Public Announcement
-Take a trip to major settlements, demonstrations and public displays of their powers, Without us showing up out there, our word would only so effective. Us showing up to them and helping there would get even more word out, and help reinforce what was written.

It would also give Aya a chance to show people she's changed, and anyone who wants a face to face apology could possibly get one.

Locations: Human Village, Underground, Eientei, Tengu Village? any more?

>>24555
I disagree with this. We're not going for a full-on recruitment drive just yet, and something like that would draw way more attention from existing powers than we can handle right now.
Remember, we're aiming at the common folk, people with everyday concerns that the Three Goddesses can take care of. They're not going to care for flashy shows of power that don't achieve anything useful.

[x] Simple, factual, to-the-point. Who the Goddesses are, what they do, and how they can be of benefit to people's daily lives.
-[x] Same thing for Aya's apology. Explain what she did, why she did it (desperate for any connection to other people), the reason she didn't understand that was she was doing was hurting people (enforced isolation = 'Why would they not want attention? Being ignored is awful!') and how she ended up in that situation (Concern that Tengu society was stagnating, naivety in think that simply leaving would cause others to change, inability to resist the temptation to twist the Truth to get more readers).

We should leave out the whole 'Tengu Elders blackmailed me into lying' bit at least until we actually go to the printers so said Elders don't shut us down on the spot.
I am a bit worried about Aya's histories, though. We might want to find some way to secure them before we go pissing off the Elders completely. Akyuu and/or Keine might be able to take care of them, but getting them out of the City in the first place will be tough.
Maybe Patchouli could help?

>>24556
24555 here

Just a thought to get out there more than just the newspaper. not saying full on crusade, but doing some public appearances as well could have some benefits. words can only do so much.

[x] Simple, factual, to-the-point. Who the Goddesses are, what they do, and how they can be of benefit to people's daily lives.
-[x] Same thing for Aya's apology. Explain what she did, why she did it (desperate for any connection to other people), the reason she didn't understand that was she was doing was hurting people (enforced isolation = 'Why would they not want attention? Being ignored is awful!') and how she ended up in that situation (Concern that Tengu society was stagnating, naivety in think that simply leaving would cause others to change, inability to resist the temptation to twist the Truth to get more readers).

[x] Have Aya dress as a miko.
-[x] Use super-speed to post the fliers Nitori prints out (see below).
-[x] Don't exceed the sound barrier, we don't wanna rupture eardrums.
-[x] Post fliers everywhere in Gensokyo.
--[x] Except Youkai Mountain (Kanako and tengus) and the Underground (claustrophobia)

[x] "The Mikami: we're not small (sweet) potatoes!"
-[x] This is not the entirety of the ad, just a cute catchphrase playing off of what Kanako said about how the Akis should just give up being goddesses and sell sweet potatoes.

[x] Have Nitori print out paper Hina dolls to pass out. Of course Nitori has a printer!
-[x] Have her print out ad fliers for Mikami.
-[x] Have her print out apology fliers from Aya.

[x] Have Nitori and Hatate pass work of Mikami to the ice fairy with the power arm-READ ME OUT, DON'T ANTI VOTE ME JUST YET!
-[x] If DyCirno tries to rescue Mikami from Aya, let the kid give a heroic monologue before surrendering and apologizing for being a damn lolicon. The best way to put something behind us is to bring it up front.

[x] Bring Kasan along to vouch for Aya if need be, especially if it's Reimu (or Meiling, or Flandre) who shows up.
-[x] If Flan shows up with a bottle of booze, snatch it, chug it, and apologize for being a damn lolicon.

[x] Is Sukuna connected to the "grassroots youkai network" that Kageru mentioned in Marisa B's scenario? See if she can get some of her friends to spread the word of Mikami.
-[x] Particularly that mermaid who's neighbors with Cirno and the SDM.
-[x] No, passing word of Mikami to Reimu won't cause things to go horribly, horribly wrong. We'll be wanting Reimu's help anyway when we deal with the tengu elders later.

[x] Travel through the Human Village and outlaying farms as a group and provide blessings (i.e., use powers) for free. People will believe in Mikami when they see them in action.
-[x] Stage a free banquet/art exhibition in the Human Village.

I'm a little stuck on the last one. Anyone got any ideas for food porn?

>>24560
I don't like it, sorry.

Vote will come later but we should focus on our attitudes and benefits and the fact that they were formed to fill a gap in the god's agendas: the daily problems, joys and the like.

Hm. Not seeing a lot of consensus, so I'm just gonna post a quick update and let people throw some ideas around. Hope that's okay.

------------------------------------------------

"...It's tricky," I admit. "What we're trying to do is introduce a brand new religion to Gensokyo without stomping on the toes of the big players that are already here. Right now, I'm seeing several ways we could go about it. The first plan is to actually go on a whirlwind tour of all the settlements in Gensokyo. Human village, tengu village, maybe underground..." I shudder a bit at the last one, "That sort of thing, anyway."

"That would certainly give us a lot of publicity, but might draw a lot of attention from the powers that be," Hina notes. "Plus, it might be a little bit too much in peoples' faces."

"Those are the pros and cons," I agree. "Another idea is just a bunch of flyers along with an interview in Hatate's paper. That lets us put the full doctrine out there for everybody to see, along with a full list of what we offer for services. Maybe some nice pictures of the shrine as well."

"That's the easiest thing to do, but doesn't have a whole lot of energy behind it," Shizuha notes. "We'd probably have to do something more to really get peoples' attention. Once we get a good reputation, word will spread by word of mouth, but we need to get to that point to start with."

"So, public appearances versus flyers," Hatate says thoughtfully. "What about splitting the difference? Put out flyers inviting people to Mikami Shrine so that they can see what you do first-hand?"

I consider that thoughtfully. "There's a thought. Not a bad idea, but if we get all of the faiths in one spot at the same time, it could lead to a lot of awkwardness we aren't ready for."

"Well, things are gonna be tough no matter what we do," Minoriko shrugs. "So we need to make a choice there."

Hina glances over at me. "What about you, Aya? What do you want to do about your apology?"

I close my eyes and lean back in my seat. "Well... I can think of a few ways to handle it. The first thing I can do is a public appearance somewhere."

Hatate winces. "Ouch. That's really gonna leave you open to a lot of heckling."

"Yeah," I nod. "The second option is doing an interview in your paper, explaining what I did and just how sorry I am for it all."

"Which means doing an interview in someone else's paper," Shizuha says sympathetically. "I can only imagine how painful that would be for you."

I nod solemnly. "I could hand out a bunch of pamphlets, I suppose. 'Aya Shameimaru is very sorry.' So that's a thought. Does the same thing as an interview in the Kakashi, but without the embarrassment of being in Hatate's newspaper."

"But with the added humiliation of your face being everywhere," Minoriko notes. "I guess that could be regarded as penance, though."

I shrug. "Maybe. But that also leads to to wonder just how much I should reveal about what the elders have been up to. I mean, I'd love to blow the whistle on them, but that might have consequences all its own. Like them pulling funding from Hina, angering the Moriya Shrine, or getting Hatate exiled if she's too connected." Hatate takes this thought stoically, thought she pales a bit.

Shizuha frowns. "Actually, that reminds me. What exactly did the elders do to you to make you hate them so much, Aya? I realize that you might not want to talk about it, but if you might be including it in a public statement, well..." Shizuha trails off, and I realize that both her and Minoriko are looking at me hopefully.

...That's right, huh? I haven't really told them anything about my past yet. Even though I'm living in their house, helping them build up their faith. I mean, I hate thinking about it, but they are sort of my friends at this point...

------------------------------------------------

So, here's some ideas to get you started. Again, write-ins are very encouraged for this one.

The Shrine:
[ ] Public appearances.
[ ] Flyers.
[ ] Invite people to the shrine.

Aya's apology:
[ ] Public apology
[ ] Interview with Hatate.
[ ] Flyers.

