Gensokyo Survival Guide OoC and Off-Topic

[Yumetou]

Sigh. I've mentioned in the past I hate making longer entries in the GSG. Oh, I love writing them, but they seem to intimidate readers, or perhaps they just don't have the time to read my longer entries. Which is sad, since I am writing them for you as well as me.

 

This week I had to bite the bullet though. Every time I tried to tighten the entry, it felt like it left at a boring point for the audience. I mean 'you are in an unfamiliar place, you see a lady with a house for a hat ahead of you. What do you do' isn't the best ending point. And her hurrying Oscar to bed was equally dull.

 

Hopefully you all enjoy the entry regardless! I am hoping to start writing these twice a week as my life's chaos begins to fade. Hoping for shorter entries too from now on, meaning they will be faster, easier, and better for the audience to read.

Edited June 29, 2024 by Yumetou

[kymoh]

Hi, sorry I haven't been too active for the past week or two. I've kept getting distracted by other things during whatever free time I had.

 

Anyways, I'm loving where the story is going with the human village! As Gri mentioned, I think it's great to finally be out of the forest and into a new situation.

At first I was slightly bummed that I didn't get to find out what an 'indian rope trick' is, but the hilarious magic trick with the music balls (?) was more than enough to make up for it You sure got an awesome imagination Yumetou, I'm excited to see what other wild tricks you can come up with in the future :D

 

As for the latest chapter, I'm really curious and worried to find out how Kimiko and the other yokai will catch Oscar. If I recall, this is the first time we see a cut to different perspective, and boy does it build some suspense. Let's see if Oscar will eventually face her head-on again, or if us readers can carefully guide him safely (or at least prepare him with a strong advantage)... personally I think it would be interesting to put an end to Kimiko's terror, so whenever I get the chance, I'll try to tip the scales to prepare Oscar for a confrontation :). I'd also like to know what everyone else thinks about the current situation, and what there is to do about it

Another interesting part was the interaction with Keine. She acted much more serious and direct than I expected. Cutting Oscar off, using snappy one-liners, and only offering tea, despite how tired he must look?! This really must be an interrogation! XD   While I'm so tempted to mess with her by choosing the "20 dollars to spend a night" option, I should vote reasonably for once. A normal introduction has worked before, so I'll go with that this time... But if someone ends up choosing one of the funnier options, I might change my vote >:D

 

It's a new setting now, so anything's possible. Who knows, one stray vote and the story could go from a nice little conversation to a completely unrelated street brawl fueled by magic and panic    Excited for the next chapter as always, and it would be awesome if you can start writing more frequently (no rush tho)

[Gri]

Greetings.

I don't really have much to add that Kymoh hasn't already said for this week's chapter, other than "great job". It's cool to see Kimiko again, and this scene helps establish that Oscar isn't safe just because he got in the village. It's a bit the same for the scene with Keine, but Keine is more suspicious of him that outright hostile.

Trying to impress a group of people with one big introduction + magic might have worked, but I doubt Oscar would want to try that again with the stern Keine who doesn't seem to buy his bluff.

A simple introduction will do (Keine might react favourably if she learns who Oscar "friends" are, or she might be more suspicious if she learns he came from Muenzuka. No sure if Keine knows about the significance of this location in canon, but regardless it's a dangerous place and any "magician" coming from such a place could be bad news for the villagers)

22 hours ago, Yumetou said:

Sigh. I've mentioned in the past I hate making longer entries in the GSG. Oh, I love writing them, but they seem to intimidate readers, or perhaps they just don't have the time to read my longer entries. Which is sad, since I am writing them for you as well as me.

I don't agree with this. Sure, a long entry might turn off people who haven't started reading the series, but once they start reading it and taking an interest, I don't think they'll mind. If anything, longer entries can spend more time to describe the characters feelings, the small actions they do, and smaller details about the environment (all of which contribute to build the ambience). Better entries means more chance to keep people hooked.

[Yumetou]

Hello again friends and readers. :) I am glad to see you all enjoyed our latest entry. Especially given my concerns over that page.

 

Definitely agree its good to be out of the forest. I mean, I like scary monsters in the woods as well as anyone else. But it was going on for a bit, and having Team 9 around did kind of deflate things. Sure, even my favorite baka isn’t that much of a threat, especially for a maneater. But with 5 fairies/youkai, plus Agappa, it did make the sense of danger less palpable. And their powers did synergize well at times.

 

Don’t worry Kymoh. The Indian Rope Trick will have its day. :) For those who can’t wait, in its simplest form the Indian Rope Trick is that trick where a rope goes completely rigid going upward. Its a favorite of early 20^th century magicians, and there are half a dozen ways the trick was achieved. Its mostly considered a fraud, but there is a way to do it legitimately.

Glad Kimiko’s showing she still has teeth. Don’t worry, you’ll all have plenty of opportunities to hype him up for the confrontation, against both the Maneaters and other factions. Even if Oscar isn’t meant for head-on confrontations, that is an option, and if you plan well and the opportunity arises, it may be one he triumphs handily.

 

Glad Keine didn’t seem too awful. From her perspective, she’s being protective of her home and the people there, from someone who openly declared he wasn’t human. Of course, Oscar has no idea what ‘Magician’ means. But she does, and would know even the good ones can be a pain to deal with.

 

Hoping to have an entry in the next couple days, though that depends on how hard the corporate overlord’s whip cracks. So, no promises are made. But I am hopeful.

[kymoh]

:O A new chapter mid-week, that's awesome!

 

To start this off, I'm so happy my man Oscar finally went to sleep after all this time. Is this really the first time he gets rest in this story? Also, it's nice that Keine didn't bother him for too long :).

Anyways we currently have to choose Oscar's dream. If you remember my last post here, I've been wanting to take a more careful route, in order to prepare for Kimiko. So I was very tempted to choose a dream that would foreshadow danger. But... kind of going back on my word here... I'm more curious about Oscar's backstory at the moment, "You awaken back in your bed in the Outside World." My main reason is that we don't know much about him. He's a magician, has fancy flares up his sleeves, a rabbit in his hat, and... that's about it. With a chapter focused on his old life I think we'll get to know more about his personality, and maybe even another trick that hasn't been mentioned before.Which I think will help us all out in the long-term, and help us think more like Oscar. Hopefully that makes sense.

