Gensokyo Survival Guide OoC and Off-Topic

[Gri]

Greetings.

Wow, I was not expecting a new entry during the busy end of year holidays. What a nice surprise. Let me read that real quick.... poor Oscar :TenshiCry: , left completely alone :TenshiCry: . Still, it's not over yet. We must choose who could meet Houdini and notice rabbit's odd behaviour.

The "medicine stall" is an obvious choice, since Reisen will immediately notice something's wrong with the rabbit (and while Tewi don't go to the village as far as I know, she might assist Reisen from time to time). If Reisen were to end up helping Oscar, it could make for a nice new dynamic. Reisen is usually not very friendly to humans (she does her job, but that's it). So far, only Keine was not immediately kind to Oscar (excluding Yokai that tried to eat him), and even then once she knew he was an outsider, she showed kindness. So, Oscar dealing with someone who doesn't like human (a bit different from Wriggle) would feel different.

The "temple at the north". No expert on Gensokyo's geography, but would that be the Myouren Temple? I guess any beast youkai there could notice the rabbit, so that would mean either Nazrin, Shou, Kyoko(is she a beast? I don't think Yamabiko are beasts, but she has some beast features). Shou wouldn't leave the temple like that (unless ordered by Byakuren), and I doubt Nazrin would just chase after the rabbit, unless she believes it leads to treasure (she could double check with her dousing rods, then get a reaction due to the fortune teller's books). Her interaction would be similar to Reisen's, except Nazrin is even more unfriendly (tends to look down on others)

The "rental library" would be Kosuzu or one of her regular visitors (so, Reimu, Marisa, Mamizou, Akyuu, maybe Aya). Oh! Maybe Marisa's when there to decipher the book she stole from Oscar Crap. Bad memory. She only stole his wallet. Aya would wait for someone else to follow the rabbit, then snap picture of whatever happens. Akyuu wouldn't go out, not sure if Kosuzu would (from memory, I think she more the type to tell Reimu/Marisa/Mamizou if something weird happens).

The "tavern", so Miyoi or one of her visitors (Marisa, Mamizou, Suika, Aya). Suika wouldn't care (and she wouldn't be here anyway cause is the afternoon and she doesn't disguise herself unlike Mamizou and Aya). Mamizou is a beast youkai and could send a few tanuki to investigate. I already mentioned it, but her scheming nature could go well with Oscar who is also a trickster. This could be an early introduction for the two, and it could become a form of rivalry or maybe Mamizou would become an antagonist who want to expose Oscar's tricks (but for that to work, he would have to be more popular at the village. Right now, he's just the latest stranger to join the village).

Finally, the "Heida Temple" would be Keine or Team9. I can kinda see Wriggle trying once more to convince Cirno to not worry about Osu, but Cirno is being more insistent now that Houdini is there. The two arguing could get the attention of Keine, who would interogate them and then quickly go in to save Oscar, scolding all of them for going to such a dangerous place.

Those are my theories, but which one sounds the more appealing :SekiThink: ? The library is out, and introducing Mamizou this early could work if she becomes important later, but I would go for anything more that a short introduction right now. Between Reisen and Nazrin options, I guess I would go for Nazrin (a less popular choice so it would feel different than usual). I do like my Heida temple theory, but this is something that could happen as soon as Oscar comes back for the night anyway (unless he go rest somewhere else).
 

Anyhow! Hope it makes for good reading

This is the end of the year, so I want to wish Yumetou and everyone a Happy New Year :KoishiXD: .

 

[Motaromc]

Here we go! Isn't this a nice surprise? I didn't expect you would appear with a New Year gift for us like this Yume.

On the other hand, we were supposed to have more temps last month, and they ended up ghosting us. So, not going to make any promises until I'm asked not to come in on my days off.

The more I hear about you the more worried I become, I dare say I understand very well the feeling of having your team being "stretched thin", almost like everything will fall apart should one of you not be there and have someone else pick up the slack so you can make ends met at the end of the month. I'm not trying to advise you because I'm probably the worst person to do that but let me ask you a question first:

Are you sure you enjoy what you are doing right now?

Sometimes, we put effort on things that are not always really worth it, so please, be sure that you are indeed doing what you wish to do. Burnout is a serious thing you know?

Okay, enough of gloomy topics, let's move on to the chapter.

Mr Snuggles

Who is even Mr Snuggles? lol, it seems my mind turned Houdini into Snuggles when I wasn't looking. To be honest, I expected the little fella would smell a way out or something but pulling the best mole imitation I have seen so far is not a bad idea as well, since that give us a new array of options from here on out.

First of all, I'll be crossing out Hieda Temple because that would put us back where Oscar started, the chances of meeting Akyuu are tempting but I personally doubt she is going to be of any help except for helping Ozzy with his crippling illiteracy using the old fashioned way to teach him which will absolutely take much more than a month.

Next, we have the rental library, it's similar to the option above since meeting Akyuu will probably lead to meeting Kosuzu and vice versa but while Kosuzu might be a helping hand for our fake magician to speed up the spell learning process, it's still a way to return to the start at the hooman village. Funnily enough, this option would be the best to wrap up the current Team9 plot which would require Ozzy to divinate Rumia's location and proceed to assemble a rescue squad.

Then we have the tavern, I can't say much about this one because I've yet to read Miyoi's story but judging from what Master Gri said, there is not many people excluding Mamizou that would be capable of offering any help to Ozzy right now. Suika wouldn't care, Aya is only interested in making things up for bunbunmaru and Mamizou herself is a wildcard since she is know to be a trickster, I fear she might be too much for a tired Oscar right now.