How much do you reveal about the elders?
[ ] No a word.
[ ] Full disclosure.
[ ] Just certain elements: (specify)

Tell Shizuha and Minoriko about your past? (Not to mention Sukuna).
[ ] ...Not just yet. It's still too hard to recall again.
[ ] Tell them everything. They deserve to know.
[ ] Well, a few details should be fine: (specify)

The Shrine:
[X] Flyers + Interview.
[X] Public appearances underground, where you don't have to worry about other faiths.

Aya's apology:
[X] Interview with Hatate.

How much do you reveal about the elders?
[X] Just certain elements: That we disagree with them in some areas (but not which), that they exiled us (but not why), that eventually we begged them to take us back (but not the conditions they imposed and threats they made), how exile fucked us up and how this lead to our candid photo obsession and eventually The DyCirno Affair.

Tell Shizuha and Minoriko about your past? (Not to mention Sukuna).
[X] Tell them everything. They deserve to know.

Hmm...

[X] Invite people to the shrine
[X] Interview with Hatate
[X] Well, a few details should be fine...:
--[X] They wanted me to bend the Truth.
--[X] I said no, so they exiled me alone for thirty years.
--[X] I broke first.

The Shrine:
[X] Flyers + Interview.
[X] Public appearances underground, where you don't have to worry about other faiths.

Aya's apology:
[X] Interview with Hatate.

How much do you reveal about the elders?
[X] Just certain elements: That we disagree with them in some areas (but not which), that they exiled us (but not why), that eventually we begged them to take us back (but not the conditions they imposed and threats they made), how exile fucked us up and how this lead to our candid photo obsession and eventually The DyCirno Affair. Don't forget to mention that we initially left by our own will; it was only upon attempting to return that we found out we'd been cut off.

Tell Shizuha and Minoriko about your past? (Not to mention Sukuna):
[x] Tell them everything, except for the details of the various atrocities committed by the Tengu war machine. Just gloss it over as being more feral and much more violent.

The Shrine:
[X] Flyers + Interview.
[X] Public appearances underground, where you don't have to worry about other faiths.

Aya's apology:
[X] Interview with Hatate.

How much do you reveal about the elders?
[X] Just certain elements: That we disagree with them in some areas (but not which), that they exiled us (but not why), that eventually we begged them to take us back (but not the conditions they imposed and threats they made), how exile fucked us up and how this lead to our candid photo obsession and eventually The DyCirno Affair. Don't forget to mention that we initially left by our own will; it was only upon attempting to return that we found out we'd been cut off.

Tell Shizuha and Minoriko about your past? (Not to mention Sukuna):
[x] Tell them everything, write down (dont put in newspaper) what you say so you don't have to say it again.

The Shrine:
[X] Flyers + Interview.
[X] Public appearances underground, where you don't have to worry about other faiths.

Aya's apology:
[X] Interview with Hatate.

How much do you reveal about the elders?
[X] Just certain elements: That we disagree with them in some areas (but not which), that they exiled us (but not why), that eventually we begged them to take us back (but not the conditions they imposed and threats they made), how exile fucked us up and how this lead to our candid photo obsession and eventually The DyCirno Affair.

Tell Shizuha and Minoriko about your past? (Not to mention Sukuna).
[X] Tell them everything. They deserve to know.

[X] Flyers + Interview.
-[X] Public appearances underground, where you don't have to worry about other faiths.
[X] Interview with Hatate.
[X] Just certain elements: The details of our exile.
-[X] Mention that we left first, and the exile was preventing us from being let in.
-[X] Mention that we broke first, and that it was that exile that led to how completely screwed up we were.
[X] Tell them everything. They deserve to know.
-[X] This is enough information for them to put the pieces together
--[X] If they do put the pieces together, make it clear that actions against them are something to do later, after we're settled, at minimum.

I'm still mad, but I'm mad and thinking.

The Shrine:
[X] Flyers + Interview.
[X] Public appearances underground, where you don't have to worry about other faiths.

Aya's apology:
[X] Interview with Hatate.

How much do you reveal about the elders?
[X] Just certain elements: That we disagree with them in some areas (but not which), that they exiled us (but not why), that eventually we begged them to take us back (but not the conditions they imposed and threats they made), how exile fucked us up and how this lead to our candid photo obsession and eventually The DyCirno Affair.

Tell Shizuha and Minoriko about your past? (Not to mention Sukuna).
[X] Tell them everything. They deserve to know.


This is close enough to what I'd do, so I'm on the bandwagon.

...Fuck it. Shizuha and Minoriko are my friends. My patrons. They're letting me stay in their shrine, and I'm helping them set up a faith. If this doesn't qualify us as friends, I really don't know what does. As for Sukuna... I'm trying to get her to avoid a certain path that I was following myself. That means getting her to trust me. How can I earn her trust unless I give it myself?

And so I tell them. I tell them everything. Hatate and Hina have already heard this before, and just nod sympathetically, urging me to go on. It's kind of funny, telling this story over and over again. I think I've gotten it down to something of an art form: tell all the pertinent details, relay all of the feelings surrounding the situations, without dwelling on it all for too long. It's funny; not too long ago, I wouldn't have been able to speak a word of this to anyone. I couldn't even admit it to myself. Now I'm turning into an old hand at it.

Mino and Shizu listen carefully to every word, while Sukuna hops into my lap and gazes up at me. As the story continues, Minoriko looks progressively more stricken, stunned by what she's hearing. Shizuha's jaw just sets grimly. Sukuna gapes up at me like she can't believe any of it. Still, I continue talking. I don't like being pitied. But I think that the more I talk about this, the easier it is to accept.

"...And that's pretty much why I despise the elders, and everything to do with them," I finish, shrugging.

Minoriko reaches over and takes my hand. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that things were like that. We... shouldn't have pushed you, huh?"

I shake my head. "It's fine. You deserved to know. And now you do."

Shizuha takes a moment to find some words. "Those histories that you wrote... what happened to them?"

"Oh, I made sure to take those with me. They're currently in your storage room with the rest of my things." Shizuha nods, mulling this over.

"And you were completely on your own for how long?!" Sukuna chokes out.

I shrug. "A long while. I wasn't really paying attention to the passage of time. I know that the last thirty years or so were when I was really going out of my mind, but in total it could have been seventy or eighty. A long time, in any case. That's kinda why I get so touchy-feely at times. Sorry about that, by the way."

"So it's not just because we're so hot that you can't keep your eyes off of us?" Minoriko asks in a tone of mock-hurt.

"Well, there's that, too," I smirk, causing everyone to laugh. "Anyway, I don't mind telling you guys this, but keep in mind that we have some other stuff to take care of as well. You know, the whole making the shrine a success thing?"

Minoriko and Sukuna start to protest, but Shizuha interjects. "Of course, Aya. We understand. Anyway, I personally can't say that I'm an expert when it comes to public relations. Honestly, I don't think anyone here is." The three goddesses, not known for their popularity in recent history, look at each other. Sukuna shrugs, and Hatate looks at me with an awkward cough.

I take a long drink of wine to purge all of the old thoughts away. This is my job, and it's an important one. I need to keep on-task. "I recommend doing interview in Hatate's paper to explain the new tenets of your faith, followed up by a blitz of flyers all over Gensokyo. That way, everyone will know about you and what you offer."

"We can probably get Nitori to help out with the printing," Hina suggests, "Unless you can do that as well, Miss Hatate...?"

The young tengu shrugs awkwardly. "Honestly... I barely have enough printer time to make my own paper. Flyers are totally out. Printer time is pretty hotly contested among the tengu."

"Yeah, I always got into shouting matches to get the Bunbunmaru out on time," I sigh. "So Nitori's a good bet there."

"What about the underground?" Hina speaks up. "I mean, there's little chance of anyone taking personal offense to us appearing down there, and it may be the only way to get the Oni's attention." I feel a chill go down my spine at the suggestion.

