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RECAP!
—
Aunn strolls happily through the kitchen, a microwave popcorn bag in her hands. It's the first time she uses the kappa device. She places the popcorn inside, following all instructions, and soon after turning it on, the corn starts to burst.

And with it, a piercing scream from the next room: “AYEEEEEEE!! THEY'RE IN THE TREES, THE HIEDA SAMURAI! GET DOWN, SANAAAE!” It was Hana's, who the Komainu found crying on the ground, curled into fetal position. Aunn learned a terrible lesson that day about, as Eirin had called it, 'PTSD.'
—
Last time in the HSE:
>Anon does nothing, suffers;
>Yukari does nothing, has a great time;
>Hana goes through the grueling effort of growing up amidst the mud, grime, blood, and sulfur of Gensokyo's Great War, battling Youkai and putting her own wellbeing on the line to save as many people as she can. She can't save all, but she tries her best. Keeps herself outside the battle either due to fear from her death and naivety or a complex of feeling like a burden to Sanae and the mob Moriyan mikos, which is exacerbated by the end when she stops Hieda's plumes of Mustard Gas from consuming most of the villagers and Youkai running towards Miko's Shikaisen shields;
>Patchouli meets one of the Kurodanis, one that looks particularly like Meiling, and they share a nice moment before the Kurodani leaves to start preparing the renovations of the Voilé. Meiling then comes, and together she and Patchy perform the alchemical procedure to create Sekai's body, sharing many good moments between themselves during the whole esoteric process that takes the assorted trinkets, their blood, and a lot of fucking magic from Sekai's book. It succeeds. Meanwhile, Remi trains her new arms before discussing with Sakuya their plans for the Solstice (to turn on Yukari after Okina is dead or sealed), and then both leave for a stroll, in which they have a nice conversation before Remi halts, sensing an entity invading the SDM and, when they try to go investigate, discovers her manip of fate had been tampered with. It does not last much, but takes her to the edge, and after destroying the Voilé's roof, she discovers the remnants of the ritual and Sekai's body. Meiling asks her to take care of her, and Remi abides. An undisclosed amount of time later, Patchy reawakens 'healthy'; discusses with Meiling a bit about Sekai—very cute moments~—before noticing Sekai's body is sick. Upon conversation, she discovers Sekai let anemia and asthma to ridden her body, which makes Patchy all types of pissed off, moments of pure emotion follow before she's calmed down by Meiling and Sekai. Shares her doubts and anxieties with Meiling and, just as they're about to share a tender gesture, Remi and Sakuya come;
>Okina has a schizo moment following the disaster that was the whole Fren's conversation -> Koutei encounter, and the world crashes upon her with the understanding that the tables have been turned now that Yukari sports Flandre, Koutei, and Kasen, who's not switching sides as she'd thought previously, and Yukari herself. That prompts a panic attack followed by psychosis, and, hallucinating, Okina kills Cirno and Naz. Upon recovering her senses with the help of Mai and noticing the disaster and trauma she's inflicted on her servants, she leaves the LoB for a while. Now in the Himalayas, Okina thinks about her life and how empty she feels after thousands of years of existence; how her vices have developed along the years and how the Solstice may be her death. All of that crashes with her ego, creating rage that's not acted upon, which frustrates the goddess. That loop continues with her smoking scene, though encountering Kokoro's silkworm eggs (???) gives her some sense of clarity that springs up with her destroying her opium pipe, but not the loop as she tries to masturbates but finds no success.
>Suzu experiences hell as she manages the pressure of leading the revolution, her weakness, and such; finding success, though, in the companionship around her, proving the blood of brotherhood is always thicker than the water of the womb. Gets 'killed' after snowballing the oni Hieda, though… rad. Some days later, she finds herself on the Hieda graveyard mourning the 10th anniversary of Akyuu's death before Keine arrives, all menacing, and tells her she knows about Suzu's double life in the Jobbers and that Yukari approached her about it. Rather than getting mad, she discloses her own anxieties and fears to the Suzu, and both have a sweet moment together before Keine leaves Hieda's revolver on top of the Kyun's gravestone, rotting it and growing a flower from it;
>Eirin watches the rabbits’ mourning their dead after Keine's Festival and ponders the effects of it on Eientei and her personal feelings towards pregnancy. Leaves then while mentally calling the rabbits and everyone else fools for not having a big fucking brain like she does;

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[All entries of the HSE here in chronological posting order!]
>>47155400 | Part 1-22
>>47065336 | Part 23
>>47210937 | Part 24
>>47380706 | Part 25
>>47515159 | Part 26

[Last thread chapters]
>>47517533 | 57-58-Kosuzu
>>47517538 |
>>47534508 | International Youth Day specials -- Gensokyo's past, present and future
>>47536916 |
>>47537761 |
>>47537539 | International Youth Day specials -- Aya's children ponder
>>47537541 |
>>47547868 | 245-247-Hana
>>47547907 |
>>47547923 |
>>47552772 | 59-67-Kosuzu
>>47552780 |
>>47552785 |
>>47552791 |
>>47552797 |
>>47552802 |
>>47552806 |
>>47552811 |
>>47552824 |
>>47569539 | 248-250-Hana
>>47569555 | (look at her trips~!)
>>47569560 |
>>47581036 | 6-Eirin
>>47587528 | 67-81-Patchouli
>>47587532 |
>>47587536 |
>>47587539 |
>>47587546 |
>>47587551 |
>>47587553 |
>>47587559 |
>>47587566 |
>>47587569 |
>>47587572 |
>>47587577 |
>>47587584 |
>>47587588 |
>>47587592 |
>>47609233 | 1-5-Remilia plays Megalovania on an organ
>>47609239 |
>>47609245 |
>>47609251 |
>>47609259 |
>>47633289 | 251-154-Hana
>>47633299 |
>>47633308 |
>>47633316 |
>>47644190 | 82-88-Patchouli
>>47644196 |
>>47644204 |
>>47644209 |
>>47644224 |
>>47644228 |
>>47644232 |
>>47674435 | 4-8-Okina
>>47674440 |
>>47708258 |
>>47708263 |
>>47708276 |
(1508 entries)

[for phoneanons that can't access the dead threads, here's the last thread. Link to all others in the 'all entries']:
https://warosu.org/jp/thread/47515133 | 32nd thread

[pastebin for the finale -- for writers, full of spoilers]
https://pastebin.com/zqS1Krp7

>>47715117
>>47715142
Man you really like those pictures, don't you?

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>>47715150
human women are the best!

>>47715146
Pastebin needs to be updated with Nazrin's death by Okina as she's still mentioned in there.
Okina is also mentioned to have multiple other people in the land of the backdoors so that should also be changed.

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>>47715177
please reroll, Anon...

>>47715190
Kazakhs aren't allowed to reroll where they were born. It would be unfair to deny Goro the experience of labour.

>>47715177
>Reisen
Grim

But more seriously, Cirno isn't some boogeyman just the target of controversy due to autism.
If a writer wants to use her in a special or non-canon way that doesn't contradict her(temporary?) death last thread then they should be able to do so if they wish.
Honestly people are getting caught up on something that doesn't matter and isn't canon anymore, just let writefags writefag and don't impose some type of silly self restraint like that when doing something silly and non canon.

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>>47715218
Anon…
… it landed dubs. It's going to be Akechi.

>>47715225
>My own reading comprehension
Grim

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>>47715213
kek, screenshotting this to post later in the Ao3 image archive

>>47715164
fixed it

>>47715213
Goro is literally built for labor

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>>47633316

A brilliant golden aura that marked hermit’s sekai shone out into the village like a beacon to all who still sought shelter. The Heida clan knew this as well any of the mobs did and let their bombs attest to that. The insane mind behind it all made sure to divert a number of shells from the merciless assault upon the shelter to target the survivors that spread out into the many alleys. That deathly whistling sound followed them everywhere as they dodged burning rubble and choking clouds of death that prodded into the alleys from the backstreets.

Those that hadn’t made it to some form of sturdy refuge were only met by the beast’s hunger, it skulked the alleys without a care for whom it devoured. Thick blankets of rolling clouds were all due to wash the refugees fleeing the man-made carnage in it’s acidic grasp. It was as if this was done by the will of the cruel northern winds that came every winter to claim the weak. Even with the clouds thinning out as they spread around the village, the constant presence ensured those that lacked the resilience of youkai were eaten alive by the ravenous clouds. Too many unfortunates couldn’t avoid the exposure of the larger fangs that probed the alleys and met the expected fate.

Hana had turned her eyes where she could, the glittering aura of the sekai shimmered against the cleansing rains which helped to contain the curse and trap its malice in the earth. She just wished the rain was merely water, the majority of the ‘storm’ was the fiery wrath of the Heida clan. She knew how many lives were claimed by tonight’s violence and senseless malice, she couldn’t help but snicker at sheer number of rites to be performed.

Chuckling as the blossoming flowers of flaming destruction dance above, Hana felt strange to consider work at a time like this. Cleansing the village alone would take months alone, this curse is potent after all; only by the blessings of a living saint was the curse expunged from all those that entered… even if the effects were not. Ah, it’d be awkward seeing her mother again so soon, she pretended to be so strong in front of her yet she couldn’t do a thing, again. At least once Sanae was finished, once this night was over, she could return home and this time she’d drag Aunn with her wherever she was…

The milling crowds watched the show above with awe, many gawked and watched the spectacle while whispering among themselves. Many more busied themselves with scanning the crowds around them looking for loved ones, or they searched among the injured dragged in with oft-dashed hopes. Those that couldn’t stand, which were too many to count as they kept flooding in, lay in various states of disarray with inaba and human nurses doing what little they could.

Hana herself had skulked away from the saint who stood proudly in front of where the injured were arrayed at her back. Hana knew of the saint, her tale, and her mission of spreading Taoism; a strange guilt compelled her to stand in the shadows. The idle miko stood the furthest from festival grounds and cowered in the shadows of a small two-level shop. The family above must surely be watching what transpires while peeking through closed storm shutters. It was quiet here; the murmur of the crowd was distant and she could rest her eyes for a moment without having to see anyone’s faces. She leaned back against the wall with aching sides and a horse voice, sliding down and squatting low to rest her legs; she paid no attention to how her dress must be getting filthy, nor the rolling laughs she just couldn’t stop.

In her mind she simply saw the bombs falling upon the masses below and buildings she was standing upon. The gasses prodding out in total darkness between narrow alleys to wash over those unaware. Intuition on where they’d fall, on where the beast would strike; would often save herself and those she protected. It was all she could do to shoot down the few bombs her fantasy seals could intercept and block the worst of the gasses. She had nearly passed out just to maintain so many powerful barriers, after she landed on the packed dirt road she almost passed out from the lightheadedness.

Even now she was feeling weak, the drain was heavy and she needed a nap. There were no beds laying about of course, nor were there cups of tea ready to perk her up. This was a joke in of itself, she mused that one of the ruined stands must have an intact pitcher of juice… her throat was so dry… She gulped down what little moisture was in her mouth now that she had her laughter under control, it did a bit to assuage the acrid taste of drifting ash that begged to be washed down.

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>>47715938

That loose train of thought was cut short by the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, eyes opening to see… Faces bearing angered eyes, eyes that intersected upon her like the danmaku that she was so used to casting. They were whispering among themselves, once too quiet to hear over the rumbling explosions above and her own heaving body.

A single word caught the alarmed miko’s ear, she could hear the word over and over again as their eyes burrowed into her. They were a few paces away from her, a bubble formed around her where she stood; a bubble comprised of whispering eyes from the damaged and walking wounded. The word ‘Hakurei’ left the lips of a scornful man’s lips into his youkai companion’s ears. A man besides him gossiped with a group of young folks and youkai, they made no efforts to hide their disgust.

Everyone had heard her words at the lively stall Mystia slung food from, words she had barely remembered as if they were spoken years ago. Among them were those she recognized as Keine’s goons, wearing matching swastika bands of blue on black. Some of the younger men and women she remembered previously keeping watch on her as she enjoyed herself. She couldn’t pin a single conversation down, but it was clear the men among were looking to blame someone. The women were just as eager to spread the word as the youkai were to dredge up all sorts of half-remembered grievances.

Were the revolutionaries holding her accountable for this and acting as if she were on the same side as the Heida…? The thought alone was a strange one that she just couldn’t wrap her brain around. The whispers grew more intense and the gazes sharper, the youkai were getting riled up as all the misdirected hatred influenced them. The massive amounts of fear and hatred in the air was palpable even for Hana, she was tense again… or maybe she had never relaxed.

It was subconscious it felt, like she was day dreaming as the light she dragged into her swiveling eyes caught the sight of a stone being thrown. The whispers of the youkai stopped first as they caught sight of the improvised danmaku, their sharp eyes focused on its arc with a laser’s accuracy. The eyes of the men and women followed next, breathe held and conversations silenced in an instant. Only a lone voice rang out, that of an armband sporting man she recognized vaguely, “You promised to kills us, didn’t you?! You helped him, you told him where we hid!”

Her body moved on its own, swaying lightly and launching off on the front of her foot to face the threat. The rock sailed past her without doing more than grazing her fluttering sleeves, she stood her ground as her mind was simply unable to fully process his words. It seemed as if it didn’t matter if they hit her or not, the murmurs turned to openly spoken accusations, “I saw her- I saw her following me and everyone I was with!”

Another soul joined in, a feminine voice this time, “The seals, I felt her seals! Every time the gas came to eat us her seals guided them to us!” causing a ripple of agreement that saw a piece of rubble thrown as they shouted at her, the fact it was dodged as easily as the first made no difference.

Her muscles were tense, her body was on a hair’s trigger as the battered mob around her focused their pointless hatred on her. Eyes darting around the claws and inhuman weapons that the youkai manifested, she could even feel magic in the air as swirling light grew in power around some. The crowd seemed to barely be held at bay by some thin thread of reasoning, their bodies were tense and even the meekest had their faces contorted in rage.

It should’ve been terrifying; it should’ve sent her mind swirling and reeling for anything to say in her defense. However, the truth was that her mind was calm as can be; it was strange to her given how terrifying things were just moments ago. She couldn’t understand why they made things up, she did everything she could and-

Another shout cut through the voices of the crowd, a youkai she vaguely recognized who supported an injured man on her shoulder… A mouse youkai from who-knows-where, both wore those black bands. She shouted in that obnoxiously squeaky tone ubiquitous to her kind, “Get out of here Hakurei! You’re a murderer!”

Her shout seemed to carry weight, Hana could see only too well as to how everyone nodded and joined in her obnoxious choir. Hana could only blink in disbelief, in the face of their shouts for her to leave she could only see those that didn’t make it. That little mouse youkai was no taller than the children who ran around in packs, the children that she simply didn’t see in the numbers she used too. The man that she supported despite their size difference scowled at her as well, ah! It finally struck her, that was the farmer’s son… It was nice to see that he was still alive.

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>>47715943

The miko felt a renewed sense of dread as she glanced around the group, she could recognize some now that she looked a little closer. Too many were the young men and women she once grew up around at temple school, too many were the sons and daughters of those she bumped shoulders with daily. How many little requests did she carry out for them and their families? That women in the crowd who chanted ‘Go home Hakurei’, her mother owned the vegetable stand she usually bought produce from; that dirty blonde hair she sported was unmistakable. Was her mother okay? Hana didn’t see any produce stands… maybe she stayed home?

Opening her mouth, the elusive words would stay hidden as an unmistakable sensation made her skin crawl. A shout from in front of her, a younger man suddenly snapped as he shouted, “Don’t you ignore me bitch, I’ll kill you for what you did to Fubuki!”

He advanced, shouts and cheers sounded from the mouths of those around as he hefted an iron dagger between dirty fingers. He moved quickly, thrusting the pointed blade forward between her ribs. It’s point gleamed in the golden light that shone down from all around them, his crazed eyes and sweat slicked forehead only intensified his aura. He looked desperate, he looked as worn down as she was and his yukata smelled of blood and adrenaline.

Combat weary she readied for the strike, only to find that she never relaxed in the first place. Her heart was already pounding at the anticipation of violence, yet her mind was steady. Her feet were steadier now, wider in stance as her eyes tracked his arm and shoulders. There was no trickery in his posture, it was simple as could be and it almost seemed slow. It was easy to just… to just swing her flattened hand and shatter the wrist holding the blade.

It seemed almost comical how his face distorted into pain as his body picked up on the damage. He yelled as he clutched his wrist with his other hand, the faces of the youkai and people around him turned from excitement at the prospect of righteous violence to horror. She didn’t want to hurt him further, but she knew what happened when a mob found someone they thought weak. She couldn’t afford for her plight to interfere with the battle in the sky above them, not now when the stakes were so high. It was all she could do.

It was quick and simple to duck under his arms, her smaller frame easily slipped under what passed for his guard and struck him with a sharp pointed jab under his ribs. It knocked the breath from his lungs in an instant and he went down easily, it was a move mother enjoyed using often. She remembered well how to hurt a man in body, it was a bit trickier than hurting a youkai but if you did it right…

A women screams, a youkai dashes forward with murder in her eyes and a black band on her arm. She’s much faster than the man was, the vaguely pointed ears she sported could mean she belonged to any species. It didn’t matter, she was no tengu and certainly had no legends of her. Her sharp stiletto claws, that could rend flesh from bone easily enough, slashed at the miko’s face, but the sharpest claws in the world meant nothing if they never hit.

Hana fell ‘forward’, the beast youkai’s eyes widening at the strange movements before being covered by fantasy seals. The blinding energy carbonizing the mask of flesh she wore and causing her to flail around as her claws melted from simply trying to remove it. Her shriek was loud, her blinded rampage now threatened the innocents in the crowd and enraged the others. If a riot broke out here it’d hurt the injured laid out behind the strong back of the saint, she should leave quickly and go somewhere else… but where?

There was no where she could flee, instead she once again fell into the worldlines; taking a short path to reach the things’ back, the others close to her ducked out of the way of like she was a rampaging bull. It was a simple matter to kick out her knees, letting her fall onto the dirt before the iron toe of her boot impacted the side of her skull. The berserk youkai fell silent after that, still alive but certainly wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon; Youkai were resilient like that…

They were turning now, frightened faces turned away as those still thirsty for blood faced her. It made it easy to see who the enemy was now, like a youkai borne of the scraps of the textile mills; she pushed her lover behind herself, magic flaring to life in her hands and eyes. Magic that never was to be released as flight magic propelled the miko’s fist into her neck with a sharp lunge. A shockwave of divine power ripped apart the magic she summoned forth and made her collapse in a sputtering pile.

Fangs grazed the air Hana once stood in, a youkai lunged at her with his inhumane mouth sporting massive teeth that wouldn’t look out of place on a predator. She spun on her heel, not sparing a glance at the man that desperately dragged his women away; she wouldn’t threaten the peace anymore tonight…

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>>47715945

A needle entered her hand as she backed up with a short jump she forced with a burst of magic, she threw it into the strained wordlines as the beast in human form turned to line up another pounce. He jumped, bounding the few feet between them without as much as whipping up the wind around him. His jaws opened wide as they aimed at Hana’s neck, her feet didn’t move an inch, she simply watched and waited as his jaws sped towards her neck. It was all she needed to do to allow the needle to approach from below his jaw and stich his mouth shut, the energies melting his proud fangs and long flat tongue. It’d be weeks till he’s able to eat something solid.

Hana turned to the next one as the youkai rolled on the floor with a silent scream, only to find no one around her any longer… The crowd that was baying for her blood had dispersed. Those that watched from the distance, a collection of youkai and men, watched her with mixed reaction; none approached and the newly settled peace was kept from shattering entirely.

Walking injured limped away, and those that couldn’t were dragged away by anyone who cared. Hana did not relax, there was nowhere safe to rest any longer; she couldn’t risk another incident like that going wrong! A rising feeling forced its way to the surface, making her shudder and drawing her eyes away from the those around her who either glared or watched her passively.

Soon everyone’s eyes were drawn to the top of the sekai’s golden aura just as Hana’s were, golden dust rained down like snow drifting to the surface. Deep explosions started rocking the barrier, as if the biting flowers that bloomed above finally started taking root and cracked the stone below. It was chilling to think of how badly those bombs would affect everyone so closely clustered together.

Hana took to the air then, flying along constrained world lines up into the sky above the panicking crowds. That terrible feeling hadn’t abated, there was something else, something else that was wrong. It eluded her at first, as she swam around the illusory golden dust her eyes darted this way and that. Scanning the crowd, the proud figure of the saint and those familiar that had gathered around her, the cracks on the walls…

Nothing had come to mind, nothing at first anyways. Until that feeling compulsed her to slide out of the Sekai, barrier active and eyes scanning, she dodged the shells easily while climbing above the destruction.

In the sky above the estate, a grand show of golden words spun around the dying sun that was Mokou. A seal comprising of the lore of the Moriya shrine itself was being built around the immortal, the outer shell completed as the fires that tried burning away the history of Sanae’s clan itself flagged and failed.

It wasn’t done yet, not even close. Yet suddenly Sanae went slack, she started drifting towards the ground as the seal rapidly eroded. Hana dragged the light in, she wished she didn’t. She could see it, Sayori’s strained face as her friends were cut down one after another. Torrents of red washing down their Hakama and marking her obvious fate, her eyes obviously fading even from here.

A scream left Hana’s lips, though nobody could hear with the explosions masking her voice. A sun broke out, blue and blazing hotter than anything previously seen tonight. It engulfed the girls, their bodies fading from her eyes where they flew as a massive sun incinerated all. The last face Hana spotted was Sayori’s, the terrified girl’s hasty barrier shattered in an instant against the brute force.

Thoughts were meaningless, Sanae was dead and she could see the same guns that killed so many taunting her in the blue light from above. A split second was all she needed to make her decision, she reentered the worldlines and flew towards the burning and breeched walls of the Heida estate. She left behind the shelter and promise of safety, heedless of the nature of the tall and imposing figure that sauntered the walls.

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>>47715952
>>47715945
>>47715943
>>47715938
the fabled midnight post Hana, it was nice to wake up to her~just a lil' sad I can't make an edible before going to work, so here's some words! Poor Hana, the mustard gas melted her mind and she forgot she can just dodge the people's retardment and not engage... At least she was smart enough to run the fuck away and saw the massive trauma of losing her green mother figure front row! Glad for the ana~
Hyped to see things pick up and your alternated fight! Thanks for the chapters!

>>47715768
He is pregnant afterall

>>47717550
With TWINS

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>>47718969
heh, what a pleb

>>47715938
>>47715943
>>47715945
>>47715952
>sekai

>>47721189
Shhhh... she's always watching...

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>>47721213

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>>47502286
The Moriya Shrine was quiet. Aya glanced towards the great lake and its onabashira. A red blip was flying around the great monoliths. That must be Hana! After Okina’s stunt at Mayohiga, Aya was waiting for an opportunity to see her again. Just as Aya was ready to zip through the sky, a freezing zephyr started blowing around her. The tengu didn’t need to be told who caused it. With a heavy heart, Aya headed to the main shrine, finding friendlier winds to guide her.

Standing proudly in bright red was the ever-serious goddess of the shrine. Considering her last visit to the shrine consisted of insulting Kanako behind her back and discussing the finer points of betraying their mutual ally in Okina, Aya’s expectations were tempered. No matter what Kanako’s personal feelings towards Aya were, they were both entangled in a plan to oppose Gensokyo’s greatest powers. That partnership would have to be enough to keep the goddess of winds from blowing Aya off the mountain.

Before Aya could land, the deity stepped inside, leaving the door open for the tengu to follow. Two cups were already on the table with a single bottle of sake. Junmai ginjo, fancy for a private meeting. Kanako sat across, maintaining her poker face. As Aya closed the door behind her, a stifling aura filled the room. She sat down on the empty cushion left for her and the goddess began pouring drinks. Handing Aya hers first, the tengu waited for Kanako to finish pouring her own cup. At once, both ladies downed their drinks. It was smooth, savory, and a bit fruity. For a tengu, it was just a drop in the bucket. Aya set her cup and pushed it away, leaving Kanako to break the tension. “That’s all? They say the one thing tengu and oni share in common in their love of alcohol.”

“Not for me. A mother shouldn’t act brashly in front of her children. After all, alcohol unleashed the beast growing inside of Reimu all those years ago.” The goddess raised her eyebrow, clearly displeased with the immediate direction her guest steered the conversation. “The Shrine Maiden of Paradise has been through a fraction of what any youkai or deity here has. Granted, the likes of Junko and the Lunarians are nothing to scoff at, but Reimu’s number of experiences are hundreds of times smaller than any of ours.”

Kanako scoffed. “Rich. Aren’t you and Ran the ones who brought Reimu back into Hana’s life in the first place? In fact, you’re the one that brought Reimu to her birthday party. Do you really stand to criticize the Shrine Maiden, or is there a point to this?” Seems the goddess wasn’t interested in empty words. Still, she could at least pretend she believed Aya was being genuine.

“Not much of a point, really. It’s just interesting how harshly a girl drunk on spirits can go from a hero to villain. It’s almost scary to think what kind of transformation someone already unhinged would go through.”

“Ah, you mean Yukari? I suppose you have a point. The woman’s already so volatile. If her inhibitions were completely gone, there’s no telling what kind of Gensokyo we’d be standing in right now.” Kanako took a second glance at the bottle of sake before pouring another cup. It was more comforting than if she left the bottle. If Kanako didn’t consider herself sane enough to hold her drink, then Aya’d have reason to be concerned.

“Who’s to say sake’s the only thing that can screw with your brain? The word ‘drunk’ applies perfectly to Yukari’s obsession with Anon. It’s not alcohol intoxicating her, it’s lust. And I’d dare say her ‘counterpart’ has a bad relationship with power.” Aya turned her neck slightly, looking towards her back. She hoped it was a conspicuous enough gesture to point out who she refused to name.

To her surprise, Kanako smiled. “You’re talking about Okina, right? Okina is pretty bold, isn’t she, Aya? Geez Shameimaru, if Okina were here, I’m sure Okina would tear out your guts for suggesting something so hurtful!”

Panic shot through Aya’s body when Kanako rambled off the hidden goddess’ name, before realizing the obvious. Her shoulders softened with hot shame before the tengu took an a more comfortable posture. “You’re sure she can’t hear us? I still have a portal embedded in my spine.”

“I know you can feel the wards Suwako and I set up in this room. Okina doesn’t have ears here.” Relaxing her divine mien, Kanako leaned forwards, elbows on the table, and crossed her fingers together. Staring into Aya’s eyes was neither a goddess nor a businesswoman. She was a general, sizing up the reporter while planning her victory over her enemy. “Now, explain why I should trust you not to bring anything I say back to her.”

(Part 100)

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>>47721485
“Excuse me? I already stuck my neck out by littering Okina’s realm with explosives. Do you seriously think I’d hedge my bets with her after pulling a stunt like that?” It was a miracle Okina decided to kick Aya out of the backdoors instead of interrogating her. In a way, her children saved her life that night. Since she gave birth to them, the favors evened out.

“Tenma. Yukari. Ran. Okina.” The goddess held four accusatory fingers up. “Aside from me, you’ve made yourself an ally of four different interests. The tengu are a given, though you’ve made it clear you’re willing to betray them for a single human’s sake. Bunbunmaru is still a public supporter of the HSE. You’re a member of Ran’s meetings, though it could be motivated by self-preservation. Finally, the greatest threat to tengu society and one of the most powerful beings in Gensokyo literally has your back. In the grand scheme of things, a little reporter like you doesn’t have much to gain by joining me.”

Really, she counted Ran separate from Okina? Thank goodness Kanako didn’t know about Aya’s deal with Momiji, she’d never hear the end of that.

Being put on the spot was a bit annoying, but it didn’t quite intimidate Aya as much as Kanako might’ve hoped it would. “I don’t think you forgot about my discussion with Suwako, so we can already forget about Yukari and the tengu. And since you know so much about my partnership with Ran, I’m sure you heard about the meeting we had in my home the other day? Omelettes and gossip, really clandestine stuff.”

Kanako remained stoic. “Was that before or after you let Okina near Hana?” Now Aya was getting irritated.

“You… Hana told you?” No matter how much it bothered her that Hana trusted Kanako more than her, Aya knew she had to wait before jumping to any conclusions. Even if she did, it wasn’t like Hana would be wrong to. Kanako hasn’t let her down yet, while Aya can count at least 3 times she did…

“Okina’s residual energies are clinging to her. She may be powerful, but she’s sly. There’s no way she’d approach Hana unless it was through someone close to her. That leaves Aunn and you. And I’m certain Hana wouldn’t be this upset if she were with her komainu.” The tengu stared back at the judgmental goddess. There were a dozen factors she could blame: Okina was never invited, that midget came out of nowhere, Reimu wasn’t helping, etc. But none of those excuses would help, and nothing was going to make Hana feel better about her mind being invaded by some shut-in.