Now the last two would be the best options so far. The temple would offer help to anyone in need and is full of capable people, Byakuren herself is a magician and it's probably the safest option in all of those above. Normally, I would pick this option because there are many benefits in associating Ozzy with the Myouren crew.

With that said, since I have been advocating for the rabbit in the last chapter then I might as well commit to it, Eientei is full of sciencey people, not the best choice for someone who is building up for magic but seeing a place more advanced than the human village should put Oscar at ease for the time being, also, discovering the local hospital is REALLY good in the long run. We never know when someone will need it right?

Lastly, that exchange between Oscar and our newest GOAT of the story, CHADini, almost made me tear up. Good job with that. 

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[Yumetou]

I appreciate the concern Mota buddy. :) I wish I could say it was as simple as picking up and going to another place. Hospitals are just all like this now. I love my work and feel passionate about it. Even with my complaint about my workload, I'm still doing as much work in a day as I did at my old job. The sole difference is its a larger hospital, with a too small crew. So, if someone flakes or is just sick, me or my buddy have to take the slack. So I've less free time than I did four months ago. Things should change soon though, and if they don't I'll probably move along.

I will admit the characters I have selected for each location are slightly randomized, so you may not end up with the character or characters you were hoping for. But all the ones named so far as big names are liable to appear in their area. There are a few others padding out options with less of a cast. For instance, the readers decide Houdini is hippity hopping his way to the medicine stall. But who says he makes it there? There are other figures known to visit the village less frequently. As big a task as finding someone who can help Houdini, is convincing them to follow him. Some characters can talk to animals, sure, but who knows if he'll meet them.

To be honest, refreshing my mental list of people in the village, I was slightly disappointed. All the lesser knowns I haven't introduced already seem concentrated around the Myouren Temple. But have some fun ideas in mind for each option.

I also want to clarify: Team9 will reappear later in the story, especially with Rumia missing, Wriggle going through some stuff and REDACTED. If Houdini goes there he won't be going to Team9 though. Our lore nerds (honored be their names) have already picked out Akyuu as an option, though there are others of varying degrees of importance to the fandom who might be found there. Then again, I put an allusion to a kitsune boy who appeared in like. One chapter of Forbidden Scrollery as an option for the table game. That's how obscure I am willing to get to feel like a cool kid. Who knows, he might be the top tier choice for the bnuuy to turn to.

 

[Gri]

I will admit the characters I have selected for each location are slightly randomized, so you may not end up with the character or characters you were hoping for. But all the ones named so far as big names are liable to appear in their area. There are a few others padding out options with less of a cast. For instance, the readers decide Houdini is hippity hopping his way to the medicine stall. But who says he makes it there? There are other figures known to visit the village less frequently. As big a task as finding someone who can help Houdini, is convincing them to follow him. Some characters can talk to animals, sure, but who knows if he'll meet them.

This is fine.

I wasn't really talking about which characters I am hoping for in each option, but more trying to guest who could be there to make a more informed choice. Feel free to ignore my thoughts, especially if you have nice surprise in stock, then I definitely won't be disappointed.

 

[Yumetou]

Nah, you were dead on. 100%. :) I'm just trying to be a little unpredictable.

...Though I did have a scene in mind where Shou meets Houdini. Before turning to Nazrin and saying "I don't like him. He mocks me with his smug aura."

 

[Soshmal]

Hey hey, been a while.

Happy new years to you all, hope you're doing well.

I said I would be here every Sunday, to greet Yume with a reply as a "Welcome back" every time we are blessed with an update BUT it seems like I have failed to adjust to the update time for... Maybe three weeks in a row? Ouch, that is a VERY Irresponsible thing from my person, so I do feel like I need to apologize.

Out of any of us, I'M the one that owes the biggest apology here. I know I only talked twice and dipped, but I had meant to be more involved in the discussion here. Illness and a little night parade of 100 paperwork SNAFUs kept me away from it though. I have a lot to catch up on, so please forgive me if this post is a bit all over the place.

I wish I could say it was as simple as picking up and going to another place. Hospitals are just all like this now.

I didn't know you worked at a hospital, Yumetou. Don't know how much it'll mean to ya but as someone with chronic illness who is a semi-frequent guest at such places, I'd just like to say that I genuinely appreciate what you do. Also, it's no wonder you're tired, I've never been to a hospital that wasn't insanely hectic!

Well, I wanted to yap a bit more about the story some tonight, but It's gotten pretty late so I'll hope to pick back up on this tomorrow. I hope my vote wasn't too late!

 

[kymoh]

And before I go, I decided to prepare a little gift for my ally, Kymoh, as a "Welcome Back" of sorts. It's also an opportunity to try and put a gif in this site, which I had never done before by the way.

View attachment 5640

awww thanks Mortar-o'-MC! (my ally!)

I know it's just a simple gif, but the fact that someone here cared enough about me, to take the time for a welcome-back message... it brings a big smile to my face. :)  So really, thanks a ton, it means more than you think!

Greetings.

Wow, I was not expecting a new entry during the busy end of year holidays. What a nice surprise. Let me read that real quick.... poor Oscar :TenshiCry: , left completely alone :TenshiCry: . Still, it's not over yet. We must choose who could meet Houdini and notice rabbit's odd behaviour.

The "medicine stall" is an obvious choice, since Reisen will immediately notice something's wrong with the rabbit (and while Tewi don't go to the village as far as I know, she might assist Reisen from time to time). If Reisen were to end up helping Oscar, it could make for a nice new dynamic. Reisen is usually not very friendly to humans (she does her job, but that's it). So far, only Keine was not immediately kind to Oscar (excluding Yokai that tried to eat him), and even then once she knew he was an outsider, she showed kindness. So, Oscar dealing with someone who doesn't like human (a bit different from Wriggle) would feel different.