What did everyone else choose? Curious to hear others' thoughts on this one

 

P.S. You added "Do not fear choosing the wrong answer. All will be revealed in time... " at the end, so I better not see Oscar get jumped right after I choose the more carefree option XD

[Yumetou]

And the readers choose the option I threw in for a laugh.  Don't worry, I already have some plans for your chosen branch. Though this may be more of a long-term goal. I haven't gotten beyond the first couple Touhou games (RIP desktop), but my understanding is the Dream World is inhabited by one person (who isn't a dream doppelganger), Doremy. Which is a lot of information most characters don't know, much less Oscar. We still have options though. We can meld the Fantasy World, World of Fantasies etc from the 98 era into the Dream World. Locations with little detail and many superficial similarities, which would tie more characters and entryways to the Dream World. Orrr...time for more OCs. Which I think you'll find more exciting~

 

We're about to start the next chapter. Hoping to include a 'character sheet' for Oscar when I do, which will give you a rough outline of his skill at each reaction. The next chapter will be focused on Oscar establishing himself in the Human Village. Earning money, starting a business, making friends and enemies, and trying to find out what happened to him. We'll see many faces, some friends reunited or met for the first time. But he will be reuniting and meeting enemies as well. Not all threats however are monsters running wild in the woods. Some can doom you with a few words. Keep your new friends close, and your favorite friends closer.

 

Next, a question for you guys. The GSG I've been trying to walk a fine line with, showing comedy, mystery, wonder and even horror. Its not really meant to be an action or romance game, with what action there is being quick and deadly, and romance (in future) being fleeting yet meaningful.

I am curious, would you all be interested in more fanfiction from yours truly? I've characters I had planned for my failed revival of Eientai who I think I could make a story around, which you may enjoy. Though each has very different vibes. I think there's only interest enough for one or two. But if enough people think they would enjoy a second story, I would be happy to write it out when I have time.

 

• A pest of a Youkai is newly born in a pit of Sin. But his heart burns with a fire few have ever seen! Driven by his noble spirit, he sets out on a merry quest across Gensokyo in search of true love! With justice in his fists and truth in his heart, can he smite evil and uncover his truest of loves?
• A story set in the future, around two matured spirits of the past. An unlikely dark knight saves the life of a pale lady. Tying the two together in a tale of young love, gothic opulence and rock 'n roll. Yet even as he seeks her favor, can he prove himself? Not merely to her, or her family and friends, but himself that hard-headed maid?
• A visiting vampire, on a spirited trip away from her prairie home. Eager to take in the sights, enjoy the ambience, and relax on her first vacation in 250 years. Unaware she is about to become involved in a silent war between an untrustworthy hag, and a childhood rival.
• A lost dreamer awakens in a world of fantasy. With a mouth that does not speak and eyes which do not open, can she can she traverse this mysterious world and set her roots in Gensokyo? Or will her bizarre powers and strange mannerisms sew chaos around her?

 

Lastly, would you all have a preference for where I'd export this, if I ever work this CYOA into a full on fan fiction? Anywhere you'd recommend?

[kymoh]

[EDIT: Right as I clicked post, Yumetou's comment above showed up "1 minute ago." What a coincidence! But whatever I wrote here might not make sense anymore.]

 

A short post from me today-

...I totally did not expect this XD    I thought it would be a flashback to Oscar's old life, but instead his soul (?) is carried away by Elly?! I guess that explains how Oscar ended up in Gensokyo. What now?

Excitedly waiting for the next chapter :)

Edited July 10, 2024 by kymoh

[kymoh]

On 7/10/2024 at 3:01 AM, Yumetou said:

And the readers choose the option I threw in for a laugh.

...oops :P

As I mentioned in my post above, it definitely wasn't something I expected. Maybe other people were also confused by it too. But oh well, it's nice that you have plans already :).  I'm guessing Oscar will talk to Doremy soon and explain things (hopefully, because I totally did not understand that chapter!).

Anyways, I have a question. Now that Oscar's in the human village, will he be safe from fighting and exploring for a while? That is, will the story mostly just be conversations for the next few chapters? Not that I would lose interest in that case, but I did find it cool at times when Oscar would apply tricks from his old world (flares, "music balls") to the problems he faced. So I'm a bit worried that the next few chapters would be like a "normal human villager simulator"...

On 7/10/2024 at 3:01 AM, Yumetou said:

I am curious, would you all be interested in more fanfiction from yours truly? I've characters I had planned for my failed revival of Eientai who I think I could make a story around, which you may enjoy.

Of course! If working on another fanfiction won't burn you out, then I'll definitely take it :D

I think I would be most interested in the fourth option, "A lost dreamer awakens in a world of fantasy." I have no idea what to expect from the description, so it was the most appealing. A mouth that doesn't speak, and eyes that can't see? What in the world are you possibly referring to? XD

Also, you mentioned your revival of Eientei, but what's that about? I know that it's an rp channel on this website, but is that what you're referring to? I've never taken a good look at it so please elaborate if you don't mind :)

On 7/10/2024 at 3:01 AM, Yumetou said:

Lastly, would you all have a preference for where I'd export this, if I ever work this CYOA into a full on fan fiction? Anywhere you'd recommend?

Sorry, this is the first time I'm actually reading a (touhou) fanfiction, so I wouldn't know any good websites.

Edited July 12, 2024 by kymoh

[Yumetou]

On 7/12/2024 at 2:11 PM, kymoh said:

...oops :P

No worries. I'm enjoying not having all the answers constantly. :) Writing does sometimes feel a little contrived. There's a starting goal, and an end goal, and everything in between is how you get there. If you've seen a Hollywood movie in the past ten years, you know how that feels. So I'm enjoying being thrown off now and then. And don't worry, I don't think Oscar understood that chapter either.

 

On 7/12/2024 at 2:11 PM, kymoh said:

Anyways, I have a question. Now that Oscar's in the human village, will he be safe from fighting and exploring for a while? That is, will the story mostly just be conversations for the next few chapters? Not that I would lose interest in that case, but I did find it cool at times when Oscar would apply tricks from his old world (flares, "music balls") to the problems he faced. So I'm a bit worried that the next few chapters would be like a "normal human villager simulator"...