“So, how’s the situation with Sanae’s maidens and the village? Aren’t you going to back up your miko when Keine’s festival inevitably turns into a bloodbath?” It was provocative. Offensive? Maybe. But it put Aya in control of the conversation. Even if the vein starting to pulse on Kanako’s forehead meant it would be just for a little while.

The goddess was actually stunted for a while. Aya considered continuing her spiel, but the way Kanako tried to maintain her stoic front made her realize this wasn’t the only conversation in the Moriya Shrine she was interested in. Something was going on with Hana elsewhere on the grounds, and Kanako was evidently stressed about it. It sure was godly behavior for her to keep it to herself. Fine. If Kanako wanted to isolate Hana here, she’d have to face the consequences.

Finally, the goddess responded. “Sanae’s actions involving the Hieda family are purely within her role as a miko maintaining the balance between humans and youkai. It has nothing to do with struggles between gods. It would be improper to intervene with Sanae’s duties when I already have a responsibility to look over Hana.”

Aya laughed, exciting the vein exploring Kanako’s forehead. “Geez, what a joke! You can’t just put on such a scary facade, pulling out the sake a thug, then expect me to believe such a bold-faced lie!” The goddess made an admirable effort in controlling her temper, until Aya slapped the table in a fit of giggles.

“You’re the bold one! How dare you accuse me of lying?!” The air was calm, Kanako wasn’t going to mess up the room for a cheap tantrum. That meant Aya could keep pushing.

“Oh, please! You’ve taken in the daughter of your shrine’s biggest competitor and in just a day she’s one of your flock. Even during a clandestine meeting you’re still watching over her. And if you’re doing that for Hana, I can’t imagine you’d let some old fogey send Sanae to her death. Goddess, miko, daughter, niece, it doesn’t matter. She’s yours. No creed or dogma will ever keep you from protecting her, even if it’s from her own mistakes.”

Kanako crossed her arms. She could tell this tirade was coming to an end, so her excited vein finally settled down. “Touching. How is that going to convince me you’re loyal to me?”

“Because Sanae’s yours, and Hana’s mine.”

(Part 101)

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>>47721489
The goddess’ anger dissipated as a look of amusement came over her face. “Really now? Of all the people in Gensokyo: Reimu, Marisa, Tewi, Yuuka, Kas- Ka-Kanako — even me, you’d say that Hana belongs to you?” Ignoring her own stuttering fit, she poured herself another cup and sipped from it, trying to figure out what exactly Aya’s angle was.

“Of course she does. Sanae is Suwako’s descendant, but she tends to take after you when she’s on the job. I think Hana has my eye for finer details. She’s such an observant girl, always eyeing the body language of whoever she speaks to. And she’s slippery, too! She knows how to pull a quick ambush.” Aya may have embellished a couple traits she notices from Hana to sound more confident, but it didn’t hurt to compliment her. After all, who could be sure if the onabashiri transmitted conversations both ways?

Kanako narrowed her eyes. “Uh huh. And how exactly does that tie Hana to you instead of every single tengu this side of Mt. Fuji?”

“Well, my eggs are all related to Hana by blood. That means I’m responsible for looking after Hana, even if she came out of Reimu instead of me.” Aya took a deep breathe. This took more effort to say then she expected. “And from how bad Hana has had it so far, I’ve been doing a terrible job.”

Aya down at her lap before reaching for her cup by instinct. She expected Kanako to judge her now, admonishing her for completely disregarding Hana in favor of attacking the HSE. She hoped she could argue for some shred of forgiveness. Snapping out of the subconcious action, she looked over to Kanako, expecting a look of judgment on her face.

Instead, Kanako was having trouble swallowing her sake. Gone were her steely eyes and pursed lips. Her divine skin turned a sinful red and her pupils quivered in confusion. Then it hit Aya.

Kanako and Suwako knew Aya was pregnant.

That didn’t mean they knew who got her pregnant.

Ran really was a great friend, keeping that little fact to herself.

Aya considered her next words carefully. All tension she felt before was gone. She could still feel the magic flowing through the room, of course, but now the cloying air around Kanako was completely dispelled. The tengu calmed herself and continued to state her case. “As I was saying, I’ve done a poor job of protecting Hana. I used her situation as a cheap headline before allowing Yukari to spread propaganda through Bunbunmaru, which only made her feel more isolated. When I brought Reimu to Hana’s birthday party, I knew it would hurt her. But it was something she needed, especially to stop Yukari from laying another finger on her.”

For the most part, Kanako had settled down. Her throat clear of expensive booze, she straightened her posture and listened intently. There was no salvaging her previous state of intimidation, and thankfully she didn’t try. “So it’s remorse motivating you. I take it your newfound motherhood is driving you too?”

“It’s stronger than remorse. It’s this frustration. I can’t stand looking at Hana from all these angles and being unable to do a single thing to help her!” Aya clenched her fists, recalling the fear and terror in Hana’s eyes when both of these sages were around her. “Okina’s stunt at our meeting was the final straw: She brought Satori from the Underground to lay bare all of Hana’s secrets! Right in front of her mother! This isn’t some little-kid shit about stealing cookies or staying up late, this her fucked-up history! We just broke Yukari’s brainwashing and Okina threatened to violate her all over again! All while I’m bent underneath her, frozen like a coward. Those two sages—A goddess and a youkai? They’re two sides of the same coin! If it weren’t Yukari sowing chaos, I can bet Okina would be doing it instead! She’s treating each and every being in Gensokyo, friend, foe or uninvolved as replaceable foot soldiers in one big game. But, she made a mistake. She let one of her little foot soldiers reach for gold and gain access to her domain.” Aya opened her palms, staring at the marks left by her nails. “Please excuse the profanity, that one cup may have loosened my tongue.”

Kanako chuckled. “Seems like it. You sure you want to take out all those grievances on Okina? I have to warn to you: If you wish hard enough to wound a god, it just might come true. Consequences and all.”

Aya thought about her words. About the words she marked down from Okina’s grandiose taunts. She’s a secret goddess, and her words cannot be trusted. Yet, her word is the only thing she can be judged on.

“I’ll do it. I’ve already put myself in far more danger than any pregnant woman should, what harm can a little more do to a mother?”

Kanako produced a solid tube from under the table and held it out to her. “Fair enough. If you’re committed, then smell this.”

(Part 102)

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>>47721493
Was this a prank? “Really? Just smell this and you’ll trust me?” Aya studied the thin container. It was smooth and painted with bright vermilion, corked with a bright green cap.

“I think you’ve proven yourself trustworthy. I just need you to understand what risks you’ll be taking before I give you your assignment.” Kanako gave Aya a rather encouraging smile. As her hand began moving towards the cork, that smile was hidden with an elbow. Aya turned her gaze to Kanako, who immediately put her hand behind her head like a child caught making faces at dinner. The tengu turned her attention back to the cork, watching Kanako ever-so-slightly shift away from the table.

Pointing the top of the tube away from her face, Aya hesitantly uncorked the tube. Turning the container enough to peer inside, a small amount of liquid, darker than black, was rolling around at the very bottom of it. Not taking any risks, Aya used her hand to fan the smell towards her. It was horrible.

Until now, Aya did not truly understand the meaning of madness. Her brain screamed as visions flashed in her mind of loneliness, disgust, emptiness, lust, anger, rage, lust, violence, apathy, delusion, lust, and utter hopelessness. Between mood swings, something felt starkly familiar about the cavalcade of sorrow and anguish assaulting her very soul. It felt like regret, shame, and unbridled obsession all stabbing her heart at once. Before she could lose herself in the reverie, the tengu corked the tube, stood up and cracked open a window. After a solid minute of breathing in fresh mountain air while definitely not trying to spot Hana, Aya felt her mind was clear enough. The tengu sat down on her cushion, poured herself a cup of sake, and slammed it down. She had one word for Kanako. “WHY?!”

“You’re missing who, when, where and how.”

“I’m being serious, why?! This goop is downright heinous. You know how standing next to Hina too long can make your whole day to go wrong? This feels like a lifetime of that.” Aya double-checked the seal on the tube, making sure the hell-in-a-capsule wouldn’t leak out.

“Oh, so you already know what this is!” Kanako was having too much fun with this. Aya’s eyes went wide as she tried to process the goddess’ implications while her brain was muddled by the echoes of non-consensual sex.

“What, did you actually juice Hina or something? Couldn’t you just use a doll like everyone else?” Aya’s head started throbbing. The memories of headaches caused by pounding against a headboard were inspiring her own headache.

Kanako crossed her arms and puffed her chest. “That’s thinking inside the box, Aya, and that’s not going to cut it. See, Okina is a goddess among goddesses. Her power goes beyond the confines of faith alone. A secretive, esoteric deity like her gains strength from the disabled and downtrodden dregs of humanity. There’s no way to stop Matarajin’s faith, but there is a source of power in Gensokyo just as potent. A center where the frustrations of youkai and humans are all vented onto one chained man. Hina was sent into the HSE to absorb as much of that misfortune as possible. After her body processed and ejected it, the kappa brought the end result back to me.”

It was Aya’s turn to be surprised. To use Anon and even Hina this way… Aya choked down her emotions. It wasn’t like she had any right to complain about using Anon for personal gain, and this wasn’t the time to let her feelings run wild.

“Even with this much misfortune, we aren’t fighting Okina directly. The fumes alone are potent, but Hina’s bile won’t be enough to win a fight with anyone. Instead, it’s going to be used a medium for a stubborn curse that counters the nature of her backdoor realm.” Aya considered how nice it must be nice to be an Outsider goddess. It must be the nature of a conqueror to overlook the absurdity of their means if it gets results.

“The curse is twofold. Not only will it allow Suwako and I to sense the location of the curse in the Land of the Backdoor, it’ll also unleash it’s bad luck on Okina’s domain. The map of the Backdoor is a blank sheet, a mystery to all but Okina herself. With this, we’ll overwrite the unknown and finally put Okina on equal footing with the rest of Gensokyo.”

Aya’s headache was finally starting to fade. The conversation made her suspect her own backdoor may have had something to do with it, but it was still dormant. Okina was still, as far as she knew, deaf to this conversation. The tengu could talk one-on-one with Kanako without fear of Okina or Yukari listening in.

Aya took a deep breathe and prepared for the inevitable argument. “No deal, Lady Kanako.”

(Part 103)

I hope none of you forgot that time Hina came into the story and threw up all over the floor, that was actually plot relevant. I've got more to add, just figured I should post what I have now. Can't tell if it's rambling on too much. Just trying to lay out on the table everything as far as what Aya actually wants to accomplish and what the Moriya goddesses are doing on the sidelines after learning about Okina's proposal to take the sword after meeting on Hana's birthday. Recent Okina developments may make Backdoor terrorism less sympathetic for readers. Aya, however, is a writer. The effects of character development are yet to be studied on tengu, especially tengu writers.

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>>47721498
>>47721493
>>47721489
>>47721485
hell yeah, Kanako mentioned~! Always have enjoyed this more tactical and strong approach to her character, makes her very distinctive from Suwako's sly mind and a fun break from the stereotype of wind being fleeting and ground strong, so I particularly like to read your writing regarding her and froggie! And a lot of content in these four chapters, noice. The conversation went better than I expected, no crying outburst from formerly retarded reporter, just incisive topics and dialogue; she did pretty well for herself~the thing with Hina, though, could generate some confusion since Cirnoanon chapters have been axed, so I will be making sure to include a mention of the poor goddess next Eirin chapter to at least make sure the connections can be made with these chapters of yours.
Just hope by crippling Okina even further doesn't come back to bite Aya in the ass, perhaps through a certain soul stealing sword tucked a fuckton of dirt below where she stands and so give Yukari an edge
that'd be tragic...
Also, prepare yourself to enter the cloaca exploration device as punishment for finishing in a cliffhanger. Fucking monster.
thanks for the chapters!!

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>>47715157
this is you

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>>47715177
Oh my God, I'm losing it.
Good luck on the special Anon! I await it warmly.

>>47721852
>Hina
Damn, forgot about the Shou chapters. I re-wrote the ending of Part 103 around 5 times and left out the explanation for Hina's Shrine Experience in at least 3 of those re-writes. I could
A) give a little more exposition later with Kanako
B) Create totally serious and definitely respectful scenario involving the kappa kidnapping Hina en route to Eientei from overworked and scared yamawaro to pump her stomach and deliver the ooze to Kanako. Nitori has yet to have her own standalone chapter and this would bridge the Tsukasa chapter to this without disrupting the HSE's workflow too much in continuity.
I may or may not take option B depending on how Aya and Kanako's conversation progresses.
>cloaca exploration device
if a tengu had 3 1/3 legs she would have 7 tubes. imagine

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Every individual Anon perceives her thoughts differently...
I think she's sad I messed up her hands. Sorry, eldritch daughter!

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>>47722499
last time someone just happened to forget a little detail about a background character, Hieda became an oni and committed genocide. Careful with option B, please.
not saying not take it, though~
>if a tengu had 3 1/3 legs she would have 7 tubes. imagine

>>47722699
>A + y
That's quite the crack ship there Sekai, not everyone can imagine Aunn + yukari working out.

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>>47724470
love always finds a way

>>47724470
Please, my sekai is a true crack shipper and rightfully ships Aya and Yuyuko

>>47722699
my sekai has a bigger pot handle hat

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>>47725084
I'm proud of her, she knows the good stuff

>>47721498
>Aya took a deep breathe and prepared for the inevitable argument. “No deal, Lady Kanako.”
we eating fried chicken tonight boys!

>>47715139
The fucking unholy schizo shit happened to Okina and Co? That shit reads as beyond bad writing.

>>47732493
Okina is a schizo now who is merely pretending to be retarded... also she hallucinated Yukari attacking and permanently killed Naz and Cirno
Yes, its as stupid it sounds and the only people that genuinely like it are the writer himself and the two thread trolls

while we wait for chapters, what's your favorite weird fact/trivia about the HSE? My favorites are how it's canonical Keine got plowed by a fire cock, Anon cosplayed once as a sad cat and Yuyuko fucking around some vents literally saved him thousands of rapes.

>>47736957
I am here to remind everyone that HSE had a "no lolis" rule that somehow stayed intact through arguements over Tewi's hag-ness, with the only exception being Koishi not realizing she was breaking tge rules. I think it was eventually rejected, but it's funny that it essentially carried through since the porn fell to the wayside for epic plot over time.
Out of all of Hana's moms, only one of them is completely pure. Everyone else has raped Anon at least once. Kanako has done it fictionally thanks to Jade Parakeet. Mystia is alluded to doing it because sex makes babies and the rabbits did what rabbits do. Only Sanae has refrained from violating Anon in any form. She is the purest.
Gengestu and Mugestu are technically part of the HSE canon as they were at the very end of one of the few HSE specials to be canonized, the irl Winter Solstice/Sekai Tree special.

>>47738083
the archive has "no loli lewding" in the tags, so guess gore, rape and torture is okay, but lolis? Far too much.

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>>47738083
Koishi is a loli? I've always pictured her in her early twenties and Satori as the child look-alike

>>47738905
I've pictured both as young teens around the same age. Satorin being the more petite.
>>47738742
>>47738083
My favorite part of the 'no loli lewding' rule is how it entirely came by accident and the Tewi stuff was a direct reaction to that old meme. The rabbit who is both milf and loli, a true paradox

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>>47740533
as expected from the lolibaba that stopped the birthday party from turning into a bloodbath, always one step ahead~

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Rain or shine, I'm getting the next chapter out tomorrow.

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>>47744871
rooting for you, Anon! Gambarena

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>>47744871
I was able to get another page up before I had get my day started, hopefully I'll beat you to the punch

>>47747518
>>47744871
Oh shit, I too am finishing some chapters, hope we three get to post tomorrow together.

I didn't write anything today!!!!

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>>47748688
it is your destiny

Is there a planned ending for the HSE?

>>47749231
yup.

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"You want to see the village? For what reason I wonder?" Yukari asked.
"To see the aftermath with my own eyes, while the ashes are still smoldering." Goro said with a small smile, Seija stood beside him, but added nothing.
'A suitable answer' Yukari thought 'but still suspect.'
With grace, she strode toward the two, her heels clacking against the wood of the office floor, and with a white-gloved hand she brought her fan to Goro's neck: an open threat. "Could it be that you want to pay a visit to your beloved former Sensei at the newly christened 'Kmaishirasawa' estate?" She asked.
"That's a given. Who else would know best of what transpired? She'd scold me for not seeing history in the making, however temporary this state of affairs is." Goro answered.
"And while you visit her, if the topic of defection should arise? If her, or that Taoist stateswoman, would happen to offer you clemency in exchange for your standing down, could you refuse such a temptation?" The fan pressed lightly to Goro's neck.
"To protect this place I am sworn as you know. Further, I won't doubt what's been foretold. We joined you because we weren't short-sighted fools and I don't plan to change that today."
The answers were clear and said as if there wasn't a fan to his neck that threatened to open a gap in his wind pipe. Yukari allowed herself to feel a small amount of satisfaction, but was not yet convinced.
"And what if I were to ask you that, while you visit the new village leader, you and Seija take the life of her son and daughter? Aki and Mochi I believe their names were, what would you do then?" Yukari questioned, the fan gently tapping on Goro's Adam's apple as she did.
"I'd refuse." He answered just as naturally as before.
"And why would you defy me?" Yukari asked, the room growing cold as she did.
"You accepted us and fostered our abilities Yukari-Sama, why would we besmirch that infinite gratitude by failing such an obvious test?" Goro asked.
"Go on."

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>>47749835
"Firstly, you leave us our wills for your plans. If you wanted the children slain without question, Ran-San would be a far better choice. You would only chose us because we'd question such a direct and violent act, questions that you'd account for in your calculations. Second, if Keine-Sensei is truly neutral, as I've heard your negotiation has made her, then calling down her wrath has no meaning, which is all killing the infant children would do." Goro took a small breath and said the next words with care.
"Finally, they're Anon's children by blood. And I ask your forgiveness, Yukari-Sama, I lied just now. I would do anything you asked me, even if I might have the will not to or I may not see the wisdom in it, but the one exception I make is in betraying the Yakumo and forsaking you. Don't they have his air about them? Isn't that part of the purpose of this place, to give Anon a true, all-encompassing family? And could I live, knowing that this family, whom I'm sworn to serve, had two of it's happy faces dashed by myself? Faces that will one day look upon you with love and admiration?"
Goro shook his head, as if to shake off the grim thought.
"No. I would never betray you, even if you asked it of me."
Yukari paused. She had expected the logical deduction, even the romantic rhetoric, but even still, the words had painted a tapestry in her head. Children all across Gensokyo looking up at her with affection in their eyes, all genuine, all so beautiful.
She smiled. "So you've learned to plant vivid scenes in the minds of others hmm?" She asked, before delivering a light blow to his nose with the fan.
"That's a good step. You already understood how to discern the interest of others and act accordingly, yet you never considered how you could 'adjust' others wants to meet your purpose, until now that is. However..." Yukari explained before placing her fan on his forehead and pushing it lightly, which produced a disproportionately powerful force that would have knocked Goro on his ass, had it not been for Seija catching him. "...Take care you're not discovered doing so. Other's may not be so forgiving."
Goro looked up as Seija put him back on his feet and briefly saw Yukari's split eyes, Youkai predatory instincts embodied, and felt a pang of frustration. It had been a small gamble to soften Yukari's cruelty, one that he'd knew she'd likely forgive, but it was still dis-heartening, since he'd put the genuine emotion behind it, visions of his own children who, in a sense, were her godchildren. Yet, Yukari's convictions had no weak points it seemed, a bulwark that even truth couldn't assail for now.
"My key concern isn't your loyalties you know?" Yukari lied. "It's your meditations, the process is incomplete. Outside interference now may hurt your progress to where you won't be ready by the solstice."
"It's because of that training that we want gander out at the ruins." Seija spoke now, plainly. "We can see things differently now and if we wait until the program is complete to go outside, we'll be overwhelmed."
"And it isn't that our little Jaku wants to bask in a successful revolutions afterglow?" Yukari happily hummed.
"It's just a prelude isn't it? All the better so I'm ready for the real thing." She answered.
Yukari exhaled and let the world fall away. Looking at Seija, she saw what she had expected: an Amanojaku who longed for the future and put the past and present aside. The boundaries between her convictions were motionless. But this had been easy since the girl, being an earnest Youkai, was far too easy for her to figure out.
Goro, likewise, was as she had planned: A Broker who can adjust all circumstances for his benefit, even the mold the minds of others, except for one tiny flaw: the boundary between his hope and despair murmured ever so slightly.
The Yakumo couldn't be sure that the discrepancy was a problem, her ability to discern the soul's true intention with her boundary manipulation was an imprecise art after all, but it annoyed her.
'Oh, what am I doing?' She thought with a small shrug.

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>>47749843
"Go on then, you've been working hard around the HSE haven't you? Take a little vacation, make some notes for me, and do let Keine know I've sent you." The Yakumo said with a flourish of her hand.
The duo nodded and both turned to leave, with Seija not turning away until Goro was safely out of the room. Yukari watched the Amanojaku eyes, little rubies trained on her being, before she left as well. Secretly, she had hoped Seija would object to her threats, so she could properly discipline her, or at the very least put on an interesting expression for her entertainment.
"Hugh, children grow up so fast, you even miss their tantrums" The Yakumo mused.
But they weren't her children, they were merely an experiment a fancy to see if a Great Youkai could be manufactured from two imperfect parts. Seija being the monstrous, pure, and deceitful evil nature, Goro being the calculating, cunning, and noble standing, could the two be melded into something greater? It was a unique opportunity, that was all, and if nothing were to come of it, that would be fine as well. Even then, that mummer in the Brokers heart, like a wrinkle in a bed sheet, if it was pulled taught, Yukari would know some satisfaction.

>>47749849
>>47749843
>>47749835
silly Yukari, doesn't she know hitting your children is child abuse? Very upsetting actions from the gap hag, she needs correction!

>>47749835
I look forward to the tension when Gror and Seiga visit Kenei Kmaishirasawa and her partner Mookou Fujowario

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>>47750911
>the tension in question

>>47751134
It's funny, because this could refer to the village war-crimes or Mokou immolating the two.

>>47733110
The worst part about that is that the writeanon didn't wait until 9/9 to kill Cirno.

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She doesn’t look particularly altered, at least when compared to the last time she laid on that stretcher and watched as a small egg inside of her had to survive a minefield of unexplained phenomena—what exactly prompted the Gaps…? Such mystery—displaying crushing fear and anxiety rooted so deep that trying to pull it out could taint the water table with the salt of her tears. But then it was all over; conception had happened, and it shone on her face a light so bright I had to convince myself that that woman was Yukari Yakumo still. A week has passed since then, and in a rather unsettling way, not a trace of that emotional woman is visible as I write down on my clipboard the observations I made after four hours of intense study of the egg etched to the uterine lining—after finding it, of course, which was a beast of its own accord—, to make sure there were no leftover Gaps trying to destroy it, deform it, or something similar; no, my perfect children are to be resilient to all but the acts of gods beyond the cosmic veil… And, perhaps, environmental influence—if that goop Hina had poured all over the place on her visitation and its utter rejection of making part of the primordial soup that is my perfect children is any indication.

Matter of fact, Yukari seems completely unbothered by the possibilities the child inside of her may have been evaporated by a stray Gap in this idle week—she didn’t even make questions about it… “You don’t look very concerned,” I say, attracting her attention from her belly back to me with that characteristic smile on her face. “Have you forgotten conception and pregnancy are two different things?” Shifting my position, I lay one leg on top of the other and rest my arms on the knee, leaning forward. “For all you know, the process after conception was a failure and so you haven’t been impregnated, and I am about to give you bad news.”

She doesn’t even flinch, and Udongein behind me, redesigning Yukari’s prenatal plan according to the health of the zygote, shivers with the words about pregnancy. “So adorable, Eirin~you always put shows like these for your most fragile patients? The shock of losing my dear daughter could kill me, you know~?” Yukari hums, hand tapping her belly… Daughter? There were no ways for me to guarantee the baby’s gender when I implanted the semen inside of her, but the way she says those words—certainty, conviction—is beyond the nurses’ gossips and betting of litter sizes and individual genders. “And why would I fear, when my child has traveled through the valley of the shadows of death before taking its first breath? A champion she is, blood of mine and Anon’s; to worry about failure after such a feat is a foolish endeavor.” A shrug and she returns to humming and cuddling her belly, yet the seed remains, one that makes me queasy.

The sureness of her words, the arrogant smug… My insides churn with an idea that, somehow, corrodes my very spine and makes me lean back, frowning as I clutch to my clipboard. “Yukari, have you… used your Gaps to modify the egg?” It’s a hushed question and that, shamefully, bears more emotion than what I wanted, gathering from the laying pregnant a weird look. “I need to know of any alterations to it, and it’d be impossible to be 100% correct about them if an outside factor like you meddling with my work were to happen—so please, answer the question.” Udongein is staring at my back with utter confusion, and Yukari’s eyes narrow for a fleeting moment before she turns them to the roof.

There is sweat running down my nape, and my leg rocks slightly.

“No, I haven’t taken the opportunity to possibly destroy my offspring, doctor.” She sounds offended, but I couldn’t care less—my perfect children are protected.

Good… good. “I see,” a simple nod is all I let out, though I wouldn’t know if she saw it, staring at the roof with a puzzled expression; thinking. “Because congratulations: you are pregnant indeed, Yukari—it’s been the first week already of your EDD, so we have between 37 and 41 weeks before the baby is delivered, around the 29th of September of next year.” There’s no fanfare, no outburst of crying. Yukari nods in satisfaction, clutching to her pregnant belly as if to protect it. “… As your doctor, I would recommend you seek a stress-free environment to develop your children, chiefly with people that can care for you and your needs—but knowing you, I doubt that’d be the case.”

“You should trust me more, Eirin~of course I’ll find respite for me and my Sekai—I already have something in mind: a calm place, with a glutton friend and a tree with a big shade to rest underneath. I’m sure Anon would love that place, especially considering his love for the creepy crawlers and such… But I need to rid my land of pests first; what type of mother would I be if I let my children be born into a den of the filthy and degenerate?”

‘A responsible one: not fighting,’ is said in thought, my head nodding while inside frustrations bud and writhe.

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I have to thread carefully around Yukari; that emotional blunder almost brought peculiar questions in my direction, which I’m sure I’d be able to answer in exquisite form and disperse the doubt… Though that’s never a fully feasible option with her.

… Still, just thinking about her recklessly taking my perfect creation to such pointless warfare against monsters makes me shudder.

Hm… ‘Sekai’, as she called it.

I taste it, yet find myself disconnected from its meaning or whatever story hides behind it… I prefer my one, but that’s no immediate concern. “Am I free to leave now, Eirin? I need to tell my man the good news~” Oh, there it was: joy just like the one I saw a week ago on her face.

“Not yet,” I send Udongein a side-eye, and pick briefly a certain sorrow on her features behind the surgical mask. “Have our patient checked and finish her prenatal plan, Udongein—you’re in need of exercise and a better diet, Yukari, so be honest with my assistant.” Those words make Yukari jump slightly, joy replaced by bewilderment as I stand up from my chair, handling the clipboard to the moon rabbit. “What? Do you think I wouldn’t notice the pockets of fat and the unstrained muscles? Sedentariness is a terrible way of living, and relying too much on your Gaps has consequences for your body.”

Flushed and gazing at the wide-eyed rabbit trying her best to hold off her laughter, she stammers, “I-I’ll fix all that with my Gap—”

“No, you will not. You’ll actually diet and do exercise; we have no idea how the use of Gaps in your body correlates to the baby’s diet, and you especially aren’t using your Gaps to either alter the baby’s ingested nutrients or its composition, and exercising always generates a healthier child.” It’s a stretch, mainly because of my perfection of the ovum, but Yukari doesn’t know that, and making sure she thinks the child is totally hers to CARE and nurture contributes to my cause.

And… Just to be safe, hm? You never know.

An intonation away from hissing and uncomfortable in her own skin, hands clutching to her belly as if to comfort herself, Yukari thinks, groans, gulps down her pride and says, trying to recapture a smidgen of her composure, “… F-Fine! Although I think it's unnecessary, if it means the wellbeing of my Sekai, I’ll follow the, uh… plan.” It doesn’t work, the crimson of her cheeks telling and those hands on her belly anxiously pinching a bit of flesh. Sure, using particular sets of drugs and stimulants I could remedy her body in no time, but the present possibility of it interfering with the growth of my perfect children is more than enough to dissuade my mind from it, so I merely exchange a nod with Udongein before strolling outside, ache of bones and mind nothing compared to the unfathomed hours poured into the project of mine, yet dealing with Yukari always demands some sort of rest

A simple sterilization of my body later, and the grayed-out corridors welcome me, not one conversation exchanged as the nurses come and go, closer than ever to the patients—children and such. Said patients seemed to understand what was happening, either through word of mouth or guessing work, and let the nurses be as close to their bellies and babies as they wanted.

