] Tell her what you remember.

Too bad I'll have to wait til tomorrow to see the result. Damn you, Tetro, making me stay up til three thirty AM. This is great, by the way.

[x] Tell her what you remember.

[ ] "I was born at a very young age..."

Oh ho, why not be a smartass?

[x] "I was born at a very young age..."

Surely nothing can go wrong with this option!

[X] Tell her what you remember.

Be honest.

[z] Tell her what you remember.

Honesty is always good. Most of the time.

[ ] Tell her what you remember.

[ ] "I was born at a very young age..."

Smartass response GO.

>>292
Thankee most kindly. Sleep well.

Honesty is the best policy, it seems. Writan.

>>294
>>299
Smartassmind.

Also,
[X] "I was born at a very young age..."

>>301
SLOWPOKE LIVES

This is really getting old. But you've been in a police station a couple times before, and in your experience, the quickest way out is through.

"All right," you begin, pausing so Momizi can get her stylus in position to take this down verbatim. "Last thing I remember, I was on a path, walking up a hill. A large hill, mind you, but not an actual mountain. I was on my way to visit a shrine I'd heard was placed on top of this hill, at the back. On my way up, though, something strange started to--"

"Momigetoutherenow!" Aya suddenly blurts out a whole sentence as though it were a single word, then just as suddenly opens the door, vanishes through it, and slams it shut, all in the space of a second. Another second passes as you and Momizi stare dumbfoundedly after her. She turns back to you, prompting hesitantly with "Something strange?"

No sooner has she tried to put the bubble back together then the door opens again and Aya leans in to pop it anew. "Momi! Momiiiiii!" she hisses, waving her hand urgently in a "c'mere" gesture, slamming the door shut again.

Momizi's serious demeanor has completely crumbled, leaving just a bewildered core to stand up and mutter, "Um, excuse me, I guess," before leaving you alone in the room.

...What the hell was that all about?

[ ] Wait for them to come back.
[ ] Try and leave the room.
[ ] Listen at the door.

[x] Listen at the door.
This better be good.

[z] Wait for them to come back.

[X] Listen at the door.

Listen, listen.

[ ] Wait for them to come back.

[ ] Discuss your predicament with your friend Mssr. Velocity, the invisible flying penguin who has been your closest friend since childhood

[ ] Discuss your predicament with your friend Mssr. Velocity, the invisible flying penguin who has been your closest friend since childhood

[x] Listen at the door.

Listening in on youkai with superhuman senses and speed? I see no problem with this!

Just make sure not to stick Chulainn's ear to the door. Or he'll go flying to the ground the next time Aya zips through.

[x] Listen at the door.
I wonder what Momizi is up to!

[x] Wait for them to come back.

Let's not go and do something too foolish, eh?

[ ] Discuss your predicament with your friend Mssr. Velocity, the invisible flying penguin who has been your closest friend since childhood

Four to three in favor of listening, things seem to be moving slow enough that I'll count that as a win. Writing.

[x] Wait for them to come back.

[X] Discuss your predicament with your friend Mssr. Velocity, the invisible flying penguin who has been your closest friend since childhood

YES.

>>316
Oops. Maybe just as well we didn't have to break a tie, anyway.

===

Something's up. You don't know what, but you don't figure on sitting around until they decide to tell you. Standing up slowly from the chair, you sneak over to the door and press your ear up against it. Voices are whispering excitedly just down the hallway, too quiet for you to identify any of the speakers, but bits and pieces manage to reach your ears intact:

"...top of the...big as...lake..."

"Seriously!?"

"Sshh!"

"Oop! So...outside..."

"...thinking...intruder...somehow..."

"...seem right...claims..."

"...clueless..."

"...worry...an idea..."

Soon, even the whispers fade into silence. You can't hear anything, now, but you don't think the conversation's quite over.

[ ] Strain your ears, try to pick up everything you can.
[ ] Get back into place before they realize you're snooping.

[X] Get back into place before they realize you're snooping.

