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Mind the Gap - (Worm CYOA/SI x Touhou)

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tricholysis said:
the fighting games still have 'danmaku' and story mode works through spellcards, though, isn't it?
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Yes....and No.

Yes, there are spellcards.
No, it doesn't revolve SOLELY around spellcards.

When Yukari summons her infamous subway train, she really IS summoning a high-speed subway train to smack you in the face. If it wasn't for the fact 99% of the combatants have protections to let them live through that, it would be considered just as lethal to Reimu, Marisa, Sakuya, and Youmu, as a real person getting hit dead on by a speeding train. To whit: SPLAT.

There are direct physical hits involved in the fighting games, and real injuries occur. Its just that, in many cases, one side is sandbagging simply so they don't piss off Reimu enough for her to go true extermination mode, or irritate Yukari too much.

You can win via spellcard KO, but you can also just as certainly punch/kick the crap out of them until they drop. Normally danmaku fights just end up with one or both sides with torn up clothes and minor bruises/hair messed up bad. At worse.

The fighting games? There are actual bandages and cuts to the skin shown.
 
tricholysis said:
the fighting games still have 'danmaku' and story mode works through spellcards, though, isn't it?
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There are two confirm ways for an incident in Gensokyo to be solved through the Spell Card systems. The Danmaku style and physical combat style. Both involve Danmaku and spell cards, but how both the styles operate are fundamentally different

Danmaku style is just Danmaku. Shooting Bullet at each other until one is hit and defeated. Spell card are defeated by outlasting them or damaging the caster enough to break it. Injury are at the minimum for this style.

The physical combat style involves physical combat. Danmaku and Spellcard are still used, but there a different from the Danmaku style. Danmaku are just long range attack while Spellcard are more akin to super moves. There is still the need to break style of the Spellcard but that's just mostly for show or plain story mode gimmick. Injury are more serious for this style with some that could take a while to heal but not to lethal levels. Protection are in place to prevent serious injury as well.

Without the protection of the Spellcard systems, Spellcard are lethal. Getting hit by Yukari subway train without the protection of the Spellcard systems will kill a person. Reimu, Marisa and Sakuya, Sanae and Yuma will be killed outright unless they manage to put up a defense. Outright killing has been confined to be possibly in Gensokyo and it had been done by Reimu, Marisa and Kasen on screen.
 
BoundaryPhantasm said:
Outright killing has been confined to be possibly in Gensokyo and it had been done by Reimu, Marisa and Kasen on screen.
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Wait like killing killing? Or "killing" youkai who will just respawn an arbitrary but relatively short time later?
Because I don't know of any instance where someone was killed permanently (outside implied deaths, like Mima, who, being a ghost, probably died at some point).
 
Omnomimous said:
Wait like killing killing? Or "killing" youkai who will just respawn an arbitrary but relatively short time later?
Because I don't know of any instance where someone was killed permanently (outside implied deaths, like Mima, who, being a ghost, probably died at some point).
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It depends on the circumstances. Kasen in her manga series kills a young pet dragon that she had for a while when it fails a test she had conducted for it and went of control. Marisa kills a youkai that had escaped from a seal and was trying to gather strength to gain a corporeal form. Reimu flat out kills a human turn youkai that had used the emotion of the human villages to become a youkai. All this happen in the manga series Forbidden Scrollery.
 
Omnomimous said:
Wait like killing killing? Or "killing" youkai who will just respawn an arbitrary but relatively short time later?
Because I don't know of any instance where someone was killed permanently (outside implied deaths, like Mima, who, being a ghost, probably died at some point).
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Depends on your definition of 'on-screen'.

In Forbidden Scollery, a man falls in love with a youkai/spirit/etc, and decides to become one to join her. Note, he has NOT harmed anyone at all, and is a rather nice person. His method for doing so harms no one, outside of minor emotional confusion for a few days at most for the villagers near him.

The INSTANT he does it, Reimu comes out of nowhere and exterminates him on the spot. No danmaku, no spellcards, she simply uses her Hakurei Shrine Maiden authority, and executes him. No mercy, nor pity, given.