If anything, it appeared to help.

But the ‘full’ corridors change when I blink, and the path forward is rather infinite and non-euclidean—I wonder how the Hakurei daughter is doing; she hasn’t returned to another session—empty aside from me and the smiling princess to my side. “Yukarin is weird, don’t you think?”

“Weird is an understatement,” I sigh, walking the infinite corridor anyway, about to ask Kaguya what she wants to talk about—

“—Guess that’s what happens when a woman like her becomes a mother. Suddenly, you have something you care about, and nothing is the same anymore.” I lift an eyebrow, staring at her. “There’s nothing worse than stagnant eternity, a feeling that only grows with the unrelenting passage of time… But it’s also something people like her only notice when a bamboo shoot of value truly enters their lives, and then come to appreciate it when it disappears before their very eyes.” She eyes me, giggling for whatever reason. “But I at least commend her on her habits; doing work is such a hassle~resting and eating good food is the elixir of godhood.”

I sigh. “Thank your estrogen for your lack of gout, Kaguya.”

She chuckles, likely meaning she didn’t understand my words, before asking, “So… now that it’s clear her building has its days counted, can I go visit Anon?”

“No.”

“Bleeeh, you’re so boring, Eirin~” then she’s walking in front of me, the infinity of the corridor a mere suggestion to its master, and there’s something… disorienting in her eyes as she glances at me, humming a little song whose origins escape me: ‘maware, maware, maware yo…’

Soon she’s gone, and I walk alone the infinite corridor for a few more seconds.

There was pity in Kaguya’s eyes.

… A blink and the door to my office stands before me.

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>>47756096
>>47756087
that last part with Yukari was a simple nod to the other Yukarianon, who wrote Yukari as having a nasty habit of eating chips, drinking cola and cutting buses' break pedals because they were annoying~

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>>47756087
>>47756096
Eirin's authority as a doctor sways Yukari, Aya, and who-knows how many mothers after the pregnancy waves, Kaguya has close ties to Mokou, and Tewi forcibly aligned herself with the Jobbers, Anon and Hana. Everyone in Eientei has a good angle to control Gensokyo from behind the scenes once the fires of war die down.
Except Reisen, who's good for nothing.

>>47756096
Hag on hag combat spotted. Yukari weight shamed into being healthier after having a whole show of charisma, what a fall from grace!

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>>47756659
it is NOT a fall from grace! She just needs to lose some pounds and all will be good, those are doctor's orders, not her fault for being too cool for peasant life

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>>47756420
Gensokyo will welcome its true leader in time
and don't slander Reisen, the poor girl is a victim

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>>47715952

Tall walls stood ignited and illuminated the gloom of the night with its brilliant yellow hues, the remains of the Heida estate made an eerie backdrop to the sounds of sporadic gunfire that still fired off the walls. The shouts of dying men filled the air in equal measure as did the echos of mortar and gunfire, ceaseless volleys fired at any that could be spotted on air or ground. Those that still stood upon the walls looked on in horror as they raised their weapons at-will, desperate to survive for only a moment longer.

Despite the beast that stalked the fields some still persisted, ones who could mitigate the worst of the effects with some form of trick or ability. The damage done to them was set in stone by this point, that was the only thing one could think when they saw their decrepit forms. A rusted shout left their lungs as they stormed the breech one last time, their determination solidified by the knowledge there was no future for them. Tools of labor and natural weapons were raised high as their horse voices rang out; the dead made their final assault to end the hell they were trapped in.

Beyond the final skirmish at the breeched walls and blood-soaked courtyard, where the soldiers fought with their backs to the burning estate, a flash of red and white approached. A masked faced with long spiked horns adorning his helmet followed the flash as his honor guard distantly supported the melee and fired below at those that still rushed the walls. The walls they stood on burned at the base, smoke rising but flame abated by the powerful blessings that fortified the slapdash thing. They held their ground at an observation post that afforded good view of the courtyard-turned-battlefield and the burning village below.

Heavy booted feet hit the thick wooden panels that made up the observation deck of the tower, a thick thud resounded and drew the attention of those armor-clad killers. Men in heavy black armor and wielding long-treasured blades zealously guarded the walkways leading to their lord, and fought the deranged able to push through. Their weapons were well maintained and gripped with precision, even the firearms rested naturally in their arms as they watched the melee occurring just a few meters from them and fired off the raised platform with pin-point accuracy.

Their attention turned to the girl that appeared before without much more than a gust of displaced wind that affected the pressure in their ears. Discipline, and seeing the neutrality of their patriarch at the intrusion of the desperate miko, held their weapons firmly at the ready; they had the girl in their sights before they caught up with the situation. Many of them were almost deafened from the constant gunfire, but watched the miko for any movement that would betray her as much as they watched for signal from their master.

A few terse words kept their peace despite the sudden intrusion, they couldn’t help but eye the long needles between the fingers of her white-knuckled fist that stuck out like claws. The shide that adorned her sacred gohei practically hummed with power and fluttered independently of the breeze. The danmaku surrounded her like the rising sun, black and white seals flew around her in ways that made the eyes spin and embodied the seal of her clan. With a brilliant yin-yang orb hovering behind her, crackling with energy between the flowing seals, the future Hakurei miko had descended with vengeance painting her face.

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>>47763867

Hana was surprised at how fast the bastard was, her gohei had hummed with power as the living wood narrowly missed the back of his helmet. The outraged thing practically vibrated in her hand as the energy stored inside had no where to go, begging to fulfill the purpose of her patron god. His indifference at her presence enraged her as much as the deep timber of his voice as he spoke some nonsense to one of the men with the more ornate sets of armor.

Rage was all she felt as her world narrowed to the man in front of her, like tunnel vision her eyes narrowed to encompass the entirety of the man. He stood tall, maybe it was just the effects of the boots and the helmet? The two black horns that stood in imitation of those scummy oni stood for everything Hana resented about tonight, this massacre was truly something only an oni could conceive. It had to be avenged, all of those deaths… Sanae…! She had to kill the bastard!

Those black horns connected to the smooth and lustrous black helmet that reminded her of an insect’s carapace. The deep red face that made up the scowling visage of death itself was charred and cracked in places like baking clay under the summer sun. The rust spattered chestplate and pauldrons bore the symbols of his clans. Its quiet power was obvious in the pockmarks and soot that adorned it, a testament to the battles faced till now. His boots were caked in bloody mud, despite the heavy armor on them he moved with a deceptive grace that could only be borne from training and grace.

It was obvious to the miko that he was the only real threat, the men around her held their weapons at the ready. Firearms were aimed, swords and polearms drawn, a mix of nervous and dead eyes all had her within only a few paces of it’s deadly bite. Yet she knew they would never land, the barrier behind her that radiated the essence of the Hakurei god was not for show.

Heart pumped and adrenaline made her body shake with the anticipation of violence, she wanted this man dead and wouldn’t, couldn’t, hesitate. The rage in her voice made it tremble as she laid her accusation for any to hear, “You- you k-killed Sanae!”

Deep eyes hidden by shadow seemed to regard her like a pebble on the side of the road, a sideshow to dealt with quickly. His voice spoke of a different story as he bowed respectfully and deeply, “Hakurei-sama, good evening…” His voice grated on her ears, it was as if his lungs were raw and throat bleed, “Yes, Sanae-sama was conspiring with the youkai to take me down- this village’s last hope. So I exterminated her.”

His tone was grave and there was something off, Hana had only met the man on occasion before and always for business. His aura was wrong, he was always so calm and collected before even if he was prone to delusion; never did she feel this radiating cold rage seep from him. This feeling wasn’t right, the rage she felt didn’t belong to the patriarch of the Heida clan she dealt with, yet it was potent in how it rang alarms in her mind.

She couldn’t rationalize the feeling; it was familiar in its danger yet foreign in how it felt like death exuded from behind his mask. Her mind scrambled as she processed his words and this strange aura that pervaded the man, “W-what?! You expect me to believe such a lie!? Sanae was fighting the youkai! You killed her in cold blood, you-!”

A voice as rusted as the blood upon his chestplate met her defense and made her skin crawl as he rose fully, “It is true, Hakurei-sama. She was intending on destroying my clan when all I’ve done is fight for this village.” Heida looked off to the side, into the vacant air beyond the battlement, towards the burning estate, “Isn’t that true, Aky- Akyuu-chan…?”

This damn old man, did this delusional old bastard really kill Sanae for nothing?! She cared little for his words yet the fury poured from her throat, “We are shrine maidens! We- we maintain the balance! We don’t kill people!” Her voice reached a pitch as she screamed aloud, “Sanae was a human!!”

Hot tears pooled around her eyes and threatened to cloud her vision, she blinked them away as the bastard refocused on her. His voice was absolute as it was chilling, “We do.” His words punctuated by the boom of another volley of explosives, “Hakurei-sama, It’s our job to protect the village of monsters, you should know…” the eyes of the oni he wears drift to the estate, “Ha! Me, a shrine maiden? No, no- liquidation of abominations, however, is our pride.”

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>>47763890

One of his gauntleted hands rose, from where they were joined in front of him, as if that gesture was enough to disarm her. Weary eyes watched his fingers gingerly grasp at the leather ties holding the mask up, with dexterous and familiar motions he undid the straps quickly and let the mask loose. Yet the heavy wooden plate held firmly in place, it didn’t fall and a curious sound emanated from the mouth of the mask that sounded like a labored sigh.

His fingers skirted the edge of the mask as he got a grip on it and tugged it gently, it didn’t give at all. As if the distant explosions were like a distant scream of terror on a cold night, that unsettling feeling of mounting dread inspired a cold sweat on her nape; she peered behind the mask to where the man’s eyes. She saw… nothing, it was dark as if the shadows were thick and cloying, gathered there as if…

Heida’s heavy armored hand dug in behind the mask, as if grabbing a hat about to fly off in the breeze, the darkness that gathered behind the mask… that seemed to gather under his helmet and armor itself… It was like-!

Like a cold block of ice was dumped into the rage that boiled inside, she watched as a wet, disgusting crunching sound rang out and the charred scowling visage fractured along a deep fissure. A mass of blackened flesh and rancid puss was thrown to the floor at his feet, infecting the area with a noxious scent that threatened to make one sick to their stomach. His groping fingers grabbed another piece of the mask, tearing off the section where his right eye should be with a sickening crack and the sight of dark brown fluid pouring down onto the floor below him. Where his eye was, a deep and violent orange flame burned inside, it drew her in entirely as if it demanded attention. W-what in the two hells? Was this really?! She’d never even heard a rumor of this happening to the Heida himself!

As if bringing her out of that small disgusting reality, the sounds of a man retching next to her snapped her out of her trance. For the first time, as the Heida’s other hand reached the final sections of that fractured scowl she saw the others around her. A glance was all she needed to see one of the men on his hands and knees, vomiting on the floor his last meal; another, the man Heida spoke to earlier wearing the ornate armor, trembled openly as his blade faltered for the time this night.

That fell feeling of wrongness overcame her again as the sounds of the rotten mass of what was once his brain slopped onto the floor. The remains of the necrotic fluids that made up a man’s head splattered out onto the wooden paneling below him. Those eyes, like wills-of-the-whisps in the night, drifted silently and in the endless cavern that made up the man’s eye sockets. His entire face was gone already, only bits of skin and creamy flesh clung to the charred skull that made up his visage. His bloated and black lips clung to his jaw by virtue of a cruel joke, they were cracked open like he was gasping for his last breath.

His helmet dropped next, the violent action snapping its straps and it clattered to the ground. His hair was thin and white, like mangy fur that clung in matted lumps, they clung to the skin that hadn’t sloughed off just yet and was joined behind him in a tie. On the crown on his head still stood two tall charred horns, they towered two feet tall. Cracked and blackened, the horns seemed to emanate a heat of its own as it boiled the air between it with visible waves of heat.

A dry and horse voice contrasted the wet and raw sound from earlier, as if he’d been scoured of something fundamental and replaced with the inhuman, “We are much the same in that regard, Hakruei-sama!”

>>47763867
>>47763890
>>47763911
everytime I read it Heida's body horror becomes nastier, poor Hana having to watch that and hear she's similar to the walking sewage spill. Though it does make me interested in what type of crazy deformations we'll see during the solstice.

>>47764109
The mask scene was fun to make, the big reveal was nicr even if its the second time told. Poor girl is not recovering without a loooot of Eirin's special "mindfucks-be-gone" pills

>>47763911
Hakruei-sama

>>47766475
Heida and Hakruei enter a bar, there they find Kiene and Kanko having a nice talk about Senkai.

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>>47766475
I hate that I always miss something stupid

>>47766484
they can meet up with patchiouli since she's senkai's mother after all

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>>47763911
>>47763890
>>47763867
she's not recovering from that one so soon, but at least she'll get to see Mr. Hieda get pummeled AND will participate in his downfall. That should offset the massive trauma at least by a little~
great descriptions and handling of the scene from a proper Hana POV, thanks for the chapters!

>>47766631
>>47766484
I love these silly misspelled names like you wouldn't believe

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was visited by a Kurodani today while writing some chapters. Seems she's a distant cousin by size and coloration, either a Nesticodes rufipes or a male brown recluse. Undoubtedly cute~, though I think it's upset at me for putting it in a cup, hoping Yams doesn't get mad too… will try to hand led it, praying for no bites.

>>47770513
you have upset the spoood, yams has dispatched agents to intercept

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>>47773149
gomen, it had to be done. I swear there'll be lots of coffee and head pats when everyone calms down. The cousin was freed after some headpats~, and he's happily prowling outside. No spood was harmed in the process!
all's well ends well!

Would Yukari be classified as a yandere for anon?

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>>47779042
going by her thoughts in the love-hate little arc after she came back from Yuyuko's, I'd say she kinda is, but not fully fledged: every ounce of genuine love she might've had towards him has been twisted by her traumas, and more she loves the feelings of having something real in a life of lies, deception and such. Same with Sekai and Flandre, she is infatuated with adoration and a feeling of not being alone in a world that hates her to the point she needs to create family in the form of her shikigamis.
Abandonment issues, loss that twice aggravated the worn-out nerve of inaptitude and delusion towards the cruel world created that mess of a woman whereas a yandere is twisted by love

>>47779148
h-haha, such a silly gappy....

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interesting, was organizing the archived text for next postings, and found out the 1 millionth word of the HSE falls around Keine's and Hana's conversation in the former's last chapter before her epilogue.
feels oddly ominous.

>>47780018
Damn Sekai and her crackships

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flowchart of the last thread coming through!
https://files.catbox.moe/7sq1gy.png
for writeanons to guide themselves and readeranons to do something, because I can't predict what comes next.

>>47786163
So many roots and trees. Yuuka's having a fucking field day while Nitori wonders if she'll ever get a chapter that isn't a Soku commercial

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>>47786793
>Yukari's traumas were cemented when she buried Yuyuko's body under a tree
>Sekai and her tree mean the end of Yukari's life of suffering
trees are very cool, after all.

>>47786163
>Shub-niggurath can't tell the difference.
Makes sense since there isn't any, shit is shit.

>>47785668
it's not a crackship and more of Hana's ultimate test in the future when she grows older and wiser. The setup and investment is there already, and the likelihood of sexual abuse is zero, so the Hana won't face her biggest weakness.

>>47788601
Nope, Hana WILL defeat the flame cock!
She WILL touch the cowe!
She WILL baste the bird!
She WILL read the suzu!
She WILL turn into the pink slasher!

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>>47749849
When the two exited Yukari's office, the first one upon them was Takane.
"I'm sorry." She told Goro as they all walked through the halls together. "I should of asked Yuarki-Sama to retrieve Seija and yourself, but the situation-"
Goro stopped and put up his hand. "You did the right thing putting the place on lock-down and even if our ladyship had said yes, to both letting us out and for us intervening, there's no guarantee we wouldn't make the situation worse. Old man Hieda certainly would see us as an enemy, the Moyians just as well, and Makou, if the stories I heard about Keine-Sensei taking a bullet are true, would probably jump at us in a rage. At best, we'd delay the fighting by being pincushions."
Takane sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "But still, the village is your home isn't it?"
For a moment there was an uneasy quiet as the implication settled in, before Seija shattered it.
"Right, doubly so then. You think this dainty flower of a man could keep his cool while his old friends are getting shredded all around him?" She asked, slapping him on the back.
"Aghh, you know, anyone else saying that and I'd look at them funny." Goro complained.
"Right I was silly to second-guess myself. Manager of the HSE, biggest business in all the land, my commands forthright and my authority second to only the great Yakumo herself." Takane waved as they continued down the halls.
"So, things are running ship-shape around here? And have you heard anything about the village?" Goro inquired.
"Things have been running as well as can be expected. Everyone here is a little rattled from the revolution, some employees have even asked for leave, probably to see their secret honeies, I've granted it to those bold enough to ask in either case; better that they're motivated to act accordingly when the other shoe drops. As for the village, it's a mess. Everyone has the broad strokes: Hieda went nuts, shelled the village, killed that teacher, died, came back as an Oni, but was slain when that same teacher came back from the dead. As for specifics, there's suspiciously little. I've sent out feelers trying to get some ground truth, but they're all coming back with conflicting accounts." She shook her head.
Goro nodded. That things weren't clear immediately following such a tragedy wasn't unusual, but he could see the squint in Takane's eye when she mentioned 'conflicting accounts'. Chaotic times muddled much and that ambiguity could just as easily be used by the victor to write the 'true' history.
"What about the other factions? I heard it happened fast, but the Moriyan's were there right?"
"They were, plus that 'Crown Prince', Hana, and Reimu showed up later. The Myouren's did open their doors to those that fled."
"Small number of suspects, well that's good. And what about Anon?"
Takane shook her head. "Yukari-Sama dutifully informed him of events. He's been a little more distraught then usual after that, asking all sorts of questions I can't answer. Best I've been able to do is some assurances that his daughter's a big girl, he just has to hold out a little longer, and some hot coco, for all the good it'll do." She remarked bitterly.
"You're there for him and that's what's important. Corny as it's sounds." Goro shrugged.
"Well then you should see him, properly I mean, not as a Yukari-lookalike. He hasn't seen another man in more then a year you know, might be good for him."
"We'll see." Goro answered.
"Goro-San, a moment." The White Wolf Captain made herself known to the group. "We've shut down operations of the HSE and called for a market closing during reconstruction and mourning, as per Takane-San's instructions, but now that you are awake, I humbly request your own guidance."
"Meaning you find Takane's instructions insufficient?" Goro asked.
"No, I merely note that in terms of counter-intelligence you have caught one more-" She began.
"What you meant doesn't matter to me, what you do does. I want you to take this opportunity to fortify our surroundings. Start by expelling businesses who aren't complying with the market shutdown request as well as any other storefront with known connections to our adversaries. You'll need to be quick and coordinated before they can realize what's going on and be ready for any runners. You will work with the Yamawaro on this, am I clear?" He asked.
"Perfectly." The White Wolf Captain saluted, before turning to do her duty.
Takane saw all this and shook her head.
"I will never understand how you learned to deal with those wolfen girlies so easily." She said.
"Oh, it's the same as commerce don't you know? Just figure out what people want and give it to them. The White Wolves want a firm, un-compromising hand, and I give it to them." Goro explained, as he idly rubbed that one spot below Seija's horn she so enjoyed having massaged before the Jaku swatted his hand away.

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>>47789114
"Well anyway, here we are." Takane said as she opened the thick, rug-like curtain that had replaced the HSE door, revealing a frigid and dreary mid-morning scene.
The market was quiet, almost vacant, but beyond it one didn't have to have Tengu sight to see the scars left by the revolution. Black specs in the distance were burned down buildings, carts full of debris rolled up and down roads, and the rolling white clouds above that kept the sun out painted the war-torn scene in a de-saturated gray.
Seija shivered, getting her first taste of the up turning that had occurred and upon Goro's face Takane saw a glimpse of something dreadful before he shut his eyes and turned to her. "Well shouldn't you be going then?" He asked her.
"What?! I'm supposed to be seeing you two off!" The Yamawaro yelled, a little flabbergasted.
"Idiot." Seija jeered, slapping her on the back. "She means the man you've been seeing."
"I've already done so as a matter of fact." She stated, crossing her arms. "Some of us have relationships that respect our professional lives."
"You might not have another chance 'before the other shoe drops'." Goro said, giving the girl another slap on the back. "Things will work themselves out over here, go make some trouble for once."
"Damned lecherous busybodies." Takane murmured before she made for the bakery, but stopped short and turned back to the two.
"You should be wary of that former teacher of yours. A lot has happened and she may not be the person you remember anymore, she might even attack the two of you. I know, I know, you're soft on old ladies in general, but don't go getting killed tragically before the solstice alright?" Takane asked, before she turned and made her leave in the direction of the bakery.

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>>47788843
>threatens to tell everyone Hana masturbated over the festival crowd minutes before a massacre
this is how you defuse a Hana forever. Keine should be grateful Miko is with her

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>>47789114
>>47789116
Goro will be in for a surprise when he gets there and Keine is just as affable and welcoming as ever. Sensei might be turning evil, but her good manners and kindness are still up-to-date.

>>47788843
Hana WILL job like her green mothers Yuuka and Sanae!

man, I know it's a good thing we're basically at the end of Arc 2 with just Hana left to finish, but I'm starting to realize how much I miss waking up to a bunch of new chapters and developments... Ah, guess that's life.

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Rubbing my eyes doesn’t ward off my latent tiredness, a task not even the drink Sanae has presented us manages to accomplish—a brown-black type of slurry, mixed with a bit of white sugar and cream called ‘coffee’; seemingly meant to help fight drowsiness, but all I got from it was a faster heartbeat and pain on the base of my horns… Maybe because I decided to go for only half a teaspoon of sugar whereas the shrine maiden had gone for multiple full tablespoons? Probably so, but it works satisfactorily as it is—the sleepy gesture gathering an amused stare from Miko across the table. “Tired already? Don’t expect things to get any easier with time; rather, they’ll only get more complicated, 'Lady' Kamishirasawa~!” In that, I fully believe the saint, sighing and moving my eyes away, right hand supporting my chin and blue tail wagging sluggishly.

It’s a calm afternoon in the estate, though tensions between the old and new staff remain just beneath the surface where Mokou’s strict demeanor and violent visage cannot reach, but that’ll die down with time and gentle pulling of strings—I refrain from outright rearranging their minds. Suppressing their rage and resentment is one thing; whatever they do with their feelings is up to the individual—; Aki and Mochi sleep in the crib a bit behind me, the room mostly empty—before, Mr. Hieda’s office—, shoji doors giving view of the snow-coated backyard and letting sunlight illuminate the kotatsu we sit around, an overhead map of Gensokyo with the village in focus laid on the wood, scribbled on with tact and cohesion, as it was expected from someone like Miko.

“I know, but I haven’t slept in two days…” My mumblings only gather a laugh from the saint before she slurps on her milkshake. Doesn’t she feel any cold? That purple scarf does seem comfortable…

“Suck it up, Lady Kamishirasawa. That’s the nature of the beast.”

“Sheesh, I’m not complaining—I understand and welcome my responsibilities,” I pout and Miko merely hums, those golden analytical eyes all over me. She got a hook and won’t release it until an answer comes forward; that’s one of the many things I’ve learned about her in the week we’ve been working together. “Just… It feels overwhelming,” my eyes shift to Mochi and Aki. They’re safe, alive. Good. “And quite surreal, too. Like a flight that’s suddenly stopped, yet the sensation of momentum is still there.” Same eyes move, now towards the white world outside, and in the distance the silhouette of the HSE lurks like a ghost in the mist, shivers creeping up my spine with the memory of a bonfire of thunderstorms. Suzu’s words echo before the fright grows, and I ignore the lingering fear, like a whispering serpent, that spoke of Hana's failure.

A nagging question comes with that fear, one that whispers, ‘Should I tell Miko these things…?’

Miko notices my physical reactions, as she always does, and her smile turns serene. “Like it isn’t real, hm?” I glanced at her, her milkshake left on the kotatsu. “I’ve been there too, and… Don’t worry, Kamishirasawa: this is very much real. Everything we’re doing for the Human Village—Gensokyo at large—will leave a mark, whatever shape it might take, and we must strive to be as smart as possible to make sure it takes a good one. Heh, one of the reasons I’ve joined you is that I‘m confident we can find the shortest and least violent path to that end—or do you believe the implementation of printed money wasn’t bloody?” There’s a moment of silence as she chugs her milkshake, though not internally. Her words will be ruminated over during the incoming drowsy night. “There are still problems and doubts about the future, of course,” Her gaze shifting to the HSE is steadfast. “But, as government, that’s a given. Smooth sailing is what we provide, not what we bask in—just be glad you aren’t alone for the shitstorm; after all, you have your best friend~” The prideful intonation and her next gesture of both hands supporting her chin almost make me laugh.

Still…

I can’t help but recall the start of the festival and how she approached me and gave words of advice; then, upon my death, helped in my resurrection; how she protected my flock and guided Suzu to make sure the revolution wouldn’t collapse; her bravery alongside me and even before that, against all odds with an enemy no one had total understanding of.

Now, her Taoists spread religious words, help the people affected by the war, assist in the rebirth of the village and aid with food and medicine.

Toyosatomimi no Miko stands with me against a world that hasn’t fully understood my beliefs nor seen them in practice, and together with others we raise something Gensokyo has never, ever experienced before: a true peace. Not a thin-veiled concept, a poor rationalization used by the strong to justify the suffering of the weak that either lived sheltered in fear, died alone in the forests or were pursued for a lie out of control—to justify a mother having to choose between her children.

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With me stands Toyosatomimi no Miko, and she stares, confused at my silence and the growing smile on my face, about to say something. I am quicker, talking over her: “… I’d like to thank you for everything, Miko.” She freezes mid-sentence, her face losing the sheer pride it was presenting amidst the surprise. “I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish… any of this without you. My children would've had one less mother, leaving a grieving Mokou alone to care for them; my revolution and its followers would’ve perished in Hieda’s inferno; and even if it’d have been a success, it’d have crumbled without your guidance… And, heh, I guess I wouldn’t have resurrected either,” I giggle a little, tail wafting somewhat energetically. It's embarrassing, but it's from the heart, so I can't help it. Outside, the winter wind blows softly, and the light gleams elegantly in her broad, golden eyes. Even the ever-casual saint can be caught with her pants down~ “Every contribution you've made is invaluable to me and my people, to our dreams and to the peaceful era I aim to bring forward—so, in the name of everyone under my authority,” a bow comes, hands on my knees. “I say with confidence: I cherish and thank you for everything, Toyosatomimi no Miko.”

Every word rings true, and despite the notion the saint ought to have ulterior motives with my government, it’s just that: a pestering sentiment. When juxtaposed to the thunderous glee that is having her to my side, it’s easily ignorable.

The bowing remains for a moment longer, no words coming from the saint, and when I raise my face, a surprise is welcomed: the strong and cunning mascara had broken, and the saint’s cheeks are flush red, a nonchalant laughter echoing as she scratches her nape, the weird triangular shapes following the movements: “C-C’mon, Kamishirasawa—what gives? Speaking all fancy all of a sudden with me?”

“I thought it’d be nice to show you gratitude~” I laugh, a hand covering my mouth.

“Are you trying to get me to cover for you again so you and Moko—”

“For the Dragon God’s sake, it’s nothing like that!” If I had a piece of chalk now, it’d have hit her square on the forehead—with a lot of force to shut up her annoying laughter. “Just accept the compliments already.”

“I accept your words, sensei, and am happy that I am of so great importance to you, as if I already didn’t know the obvious piece of common knowledge~just remember it's my job as a hermit and saint to make sure the material world is as free from suffering as possible… It's not that impressive, really,” Fixing her headphones and taking a moment to drain her milkshake after ineffectively downplaying herself, which I mirror with my cup of coffee, she finally continues, the red on her cheeks dying to something more… dignified. “Heh, you caught me off guard there, I must say. Employ such underhand tactics against, say, Tenma, and we may have a chance of knocking the Tengu down a peg… But that’s for future us—’now us’ have different problems.” The unmistakable deflection warms my heart. Compliments are often a double-edged sword for the type of Toyosatomimi no Miko, so accustomed to being showered with them and discerning their true meanings through people’s desires that when they unexpectedly get one that is genuine, they easily fold. She recovered well, at least, likely through years of court experience, and I can only wonder what truly goes inside her head.…

Well, doesn’t matter: I have faith in her, and, sometimes, a small smile can say more than words.

I trust her.