Sounds big, sounds like they think we might be involved. I'm sure we'll find out about this soon enough. Plus, we don't want the door swinging into our face when they come back.

[X] Get back into place before they realize you're snooping.

[x] Get back into place before they realize you're snooping.
They have an "idea"? ZAWA ZAWA

[x] Get back into place before they realize you're snooping.

>>322>>321>>320>>319

What they said.

Unanimous, then. Writing.

>"...top of the...big as...lake..."
>...lake...
>lake
>lake
>lake

THIS LAKE

[X] Get back into place before they realize you're snooping.

Whatever else is being said, you can't risk them finding out you've heard any of it. A quick couple of short leaps and you're sitting back in the chair. You fidget for a few moments, moving it back and forth, trying to find the most casual position, you even unzip your bag again to try and find that magazine before realizing the base stupidity of the whole idea. Sitting straight up, you close your eyes and breathe in, breathe out, slowly, relaxing yourself.

The door hits the wall with a BANG, snapping your eyes open. Aya walks in, looking mighty smug about something, and Momizi follows, closing the door and standing in front of it, reversing their earlier positions. Whatever Aya's so confident about hasn't affected Momizi, whose stock-still nervousness seems shockingly apolar to her confidence while grilling you.

Pushing the chair out of the way, Aya begins pacing the room in front of the table, three steps a turn, her hands clasped behind her back. "Soooo. You're from the outside, are you?"

[ ] "Um. Yes. I guess so."
[ ] "We already went over this. Weren't you taking notes?"
[ ] Say nothing.

[X] "Um. Yes. I guess so."

[z] "Um. Yes. I guess so."

[x] "Um. Yes. I guess so."

[ ] "We already went over this. Weren't you taking notes?"

>>325
Something is at the top of the mountain, and it's as big as the lake.

FUCK.

IT'S A DRAGON.



Also,
[ ] "We already went over this. Weren't you taking notes?"

[ ] "Um. Yes. I guess so."

Not that we're one hundred percent sure WHAT an Outsider is, or anything, but apparently we're one of them.

[x] "We already went over this. Weren't you taking notes?"

[ ] "Um. Yes. I guess so."

[X] "We already went over this. Weren't you taking notes?"

Damn, I want to see how this turns out, but it's roughly 4 in the morning now. I think it's time to turn in.

Here's hoping for some delicious Moriya Miko in the morning. Or later morning, whatever.

Five to four in favor of affirmation.

===

"Hmmm, hmmmmmm. And you were on your way to see a shriiiiiiiine, were you?" She emphasizes the word further by pausing in mid-stride and leaning in towards you, balancing on one geta. How the hell does she do that, anyway?

[ ] "Er. Yeah. Why?"
[ ] "How the hell do you do that, anyway?"
[ ] "You getting anywhere near a point?"

[ ] "Er. Yeah. Why?"

[X] SHAMEIMARU!/

[ze] SHAMEIMARU!/

[ ] "Er. Yeah. Why?"

oh this can only end in tears

[x] "Er. Yeah. Why?"

[ ] "You getting anywhere near a point?"

We weren't looking for any shrines.

[Y] "How the hell do you do that, anyway?"

Super Tengu balance.

[ ] "Er. Yeah. Why?"

Man, I really want so fucking plot exposition.

[x] "Er. Yeah. Why?"

Also (^v^)/

[X] SHAMEIMARU!/

In hopes of making her tip over on those silly ass shoes.

[ ] "You getting anywhere near a point?"
followed by
[ ] SHAMEIMARU!/

SHAMEIMARU! just barely gets edged out.

===

"Er. Yeah. Why?"

"I'm asking the questions here!" she barks at you. Out of the corner of your eye, you think you saw Momizi jump a little.

"Soooo, instead of reaching that shrine, you just suddenly, pop! <looks up in mock wonder> out of a clear blue sky, and find yourself suddenly on the side of the mountain." She stops directly in front of the table and turns to face you, arms crossed. "OUR mountain. Is THIS what you expect us to beLIEve, 'Mr. Outsider'?"