Yes and no. He's safe from scary monsters running around in the woods for now. But he has to eat and has no real talents for anything the locals would consider useful. So he'll have to find some way to earn himself money. Additionally there will be challenges socially. Some people really won't like him, and we'll have to deal with that. There's also the exploration of the village, which may have its own secrets and dangers. Don't worry. You'll need all the tricks you can get.

 

On 7/12/2024 at 2:11 PM, kymoh said:

Also, you mentioned your revival of Eientei, but what's that about? I know that it's an rp channel on this website, but is that what you're referring to? I've never taken a good look at it so please elaborate if you don't mind :)

About a year ago I tried to start a bunch of RPs in the RP channel Eientei. It went alright at first, but we kept cycling through members, and I soon got overwhelmed by IRL. But I had various NPCs planned for the games. Oscar himself was one of them, the leader of a corporation of humans.

[Nyoko]

I decided to take a break from here at the singular point in time when I would be most interested in how the story progressed... Well, no use complaining about rotten eggs (If that is how the idiom goes...)

On 7/4/2024 at 11:10 PM, kymoh said:

Anyways we currently have to choose Oscar's dream. If you remember my last post here, I've been wanting to take a more careful route, in order to prepare for Kimiko. So I was very tempted to choose a dream that would foreshadow danger. But... kind of going back on my word here... I'm more curious about Oscar's backstory at the moment, "You awaken back in your bed in the Outside World." My main reason is that we don't know much about him. He's a magician, has fancy flares up his sleeves, a rabbit in his hat, and... that's about it. With a chapter focused on his old life I think we'll get to know more about his personality, and maybe even another trick that hasn't been mentioned before.

(...)

P.S. You added "Do not fear choosing the wrong answer. All will be revealed in time... " at the end, so I better not see Oscar get jumped right after I choose the more carefree option XD

I see someone has been listening to my ramblings about thinking in character, though the metaphorical scale here is even in this regard.
Also, wasn't a line in that cut from perspective "in a few days" as in not right now but not a month later? Let Oscar rest for more than a night, please.

On 7/10/2024 at 5:01 AM, Yumetou said:

And the readers choose the option I threw in for a laugh.  Don't worry, I already have some plans for your chosen branch. Though this may be more of a long-term goal. I haven't gotten beyond the first couple Touhou games (RIP desktop), but my understanding is the Dream World is inhabited by one person (who isn't a dream doppelganger), Doremy. Which is a lot of information most characters don't know, much less Oscar. We still have options though. We can meld the Fantasy World, World of Fantasies etc from the 98 era into the Dream World. Locations with little detail and many superficial similarities, which would tie more characters and entryways to the Dream World. Orrr...time for more OCs. Which I think you'll find more exciting~

That is my understanding as well, knowing from my network of slightly related topics which somehow makes everyone thinks I understand the lore of Touhou deeply despite only knowing hearsay and using plausible conjecture to structure an argument that A is indeed A... Though even just welding the Dream World and the World of Fantasies can guarantee a substantial amount of OCs. Those two options are not strictly opposite to one another.
Whether it is a good idea to use both of them at once is another question that you have to answer yourself.

On 7/10/2024 at 5:01 AM, Yumetou said:

Next, a question for you guys. The GSG I've been trying to walk a fine line with, showing comedy, mystery, wonder and even horror. Its not really meant to be an action or romance game, with what action there is being quick and deadly, and romance (in future) being fleeting yet meaningful.

I am curious, would you all be interested in more fanfiction from yours truly? I've characters I had planned for my failed revival of Eientai who I think I could make a story around, which you may enjoy. Though each has very different vibes. I think there's only interest enough for one or two. But if enough people think they would enjoy a second story, I would be happy to write it out when I have time.

 

• A pest of a Youkai is newly born in a pit of Sin. But his heart burns with a fire few have ever seen! Driven by his noble spirit, he sets out on a merry quest across Gensokyo in search of true love! With justice in his fists and truth in his heart, can he smite evil and uncover his truest of loves?
• A story set in the future, around two matured spirits of the past. An unlikely dark knight saves the life of a pale lady. Tying the two together in a tale of young love, gothic opulence and rock 'n roll. Yet even as he seeks her favor, can he prove himself? Not merely to her, or her family and friends, but himself that hard-headed maid?
• A visiting vampire, on a spirited trip away from her prairie home. Eager to take in the sights, enjoy the ambience, and relax on her first vacation in 250 years. Unaware she is about to become involved in a silent war between an untrustworthy hag, and a childhood rival.
• A lost dreamer awakens in a world of fantasy. With a mouth that does not speak and eyes which do not open, can she can she traverse this mysterious world and set her roots in Gensokyo? Or will her bizarre powers and strange mannerisms sew chaos around her?

 

Lastly, would you all have a preference for where I'd export this, if I ever work this CYOA into a full on fan fiction? Anywhere you'd recommend?

Me being part of said failed revival (Being the twintailed Nekomata who chose the constitutional monarchy of the Underworld, and being the last call for help before it died out) I enjoyed that fleeting time and would like to try again if we can find enough support. With that stipulation being the problem. As for my choice of extra fanfiction... The vampire one sounds intriguing. It means you have to get put in the mind of tricksters and sentences with double meanings, which I find is always a great writer exercise. (If a little draining, as I have come to know with my own side hustle of a completely original story.)

Well, despite my obscure knowledge about many details of a lot of subjects, I have not a single clue as to which one I have a preference for.

On 7/12/2024 at 8:11 PM, kymoh said:

Anyways, I have a question. Now that Oscar's in the human village, will he be safe from fighting and exploring for a while? That is, will the story mostly just be conversations for the next few chapters? Not that I would lose interest in that case, but I did find it cool at times when Oscar would apply tricks from his old world (flares, "music balls") to the problems he faced. So I'm a bit worried that the next few chapters would be like a "normal human villager simulator"...

I believe Yumetou has more of a situation as the fairy tale "The Emperor's new Clothes" in store for us. Sure, Oscar could attempt to blend in, but he has enough knowledge about Gensokyo to know the difference between a 'Youkai' and a 'Human' while also having the knowledge of costumes to see through most of them (I think, we know jack about Oscar's past other than he's a magician). This would certainly spice things up for the first few interactions, until he wises up, that is. So we would certainly not be having 'normal human villager simulator' for at least the first day or three.