“Returning to where we left off before you decided to be extra purple, I’d like to briefly sum up my solution for our biggest problem in the incoming years.” Following her hand movements, I watch as she draws on the map, many notes and markings all over it, remnants of our strategies towards the rest of Gensokyo that may or may not abide by our government; it’s a point of great debate how we’re going to be dealing with them. Bestial Youkai without minds will be easily disposed of, but the thinking ones will be much more nuanced undertakings. We’ve agreed to at least try peace. “While the situation with Youkai Mountain, Underground and Myouren is moot for now, what is not, though; It’s how the Human Village is a product of hundreds of years of fear with its walls and relatively small habitable area. The festival and our victory have attracted much more attention than you were expecting at first, and we aren’t equipped to deal with that in the long term… Not within the tiny boundaries of the village, at least: so, rather than integrating the Youkai that want to participate in our government in the narrow confines of the village,” I frown as she draws red lines over the walls of the village, then proceeds to encapsulate the whole expanse of the Youkai Trail and a good chunk of the Forest of Magic in a red area, nearly bordering Youkai Mountain as it chomps at the entrance of the Great Youkai Forest. “I plan expansion.”

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>>47803011
>>47803009
just two brief chapters for Takaneanon to have more ways to gauge Keine's emotional state after the war and portray it, and a bit of Miko too~
was saving it for the future, but it works well here too.

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>>47803009
>>47803011
>>47803013
Nice, future expansionist plans! Will put it too good use!

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>>47804109
good luck~

>>47803009
>>47803011
Our heroes! Soon Keine will become one of the most powerful leaders in Gensokyo, and the youkai breeding plan will expand. She won't rest until every youkai has a warm home filled with food and a loving husband.

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>>47808214
>She won't rest until every youkai has a warm home filled with food and a loving husband.
hopebros are so fucking back!

>>47808214
>>47809608
She's going to get everybody killed like the idiot she is, Hana needs to put the cowe in her place.

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>>47809638
Hana would be too swamped by her endless therapy sessions and fucking her dog sister(s) to do something about it!

>>47810149
Then Gensokyo is doomed.

>>47803009
>>47803011
cute lesbians!

'Ana chapters today? It's been the pattern for the last few weeks.

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>>47815575
guess that's a not, such is life

It's less than 2 weeks until a very important day. 'Ananon probably needs time to appreciate the eternal effect that going on vacation has had on this story.

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>>47820238
I'm eagerly awaiting the birthday, have been preparing a special something for quite a while now~

>>47820264
Lucky you, the 28th just had to fall on a Saturday, meaning Kazakhstani Labor Day happens the day after. Gotta get two specials prepared when I've only been hammering out a single sentence per day on the actual Aya stuff...
Lookin' forward to what you write. I'm probably just going to do something silly.

>>47820297
I'm entrusting you with all of Kazakhstan hopes, Ayaanon! Don't let us down! But damn, that seems like one stressing plate you've got yourself, maybe rest a bit from Aya's story and focus on the silly stuff before getting back on board? I know if I focused on Keine's 2nd book script; Okina chapters; Marisa chapters; the anniversary special and the extra surprise I have for it I'd go insane...
>I'm probably just going to do something silly.
I enjoy when you take it easy and write some silly stuff. The Valentine's special, 4th of July and thanksgiving all come to mind, mainly the last one as it also happened during our Obi wan episode
good memories~

>>47820297
I'd like me some silliness to offset the post-Kiene drought

>>47829015
>silliness
Writeanons are busy enough as if, how about we give them a break instead of demanding things from them.

>>47820237
>no hana pin
>no green ascot
Not hana.

>>47831702
>no pin
check the zipper

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>>47831885
thanks for the support~
>>47831702
finding the Hana can be challenging sometimes.

>>47810676
Nah, Gensokyo will be just fine

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I'm starting to hoard a surplus of Hana edits…

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>>47786163
You forgot something

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>>47845495
Shub-niggurath hungers…

>>47845615
Shub's already gotten to Anon. He's probably at least 1/10th of the way to rivaling her moniker and thus becoming a worthy consort.

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>>47851822
please don't fuck the obvious eldritch monstrosity.

wrote four pages today, planning 6 tomorrow, update likely Monday~ Have a great weekend, Anons!

Nice, we got 10k hits on the Ao3 archive a week before the anniversary~

>8 days without chapters
That's the longest we went without anything...

>>47864421
We're too busy making plans for the VN adaptation. Currently, no one is in agreement over how many Steam achievements we should have. I say we need at least 50, including one that insults the player for activating SFW mode.
Everyone's saving up for the anniversary or just taking a break

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>>47871414
the already agreed upon ones are as follows:
>"Full House!", unlock all special NPCs
>"85% of them are useless, some would say", reach LVL MAX on all NPC questlines
>"The House always wins", get the Yakumo Empire ending
>"Lol, lmao even", get the Jobbers ending
>"Time's a cirlce", get the OG!AbusedFic ending
>[this achievement is secret] "Beyond plot-armor", get Hana Hakurei killed during the Battle of the Solstice
>"Yamawaro specialty", reach LVL MAX on the [HSE upgrades] tab
>"How did it happened this many times?!", unlock all 4 Fertility Booster incidents
>"Localization will be hard...", reach LVL MAX on the Keine questline and get the Revolutionary ending
>"Tennoheikabanzai", side with Old Man Hieda at the Festival's Tribunal
>[this achievement is secret] "Hello, father~", reach heart LVL MAX with Sekai and unlock the secret ending
>"You monster", get your savefile deleted for refusing to pet Chen three times
>"Seiga's plaything", get the Cat Ears
>"There's many of them", find 10 references to Elden Ring and Shingeki no Kyojin
>"… How?", complete the game without ever witnessing a sexual act outside SFW mode
>"Cannon or not?", find a fairy
>"wait, Touhou isn't just fumos?", start a playthrough on SFW mode
>"Easy mode", on SFW mode, get blocked from procceding past Act 2
many more to come, keep an eye on the devlog!
>spoiler
true, but personally I'll be posting tomorrow 6 chapters since I'm already done with what I'll be posting in the anniversary~

>>47864421
Guess I should thank Hata no Sekai for such semi-fortuitous timing, the lull in story posting is giving me just the time I need to create some decent artwork for you all before this nightmare of an epic finally wraps up.
Wanted to get it out there in time for the Equinox but circumstances arose, as they often do. Trying not to let my lack of decent timing get to me though even though I started typing this at the same time as that last post FUCK., these things usually shape out as they do for a reason and we all need our own breaks.
>>47860183
>10k hits on the Ao3 archive
Christ Almighty, the impact this must've had on so many others...
You people still mostly scare me, I hope you all realize that. I really do want to theoretically enjoy your company but I'm far too worried over what might occur if I was trapped in a room with any one of you for too long.

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>>47871534
>Guess I should thank Hata no Sekai for such semi-fortuitous timing, the lull in story posting is giving me just the time I need to create some decent artwork for you all before this nightmare of an epic finally wraps up.
waiting eagerly, but never forget to take it easy~!
>You people still mostly scare me, I hope you all realize that. I really do want to theoretically enjoy your company but I'm far too worried over what might occur if I was trapped in a room with any one of you for too long.
you have no idea how many spider facts you'd get to know if we got trapped in a room together...
eh, don't be, the people of the thread are just very protective of the project considering the dark times we had and all the strife we went to get here -- can you believe the project almost got axed once because of the Obi-wan 'she was a good friend' copypasta? --, but aside from that and your occasional asshole, we're just your good ol' autistic little community with a passion for the mother of all literary dichotomies. If you ever feel comfortable doing so, show up sometime for glorious shitposting and review the chapters with other anons -- those are always appreciated!

>>47871534
I cannot help but wonder if there's some poor secondary on AO3 that reads Touhoufics and stumbles upon the HSE by some sort of unholy providence as one of their first explicit fan works. SHoP would probably be first, but it's hilarious to think they saw the gap rape, incest, and wingplay first.
There's some poor fool here on the jay who thought we made up 'tene and a zoomer leaving emojis on my side story. It's more possible than you think.

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Culmination is a fascinating process: like the cycle of life and the light of stars in the sky, it has a beginning and an ending even though, sometimes, it doesn’t seem so. Building, building, increasing and growing—bloating, maybe—to unfathomable degrees, life reaches its thousands of years, and the stars, ever shining, accompany it… Then the culmination of, say, feelings pent-up throughout all that process achieves their zenith, a point of progress impossible, and all that the horizon presents is a crashing and sudden downfall that, despite its unexpected nature, is bound to happen to everything.

Stars collapse, lives end, and goddesses find themselves at rock bottom, their hands tainted with innocent blood and minds so drained it’s almost like they are on the ocean floor…

… A fish swims by my face and, instinctively, I sneeze with the brisk contact, hand moving and so displacing some sediment and the heavy petrol-colored water of about 200m into the Atlantic, the sunlight dimming with the coming of evening, my golden hair swaying around me and brushing the ocean floor as other curious creatures flock or just glide aimlessly, some trying to explore places they shouldn’t—I probably should put on some clothes—and so being backdoor’d away from me. The hand I’ve used to rub my nose, confusedly, remains in front of my eyes, blocking the sparse rays of sunlight that were bathing me, and I stare at my trembling digits—the reaction not born from the freezing cold or of twenty atmospheres exerted upon me, but reckless actions of a psyche worn-down by thousands of years and propelled by the most terrible of circumstances.

Rock bottom, that’s what yesterday was.

But anywhere was better than that shack, preferably with some silence—so many whispers, so many futile pursuits…

The hand falls, cloaking my eyes as the water muffles a sigh. I woke up this morning—or a few hours ago; I can’t bother to do the exact conversion of time zones—haunted by the memories of Mai’s cries and the terror in Satono’s eyes and by the blood that I’ve spilled… By vices and consequences of a life far too long. I couldn’t remain in that place, not with the threatening memory of a fire capable of burning magic down to the thread; to destruction incarnate; to the piercing eyes of a true dragon.

To Kasen’s unmatched strength and Yukari’s abhorrent cunning. To the looming Solstice.

To death led by my mistakes.

Ah, what a shitstorm you’ve gotten yourself into, Okina…

Yet, amidst all the fear and terror that plagues my mind, the lusting for something—anything—to silence these agonizing thoughts and recall the taste of aloof tranquility, a question arises—one that leaves together with bubbles: “What should I do…?” A shoal of fish surrounding me get scared by my voice and scatter, the ocean rumbles its attempt at a shrug, and the algae and other plants squashed under my back harbor hidden secrets I could pry from them should I desire to give them life.

I tsk: no answer.

Yukari won’t stop pursuing me should I run away from the Solstice, not with that sword she’s constructing in the Underground—I cannot access it and its mysteries, so frustrating—; trying to commune with the Dragon God now would be meaningless since I have forgone my job as a sage and, rather than doing right at the beginning, decided to accompany Yukari in her madness, searching another high in this boring life: we both would be punished with demise. Trying to communicate with Lunarians…? No, they’d see the weakness and wedge between all of us and perceive it as an opportunity against all the sages.

I roll back and forth in the sediment, bitter with the understanding: this is the bed I’ve made for myself, one with many allies yet against an opponent that’s suddenly changed the fundamental landscape of combat. Together with mistakes abound, there’s no more leeway.

Fight or not fight, I don’t have that choice anymore.

… So what is a goddess to do when without choice, yet shivering at the thought of a coming loss, with her heart beating for a glimmer of hope that can still be? Am I really so torn up that I’m letting fear of the inevitable and guilt of taking two innocent lives dictate how I function? Or is the rot much more profound, as old as that opium pipe I broke yesterday…?

How paralyzing is the notion that I, a goddess, have fallen so low?

Like the atmospheric pressure, the struggle is crushing—

—the looping thoughts echoing on the underbelly of the vast and visually empty ocean come to a screeching halt, however, when… Something reaches me.

Something that makes my arm shift away from my eyes, golden irises staring at the water’s surface and noticing the lack of rays of gold as the rolling clouds cover the entire sky; it falls immaterial from that expansive grayish canvas of gloom like a meteor, ramming onto the water and trudging the crush depth to, gently, nestle firmly into a hallowed yet hollowed corner of my heart.

A heartfelt prayer to my guiding stars.

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Prayers are heard, always. Some unconsciously, like those for good fortune or the safety of a loved one—prayers answered and never dismissed—yet some come onto you like a particularly annoying fly, demanding your attention. Long ago, those prayers were plentiful, but after humans decided that a needle on water was more reliable than their gods, not so much. Hand rests over my heart, and the prayer clashes with the words of a goddess that’s fallen from grace: ‘Help me…’

And the goddess answers.

Flying through the water like a missile, many fish and microorganisms perish in my ascent, the nature of life incarnated as I break the surface like a geyser, eyes wide tracking the direction the prayer came from, and, when it’s done so, the backdoor beckons me through half-thousand kilometers of pure blue emptiness below and gray vastness above, an exponentially growing thrill with the feelings that encompasses all my being: when was the last time I’ve answered a prayer outside Gensokyo? So preoccupied I was with esoteric affairs before the crushing tidal wave that is the Solstice, ever on the horizon and threatening to consume me whole… Even before that, a hundred years of silence.

A hundred years away from what a true goddess is.

In time, I arrive at the birthplace of the prayer, water that’d soaked me evaporated by the backdoors, auric hair framing my all as I float about before my feet gracefully land on the untreated, rotting boards; a poorly made raft with four pieces of brittle, repurposed wood—decayed and jagged—that served as pylons for a makeshift tarp to shield the inside of the raft from the unforgiving sun; poorly so, seen by the many holes. The stench is unbearable, like a dog that has learned to live underwater but never lost its hair. Half-eaten carcasses and cans spread around, along with alien pieces of technology and tools to tinker with said tech. But nothing matters as my eyes met the sole human on this raft, the origin of both stench and prayer. One trembled and nearly skeletal hand clutches a golden crucifix—a Christian… praying to stars?—his eyes wide and mouth agape, dumbfounded. “W-Who… Who are… you?” The man asks, his voice raspy and thorny from infrequent use, sore throat and dejected stomach, bare-chested and barefoot, a single leather boot to his side ripped to shreds, each one chewed upon.

His question, however, is what I pay attention to.

It’s doubtful he was praying to me. No, it’s likely he’s desperate enough to plead to any gods for help; I just happened to be nearby to hear it… I wonder if others have listened too.

Perhaps they did, but by the state of the raft, it’s been weeks.

Only I answered.

I could use many names; present myself boisterous or try to persuade faith from him with an imposing and rather peacock-like presentation… Looking at the crucifix he clutches to, there’s only one answer I can muster: “I am Death, and I’ve come to take your soul.” And it’s said with a smile, sitting my ass on the edge of his raft while looking at him.

He remains confused, tense, as if about to cry in the silence, the hum of the sea together with the occasional bird the only signs of life…

… But soon, blossoms relief. “Finally,” he mumbles, releasing his crucifix and going through a small sack to his side and fetching a sealed bottle of booze. With a mild smile and a notch of concentration, he opens the cock with a screwdriver and drinks from the bottle with gusto. I lift an eyebrow, watching as he scarfs a third of it down. “… I’m glad they don’t teach at catechesis that the grim reaper is a smoking hot, naked blonde lady. The surprise is delightful.” His voice comes off more naturally.

“It differs from person to person.” I support my chin on the right palm, legs crossed. He seemed dazed yet calm. Understanding. “So… What a situation, huh?” Around us, nothing but water and a cloudy sky, but the man nods anyway, sipping the booze and looking longly at the tech spread around us.

“Doubt it’s the first you’ve seen, Ms. Reaper.” It’s nostalgic, indeed. “It was a mess. From beginning to end: I was just some amateur mechanic on this mercenary boat—really old stuff, around 45 years old, so from around the 2000s—that got in a scuffle with pirates and, and, heh, hear this… They had these really old bazookas, ‘RPGs’,” he laughs to hide a pinch of pain. “Just where did they get those? And it gets worse: our captain wasn’t ‘intimidated’ by it. Old military guy who fought in the last World War, you know? Thought we could fend off some filthy pirates. Well, he steered us right into one of their missiles quick enough. Even the pirates looked freaked out before they fucked off since most of the valuable stuff was already sinking and the water was freezing…” The note of sadness returns but vanishes amidst starvation. I listen anyway. “I couldn’t look at it with the absolute chaos, the frigid water, and the night, but… Am I the only survivor, Ms. Reaper? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

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Somewhere across here, a new metal carcass rests on the ocean floor, a playground for animals to form habitats as life feasts on bloated bodies—a similar phenomenon to whale cadavers that, rather than rot, nurse life for decades—and, as always, life goes on… My eyes shoot to the crucifix he holds dearly. “No, you’re not.” He releases a breath of relief, rapidly sharking another gulp from the bottle and, before I can say anything, throws it to me, gesturing with frayed features, ‘Take it, please'.

I pay no mind to analyze it; the taste already says it all: dogwater.

Doesn’t mean I won’t drink it.

“That’s nice to know—what about you, Ms. Reaper?” I lift an eyebrow, and through the grime and fatigue, a note of harmless smug paints his face, the man shifting his posture. “Before I became a mechanic, I was a doctor of the mind… a more or less failed one in that matter, had these—” Hesitation, but just briefly; an eagerness born from pride of the craft but tainted, words mumbled: ‘I'll die anyway, might as well’. “ —these problems with too much alcohol. Brought out the worst of me and took a lot of what I considered my best; lost my license, too…” His hold of the crucifix is tighter. “Point is—and I mean no harm; please don’t send me straight to hell!—you look just like some of my clients used to, with this conflict that exudes and follows you like ball and chain. Fake smiles are a particularly valuable class,” his stomach rumbles, and his entire body protests… “Is everything okay, Ms. Reaper?”

I blink, shivers running up my spine like the breaking of waves against rotten wood. In my mind’s eye echoes the stare of purplish eyes and many, many notions; from the torn strategies to the sudden bloodbath conducted at my lowest point ever, all the bad thoughts culminating in a pinching pain around my heart, digits tightening around the bottle—

—nursed words in this same heart, however, ward off growing anxieties and exhaustion of bearing such fear. Misplaced faith, but faith anyway that I can help him.

Even after falling so low…

“… Everything is fucked up, and it’s all my fault.” It’s said with a weak try at jest, eyes gazing towards the vast emptiness of the Atlantic, singing waves below and gathering clouds above, booze moistening my lips and weaving theatrics. “Belial decided to pull a Hades and kidnapped Lilith for, uh, reasons? God is away doing his thing, and Lucifer messed up big time by letting herself become a slave and… And now, everything has turned into a mess—a mess that’ll lead to a bloodbath.” I wanted to stop there, but I couldn’t; the pinching pain returned in great measure. The man listened intently, and that somehow compelled me; shallow intentions of playing it for laughs drained like a hose. “A preventable one, and it’d only have taken some quick action by me, putting everyone back in their places and stopping the madness before it developed, and… And nothing of this would be happening.”

“I… I-I see,” he nods, face trying to morph into understanding, but it was locked between confusion and exasperation; suddenly, my heartbeat is immense and I itch to leave, a desire most silent—exactly how I felt as I left the Land of Backdoors, leaving behind two traumatized girls—and all I want is to get up and fly away, to go do something else, think, prepare, anything to get my head off those purplish eyes; the dragon scales; the consuming fire and scarlet destruction— “Ms. Reaper!” I turn to him, snapped out of thoughts but an inch away from going through them, and am met with a man who, though starving and exhausted, looked composed. “… Could I drink some of that booze?”

… Huh?

It takes a moment of confusion before, scowling, I throw the bottle to him. He catches it with struggle, spilling some onto the already soaking wet wood. “Thank you, Ms. Reaper,” and he drinks it without skipping a beat, words forming on the tip of my tongue— “Would you like it back?” He gestures with the bottle.

What’s with the questions? The silence swiftly grows like ants gnawing on my flesh, and my answer is a backdoor taking away the bottle back to my hand… There’s really no justification to remain here; the man needed help. I’ll help him, stop the theatrics, and go back to my affairs…

… What the hell was I doing anyway? Laying on the bottom of the ocean, hiding like a scared puppy?! Okina Matara is a goddess, through and through! A goddess that answers prayers; that should shape the world; a-and… Not lose herself like an idiot.

An idiot who stood back and watched the devil destroy everything merely because she thought it'd spark some fun.

“Ms. Reaper?” He calls again, hot fury about to be blurted out as my heart grows tired of that string of words and the aggravating questions— “What took you to not… do anything a-against, uh… Belial?” The questions seem to bother him, fingers playing with the crucifix, but his posture and steadiness remain.

There’s a professional air to it buried under all the sweat and skin oil.

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An air that lures out all the horrors tucked inside my heart.

The moment his question was understood, however, I thought anguish would flare and my entire body would crumble under pride and comprehension of my being so much above his—pure godhood cultivated for thousands of years, like the crafting of a mountain—but all that proceeded was this… void. Like something you knew the existence of until a moment ago, yet the following one that thing is gone. My eyes move down, looking into the pitch-black mouth of the bottle, the liquid stirring inside, body frozen.

A plethora of enemies—fire, dragon, destruction, sister of pink eyes, sister of purple eyes—stare me down, a Solstice to come and death more than promised.

A bloodbath.

Being overwhelmed by my fears, the sad attempts at recuperating another high for another second, the things it took me to do—the image I built for myself; a bored monster…

That consuming void compels a question before I can think about it: “Why do you even care?” It’s not a human matter, whatever disguise I’ve made it.

How possibly could a simple human provide vision of a war so beyond his—

“—Why wouldn’t I care about the mental health of someone?” He says it as if a truth of the universe. “I’ll say it: for sure I didn’t expect religious figures to, you know, have the… same—yeah, something like that—problems my patients of the past had, but that means nothing; just remember I’ve lost my license, so I’m not qualified to conduct therapy onto the Grim Reaper herself.” He laughs, one hand sneakily clutching his belly. “… Heh, it’s a pleasure having you as my last client anyway; sorry if that means we’ll only have this one meeting—that just means we must use our time as efficiently as possible, hm?”

… I inhale the last of dogwater alcohol before putting the now empty bottle to the side, hands joining and body leaning forward.

I should leave. There’s not much to be gained here; how could a man understand the struggles of a goddess? And even more, untangle the mess that they are?

Yet…

What should a goddess do in this situation?

Satono’s terrified eyes come back to me, Mai’s cries.

They await me, and I’ll need to take action regarding the trauma I’ve inflected upon them.

… Yet…

Uncomfortable and unsure, I start: “Myself, I guess.” My voice is low, but there’s no way he misses it in the growing silence of dying sunshine and darkening clouds. “… I’m not a good person. I’ve never been. But… there was someone better than this mess at some point in the past—someone that worked much better and that could… feel pride of herself.” My knee rocks, my eyes threaten to water. The man calmly listens. “I wonder what happened to that person I was before, and when did I lose her: two thousand years ago, maybe? Three—four?” A woman who’d find no need in destroying and tainting to avoid being forgotten.

The ages changed a lot; men trust their needles floating on water more than their gods; there’s no need for a god to prevent obstacles if machinery could do so, and when destruction and natural disasters go from being the wrath of the divine to scientific/geological phenomena, then…

What the hell is the purpose of a god without worshipers?

“And you miss that person, Ms. Reaper?” I nod absentmindedly, more focused on the swimming thoughts. “Because you shouldn’t,” but those words whip my gaze towards his lightning fast, body stiffening. “That person you were—and the view you have of yourself—are gone. Something happened to them, something maybe terrible.” There’s a note of experience there, and I blink with easy understanding; the man nods to himself, apparently satisfied. He kited me…? “I used to be someone like that, too. Someone good and that could feel pride in himself; now, I’m stranded on the ocean after the mercenary ship I worked on sank. What happened to the man who once had a neat office and a gpa of 4.7, a beautiful wife; a nice house and car; two sons on the way and plans, dreams?” He painfully shifts where he stands, one hand returning to grasp the crucifix as his lower body shivers in starvation. “Eventually, I found that answer—it’s just sad it was on a shady docking bay where I was begging for scraps—and though our time is short, I’d love if I could help you get to your answer, Ms. Reaper…”

“… I already know the answer,” I cut him, his eyes widening and curiosity flaring behind those frail eyes as well-oiled gears rapidly grind into understanding.

The answer to what happened to that woman, that goddess.

I look at the tech sprawled on the ground. A goddess wasn't his first choice.

Above, the sky has dimmed, and below the ocean swells: “But you can’t find a way to act upon it,” words said without judgement. “Is that right, Ms. Reaper?” His voice is accompanied by a… pang. Not material in any sense, but one that resounds anyway, throughout the abyss of backdoors and an infinite number of knobs.

So I gently nod.

I told myself that time and time again, it was never a surprise.

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Yet, the thought that I’ve lost my way as a goddess is crushing, and my hands rise to hide my face out of shame. What a sad display these scalding tears are, but I can’t contain them, not when it’s spoken so out loud and the struggle is so deep, and the consequences of it so violently pungent… “I don’t know what I should do to change things up! Everything I’ve become I hate: the distractions, the destruction my whims have caused, and how those mistakes may… may be the death of me…” Purple eyes, dragon scales. Death. Mai, Satono—crying and traumatized. “I-I just don’t know what I should do…” The words are punctuated by tears, wafting golden hair disheveled as the utter exhaustion the existence of my old persona unleashes upon me, a lashing addict to superlatives of drugs, power, and attention.

All to cloak a goddess that’s been slowly replaced and forgotten.

Moments pass as my tears fall, mind churning and hands pressing hard against my closed eyelids and reddened cheeks, my naked body quivering against the setting cold of the Atlantic, and it takes a few moments for me to understand all those thoughts were rolling out from me in form of words, the man listening as a monolith, embarrassment threatening to devour me, and the desire to spring a thousand backdoors into existence to take me away from here and all… this is nigh overwhelming.

But before that can go through, our eyes meet.

Understanding; no judgement.

… And I tell the starving human covered in layers of filthy the epic of a goddess’ life, making sure—if a bit shaky—to keep the facade. He listens to each pained and confused word, each mistake, and glorious tirade as if I were just another patient. He knows the deeds of a goddess in the zenith of her power, a shining star crowning destruction and passage, and then a ravaging abomination so vile and so hated it'd make lesser men puke.

He glimpses at a thousand facades, yet all I can see in his eyes is Okina Matara.

It comes to an end soon, mind and throat fatigued, eyes dry, and strength sapped by the volume of emotions that I had let go from my chest—from fears to addictions, lust to disappointment in self. From Okina Matara to this—but… there was a certain bliss about it all, like the removal of one particularly nasty parasite, a bliss of which I lose myself in for who knows how many moments before his voice echoes, “Have you ever heard of the Sack of Rome of 1527, Ms. Reaper?” Whatever I was expecting him to say, that took the cake. “Gee, what am I saying? Of course you have; you’re the goddamn Grim Reaper~” He laughs weakly, and I accompany the mortal man, one hand unconsciously cleaning the remaining tears away from my face, heart light, and eyes wide open as laughter faintly echoes. “But there was a particular set of people involved in that carnage that stood out: the Swiss guard, protectors of the pope…” There’s some fondness in his eyes as, gently, he cradles his crucifix. “Brave men, about 189 of them, that fought a horde of thousand to protect everything they believed in, against all odds—though I doubt most fought out of faith, no: they were people too, and fallible at that… They fought for it anyway. Do you know why, Ms. Reaper?”

Enthralled, all I can manage is a simple shake of my head.

“… Men like them don’t think about what they should or should not do. If they should run away or not; if they should stop drinking like idiots and throwing away their lives or not,” he sighs, releasing the small crucifix. “They fought because it was their calling. Because if they stopped, they’d fail not only themselves but their faith: the fear they felt—that you and I feel—wasn’t evil; for fear tells us what weakness truly is.” A pause, his tired eyes closing to gather a bit more of his energy; the man is on his last ropes… “I can see you, Ms. Reaper. I can see ghosts of my past and many other clients of mine reflecting on you—I know what’s keeping you incapacitated is that one question: should or should not… And I hope, like I did and possibly those men in this past did too, you understand: It doesn’t matter. You’re hurt and tired, yet there are things you MUST do still—things you’d never forgive yourself about should you remain like this,” he is clutching tightly to his stomach and profusely sweating, as if on the verge of passing out, a mental and physical strain that does nothing to stop his crusade. “There are things you should consider doing or not… But saving yourself is not part of that.”

The words strike like quasars.

What should I do…?

An obvious answer to a problem that’s been hounding me for centuries that was never addressed by priests and sorceresses, by other gods, nor by my sister sages, but rather a dying human clad in grime and running on booze and willpower.

A man of faith.

I almost want to laugh as I rise to my feet, the lightness that’d encompassed all my heart pounding like a thousand drums, the crashing waves jostling the rotten raft.

… What must a goddess do?