The "temple at the north". No expert on Gensokyo's geography, but would that be the Myouren Temple? I guess any beast youkai there could notice the rabbit, so that would mean either Nazrin, Shou, Kyoko(is she a beast? I don't think Yamabiko are beasts, but she has some beast features). Shou wouldn't leave the temple like that (unless ordered by Byakuren), and I doubt Nazrin would just chase after the rabbit, unless she believes it leads to treasure (she could double check with her dousing rods, then get a reaction due to the fortune teller's books). Her interaction would be similar to Reisen's, except Nazrin is even more unfriendly (tends to look down on others)

The "rental library" would be Kosuzu or one of her regular visitors (so, Reimu, Marisa, Mamizou, Akyuu, maybe Aya). Oh! Maybe Marisa's when there to decipher the book she stole from Oscar Crap. Bad memory. She only stole his wallet. Aya would wait for someone else to follow the rabbit, then snap picture of whatever happens. Akyuu wouldn't go out, not sure if Kosuzu would (from memory, I think she more the type to tell Reimu/Marisa/Mamizou if something weird happens).

The "tavern", so Miyoi or one of her visitors (Marisa, Mamizou, Suika, Aya). Suika wouldn't care (and she wouldn't be here anyway cause is the afternoon and she doesn't disguise herself unlike Mamizou and Aya). Mamizou is a beast youkai and could send a few tanuki to investigate. I already mentioned it, but her scheming nature could go well with Oscar who is also a trickster. This could be an early introduction for the two, and it could become a form of rivalry or maybe Mamizou would become an antagonist who want to expose Oscar's tricks (but for that to work, he would have to be more popular at the village. Right now, he's just the latest stranger to join the village).

Finally, the "Heida Temple" would be Keine or Team9. I can kinda see Wriggle trying once more to convince Cirno to not worry about Osu, but Cirno is being more insistent now that Houdini is there. The two arguing could get the attention of Keine, who would interogate them and then quickly go in to save Oscar, scolding all of them for going to such a dangerous place.

Those are my theories, but which one sounds the more appealing :SekiThink: ? The library is out, and introducing Mamizou this early could work if she becomes important later, but I would go for anything more that a short introduction right now. Between Reisen and Nazrin options, I guess I would go for Nazrin (a less popular choice so it would feel different than usual). I do like my Heida temple theory, but this is something that could happen as soon as Oscar comes back for the night anyway (unless he go rest somewhere else).
 

This is the end of the year, so I want to wish Yumetou and everyone a Happy New Year :KoishiXD: .

Woah, you put in loads of thought into this choice. I agree that some of these options seem unhelpful to Oscar, especially the tavern or the library. I actually hadn't considered Reisen or Tewi would be at the medicine stall, looks like I gotta brush up on my character knowledge. But it's a great point you brought up, Reisen being able to communicate in some form with Houdini. If Yumetou was planning Houdini's little adventure to lead into a "rescue operation" for Oscar, I think Reisen is best fit to be the savior of the day.

...And then your point about Nazrin immediately challenges that. I still think Reisen's abilities would be more practical. But admittedly, introducing Nazrin -a leader of mice that hunts for treasure- does sound more interesting than a powerful, efficient killer who doesn't get along with humans. So now you've got me on the fence, Master Gri! Shall I stand with my ally and choose the obvious route, or turn to your side and chase the fun? :SekiThink:

Eientei is full of sciencey people, not the best choice for someone who is building up for magic but seeing a place more advanced than the human village should put Oscar at ease for the time being, also, discovering the local hospital is REALLY good in the long run. We never know when someone will need it right?

Now let's think about this my ally. :SatoriStare:

I can see how the medicine stall choice is the most optimal. No question about it. But consider this, is our goal to work through this story as efficient as possible? Hmmmm... Making the best moves, taking the least risk, and ensuring Ozzy "wins" this story? Or shall we have some fun and be a bit more... unpredictable :)   Give it some thought, Mortar-o'-MC!

Happy new years to you all, hope you're doing well.

Hi, happy (late) new years to you too! There's no need to apologize about taking a break from this forum. We all have our own lives, and nobody's forced to post here all the time except Yumetou. Me and Mota also went silent for quite a while too.

Last but not least, Mr.Yummy Toes :).  I totally expected the new chapter to be some boring conversation in a dark room without much action, but you've done it again. Seems like you always find a way to keep the plot moving on its feet- quite literally. Makes me curious if you ever read Michael Crichton or Dan Brown's thriller novels, their books are real page-turners filled with constant fast-paced action. Like your story! :MeilingThumbsUp:

 

[Motaromc]

Oooh, so many words, so many people! I'm glad I decided to be a bit more chaotic with how I approach this place or else I would probably just stop by Sunday and miss all the fun. Truthfully, I never expected people would promptly return here so fast after New Year and everything but here we are.

Let's start then, I had to plans to adress Yumetou first but since ally is here then K-mon will have priority due to Ally reasons.

awww thanks Mortar-o'-MC! (my ally!)

I know it's just a simple gif, but the fact that someone here cared enough about me, to take the time for a welcome-back message... it brings a big smile to my face. :)  So really, thanks a ton, it means more than you think!

Hehehe, don't make me blush! This was just me being goofy and trying to lighten the mood since everyone seemed so tired back then. I'm glad it worked, in fact, it worked so well that we had the most visitors here since a month ago I believe. Should I start posting more memes?