Reason given? Because he upset the balance between humanity and the youkai.
 
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Sakuya's Butler said:
In Forbidden Scollery, a man falls in love with a youkai/spirit/etc, and decides to become one to join her. Note, he has NOT harmed anyone at all, and is a rather nice person.
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He did not fell in love with a youkai. That man desire to become a youkai. Humans from the human village are forbidden to become a youkai. He did not harm anyone but he used the humans from the village to do so.
 
Ah, thanks. I haven't gotten around to reading Forbidden Scrollery yet, just SSiB and Akyuu and Marisa's informational records.
 
Sakuya's Butler said:
Reason given? Because he upset the balance between humanity and the youkai.
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Say what you want about Reimu, but when it comes to Gensokyo's fragile balance she doesn't fuck around.

Omnomimous said:
Ah, thanks. I haven't gotten around to reading Forbidden Scrollery yet, just SSiB and Akyuu and Marisa's informational records.
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You should give it a read. FS goes a lot into the politics of the Human Village, as well as Gensokyo as a whole. It underscores that while the humans are vital to Gensokyo's continued existence, they are also an important piece of the youkai's factional disputes.
 
BoundaryPhantasm said:
He did not fell in love with a youkai. That man desire to become a youkai. Humans from the human village are forbidden to become a youkai. He did not harm anyone but he used the humans from the village to do so.
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Just went back to re-read after posting.
Yeah, I messed that part up.

Edit:
Went back and re-read volumes 1-5. How the hell did I get that confused??
 
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5
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    • A/N Yaay slow work week!

    I blinked. "What do you mean, what did I do?"

    "Armsmaster was just here a minute ago! And you- you just did the same thing to him as Lung!" The bug controller pulled at her hair. "And now he thinks I'm a villain!"

    Oh. Wow, okay, she was freaking out. "Calm down, I dropped him back at the Protectorate base. Really, he's perfectly fine. And no, they won't label you as a villain."

    Taylor paused to breathe. "...You think so?"

    "I know so," I smiled at her. "You've committed no crimes, and despite what that buffoon may try and scare you by saying, you helped save people by stopping Lung's rampage."

    Taylor stood silent for a moment, the insects in the air slowing down for a moment before growing restless again. "Why did you save me? You said you're not a hero, and it sounded like you're not even from around here."

    I hummed for a second. "Well, just because I'm not a hero doesn't mean I can't lend a hand every now and then. But really, it's because you're interesting."

    "'Interesting?'" I could nearly hear the raised eyebrow in that remark.

    "Yes," I stated. "A lone, untested girl putting herself at mortal peril for the sake of people she hasn't met, with very little hesitation? And then nearly managing to subdue Lung? That's worthy of my interest."

    The girl shuffled slightly. "...Thanks."

    I smiled and somehow withstood the temptation to pat her head. "Well, I won't keep you here any longer. I'll be seeing you around, human."

    As I stepped into a gap, I wondered what I should do now.


    ***

    The next day came pretty quickly, after I found out I could just manipulate my fatigue away and spent the time wandering Earth Bet's internet.

    Of course, I was getting a bit bored of laughing at all the tinfoil hats on PHO, which is why I was happy to hear a beep from the phone Lisa had handed me. Digging it out of my pocket, I found that she had some questions about that business offer.

    Perfect, I grinned.

    After a bit of texting back and forth, we settled on meeting in a warehouse she gave me the address to. On looking up its location, I noted it was fairly close to the Undersiders' hideout.

    I made a small 'scrying' gap, shaping it so no one on the other side could notice it. Such gaps were incredibly useful, as I had found that I could simply open one to find anyone whose face I knew or that I had met. On verifying that Tattletale was already there, I opened a portal and stepped through.

    "Huh," intoned the blonde. "I figured you'd be quick in coming here."

    "I myself didn't think you would come here alone," I replied casually.

    "Well, if you're wanting to talk about what I think you want to talk about, then it's better that they don't hear it."