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“Save myself; save Satono and Mai,” I mumble, standing tall above the man who stares at me with an incomprehensible cocktail of feelings behind his eyes. Success, guilt, disappointment, and… “Fight off Yukari in the Solstice; do things right…” Purple eyes, dragon scales. Overwhelming power brought forward by mistakes abound—live or die, an end to the eternal winter or a blossoming spring… Without consideration, a hand shoots upwards, and the roof of the raft is yanked by a massive backdoor, dismantled and grinded to dust as the displaced air maddeningly sways my hair in every direction, new light taking over my eyes and overshadowing the crushing fear and exhaustion behind them—a fear immortal and gnawing, its questions of worth, of self—humans don't need me; what's a goddess without faith? I'm being forgotten, replaced. I've hit rock bottom—relentless, yet dethroned by a sudden and nigh transcendent understanding: “Because that’s what a goddess must do.”

The man blinks, confused and completely unperturbed by my nudity, for, with the last of his energy, he laughs—a laugh that grows to almost booming. “Oh… Oh, the guys back at university would be so fucking jealous,” those emotions lacing his eye all converge onto the one that nearly took my breath away, and, despite the small amount of time we’ve had together, I can clearly see the burning pride in his eyes. “… If only they knew my last client was a deity herself—and a rare one-session success, too!”

I chuckle, but mostly of pity; I hope he doesn’t mind that I must squander such an ostentatious smug. “Thank you.” Straightforward words, which he accepts comfortably, the rocking raft steadily being inundated by salty water and rather puzzled fish.

“The first step is the hardest, Ms. Reaper.” His eyes close peacefully, eager to welcome death, his mostly skeletal hand holding tightly to the crucifix. “Make sure it counts.”

“… Will do~”

He has completely closed his eyes, but death does not greet him; instead, a backdoor in his consciousness has drained the man of any remaining energy, putting him to sleep; another backdoor opens whole beneath him, the frail body fading into nothingness.

Somewhere in the world, an unassuming man is found by the beach shore, miraculously not dead after weeks stranded at sea, and receives treatment in a nearby hospital. Whatever that man’s name might be, I hope he survives…

… Below, the sodden raft sinks into the dark ocean, and, shifting my eyes upwards, the levity of my heart grows tenfold as a vast sky extends the full field of my vision…

A sky full of stars, galaxies, and planets, each a shining beacon that together wards off the bleakness of a cold and empty cosmos.

Light infinite, guiding light.

Crazy how one prayer made to these very stars guided me here, hm?

I fill my lungs with delicious, fresh air as if for the first time in forever, one hand gracefully rising and touching the center of my chest, eyes closing slowly—

Not everything is solved; lurking shadows exist just beneath the surface, shadows of addiction to the nectar that is overwhelming power and the grim understanding things will, inevitably, continue to lose their luster as I live. Little has changed.

‘This is just the first step.’

But…

Face that, what must a goddess do?

—Backdoors come and go, and my nudity is hidden beneath my sage robes of magnanimous elegance, the constellations imprinted on the fine silks watching carefully.

A winter to finally reach its end, or a spring to blossom.

A goddess like Okina Matara must make sure the people she is fond of are safe. A goddess like Okina Matara must fight evil and face the consequences of her actions—take responsibility no matter what.

There's a lot to do.

Okina Matara must return to Gensokyo.

May the Solstice come.

A smile most devious crosses my face, ichor pumping hot despite the quality of the enemies waiting for me. The vast luminescent skies above—the primordial culmination of trillions of years of chance and utter chaos—are testimony of a simple promise:

No matter what happens, this goddess will make sure Yukari does not win.

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>>47877775
>>47877766
>>47877764
>>47877760
>>47877758
>>47877755
2nd batch of the Okina mini-arc! Next one is the last~
first and second drafts were very different from the final product. First one it'd have been Okina and Reimu, but decided against it because of the tension between them after the disaster with the frens and Reimu's character, mainly because her recuperation of a sane mind and healing is very intimately related to Marisa's and introducing Okina could diminish that. Second draft would've involved Kokoro, but decided against it since Kokoro's character doesn't have the tools to deal with what Okina was going through, so decided to create a foil for Okina in the same vein Sayori is a minor foil to Hana. Out of the schizo part, because when you reach rock bottom, only way is up~
… if you are not Yukari, that is. She always manages to go even further beyond.
a little peer into the outside world, too, but nothing major.
And also, goddesses get free mental healthcare! Get fucked Hana and your generation debt with Eientei!

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>>47877689
>I cannot help but wonder if there's some poor secondary on AO3 that reads Touhoufics and stumbles upon the HSE by some sort of unholy providence as one of their first explicit fan works. SHoP would probably be first, but it's hilarious to think they saw the gap rape, incest, and wingplay first.
kek, it's a funny thought~

>>47877779
Sayori.

>>47877779
It's amazing how well they've all been scrubbed, you didn't even mention their names and I'm sure the others won't show up either.
In fact >>47871510 is the first person in this entire thread to type the word f*iry.

>>47871510
I separated out a bunch for the expansion packs as well. So many mini-games to work on...
>"Bro Down", get Max affection for all male characters.
>"Allegations Beaten", Unlock all five Seija/Goro romance events
>"You do WHAT with your family?!", Unlock the secret Myouren temple route
>"Just a little fireworks show...", Get the bad end as Aya
>"Secondaries welcome!", In a single playthrough, see the deaths of Hana, Sekai, Heida, and Goro
>"I love you Mom." During the Mother's day event, ensure that Reimu, Keine, Takane, and Hijiri all get gifts from their respective children.
>"A Flower Petal Plucked" use the Sekai glitch event to unlock the secret Hana/Goro route.
>"Doomed Eden" Max out the HSE garden and witness it's subsequent destruction at the solstice.
>"The Impossible Sweep" as any character, win the entire solstice event uncontested.
>"That's Unfortunate" Witness what happens when it becomes impossible for someone to comply with an Absolute Deal that's been made.
>"Bystander's Punishment" Destroy Rinnosuke's shop in the Solstice event.
>"Australia had ways of dealing with this" get the Rabbit Stampede bad end

>>47882007
You think that's bad?
>>47877758
>opens the cock with a screwdriver
Yukari would never do this, Okina has been and always will be the real villain here.

>>47885165
Okina is too shit to be the real villain.

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>>47885165
another Freudian slip…

>>47877779
Man, it's easy to forget that in terms of the 'timeline' we're well into the 2040's by now, although the talk of another World War is concerning. No wonder the little Zoomie hasn't appeared. Not only did one of her friends become an alcoholic abuser, but she's got her hands full with a job and mortgage now.

But this is an interesting look into Okina's mindset. She's the "Good One" compared to Yukari, but their ways of thinking aren't that far apart. At least they share the habit of sulking in the Outside World.

>>47891732
You didn't think people would settle for only two and miss the opportunity to make it a trilogy? Give war a chance!
fun fact: around 2045~, or the point we are in the timeline, there's roughly more 15 years before all of Earth's oil (fossil fuel) depletes, so if you want a motive for a war, that could possibly be it. Poor Sumi...

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>>47891732
>Not only did one of her friends become an alcoholic abuser, but she's got her hands full with a job and mortgage now.
at least she lives ignorant of the HSE; that's a blessing to any poor hu to live a life without knowledge of the horrors that go around inside the place...

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>>47883196
>>47871510
pls stop focusing on cheevos and focus on getting a publishing contract.

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>>47892033
>there's roughly more 15 years before all of Earth's oil (fossil fuel) depletes
I did not need this nugget of information tonight holy shit that's horrifying

>>47897731
At around 2045, so 2060 is when we're supposed to run out of Fossil fuels.
But lets be real, experts have been wrong about peak hour five or six times in the past and there's alot that can happen in four decades.
>>47897668
I'm stuck in hell writing the simulated economy. I started making a "one small favor"-esqe quest for Goro, but it spiraled out of control....

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>>47897890
experts have never account her. All supply of oil? Gone by tomorrow.

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>>47897890
>I'm stuck in hell writing the simulated economy. I started making a "one small favor"-esqe quest for Goro, but it spiraled out of control...
that sucks, losing grip of what you're writing. When that happens to me, I like to take a step back and try to understand exactly what I need to write in comparison to what I want to write and, if the thing I want to write creates more problems than smooth them out, I scrap what I've already written and start over. It's a heartbreaking thing, but more often than not saves me from writing something that'll either corner me in the future, be completely dismissed or simply keep the writer's block up.
whatever you do, good luck, and if you feel like you need some help -- like writing a little setup, giving my opinion about what you've already written --, just say the word and I'll do my best to help! Good writing!

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ONE YEAR OF HSE!! LET'S FUCKING GOOO!
god I love this project so much.

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The devil had come to collect her dues, and her name was Yakumo Yukari. He knew this feeling, an instinctive sense that was buried in his bones for more than 17 years. Before Hana brought light back into his life and before Reimu plunged it into darkness, this stale air approached him once before. Back then, he made a promise to stay by Reimu’s side, no matter what force may try to separate them. Breaking a promise to any being in Gensokyo was a dangerous game. Breaking a promise to Gensokyo’s Sage was a death wish.

Anon looked around the kitchen. His heart was beating in his throat. In his mind, he knew escape was impossible. And yet, the instinct to survive turned his neck and lifted his feet, creeping slowly towards the front door. All he could see were scattered pans yet to be put away, a pot of rice on the stove, a kettle ready to whistle, and the scant moonlight peering in. The pot boiled gently: Anon wasn’t completely sure if time itself had stopped, but he could hear the water rumble. The moment that kettle whistled, he was a goner. Softly, gently, he reached towards the stove. What he saw froze him in place.

Peering out from the shadows of his room were two piercing golden irises. Her heels clacked against the floor revealing a bare, slender calve. As Anon’s gaze moved upwards, a different kind of fear wrapped around his chest when a shock of red shot out of the dark, ending at the woman’s hips. It was scandalously short, matched only by the small red shirt barely covering her chest. Of course, the sacred color of the Hakurei lineage ended at her armpits, exposing her shoulders but protecting her arms with sheer white sleeves. Anon nearly sighed in relief when the woman’s face came into view, her long, blonde locks flowing down and framing a face that could never belong to Reimu. And yet, her sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight. A wide, hungry smile told Anon there was no mercy to be found. Yukari was a youkai, a hunter. Anon was human. Anon was prey. Yukari said nothing and stepped forward, stretching out her hands tipped with sharp fingernails.

Anon’s patience had reached its limit. His rational mind was overcome by survival instinct. Even when faced with certain death, no creature wanted to die. The moment Anon stepped back, Yukari’s eyes flashed to a deep purple as she lunged towards him. Weak as his body was, it was still the body that led him through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost and all the dangers within. With a quick swivel, he dodged the sage’s grapple and paid a scratch on his arm as toll. Running towards the table, he grasped a chair and turned its legs towards Yukari, who had turned on a dime towards her target. Knowing better than to test his strength against a woman with powers as esoteric as Yukari’s, Anon threw the chair at her and reached for any pans he could grasp. As vicious as her attack was, Yukari elegantly waved her hand and allowed the chair to pass through a rift in space. Throwing more cookware at the youkai, Anon hoped he could distract her just enough to get to the genkan. It would be a scramble, but if he could just get onto the streets—!

Just as Anon was ready to throw his third pan, a grip far stronger than any human, save his wife, stopped him in his tracks. Anon didn’t need to look to see what was gripping him so tightly. The nails boring into his wrist were enough of an explanation. Mind racing, Anon couldn’t see any way out of his predicament. Desperation proved enough of a reason for him to twist his body and jump against the table, hoping his body weight would be enough to pull the gap youkai out and cause some damage. Anon would not be so fortunate. Just as the table tipped far enough to the point of no return, Yukari materialized behind him and grabbed him in midair, not at all phased by the carnage caused by her prey.

Anon, completely helpless, finally looked towards Yukari. Her face was flushed with blood and her breath was heavy. Anon wasn’t going to simply be disposed of. Just like every story of a villager’s lost loved one or the missions that haunted Reimu’s mind before she shut him out completely, Anon was going to be consumed by this youkai. With the sage’s labored breath in his ear, the helpless human flailed his limbs, clawing at the walls, kicking at the floor, and lashing out however he could while being carried back to his own bedroom. The sight of a gap taunting him over his futon only emboldened his actions, squeezing blood from him cuts. Against his will, Anon was carried through the gap: Time, space and air disappearing from around him. All he could feel was Yukari’s warm body pressed against his. Finally, she whispered into his ear, chilling his every nerve.

“Why did you struggle so much? I’m just going to bring you back home, Darling~”

Only one thought comforted the man: At least Hana wouldn’t have to see him die.
(Part 1)

Damn, 12 seconds off. This might look serious, but I said silly and it's gonna get silly.
>>47905909
Absolutely wonderful work. Sakuya's bored from her lack of importance but her coming out for the birthday is appreciated all the same. Happy birthday, HSE.

>>47905989
Hope you hadn't to re-read the first chapter many times to get the details right, my writing back then was so rough... But am happy that it kick-started the project anyway. Like a diamond, it was honed from scraps and unassuming stuff to a one million word epic that stands amongst few others projects of the same nature that survived the hardships it's faced, and I love the part I and every other writer play in it.
Happy anniversary to us, the HSE~
>This might look serious, but I said silly and it's gonna get silly.
waiting eagerly, you're the hope of Kazakhstan, Ayaanon!

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>>47905989
A buzzing noise hummed overhead when Anon finally felt left the gap and felt reality close in around him. The room was dark and musty, larger than the shadows obscuring its true scope from all angles. A ray of light shone done from above. Flickering. As if it had just enough time left to live as he did.

Suddenly, as if jealous the human turned his attention away from her, the sage closed her mouth around Anon’s neck. Her hot tongue tickled and prodded before her teeth sank in, cutting into his throat. Anon couldn’t hold back his screams as the youkai sucked the warm blood oozing out from his flesh. There wasn’t much to think about anymore: This was it. His life was being sucked out of his body. Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder why Yukari brought him here, to this empty room?

Just as suddenly as she started, the gap youkai released Anon from her maw, still holding him close to her body. He was surprised she didn’t take a chunk of his throat out to chew on. Even more surprising is where her hands started to move. Against his chest, his arms, his back, then down to his rear: It was a violation he had never forgotten, but felt fresh in his mind. The sage was groping his body like a pervert on a train. It was clumsy and erratic, gripping him far too hard and far too often. All thoughts of Yukari eating him were dispelled when the youkai tore off his clothes and dove a hand straight towards his crotch. Yukari wasn’t going to consume him. Yukari was going to devour him. All he could muster was a simple “Why?”

The woman laughed, her high-pitched giggles a heavy contrast to her primal actions. “’Why?’ Don’t be silly, Anon. You know exactly why. Even if you’re married to that monster you call a wife, you must notice how other women see you? A big, strong man like you looking after your daughter all by yourself, still helping in the village even if one mistake could mean returning to that torture den you call a home. Many women would such stubborn fatherhood desirable.” Her fondling started to slow down, the pain fading and inviting a sinful pleasure. No, he couldn’t get swept away in this feeling!

“Is this some kind of test?! A punishment?!” Anon regretted his words as Yukari’s grip tightened around his member. She didn’t like that question.

“Fufufufufu, how harsh! All I want to do is make you feel good, and you call it a punishment? If you want to be punished, then I can gladly do that for you~.” Yukari turned Anon to face towards her as something clattered against the floor, settling just before he was pushed down onto it. From a gap as big as her wrist, the woman pulled the end of a seemingly endless source of rope out. Trapped under the weight of the youkai, Anon couldn’t resist as Yukari bound his wrists together by hand and tied him to the chair. She was savoring every second of this, tightening the ropes until they were surely going to imprint into his skin. The buzzing in the room was only growing stronger, reaching deep into Anon’s mind as he staved off the madness. The flickering of whatever bulb provided his only source of vision became less reliable, frequently plunging Anon into a void where only Yukari’s eyes gazed back at him.

Fear, arousal, shame, hatred and desperation all swirled together in his mind. For Yukari to do this to him… to WANT to do this to him… did she not fear what Reimu’s revenge would be? “Please, stop! It’s not too late! Just let me go and I won’t tell a soul what happened! Reimu, she’ll—“ Anon was interrupted by ropes Yukari pulling the ropes even tighter behind her as she dove in for a kiss, muffling him. Just as she did to his neck, her tongue left no corner of his mouth unmolested. Once she was done exploring, the sage sucked on his tongue and held it prisoner, fixating on it before she filled Anon’s mouth with her own. The mixing of their saliva filled Anon’s head with a stimulation that pushed the heavy thoughts out of his brain. She was overwriting his mind with this sick, hungry pleasure. The buzzing grew even louder, like a tree being sawn over and over and over.

Yukari finally pulled away, breathing heavily as her tongue stuck out with proof of her plunder. “Haah. Haah. I don’t need to punish you at all, you fool. The only thing I want from you for breaking your ill-fated engagement is you. All of you. And nothing can possibly take you away from me.”

Drunk on her pleasure, Yukari reached back down to Anon’s member and began stroking. The sensation was tearing Anon’s mind apart. He had to resist. Even if it drove him mad, Anon focused on the buzzing, the sawing, the creaking noise—clarity hit him. The creaking was getting louder and crisper. The buzzing, too. Anon looked up a rain of wood and a cloud of termites filling his vision.
(Part 2)

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>>47906216
Yukari was absorbed in her ministrations to Anon’s body up until a solid chunk of wood landed on her head, knocking her out of focus. A look of annoyance rather than rage painted Yukari’s face. Spreading a gap above her to catch the falling debris, something Anon never expected to see in his life happened: Yukari was shocked. A falling beam ignored the existence of the gap and fell completely unimpeded. She started muttering, speaking in tongues at a mile a minute under her breath before Anon could make out something coherent: “...unless the barrier itself is impregnated into the wood, and that’s why it’s superseding my gaps. The entire room is a destabilized gap itself!”

A board lined with nails landed dangerously close to the bound Anon, giving him a scare he couldn’t care to recognize after what he just went through. Dying to a youkai was something unique to Gensokyo. It was tragic, always, but it carried a sort of dignity to it. A human dying to a youkai was part of the natural order that man resisted. Dying to shoddy architecture was far less admirable. His own history taking care of the shrine would only bother him more if he went out this way. Even the Yama would find it disgraceful.

Yukari approached the naked Anon, her nails protruding. The crazed look in her eyes was gone. Maybe luck was finally on his side! The sage stepped forward, her voice substantially less threatening than before. “It’s a shame we have to stop here, but its more important that you stay alive. Now hold still and you won’t feel a thing.” The sage brandished her nails towards Anon, aimed at the ropes binding his chest and began to swing. The only thing the youkai’s claws bored into was a broken plank of birch, countering her good deed midair. Before she could react to it, a bundle of rafters caught Yukari by her neck and pinned her down in front of Anon. To his horror, the planks continued to pile on top of the spot where the sage once stood. Though the possibility existed that she gapped herself away just before hitting the ground, it was just as likely that her body now laid crumpled underneath tons of wood, dressed in a fetishistic facsimile of the Hakurei miko outfit.

His only means of salvation gone, Anon titled himself forward, knocking the chair and himself down to the ground. There was no way his body would survive the entire building collapsing onto him. Still, he held onto hope. With the chair on his back acting as his only buffer, Anon curled his head down into his chest and prayed to the Hakurei God that somehow, he’d live to see Hana again.

Anon closed his eyes and dared not lift his head until the sounds of crashing and creaking stopped. At some point, the light that flickered so often fell to the ground and shattered. Where the shards landed, he couldn’t say. There was no fight to be had and no negotiations to make: Anon’s fate relied solely on where the planks landed. One hit the seat of the chair. One hit the back of it. Another landed near Anon’s head. Over and over the weight increased on his aching back and pinned arms, clack after clack after clack…

It was a few minutes after the noises stopped that Anon dared to move. His arms were sore from repeated abuse. Tucking his legs under his chest, the human shuffled his back until he could feel something move off of him. Relieving as much weight as he could by shuffling back and forth, Anon gathered his strength and pushed of the ground, flipping himself and the debris over, exposing his naked body to the moonlight. From his limited view, Anon could see specks flying around the splinters and beams. A shame they couldn’t eat through his ropes, too.

Staring into the stars gave Anon time to start thinking. Wherever he was, it probably caused a ruckus. It would be horrible if some villager found him buck naked and tied to a chair like some kind of deviant. Instead, someone flying through the air found him. The antennae and cape could belong to any youkai, but the breezy shorts seldom seen in Gensokyo pointed her out as the one and only Wriggle Nightbug, manipulator of insects. Even if she was a youkai, she looked young enough to be his daughter. Anon quickly crossed his knees to make himself as modest as possible and called out to his unlikely savior. “Hey! Could you help me out here?!”

Landing just in front of Anon, the firefly crossed her arms and proudly stood in front of him. “Looks like you’re in a bit of trouble, Mister Human. Not to worry, my terrific termites can help you out in a jiffy! All this dangerous wood is just food to them. All you need to do is remember the day insects helped you out—.” Just as the girl leaned down to grab the ropes tying Anon down, she recoiled and her body lit up, revealing his lack of clothes. “KYAAH! Are you- are you some kind of pervert?!”
(Part 3)

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>>47906438
“W-Wait I can explain!” The look of horror and disgust growing on the youkai’s face told him he didn’t have much time to detail his history with Yukari, so his next words would have to count. “Someone kidnapped me!”

The bug youkai looked a little less wary, but still not comfortable. “What kind of person would kidnap someone and steal their clothes?!” Anon himself wasn’t quite sure. Why Yukari wanted to take him from Hana was still beyond his comprehension, not that she was an easy person to understand. What would make the firefly girl understand him? Of course!

“It was a pervert! A perverted woman kidnapped me, took off my clothes and tied me up. If you get these ropes off me, I can get dressed before my daughter comes home so she doesn’t have to see me like this!” Anon remembered hearing about Wriggle having short-term memory. If he just told her sympathetic things over and over, she might help him out! “I wasn’t given a choice! I really want to get some clothes on right now, it’s freezing!”

Wriggle walked back over, a brighter smile on her face. “Well why didn’t you just say you needed some clothes? The Insect Clothes Fabrication Service is ready to start helping humans in need of something to wear!” The girl looked away from Anon as she started loosening the ropes tying him down. Her antennae twitched around as she did, apparently communicating with a swarm of moths carrying a pair of large shorts. At that moment, shaking off the bindings around his wrists and chest, those shorts were the greatest thing he’d ever seen. Climbing to his feet, Anon covered himself with his hand before slipping on the garment that finally let him preserve some level of his dignity.

“Wow, these are pretty comfy. So, fabrication? I thought the insects in Gensokyo delivered messages.”

“Ehh, that didn’t go so well. Insects don’t hold onto information they don’t need anymore. But humans love to hold onto clothes! You know, silk comes from more than just silkworms! Even fleas and crickets can make it. So, we’re making clothes with all the silk we don’t need anymore. This way, the humans obsessed with fashion have to start respecting us!” Wriggle’s endeavors were neat and all, but they did nearly kill him.

“What about those termites in the building? Are they part of your business?” Finding one crawling on his shoulder, Anon let the critter climb onto his finger before blowing it away, not wanting to upset another youkai tonight.

“That’s not business, that’s just survival! Some stupid kappa took them from their homes and started using it for a house with weird magic. They were only able to break through and meet their friends tonight when you came along, Mister Human.” So the materials were already compromised. Anon didn’t even want to consider what could have happened to him if Yukari had put more thought into her plan. “By the way, you look kinda familiar. Do you know—Ah! The miko’s coming! Gotta hide!” Wriggle’s antennae twitched again, sending her careening into the nearby forest.

The relief Anon felt was snatched form him again. If it were Hana, he’d be just fine. But an entire building collapsing in the dead of night in the village? That might be enough for Reimu to investigate immediately. He couldn’t exactly find someone to accept him into their home wearing nothing but shorts, and he definitely wasn’t in any shape to get home before Reimu arrived. Throwing caution to the wind, he followed after the firefly. She was nice enough, and the youkai weak enough to live close to the village without causing trouble wouldn’t attack a youkai’s friend. “Hold on, wait for me!”

“Huh? Don’t you have a home to go back to Mister Human?” Slowing down her flight, Wriggle landed next to Anon and started walking with him, a crowd of fireflies interested in why their leader was talking to this human.

“It’s a bit complicated. My daughter will be fine, but I won’t be. You mind if I hang out with your friends for a while? I can show you some sewing techniques. I’m not too familiar with fancy silk, but—” Wriggle grabbed Anon by the wrist and led him further into the forest.

“Really?! Thanks Mister Human! With a real human tailor, we can finally start making humans notice us! We’re gonna out-do the spiders in no time and put insects back on top!”

Anon could feel a smile form on his lips. “You can just call me Anon. And if you don’t mind, could you send just one more message to someone? I need to let Hana know I’m alright.”

“Of course, Mister Anon! One message to Anon’s daughter Hana about his new job will be sent immediately!” As a bee lazily lifted off from a flower and flew towards the village, Anon couldn’t help but wonder how Hana would take the news about his new job.

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There's my 4-part HSE birthday special: A false-start kinda story! There was an emphasis on the HSE being cheaply-built and surviving on Yukari's barrier magic, so I figured I could put a spin on it. Wriggle just happened to fit in After constant thoughts about how I could add her to the HSE proper so I figured she could be a neat alternative to Anon being forcefully requisitioned by a non-rehabilitated Reimu.

I guess I should share some of my thoughts on the HSE as a whole, seeing as it is partially my fault. It all started in the last proper Hana thread/parasitized Reimu thread. Hana meeting Yukari really made me want Yukari to intervene in some way, so I started posting about Yukari enforcing Anon's promise to be married to someone. First Hana, a Hakurei. Then Yukari, the deal-maker.
Somehow, over two days of mulling over how I could convince anonymous posters on the Internet that Yukari should dictate Anon's love life, monogamy turned into polygamy, polygamy turned into freeuse, freeuse turned into blatant mockery of Gensokyo's most sacred institution, and then that turned into the Hakurei Shrine Experience. I expected it to get ignored as some fringe nonsense, but it apparently gained quite a bit of traction. A year's worth of it, at least.
I still cringe every time I see "my original idea" written twice in that post, even though I know it means "At first I thought it should be this way". It's a damn miracle someone actually picked it up, Hananon and SHoPanon tagged along for the ride, and it even got me to start writing for it too! This thing sure as hell isn't "My original idea" anymore than it was a year ago, but it's been a fun ride. I know it's definitely not everyone on /jp/'s cup of tea, but I still appreciate everyone who gave this whole project a chance. Anyways, before I hit the text limit, I still gotta write and post a Goro-labor parody before Kazakhstani Labour Day ends in about 12 hours, so I'm gonna sleep for about 10 of those. Have a good one guys.

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>>47906609
>>47906438
>>47906216
>>47905989
thanks for remembering everyone why trusting dirt kappa is dangerous! Poor Yukari, just wanted to bond a little with Anon in her own unique, autistic way, yet denied by shoddy architecture… But at least that got us Wriggle's first show up ever! Cool~!
a nice levity considering the heavy stuff we are entrenched in. Fun special, thanks for it, Ayaanon!
>>47906684
Thanks for giving the idea, it was fun back then when I in a whim wrote those four chapters and is just as fun now, as I write Okina's last batch and finish editing today's special of mine! We're seeing this project to the end~
>I still gotta write and post a Goro-labor parody before Kazakhstani Labour Day ends in about 12 hours, so I'm gonna sleep for about 10 of those. Have a good one guys.
as if a hive mind, every Kazakhstani shivered in unison for no particular reason…

>>47906076
>I and the actually good writers play in it.
ftfy

happy birthday HSE!!!!!!

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Yukari’s words were a tricky thing to understand. The phrase “sensory deprivation” carried a certain connotation to it: It meant a placed that lacked external stimuli, right? For someone with such intimate knowledge of reality like Yukari, that wasn’t enough. Goro was robbed of any sense of location, time, and orientation. His entire world and all that he knew was less than a short walk away from the closet in an over-sized brothel. And yet, it felt like he was another reality.

This could break any lesser mind. To Goro, this detachment is what monks strive for. Unfortunately, ascension wasn’t in his fate anymore. What he had instead was Seija. Observing her and being observed by her was the only thing that proved he existed in this void. Some instinct within him yearned to be recognized by her and to recognize her in turn. This compulsion certainly felt like it could be enough to make him and Seija act as one. But if it were that easy, he wouldn’t still be floating here, would he?
____
Seija was fairing better than her human. Being an unpopular youkai, this void wasn’t anything special. Sure, it sucked when humanity didn’t know her and this room amplified that feeling by 10, but having Goro around wasn’t the worst thing. The real issues was how this would bring her closer to Goro. They spent every day together already, how could she get any closer to understanding him? She’d already seen his face as a monk, a dealer, a son and all the faces he made when those identities were unraveled. What else was left?