"Not a bad idea if we decide to pursue followers down there," Shizuha agrees, sealing my fate. Oh man, the underground...

"What did you want to do about your apology, Aya?" Hatate asks me. I take a moment to consider before responding.

"...I'll do it in the Kakashi," I finally reply. "It's probably the best way to go about things. Besides, appearing in Hatate's paper will let people know that I'm serious."

"How much do you want to reveal about the elders?" Hatate asks carefully. There is determination in her eyes, but also a touch of nervousness. She'll likely go along with whatever I suggest, but it also opens her up to retaliation from the elders. But then there's the matter of them wanting to keep their reputations, and coming down on Hatate for reporting a disgruntled tengu's complaints wouldn't look to good either.

I shake my head. "I'll just mention certain elements. That I had disagreements with them, that a self-imposed exile was enforced on me for decades further when I tried to go home, and that I basically had to beg them for readmission to the village. I'll keep it vague other than that, but will admit that the exile and isolation really screwed me up. You know, the perversion, the obsession with collecting photographs of people. The Cirno thing." I sigh.

Hatate nods slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, that should go over well enough. They'll probably be irritated about it, but I think a few tengu would like to know what happened back then, too." She pauses a moment to make a note in her pad. "Anyway, with that settled, where do we start?"

I abruptly get to my feet. "Go ahead and start interviewing the goddesses. I... need some time alone to clear my head. We'll talk later, Hatate."

"Where are you going?" A concerned Hina asks as I leave the room.

I just smile reassuringly. "Not far. This is just a lot to prepare for. I need to clear my head, you know?" With a final nod, I leave the room.

This is it.

Even if nothing happens to Hatate, which it shouldn't, this action will probably cut all my ties to the tengu village once and for all. It's kind of frightening to think about. But I'm resolved; I'm sick and tired of being jerked around and made into a mockery. I've had more than enough.

So, what should I do while the goddesses have their interview?

[ ] Go rest in my room.
[ ] Have some tea on a veranda.
[ ] Have a drink in Minoriko's bar.
[ ] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.
[ ] Go flying around Gensokyo.
[ ] Go visit somebody (specify).

[x] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.

[X] Have a drink in Minoriko's bar.

[X] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.


This option calls to me.

[x] Visit Kasan.
-[x] Give her an update on the new religion.
-[x] Ask her for advice (both personal and political).

[x]spin meditation
you can't be a shrine maiden of Hina with out being able to spin

[x] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.
Ha ha, time for change!

>>24577
>>24578
Kinda tempting to see what Kasen thinks about spin-meditation, though. Maybe later.

[x] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.

I agree we have a stowaway, and leaves are good for clearing your head.

>>24580
We met Shizuha when she was laying in a pile of leaves. Sukuna was just mucking about.

[X] Go flying around Gensokyo.

Not that it's going to win, But I'll go with the choice that best fits Aya.

>>24584

You have my sword comrade.

[x] Go flying around Gensokyo
-[x] Maybe some spinning too, if we feel like it


I can't stop imagining Aya dancing across the sky.
I can't find any pictures of Aya spinning. My google-fu is weak.

[x] Visit Kasen

[x] Visit momiji

one of our friends deserves to know about our plan that most likely severs us away from the entire village. Momiji is known to be our friend, and we should also warn her.

[x] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.

>while Sukuna hops into my lap and gazes up at me
>I abruptly get to my feet.

I think we might have a stowaway.

was
24578
I now pick
[x]vist momiji
-[x] while spinning

[x] Go flying around Gensokyo
[x] Maybe with some spinning!!

DO A BARREL ROLL!!

[X] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.

>>24589
Don't you mean aileron roll?

[X] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.

We "meditatin'".

>>24592

But then we can't make Star Fox jokes!

[x] Visit Momiji

This might be our last chance to speak with her.

[x] Go flying around Gensokyo
-[x] Try your best to be professional during any random encounters that may happen.

[x]Go visit Momiji
[x]Go flying around Gensokyo

Assuming she's allowed to fly around with us.

Otherwise just visit Momiji. Can't be sure how this is all going to go down with the tengu.

[x] Prepare fresh-fallen leaves.
- [x] Spin-meditate until dizzy.
- [x] Fall into leaves, and lay there.

[x] Go flying around Gensokyo.

[X] Go lay down in some fresh-fallen leaves. Shizuha seemed to like it.

Try something new.

[x] Go flying through Gensokyo

Go Aya, you're as free as the sun as it dawns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7812dngARbk

>>24602
Free.. As a bird who has slipped it's cage and can, at last, fly.


Nice song, gonna have to find a MP3 of it and put it on my music playlist, I think.

Calling vote. Have you ever laid down in a bed of leaves? Cause Aya's about to give it a shot. Update later.

Walking through the hallways of the new shrine, I'm suddenly gripped by a desire to go outside and feel the crisp fall air. I have to admit, the Aki sisters take really good care of their surroundings. It's beautiful, a riot of red and oranges mixed in with a few purples. Minoriko has already put up a few gardens around the back of the shrine, and the whole thing just has this pleasant, homey feel to it.

Yep, all they need are a few people to come out this way out of curiosity, and word will spread like wildfire. Right now, I figure that the rest of Gensokyo is just holding its breath, waiting to see if this is an incident or what.

I suddenly become aware of a weight on my skirt. Glancing down, I see Sukuna with a tight grip on my skirt, looking up at me with wide eyes. "Aya, are you okay?" She asks me.

I smile and pick up the inchling, giving her a gentle pat on the head. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need some time to get my thoughts straight. Give me a few minutes?"

Sukuna hesitates, then nods. "All right. Far be it from me to intrude on a lady's privacy." She points at me firmly. "But if you ever feel the need to talk, know that the heroic Sukuna always has time for you." Her voice shifts into gallantry as the tiny girl grins and winks at me.

I can't help but laugh. Sukuna is this weird combination of bravado and cuteness that gets to me all the time. "Okay, message received," I assure her. "Anyway, talk to you later?"

Sukuna nods. "Sure. I'm gonna heat some water and take a bath." Hopping off my hand, the inchling makes her way back into the shrine, while I find myself wondering just how Sukuna takes baths. Maybe by putting water in a bowl?

...Yeah, my mind's going down some pretty odd paths there. Better put an end to that line of thought. Instead, I march forward, letting the cool breeze blow my hair about and caress my wings. It feels good. And coming up on a pile of crisp, fallen leaves, an idea occurs to me. Shizuha seemed to like it. It was worth a shot, right? A quick check of the leaves shows that they're all crisp and dry, with none of the mushiness you'd find in an old pile.

Screw it. I lay down in the leaves and shift about until I'm completely buried. The only sight is the mass of colorful leaves above me, while my ears are occupied by the sound of the wind rattling them about. It makes for an extremely peaceful sussurus, and I quickly find myself being soothed by the sounds. It makes me feel sleepy.

I lay there for an unknown period of time. Hours? Not sure. As I do, my mind takes to wandering and ponders all that I've been subjected to over the years, and all that is yet to come. I'm going back to the way I used to be; I can feel that happening. And it felt... right, to play the elder to Hatate. But it's not exactly the same, which isn't a bad thing either. The years have caused me to grow, and I know that I'll continue to do so. Still, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if the elders hadn't been so damned obstinate. If the tengu had been open to change.

I'll be making my break with them soon. The thought doesn't scare me in the slightest. They can't take me by force. The handful of tengu that I actually want to see I will anyway; Momiji certainly won't let them keep her away from me, and in any case I've put up the wolf when she had her own frustrations with the elders. Hatate is a reporter, she'll see me anyway. That's about it.

Kind of a depressing thought.

Still, I have some dark secrets that would blow apart the elders' regime if I made them known. In the past, I kept things secret in order to maintain the integrity of the village. I worried that stirring the pot too much would lead to things flying apart. Now? Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't go ahead with it anyway.