[ ] "You got something to say to me, say it to my face."
[ ] "Yes! It's the truth!"
[ ] "I, uh, plead insanity?"

[x] "I, uh, plead insanity?"
I'm losing it, Aya.

[ ] "You got something to say to me, say it to my face."

Oh ho, why not show some balls for a change?

[ ] "Objection! Badgering the witness."

[x] "Yes! It's the truth!"

But say it in a way that lets her know we see right though her 'bad cop' routine.

[ ] "You got something to say to me, say it to my face."

And look as quietly confident as possible while saying this.

[x] "You got something to say to me, say it to my face."

[x] "Yes! It's the truth!"

[ ] "Yes! It's the truth!"

[x] "I, uh, plead insanity?"
We just fell from the sky into a world full of werewolves and bird people. Yeah, I'd say we went cuckoo. Being pissy or saying "I swear I'm telling the truth!" will probably just make us look more suspicious.

[ ] "Yes! It's the truth!"

>>362

True.

[x] "I, uh, plead insanity?"

>>362

Well put.

[x] "I, uh, plead insanity?"

[x] "I, uh, plead insanity?"

[x] "I, uh, plead insanity?"

Sounds good to me. Potentially baffle Aya while deflecting her badgering, and mild levity poking fun at being stuck in an animal person world? +points

[ ] "I, uh, plead insanity?"

I see.
I see.
None of this, then...none of this is real.
Then, as I originally thought...I'm dying, aren't I?
None of this is anything but...a last hallucination before...
Ha.
Ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha!
AHAHAHAHAHAHA--

If we disbelieve in their existence hard enough, you think we can cancel them out?

[X] Kiss Aya
[X] Rape Aya

Mental note: cap the voting before I start writing. All three options had their moment in the sun, but insanity finally took it.

===

You... really don't quite know how to answer that. "I, uh... plead insanity?"

"INSANITY??" Aya bellows, stomping the one step over to the table and slamming her open palm onto it. You don't even have to look directly at Momizi to see her quivering now. "Oh, yeah, you're CRAAAAAAZY all right! Crazy to say you're from the outside! Crazy to make up that paper-thin story about a shrine! Crazy to think for ONE SECOND that we wouldn't see RIGHT through you! You, SIR, are nothing but a ROTTEN SPY from the human village, sent here to STEAL OUR ADVANCED TENGU TECHNOLOGY!!!"

A moment passes while the ringing dies down. Only then does Momizi gasp in shock, covering her mouth with both hands.

...Shakespeare in the Park, they are not. This has just gotten way too ridiculous.

[ ] Play along, anyway. "No! It's not true! I swear it!"
[ ] Play along... but play by YOUR rules.
[ ] "You know, you're neither of you very good actors."

>>371
[x] Start laughing. "You know, you're neither of you very good actors."

[X] Rape Aya

[x] "You know, you're neither of you very good actors."

[x] "You know, you're neither of you very good actors."
Okay, NOW seems like a good time to call them out.

[x] "You know, you're neither of you very good actors."

[X] "You know, neither of you are very good actors."

>>374
OH U

[ ] Play along... but play by YOUR rules.

See, they flew. Except that's impossible, so they must not be real.
But if they're not real, why can we see them? Ah, that's easy. When you see something that's not real--isn't that called a "hallucination"?
But what kind of people have such realistic, logical hallucinations? Insane people.
So we must be insane.

Callin' 'em out. Writin'. Pardner.

wait

>ADVANCED TENGU TECHNOLOGY

what

>>382
/youkai/ - Anon as a Cowboy

>>384

Yeeha.

Touhou Western...

I feel something coming...
right on the cusp of conception...

>>384
First Anon's Cu Chullain, now he's a cowboy? Hmmm, Cowboy Cu Chullain, wielding Gae Bolg and riding into the sunset....

We're going to have to go steal Sleipnir. CC Chullain needs a proper steed.

>>102
>ADVANCED TENGU TECHNOLOGY
FUCK. WHERE IS YOUR SUPERIOR EARTH TECHNOLOGY NOW, CU CHULAINN?