Something ebbed in her stomach. A force she faintly recognized whenever Goro had her flip out of reality. Something Yukari shouldn’t be able to stick in here with them. “Keheheheh. Hey, come over here and feel my belly! I think you’ll be surprised!”

Goro floated over, his adaptability to the situation was a little annoying. With a suspicious look on his face, the broker cautiously moved his hand to her tummy. Fed up with his slowness, she pressed his hand against her, feeling herself swell a little more. He looked like he was going to say something sweet and snarky at the same time. So, she cut him off and did it first. “Looks like you’re not the only one who gets to be pregnant. I think my little Oiwa likes mommy more!”

Goro just smiled, hugging Seija and patting her belly. Tch, of course he would. This jerk with his comforting embrace and his stupid belly was —growing? As suddenly as her belly started growing, the small bump was sucked in. Instead, the soft man who spoke too many words started getting softer. A bit freaked out, Seija shoved Goro away, putting his belly into full view.

He was already bigger than she was.

“S-Seija, you can stop now. It’s kinda funny, but I don’t have the right parts for this!” Goro had a nervous smile on his face, betrayed by the sweat beading around his temples.

“Whaddya’ mean stop? I’m not doing anything to you! You’re the one puffing up on your own!” He had to be doing something weird! That damn bracelet of his made him pregnant and Yukari made this void anyways, so it wasn’t her fault!

The smile faded from Goro’s face as he pulled open his outfit and revealed his straining belly. If you didn’t look any higher to his chest, you could mistake him for one of Anon’s clients. His big, round belly hung over his waist and stretched his skin taught. “Uhh, Seija, flip her! I don’t think Oiwa knows I can’t open up down there! You gotta flip her!”

“Alright already! You’re the pregnant one, but I gotta give birth? You didn’t even need to carry them!”

“Seija, she’s gonna kill me!”

“Fine, fine!” Ready to take on her responsibility as a mother, Seija focused on Goro as an axis and prepared to flip her daughter. Closing her eyes and focusing down on the soul of Oiwa, the kijin flipped her, hoping it would work. When she opened her eyes, it clearly didn’t. Seija was still in great shape.

Goro, on the other hand, was not. Instead of moving down, the lump pressed even harder against his belly. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Frozen in place, Seija watched on as Goro’s navel began to dilate. What was first an innie stretched apart, showing her a sight no human or youkai should ever witness. In desperation, Seija did what any mother would do: She moved over to Goro’s side and squeezed his hand as he gave birth to their daughter.

Like a volcano erupting, a figure of pure light slowly squeezed its way out of Goro’s body as he spasmed with contractions. As if pulled by an invisible string, the little soul, born from her father’s belly, floated up before popping out of existence. Seija’s hand hurt and Goro was tired, but they were left with a light, joyful feeling. “I guess she’s happy she got to see you, huh?”

It was cut short when Goro started screaming. Oiwa had fun and wanted to play again. Six more times, the two bonded with their daughter before being ejected from the void.

Posted at 1:29AM in Kazakhstan, fitting
Word count actually did mess with me a bit. I wanted to incorportate Sekai, but I feel like it didn't fit. This was a bonding experience between Seija and Goro, so it stayed between them. He did roll a dub 7, so it had to be this way...

As always, only as canon as you want it to be. Same goes for the ShoddyHSE/Wriggle story I just forgot to put the disclaimer there.

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>>47911012
>>47910994
Oh God, Kazakhstan 'labor' is something else.
Another horror added to the HSE ledger.

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did a little silly drawing for the anniversary~
happy one year birthday, HSE!

>>47911296
Nice, I like the ways the OCs were done. (Yuu) fighting over Mystia and Sekai enjoying the sacrifice that made her body on the other end paints a neat picture of how far this story has gone.

>>47911336
I think Sekai is cheering the fact she has anemia and Patchy fucking died because her daughter is kinda retarded.

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>>47911296
g-guys, remember to always check if the HDR is turned on before saving a drawing; it makes colors so muted…
and give Flan her hat, or she'll cut off your internet.

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>>47910994
the people of Kazakhstan welcome Oiwa Akhmetova into this great nation, but the people of Kazakhstan also beg that you never, EVER write something quite like this again…

>>47911296
Who's the green girl in between Hana and Anon?

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>>47911516

>>47911568
Oh i see the red sleeves now put Auun has a much pale green hair so it's hard to tell that its supposed to be her when she has the same grass green as Yuuka.

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>>47911296
>>47911400
Suika...

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Not to interject too terribly with the semi-wholesome celebrations going on right now, but the drawing I wanted to do is finally finished. Hopefully it doesn't come off as too dramatic or edgy of me, I guess I just wanted it to carry a certain amount of emotional weight given the scope of everything at this point.
It has quite literally taken me nearly 20 hours of on-and-off work to just ink/color the thing after I made the baseline sketch but it's still technically the 29th for me so I'm just glad it was finished in time.
Hope you writeranons appreciate it! Bouquets can often take precious & copious amounts of time to get done just right, I'm sure some of you can understand.

>>47876135
>you have no idea how many spider facts you'd get to know if we got trapped in a room together...
That sounds great actually! Bonding over Yammy-related things would be an excellent conversation starter ^^
>never forget to take it easy~!
I really ought to know better by now at this point. Without rambling too terribly, I think I just get caught up in my own personalized worries far too often when I'm bouncing around the board here (anxiety can be a Bitch). The root of my trepidations likely stems from an inherently biased perception towards vulnerability on this site as a whole but it's not as if I've really lingered outside of /jp/ nor want to. A lot of anons I've ended up interacting with here have been doing great at breaking through those preconceptions, even with potential 'trolling' or otherwise, which has also been a pleasant surprise. You all included.
Not wanting to stick-out is one thing but you know what's truly Maddening? Stressing over non-existent harassment from a bunch of faceless internet strangers I can just as easily ignore should I need to. If I really wasn't 'safe' here, that would've been made so much more obvious by now and I shouldn't really have to apologize for my existence either way. Thanks for being so tolerating I suppose, genuinely.
Also, frankly, part of my initial shock from the last thread was also me trying not to think too hard about this one dream I had where I flew over to the shrine in Miko garb and Gappy was waiting for me in the darkness before I was trapped in there + the possible Implications of that. It was before I knew what any of this was truly about but it wouldn't be the first time my dreams have set me up for shit. Did it to myself either way though, this is just how she goes about it sometimes and I'm the one that reached out to the Sages in the first place..!
>>47877689
>It's more possible than you think.
Oh yeah, no doubts there lol. I wonder how long it'll be before I come across HSE discussion in the wild, that'll be surreal.

>>47877779
>Why wouldn’t I care about the mental health of someone?
>fear tells us what weakness truly is.
That man knows what he's talking about, really touching stuff. I wish prayers could also telegraph hugs because it'd be nice to send one her way every now & again.
>Crazy how one prayer made to these very stars guided me here, hm?
>>47897915
We'll need to protect those last few reserves with our LIVES when the time comes. Eagle spirits can be crafty...
>>47906684
Holy shit you really had me going there until surprise bug attack, fun spin on things with everything else going on! Yukari never even saw it coming...at least Anon ended up alright.
>>47910994
Can't wait until I get the full context to everything leading up to this, wasn't exactly...expecting such concepts to be touched upon for the anniversary but for a dubiously-canon entry that sure was. Something. Not sure if I should clap or not so I'll just give a nervously indifferent thumbs-up.
>>47911400
Cute stuff! If I'm not mistaken, I've seen some of your Sekai drawings before and your look is deceptively innocent for a story like this. A quality milestone indeed.
>>47911974
Oh god I just noticed now that you've pointed it out. Suika pls...accursed pose.

You all really do seem like fairly decent people, fingers crossed. I hope you'll excuse any previously-imparted judgement of mine though there wasn't much there substantially to begin with. Mostly unnecessary fears fueled by mild shock. Obviously this story ain't for everyone but there's still a lot of genuine worth here. Warmest regards for wrapping everything up, writing is always a process but it can be fantastic to witness in real-time sometimes.

Cheers & Happy Birthday HSE~!

>>47912403
Oh son of a bitch I almost forgot, not sure if it'll be anyone else's cup of tea but I was listening to a lot of Oingo Boingo while drawing and this song felt relevant to things in my own way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEI1nYNCzIs

>Life is a Circus for Fools just like (You) & (Me)

Should've been included in the spoiler but my brain has holes and the system flagged my post as spam initially so Fuck. There's my contribution for you all though, Sekai ought to get some kick out of all this at least.

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>>47912403
oh shit man, don't sell yourself short thinking it won't be accepted as the sick drawing that it is; so cool and angular, it bleeds the melodramas that compromise 80% of the HSE~the art-style reminds me a lot of Don't Starve with the sickly-pale color of Hana's skin and the overpowering black, and I'll say it marries perfectly to Hana's mind following the Birthday Party, Festival Tribunal and looming Solstice. Very cool, and I respect your effort as a guy that also spends copious amounts of hours planning, writing and editing for our little epic; 20 hours is some harsh stuff!
>Bonding over Yammy-related things would be an excellent conversation starter ^^
mah man!
>I really ought to know better by now at this point.
shit, that's too real. Stressing over what others think is one way to mess your mental, especially when it muddles the line between perceiving actual criticism and retardation of pedigree, and I struggled a lot with that when I first got around here and had bad interactions. Some of those stick to you hard.
glad to see you didn't let it put you down, good going man!
>spoiler
Anon, I don't think that was a dream. She wants you…
>I wish prayers could also telegraph hugs because it'd be nice to send one her way every now & again.
same, I wish too my prayers could summon a fucked up in the head goddess to cuddle with; the world truly is unfair and hyperbole is dreadfully hidden.
>I've seen some of your Sekai drawings before and your look is deceptively innocent for a story like this.
always have loved contrasts, be it in writing or drawing: Keine & Mokou; Patchy & Meiling; Reimu & Chen, and here the crayon style. Such a reliable writing tool that's hard to screw up with~
glad you enjoyed it, though!
>I hope you'll excuse any previously-imparted judgement of mine.
speaking for myself, all cool! The first impression is always the face, and God is ours as bad as Hieda's~
>>47912429
gave it a listen here, pretty nice, delightful lyrics compared to the rather primal and lighthearted instrumentals. Bandwagoning that, The Binding of Isaac's OST always gets me going, especially when it comes to writing Sekai. There's just something about this particular track that hits a chord with her character: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sOQYJW-Tso

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>>47912403
Props dude, this looks awesome. I'm an absolute artlet so knowing the gohei and tree are all negative space just impresses me more.
If you think Goro had it rough, just wait until you see what never happened to Shanghai. I like my vanilla but the really out-there stuff adds some spice to life. It can be nice to write some total bullshit without worrying if it totally recontextualizes a character's motivations or morals or yadda yadda etc. Even more so when I can forget all my worries about being too graphic or explicit, right up to the character limit. Hope you enjoy the Experience, canon or non-canon as you see it!
I've had dreams after too much TohoK about Okina trying to seduce me but I instinctively knew it was some kind of trap. Okina being not quite so malicious here is a little comforting.

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>>47911579
my bad, didn't even notice I had used the same colors. Here's a nice Aunn to make up for that.

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A breath of fresh air is as meaningful as the truthfulness of the air that enters lungs and filters through capillaries and biological magic to become this all-encompassing energy, travelling with no rhyme or reason up and down and powering up the physical instrument. Before, I had nothing of that, no matter how much I mimicked my mothers and fathers, a quasiexistence that I’d grown used to: it was all I knew… I take another gulp of fresh air, and the hinterlands Mother Meiling sprung during our playtime in this astral plane respond with intoxicating, cold, and rich oxygen, and I nearly rage against what I'd grown used to before it: the mediocrity of a mirror world, so close yet always so far.

I am alive; in my veins runs Ki, and thus I breathe.

Mindlessly I walk the green pasture as I often do when the lump in my throat shaped like Father’s gaze wandering past me—never focusing; never seeing—grows unbearable, delighting myself in the simple act of breathing, hands grazing the unnamed flowers, species impossible to find on Earth, and try thinking of a time… before.

The womb, dark and scary and so humid; watching true mother and father for the first time and attempting to gather any warmth or comfort from them as I waded through this hell, watching in excruciating detail them from thousands of angles, still formless, yet soon realizing how far apart our worlds were, even if I could hold their hands and cry with my face sunken on their clothes. A cage of torture so through and deliberated—debilitating—that days, weeks had passed before I indeed understood what was happening; that Mother Sakuya’s power, activated without my knowledge, paused True Mother and Father in the brief moment where their eyes had met…

… I jolt to a stop, hissing suddenly as my hand snags on a thorny rose, and I swiftly pull it away to my face, eyes wide before narrowing. My lungs fill with the breeze, with oxygen cold and overpowering, living and lullabying, carrying Father’s words and hums, carrying Mother Patchouli’s kindness beneath a facade of ever-pronounced harshness and Mother Meiling’s infinite care and commitment to every action she takes… All while I marvel at the lonesome droplet of blood that gathers on top of my finger.

So innocuously red, so simple and insignificant, a Gap on the edge of my mind ready to open up and heal it in half a second.

Mother Patchouli tells me a story to sleep, one that I already know every single word of, but that I listen contently if for her voice alone; Mother Meiling places the bracelet on the ritual circle, and I nearly drench the paper of my book in tears. M-Mother Patchouli yells at me, and there’s so much worry and despair in her eyes, fear palpable, and soon she deflates and accepts—if wearily—my words.

True Mother and Father’s cheeks on the palm of my hands.

The droplet of blood rivulets down my finger and blesses the ground, and no more follows, the pressure of the skin closing the wound and already starting the healing process… I remain unshakable, eyes widening as my mouth gapes, if just a bit. At the time I had yelled it, making sure the entire world listened; I cried and got so excited my body morphed uncontrollably. I felt, I reacted and with them, I lived.

But just now, in this silence, that it strikes me.

I am alive. I am truly alive.

The world froze, as if holding a breath, and I couldn’t help but wonder: that dark and formless womb, confusion of the shining birth of understanding followed by despair; Mother Sakuya’s power holding me in utter stasis as I tried to grasp existence.

Months followed, the plan put in motion: a bond as strong as the branches of my tree that pierce both the foil of reality and bleed into the underbelly of other planes, sapping energy in and out, and though impossible was my travel through those rifts in space and basic understanding of the cosmos, I still watched and felt it all.

Their faces on my palms, real and warm; their eyes brimming with awe.

Mundus and Atlas hold on for just a second longer their breath…

… And then I mutter to myself, thumb caressing the pressure-shut wound: “It’s been a year.”

It hasn’t, actually, it just feels so because of the slowed-down time and my time stops—and, by technicality, I am not even a day old yet~—but… the massive toothy grin on my face cares little about technicalities, tittering escaping through bared teeth, hands tightly closing into fists, my cap nearly falling off my head as the sheer emotions that rush through me make me want to fold. And the worst of all is that I can’t understand why! Why the knowledge of this ‘milestone’ make me so giddy? Why it makes my heart pound so crushingly and yearn even more for freedom just within grasp—I trust my mothers. I’ll be free—, for a real sky, and real hugs, and warmth abundant? The verdant below, the pierced blue skies above, and my tree looming in the distance offer no answers, only the howling of the winds.

So I seek the next best thing: my Father.

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Traveling through Gaps has become seamless since the first time I had done it, still formless and a shivering pile of dread but finally comprehending the nature of this cage, and in a moment's notice I am standing by Father in the kitchen, my eyes barely peaking over the kitchen counter and watching as he minces red meat and various vegetables, Ms. Dolly preparing the fire, pans and cooking oil; all of which goes over my head as I hurriedly say, “Father, today is my birthday! Maybe, I don't know, but I like the thought, and…” Voice cracking with excitement. Yet, no matter how many times it happens, my heart still clenches as he doesn’t answer, his eye not even straying to look down at me as he passes all that meat to Ms. Dolly, who, with tiny yet agile fingers, starts to soak them in bread crumbs. “It’s not exactly one year, but it’s close enough! And…”

… And…

And what? This pounding heart and shivering skin, the breath of life that is Ki, and swimming blood whisper many answers to that shuddering ‘what’, but nothing of worth comes forth. I stand there, mouth open, trying to gather something—anything—to say.

He wouldn’t even listen…

But I should still try, for he is my Father. He'd like to know.

Though, just as I’m about to finally clear this lump from my throat and speak, Father turns, and I wilt a little with the sight of his towering back, hands receding as one thumb plays with the already closed wound on my finger. He talks to Dolly about how Sister Chen will love the dinner and it may cheer her up, a tremble to his voice not lost to me, and the recurring disappointment is an ever-familiar echo as I pull one of the zaisus in the kotatsu and take a seat, the thing a phantasm of blue fire and glass, accommodating me perfectly.

“… And I don’t want it to be lost,” I mumble to Father. His back remains turned to me. My first birthday, unremarkable and forgotten in this dark and twisted prison… It tastes poisonous such thought.

Perhaps I should let it go; when Mother Meiling and Patchouli get me out, there’ll be many birthdays to commemorate, many parties with cakes and people and… All the cool stuff a birthday party entails—nails scratch the cold fire glass, teeth clench, and on the edge of my consciousness I can feel True Mother’s Gap. She’s not present, either.

But I do not. I would've before… before.

Before Ki.

Before I held their cheeks on my palms.

Before I saw the birth of my body and quarreled with my Mother about the choices I’ve taken regarding it.

Father, Mothers—they wouldn’t like it to be an empty day…

The Gap springs to life and soon a cake stands on the table in front of me… Or at least an imitation of one; I’ve never eaten cake, so I have nothing mine to base it off—I have others' memories of eating cakes, Mother Kasen in particular has a lot of them, but I choose not to use them. They aren’t mine, but this day is—and the cake, despite having appearance, should taste like nothing. I lit the ‘1’ shaped candle on top of it anyway with a snap of my fingers, the red and golden fire contrasting with the ever-present blue hue, then peer at the empty zaisus surrounding me and wonder if I should create copies of my mothers, throwing Father a glance… But decide not to.

Compared to the real deal, any attempt at copying them would feel cheap.

And, eventually, this situation will repeat, but the zaisus will be full and there’ll be real cake, with real smiles. No matter how beautiful an empty sky may be, the real deal still is…

… Ah.

I smile the pain away, starting to clap.

It is slow at first, but it quickly picks up the pace as thoughts and fantasies of futures drawn onto paper and put into that book for my mothers to find fill my head, heart pounding and body aching to fold forward, but all I do to let go of the sudden emotions is, going by Sister Chen’s memories, move my mouth: “Happy birthday to me! I am one year old today, but will be an adult someday!” Rhyming ‘day’ with ‘day’ is not particularly bright, but it works~ “I’ll grow up tall and strong as my Father,” I morph amidst giggles and claps, body growing to Father’s size in a blink. “Beautiful and elegant, with hair as long as Mother’s!” Then my hair, which grows to brush against my naked feet before returning to the representation I’ve taken after in this womb, unable to wait anymore and rushing to blow out the candle—can’t tell my wish, sorry—and slicing myself a piece of cake.

It does taste like nothing, but if I try to force a little, it tastes like ash. I can’t place my finger on which tastes worse.

Father listens to nothing, petting Ms. Dolly as they finish the dish they were making, showering her with praise for being quicker and better at cooking than even him.

I am alone.

But that doesn’t matter, and I eat my birthday anyway.

One day, eventually, it won’t be like this…

… One day, and for that day I keep on eating this tasteless cake.

Hopefully, Mother Meiling and Patchouli save me before my second birthday~

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>>47920064
>>47920061
oops, one day later for the birthday; messed up big time yesterday, but at least managed to post it before the spooky month; only spooky things allowed by then.
just a small thing with Sekai, naturally non-canon!

>>47920061
>>47920064
Our Eldritch daughter can't be this cute! I'm wishing her a happy birthday.

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I wake up, fighting off the temptation to readjust the covers and close my eyes again. Something in my gut told me that today would be a bad one for me. These gut feelings rarely steered me wrong, something I gained from Mother I guess. Dad and the others always told me she could be surprisingly intuitive when she wanted to be. But despite how I was feeling, one can’t make a living from sleeping alone. I throw away the covers and get dressed before heading to the kitchen. Maybe getting some food in my stomach would make me feel better.

The kitchen is quiet and empty, Aunn must already be out, playing around and finding ways to make herself useful for the other villagers. It might not be really be following the rules to have her live right here in the village, but nobody seemed to mind. In fact whenever she went to the grocers they often seemed to be in a charitable mood and give her a bit more food then she paid for. That smile of hers is just irresistible.

As I walk by a table, an envelope catches my eye. I’d never seen mail this glossy or with lettering this ornate before. I don’t know anyone that would send anything this fancy to me. Even if it’s from a stranger, someone who could send something like this might have a bit of money to burn. If it’s a job request, I could walk away with a payday. Tearing open the envelope, I begin to read the letter inside.

“Dear Hakurei Hana, you are cordially invited to a dinner to celebrate the continued operation of the Hakurei Shrine Experience” I can feel my gut twist around, as if punishing me for ignoring it earlier. Yukari, you bitch. It’s it enough that you ruined our lives, but you always have to twist the knife, don’t you? What did I do to her to deserve any of this? All I wanted was for me and Dad to be happy for once, so why go through all of this? I breath in, controlling myself. Too early in the day to cry. I’ll just put this out of my mind and add this to the list of sins she’ll pay for when the Solstice arrives.

Wanting to at least have one act of defiance against her, I tear at the paper, trying to reduce it into confetti. But it doesn’t rip at all. Even with all my strength, it doesn’t even crumple. Enchanted somehow? Or maybe made from some weird Outside World material? Frustrated with my unable to even have a act of victory over a piece of paper, I read on “Door opens at 4 PM. No dress code but attendance is mandatory. Hah. As if-”

The floor opens up underneath me and I gasp and flail, unable to lift off before I’m sucked inside the gap. I’m tumbling and tumbling, with no sense of up or down, or sky or ground. Just an endless void and the feeling of being stared at by countless sets of giant eyes, like a bug under a microscope. It’s just like that night where Yukari abducted me and gave me a warning, the one that proceeded everything going so wrong. Suddenly and unceremoniously , I’m suddenly returned to the world of sight and sensation again, overloading any of my senses as I wobble to my feet. The first thing I was greeted with was-

“Hana, I’m so glad you could make it. You’re the guest of honor after all” Yukari was there waiting for me, wearing a low cut dress that revealed an unnecessary amount of cleavage. She made sure I got a full face of it as she pulled me in for a hug. Even her perfume can’t cover up that strange smell she always has around her, the same one those old couples I’d sometimes visit had around them. Finally, she freed me.

Gaining my bearing, I see that we’re all along in this room. Almost by reflex I reach into my sleeve and pull out a handful of talismans. In the second it takes to fling them forward, I realize that I probably made a terrible mistake no matter how strong I became since I last met her. But the talismans dissolve into nothingness before they even reach her.
Yukari tuts and grabs my arm. “Please, none of that. This is a Danmaku free area, so no fighting and we’re here to celebrate, so act your age. Come on, all your friends are here, you’ll feel better when you meet them”

She leads me towards the door, her grip on my wrist leaving me no choice but to stumble along after her. I focus, putting out a feel for the world lines around me. They’re all wrong, shifting and disjointed, a jumbled ball of twine. But there is one world line that remains solid and promises escape. The small sense of comfort knowing there’s a potential route out isn’t enough to squash my dread, but it helps.

With her free hand, Yukari opens the door and we step through.

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>>47921353
We’re in a massive banquet hall, bigger then anything I’ve seen in my life. Wall to wall are nothing but tables, and set in one of the walls is a huge window overlooking a forested landscape. Are we even in Gensokyo anymore? “We’re still in the Hakurei Shrine Experience, mind you. I just shuffled things around a bit for a change in scenery” Yukari says as if she could sense the question on my mind. Letting go of my hand, she walks to one end of the room. “Come now, there’s someone I know you want to meet” Trotting behind her, my attention turns to all the tables. Among the sea of faces I couldn’t place, there also people I know. There’s Keine, and Marisa and Aya and all the others, sitting around sipping water or having conversations with each other. They all seemed so casual, being in the lions den like this. Something was wrong, but with Yukari leering over my shoulder there wasn’t time to investigate. As we approach the end of the room, I see a podium set up and behind that a long table where all of Yukari’s goons are seated, but there’s one person that looks out of place there.


“Dad!” I find myself crying out as I quickly close the distance between us. Looking up to see me, he gets up from his chair and holds his arms out for a hug. I don’t think twice about it, closing the distance and wrapping my arms and him as I bury my head into his chest. He responds in kind and completes the hug by closing his arms around me. I remain there, just enjoying the feeling of being around him and being comforted by him. It’s not until I feel a familiar and perverse longing within me that I break the hug, disgusted with myself. “Dad, what’s all of this?” I ask.

“It’s a celebration. A lot of work went into this place, and its been around for so long that its worthy of something special” Dad responded, his line coming out too quickly and cleanly.

“But everyone else here, Marisa and Sanae and everyone? Why?” I plead, wanting to know why everything so off.

He merely shrugs a bit. “They’re all involved in this as well. Of course they’ll be here. Maybe you should catch up with them, okay?”

I huff, not satisfied with the lack of answer. Yukari hooks her arm around dad and pulls him close while glaring down at me. “Yes, go on and see all your friends. Just come back in time for dinner, we have a seat reserved for you” Not a suggestion. A demand.

I slouch away, wanting to spend my time with the present company. It would be nice to see Kasen again, but things were awkward between us to say the least. Judging from how she turned away when she met my gaze she agreed.
I slouch off, making my way through the tables, looking for someone to talk to. I know I saw Marisa around here somewhere, that huge hat of hers is impossible to miss. Catching sight of black and white, I make a beeline for it as I dodge kappa waiters milling about.

Marisa turns her head as I approach. She’s sharing a table with Alice, Kosuzu, Yuuka- pretty much the whole gang. “Yo Hana! Glad you made it!” She greets me cheerfully. While I’d usually be glad to see her as energetic now it ticked me off.

“Marisa, what the hell? Why are you here?” I demand of her.

“We got invitations, same as you probably. She doesn’t seem to have any plans in mind for us and it’s a free dinner so I’m not complaining. Besides, the Solstice is so far off that taking a break like this doesn’t matter” Marisa responds casually.

“What? The winter Solstice is almost here, what are you talking about?” I lean in closer to Marisa, looking for any signs of her lying to me or her mind being altered in some way. This being all one big joke being played on me wasn’t out of the question.

“Depends on how you look at it really. It feels like its been a few weeks away for a while now. Say, what looks good to you on this menu. The smoked salmon sounds good, but its been a while since I’ve had any chicken so I could go for that. Man, I’m pretty clueless when it comes to western food” Marisa holds out a menu, expecting me to take a look at it.

Making my business-miko face, I sigh and take the thing from her. I was feeling hungry, I hadn't had anything since I woke up and now it was- I didn’t know exactly. From the window, the sun seemed to be on its descent, and this was a dinner. I sigh, exhausted at the thought of being thrust through time again

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>>47921356

As I look over the menu, I notice a presence behind me. “Excuse me” It says.

I glance over to the voice. A tired looking face framed by messy black hair, her sleepy eyes magnified by glasses, a body that had a little too much weight in all the wrong places, and a air around her that just irritated me. Of all the people that could come up to us, it had to be her.

Jade Parakeet clenches a drawing pad close to her chest as she speaks. “I was just wondering if I could draw you all. Nothing bad, of course! It’s not this often you just see so many legends in the same place. I can just feel the creative juices flowing! Please let have have this”

Alright everyone, just say no and she’ll leave-”I don’t see why not, could be fun” Marisa says with no disagreements from the table. I’m about to open my mouth to protest when I think better of it. I’d have to explain just how I knew this smut peddler, and she’d probably bring up the things she said to me that day. I’d die on the sport if that happened. Hopefully this stupid crow had enough sense to not open her mouth, but if my interaction with her told me anything, that would be difficult for her.

The bird sits down on an empty chair at the next table over and starts to draw. Alice straightens out her dress as a doll suddenly appears to tidy up her hair. She tries not to stare too much at the doodling tengu. Geez, this woman. I look back at the menu. There’s a pasta dinner that sounds good, but I have no idea how to pronounce it. “Say, any of you know how to say the name of this pasta dinner? I think it’s some weird foreign name” I ask the table.

“Fettuccine Carbonara” responds Kosuzu. “It’s Italian” she follows up, just a hint of smugness in her voice. I huff. She can’t act all smug when she totally used her powers to find that out. That’s just cheating, you’d never find me using my powers to mess with people like that.

“Italian, huh. Where’s that?” I say casually, hiding the fact I’m laying a devious trap.

“Well, let’s see. I think it was in….uh…” Kosuzu mutters, at a sudden lose of words.

“Europe. Italy is the one shaped like a boot” Sanae replies. As expected as someone as worldly as her, answering a question as obscure as that in just a second. Well she sounded right at least. I had no clue where Italy was.