On an unrelated note, I'm horny as all hell. It's been a long time since I've been with someone. I wonder if Yamame would be up for a roll in the hay. Webs. Whatever. She's sure sexy as all hell. Or maybe Hina's a bit more liberal than I thought or okay that's enough Aya. Not helping yourself.

But things are changing. No two ways about it. The goddesses might represent change, but I'm living it right now. The only question is what I turn into.

"Aya?" Shizuha's voice speaks to me from the other side of the leaves.

"Hrm?" I mumble back.

"You okay in there?" She sounds amused.

"Mmmmyep," I reply, "Just meditating."

"Too bad. I'm standing right above you, and you could see up my dress if it weren't for the leaves." There's a teasing note in the leaf goddess' voice.

"...That's incredibly tempting, but finding out for sure would require me to move. And I'm too damned comfortable." Plus, I'm trying to be a good role model for Sukuna, and that sort of thing wouldn't help.

There's a rustling, and I realize that Shizuha is inserting herself into the pile next to me. I can't see her, but I can feel her body heat. "I do this all the time," she notes. "It's peaceful, and I love the scent of the leaves."

She's right. The smell of fallen leaves has been gradually making its way into my nostrils. It's a good smell.

"You've been pretty busy," I note.

There's a rustling as she nods. "It looks like I have a bit of a knack for this kind of thing. Plus, it's something to keep me active, you know? I really feel like I'm being useful, outside of just one time a year. That's why I have high hopes for the shrine. Never mind us getting powerful as all hell, I just want people to care about me." A pause. "Kinda like you, huh?"

I close my eyes. "Yeah," I say finally.

Shizuha hesitates. "You can stay here as long as you want, you know," she tells me gently. "I mean it. As far as we're concerned, you're a member of the shrine. Okay?"

I smile. "Thanks."

"And thank you for telling us what happened. That couldn't have been easy."

I shake my head. "It was high time you found out, and learned just how far they're willing to go."

Another pause. "What're you going to do about them? Your elders, I mean?"

I hesitate. That's a bit more of a long-term choice, but I need to keep it in the back of my mind. Once Hatate publishes, I'll have declared war on my own people. At the very least, that's how the elders will take it, So what am I going to do?


[ ] Nothing. I'm cutting all ties. Let them do what they want.
[ ] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.
[ ] I'm declaring war.
[ ] I'm gonna make sweet love to Shizuha right here in the leaves (Just kidding. Sorry.)

[x] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

I'm a bit confused. How're these choices mutually exclusive?

[X] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.


Restart the Bunbunmaru as it was meant to be, or maybe even see if Hatate is interested in a cooperative venture. Start a proper newspaper, with reporters and editors and everything instead of just what they can put together on their own.
Spread the Truth, in all it's terrible glory.

Of course, that applies equally to everywhere. Report on the happenings in Tengu court, the fancy parties at the SDM, the latest fashion among celestials (peaches are so last year) or the various incidents resolved and/or caused by the movers and shakers of Gensokyo.

>>24609
They're not mutually excluse, it's more like how far she'll go.

1. Just drop it, leave and never look back.
2. Talk about the truth and if someone wants to know more, explain further.
Or 3. Basically plaster the faces and actions of the Tengu High Court on posters all over Gensokyo for everyone to see.
4. All the way, baby.

[x] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

[X] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

[X] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.
-[X] Consider working with Hatate (if she's up for it) to make a proper newspaper. Make this a full scale, separate operation. Truth above all else. If that gets used to attack, it's attacking with a complete picture, what little good they're doing as well.

War is something to save for when there should be nothing left. If we wage war, we're starting an incident, and if we can do anything about it, we're getting the usual incident solvers and suspects on our side from the start. We will NOT wage war, unless we are pushed to that point. We've got to make ourselves a paragon of Truth, above all else.

[x] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

Let the elders start the war if they feel like it. We'll just concentrate on what's important.

[x] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

[x] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

[x] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

As a side note, I've noticed you've been using 'all hell' quite a bit, Keymaster. Three times in this update.
It's not a big deal, but it kind of sticks out to me. Try using a different euphemism (if that's even what it's called).

[x]Bring it old farts, you dug your own grave.
We share the truth.

if the elders declare war, we have our Histories, and proof of the elders blackmail. We no longer suffer from exile, anything the elders do once we break ties with the, shall only hurt them tenfold.

Not the best time to declare war. An Incident just after the shrine was established won't go over very well. Especially because Reimu's method of solving Incidents is to beat up everyone in her path, unrelated or not, and if anyone else tries to tell her to stop she'll consider them in the way and attack them. There's a reason the "Reimu is a bitch" meme exists.

[x] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.
-[x] A wise king never seeks out war, but he must always be ready for it. Don't start anything, but be prepared to defend yourself and your allies.

[x] I'm going to start telling the Truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

Capital T that shit like way back when

>> [x] I'm going to start telling the truth to what tengu will listen to me. I'm tired of their lies.

Since this seems to be the winning vote so far I thought I'd pick at it a bit.

There are two ways to interpret this option. The first is to go all out publically denouncing the elders and revealing their secrets to all Tengu and hoping some of them listen. The second would be to have Aya play her cards close to her chest and only dole out the truth to those who seek it, e.g. as Momi and Hatate did.

The first would be no less than an act of war as far as the elders are concerned and would at best put what Aya has rebuilt so far at risk, at worst jeopardize everything. There is still some benefit in keeping the Elders onboard with the project, as painful as it is to admit, as a source of further funding at the very least. There is no added benefit of making them outright enemies other than some transient sense of emotional catharsis for Aya's grudges. Not many Tengu would listen. Even fewer would change their ways. Case in point, Momi, despite being a friend and a silent dissenter, would still not desert the Tengu for Aya.

The second would be safer in terms of long term goals. Aya's loyalties are to her new friends. I feel she'd put them before her own grudges and be wise enough to pick her fights where they matter. She'd still be able to disseminate her truth to those who seek it, to those who do want to listen. This would be less likely to ruin the new religion project and be far more effective in the long term. Besides, the best way to show up the elders would be to prove that Aya can live without them and the Tengu, independent, free and, most importantly, happy.

>>24624
>The first would be no less than an act of war as far as the elders are concerned
Hence the 'I'm declaring war' option, to differentiate.

>>24625
I note that option exists and suggests open aggression. I'm just saying going out and spreading the truth would be tantamount to declaring open war, just in a passive aggressive manner.

Aya's smart and the last thing she'd do at this juncture is place her newfound friends in harm's way. I think she'd be very careful with letting her grudge get the better of her and be quite mindful with sharing the truth, at best only sharing it with those who want the truth.

>>24626
I'd say the vote itself is already rather passive, suggesting that the second option is what will happen.
"Telling the truth to those who would listen" implies that they are already willing to hear your message, so you don't have to shove it down their throat like the "all out war" vote suggest.

>>24627
Yeah, I thought so too, just putting it out there that it's open to interpretation, especially as some of the comments have come across as being rather heated.

I'm refraining from voting myself at least for the next few posts as I've only just arrived to this. Missed a whole load of posts since the lead-up to the finale in Pleasant Meadows. Goodness, so much awesome I missed.

Your continued excellence continues to amaze me, Keymaster. I will admit fanfics have yet to move me to tears...until I read Tengu of Misfortune. I haven't been this entertained by works of fiction since...well...Pleasant Meadows and Being Meiling.

Seems like the vote is pretty unanimous. People have guessed correctly; this is the "moderate" choice, as opposed to simply walking away from it all or being very direct in opposing the elders (all three routes have their pros and cons).

Anyway, since it's all but unanimous we can consider the vote called, but the update might take a bit. I have a monster of a week ahead of me, and I'm in the lead-up to finals, so a lot of my time will be taken up by studying. So no update tonight, but I'll work away at it over the next few days. I just need some time to get all my stuff in order, if you know what I mean.