You sigh and shake your head. "You know, neither one of you are very good actors."

Aya's stern, angry face holds fast. Poor Momizi looks about ready to pop. Finally, Aya lets out a long breath and hangs her head down. "Took you long enough to catch on. Guess I really overdid it there at the end, huh?"

"Well, Momizi missed her cue to gasp, too."

Hearing her name mentioned, Momizi tenses up again and her face turns red. "I-I'm very sorry, Miss Shameimaru!"

Aya waves her down without looking and pulls the chair back out from under the table. "Aahh, don't worry about it, Momi. It was all just playing around, anyway. Truth is, Mr. Chulainn," she sits down in the chair opposite you and leans it back, stretching her legs up onto the tabel and crossing them. "We believe every word you've told us. Recent events have come to light that may just have saved your life."

Events? "What events?" Wait, saved your life? "What about my life?"

Aya folds her hands behind her head and speaks in a slow, leisurely tone, a veritable portrait of relaxed control. "That shrine you were going to see? We think it may have followed you here. Or more likely, YOU followed IT, but whatever. In any case, you're here and it's here. Situated itself right up on top of our mountain, right beside the lake that waterfall comes from. Patrol just noticed it today, and it sure wasn't there yesterday. Always just been a big chunk of mountain up there, aside from the lake. But now there's a shrine, and people in it. And you, here." She smiles. "We want to know why they're here, so we're going to send you in to find out for us."

[ ] "Uh-huh. And why am I doing this?"
[ ] "Sounds reasonable. I'm rather curious myself."
[ ] This attitude's ticking you off. Time to do something about it.

[ ] "Sounds reasonable. I'm rather curious myself."

>That shrine you were going to see? We think it may have followed you here. Or more likely, YOU followed IT, but whatever.

WHAT A TWIST!

(Heh, I'd thought we were going to the Hakurei shrine, and got yanked through some weird barrier flux.)

[x] "Uh-huh. And why am I doing this?"

[X] "Sounds reasonable. I'm rather curious myself."

It followed me! Can I keep it?

[ ] "Sounds reasonable. I'm rather curious myself."

"...but first, do you have an armory? I might need a weapon..."

[ ] "Sounds reasonable. I'm rather curious myself."

Fuck. Going to bed sucks ass. Hopefully anon doesn't screw us over somehow.

[x] "Sounds reasonable. I'm rather curious myself."
"But have you seen my lighter?"

>>396
Indeed. I was just about to call it a night myself - 4:00 in the morning is my limit.

For some reason I thought that's what had happened, it made too much sense as a plot device not to use.

Good show!


[ ] "Uh-huh. And why am I doing this?"

>Always just been a big chunk of mountain up there, aside from the lake

Wasn't the lake also moved there together with the shrine!"

[ ] "Sounds reasonable. I'm rather curious myself."

>>396 >>398
I'm not far behind you guys, just limping through another choice or two to a good stopping point.

>>399
m(_ _)m

Curious Chu is curious. Writing.

Oh, I seeeeeee.

A ha ha, that's a nice twist.

"Sounds reasonable. I'm rather curious, myself."

"I'll tell you why you're doing it, because if y... what?"

"I said, I'll do it. Seems I got dragged here along with that thing, I don't know why, maybe they do. In any case, like I said, I'm curious."

Aya blinks at you a few times before replying. "Oh. Well... great, then! Perfect! Great!" Turning her head around to look a Momizi, "Hey, Momi, be a dear and tell the boys outside to stand down, okay? Oh, and go tell Lord Tenma he's on our side."

"Roger!" A quick salute, and she's out the door. Commanding chatter comes through the door, then several sets of feet marching away.