    "True. And considering your power, you already know this is about removing Coil, yes?" The girl across from me frowned.

    "Yeah, I figured. But if you know about him, then you know what he can do, right?"

    "Yes, I do," I confirmed. "But before I give you any more free information about him, why don't we sit down and discuss a business partnership?"

    As she looked at the barren warehouse blankly, I reached in and pulled out a long oaken table, setting it down onto the concrete floor with one hand. This was immediately followed by two nice leather chairs, and a set of tea and cookies to eat. Lisa's eyes widened at the casual display of both my power and my strength, and I giggled internally.

    Sitting down, I poured her and myself some of the tea, and had just bitten into one of the cookies when she took a sip and spoke. "This is real… Where'd it come from?"

    I gave a light shrug, the universal sign for 'don't know, don't care.'

    "So," I started, ignoring Lisa's nonplussed looks, "I have a proposal. I can help you get out of your situation, and even set you up to take your boss' place. All that money and manpower would be at your disposal, and in exchange, you would owe me a few favors. After that, we could just continue the trade of favors. Simple as that," I shrugged.

    "Hm. And why would you do that?" She was considering it, I could tell.

    "You know better than anyone that Coil someone that deserves to be removed. I am, quite simply, unwilling to let such a stain remain where he will be a nuisance to me."

    "So you're already planning on getting rid of him," she pointed out. "Why should I give you favors?"

    "If you refuse, I shall act immediately, and I doubt that you've prepared for his sudden removal. You'd be starting out from scratch again," I smiled. "I'm offering to give you direct access to all of his information. I could teleport us into his office so you could break into his systems, for example."

    "So you already know who he is, then." Lisa stroked her chin. "You aren't kidding when you say immediately. Okay, what's the catch?"

    Heh, figures she'd ask that. Luckily, she can tell if I'm being honest, which actually works in my favor.

    "It's simple, there really isn't one."

    "Really?" She asked incredulously. "No selling my soul, no hidden tricks? You're not going to ask me to do horrible things as your favors?"

    "Really," I promised. "Why, if you find a favor too burdensome, I'll even allow you to decline it. Though, I do intend to collect on it eventually."

    The teenage villain thought for a moment, frowning between sips of tea. I had just finished my plate of cookies when she finally spoke up again. "Okay, I'm in. What's the plan?"

    I brushed the crumbs from my hands and snapped my fingers, opening a scrying gap to Coil's location. So worth spending an hour googling faces.

    Lo and behold, he was reading the morning newspaper in his house, clad in only a nightgown. Well to be fair, it is still pretty early Sunday morning I guess.

    "Thomas Calvert, head of Fortress Construction. His power is a form of precognition that lets him seemingly split timelines, allowing him to experience two sets of actions simultaneously, and then discard one when he's gained all he can from it," I explained. "I would not be terribly surprised if he's using the other timeline to torture or blackmail certain people to learn information without consequence."

    With a second gap, I opened a portal directly to Coil's office in his base, which was of course empty. "And this should be where most of his information should be kept."

    Lisa whistled. "Damn, that's terrifying. Wait," she said, "are we doing this now?"

    "Do you have anything more important to do right now than this?" I simply raised an eyebrow at her.

    "No, but the security forces at his base-" I simply laughed, and walked through a portal to Coil, leaving her behind to watch.

    Time to have some fun~
     
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    • So it seems plan "Remove major threats followed by bumming around earth bet" is in progress.

    ultima333 said:
    "No selling my soul, no hidden tricks? You're not going to ask me to do horrible things as your favors?"
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    But the soul selling part will come into play once she asks Lisa to become her Shikigami, because Lisa is often described as vulpine and every Yukari needs a fox shikigami.

    Also it would be funny if she could access Gensokyo somewhere down the line, imagine Reimus face when a second Yukari shows up to laze around the shrine with her annoying Shikigami.
     
    6 - Coil Interlude
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    • A/N - What is fun for the youkai, isn't necessarily fun for other people.

    Thomas Calvert was simply enjoying his morning coffee. Really, when one had experienced all of life's hedonistic pleasures to the point of getting bored of them, one began to appreciate the simpler things in life more often.