2 hours ago, Yumetou said:

About a year ago I tried to start a bunch of RPs in the RP channel Eientei. It went alright at first, but we kept cycling through members, and I soon got overwhelmed by IRL. But I had various NPCs planned for the games. Oscar himself was one of them, the leader of a corporation of humans.

As I have already stated, but in case you forgot while reading through the above wall of text, I was in one of them (Specifically the one where Oscar Diggs, the President of Otherworldly Ventures was about to be introduced) The main problem I see is that there are few consistently active members with enough of a drive to create an OC and follow through with it for an RP to work. My character had a distant relationship with mister Diggs, being the cat of one of his employees who died when he attempted to form a trade agreement with the Lunarians. (Though my impression from everything I read about that Oscar was that he was about to put on an opening ceremony for the first store in the Human Village, not a magician in the Outside World sense.)

I still hate that last post I wrote in the IC, but I'm not going to go change the history of that thing now, as it has become something of a landmark in my brain of what to not do.

Now then, I know my signature will say it, but this is a special moment, so...

May Gensokyo bless you~

[kymoh]

On 7/13/2024 at 9:50 PM, Nyoko said:

I decided to take a break from here at the singular point in time when I would be most interested in how the story progressed... Well, no use complaining about rotten eggs (If that is how the idiom goes...)

Welcome back Nyoko. I was wondering where you had gone, looks like you wrote a lot!

What are you talking about "rotten eggs"... you better watch what you're saying (just joking around hehe, not mad)

 

Anyways about Eientei, I've checked it out and read through some of the threads. They all looked really fun! Just a bunch of guys having fun immersing themselves in their awesome worlds. I noticed such great atmosphere and variety, from a casual game of Go, to militaristic factions warring in a world without magic... how could it get any better?! But then, as you both mentioned, the forum is no longer active. Such a shame... if only I was there to have a taste of what it was like :,(   I've even been considering starting my own thread to see what would happen.

 

Whatever, this might be sudden, but time to look on the bright side :D I saw the new story you started Nyoko ;) Really interesting to start off with an interrogation, the intense intro got me hooked immediately. I can also see you took inspiration from Yumetou with the CYOA aspect. I chose the option to go the same way back, can't go wrong there :). One minor critique though Nyoko, I was a bit confused with the last paragraph. Had to re-read it a few times and I still wasn't sure if I understood who possessed who, who died, and who... almost died...?? Don't get me wrong, I think you did a good job, just that the last bit felt fast-paced for me. Hopefully the next chapter will explain more backstory and clarify what's going on. I'll stay tuned!

[Nyoko]

7 hours ago, kymoh said:

Welcome back Nyoko. I was wondering where you had gone, looks like you wrote a lot!

What are you talking about "rotten eggs"... you better watch what you're saying (just joking around hehe, not mad)

 

Anyways about Eientei, I've checked it out and read through some of the threads. They all looked really fun! Just a bunch of guys having fun immersing themselves in their awesome worlds. I noticed such great atmosphere and variety, from a casual game of Go, to militaristic factions warring in a world without magic... how could it get any better?! But then, as you both mentioned, the forum is no longer active. Such a shame... if only I was there to have a taste of what it was like :,(   I've even been considering starting my own thread to see what would happen.

Well, I won't stop you from trying, but you can see what happened the last time someone tried to RP in Eientei...

7 hours ago, kymoh said:

Whatever, this might be sudden, but time to look on the bright side :D I saw the new story you started Nyoko ;) Really interesting to start off with an interrogation, the intense intro got me hooked immediately. I can also see you took inspiration from Yumetou with the CYOA aspect. I chose the option to go the same way back, can't go wrong there :). One minor critique though Nyoko, I was a bit confused with the last paragraph. Had to re-read it a few times and I still wasn't sure if I understood who possessed who, who died, and who... almost died...?? Don't get me wrong, I think you did a good job, just that the last bit felt fast-paced for me. Hopefully the next chapter will explain more backstory and clarify what's going on. I'll stay tuned!

I feel like my impostor syndrome (Which I won't hide that I suffer from it a lot) had something to do with that. You can't improve without failing, so I'll keep that critique in mind. just a little note, because I feel like I did not explain it correctly: the arrow is Mina Katt thinking about the option with risks and potential rewards to be gained (but mostly the risks, that's just the person Mina is). But I won't talk about that anymore here for this is for the Survival Guide and not my story. I would feel bad if I hijacked this topic any longer than necessary.

[Motaromc]

I'm stupid... wait no that's not my nickname lol, what i mean is that we have a dedicated thread to post reviews and i completely missed it, i believe this is here to make sure your other thread stays unpolluted by random replies making it easier to focus on the story which is completely reasonable considering i haven't found the "Reader Mode" other sites like SP or QQ have. So i sincerely apologize for messing that up, feel free to ask someone to delete the review if you want, i think the message i wanted to convey has already reached you so it's okay to get rid of it.

Now speaking about the story, it's funny that i also missed the fact that Osu is a redhead which further alienates him from other villagers since most non-youkai villager should look like your average asiatic guy, it's probably going to become his trademark along with the top hat. I also hope team 9 will appear after school this time around just because their *Surprised Pikachu Face* is going to be funny to see, Rumia seems to have some lingering feelings about trying to eat Oscar but it's kinda of understandable considering she was and probably still is starving.

Overall, i should say thanks for the treat, especially interesting to see that our TRUE ordinary magic man needs to worry about his finances.

With Love, Yer frend, Good and Ol' me

[kymoh]

No worries mate, it's in a different subforum so I don't blame you for missing it :)

Also it'd be a shame to delete such a nice message, so I'd rather see you edit a note at the end, to re-direct others reading your comment in the future (as long as Yumetou is okay with it). That way they'll be aware of this OoC page and won't repeat the same mistake.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot, welcome to the shrine Motaromc! You haven't posted your introduction but just from your two posts so far, I can tell you're a very thoughtful and smart fellow (at least I think so). I think you'll be a great addition to this place, specifically this discussion thread :D   Currently it's mainly Yumetou, me, Gri, and Nyoko that are active, so it'll definitely be interesting to hear a new voice. Have fun!