Now let's think about this my ally. :SatoriStare:

I can see how the medicine stall choice is the most optimal. No question about it. But consider this, is our goal to work through this story as efficient as possible? Hmmmm... Making the best moves, taking the least risk, and ensuring Ozzy "wins" this story? Or shall we have some fun and be a bit more... unpredictable :)   Give it some thought, Mortar-o'-MC!

Oh? Still adressing me are you? Did you really think I hadn't considered that my ally? Please, I did consider that! But then what about you? Let me show you my thoughts then.

Think about it. In a medicine stall, we have both the people responsible for it (those who sells medicine) and people who wants to use their services (those who buy medicine). In another words, as Master Gri sucessfully deduced, there is no set character for any of these choices but instead we have a pool from where Yume will decide from.

With that in mind, the chances of meeting the Eientei crew would be 50% and the chances of meeting a patient represent the other 50%. Said patients would most likely be humans who get sick in the first place, my mind immediately thinks of Akyuu, considering she is physically the weakest human in the series due to being a child of Miare but Yume also mentioned a "kitsune boy" which means the chances of getting a forgotten side character is also very high.

On the other hand, the temple options offer us a wide array of youkais and humans who frequents the temple, either the ones affiliated to it or believers who are nonetheless also affiliated to it. So, the chances of getting Oscar acquainted to Myouren Temple SHOULD be 100% unless Yume decides to pull a fast one on us.

I think you have made the connections by now, My dear ally but if you hadn't then let me clarify it to you. Yes, I am being unpredictable because I'm making a gamble with myself! Think of a gacha, I can either get the legendary 6 stars Reisen Udongein Inaba or the common 3 stars Heida no Akyuu and if my luck is that bad then I get the off-meta unit "side-character". The end goal I have decided for this choice is getting Oscar into Eientei or at least get him to know about it and that would probably only be accomplished if I'm lucky enough to have the medicine stall to be picked and then be lucky enough to have someone from Eientei to save Ozzy. The optimal and safe choice is the temple since the Buddhists would probably offer shelter at any moment (they surely want more followers after all).

On a side note, Akyuu is really a common character, she has a reasonable chance to appear in the library, in her own temple, in the medicine stall and I even read somewhere once that she might be a Buddhist.

I appreciate the concern Mota buddy. :) I wish I could say it was as simple as picking up and going to another place. Hospitals are just all like this now. I love my work and feel passionate about it. Even with my complaint about my workload, I'm still doing as much work in a day as I did at my old job. The sole difference is its a larger hospital, with a too small crew. So, if someone flakes or is just sick, me or my buddy have to take the slack. So I've less free time than I did four months ago. Things should change soon though, and if they don't I'll probably move along.

Bruh, why you never told me you worked at Eientei? Do you have any idea what I would do the get a job there? Give me my worries back!

Jokes aside, I understand your situation now lol, actually, I think you even told us about your job before, I guess I was just being stupid and forgot about it. I can surely tell you are doing what you love because hospitals can make a person understand if they are cut for their job really quick, I can tell you this because my mum had a dream of being a nurse but wasn't able to realize it due to becoming a housewife instead after I got my first job, I helped fund her studies so she could finally work on her dream job... Guess what? She didn't last a year in a hospital, nowadays she takes care of an old lady who suffers from dementia. I don't regret helping fund her studies though, I can rub in her face that I paid back the effort she made to secure my own studies.

Take your time sorting things out, as you can see, we will probably be here to welcome you back whenever you feel like it. Just don't take too long

Lastly, before I go, I decided to make a little sketch to help understand Ozzy's current predicament.

View attachment 5667

 

[Yumetou]

Finally got to write out a post. And after a rough day of work too. Before I go to bed, I've mentioned some choices the group makes have a random outcome. This is a good example, with myself setting up a pool of options and rolling a 1d100 to determine which outcome happens. In this case, I rolled a 71. Higher than the 1-39 I planed for Reisen and 40-69 for Tewi. Who found Houdini then? Well normally I would post the table of options, but I didn't get around to it. All I can say is you can probably guess.

Instead of a direct action, Houdini is visited by a dream, from a mysterious force, the same Oscar has access to. As his familiar, Houdini can draw on knowledge through dreams as well. After a quick aside, he is sure to wake up, a little stronger and with more options for attracting help for Oscar.

 

[Soshmal]

I shoulda known it was too easy!

While I'm admittedly a little disappointed bnuny didn't get to meet up with the other runny babbits, Sekibanki (I think) is definitely an interesting option for saving Houdini nonetheless. She doesn't appear all that much in canon or fanon, so she's somewhat of a blank slate and I'm excited to see how she's handled. The basket full of food she's carrying could imply that she's on her way to a meeting of the Youkai Grassroots Network, which may take them as far away as the misty lake. Poor Houdini has a rude awakening and a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to get back to Oscar!

On the topic of Houdini, what I wanted to discuss last time (before I ran out of time) was the possibility of them turning into a youkai. For one, Houdini is old. Probably very old, given how Oscar referred to him as being "...as old as [he] was when [they] met". I can't recall if we have an exact age for Oscar, but he must be in his 20's at least. This would indicate that Houdini is at the very least (but likely more than) 10 years old, which is also the maximum of the domestic rabbit's average lifespan. Animals in Gensokyo that well exceed their expected longevity have the tendency to transform into youkai. There is also the emotional distress that poor Houdini must be experiencing; knowing his best friend is in mortal danger, getting so close to people who can help and yet ultimately being rendered powerless by his old bones and rotten luck. Extreme emotional distress is another path via which animals can become youkai, a particularly relevant example of this being in WaHH, when Tewi sets up a bunch of pet rabbits to be abandoned so the distress would turn them into youkai she can command.