    Coil sat in his office and dialed a number.

    "Yes?" The receiver answered. The mercenary was gruff, but reliable.

    "Begin the operation," the mastermind told him. Soon they would begin their assault on the Alcott household.

    He sat, relaxed, as he read the current poll results for the mayor and the upcoming candidates. Though the election was still some time away, his two puppet candidates were slowly gaining approval from the media.

    Soon enough, it would be time to choose one of them to give the majority of his support to, as well as arrange a few incidents to reduce the popularity of the current mayor.

    A few minutes into the operation, something went wrong. Coil didn't even get a chance to ask what was happening, he only heard brief shouting from the other end about portals appearing before the line went dead.

    Coil sat in silence, staring at the phone in disbelief. Had a new parahuman interfered? His resources had heard of a new portal-using parahuman who had made their debut two nights before, but the PRT was still compiling their reports and so he had not yet gotten a chance to dig through the information on them. All he had heard was that Armsmaster had been transported from an area near ABB territory in the docks to the Protectorate base in the middle of the bay.

    Whatever the case, he would find out soon. He sifted through his contacts list, looking for one of the PRT informants-

    Coil felt the sensation of falling and suddenly he was surrounded by blue sky and ocean as far as he could see. As the villain spun around mid-air, he saw a black rift quickly close shut behind him.

    The portal-maker was using lethal force, it seemed.

    He collapsed the timeline     and took a sip of his coffee.

    This was troubling. Whoever it was had been able to move him from within his base, without being present.

    Had that organization gotten tired of him? Their 'doormaker' certainly would be capable of such a feat.

    No, he reconsidered, they would likely either tell him to relocate or else send their enforcer rather than use their portal maker, to guarantee he would do what they wanted-

    His thoughts were interrupted by a portal splitting open, its background filled with innumerable eyes. A woman stepped out, long blonde hair topped with a white cap, and she wore a long, loose purple dress with white sleeves. Her posture displaying an arrogance that she was unconcerned about anything he might do. She was so obviously a parahuman, but she wore no mask to conceal her identity.

    Thomas Calvert only knew a few capes who didn't wear anything to protect their identity. His mind immediately went back to the enforcer.

    "Coil," she said. So, she knew who he was. "You're coming with me. Resist, and you will die."

    Thomas frowned, and split. He sprung forth, his arms springing for a jab--

    And suddenly he froze, and his world was pain, so much-

    The wiry man slowly rose. There was no point in resisting. Besides, he would be able to take more chances later. "Where to?"

    "Your base," the woman grinned. Another portal opened, and Coil saw his personal desk in there.

    She motioned to the portal, and Thomas complied, slowly walking through it. Once again he tried to split and run for the panic button, before the timeline immediately collapsed. That time, Coil didn't even know what happened.

    "You keep doing that," she said. "Using your power, trying to escape."

    Could she see the timelines, or simply tell when he activated it, Coil wondered. He paused in front of his desk, and pondered splitting again to try now that he was closer.

    Suddenly, his muscles stiffened. Had he not stopped walking, he would have fallen on his face. Thomas tried to raise his arms, flex his fingers, move his mouth, anything- but it was as if his body wasn't his own anymore.

    "You aren't necessary, human." The woman circled his frozen body, a predator eyeing its meal. "In fact, you will be an excellent test case, I think."

    She stopped in front of Coil, staring into his eyes. His mind processed what she had said, and he noticed that the woman's eyes were a dark crimson. He wondered if they had changed, or if he had simply not noticed. The woman's toothy grin had turned unnatural too and her teeth were too sharp to be normal.

    Coil silently cursed. Either she was dangerously insane, a monstrous cape, or most likely, both. He refused to give credence to her cheap fear tactics, not even with the niggling fear rising up in his gut.

    The woman raised one of her white-sleeved hands and touched Thomas on the forehead.

    "Boundary of Freedom and Thralldom." The words left her mouth and Thomas Calvert's mind shattered.
     
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