[Nyoko]

To be perfectly honest, I was thinking of placing a comment redirecting you here, but decided against it as Yumetou would have better judgment than I do and I wouldn't have wanted you to feel demoralized by an honest mistake that is easy to make. You also just so happened to come in at a time when there is not much speculation or just general discussion to be had here, so this place wouldn't have been in the recent activity board on the homepage.

(Like, the only thing I think we can talk about now is who the word 'Doom' is referring to, which is a discussion that can either last an eternity or the span of one post, neither of which seem enticing, to be honest. i'd have voted for a riskier option if I did not have a 7 in my days won category, for my luck seems to be so bad it underflows.)

As a 'little' side note, if you are going to insist on having that 'With Love, Yer frend, Good and Ol' me', may I suggest taking a look at what a signature is? It never hurts to at least know more about the place you're going to start visiting consistently and it should save you some copy-pasting if you do utilize the feature. Though I will stress that you should take your time and not feel obligated on my or anyone else's part to know the ins and outs of the shrine as a new person, for that is an impossible request that Kaguya would make, but not any of the shrine denizens.

[Motaromc]

And here we are again! another great weekend and this time I returned with a profile pic! it's Mokou-tan being her usual cute self, amazing right? Also, I'd like to thank my understanding senpais for the warm welcome and thoughtful advice, considering that so far I have only logged in the Sundays due to a particularly tight schedule and my admittedly short attention span meaning that I didn't pay attention to the special features this shrine allows us dear users, I hope that this time I can live up to your expectations.

Now moving on to the story, it finally happened huh? I feared that it would happen too soon and that little Ozzy wouldn't be ready for it but an actual magic person is challenging him... even if Marisa is still human it would be unwise to use tricks directly to her face so I ended up choosing the safe big brain option of trying to fool her. On the other hand, I was just as surprised as Osu seeing how Cirno and the gang were actually disguising themselves, most authors just don't care and mix the children with Youkais in the classes, which in hindsight might not be actually a smart choice, as always your take on Gensokyo keeps surprising me. Keep it up, boss! 

[Yumetou]

Hello again. :) Sorry I haven't been more active checking in with you all. Life's just been hectic on my end. Whether its work, or people trying to make my life more difficult IRL. But I am getting by.

 

I am hoping things will get quiet enough for me to make some edits to the story, from my first post. Its mostly the odd spelling mistake which makes me groan, maybe a little more consistent formatting. Sometimes I have a week to plot out the story, and sometimes like today I have half an hour free to get it how I like it.

I'll also be separating the Stage Tricks from the Occult skill eventually.  or 'Occult' was meant to be Oscar's knowledge and experience with 'real' magic, versus his art of deception. Which would fall more under Intrigue () or Wits (). It makes his talents feel vague, especially since he doesn't actually know any magic at this point. Each skill is meant to have a distinct meaning, and muddying it like that won't help the readers.

 

You may also notice Oscar has a character sheet now! My plan is to post this at the bottom of every first entry in every page. Which should let the readers keep up with his abilities and growth more effectively.

Edited July 30, 2024 by Yumetou

[kymoh]

On 7/29/2024 at 1:17 AM, Motaromc said:

On the other hand, I was just as surprised as Osu seeing how Cirno and the gang were actually disguising themselves, most authors just don't care and mix the children with Youkais in the classes, which in hindsight might not be actually a smart choice, as always your take on Gensokyo keeps surprising me. Keep it up, boss! 

I agree. In general Yumetou has been doing a great job adding his own twists to Gensokyo, all while being careful not to confuse the reader. I think those little details go a long way to add life to the story :)

On 7/30/2024 at 2:02 AM, Yumetou said:

You may also notice Oscar has a character sheet now! My plan is to post this at the bottom of every first entry in every page. Which should let the readers keep up with his abilities and growth more effectively.

Looks good I'm not sure what Oscar has bullets for, but I assume all of these items will eventually have some use, I hope.

 

By the way did anyone else think the latest chapter felt pretty intense? I was fully expecting Marisa to lose her patience and go all out on Oscar, or steal what little earnings he made, thankfully neither of which happened... whew, close one. One small verbal mistake and I think he could've been blasted into ashes there. Or maybe I'm overreacting. I admit, I was the only one that chose "flee from Marisa" option last time haha.

What does everyone say? Is it just me or was this only the beginning of the many dangers he will face in the village?

[Nyoko]

7 hours ago, kymoh said:

Looks good I'm not sure what Oscar has bullets for, but I assume all of these items will eventually have some use, I hope.

I assume he's American, which has a gun culture where not owning a gun might as well be tantamount to a social crime... so of course he would have bullets. Taking into account a Shinigami likely brought him to Gensokyo on orders from somewhere, she either made sure he would be harmless and stole away the gun, or he did not have it on his person. I believe the latter to be more likely.

7 hours ago, kymoh said:

By the way did anyone else think the latest chapter felt pretty intense? I was fully expecting Marisa to lose her patience and go all out on Oscar, or steal what little earnings he made, thankfully neither of which happened... whew, close one. One small verbal mistake and I think he could've been blasted into ashes there. Or maybe I'm overreacting. I admit, I was the only one that chose "flee from Marisa" option last time haha.

What does everyone say? Is it just me or was this only the beginning of the many dangers he will face in the village?

Marisa might get into a lot of fights, but there is not going to be a master spark coming for people she believes to be your regular human or an Outsider. So I was not worried we'd get 'Magicannon: "Final Spark"'ed here. As for the theft: even though Marisa has fought the Yamaxanadu of Gensokyo and lost, she still shows no signs of repenting for her kleptomaniac tendencies. Still, getting in more hot water than she already is would be inadvisable to her, especially in the middle of the Human Village.

You got caught up in the tension of the moment, and made a decision without a cool head... something that Oscar here would have learned to keep in the profession of magician.

The village is going to be his home base for a while, if the Hakurei miko doesn't drag him all the way to her shrine; so yes, this is only the beginning of the dangers in the village. We still have those scheming Youkai to meet, after all.