That was another one of the reasons that I was hoping for Houdini to reach the Eientei crew, but that's enough of that. Let's move on to discussing this entry's options. All of them are interesting, if a little cryptic (in a good way! no need to clarify, Yumetou!). Anyways, my personal interpretations and thoughts on them are as follows:

As context, I'm writing this with the assumption that this entry's options will lead to a perspective change as opposed to a dream sequence like we've seen before, but I'm willing to be wrong.

• "Best Friend": Oscar Diggs
  
  
  I think my reasoning for this is pretty self-explanatory, given how Houdini and Oscar seem to share a deep bond.
  
• If this is a perspective shift, going back to Oscar could be interesting. If we're lucky, it could lead to Oscar escaping on his own and maybe getting some character development as well. If we're unlucky, this could be a game over.
  
  
  IMO, the time Oscar's spent trying to fend for just himself (or him and Agappa) have been some of the highlights of this series. While this option is definitely high risk, it could also be high reward.
  

[*]If it's a dream sequence, we could get some more context on what lead up to Oscar's spiriting-away. While not absolutely essential, it could still provide some interesting perspective on our protagonist.



[*]"Witch's Strings": Marisa (or Alice?)

• 
  
  While this option almost certainly refers to Marisa, which I'll assume to be the case, the 'Strings' part makes me think of Alice the puppeteer. I'm definitely overthinking this though .
  
• Whether this is a perspective shift or dream sequence, this option could give us vital information on one or two of our main quests
  
  
  We could get more information on the meaning behind Agappa's prophecy
  
• It could also reveal some sort of connection between Marisa and Oscar. Remember when Marisa freaked out when she opened Oscar's wallet? I NEED TO KNOW WHY, DAMMIT!!!
  

[*]This doesn't seem to have anything to do with the situation at hand, however. Doesn't mean it's not viable, just that we would be delaying our current quest (not dying) in favor of another.



[*]"Afflicted Soul": Wriggle

• 
  
  I'm pretty sure this option is in reference to Wriggle and her possession
  
• This option is the one that most makes me think that this time the dream will be a perspective shift, as my smooth brain can't see what wriggle would have to do with a dream sequence.
  
• Could lead to team 9 saving Oscar, but given that it's the :YoumuStare: "Intrigue" option, it could be more sinister. Who knows, the inugami might just win out and bring Oscar further from rescue. Either way, this is one of two options that deal with the situation at hand, whereas the Marisa and Rumia options deal more with other quests
  
• Agappa, due to her ability to see the curse and her connection to the afterlife, would definitely feature heavily here. Agappa is probably my favorite character in this series so far, so getting more characterization for her would be pretty cool : ).
  

[*]"Stranger's Self-Loathing": Rumia

• 
  
  This option is by far the most cryptic, and potentially very interesting. I personally think it refers to Rumia due the hints I think I've picked up on throughout the story that Rumia is facing an inner-struggle in regards to her nature as a man-eater.
  
• There are several different ways I can see this going.
  
  
  Most likely it'll just help us resolve one of the first quests we got, find Rumia.
  
• It could also bring Kimiko back into the fold, but I don't know how (I had a whole train of thought on how this could happen but the moment I sat down to write it out I lost it...)
  
• There is also the potential that this could resolve both the current situation and the finding Rumia quest at the same time. With both her and potentially Houdini out in the wider world, there's always the chance that they could bump into eachother, and maybe he leads Rumia back for help.
  

Anyways, you guys are probably tired of listening to me ranting by now, so I'll cut it off here. All of these options seem pretty interesting to me, so I think I'll hold off on voting until I get the chance to hear some more of you guys' thoughts.

Hope you all have a wonderful week and that Yumetou can finally catch a break : )

 

[Gri]

Greetings,

First of all, congrats Yumetou :KoishiXD: . It's been 1 year since you've started posting this story (Time sure flies). Thank you for keeping this going for so long. Here's to more adventures.

Now, for this week chapter, while some intros spoil a little what will happen in the chapter, I feel the one for this week ruined the twist a little. Still, I am happy about the result, and so far I like what little insight we got for Houdini's rescuer (good timing too, I just finished Kubinashi Recollection for the 2nd time). In canon, we mostly see Aya and Mamizou going in and out of the village as they please, and both belong to very dominant youkai species, so seeing the perspective of weaker youkai living in the village could be refreshing (although in your story, we already saw Team9 studying at school, but they are kid, so I don't expect them to do much else in the village compared to an "older" youkai).

Also, yet why is there a head in there exactly? To keep watch on the food in case someone tries to steal it :KoishiXD: ? Or maybe to give a passerby a good scare there's a quick opportunity to get "faith"?

Anyway, the choices: I like the choice presented: more consequence-free than usual, so we can choose what "vision" we want to learn more about the past (dream of best friend), the present or the future (all the other options) .

Despise this opportunity, I am drawing a blank here. The "best friend" option seems the most straight-forward one, so I would go for one of the others to learn more about what is going on currently (or what could happen).

Anyways, my personal interpretations and thoughts on them are as follows:

Pretty similar to what I would have written, so I won't bother detailing my theories. I wasn't sure what "Afflicted" meant at first, but my hunch was Wriggle. While I would enjoy seeing Team9 again, I don't think it will move the plot forward a lot. We know that Team9 is in danger, but we are powerless to do anything other than watch the situation gets worse (unless Keine notice something's wrong, but I wouldn't bet on that). I would avoid that one. Its sad we only got one choice, but those are the rules.

As for "Stranger's Self-Loathing", I got nothing and haven't though of Rumia. I am really not sure about what this choice could mean (somehow, I have some doubts it concerns Rumia), but it sounds grim (I am most curious about that one).