...But this is me, so I'm likely to update fairly frequently anyway, huh?

> I have a monster of a week ahead of me, and I'm in the lead-up to finals, so a lot of my time will be taken up by studying.

Something I've been curious about. What do you study?

>>24630
>Something I've been curious about. What do you study?
Monsters. DUH.

>>24631
No, clearly it's costume design.

For Super Sentai Monsters-of-the-weeks.

>>24629
Back when you started this, you said something along the lines of "don't expect daily updates". I think you may have an addiction.

>>24634

And it's the best addiction in the world. Never stop.

>>24634
I think I have an addiction. Refresh...refresh...refresh....

Just throwing this out there, in terms of clergy, if the likes of Kosuzu or Reimu are unlikely, then the next best thing (other than, say, Albrecht, but he seems more into cocktail shaking and gunslinging than religion) are the pseudo-humans, say Kagerou and Sekibanki. Kagerou's a werewolf and is for all intents and purposes human until she turns into wolf form. Sekibanki's disguised as a human in the village and as far as the villagers are concerned is human. That way you'd get the best of both worlds, a cleric who can appeal to both humans and youkai.

would a youmu qualify as best of both worlds?
But i highly doubt we could get one of those.

>>24636
I don't think we really need a traditional 'clergy'. More like 'people who understand what we do and can explain it to others with minimal misunderstandings'.
Keine is an obvious choice there, of course.
Mokou too, maybe?

>>24636

> Sekibanki's disguised as a yukkuri

Fixed that for you.

> Refresh...refresh...refresh...

Sounds like it's time for Alice to check the traps again.

>>24636
I don't suppose we could get a butler-clone to help? No wait, both are busy.

And Yukari isn't that powerful in this story. Hrm.

What does a candidate need for qualifications? Used to dealing with both youkai and humans, interested in religion?

>What does a candidate need for qualifications? Used to dealing with both youkai and humans, interested in religion?

Well, I know who I'm casting my vote for.

A vote for Meira is a vote for sword-based justice!!

Updates or else...

>>24638
>Keine is an obvious choice there, of course.

She would be if she wasn't otherwise occupied. She's Gensokyo's second-resident historian and self-appointed protector of the village. She would be flattered at the offer, I think, but would politely turn it down. She would be willing to spread the word on the shrine, though.

>>24631
>>24630

Well, I'm a student of the biological sciences, so technically there's some truth to that. I dissected a rat today! Which leads me to this guy.

>>24643

Dude. Not cool. Just for that, no update today! ...Or possibly because I'm too tired to write well. Maybe tomorrow.

>>24645
don't worry about the rest of us, it's better you take a few days off (or so) than to burn out.

>>24644
>She would be willing to spread the word on the shrine, though.
That's exactly what I was suggesting.

>>24645

> Well, I'm a student of the biological sciences.

That's something else you and Jess Adams (http://jessadams.deviantart.com/) have in common besides fast updates. You two should get together sometime.

> Well, I'm a student of the biological sciences.

Then please explain why we have yet to genetically engineer lovely loyal wolfgirls yet. This is a travesty, considering that there are cow/human hybrids and goat/spider hybrids running about!

>>24649

This trope may explain things, particularly the quote: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LegoGenetics

>>24651
Damn you! Now I have to start up Alpha Centauri again..

I sigh heavily, causing the leaves near my mouth to rustle. "I'm going to tell the Truth," I tell Shizuha. "It's the only thing I really can do."

A shifting of the leaves makes me think that Shizuha has turned her head to look at me. Can she see me through the leaves? She is a goddess after all. "So you're going public with it?" She asks me. There's a hint of something in her voice. Excitement? Anxiety? Interest? Hard to say.

"To a degree," I reply to her. "If I go public with everything, that will amount to declaring war on the elders, and I'm not completely ready to cut all ties with the tengu village. There are still some people there who might be willing to see things the same way I do. To open up and embrace the world. On the other hand, if I press things too hard the elders might very well pull all funding from you guys."

Shizuha snorts. "Please. Yamame's been paid in full; we don't need anything more from your elders."

"Maybe," I admit, "But the support doesn't hurt. More to the point, if I get too aggressive, that could wind up hurting Hatate. And I don't fully know just how Momiji is going to react to all this. I know she's my friend, but for all her frustrations with the elders, and for all that she would never abandon me... she's a loyal tengu. Deep down, I think she believes that I belong back in the village, with my people. I don't know how she'll react to something like this."

"And your elders?" Shizuha asks, "How will they react?"

"Like a schemer whose power base is being threatened," I say wearily. "As soon as I give that interview with Hatate, they're going to know that something is up. Enter the cold war between me and them."

Shizuha is silent for a moment. "...Then you need to be subtle," she says at last. "It sounds like you weren't planning to finger them too directly, from what you said earlier."

"I can't, not without endangering Hatate's position," I confirm.

"That's fine. Then be subtle. Let the elders know something is up. Keep them guessing. Talk to Momiji and let her know what you're doing, and see if she knows anyone else who would listen to you. Get through to the tengu one person at a time, and let them pass their suspicions onto their friends. You don't want to face the elders directly? Fine. Don't. Fight them quietly. Sow the seeds of dissent. Let people know what's really been going on." Shizuha pauses. "We're your friends, Aya. We'll help you, however we can."

I smile. Her words really touch me. "Thanks, Shizuha. That means a lot to me. Really." The two of us fall silent for a moment, and the only sound becomes the wind stirring up the leaves. Then the peace is further interrupted by the distinctive sound of tengu geta trodding along the ground.

"Aya~!" I hear Hatate call from close by. "Are you there?!"

I sit up, leaves pouring off of me. Oh, Hatate's standing right next to me. "Yeah, I'm right here." I tell her.

"EYYAAAAAGGGHHH!!!" Hatate shrieks, jumping roughly three feet off the ground. Oops. Maybe I was a bit too abrupt there. The younger tengu clutches her chest, panting for breath. "Geeze, Aya, you didn't have to shock me like that! And why the heck are you laying in a pile of leaves, anyway?"

"Er, sorry," I apologize, standing up and brushing the leaves off of my clothing. "I was just meditating a bit."

"It's very restful," Shizuha agrees, standing up next to me. "You should give it a try sometime, Hatate."

Hatate blinks at first me, then Shizuha, and shrugs her shoulders. "Well, some other time maybe. Hey, who am I to question to whims of the gods and their disciples?" She laughs weakly.

"From what I remember in the village, questioning the actions of the Moriyas is pretty much a tengu pastime," I quip. "Along with bitching about them and plotting around them." Hatate snorts and nods at that.

Shizuha frowns. "So, the tengu aren't happy with the presence of the Moriyas?"

"Eh, it's complicated," I explain. "Kanako and company pretty much just showed up one day and went 'Hey! We're the gods here now!' And against power like that, there wasn't a whole hell of a lot we could do about it.In the end, it worked out pretty well for everyone. Kanako got a mountain full of youkai offering her faith, while the tengu and everyone else got a powerful patron looking after them. On the other hand, it doesn't change the fact that Kanako pretty much forced her way into a centuries-old court and took over. There's more than a few tengu grumbling about that, even if they'd really rather have Kanako on their side than not. Hence the griping."

"The griping usually comes from those that have the most to gain from having the Moriyas around, too," Hatate says dryly. "But anyway, I'm ready for your interview, Aya. Whenever you're ready."

I take a deep breath. Okay. This is it. With a nod to Hatate, I bid farewell to Shizuha and follow the junior tengu into the shrine.

We find a comfortable spot on one of the verandas with a good view of the mountain. I wonder if Momiji's on patrol today? Probably. Man, it feels so weird to be giving the interview as opposed to the other way around. Still, I'm committed to this. Let's get it done.

Hatate takes out her notebook and pen, takes a deep breath, and nods to me. Right. Time to give confession to all of Gensokyo.



[ ] Is there anything in particular that you want to say?