[Yumetou]

On 7/28/2024 at 9:17 PM, Motaromc said:

And here we are again! another great weekend and this time I returned with a profile pic! it's Mokou-tan being her usual cute self, amazing right? Also, I'd like to thank my understanding senpais for the warm welcome and thoughtful advice, considering that so far I have only logged in the Sundays due to a particularly tight schedule and my admittedly short attention span meaning that I didn't pay attention to the special features this shrine allows us dear users, I hope that this time I can live up to your expectations.

Now moving on to the story, it finally happened huh? I feared that it would happen too soon and that little Ozzy wouldn't be ready for it but an actual magic person is challenging him... even if Marisa is still human it would be unwise to use tricks directly to her face so I ended up choosing the safe big brain option of trying to fool her. On the other hand, I was just as surprised as Osu seeing how Cirno and the gang were actually disguising themselves, most authors just don't care and mix the children with Youkais in the classes, which in hindsight might not be actually a smart choice, as always your take on Gensokyo keeps surprising me. Keep it up, boss! 

I appreciate you reading and your critique Mota. :) Yeah, I didn't see Marisa choosing violence unless something went really wrong, but there were other ways things could go poorly. Fortunately everything seems okay. :) So now we get to figure out Danmaku. Oscar sadly won't be able to participate much, even if some of his stage tricks might be useful. I once mused if he were a boss in the games, he wouldn't actually do damage. Just modify the battle while his minions fought you. He might warp your screen, shoot rockets to buffet you around, or even open your options menu to change the brightness. He'll probably follow a similar idea, blinding or deafening people. At least until he can get 'real' spell cards. Even then, probably won't be a real threat with them unless you outwit your foes.

 

On 7/30/2024 at 11:30 PM, kymoh said:

I agree. In general Yumetou has been doing a great job adding his own twists to Gensokyo, all while being careful not to confuse the reader. I think those little details go a long way to add life to the story :)

Looks good I'm not sure what Oscar has bullets for, but I assume all of these items will eventually have some use, I hope.

 

By the way did anyone else think the latest chapter felt pretty intense? I was fully expecting Marisa to lose her patience and go all out on Oscar, or steal what little earnings he made, thankfully neither of which happened... whew, close one. One small verbal mistake and I think he could've been blasted into ashes there. Or maybe I'm overreacting. I admit, I was the only one that chose "flee from Marisa" option last time haha.

What does everyone say? Is it just me or was this only the beginning of the many dangers he will face in the village?

 

I'm glad you and Mokou-tan enjoyed the disguises! I'll be honest, I hate the Human Village. Part of the reason is, for a place called the Human Village, there aren't many humans there. Sure, there are humans in the side stories. But I don't think the game's had a fight there with a 'true' human. Even on the Wiki, most of the characters listed living in the town are Youkai. Keine, Kogasa, Sekibanki. Sure, Marisa technically has a shop there, but she's transitioning into a youkai/devil. Same with Kosuzu. Even Akyuu is debatable. While scenes of the Bakette as schoolmates is cute, the lore both tells us that non-humans aren't welcome in the village, but they also come and go as they please. This is my compromise between the world-as-written, and the world-as-imagined. Cirno and friends attend the school at night, disguised as humans when no one will spot them. They're only outside now because they woke up and noticed their new friend wasn't eaten alive by hungry trees. :P

 

On 7/31/2024 at 7:15 AM, Nyoko said:

I assume he's American, which has a gun culture where not owning a gun might as well be tantamount to a social crime... so of course he would have bullets. Taking into account a Shinigami likely brought him to Gensokyo on orders from somewhere, she either made sure he would be harmless and stole away the gun, or he did not have it on his person. I believe the latter to be more likely.

Marisa might get into a lot of fights, but there is not going to be a master spark coming for people she believes to be your regular human or an Outsider. So I was not worried we'd get 'Magicannon: "Final Spark"'ed here. As for the theft: even though Marisa has fought the Yamaxanadu of Gensokyo and lost, she still shows no signs of repenting for her kleptomaniac tendencies. Still, getting in more hot water than she already is would be inadvisable to her, especially in the middle of the Human Village.

You got caught up in the tension of the moment, and made a decision without a cool head... something that Oscar here would have learned to keep in the profession of magician.

The village is going to be his home base for a while, if the Hakurei miko doesn't drag him all the way to her shrine; so yes, this is only the beginning of the dangers in the village. We still have those scheming Youkai to meet, after all.

Not quite. :) He shares inventory with Agappa, who plundered eight bullets off a body earlier. They're useless as weapons without their firearm, but a creative person might find a use for their components. Even if the idea of a spell card just being 'gun' is amusing.

I dunno. I always thought of Marisa as a good person, even if she's a thief. Oscar would have to convince her he was a real piece of work for her to Master Spark all over the place. But there are many ways he could ruin his new life in Gensokyo outside 'spell card to the face', and Marisa could do that in several ways. As for why she hasn't stolen anything, I think that's more down to him not having anything to interest her, outside the other grimoire. And that'll be easier to steal now that he has two of them.

Ah yes, the Shrine Maiden in the room. If you can get Oscar on Marisa's good side, she may be able to protect him just a little from her. Its less 'I will die for this handsome stranger' and more 'I'll call my best friend a jerk for being so rude to a new friend'. Not that it'll do more than make Reimu temporarily argue with Marisa. Reimu may not like Oscar much, though we will see why as time moves on.

[Nyoko]

13 hours ago, Yumetou said:

I once mused if he were a boss in the games, he wouldn't actually do damage. Just modify the battle while his minions fought you. He might warp your screen, shoot rockets to buffet you around, or even open your options menu to change the brightness. He'll probably follow a similar idea, blinding or deafening people. At least until he can get 'real' spell cards. Even then, probably won't be a real threat with them unless you outwit your foes.

And/or make sure people need to pay attention to his spells to see which of his bullets are fake. We had this question asked specifically in the context of Danmaku games in my topic to ask for spellcards of people's OCs, Which you answered to with Oscar Diggs' character in what was then still Illusionary Nirvana's iteration of him.

