Thread 1: >>5444

[X] "I just couldn't help myself when I saw you."
-[X] "But on a more serious note, have you seen Orin? She's got something really important of mine and I kind of want it back." Her name was Orin... Right?

I'm operating under the assumption that this is Yamame, under the grounds that A) she's one of like three people we actually know B) She's not being downright hostile and calling us "Shithead Retard Faggot" like Parsee would and C) it's obviously not Orin.

And apparently I can't count.

>>6316
>she's one of like three people we actually know
I would think that would have been mentioned, were it the case. The conversation from last update was pretty certainly between Okuu and Orin, but the person we were chasing seems very Koishi-like, which leaves Satori as the most likely candidate for our current encounter.

>Orin was her name, right?
Not entirely sure what this implies, however.

[X] "Well, you know how Orin is."

>>6317
Looking back, that is (probably) Koishi we're chasing, but we have no reason to chase Koishi. Then again, it's Koishi. And since it's Koishi, there's a good chance of it being anyone we ran into, though her sister might be more likely.

IAS said we shouldn't trust much of anything we normally know about the characters on the grounds that they might be wrong, as evidenced by Yamame's complete 180 in terms of personality (though their general abilities are probably safe to assume).

Besides:
>How, exactly, do you intend to convince me that I should not drag you to my room and make you cry
sounds like something Yamame would say, especially since she seems to be into S&M. Of course, we don't know what Satori's like, so it might be something she would say too.

I find it interesting that IAS never actually names either the person we're chasing or the person we crash into. I find it more interesting that I didn't notice that until now.

Assuming he has any idea who he crashed into (I'm assuming he does from his reaction), I'll change >>6316 a bit to:

[If it's Yamame]
-[X] "I just couldn't help myself when I saw you."
--[X] "But on a more serious note, have you seen Orin? She's got something really important of mine and I kind of want it back." ...Orin was her name, right?
[If it's anyone else]
-[X] "Well, you know how Orin is."

If that's allowed.

[X] "I just couldn't help myself when I saw you."
-[X] "But on a more serious note, have you seen Orin? She's got something really important of mine and I kind of want it back." Her name was Orin... Right?

[x] "I just couldn't help myself when I saw you."
-[x] "But on a more serious note, have you seen Orin? She's got something really important of mine and I kind of want it back." Her name was Orin... Right?

[x] >>6320 minus the bit where it makes it sound like we're not interested in her.

[x] "I just couldn't help myself when I saw you."
-[x] "But on a more serious note, have you seen Orin? She's got something really important of mine and I kind of want it back." Her name was Orin... Right?

Well! All right, then.

"Well, like I said, it was an accident. I caught sight of you and just couldn't resist." Lay it on thick, hope for the best. Not like she'd believe that I was chasing shadows and one happened to pick up a nickel.
"You're not very convincing, you know that?" For such a sour face, you're not trying too hard to get off the floor.
"All too well. It's why I have to resort to charm." Of course, it's gotten me into trouble more than a few times when it's actually worwhoa.
"That's what I meant." With a grip like that, I wouldn't be surprised if you left marks in my ass. "I thought I already told you not to joke like that."
"Must have slipped my mind." Ooh, I don't like that look. That is definitely a rape face. "So anyways have you seen Orin around?" Oh, don't click your tongue like that, lovely. I'll be back for you, corpse in tow.
"No. I know she's usually wandering the halls like she owns the place this time of night, but she was talking about having an appointment somewhere. I'd tell you more, but I tend to filter out as much of what she says as possible." In the same instant that she finishes her sentence, her expression shifts to puzzlement and she starts up like she forgot a period while she was writing her dialogue. "Why are you looking for her? I thought you hated Orin."
"Oh, I do. I don't know how I let her get near me after the first time we met, but she locked me in the basement and I'm ready to teach her a lesson."
"Now, hold on. I'm not about to let you pile more onto our workload." ...Our? "Besides, she's like a five-year-old. If you start fighting her, she'll take it further than you want it."
"Hold on, hold on. Our workload?" You're the doctor here, spider lady. Then again, those eyes look a little too genuine to be messing around...Apparently there's a lot more that I don't remember than I thought.
"...Are you busy right now?"
"Yes."
"Too bad. Come with me."

---

Is he an impostor? You never know with people down here, but then who would even bother? Unless word got out. That'd be...bad. But I'd know about that by now. They don't work that fast. Besides, an impostor wouldn't be that stupid. I swear to God, Orin, if you did anything permanent to him I'll beat you half to death with that stupid fucking cart, inject you with sulfur, skin you alive, cut off your eyelids, and then I'll start torturing you.

"So, uh. What seems to be the problem?" You really do suck at bluffing, kid. Just accept it and move on.
"That's what I aim to find out. Sit down." ...Are you really.

Going to drag it out.

For this long.

You fucking child.

But he's done this before, hasn't he? Does that mean...no. He couldn't have. He's just a human...Isn't he? "So what are you going to do to me, exactly?" ...Coincidence. Put on your game face, Yamame.
"Well, first off, just sit back..." That damn burning. In all my years, I've never gotten used to it. Is that where I get it from? Either way, it works. I can take this much as long as I know it works. "...And relax." And his heart's speeding up again. Wonderful.

...except it's over there.

Why is his heart over there.