"Witch's strings" does sound like Alice, but she wasn't introduced yet. Like you said, it could be a change in perspective, so we could see Marisa talking about the stranger she met at the village. Yet, if it's really about Alice/Marisa, then this feels like another the start of another plot thread. I think it's better to keep it simple, so I would avoid this one too

So either "best friend" or "stranger" :SekiThink: ....

As you said, "best friend" could be an opportunity to learn more about Oscar previous life. I would go with this one for now. Oscar already had a bad dream last time (meeting the Shinigami), so I would spare Houdini and avoid it getting a bad dream about "someone self-loathing".

Vote for whatever you wish. My vote this week is not one of confidence.

 

[Motaromc]

You know, I always tried to provide an educated guess and a complete review whenever I appear here but MAN, Have you guys seen Soshmal above me? An entire essay just to analyze a few choices and very organized too, with a few emotes and expressions there just to make our reading a bit less dry. I tip my hat to you, friend, masterfully crafted I say! 

Perhaps I have always tried to be a "Soshmal" myself but seeing a professional at work is enlightening. Maybe I'll keep being the funny guy then or at least try to be one. Still, you won't escape from this little debate though.

First of all, while I agree with most of your observations, I must point out that Ozzy and Houdini both have yet to meet Alice, so it might be impossible to dream about her unless a bigger player is at work... and considering this is a dream then I already have my suspicions. 

The second is about Rumia, why her? I can't rule out this possibility since we had already talked with her before, it's literally the first plot we stumbled upon arriving here but I have some other ideas that might be acceptable too. Mainly Sekibanki herself, Houdini just met her and she didn't really introduce herself to him, which already paints her as a "stranger" and the "self-loathing" part could allude to a future plot that Yume might be working on for her, from the little we saw in the recent chapter, we know Seki dropped out from school and is apparently unsatisfied with her current state of life, considering she mentioned about how living while hiding is bothersome, nothing straying too far from what we about her so far.

Oh, while I was busy thinking, Master Gri went ahead and already posted a reply right above me, I had completely forgotten we had a "shinigami" dream before, I probably wasn't part of the party here yet. Now that I think about it, maybe the dreams aren't just an in-universe "skip" of sorts, it reminds me of a quest I read once about a kitsune guy who worked for the Moriya shrine I believe, and had some interesting dreams from time to time. I never got to read everything in that quest, maybe I should go search for it one of these days.

Still, like Master said, there is no need to worry too much here in particular, I decided to go with the stranger option in hopes of being either Rumia or Banki but best friend is also a solid option.

This is a good example, with myself setting up a pool of options and rolling a 1d100 to determine which outcome happens. In this case, I rolled a 71. Higher than the 1-39 I planed for Reisen and 40-69 for Tewi. Who found Houdini then? Well normally I would post the table of options, but I didn't get around to it. All I can say is you can probably guess.

Hello there Yume! Glad to be talking to you. So, I liked this idea so far, it gives us, your local "Yappers" more ammo to keep yapping and it's always funny to see how much we missed the mark.

With that said, this is probably my FOURTH WIN in the coin toss and I'm also on a winning streak by the way, without counting my victory from Nyoko's side. It's a shame I failed my ultimate goal for the last chapter which was making Eientei known but I still leave victorious today, Sexybanki just happens to be my favorite Grassroots member not only because I think her name is funny but also because Dullahans reminds me of an old anime I watched as a young teen, a quick google search said the name is Durarara!! I won't go into details but I used to be quite a big fan of that headless biker girl, hehehe.

However, now that I think about it, the coin toss is rather interesting, I didn't care back then but you mentioned we were the "Kami" once right? And Jo'on is currently taking everything we own to decide for the next draw. Can we run out of things to use for the coin toss? I remember someone losing a Kimono before and now someone else has lost some jewelry. Have I lost anything to her?

Instead of a direct action, Houdini is visited by a dream, from a mysterious force, the same Oscar has access to. As his familiar, Houdini can draw on knowledge through dreams as well. After a quick aside, he is sure to wake up, a little stronger and with more options for attracting help for Oscar.

I have a feeling we won't be seeing Ozzy for a while. Poor guy. I hope he can find something edible inside Saddam Hussein's hiding place. Also, I have a feeling that he will probably end up leaving on his own, and we'll get to play both Houdini and Oscar at the same time. I just hope we won't keep those two separated for too long.

 

[Yumetou]

Back again. Sorry for the delay one and all. I can't make any explanations you haven't already heard sadly. So if you were hoping for something new and exciting in my life, you'd be wrong.

Onward to the entry. A little longer one. I wish I had time to put in the effort I wanted. But I think the quantity of the writing shows my dedication to you all at least. Love Soshmal and Gri's theorizing! I put a lot of tiny details into interactions at times. Both to hint at future possible plotlines and encourage speculation. Soshmal especially's picked up on a few of these.

@Motaromc Yes indeed! From the first post, the voters are all playing nameless Kami who are watching our hero and influencing his choices and that of others in the narrative! And having your things taken by Jo'on. As for if you can run out, probably not. There are at least four of you she can pick things from after all. Though you might just get tired of her making trouble and kick her out. That'll be a fun mini-narrative, watching you all throw her out of your cozy temple in who-knows-where. If I ever make this into a real fanfiction, I'll probably come up with characterizations and appearances for my voters as Kami, but that's for future Yummy Toe to worry about.

Don't worry about Osu. I have a special idea for him if things go very wrong...or possibly two. Its maybe too soon for one of these reveals. Weird to think I have been writing this for a year now...if only I had more time to do so. One of these days I'll tidy up the story and post it to an actual fanfiction site to see what people think. Or maybe learn 3D animation to post these on Youtube. One of these days...