14 hours ago, Yumetou said:

I'm glad you and Mokou-tan enjoyed the disguises! I'll be honest, I hate the Human Village. Part of the reason is, for a place called the Human Village, there aren't many humans there. Sure, there are humans in the side stories. But I don't think the game's had a fight there with a 'true' human.

I believe part of the reason for that is writing convention. What interesting story can you make with a normal (and thus not important enough to mention) human that would not include the question of Youkaihood? (Disregarding Reimu's ruthless extermination of villagers turned Youkai, that is.) It is much easier for the average Touhou fan, who know more about the Youkai part of the Gensokyo equation than the human villager one, to empathize with the Youkai. Though I feel like they've overdone it... What's also noted down is that the Villagers are meant as sheep to fear the Youkai to exist out of their belief: so giving them a vehicle to become powerful enough to not fear Youkai is... well, you get the point.

It is this strange dichotomy - Youkai in the human village, yet forbidden from entering in the first place - that gives us a conflict that is being used by everything that even touches upon the village. Most people simply don't read that far into the situation to understand the concept and the reason why ZUN made that decision.

Also, what counts as a true human to you? One who can't use magic; or one who uses magic that does not require turning into a different being? Because one actually can't partake in battle and the other has to use magic that barely exists. Even Christian witchcraft can be argued to slowly turn you into a demon or an angel depending on what flavour your magic is.

14 hours ago, Yumetou said:

Not quite. :) He shares inventory with Agappa, who plundered eight bullets off a body earlier. They're useless as weapons without their firearm, but a creative person might find a use for their components. Even if the idea of a spell card just being 'gun' is amusing.

I dunno. I always thought of Marisa as a good person, even if she's a thief. Oscar would have to convince her he was a real piece of work for her to Master Spark all over the place. But there are many ways he could ruin his new life in Gensokyo outside 'spell card to the face', and Marisa could do that in several ways. As for why she hasn't stolen anything, I think that's more down to him not having anything to interest her, outside the other grimoire. And that'll be easier to steal now that he has two of them.

Ah yes, the Shrine Maiden in the room. If you can get Oscar on Marisa's good side, she may be able to protect him just a little from her. Its less 'I will die for this handsome stranger' and more 'I'll call my best friend a jerk for being so rude to a new friend'. Not that it'll do more than make Reimu temporarily argue with Marisa. Reimu may not like Oscar much, though we will see why as time moves on.

And then the part actually directed towards me; I truly do enjoy putting my long nose into other people's business.

Well, you could've at least spent a line making it clear that he shares inventory, then this misunderstanding would not have happened. (But who am I to talk?)
I assume you haven't heard of the spellcard: 'Gun sign: "3D Printer Gun"' then?

I don't exactly care whether or not a person seems like a good gal or not, and considering the amount of knowledge Oscar had about her he would have gone along a similar line of reasoning as what I stated. Both my and Oscar's line of reasoning mixed into each other, which led to that very suspicious attitude I wrote in. As for her other methods of being an omen of the destruction of his less than ordinary but still cozy life, she isn't in direct contact with anyone threatening aside from Reimu. Given time, she would be able to utterly crush any chance of a normal life Oscar has, but that time won't exactly be given without a good reason, and anything concerning the Hakurei miko will involve useful explanations to weaponize later.

Oscar is an anomaly, which is enough to get him on the bad side of nearly everyone who actively cares about the balance of Gensokyo. Though there are more reasons than that as to why she wouldn't like him. On a side note, Yukari must be interested in this random human who wandered all the way from the furthest corner of Gensokyo to the human village in a day and seemingly recruited a Youkai as a helper.

[Motaromc]

On 8/2/2024 at 11:07 PM, Yumetou said:

I appreciate you reading and your critique Mota. :) Yeah, I didn't see Marisa choosing violence unless something went really wrong, but there were other ways things could go poorly. Fortunately everything seems okay. :) So now we get to figure out Danmaku. Oscar sadly won't be able to participate much, even if some of his stage tricks might be useful. I once mused if he were a boss in the games, he wouldn't actually do damage. Just modify the battle while his minions fought you. He might warp your screen, shoot rockets to buffet you around, or even open your options menu to change the brightness. He'll probably follow a similar idea, blinding or deafening people. At least until he can get 'real' spell cards. Even then, probably won't be a real threat with them unless you outwit your foes.

And i just learned how to quote! Welp, i should say that you somehow managed to fit in a story almost everything i was searching for in a Touhou quest, namely, building up a random guy from the ground up, not only that but you seem to be really knowledgeable yourself so i could say that i'm "eating good" this time and that you deserve all the attention i can spare. About Oscar, i can straight up say that i would completely hate any boss fight against him, i have my own philosophy that half of a conflict, be it a simple debate or a fight, happens inside one's own mind. What do i mean with it? Well, Oscar is literally faking his way into Gensokyo and magicianhood with fancy words and cheap tricks, and that only works because They Don't know it. In a fight, people normally wouldn't have a way to tell if Oscar is tricking you or not unless you already have him figured out but on the other hand, Oscar himself thinks he is inside his ELEMENT, right now he has the best possible mentality he could ever have since his "innocence" prevents him from understanding that he proclaims the equivalent of Inhumanity in a supernatural sense, to him, he is simply doing what he already did his whole life. Eventually, he will have a few wake-up calls, this is unavoidable, and he will discover how deep he is into the rabbit hole but by then i would expect that he will have his powers to back him up. 

 

On 8/2/2024 at 11:07 PM, Yumetou said:

I dunno. I always thought of Marisa as a good person, even if she's a thief. Oscar would have to convince her he was a real piece of work for her to Master Spark all over the place. But there are many ways he could ruin his new life in Gensokyo outside 'spell card to the face', and Marisa could do that in several ways. As for why she hasn't stolen anything, I think that's more down to him not having anything to interest her, outside the other grimoire. And that'll be easier to steal now that he has two of them.