“Not sure about the food, but I know Italy had plenty of magic practitioners. Still have a book about it laying around somewhere. Oh, well I did.” Marisa muses as she stares at the menu, frowning as she remembers the fate of all of her belongings.

From there the conversation meanders onwards and I only listen halfheartedly. Something about the history of magic from the Outside World, Mima and Shinki disagreeing on what country made the best wine, and other things. My mind was still reeling from the unreality of all of this. There’s just a small part of me that finds it amusing I can still be surprised after everything that has happened to me over the last few months, but I’m still tensed and waiting for the trap to be sprung and to be in for the fight of my life.

“Done!” I hear the shitty crow’s voice say as she places a piece of paper down on the table. Everyone leans forward to get a better look, tilting it this way and that so they can get the best angle. Despite this bird’s lack of any artistic merit, she could really draw. I was on there, looking quite nice in her style, probably due to her having experience in drawing me, I admitted shamefully. But she really did exaggerate the bags under my eyes. There’s no way I looked that tired. Marisa was next to me on the drawing, standing on the table and looking to be the size of a toddler. The real Marisa grumbled under her breath. Yuuka was next, sitting calmly with an almost elegant air and a beaming smile. Were her teeth always this sharp? Alice was drawn looking dead on towards the viewer, her gaze betraying her nervousness. Sanae looks beautiful, no hint of any exaggeration or mockery here. Maybe JP was a suckup? Then there’s Kosuzu, where there was plenty of exaggeration in a certain area. Upon seeing herself in the drawing, Kosuzu gasps in shock and hides her chest from the tengu, her face souring.

As the others pass around the drawing, I get up from the table. “I’m going to freshen up. See you guys” I mutter. They nod in agreement, too busy looking over that drawing.

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>>47921359

In the bathroom, I look over myself in the mirror. Having actually given myself a close examination in the first time since-well a long time-I can see I kind of look awful. If anything, that bird was playing nice when it came to showing off my eyebags. I’m not even a full woman left and it looks like I have one foot in the grave. Stretching out an eyelid to check how bloodshot my eyeball is, I make a vow to myself that the first thing I’ll do when I get out of here is take an entire day off and just sleep. Maybe I’d finally get some use of those care products Sara and Sana gave me. Then, without warning, everything disappears around me.

Without the counter to support me, I fall to the ground, if one could call it that. A black expanse that should be a void, but is solid enough to stand on. It wasn’t any mystery how was behind this. “Come on out Yukari, if you’re going to mess with me, I want to see you face to face” I send a challenge out to the void. Nothing. Never mind, I’d play her little game. All I had to do as to reach out for any nearby youkai energy and play her game of hide and seek. I breathe in, years of training making the action so natural that I could sense such things without a thought.

But I’m brought to the ground with a painful headache. Something isn’t right. This isn’t the sort of wrongness you’d feel from a malignant youkai. It was a wrong wrongness, like a puzzle where all the pieces are jumbled up but none of them fit. Like a hundred different voices all talking at once. I should be scared, trapped in some realm with some unknown entity, but for some reason I’m not at all. I can’t sense any ill will coming from it.

Rubbing my forehead as the headache fades, I look up and see a door in front of me. With no other option but the obvious, I make my way towards it and try the handle.

Locked. Of course. My patience wearing thing, I’m considering just kicking the door down, damn any metaphysical consequences when a flash of light streaks in front of me and goes behind my head. Craning my head, I see a key dancing in the air in front of me. I make a swipe for it, but a powerful gust of wind carries it away. So that’s your game, my mystery captor. I kick off the ground, breaking into a full speed flight right away. I keep my eyes on the prize, easy when there’s no distractions around me. I close the gap and make a clumsy swipe for it. The thing darts upwards, my hand not even coming close.

“Playing dirty, aren’t we?” I mutter to nobody in particular.”Well I’m not playing around either!” I reach out and find a world line, and let it guide me. With this, a leap because a step. A steep vertical climb because a casual stroll forwards. As if that thing left never moved, I’m right there in the path and I grab it. My sense of satisfaction only lasts a few seconds before I open my hand again and the key erupts into a shower of stars. Reflexivity yanking my hand back and closing my eyes, I dart back into a world line for safety. At a safe distance, I check myself for danger only to see I’m unharmed. \

Then comes the parade of keys, dangling and swinging in a line in front of me before they all scattered off in different directions. Someone had a bad sense of humor. But with no other choice, I again grasp a world line and follow it. It was strange. Unlike the jumbled mess of lines that were in the HSE, these were straight and clean, and it was easy to tell where they went. None of them lead out of “here”-I wasn’t sure where “Here” was-but they all connected and flowed into each other like they were built to be so, far different then the sometimes messy worldlines of the natural world.

With my job being so easy for me, hunting down the keys is easy. What doesn’t make it easy is that all the keys I grab repeat the exploding trick. But one by one, they disappeared until there was only one left. Taking a roundabout path through the lines, I waited until it hovered still in the air before I made my move, rushing forward and appearing right on top of it. I reach towards the key and-

I find myself clasping a small hand, a face just inches away from mine.

“You’re so much fun, sister!” It says.

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>>47921366
So here's the first part of the Hakurei Shrine Experience Anniversary Special....about a day or so late, but what can one do?

Obviously none of this is canon, as always. I just wanted to write from the perspective from the 'Ana again which I haven't since this entire project started.

It's definitively been a ride. I started the Hana story on a whim, when the idea of something following up on the SHoP got into my brain. I would never have predicted that it would spawn a community writing project going going a year on.

As a (Very) amateur writer, it's been a lot of fun participating in this, and seeing what parts of the original fic stuck around with people, which is the best feedback one can ask for.

So thanks for a year of all of this, and good luck with future writing!

>>47911400
>>47912403
Wasn't expecting art this nice for the big day. Thank you for the work.

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Oh man, good thing I was stalled on making this reply because >>47921353 was posted within a minute of me sitting down for it after digesting the last Sekai entry. Entanglement sure can be exciting sometimes...

>>47921414
You're quite welcome! Many others before myself have put a lot of effort into everything here and, though I don't feel totally comfortable writing anything of my own right now (I need to catch up on a lot...), it still felt nice to contribute something substantial through my humble passions. A project of this magnitude is deserving of at least that much imo.
Funny how you haven't been able to write from a Hana POV since then, flowers do sometimes need their time to bloom and there's certainly been a whirlwind of happenings between those points. The character interactions there were cute even if it culminated in yet another 'Hana Being Incessantly Fucked With' moment but that isn't inherently a bad thing. She just needs to get used to meeting new & unfathomable individuals! That picture also sounds funny, love how most of the girls were intrigued in their own ways. Now I'm craving noodles myself though, it's been too long since I've been to a proper banquet...
>Yukari was there waiting for me, wearing a low cut dress that revealed an unnecessary amount of cleavage.
>She made sure I got a full face of it as she pulled me in for a hug.
Must resist temptation...Gappy-sama is EVIL...her allure is DECEPTION...it...she...FUc K
>I started the Hana story on a whim
>would never have predicted that it would spawn a community writing project going going a year on.
Unforeseen Consequences to otherwise-innocuous things sure can be Fun, huh~? Looking forward to the rest of the Special!
>>47920066
Adorably heart-wrenching with those entries, the visceral attention to detail is great and Hata no Sekai deserves all the warm-wishes she can handle despite her isolation. She'll get her just desserts with everyone she loves one day, surely. I like the addition of her strong emotions contributing to her changing form too, good way to show off how much raw potentiality is concentrated within her.
>… And I don’t want it to be lost
Then it's a good thing it won't be on our ends at least, not ever again.
>>47912974
>Props dude, this looks awesome
Very appreciated, getting my work out there is always a little nerve-wracking but in the good 'excited anticipation' sorta way. It really is nice to have outside opinions beyond my own self-criticisms, though most passionate artists surely know what it's like to be stuck with nothing but your own familiar perceptions.
>just wait until you see what never happened to Shanghai
This was mentioned last thread too, way to edge-on my curiosity. Half-expecting whatever occurred there to strike yet another deeply personal chord.
>I like my vanilla but the really out-there stuff adds some spice to life
Very true!
>spoiler
Sometimes you just know, and yet you're brought along for the ride either way. It keeps happening!
>>47912577
>don't sell yourself short
Yet another habit I'll learn to break with time hopefully, I just try not to aggrandize myself too much is all. Thank you dearly for saying all that though, took me years to hone the look but I think I'm finally reaching some small apex with it. I'm a huge fan of similar flat 'n angled styles (pic related) but I still try and keep things dynamic & detailed. I'm honored to have it compared to something like Don't Starve, love how that game looks. Really should find time to play DST again though...it's been years.
>I don't think that was a dream.
>She wants you…
Tell me about it!! I don't even know what to say at this point, I look at all the posts that are like "Ha Ha what would (You) do to get Mommy Yukarin's attention Fellow Anons ??" and I just have to sit here & think to myself how she already has me in a vice grip in ways I can't possibly imagine. I guess the feeling is...somewhat mutual though, she's ended up teaching/leading me to a lot after all. I wouldn't be honest with myself if I didn't acknowledge that, she does things to my simple monkey brain...Unspeakable things.
>always have loved contrasts
Eyy, same hat!
>something about this particular track that hits a chord with her character
Easy to see why, I haven't given Binding of Isaac much time myself but its emotional undertones have always intrigued me. Very fitting for the desolation Sekai must regularly experience, though strangely soothing as well honestly. Music is always good for churning all kinds of inspiration, it tends to inspire my own works in vast ways quite often.

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>>47921366
>>47921359
>>47921356
>>47921353
cool to see you around, Suzuanon~and fun special, took me a moment to realize it was likely some Sekai fuckery. And poor Hana, being sucked into another layer of some Black Mirror type of thing because her younger sibling wanted to play. Being the oldest is rough…
speaking of Hana: been a while since Hanaanon came around the thread, and he missed the anniversary (or just lurked around). Kinda sadge, hope he's doing okay.
thanks for the chapters and waiting part 2!
>>47921414
same, not only the fun, but the opportunity to participate in something of this nature is so rare, and a gold mine too of knowledge on how to deal with the pressure of writing with others and how to aggregate their feelings and potential ideas in your work. Good luck to you too!

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oh shit, it's true! The HSE's anniversary is just one day away from 4chan's; cool.
Happy birthday to my favorite Mongolian basketball bulletin board!

>>47920061
>>47920064
Sekai is sad in her birthday...
>>47921353
>>47921356
>>47921359
>>47921366
... So she decides to troll Hana.
This almost feels planned.

>>47923794
Happy late birthday, 4chan!

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>>47922114
>I like the addition of her strong emotions contributing to her changing form too, good way to show off how much raw potentiality is concentrated within her.
same~
>Then it's a good thing it won't be on our ends at least, not ever again.
she'll live through each Anon that reads about her, though that also means one day she'll be ultimately lost, like tears in the rain...
>Thank you dearly for saying all that though, took me years to hone the look but I think I'm finally reaching some small apex with it
u welcomed man, only said the truth~
>she already has me in a vice grip in ways I can't possibly imagine
Gappy claims another one…
>Very fitting for the desolation Sekai must regularly experience, though strangely soothing as well honestly.
that defines pretty well how I see this music regarding Sekai herself, as in the game it's one of the few places (the planetarium) where the tortured soul that is the main character has a moment of respite away from the awful, traumatic world. Other one that works well is Tome of Knowledge, the music of the Library, but that one is more tailored for Sekai and Patchy's character.
it's always nice to see how music so thoroughly inspires any and every artist that can hear it~
well, should probably stop the long-ass monologues and get back to writing!

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This post has half aged pretty well and half aged as well as spoiled milk

>>47939867
That post was cheating, it was written while half of that was happening.

>>47939867
isn't act 2 technically still unfinished?

>>47940830
Supposedly it'd be finished with Hanaanon writing the closing chapters with Hana and Kasen, but it seems the recent tornado or whatever natural disaster amerianons have to deal with fucked up his internet and he's been MIA for quite a while. But aside from that, Arc 2 is finished, though Aya and Takaneanon are locked in "I was shitposting without condom" in their respective sidestories

>>47940876
Hopefully he's fine hurricane Helen was a category 4.

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>>47940966
>Winds 130-156 mph (113-136 kt or 209-251 km/hr). Catastrophic damage will occur: Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.
holy shit, hope he wasn't caught in this…

>>47941088
There's also Beryl two months prior, a category 5 that petered out into a category 1 by the time it hit Texas.

>>47939867
Craziest in this list must be Okina. The bitch went suddenly schizo, stripped into a whole new character, tasted the milk of humankind once and is now on her way to beat the allegations. Human men simply too stronk for old ladies...

>>47941088
>>47941139
Dear god, hoping safety's being prioritized above all else for those that need it during this. The last thing we need for this story is actual blood being shed over it, delays are a very small price to pay for writer precautions.

>>47943935
gladly we're just working off an assumption, nothing concrete. Hope he's okay anyway too

>>47946551
Although it does make me wonder how many writers are left, this is probably our slowest thread to date lasting 32 days.
Even if he isn't dead the renaming writers should start planning for that possibility.

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>>47948392
I'm still here, waiting mostly since after the next Okina batch I'll be officially without anything else to write. Takaneanon and Ayaanon are struggling with their chapters, Patchyanon is unpredictable, Suzuanon is here too, Mimaanon and Hanaanon are unknown. If Hanaanon truly doesn't show signs of life until the 10th of next month (2 months without chapter), I'll pick up from where he left, since I have lots of experience writing the 'Ana, and should finish her and Kasen within a week.
But if he does show signs of life when I start writing, I'll have no qualms in de-canonizing the chapters I wrote so he doesn't have any problems writing his stuff.
praying there's no need for me to write the Hana in his place…

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>got banned for shitposting
well, fugg...

>>47948392
>this is probably our slowest thread to date lasting 32 days.
Guess that's to be expected when writers all write apart from each other, one guy is literally doing sidequests while the others try to catch up.

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>>47939867
>feel free to add more to this
I'll take it, part fun and part bump
>it'll finally start in the middle of november
>Utsuho will nuke a place of importance
>either Shangai or Dolly will be killed off
>Toutetsu will unironically devour someone
>there'll be attempts at funnies to lighten the mood, but they'll be either completely ineffective or end up being treated serious, which will cause at least one misunderstanding
>Aya will have a moment so clutch with Anon her mooncoin will skyrocket in value
>Yukari will get so mindbroken she'll turn on her own allies
>Hata no Sekai will refuse to meet with Anon post-solstice

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Gonna start doing daily uploads starting tomorrow until I'm 'set' because I want to be readied before December.
>>47962906
>Spoiler
That's an idea that sounds interesting, but doesn't make sense with the development right now. It could be that Sekai decides that, being the physical manifestation of her father's prison and agony, she shouldn't see him. But I feel like the way she's been depicted up to this point has been a true "godling", she knows more then you, but she's still childish and might interpret things in an immature way. It might be that she realizes that she might frighten her Dad and she doesn't consider it or she knows she'll frighten her Dad and doesn't care because she wants to see him that badly.

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>>47964060
>Gonna start doing daily uploads starting tomorrow until I'm 'set' because I want to be readied before December.
hell yeah, brother! Have this cat as a token of good luck in your writing~

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After a year of sporadically writing, I have contributed more than 76k words to the HSE. For comparison, the first Harry Potter book is 76,944 words long over 223 pages. If most of the authors here published a novel instead, it's possible at least one of them would have made real money off of it. It's astounding.
Or, if you consider the fact we still haven't finished the story with over 1M words, depressing. We're at double the LOTR series' word count but still 700k below George Martin's 5 book series. The whole H.P series is 1.084M words, so we're about there.

>>47968565
>>47968565
cool numbers! We're 36~ million words behind the biggest writing project ever made, though, which is also a fanfic. The world of internet writing is insane! Speaking for myself, I like the coziness of writing for the HSE: not much pressure, a lot of creative leeway, fun shitposting and something I love to write for -- It's helped me so much this past year to deal with work, my certification and so on~

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>>47789116
It was a perfect spring afternoon as far as the weather was concerned. The showers the day prior now gave way to a pleasant sunshine that gently welcomed the flowers which fed on it's radiance. A gentle breeze swayed softly throughout the Mouyren temple, which was neither so lax as to lethargic, nor so busy as to be a hectic mess, instead, the monks moved and worked gently throughout, focused and almost unbothered. And finally, there was the low humming of cicadas, filling the music of the season with their buzzing.
"How disrespectful." Shou murmured under her breath, unhappy, despite the seemingly perfect day.
Were she standing above the clouds in the high heavens she might see the reason why such a time of mourning should see such perfect weather, but here on the ground it seemed only a mockery. 'Here is your kind weather, shame you're all to miserable to enjoy it' is what she heard until a voice broke her daydream.
"You should talk to him." The old monk told her without ceremony.
'His expression is much more fitting' Shou thought. The old monk's face looked heavy and weary, totally unlike the light and jovial expressions he usually donned.
"I'm not suited to it, you'd give far more comfort then I." The tiger refused.
"Because I'm human?" The old monk said, raising a tired eyebrow.
Shou nodded. "If he sees me, he'll think it's unfair, how we Youkai live so long and humans grow to be a century old at best before passing. Even if I want to comfort him, that misery of death, it isn't something I can fully appreciate and he'd only sink further into despair."
"Hmm, how 'mature' of you." The old monk said and Shou appreciated it, until he then asked: "And how many more years have I lived then his father?"
Shou cast her head down and felt ashamed as she made the realization.
"Do not shirk from this trial Avatar. If you stand for Bishamonten, a god of justice and good fortune, then when the good-natured are punished and their luck runs dry your mettle should be strongest. That is the least you must do if you want to realize Hijiri's ideal." He lectured.
"I know." The tiger nodded. "Thank you elder, I'll go see him." She said, making way for the Mortuary.
"Oh, and Shou?" The Old Monk said to her before she turned the corner. "No young man is going to despair in the bosom of a buxom lass such as yourself!" He said with a grin so wide you'd mistake it for the Buddah himself.

Among the chambers of the Myouren Temple, the Mortuary was the most solemn and, outside of ceremonies, the most exclusive. Part of the reason was the safety of the corpses since some Youkai, no matter how reverent, could be tempted by such a bounty. But at that moment Shou could feel the second reason, why the first human disciples joined the ranks of the Temple, the mortuary was a place were one accepted death and that weight wasn't something a Youkai could easily bear. Those Morticians, the untouchables who were feared by humans and did not shirk at the Youkai's evil acts, they were the closest to death.
It was among that unease that Shou found Goro, kneeling beside his father in the preparation room. The corpse laid on it's back within the coffin, draped in white, a shaw covering it's face, and was surrounded by an eerie fog produced by the dry ice placed within the casket. Goro himself was knelt beside the box in the heavy robes of a mortician, which were almost too big for his small body and he was faced away from the door.
"You did the preparations yourself? That's very noble of you." Shou said as she knelt besides the child.
"Not really Shou-San." Goro said, looking up at the tiger with a tired expression "He always told me I should make myself useful, so I'm still just doing what Father told me."
"Still, I'm sure he'd be happy to know you personally saw to him." Shou comforted, placing her hand on the child's back.
Goro merely nodded and looked back at the body and quiet filled the room once more. Shou began to speak a number of times, first she tried idioms, then sultras, and finally some personal anecdotes, but every time she stopped just short of speaking, not knowing if she'd chosen the right thing. In the end, she could only muster the most reliable comfort.
"We'll take care of you here, and you needn't worry so much about paying your due." She assured.
But to her surprise the child didn't nod or reply with gratitude, but instead shook his head. "It isn't fair." he uttered.
"Goro..." Shou began, preparing herself for the lesson she knew she'd have to impart.

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>>47970506
"He's gone Shou-San! gone to where Mother went and someday I'll see them again, but what about everyone else?!" Now the tears started and like a cork that had been popped, Goro wept. "I read, I read that Youkai don't go where humans go when they're gone! Nue-San, Kyouko-kun, Icihirin-San, Unzan-San, Murasa-San, Nazrin-Kun, and y-you, I wish I could go with them right away, but I'll, I'll never get to see anyone again!" He choked out through the hot tears that stained his face.
"It's not fair! No matter what, somebody ends up being lonely! I hate it! I-" But the boy didn't get to complete the sentence as he was smothered in the tiger's stern embrace, who couldn't care less about the dirty work men's clothes he wore or the salty liquid that stained her robe. No, she simply rubbed his back with her hand and patted it with her stripped tail.

"How is he?" Hijiri asked the moment Shou entered the room.
"He's mourning properly. I washed him and put him to bed, but I, I couldn't say a thing to him. I'm not fit to walk in Bishamonten's shoes." She clearly stated.
Hijiri nodded, pleased, but her expression had no joy in it. "There may have been nothing for you to say. There's ways to speak without using your voice, even then, there's no misery, no attachment more insidious then death, so, if this is truly your loss, learn well from it."
Shou nodded and then, curiously, asked: "What have you said to him Hijiri?"
The room went silent and the tiger regretted her question immediately and wished it wasn't too late to retract it. She knew death was not a subject Hijiri enjoyed and that the Head Monk feared it so much that she turned to Youkai magic to stave it off, and that was before she discovered the supernatural beings were not so monstrous. Shou had hoped that all her years in Makai had alleviated such fears, but since it's construction, Hijiri hadn't taken one step into the mortuary.
"I haven't had the chance. I fear he's agonizing over far too much right now and I might smother him." Hijiri finally said.
It was a lie. Two days ago, when Goro and Murasa returned to the temple with the water logged body in tow, Shou had seen the faces the head monk had made. It was at first a twinge of annoyance, since the two had left the temple without permission, that was quickly overwhelmed with serene relief that they both came back unharmed, to an expression that looked as if all of that serenity had been in a bucket what was turned upside down and emptied. Perhaps too much consolation would be bad for the boy as he worked through his confusion, but this wasn't the real reason Hijiri hadn't talked to him.
And this thought once again gave Shou curiosity that she couldn't ignore.
"There's something else. I thought Goro would think it unfair that humans die, but the reason he's crying is because, well, he thinks we'll be lonely when he's gone."
Hijiri turned to face Shou and looked her directly in the eye, the way she looked at Ichirin or Murasa when she suspects they're lying about smuggling booze, and after a moment she broke her gaze, placed her hand on her chest and breathed a sigh of relief and took a minute to settle her heart rate.
"That's... good. Very good Shou. In time, this Duhkha might have all been worthwhile." The Head Monk said.
"Hijiri, I'm not sure I understand." Shou said, he ears dropping.
"The child saw his Father's corpse, but doesn't fear death. He fears for others instead Shou! That's what we'll need, and very soon I think. But I can see you still don't understand, come closer and see that the doors shut." The Head Monk beckoned and Shou did as she was ordered with a little trepidation.
Hijiri began her explanation quietly "This land, Gensokyo, it's growing unstable as you know. The Shrine Maiden, she's placid now that she's raising a little one, and I pray she remains so, but what if she goes back to her old, evil ways? Such a path cannot continue forever, and if she falters, what happens if the Youkai once again become more ravenous as they once did? An alternative must be found."
"But Hijiri, isn't that why we spread Buddhism throughout Gensokyo? And what of the marriages you've arranged and the Eightfold Anattā?" Shou asked.
"The couples still can't walk openly can they? And the Anattā, it pains me to admit, but I haven't the slightest clue how to replicate that phenomenon and if we ask one to unmask and reveal whether they're a Youkai or Human, then we might ruin the whole thing. It's not enough, we must pursue all understandings to prepare for that future crisis were the fragile balance of Genskoyo is thrown into disarray."
"So what does Goro's compassion have to do with all that?"

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>>47970515
"It's death Shou, death is what draws the line between Humans and Youkai. For man, all fear is rooted in the fact that their life will come to an end and thus they can never be true friends to Youkai. For Youkai, to befriend man and soothe their fear would mean that they'd also have to accept their own death. Then, only someone who isn't afraid to die, who has walked with death since they were young, can bridge that gap."
Shou's eyes widened in realization. "You mean to make Goro into some kind of saint?"
"Perhaps, I'm not like those fastidious Taoists or that plotting Gap Youkai; Goro already wishes to be with Youkai and is stooped in death at a young age, we need only foster that wish." Hijiri said coldly.
Shou felt a pit in her stomach at what she heard and was light headed at what the Head Monk had said until a raging feeling swept through her, clearing the confusion and causing her to stand and point her staff at Hijiri's neck.
"Answer this truthfully, did you plan this Hijiri? Was his father's death your doing? How long have you been scheming this, did you also end the mother's life as well?" She accused.
Hijiri didn't waver. "I had nothing to do with his death, yet, I prepared myself every time he left his son in our care. For those humans who make a living outside the village borders it's not a matter of 'if' but 'when'. One must always accept good fortune, even if it comes after bad, you know this Shou."
"But you still let him go? Even knowing that?!" Shou asked.
"What else could I have done?" Hijiri said, a corner of her mouth beginning to quiver. "I told him every time about how his son misses him, I offered him safer jobs, I even proffered him escorts and when he refused them I sent agents to tail him in secret to make sure he'd come home to his boy safely, but then he'd just evade them! So what else was I supposed to do Shou?!" Hijiri cried, her fist pummeling a table next to her.
"When he first came here with Goro, I tried to refuse him, tell him this wasn't the place for children. He feigned agreement, but asked if I could hold his child for a moment while he adjusted his bag, yet, after he gave me the young babe, he just walked off and didn't return for a week! When he returned I tried to scold him and you know what he said? He ignored all of it and told me 'children are a gift aren't they?' He'd always do that! Getting around an entire conversation with just a few words, I really disliked that you know! And yet... Shou, why is it that I'm sitting here, raving, and he won't even give me the smallest word?"
The spirit of Bishamonten, arbiter of justice, slowly faded from Shou and for the second time that day she comforted a mourner.

A little skip back to the past before hopping into the future. Was kind of worried at the start of writing this that it would be too Goro-centric, since I need to tee up some things, but I feel like it turned more into giving the Myouren's some characterization, which feels nice.

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The Land of Backdoors is not used to silence; doors close and open constantly, both near and far from its core, and the infinity of hinges hide many secrets from view. Like a living organism, it operated much like a spiderweb of labyrinths for entities far off one’s comprehension to get lost in and never pose danger to humanity—the Abyss of Backdoors is the ultimate caretaker of such function, backdoors outside my control even on time itself—, but I’ve gotten used to that cacophony throughout the centuries, nothing but white noise by now…

Which makes this quietude that much bitter.

Streaming robes of fine, orange, and green silks follow me as I stroll through my domain, eyes following where I knew bloodstains had adorned, finding each and all scrubbed off with utmost care; even the remnants of the war table had been neatly packed inside a box by my throne, from torn papers to the destroyed figures.

It was as if a tragedy hadn’t occurred here just two days ago.

Fear threatened to resurge, to debilitate like it always does as the serpent takes form of purple eyes, of draconian scales and all-consuming fire, but this goddess does not halt her gait towards her throne, terror swaying off skin and robes like air travelling up the alps, pushing with great force yet never able to tumble down the mountains… If only such perseverance could’ve been drawn from within sooner; I’d sought help rather than whims and shortcuts.

Those are the regrets I’ll carry with me—regrets a goddess fears not.

I stop by my throne, sturdy stone slab recounting the lore of my godhood, and… Rage stirs, for reasons that go beyond the vision of a small letter resting on the seat—to know what happened to that once revered goddess, slowly forgotten and replaced, but that never lost her powers—that could still do, help, and change… that could’ve stopped Yukari before she’d gotten so strong—builds that rage strongly and overwhelmingly, to the point I find myself bare-teethed and turning my eyes away, digits opening the letter.

Satono's handwriting greets me, if a little shaken, with a few smudges of moisture around the paper—a faint ink for feelings words cannot describe—and she is quick to tell me the obvious: she has left the Land of Backdoors and taken Mai with her through one of the many escape backdoors I’ve laid since Yukari breached my realm—as I had expected: waiting for their master to return after cleaning the place off blood and corpses would’ve felt like torture.

There were no words about their whereabouts, but that’s a non-issue: they know I’ll surely find them, either through the backdoors on their backs or by tracking down the rifts of my own power embedded within their bodies.

With the note neatly folded and stocked into a backdoor, I throw my glance at the scraps box… Then sigh, scratching my head. There are ways to recover all that was lost that day—one's asking Yukari to use her Gaps.

I almost laugh.

Second, let Satori scour my mind for everything and transcribe that which I’ve forgotten—with the additional side effect of letting the satori know, well… Everything—, and the third is using an Amanojaku’s power to flip destroyed to not destroyed, but that’d require finding one unrelated to Yukari. Possible, but time-consuming.