"So, what is it I--"

"Shh!" Aya hold up a finger, cocks her head and listens intently. You try the same, but whatever she's hearing is out of your range. Then: "Okay, they're gone. Now, listen up!" In a single movement, the chair is righted, her feet are under the table, and she's leaning conspiratorially across the table, whispering animatedly. "Okay, so the tengu bigshots want a spy in the shrine, fine and good, you're on board, so they'll get one, right? Right. Thing is, I want one, too! This shrine... oh, man, this shrine! We get outsiders slipping through the border all the time, never this far afield, yeah, but anyway, one more lost and bewildered guy's not such a big deal, right? But never, and I mean NEVER in the history of Gensokyo has an ENTIRE BUILDING full of people just suddenly appeared like that! Well, okay, that one time, I guess, BUT THIS IS BIGGER! Because it's RIGHT HERE! Local interest! Every tengu in the mountain's gonna be reporting on this! Every paper's gonna have an angle! But the Bunbunmaru--" - she jerks her thumb to point at her own face, you have no immediate idea why - "--is gonna have an angle that NOBODY else has! It's gonna have the INSIDE SCOOP! It's gonna have YOU! Whaddaya say!?"

[ ] "You interest me strangely, old bird."
[ ] "Double agent? That's in too deep for me, sorry."
[ ] "Depends. What's in this for me?"

[x] "Depends. What's in this for me?"
Go on, surprise me.

[x] "Depends. What's in this for me?"
Some part of me objects to calling Aya an 'old bird'.

[ ] "Depends. What's in this for me?"

[x] "Depends. What's in this for me?"

How pragmatic. Writing.

Spying for the tengu, and playing investigative report for Aya, both at the same time? Sounds like trouble piled on more trouble... and yet...

"Depends. What's in this for me?"

Aya looks a little surprised. "Why, I'd have to pay you back with my body, of course." Then a sudden shift to a scolding tone. "And don't any funny ideas, either, I just mean--"

"I know what it means. You'll owe me a favor, instead of anything concrete. Basically?"

"R, right, right. Lot of people misunderstand, you know. But anyway, yeah, a favor. A BIG favor. Like, anything you ask. The fastest being in Gensokyo will do you any one thing you ask her to do! That sound like a good payoff to you?" She cocks her head again, then shoves her hand in between the two of you and speaks quickly again. "C'mon, shake my hand, say you'll do it for me! Be a pal! Pleeeeease?"

[ ] Shake
[ ] No deal

[X] Shake
DO IT FAGGOT
DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT

[x] Shake
I like the way you portray Aya.

>>409
[ ] Shake

Damnit Aya if this is a verbal contract and you say "I'll pay you back with my body" there is no other way this is going to end.

I will rape you.

Wow. Seriously, wow Tetro. I went to sleep for 10 hours, and you've been writing for all that time? Pretty impressive.
And the story is good too. Great work.

[X] Shake

[X] Shake

[ ] Shake

[ ] Shake

[x] Shake Shake.

>>414
Thankee most kindly, sir. Almost missed it though, this'll be the last entry for tonight. Er, today. Er... this morning, anyway. Yeah. Anyhow.

Shake. Write.

[x] Honk honk

>tonight. Er, today. Er... this morning
13:58
I don't regret staying up all n.
........miss my sleep.

Fastest being, huh? Sounds like plain boasting to you, but if tengu are anything like the stories, having one of them owing you might not be such a bad deal, at all. You take her hand in yours and shake it firmly.

Aya's whole body lights up with her smile. "FanTAStic! I KNEW I could count on you! You won't regret it, either! Okay, quick, they're coming. Act natural!" That said, she sits up ramrod straight in her chair and places both hands palm down on the table, her face an impassive mask. She couldn't look less natural if she tried. Perhaps subconciously trying to counter-act this, you slouch back in your chair and cross your arms, allowing your head to loll to one side. Now you can hear the feet, too, just two pairs now, coming down the hallway in no particular rush. You almost think they're just going to pass by on some other business, but the door opens and a beaming Momizi steps through again, some other random guard tengu waiting in the hall behind her.

"Lord Tenma is most pleased, Aya Shameimaru. He wishes the seed to be planted at once, and looks forward to seeing the fruit it bears."

"As do I, Momizi, as do I." Did she just wink at you? Pretty sure she did, yeah. "You may return to your duties, I will see him up myself."