>"And your elders?" Shizuha asks, "How will they react?"

>"Like a schemer whose power base is being threatened,"

[x] "The Elders have plans, the Moriyas have plans, Remilia's got plans. You know, they’re schemers. Schemers trying to control their worlds. I’m not a schemer, anymore. I just try to show the schemers how, pathetic, their attempts to control things really are. It’s the schemers that put me where I am. I was a schemer, I had plans, and uh, look where that got me. So when I say that I don't want to have anything more to do with schemes, you know I'm telling the Truth.

Yes, blatant rip off of this scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfmkRi_tr9c

>>24654
This is basicly pissing off or at least insulting 2 major faiths in Gensokyo, smart idea.
I cant possibly imagine how there would be any negative repercussions by calling what the Moriyas and the Hakureis wife are doing pathetic. I mean, they are some of the most levelheaded people in Gensokyo right?

Seriously, If I am allowed I vote against this.

>>24654
Definitely not this.

Not that. Seriously, this is for the apology.

[X] "To all those in Gensokyo whom I have invaded their privacy, by taking photos without their permission: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To all those in Gensokyo whom I misrepresented in my paper: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To those in Gensokyo whom I personally offended: I am sorry, and it won't happen again."

I'm too tired to refine the phrasing myself. But the Won't Happen Again, and the lying in the paper things are both essential. The gist is an indirect message to the elders that you won't be a pawn of theirs again.

>>24657
I'd word it like "it will never happen again.", at least for the misrepresentation part. That makes it really clear to the elders what we're saying, in a much less ambiguous way that is harder to interpret as just being part of the apology, without really letting on anything at all to those who don't already know what's going on.

A clear declaration of intent that the elders cannot do anything about without stirring things up themselves and damaging their own name in the process.

>>24658

[X] "To all those in Gensokyo whom I have invaded their privacy, by taking photos without their permission: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To all those in Gensokyo whom I misrepresented in my paper: I am sorry, and it will never happen again. To those in Gensokyo whom I personally offended: I am sorry, and it won't happen again."

>To all those in Gensokyo whom I have invaded their privacy, by taking
"To all those in Gensokyo whose privacy I invaded by taking", rather.

Also, an exposé may be considered an invasion of privacy (and may involve taking photos the subject would prefer not to have taken), but shouldn't be apologized for.

>To those in Gensokyo whom I personally offended: I am sorry, and it won't happen again.
No. Absolutely not.
* We definitely offended Akyuu. We may regret that it was needed but we're not actually sorry we did it.
* We're also probably going to offend the tengu elders, but they can go get fucked with rusty dentures.
* We're going to offend any fervent-but-blind supporters of the elders, too, which also falls into the regrettable-but-necessary category.

Not giving offense is incompatible with speaking only truth, let alone with speaking the Truth, and one hopes Aya will never have to choose the former over the latter again.

(Also offense can arise due to cross-cultural misunderstandings* and/or readings of your words you didn't see or intend, but that's less of an issue and usually quickly fixed with an explanation and apology.)

(* Like not knowing how people say hello in Gensokyo.)

[X] "To all those in Gensokyo whose privacy I thoughtlessly invaded by taking photos without their permission: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To all those in Gensokyo whom I misrepresented in my paper: I am sorry, and it will never happen again. To those in Gensokyo whom I casually and carelessly offended: I am sorry, and I will do everything I can for it not to happen again."

(Italics are on Aya's side of the fourth wall; underlines are just on our side.)

The intent is that any invasion of privacy she undertakes henceforth will be thought out in advance, and any offense she partakes in will either be deliberate and considered, or accidental and unpreventable. She's no longer a reporter, so the first is less likely to happen anyway, but the second... well.

>>24660
I agree with this version. So yeah
[X] That

[X] “To all those in Gensoukyou whose privacy I thoughtlessly invaded by taking photos without their permission: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To all those in Gensoukyou whom I misrepresented in my paper: I am sorry, and it will never happen again. To those in Gensoukyou whom I casually and carelessly offended: am I sorry, and I will do everything I can for it not to happen again.”

(underlines are just on our side of the fourth wall)

[X] “To all those in Gensoukyou whose privacy I thoughtlessly invaded by taking photos without their permission: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To all those in Gensoukyou whom I misrepresented in my paper: I am sorry, and it will never happen again. To those in Gensoukyou whom I casually and carelessly offended: am I sorry, and I will do everything I can for it not to happen again.”

(underlines are just on our side of the fourth wall)

Seems good.

[X] “To all those in Gensoukyou whose privacy I thoughtlessly invaded by taking photos without their permission: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To all those in Gensoukyou whom I misrepresented in my paper: I am sorry, and it will never happen again. To those in Gensoukyou whom I casually and carelessly offended: am I sorry, and I will do everything I can for it not to happen again.”

>>24657 here.
>>24664 did about all the revisions I thought of after sleeping on it.
Only thing I might add is a specific apology to the Hakurei-Scarlets. We DID crash their wedding, after all.

>>24655
>>24656

I wasn't being serious with that "vote."

[x] "Dear Residents of Gensokyo,

My name is Shameimaru Aya, reporter and editor of the currently defunct Bunbunmaru newspaper. I owe most, if not all of you, fellow citizens of Gensokyo, an apology. And while no amount of personal apologies will ever feel like enough, this public statement will hopefully be the first step.

I recently committed highly unnacceptable acts of indiscretion against a number of our fellow residents of Gensokyo, who I will not name to avoid breaching their privacy any more than I already have. These acts have finally forced both very good friends and understandably concerned citizens to act, for the good of both Gensokyo and myself. It has been a sobering experience and it has forced me to reflect upon my ways. I realize now that these recent events are only the peak of an entire history of inappropriate indiscretion on my part. My crimes are thus: The taking of inappropriate photography without consent of their subjects, disrespect for the privacy and personal lives of others, distribution of false information, disfigurement of the truth, breaking and entering, and, above all, betraying what trust friends and fellow residents have given me.

No excuse could mitigate the weight of these crimes. However allow me at the very least express this, that never were these misdeeds committed with malice or evil intentions. If anything, my indiscretions were, as bizarre as I realize it is know, an expression of a deep-seated wish to seek friendship. It was the unfortunate product of decades of solitary and lonely exile upon my unprepared mind, the impact of which is only beginning to dawn on me. However, with the help of very good friends I have come to understand this well and am slowly but surely finally taking much-needed steps on the road to recovery.

Citizens of Gensokyo, I have failed you. For too long a time have I failed you. You deserve better. And if you will allow me this chance, I, Shameimaru Aya, hereby vow to deliver better. And I will start with this apology.

To all those in Gensokyo whose privacy I thoughtlessly invaded by taking photos without their permission: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To all those in Gensokyo whom I misrepresented in my paper: I am sorry, and it will never happen again. To those in Gensokyo whom I casually and carelessly offended: I am sorry, and I will do everything I can for it not to happen again.

These promises I will keep on what honour I have left, what honour I stand to regain."

Thought I'd write out what I thought would be a decent foundation to build on and added in that part with the apologies. Thoughts and ideas welcome.

>>24668
That's basically a complete apology you've got there, not much to add.

[x] Whatever else you say, mention that you life is changing, for the better, and it's all thanks to a wonderful, beautiful goddess.

"I think the first thing that people need to know about me is how old I am," I start slowly. "Normally, it isn't polite to talk about a lady's age... but I'm at least a thousand years old. Probably older; it's literally hard for me to remember things the further back I go. In any case, I'm old enough that I never had parents."

"What do you mean by that?" Hatate asks, writing in her notebook.

I shrug. "Youkai are formed form human belief. Many youkai today have families, of course. Parents, children. I didn't. Long, long ago, I was formed from sheer human belief. I was one of the first tengu. I don't know if I came into existence humanoid, or if I slowly grew into that state. Grew into an intelligent being. I do know that in those days, we tengu didn't look remotely human."