 

[No Account Name Idea]

I don't know if I'm late here and I don't have an account on Moriya Shrine, but I have been reading since at least the part where Marisa and Oscar meet released last year. This is one of my favorite stories I've read on this website. Sorry I don't have much to say.

 

[kymoh]

Woohoo! It's so fun seeing a new chapter and everyone gathers back to this familiar old thread to discuss it :KoishiXD: .  I thought I was a bit late to comment on the previous chapter, so I was holding off on talking here until the next post. Well, turns out that took much longer than I hoped   .   And speaking of writing this fanfic for a year, apparently there's a whopping 112 replies (113 including this one) on this thread?! Since when?!? 

Onward to the entry. A little longer one. I wish I had time to put in the effort I wanted. But I think the quantity of the writing shows my dedication to you all at least. Love Soshmal and Gri's theorizing! I put a lot of tiny details into interactions at times. Both to hint at future possible plotlines and encourage speculation. Soshmal especially's picked up on a few of these.

I agree, I haven't really talked to Soshmal directly yet but oh-my-god he put in a ton of effort into his analysis. And best of all he was correct about it! So if you're reading this Sosh, you are awesome :)  I think you're doing great work inspiring everyone to read closely and use our imaginations.  :MeilingThumbsUp:

I don't know if I'm late here and I don't have an account on Moriya Shrine, but I have been reading since at least the part where Marisa and Oscar meet released last year. This is one of my favorite stories I've read on this website. Sorry I don't have much to say.

No username idea? Okay then nanashi (no name), good to see you're enjoying the story so far! I remember being in the same situation as you, reading a few days straight to catch up to everyone. So no worries about having nothing to say. But if you ever have any cool ideas to share, we'll always be here

As for the new chapter, I've been wondering who Ichibanki is. Never heard of him/her, is that one of Sekibanki's heads or something? I don't have much time right now so I might come back to this later and make a more educated guess. It's also nice that this week's options don't seem too consequential- after seeing Soshmal's previous post I was kinda worried I'd have to use my brain for the next vote XD.  So yeah, I assume it doesn't matter too much what Sekibanki/Koggers do next so I chose danmaku, it sounds the coolest.  :SekiThink:

 

[Soshmal]

Ah, I always love it when I get the notification about a new GSG post. It's a great refreshing feeling!

I don't know if I'm late here and I don't have an account on Moriya Shrine, but I have been reading since at least the part where Marisa and Oscar meet released last year. This is one of my favorite stories I've read on this website. Sorry I don't have much to say.

And it seems like I'm not the newest one here anymore. Welcome to the GSGOoCaOT, @No Account Name Idea! It actually kinda looks like we both stumbled upon this series at roughly the same time. Don't worry about not having much to say! Everyone here has been extremely friendly and welcoming so far, so I think I can speak for everyone here when I say we're just glad to have another voice in the chat : )

Now as for you @Yumetou, I hope you're keeping well (I didn't realize you could @ people here, I'll try not to abuse that). Congrats on a year! You keep apologizing for the delays, but I'd just like to point out that in a little over a year of posting, you've written a total of 42 entries for the GSG. In other words, you have managed to make a weekly post ~75% - 80% of the time. For something you're making as a passion project, for free, to a group of strangers on a small corner of the internet, I'd wager that's pretty good! And on the topic of your posting...

If I ever make this into a real fanfiction

My brother in Christ, you have written *checks notes* 130 PAGES worth of fanfiction already, at least according to the google doc I'm using to keep track of it all. I admit I'm very new to fanfiction and so I might just be missing some context, but this is already a small novel on its own. If it isn't a real fanfiction, I don't know what is!

As for my last post... I WAS RIGHT! I WAS RIGHT ABOUT IT BEING RUMIA!! YOU ALL DOUBTED ME, BUT I WAS RIGHT!!! MUAHAHAHA!!!! ...ahem, uh, anyways... I realize I did a poor job explaining my reasoning as to why it was Rumia. So, here are my reasons:

1. Firstly, Young Reimu seems to be canon in this version of Gensokyo. Young Reimu is nothing if not a story about Rumia's inner-struggle with her nature as a man-eater We can tell it's canon because:
   
   
   There are a couple of times when Rumia calls out wistfully to 'Miko', which is what Reimu's mom was referred to as in the show.
   
2. I'm pretty sure the black scars from the latest dream sequence were a reference to the darkness from the series end & reireimu
   
3. IIRC somewhere in this thread Yumetou mentioned that readers would probably come into the story with certain expectations of how Rumia should be characterized because of Young Reimu, and so they might conform to that image. I don't remember exactly though. I haven't slept in 30 hours.
   

[*]After Oscar rescued her, Rumia would get upset each time Oscar showed her compassion. I think this is because she felt horrible guilt after being forced to confront the humanity of the person she was about to kill



All of these point to a subtle sub-plot in which Rumia loathes her nature as a man eater and so loathes herself. To be upfront, this is my first time interacting with a forum outside of reddit or steam as well as my first time really engaging with a fanfiction, so I'm unfamiliar with the etiquette. I was worried that - in the case that you guys came to the same conclusions as me - I might have come off as condescending if I tried to argue my case much. Sorry about that . If I do make any kind of faux-pas please let me know, I won't take offence!

And yeah, I admit that me thinking "Witches Strings" was Alice was just me going full tin-foil hat mode and reading too deep into things : )

Now as for you @Motaromc, my fellow zoomer...

you won't escape from this little debate though.