"'Kay! Oh, but, you'll have to take this guy along," Momizi points at the guard back in the hallway. "He's the one who spotted the shrine, so he's going to show you to the exit that'll put you closest to it." Another salute, and she jogs off back down the hallway. Aya extends her arm to the door as an invitation, which you accept.

No blindfold this time, but you may as well have had one, for all you manage to scope out of the place. The layout redefines "labyrinthine". You lost count of how many branching hallways you pass by somewhere around... well, you forget, but it was pretty high up there. Eventually, though, the guard points his sword down one tunnel and says simply, "This is the one."

"Thank you, then. That will be all." The guard salutes Aya, and vanishes down another hall. She turns to you and hands you a small flag patterned all over with maple leaves. "A patrol tengu will circle the peak of the mountain every day at sunrise, and again at sunset, watching for this signal from you. Whenever you have news to report, prepare a written copy and arrange a delivery. Understand?" You nod affirmative. She glances quickly all around and whispers close. "Me, I use crows as messengers, got 'em all over the place. Any time you notice one following you around, good odds I sent it, so just tell it whatever you've learned, and it'll come back and tell it to me. Clear?" You nod again. Aya smiles and slaps you on the back. "Good luck to you, then."

And then you're alone. Steeling yourself, you start your way up the tunnel to this mysterious shrine with which you seem to be inextricably tangled.

===

And that's it for me. Winding down. Hopefully, wind back up in time to make some posts before work tonight. I'm really enjoying this.

G'night, folks~

Since Moriya just got here, are we going to see Reimu and Marisa tear shit up eventually?

>>303
>"Momi! Momiiiiii!" she hisses, waving her hand urgently in a "c'mere" gesture, slamming the door shut again.

Crustrated Aya is moe~

>Crustrated Aya is moe~

I read that as castrated.

>>seeing the fruit it bears."

lol bear fruit

Still I like this story a lot

Well that was an awesome beginning. Interesting, so we play at the same time as the Moriya Shrine got to Gensokyo, that means we will see Reimu, and you said there will be less fighting. Something tells me our arrival at the shrine will not be a good thing. Sounds more like a bad end we will force on them instead of a good one.

>>426
Fuck, typo.

>>440

Not a typo. Scorn is stupid.

bear1 /bɛər/, bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.
–verb (used with object)
4. to produce by natural growth: a tree that bears fruit.

>>445

Stupid anon is stupid.

Other Anon was quoting the Crustrated post. Which I think was supposed to be Frustrated.

>>445
I take offense to that, I was merely stating that I read it as bear(animal) fruit and got a chuckle out of it.

I mean come on, a fruit that's hairy like a bear? The only thing that could make it better is if it mauled people

>>448
PROGRESS

Does this mean /youkai/ Anon is Sam Fisher?

>>447
It was ;_;

>>448

THAT T-SHIRT SAYS "THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS" BUT IT'S GOT A PICTURE OF MAN WHO LITERALLY HAS BEAR ARMS! HILARIOUS!

>>386
>Touhou Western...

>I feel something coming...
>right on the cusp of conception...

Man, I've had the idea for that running around in my head for at LEAST two or three weeks, now. I'd do it, too, if I could write, and actually had the time to spare to do so.
As it is, I'm a better idea generator and general planner than an actual writer.

>>453
If you appreciate it in a post ironic way, then yes!

Tetrominon where are you, come write.

>>457
Tetrominon had work last night. He may or may not be writing today, forgot what he said when I asked him.

>>458
Too bad, looking really forward for more.

>>457 >>458
Yeah, like I said, I work overnights four nights a week, and D&D a fifth, so most updates will be more around nowish. That said, I had intended to just take Sunday off and start writing once I got home from work this morning, but I guess staying up to write for 12 hours (holy shit, really?) wiped me out more than I thought. Don't expect that to happen again. Not to say it won't, just don't expect it.

Anyhow, Cu Chulainn will reach the MYSTERY SHRINE shortly, soon as I run a quick errand and grab some lunch. Seven minutes, tops.

>>460
Also, new thread please.