"Like, literally human-shaped crows and wolves?" Hatate suggest.

I shake my head. "Again, it's hard to remember that far back. The way I thought then is so different than how I think now that all I can clearly recall are emotions. Occasional flashes of feeling. But in any case, over the years the tengu became more and more human-like. The reasons for this are debatable, but I personally feel that as humanity came to know us, they saw similarities. Formed from belief, our appearances came to reflect this. But what's important is that I saw these changes happen. I've been around for a long time. And of late... I've made many, many terrible mistakes." I close my eyes.

"What kind of mistakes?" Hatate asks me. "Affecting whom?"

"Where do I begin?" I laugh mirthlessly. "I don't want to name anybody. I've already done more than enough of that. What I do know is that the Bunbunmaru Times was shut down, and nobody cared overmuch, for good reason. It was meant at first to be a bastion of the Truth. It turned into a salacious scandal-rag that warped the truth for the purposes of entertainment. And the fodder for my stories were the people of Gensokyo."

I lean back in my chair, looking out at the mountain. "For years now, I have been committing countless acts of indiscretion against the peoples of this land. I've taken photographic pictures that range from being private to tasteless. I've ignored the right to privacy and a personal life of so many. I've violated the truth, distributing false or hideously disfigured information. I've broken into people's homes in my selfish quest the the next titillating story. Worst of all, I've betrayed the fragile trust that my few friends, that my fellow residents of Gensokyo, have given me. In their eyes, I am less than a thief; I am a liar and a pervert, and peope are right to mistrust me." I close my eyes tightly as the words come out. How could I let it come to this?

Hatate gives me a moment to come to calm myself. "When did you realize that you were making these mistakes, committing these crimes? Honestly, your actions of late have horrified many."

I nod. "It wasn't easy. The Truth had to be forcefully shown to me. In the end, both very good friends and understandably concerned citizens felt forced to act. I resisted at first, but in the end, I couldn't deny just how repugnant my actions were. From this realization came the understanding of just how awful my prior actions were, and... well, here we are today. A reporter, who should be an advocate for Truth, possessing a laundry-list of indiscretions."

It would be easy to put all the blame on the elders. They certainly hold a lot of guilt, in many things. But I can't deny my own faults, either.

"Aya, how did it come to this?" Hatate asks me. "Accounts state that you were once a powerful, respected force in the tengu community. How, then, did you fall to these depths?"

I take a deep breath. Here we go. "Long ago, I had a falling-out with the tengu elders," I explain. "I disagreed with the path that we were taking, and feeling that my input was not being heeded, chose to leave the village on my own power. This was a mistake." I look down at my hands. "I'm a social being. I want, need the companionship of others. Eventually, I returned to the village to be among my own kind once more. I was refused entry, and my hermitage became an exile. There were none others who wished to speak to a tengu in those days. and for decades I lived in utter isolation."

I close my eyes, forcing myself to remember. "I can't begin to describe it to you. The deafening silence. The unending loneliness. The knowledge that my people were there, but would have nothing to do with me... words alone can't do justice to it. Imagine being lonely, having nobody to talk to. Now extend this isolation to encompassing endless years. That is what I was subjected to. And it broke me."

Hatate looks at me, eyes faintly damp. "...How did you return to the village, and end your exile?" she asks me.

"I begged," I reply simply. "I threw myself on the ground and pleaded with the elders for forgiveness. Better to be the eccentric tengu, the odd one barely tolerated, than to be completely shunned." I sigh again. "But the damage was done. People look upon my crimes and call me a pervert. They call me untrustworthy, and they call me a liar. But the truth is far more simple.

I was only lonely."

A tear runs down my cheek as I continue to speak. "I never meant any harm. I never intended any malice, any evil. Bizarre as it may sound, everything I did was just a misguided way of seeking friendship, and it never occurred to me that what I was doing was having the opposite effect. Decades of utter isolation warped my perceptions, and I was frantically reaching out the only way I knew how: very, very poorly."

"But you know this now," Hatate says gently.

I brush my tears away. "I do. And with the help of very dear friends, I am finally on the road to recovery. It's a new, and unwelcome revelation that I've had. But I feel that it was a necessary one, and I hope to become a better person from here on out."

"...Is there anything you wish to say to the people of Gensokyo?" Hatate asks now. "Anything that you wish to say to them, directly?"

I close my eyes and think it over. I should apologize to Reimu, Remilia and Cirno, but those should be personal apologies, not something read in a newspaper. Finally I nod. "Yes. Please record this, verbatim." Hatate nods, and holds her pen ready. Clearing my throat, I sit up straight.

"Citizens of Gensokyo," I begin, "I have failed you. For too long a time have I failed you. You deserve better. And if you will allow me this chance, I, Shameimaru Aya, hereby vow to deliver better. And I will start with this apology.

"To all those in Gensokyo whose privacy I thoughtlessly invaded by taking photos without their permission: I am sorry, and it won't happen again. To all those in Gensokyo whom I misrepresented in my paper: I am sorry, and it will never happen again. To those in Gensokyo whom I casually and carelessly offended: I am sorry, and I will do everything I can for it not to happen again.

These promises I will keep on what honor I have left, what honor I stand to regain."

I take a deep breath, exhale, and slump down in my chair. "And so I confess," I finish simply.

Hatate finishes writing, then carefully puts her pen and notepad away. Silently, she brings out her camera and takes a picture of me: a weary tengu, tired of it all, and struggling to make things right. After taking the picture, Hatate puts her camera away and stands. "This will likely be an early edition tomorrow morning," she tells me quietly, "So if there's anybody that you wish to talk to, now would be the time to do it." I nod, too emotionally drained to do anything else. After a moment, Hatate walks over and hugs me as I sit in my chair. After a moment, I return the hug.

Finally, Hatate leaves, and I am left by myself on the veranda, looking out at the mountain that I once called home. It's getting late in the afternoon, now. I probably have time to visit one person, if I wanted.


[ ] Go talk to Momiji.
[ ] Go apologize to Reimu.
[ ] Go apologize to Cirno.
[ ] Go speak to someone else (specify)
[ ] Just go to bed.

[x] Go apologize to Reimu.

We're gonna need her help eventually, best to get on good(ish) terms ASAP.

[x] Go apologize to Cirno.

She's Aya's most heinous crime and it's about time she apologizes to her directly.

If anyone has a problem with it, then they can go fuck themselves.

[X] Just go to bed.

>>24672 here, changing my vote to:

[x] Go speak to Meiling, have her get Cirno and Reimu so I can apologize to them both at once.
-[x] Let her know about the interview with Hatate, tell her the apologies are something that need to be done in person.

[x] Go talk to Momiji.

We should wait till we're more composed. We might also want to bring someone with us when we apologize so they dont just ignore us.

[x] Go talk to Momiji.

Someone to hug is fine too.

[X] Go talk to Momiji.
-[X] Bring her along when going to the SDM to talk to Reimu and Cirno.


>>24676
I agree with this reasoning.
Aya should have someone with her who can vouch for the sincerity of her change of heart. It will also give her some time to compose herself before meeting them.


>>24675
I also think it shouldn't be too hard to talk to both at once.
Cirno lives by the Misty Lake, which is right outside the Scarlet Devil Mansion where Reimu sorta lives nowadays.
Meiling should keep in contact with her well enough to find her on short notice.

Going back through the entire list of everything she's done wrong and apologizing to everyone is literally impossible (many of them died centuries ago, some probably don't even have living descendants) but the DaiCirno incident was big and recent enough to warrant a personal apology.
Before the Kakashi confession goes public. That's very important.

[x] Go talk to Momiji

>>24670
4 fucking minutes
goddamnit Keymaster

>>24679
Also if Aya gets her apology through it'd likely go a way to convince Reimu to accept it.

I really think we should wait until the interview goes out before we do the personal apologies. Everything would go a hell of a lot smoother if we did.