Yeah... sorry about that. I did see this when you initially posted it and was going to reply but ya know one thing lead to another and, well... I forgor 

Thank you for the compliment! But I'm no professional. Reading stories and dissecting them is a longstanding hobby of mine, and this one just happens to be particularly fun to tear apart. And by the way, the memes you make really liven up the thread! It's not the same, but seeing the effort you put into them inspired me to go into Hero Forge and try to make what I imagine Oscar, Agappa, & Houdini look like, which I attached below. I don't know why, but I've always imagined Agappa with this sort jaundiced, invader Zim colored skin.

Ah, just as I'm wrapping this whole thing up Kymoh posts!

Thank you Kymoh! The only reason I felt comfortable posting was because you guys were all very welcoming, so thank you for that

But if me dissecting the story changes how you interact with it, I'm not doing them anymore D:<

I'm kidding, but please don't let my little hobby take away from your ability to enjoy and engage with this series. I may have written a bit of purple prose above, and yet I also chose the danmaku option because it seemed like the funniest

I think that's enough of my rambling. Hope you all have a good day!

View attachment 5744

 

[kymoh]

As for my last post... I WAS RIGHT! I WAS RIGHT ABOUT IT BEING RUMIA!! YOU ALL DOUBTED ME, BUT I WAS RIGHT!!! MUAHAHAHA!!!! ...ahem, uh, anyways... I realize I did a poor job explaining my reasoning as to why it was Rumia. So, here are my reasons:

1. Firstly, Young Reimu seems to be canon in this version of Gensokyo. Young Reimu is nothing if not a story about Rumia's inner-struggle with her nature as a man-eater We can tell it's canon because:
   
   
   There are a couple of times when Rumia calls out wistfully to 'Miko', which is what Reimu's mom was referred to as in the show.
   
2. I'm pretty sure the black scars from the latest dream sequence were a reference to the darkness from the series end & reireimu
   
3. IIRC somewhere in this thread Yumetou mentioned that readers would probably come into the story with certain expectations of how Rumia should be characterized because of Young Reimu, and so they might conform to that image. I don't remember exactly though. I haven't slept in 30 hours.
   

[*]After Oscar rescued her, Rumia would get upset each time Oscar showed her compassion. I think this is because she felt horrible guilt after being forced to confront the humanity of the person she was about to kill



All of these point to a subtle sub-plot in which Rumia loathes her nature as a man eater and so loathes herself. To be upfront, this is my first time interacting with a forum outside of reddit or steam as well as my first time really engaging with a fanfiction, so I'm unfamiliar with the etiquette. I was worried that - in the case that you guys came to the same conclusions as me - I might have come off as condescending if I tried to argue my case much. Sorry about that . If I do make any kind of faux-pas please let me know, I won't take offence!

XD What an evil laugh, you're making me giggle out of fear! Aside from that, you make a lot of good points. Never even noticed Rumia saying 'Miko' til you mentioned it. You've been operating for 30 sleepless hours and still manage to be the smartest one here... speaking of which, I'm a bit curious why you're up for so long? Also... Osana Reimu... it was so sad... and yumetou's latest chapter did too well of a job capturing those emotions again ;-;

Ah, just as I'm wrapping this whole thing up Kymoh posts!

hehe, I remember scrolling down, seeing your name in the 'Recently Browsing' section, and thinking "someone's going to get cut off mid-typing, and it ain't gonna be me :AyaSmug: ."

BTW I love the 3D design! Although Agappa with such a manly face looks so hilarious haha :KoishiXD:

 

[Nyoko]

...The hell did I miss? Seriously, I manage to take the best times to disappear and see this place transform into a different house entirely.

However, I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said or implied, other than that danmaku seems to be the safest bet as at least a couple of games has danmaku happen regularly at the Human Village... Though destruction of property is forbidden in the rules.

And my lack of presence recently has had a few reasons that are still not fully resolved, so I'll make sporadic appearances that hopefully last long enough for me to write.

 

[Yumetou]

Finally had time to make an entry. Though I really should be in bed now, so no long thoughts from me. Just two girls going into a spooky house because of an oddly lucky rabbit.

 

[Gri]

Greetings.

Fairly straight-forward chapter. Nothing much to say about it, so let's get to the choices:

Sending Ichibaki (nice nickname btw) on a scouting mission would be a bit risky, knowing there's other youkai in there who could very well use Ichibaki as an improvised soccer ball if they find her. I don't think Sekibanki, even though she often uses her heads, would carelessly put one in unnecessary danger, especially after nearly losing one.

I am not sure about Kogasa having Moriya's ofuda. Unless I am wrong, Kogasa hangs out at the Myouren temple, and neither Moriya nor Hakurei Shrine. But, let's assume she does, I doubt the ofuda would work as expected. Both are from the same religion (but different gods), so it's not like they necessarily cancel each other out. Or perhaps the idea for Kogasa to directly stick the Ofuda onto herself to trick the ones on the doors of the mansion? Unless she trained to resist it, it should be fairly painful for a Youkai to do this (Those are used by Reimu as weapons for Youkai Extermination, after all).

Flying above would be the quickest option to reach Oscar without fooling around (and they might notice that someone entered from there already).

I do like the idea of Kogasa and Sekibanki trying to convince a human to open the door. Kogasa is know to get sad easily, so I can totally see her "fake-crying" to beg for help to find her "missing" pet. Not sure how Sekibanki would do in this case. Sounds like she got too much pride to ask for help. And that's if we suppose this is a simple nameless human passing by (it could be a named character). Problem is: The fortune teller house is cursed, so normal people wouldn't dare approach it, and named characters that goes into the village (Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, Keine, Kosuzu) also know of the danger and would be suspicious of any one trying to get in (though Marisa might use this opportunity to take a look for treasure).

I'll go for the "convince human" option for now. May change for the "flying" option later