Agreed, i never feared Marisa for possibly murderizing a man in the middle of the controversial "Hooman village", no, what i feared was the destruction of said mentality i wrote above, the last thing we need is to have Ozy doubt himself or worse, to lose a very specific card he has right now, the power to state a WRONG fact without actually lying! Yes, he is not a magician and can't do magic, but he doesn't lie about being a magician, it's just that to him, a magician is the same thing as a profession (a questionable one but still a profession). And that is not a lie, probably the reason why Agappa is so interested in him since she clearly knows he is a normal human but at the same time is not lying at all, must be quite a paradox in her eyes or eye. Back to Marisa, her long historic as the underdog probably was the reason to why she chose to believe that Ozeyas was so skilled that she just couldn't sense him casting, after all, she was stated to have achieved her place through hard work and a questionable behavior, probably explains her obsession with big booms and shining lasers which might be a way to show that she is more than what she seems. Kind of like how some animals try to appear larger to intimidate potential predators, with that said, should be in our best interest to avoid an actual proud magician like the one whose surname is literally Knowledge, not only because she would never fall for such a trick but because we have a very questionable book in our inventory right now.

On 8/3/2024 at 3:13 PM, Nyoko said:

I don't exactly care whether or not a person seems like a good gal or not, and considering the amount of knowledge Oscar had about her he would have gone along a similar line of reasoning as what I stated. Both my and Oscar's line of reasoning mixed into each other, which led to that very suspicious attitude I wrote in. As for her other methods of being an omen of the destruction of his less than ordinary but still cozy life, she isn't in direct contact with anyone threatening aside from Reimu. Given time, she would be able to utterly crush any chance of a normal life Oscar has, but that time won't exactly be given without a good reason, and anything concerning the Hakurei miko will involve useful explanations to weaponize later.

Oscar is an anomaly, which is enough to get him on the bad side of nearly everyone who actively cares about the balance of Gensokyo. Though there are more reasons than that as to why she wouldn't like him. On a side note, Yukari must be interested in this random human who wandered all the way from the furthest corner of Gensokyo to the human village in a day and seemingly recruited a Youkai as a helper.

Reimu, another sore topic, as Nyoko said, Oskers right now is an anomaly but not only that, he is an Outsider who claims Youkaihood. You guys probably know about the infamous fortune teller and i'm not faulting Reimu for doing what she must, but right now Oscar is in a strange gray area where he is not really a human from Gensokyo and at the same time now part of it, meaning that technically they have no legal power over him unless he chooses to settle in the village and officially stay in Gensokyo forever which he probably wouldn't like. To be honest here, as much as i like Gensokyo, someone like me would never realistically be able to last there, the main objective would be to return to society asap and Oscar should be feeling the same right now. So sad that his fate is now in our hands no? Don't want to sound like a villain but despite my concern for his safety and well-being, Ozymandias is now a tool for my own amusement and as such he will be denied a normal life for as long as i can influence it, Be strong now Osu! On a side note let's keep some distance from the Hakurei shrine for now... Oh and before i forget, i think Yukari would find a weird use for his skills too, performing what seems to be a magical feat in the eyes of the villagers would further advance the shady Youkai agenda.

[Motaromc]

Here I am, fashionably late, or at least I hope I am, my Sunday only visits are starting to become troublesome considering that I just missed a chapter, not only that but it seems that things took a dangerous turn while I wasn't looking, although they didn't start fighting right away so we are fine for now. Since we are already in trouble I suppose that it's okay to be bolder and take this quest, sadly I guess that Rumia will have to wait for now, really wanted to wrap up our situation with her and perhaps even recruit her into our little squad but it seems that fate has another plan for Oscarius. I didn't lie when I said that I was late because it is late here, maybe I'll choose a day in the week to peek around to see if one of my favorite authors cooked something for me.

[Motaromc]

Ooh, you took your time to talk about lies *Sweats Profusely*, certainly not ominous at all... cof cof, I mean Osaka Dingus the numbah 4 is just a clueless bro, surely no one will hold a grudge right? haha, I'm not sure if you saw it but I have been talking to Nyokko lately, and I was finally introduced to the fact that we may or may not be in a pre-apocalypse setting, it's not a problem at all but since we have a timer now, I think we'll have to start balling for real this time, like, making our claims a real deal you know? At first, I wanted to do it at a slow pace and minimize the risks, however, now I just discovered that we are probably on a timer so friends must be made, danmakus must be shot and money must be donated.

As for the story, I'm starting to feel bad for Marisa, she even hugged Oscar, believing his claims to be a real deal, even if I just voted that for an easy escape. It seems that our lying is starting to bite us back, as such, from now on I declare that Oscar Diggs 4th will start to try to fulfill his promises! Or at least I'll vote for that, this is a democracy after all. Speaking about votes, I couldn't stop myself, I had to pick the Minecraft option, even if we are omitting some parts it's not completely false ok? And besides I fully plan on making a Minecraft spell in the future even if it's only with dirt.

[Nyoko]

Lies, lies and more lies is what happens when you fail to lie correctly, either due to a lack of knowledge or just plain stupidity. We have a lot of lies and none of the skills required to back them up, but not lying would have likely killed Oscar in one way or another very quickly and without mercy. This lie just staves of at best a massive laser at Agappa for a little bit and at worst gets Oscar also shot at in five different ways. Or Marisa would be a bit too vindictive for just an ordinary magician.

As for my choice: cards are as universal as dice and it is not a long shot to say that I find this the most believable lie out of the four and the one we can utilize the second we have a deck of cards... which is likely to be shot down by Kochiya when we meet her but that is a problem for later and we may be able to use Danmaku: obscure type of Poker edition. Also because my own experience with one particular physical card game makes it seem like you would need to be a magician to play the game. it only requires a singular deck of playing cards, as well.

8 hours ago, Motaromc said:

haha, I'm not sure if you saw it but I have been talking to Nyokko lately, and I was finally introduced to the fact that we may or may not be in a pre-apocalypse setting, it's not a problem at all but since we have a timer now, I think we'll have to start balling for real this time, like, making our claims a real deal you know? At first, I wanted to do it at a slow pace and minimize the risks, however, now I just discovered that we are probably on a timer so friends must be made, danmakus must be shot and money must be donated.

As for you: the subtext in the notes of the Survival Guide likely states that Gensokyo can still be entered and exited, which would be impossible if the Great Hakurei Barrier decided to weld itself shut. Either that or the Survival Guide states things that OV would do after the Barrier became itself again, but the first is more likely. The timer does not exist in this world, at least from what we know and what knowledge I can glean from trying to put myself into the same headspace as Yumetou.