"Well, if you insist. By the way, nice outfit. Very 80s." There's got to be some kind of an explanation. Vital organs don't just float around like that.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Did she decide to play surgeon? I knew she was out of her gourd, but that's just stupid. Then again...
"No, no! I really like the way one sleeve is clutching on by the threads. It really gives it personality. Sort of a miniature political statement." No, she's not got the background for that sort of thing. I'd believe it if he were dead, but not like this. And why would only his mind be affected, if that were the case?
"Or maybe my shirt is just old, and you're reading into it too much. Maybe I like the way it feels on my shoulder." What could she have done, though? This hasn't happened to any of the others. I doubt Komeiji would let it...
"Or, you're just trying to look like you don't care even though you're happy that someone noticed. I know the games you stoic types play, I was a punk back in the day, too." God damn it just shut up already! Why isn't it working yet? I gave you enough to take down an eleph...

Because you're a ghostgod damn it Orin!

[ ] I'm a friend, not a doctor.
[ ] I'm a businesswoman, not a friend.
[ ] I'm a doctor, not a businesswoman.

---

Apparently I need to turn up the "blunt" dials a touch. Also, I really didn't want to use this image, but my conscience wouldn't let me not.

[X] I'm a doctor, not a businesswoman.

Because I can't resist a classic. I'd post a McCoy picture, but that'd confuse people.

>I really didn't want to use this image
Blasphemy, it's the perfect depiction of Dr. Kurodani.

[x] I'm a doctor, not a businesswoman.

I know we're a ghost now, but how did we get our heart on the wrong side?

[X] I'm a friend, not a doctor.
Yamame Burodani.

[x] I'm a doctor, not a businesswoman.

How is our heart even beating, being a ghost and all.

>>6339
We're not actually dead. Our soul is simply separated from our body, which Orin is apparently lugging around.

[ ] I'm a friend, not a doctor.

I would like to take a moment to wish all of my readers (and anyone else who happens to pass by) a very happy Thanksgiving. Whether you live in the United States or not, whether your family is together or dysfunctional, or even whether you think of the day as a celebration of our systematic genocide of the Native American people, it's a wonderful time to spend a moment to think about all of the people without whom you wouldn't be who you are. Too often do we forget how simple a practice it is to feel thankful. We shouldn't need a holiday.

To everyone who's stayed with me through all the self-inflicted drama, the wild swings of activity, the retarded blog posts, and the fits of apathy, thank you. To see that you still find time for me and to know that my time is well spent has brought me a great deal of happiness.

To those of you who I can call a friend, thank you for existing. I can honestly say that every one of you deserve to live and prosper well into your 90s.

To those of you who have helped this site to prosper since its inception, thank you. Being here has given me more memories than I can hope to keep throughout my life, and yet I do.

TL;DR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upm9LnuCBUM

[x] I'm a friend, not a doctor.

...or whichever option prioritizes unfucking our hero up and getting him back into his squishy meat body.

...I'm still not 100% sure what's been happening.

[X] I'm a friend, not a doctor.

Explaining this to Yamame will be fun

[Q] I'm a doctor, not a businesswoman.

Hell yeah.

[x] I'm a friend, not a doctor.
You're welcome

I don't think I really need to say that this vote is called, at this point. I will however be attempting to write something for the Christmas event (Which I can tell you now is going to have absolutely nothing to do with the theme) and therefore the update might be delayed a bit by my jumping between the two ideas whenever I get stuck instead of powering through like I usually do.

Writing now.

>>6380

Hooray!

How the fuck do I keep letting this happen?

Well, it was a busy week, that's how. Christmas, man. In a way it's kind of beautiful that an entire society can be driven to such a state. People buzzing around store after store, clumping together until the force of the retail crash is worse than a train full of steel, forming lines wrapping around the building twice and cutting senior citizens until their joints shatter, and on occasion exploding into a bloodlust unfit for human eyes over a fucking toy.

...Did I say beautiful? I meant disgusting.

Anyways. I honestly don't know when I'll be able to update. On the bright side though, I'll be moving into my own place in the near future, which will not only cut down on interruptions but will give me a more private area to work. Many of the times I've wanted to write have been shut down by an infestation of guests.

>>6415

>human eyes

Well, there's the thing, we aren't nearly as human as we like to think. Humanity remains an ideal to pursue against our obsolete animal nature.

How does the sufi saying go?

The fool neither forgives nor forgets;
The half-enlightened forgive and forget;
The Sufi forgives but does not forget.

It is disgusting, but not deliberate. They can't help it, and were we in the crowds we may well be swept along with it, as much a part of its actions as any other.

Happy Holidays.

>>6419
Indeed.

I'm happy to say I wasn't forced to become a part of...all that, whatever you want to call it. It occurs to me that as pessimistic as I always allow myself to become about Christmas, it still has all the wonderful things that Thanksgiving does when the day finally arrives. It also occurs to me that the more I think about what to write for DIG, the more my mind wanders back to CFA - my plans for it now extend past the Moriya, past the tengu, and to the fringes of what is to come afterward, alongside many long-term goals which may or may not happen at all. DIG, meanwhile, has about what it had when I started.

I don't want to say this story is going on hiatus, but I'm going to stop trying to write concurrently quite so cleanly and instead focus on whatever I happen to be focused on. This is, I hope you understand, an experiment - writing a CYOA at all still feels foreign to me, what with my roots in short stories. If it happens that my forcing myself to write both is what their survival depends on, then I will again rethink my approach.

Honestly, though, I just want to stop writing status updates and start writing actual updates. Pangs of guilt run through my heart when I'm made to explain my failures; these are as much flagellation as they are...word. Fuck. I had a good groove going there, too.

Well, I understand it can be hard to get used to. But, as long as you don't give up, humans can adapt to anything.
That sentence came out weird. Anyway, looking forward to the next (status?) update.

Necromancer Orin is awesome. I hope you have the time and motivation to continue this sooner or later.