As my mind churns, my gaze turns to my throne, rage flaring up once more, bitterness coating my tongue and narrowing my eyes. ‘If only’, ‘what if I’d just’…

“… This is what you’ve brought yourself, Okina Matara,” I say to myself—or maybe to Indra-Devarāja, a hopeless prayer against the incoming Kali Yuga—pacing away from the stone throne without an ounce of understanding on how to parse this rage, following a small thread of mental energy leftover, likely from the girls before they left: it was sullen with despair, sadness and confusion, and it breaks my heart… Especially when, a few moments later, the thread’s end comes into focus.

Nestled away from my throne and view, a burnt bed of wood right by a hidden backdoor that leads to one of Gensokyo’s many rivers, most of the ashes nowhere to be seen.

I stand by the pyre, mouth drying and heart sinking, staring at perhaps the most tangible consequences of my actions. How far did I let myself fall from godhood to let this take place? To lose myself in psychosis; to act without a mind, haunted and shaken…

Staring at the gory spring of the mistake that broke the camel’s back, one question echoes: What must a goddess do?

… Gently, I let one hand fall on the sugiwood as the other opens a backdoor, a single fluttering lotus descending from the darkness and landing on my palm—a flower of resilience, born in murky swamps and sheer grime yet blossoming sublimely and untarnished—and place it on the charred wood. “… I am sorry.” Together with the flower, it’s all I can offer. There are no reassurances, no vengeance, no utter rage to undo a mistake.

This mistake is mine, and I’ll carry it together with every other that’s brought me here.

No more what-ifs.

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Thus, I step away and turn, a backdoor opening in front of me after carefully pinpointing the girls’ location, left hand cleaning the water off my eyes—I’ve cried enough for a lifetime today; there are things that must be done—and enter the backdoor…

… Immediately I'm assaulted by the stench of death and suffering, but not in the figurative way, feet landing on a tree’s branch and eyebrows furrowing. Youkai Mountain towers from this up-close, with the occasional Tengu flying above the thick canopy and fields of rocks, a new crater on its side source of much dismay, their ever-watchful society deeming suitable to prey upon what lies beneath—vultures, most of them—which is the Myouren Temple, brimming with humans and Youkai, both downtrodden, their life and mind energy tainted and exuding the foul smell that wrinkles my nose, confusion blossoming as the many backdoors open throughout those threads try to gauge the origins of such desolation.

For a slight moment, fear twinges my spine with the idea that maybe Yukari went on with the Solstice, but it is dismissed: not one person in this temple would be alive if she had chosen so.

The people’s energy tells me little, either, only that it was sudden, quick, and paralyzing.

Crisp wind blows, though, as my gaze turns away from the temple and points downwards, eyeing the Human Village on the horizon… It was as if a firestorm had raged through a fourth of the place, and it’s visible even from so far away.

I was gone at around midnight, then returned to this place at noon, so I’ve been out for merely 36~ hours…

What the hell happened in so little time?

“… H-Hello? M-Matarajin-sama?” A voice from below brings my attention from the village to a rather overworked and pale Kasodani, no broom in sight, rather holding a basket of condiments and healing paraphernalia; even then, there was an attempted smile on her face—I wonder how Aunn is doing—one that didn’t reach my eyes. “Could you… Come with me, please? Hjiiri-sama is e-expecting you.” She turns almost immediately, and it clicks, a cold of fear and anxiety threatening to run up my spine—they know.

A cold that I dismiss, despite the strain it leaves on my mind, teeth clenched beneath a calm expression as my body floats to the yamabiko’s side, posture ever composed and, as expected, dignified…

It’d be unfit of a goddess to show the people any less than her best, wouldn’t it?

“Good afternoon, Kasodani.” She nods respectfully amidst her march, and I follow, awkwardness hidden as I walk the steps, eyes scurrying the people being treated and receiving food or water from the temple’s inhabitants, clinging fervently to whomever they could call a loved one—some children wandered alone or played with others, though few bore a festering anguish in their eyes, backs to trees or fences, wearing heavy blankets to ward off winter’s worst… And it was quite the sight to watch as bouncy dolls, blonde and dressed-up as maids, sought to cheer them up. Alice’s, I guess—; with some odd individuals here and there, like this one man carrying a katana, clearly an heirloom of Youkai Hunters of old, helping Kumoi feed a young and very hungry Youkai boy. A lot of Youkai, too… “K-Keine-sensei healed everyone yesterday, but the trek up the mountain, post-Festival confusion, and the winter have been harsh on these poor souls,” Kasodani says, fidgeting with her fingers as if missing her broom, and I frown for a moment before remembering talk of the teacher through Aya’s backdoor; that dream of pacific revolution generated this…?

Some things never change, it seems.

The urge to ask comes, but I decide against it; it wouldn’t be smart to be so openly clueless, and I can gather information enough through other means. Goddesses don’t go around dumbly asking people this and that. Still, a knot of anxiety grows inside as I stop my eyes from wandering, catching side glances thrown at me by the faithful of the Temple. “Are Satono and Mai helping with the hurt and famished?” Were they there during this ‘Festival’? Did they get hurt? The final two questions are trapped in this heart, eyes focused more intently on the naive Yamabiko's answer, which was a full-body reaction complete with intertwined hands and a faint, if mischievous, smile spreading across her face.

“Yeah, they’ve been SOO much help! We’ve sung and cared for the children; it’s been so much fun with them!” As if remembering she was supposed to be feeling sad for the soul I’ve taken, her smile dies a little. “A-And, uh, I learned a little bit of dancing from them…”

“Did you now?” A tiny smile overtakes me. “Dancing is an important part of my divinity, and its moves are full of secrets~” The yamabiko’s pauses for a second in trepidation before being engulfed by a wave of something as cold as the snow below our feet; the tensing of her muscles and ears rising in alert told me more than the pulsating life energy from deep within, her whole psyche having gone stiff in… fear.

Fear of me.

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It is neither a striking notion nor unexpected, yet the bitterness that it carries is as profound and vast as the ocean floor I had laid on while agonizing over hitting rock bottom. One hundred years shaping the reputation of a monster for myself won’t go away because I decided to finally—if suddenly—address my innermost apocalypse with a human therapist, and time has shown me people will remember in much more nuance your evil deeds; the thoughts of a goddess more than desperate to not fade away: true, albeit misguided.

So what if that’s what people will remember?

A man clutching his cross talks about past deeds, the valor and ferocity of unnamed men who fought an unnamed war for what they believed in—ever unsure as they lived—; their faith.

Deeds that saved a suffering man five hundred years later.

Of course the horror will be remembered; the raging pedophilia; the apathy towards Yukari’s most horrific crimes; and the incident of seasons, sunken amidst other lunatic hoo-has…

… But does that take away the weight of a good deed?

I sigh, Kasodani about to stammer some anxiety-ridden response, trying to save her neck from the evil goddess seeking to kill her for the crime of learning how to dance, and declare, “… Ah, that’s very nice from my girls,” I join my hands, smiling despite the silent glare of passersby, the truth wide yet uncontested, for who’d contest a goddess like me? “Just hope they reminded themselves to not channel my power through dance—they sometimes forget it can be risky. Besides that, it was sweet of them.” Kasodani blinks in uncertainty, befuddled by my statement, and I decide to pull her leg a little~ “A problem of any kind, Kasodani-chan?”

“B-Bwuah, problem? N-No, no problem! I…” Her struggle was cute and distracting, digits fidgeting to hold something, settling then for clutching her basket, her face taken by a pink blush, something like pride and a desire to show off—show those dance moves, I guess~—hidden in the humbleness of the dog, likely in pursuit of praise; reminds me of Aunn… But a blush that lasted until she suddenly sobers, features darkening like the line-art strokes of a paintbrush. She recalled why I’m here.

It stings—a sting that’ll endure as long as the winter goes on—, though it’s not met by cowardice, only an imperceptible nod, swallowing the ‘I am sorry’. I already said it to the dead, and it’d mean nothing but salt on an open wound for the living.

The remainder of the way is quiet.

Through incense and hung tapestries, ceiling painted with epics of many generations and illuminating candles and prayers—with the constant spite simmering just beneath the forthrightness, taking form in their eyes as burning coals—the magnificence of the Myouren gives way to a more concealed nursery, Kasodani staying by the doors after opening them, one shadow cast upon her face and another on her emotional threads, but I didn’t pay attention to her; the nursery had two majorities between its patients, one wounded by the mountain and the frigidity of winter, and the other of whimpering mothers with swollen bellies watched by concerned nurses whispering about taking those in the last weeks of their pregnancy to Eientei or keeping them around for a religious birth… In one of those beds, holding one of the temple’s devotee’s trembling hands, stood Byakuren Hijiri, praying silently with closed eyes, her pregnancy kept hidden by her outfit, eyes not on the frightened woman but rather on two mesmerized girls who watched without avoiding their eyes as the nun effortlessly chanted mantras to calm both mother and child, unreadable words of light flaring up—a language mastered only by bhikkhunī—and circling the patient’s belly.

Despite the silence that befell the room with my presence, Hijiri didn’t move her attention, the soothing incense and tenaciously mumbled words holding Satono’s and Mai’s gazes, even when I approached them, standing still behind my girls. “… See those words?” Her voice is like windchimes. “They speak of a birth where the legs go first and the head goes later. It’s a grim proclamation of one’s death—mother or baby,” the pregnant lady has glazed, unfocused eyes upon hearing those words, her breathing growing labored. “But a future written in stone is unneeded when the living can fight it, for to stand by while evil plows the land is an ultimate sin: a shepherd that doesn’t fight as its herd is consumed by wolves.” She reorganizes the words of light slowly, with a sluggish confidence in her movements that comes from centuries of experience. Satono and Mai beam pure awe as they watch every exact movement.

I hide the tremble of my joined hands. So very subtle, Hijiri…

… She must be fuming.

“Here,” she grasps Mai's hand with her free one; the girl in green startles, but allows the nun to guide her through the words of light. “Can you feel it? The threads separating mother and baby—yet lamentably merging their futures?”

“Yeah…” She whispers, Satono watching closely.

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“You will hold one, and I will hold the other—and together we’ll pull them apart.” It’s an iron-clad statement, like that of a rigid professor, and something… Rather bittersweet bubbles inside as I watch from four, maybe five steps back as Byakuren guides Mai through the subtleties of ancient gestation—or maybe dharmic?—magic; magic developed in an era when a safe birth was as pivotal as the quality of the next harvest, before turning and deftly doing the same for my girl dressed in magenta, though keenly encouraging her to soak in the spiritual threads and so maintain mother and baby’s minds free from stress, drawing her specialization over the psychological side of my magic so effectively it was jarring.

She was like a teacher to them, instructing them things about their powers—my power—that I'd never have thought about, and for those two girls, it was like witnessing magic play out for the first time again.

… They look at home.

The bittersweetness grew—one of complex origins; all brought to the surface following the dejection of rock bottom and sudden guiding light—, and like a tree of doubts, it bore question-shaped fruit: ‘What should a goddess do…?’

Step by step, Hijiri guided their hands and their concentration through captivating magic, the suffering mother eventually falling into a slumber, a point in which Hijiri sighed, an uncomplicated smile on her face, and let the words of light melt away, vanishing within seconds. Mai stared at her hands, amazed at herself. “Their future has changed, and the beauty of the world will be the first thing this little soul will bask on—thanks to the three of us, that is~” Her voice trickles with encouragement before her eyes move to me. “You should be proud of them, Okina.” The sudden words snap the girls’ subconscious minds into realization—the link between them, me, and my powers—both turning to me.

Many words and actions go through my head, ready to come across either those bursting tears or wide-eyes of shock that I saw before I left—

—two sets of arms spring and wrap around me so quickly I nearly lose equilibrium, weight pressed onto my body, and everything disintegrates, my ears full of Mai’s shrieked “OKINA-SAMA!” and Satono’s modest “O-Okina-sama…”

Firstly, there’s no reaction.

“Y-You’ve been gone for so long! A-And you left us alone; it was so scary!”

A knot in my gut that I hadn’t even realized was there fizzles out.

“We missed you…”

And then I encase my arms around them, holding the girls with all my strength: “… I just needed some time to think. S-Sorry for leaving you two alone—” I look past the mess of colored hair, their hats threatening to fall as they cling to me like koalas, and stare at Hijiri, her eyes cold and unflinching. I don’t recoil. “—and for what you had to see.” It was whispered just loud enough that the nun heard it.

None of the girls answered me, rather nodding as, finally, the abrupt hug ended with them leaving my arms—it pained me so excruciatingly, but it wasn’t shown, words in the base of my skull reverberating with… inevitability—both girls just one head away from being my height, their owlish eyes brimming with tears and silently coping in different ways with the atrocity they’d witnessed. Hijiri had risen from the edge of the bed, effortlessly taking on an idle prayerful pose. “So you’ve come…” A glance cast downwards. “Without your chair, for once.” The mention strikes Satono and Mai, the latter looking curiously and the former cautiously at me.

“Wasn’t feeling like sitting on it anymore,” I shrug, musing a little. “… I think the gimmick has lost its luster.” And just like that, the reputation of a crippled old lady is gone.

… Just an old lady now, eh?

Hijiri ponders me for a moment, trying to see below the facade of these clothes, but there are no secrets below it. Not anymore… “Follow me, Okina—our women deserve peace.” Abrasive intonation betrays religious poise, and without waiting another word, Byrakuren is on the move. Satono throws me a glance, tense and anxious, looking for something in my face—I’ve never been the best with denunciations and offenses to me.

Perhaps I should apologize for treating Satori’s pet the way I did? Perhaps…

Satono finds nothing of ire or anger, for I merely start following the nun; Mai calls her sister dancer forward rudely, and the girl hops to my other side, promptly throwing back the sly remarks with her own.

A goddess flanked by Hug and Mun.

Feels fitting.

—

I watch the lake flowing with life and frigid water from atop the fishing deck on the backside of the Myouren, wooden beams supporting its perched silhouette atop the frozen lake. Islets, mostly made of stone, were wreathed in snow, and further ahead a small waterfall nourished a thawing area of the reservoir, foam and mist keeping the kiss between gravity and water hidden; further beyond, forest cloaked all else, a mantle of bluish and white hues.

Natural beauty and tranquility—the perfect spot to rest a temple.

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Though its lack of loitering devotees, monks, or regular people told me why Hijiri chose this place to take me and my girls—her back to the waterfall, kneeling on raw wood, and drilling bitter eyes on me, a small urn resting by her side she’d taken during our silent trip down to this place; it’s presence evoked unease on my girls.

I kneeled wordlessly, and, awkwardly, the girls soon followed.

“… They told me what happened. Before and after.” Hijiri doesn’t miss a beat, and the striking difference of her voice now compared to when she was teaching makes Satono and Mai cringe. “I take you’re not up-to-date with what’s happened yesterday, right?”

Gladly, no noisy reporters or eavesdroppers around—the backdoors make sure of that—, such certainty making the words easy: “I have an idea, but that’s the extension of it. Is Yukari involved?”

The name, as always, darkens the mood beyond repair. “Not that I know. A tragedy happened yesterday, one I couldn’t respond to in time but have chosen to aid nonetheless—many are dead, and Gensokyo will change forever under the new government body that’s been established. I don’t know yet if it’s a change for good or bad, but I’ll be watching,” She stops with finality, and there’s a gleam of joy, however small, that paints her face. “These two have helped quite a lot, so incredibly committed and focused on helping. Thank you~!” Despite the tension begging to be released, the heartfelt remarks made my girls blush adorably, a nod of approval from me deepening their red~ “… I don’t think it’ll influence our strategy for the Solstice. We’re keeping tabs on the new government and it’s main players—Toyosatomimi no Miko, chiefly,” oh? So instead of helping us fight Yukari, she’s toying with human affairs? That’s to be expected from the Crown Prince. “… Because if you slaughtering one of ours, even one that was banned, won’t also change our main strategy for the Solstice, then there’s nothing in Lord Bishamonten’s name that will.” There’s so long one can fight off a grudge before it takes hold, but Byakuren is nothing but calm and eloquent in her approach to anger, eyes inflamed with rage and stony posture like Aunn before she was given the gift of life.

… Yet, amidst all the minutiae details of her body language to protect herself from the impure anger, it was her clutching gently—nigh stealthily—to her pregnant belly that struck me.

A reputation of a monster; no different from Yukari, they’d told me…

It won’t fade as easily as the crippled grandma.

The depths of the ocean cloak me once more—or maybe the Himalayas?—despite sitting here, the heavy water impeding words from leaving me: because what explanation do I truly have that’d correspond to the elephant Hijiri finally decided to address?

Nothing shows on the outside, a stern and calm facade kept straight, the core of my body cold and my mind overworking, eyes laid on the urn and reminiscing of the apology done to that poor girl… A thought surfaces: of gazing up at a starry sky, but alone on the expanse of the Atlantic.

Aside the lump in my throat, it’s a bleak thought—

“—IT WASN’T HER FAULT!” The spell is broken by a sudden yell to my side, every pair of eyes turning to Mai. There was anguished rage on her face, preyed upon by horror. “I-I already told you when we came here… O-Okina-sama is sick! Sick! She wasn’t in her right mind—why can’t you understand that she didn’t mean to kill—”

“Mai.” I stop the girl, brain having a hard time processing her outburst and… And the tears that commenced to drench her face, lips trembling due to freezing cold and emotions. Wide-eyed, my grip grew stronger, and my heart pumped confusedly. Hijiri watched with indescribable features, her posture never fluctuating a centimeter, but if she had moved, I wouldn’t have noticed, my eyes glued to the green dancer, something from deep within reverberating up my spine and flesh. Something warm, unlike the depths of the ocean, the starry sky, or the top of a cold mountain.

I didn’t think someone still believed in me.

“Okina-sama, it’s true! You—”

“—I didn’t want to, yet I did it anyway. I might’ve… not been of sound mind,” I swallow nothing in particular, trying my best to smile at the perplexed girl. “But I’ll take full responsibility for the pain and mourning I’ve brought to Hijri and the others of this temple, okay?” One hand rises to catch her face, thumb wiping away the tears.

She looked absolutely defiant. “B-But you—”

“No buts,” thus I turn to Hijiri, catching a glimpse of surprise on her features, one echoed by Satono, though she didn’t lose hers. “… For the time being, our strategy remains unchanged, but know that after the Winter Solstice, I’ll do my best to repay your temple for my mental breakdown—” My head fills with words of a man clutching his crucifix and his tenacious defense of mental health, and I curtly bow out of respect… and to hide my quivering lips. “—I may be a goddess, but I’m not above the perils of the mind that…”

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Suddenly, I’m brought to a full-stop when Hijiri just… chuckles.

It’s sad and lacks any amusement, like staring at a lying corpse and reminding yourself when it walked by your side and teased you with jokes and remarks—when it had a name and a smile. She adjusts uncomfortably where she kneels, her hand moving from her belly to rest on top of the urn. “I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health…” A mournful pause. “I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them…” Her eyes move to me, no hesitation or fear in there, shivers coursing my spine.

Somewhere across here, sprouts gather under the thickening snow, waiting for the coming glory of spring; a blue whale who’s perished when men still trusted gunpowder and flintlocks lies on the bottom of the ocean, nurturing billions of species that'll be born, grow old, and die, and the stars shine beautifully on the waters of the Atlantic. “… My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.” I finish the welcoming words of the Upajjhatthana Sutta, hands joining as mind churns again and again simple words: ‘The first step is the hardest.’

Hijiri sighs deeply to herself. “Took you long enough to start living by our teachings…” She sulks, and my sad grin doesn’t reach a confused Mai and a baffled Satono. “… I believed you the moment you two came to me, sweethearts,” she utters to my girls with a serene smile, no vestiges of repressed anger before turning to me. “And I, as Head Monk of the Myouren, forgave you the moment you chose to come here and face your actions—it doesn’t mean our rage shall be dispelled from our bones and flesh, but to live by a grudge and deny the consequences of one’s mistakes is unlike any of us.” She pets her large belly wistfully. “There is no justice in the punishment of the ill… Still, Bishamonten requires of you an apology for our pain.”

… There’s an odd feeling of weariness upon those words.

They don’t register outright, the cold winter blowing, eyes seeking any trace of lie or deception in the nun’s eyes.

There is none.

She truly has forgiven me.

Relief, mixed with… something I can’t place my finger on, like a lingering comfort, made sharp by the knowledge things like these—these calm yet soothing words; these eyes Satono and Mai give me, full of astonishment and awe; and this settling peace that overshadows the utter fear of being forgotten and the craving for power—were always there, waiting…

“Okina-sama…” Mai coos, while Satono’s thread of life echoes with a deep warmth. I hear them—perhaps after a thousand years of darkness—and, sweetly, she continues: “… Why are you crying?”

I lift one hand, hiding my teary eyes from Hijiri’s hawk-like scrutiny, my teeth clenching, and, from my deepest soul, rings the voice of a woman in the high of her power who’s never experienced doubt and the looming guillotine of irrelevancy.

The voice of a goddess, through and through: “I-It’s nothing, Mai-chan… I just wanted to make sure to not carry these tears with me anymore—one like Hijiri-san would know, too, that if you haven't wept deeply, you haven't begun to meditate.” The nun lifts her chin, hand withdrawn to rest on her swollen belly… But there’s no tinge of protectiveness remaining.

Hatred, deep and rooted; respect, anyway.

It feels like godhood once more.

Wobbly legs take not an ounce away from such grandeur as I rise from my kneeling position, sparse tears gone, eyes momentarily going to the waterfall in the distance, piercing the frozen lake as if in defiance of the nature law of winter. A beautiful sight. “I’ll prepare proper apologies to Lord Bishamonten in time. For now, I’ll be taking my leave to parse these feelings more thoroughly… Thank you, Hijiri.” I bow down to the monk, who remains sitting, an awestruck Satono and Mai getting up. “Oh, you two aren’t coming back with me~”

“W-Wha—what does that mean?!” Mai presses right away, a flush of anger coursing through the wonder as her closed fists go up and down—much to Hijiri’s mild amusement, gears turning behind that pretty face—Satono frowning in curiosity.

“I need time to prepare for the approaching future, and time to reflect on the past…” I push my hands forward, petting the tops of their heads and smiling, unable to hide the aching in my heart. “… And I don’t want you to live in the Land of Backdoors anymore—not after what I’ve done.”

Mai freezes, finally understanding; one Satono and Hijiri had already figured out, the former tinkering with her hands and the latter looking pensive. “B-But after all this t-talk, is there really any need…?” I say nothing, the silence draining any fight from her mind, memories likely overflowing as tears had done that day.

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But I don’t let those memories hold me in place or those mistakes shape my actions, mouth sucking a breath of air before letting it out. “I have no doubts this place will treat you well enough, my dears; not when someone has already taken upon themselves to teach you the ropes,” I glance towards Hijiri, who nods humbly. Mai looks drained, a feeling only exacerbated when I pull both magenta and green to my arms once more. “… One way or another, this nightmare will end, Satono-chan, Mai-chan—you’ll be free of my mistakes, and it’ll be a joyous occasion! But for now, you’ll remain here, safe from the Solstice and the conflicts, okay?” A quiet pause drags for a tad, the girls squirming slightly with the sudden change, but it’s for the best. The Land of Backdoors harbors too many memories, and a goddess—this goddess—won’t allow these two to be trapped in that place anymore.

Soon enough, a set of nodding comes, and my heart beats with ease. “… You’ll fight alone, Okina-sama?” Satono asks with a pinch of worry and resignation.

A chuckle to calm down their nerves comes first, a soft voice following close: “I am a goddess, my girl; it’s my duty to protect those who believe in me—and besides,” I throw Byakuren another glance, a faint smile brimming with reassurance. “I won’t be alone~”

The nun pauses, and for the first time she indulges in that shimmer of curiosity she’s been trying so hard to suppress: “A path of applied change is one of strife, Matara Okina—I despise what action took you to pursue it… But do know I’m happy you’ve chosen to trail after peace of mind.” A hook lies hidden: ‘what happened?’

In my mind’s eye, the image of a man, a crucifix, and a lot of faith in a woman who’d hit rock bottom.

“I had some divine intervention to set me straight—I’m happy too.” Gently, I undo the hug, for the disappointment of both girls, their eyes and postures still conflicted and unsure about my words, yet bound to follow my orders, and take a step back, rumbling heartache easily ignored: this place won’t drag them in the mud because of my errors, and Byakuren Hijiri needs some training with children; her last one turned rogue and fornicated with an Amanojaku, after all…

Ah, look at these two poor girls, frozen in time by my backdoors, barely in their twenties, but now and beyond the clutches of the Solstice, free as birds to live their lives for once.

I wonder what they’ll be shaped into by the walls of the Myouren…

To fantasize is not as sad as an addicted goddess once thought it’d be.

A backdoor opens over the frozen wood, waves traded and not goodbyes but rather see-you-soons, and my heart swells so much it imprints itself onto my clothes, eyes lingering on a placid, if introspective Hijiri and the urn sitting by her side, the echoing sorrow from within a burden that, when I went to the bleakness of the Himalayas, felt crushing and impossible to grasp; a burden understood when one man with too much faith harnessed from the deepest of my soul the little good I still had in me… And now, with forgiveness by those that remained in the land of the living, thoroughly accepted.

The Land of Backdoors, so strange to silent, spreads around me, the backdoor leading to the Myouren closing with a soft thud. In front of me lies a throne laden with lore tarnished by a century of inability.

… Tenderly, I breathe in.

One hand rises, many backdoors sprouting to life—

That burden of addiction, of insanity, and of consequences will forever be heavy.

—and the throne catches on towering flames, the displaced wind rushing in all directions and fluttering maddeningly my clothes; the light shines on my face and brightens a wide smile. I open my arms, feeling the smoldering embers of stone as it melts away, crumbling into a puddle of old and vile…

But no amount of weight will bend the knees of a goddess.

Within a minute all that remains of the old is a tiny mound of ash and charred ground, my steps light, one arm waving the air as if natural current, throwing the ash-pile away—it’ll remain, of course, I remind myself with an ironic sneer: evil deeds aren’t easily forgotten…

And there lies the difference between a good and a bad deed: good deeds are unforgettable; a simple man with a crucifix taught me.

Above me, a backdoor opens, my new throne gracefully descending; a resounding laughter leaves me with the choice: a humble restart through one dying ordinary human and a depraved nun demands humility throughout it!

With fears cast away and heart light with memories of Satono and Mai’s faces—attention, curiosity and wonder about the magical arts. Hijiri will heal them, something the Land of Backdoors and I would never be able to—I sit down on the plastic lawn chair plundered from someone’s backyard on the other side of the globe, resting my arms on the white plastic, eyes closing as I release a strained sigh of relief.

A throne worth of a goddess like me~

… Well, no better time than the present to start writing an apology.

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>>47972928
>>47972916
>>47972902
>>47972894
>>47972891
>>47972886
>>47972881
And this is Okina done! A little longer than what I'd firstly imagined, but what can you do~? Fun character to take on, challenging too considering all the previous material around her.
Well, now I'm out of things to write -- doesn't mean I won't chime in with the occasional shitpost/special -- and will be on hold until either the deadline until Hanaanon returns or any developments in the other storylines.
>>47970535
>spoiler
man, sometimes we're so in sync~
well, seem the plan failed due to Goro running off to chase that reversepussy, so Anon it is! Thanks for the chapters!

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>>47972936
Good ole reliable, a fitting end.
>well, seem the plan failed due to Goro running off to chase that reversepussy
Don't be so sure. I see Hijiri as someone who tries to promote specific virtue in people rather then a mastermind who makes intricate plans. I'd say she's still upset that Goro left the Temple, partnered up with Seija, and joined Yukari, but deep down she still has hope that he'll live up to her aspirations, which probably masks some of the guilt she feels.

>>47973496
If someone I raised as a child ran off with some loser and started working for a rapist that plans on becoming a genocidal dictator, I'd be a little upset with them too.

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>>47973607
Don't forget the years he spent wheeling and dealing between running from the temple, because Hijiri asked him to abuse his ability, and meeting Seija!
>ran off with some loser
Okay, let's be honest, who in HSE hasn't jobbed at this point?

>>47973848
>who in HSE hasn't jobbed at this point?
Granted they're mostly side characters, but there's a lot honestly. Son Biten,Junko, Konngara, Yuugi and Suika, Youmu and Yuyuko, Anyone from the Scarlet Mansion and Myouren Temple excluding Patchy, Naz and Hong.
Unless you count messing up during non-fight scenes as "jobbing" but then that makes basically everyone in the entire story jobbers, even you

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>>47974726
>spoiler
m-me?!

Mimaanon and Hanaanon! I summon you.
Please come back!

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>>47979070
>the category 5, probably 6, hurricane in the distance

>>47974726
>Naz
She died essentially off screened without her name even being mentioned, accomplishing nothing and never contributing to the story.
So I'd say she's a jobber.

>>47982277
it astounds me how much of a science jobbing can be...