That's just my opinion, though.

Friend support probably should be needed.
[x] Talk with Momiji
-[x] ask her to be there for moral support/someone to help people see she wants to speak.

I want to say go apologise to Cirno right away, but Aya's a bit too emotional right now. So, get support from your best friend.

[x] Talk with Momiji

>>24682
I disagree. A personal touch is better.

[x] Go apologize to Cirno.

[x] Go speak to someone else (specify)

- Sukuna

[x] Go talk to Momiji.

Reimu's probably too much for Aya to handle right now, and she definitely shouldn't be meeting with Cirno alone. Once everyone knows about the general apology, they should be more receptive to a personal one.

[x] Talk with Momiji

[x] Talk with Momiji

I feel that dealing with potentially hostile or aggressive situations should be avoided while Aya is in this particular state of mind. We don't know if this article will affect the tengu situation so it's not a bad idea to visit Momiji. I can see tomorrow being a long day.

[x] Go speak to someone (specify)

-Hina

I can't believe I was the first one to suggest this.

[x] Go speak to Meiling, have her get Cirno and Reimu so I can apologize to them both at once.
-[x] Let her know about the interview with Hatate, tell her the apologies are something that need to be done in person.

[X] Talk to Momiji
-[X] and Hina!

the purpose of the interview was so we didn't get ripped apart at the SDM. personal apologies will wait, for a bit. They should come soon after the interview is read, though. That afternoon?

...actually, would Cirno read the paper?
[futurevote] If she wouldn't read the paper, apologize to Cirno in person that morning.

[X] Talk to Momiji
-[X] and Hina!

[X] Ask them both for moral support when you go to apologize before the paper goes to print.

>>24692
Even if she wouldn't read the paper, Meiling would tell her about it.

Just been rereading the story and came across the scene where Aya was admiring the paintings in Yamame's workshop. Only just noticed the little detail with them bearing the signature 'AAW'. also noticed that nobody's commented on this. Alfred's doing well isn't he? He might make a good client for Shizuha.

>>24700

Hey! Somebody finally noticed!

Anyway, gonna call the vote for going to talk with Momiji.

God, this week has sucked.

I think people just caught up in the shrine design planning that came after.

Me? Being late to the party I kind of rushed through some of the finer details. But while waiting for updates I felt a need for more so I went back and did some closer reading and started picking up on some of the intriguing tidbits.

It feels like these days your updates are some of the few things I look forwards to on coming back from work, Keymaster. Thanks as always for the excellent work. Hope finals went alright?

>>24700
>>24701
Actually I did notice the moment I read it. I just thought it was so glaringly obvious it wasn't worth mentioning - even risking comments of the likes of 'O RLY' or 'Thanks Captain Obvious'.

On second thought Alfred coming to visit would be rather awkward for Hina. I mean, sure the others got kidnapped, but that's something most can forgive Hina for. Alfred, however.... (darn it, how do I use the spoiler thingy?)

>>24702

The worst part? These weren't even finals. These were just late midterms. Finals come the week after next.

Did I mention how much I love alcohol? It makes everything better. (No, I don't drink and write. But I should try it sometime, just to see what madness results.)

>>24703
Being a writer myself I personally like it when my readers bring these things up with me. I feel it's a form of appreciation. I don't mind so much what other readers might say about it.

>>24705

Ouch. I wish you luck then. I hope writing here is at least welcome relaxation for you. I did biological sciences as well so I know where you're coming from.

I look at the mountain, shining in the late afternoon light. It makes me think of Momiji. It's been a while since I've talked to her, huh? I should really catch up with her...

Actually, I really should go have a word with her, given that what I'm doing amounts to a declaration of war against the elders. She needs to know what's happening, and what I'm planning. I just hope she understands.

Standing up, I stretch a bit before making my way down the halls. Soon enough, I see the three goddesses crowded around a table, with Sukuna front and center, scribbling away on a piece of paper. "Hey guys, what's up?" I ask, waving.

Hina smiles up at me. "Oh, we're just tossing around ideas for pamphlets. Care to join us? And how did the interview go?" Behind the smile, there's warm concern in her eyes. It feels good, seeing it.

I shake my head. "It went fine, and thanks, but I'm gonna go see if I can find Momiji. There's some stuff that I want to talk to her about."

Hina nods in understanding. "I gotcha. Well, we'll be waiting for your return!" Mino and Shizu smile up at me as Hina says this, and Sukuna... waves absently, frowning slightly as she focuses intently on her task. I can't help but smile back. It's funny, but this brand-new shrine feels more like a home than the village or my old house ever did. I wonder why.

I take to the sky, reveling in the feel of the wind beneath my wings. Maybe it's just due to being a crow, but I can never get over just how good it feels to be airborne. Looking down at Mikami shrine, I can't help but nod in approval. Yamame and the Oni did one hell of a job on it. Claustrophobia aside, it wouldn't hurt to pay them a visit and congratulate them on a job well done! Hey, I'd be the only tengu who doesn't mind hanging out with Oni! Much.

Yamame's innate sexiness has nothing to do with this newfound resolution.

Okay, it has something to do with this newfound resolution. So sue me.

As I make my way towards the mountain, I notice a streak of white shooting towards me and can't help but smile. Looks like Momiji saw me first. As we close, the streak forms into the image of the white wolf herself, waving as she approaches me.

I come to a halt as Momi screeches to a stop in front of me. "Hey Momi. How're things going?"

Momiji shrugs. "Same all. Doing patrols, keeping subordinates in line, listening to nagging from the big boys upstairs."She rolls her eyes.

"Elders being jerks again?" I ask sympathetically.

"No more than usual," Momiji shrugs. "So, anything I can help you with, or is this a social call?" She hesitates, then facepalms. "What am I saying? You're heading for the village, and I'm asking you your business. Sorry, Aya."

I gently pat her on the shoulder. Momiji's a lot more perceptive than she admits, sometimes. "Actually, I came to see you. Got a minute?"

She looks up and me and nods, seeming pleased. "Sure! Actually, give me an hour to finish my patrol, and we can head to my place. I'll cook!"

"That sounds like a plan," I agree. "Hell, I'll come with you! An extra pair of eyes never hurt, right?" Momiji nods eagerly, and the two of us head off patrol, exchanging small talk even as we carefully survey the terrain. Nothing comes up, of course. It turns out to be a nice, pleasant trip.

Soon enough, we turn for the tengu village, waving to Momji's relief team as we pass them by. A male and female wolf; I notice them looking at me curiously as we pass, but neither call out to ask about me. A short flight later, and we're landing inside the tengu village. It doesn't feel welcoming to me.

Momiji chooses to walk the rest of the way to her house, rather than fly. She talks to me about the goings-on of the village as we walk, reminiscing about the shops and tea-houses. I keep up with the conversation, but don't contribute much. I feel paranoid, like the elders could have eyes keeping watch on the prodigal daughter as she comes back for a visit. For all I know, they do.

Anyway, we finally come to Momiji's place, a decent-sized house in one of the nicer districts of the village set aside for officers. It's very... Momiji. Very stark, and yet somehow decorative. Everything is set just so, perfectly in its place, and the walls are festooned with various weapons and shields Momiji has collected over the years. A few banners on the walls depict important events in tengu history, though I notice that a few are missing since the last time I've been here. Still, its very comfortable here. Maybe because I actually feel welcome.

Also: Momiji likes to eat a lot of meat, very rare. I assume this has something to do with her being a wolf. However, the seasoning on this stuff is so divine, I almost want to make her my wife~!

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Momiji notes, giving me a wry smile as I swoon over another bite of meat.

"I always enjoy good cooking!" I chirp happily, scarfing down some more food.

Momiji laughs. "Well, eat up! There's a lot more where that came from." Momiji seems quite happy to have company tonight, and I'm certainly happy to be eating good food. It gives me strength for what's coming. Which happens quite soon, as my wolf friend asks "So, you said there was something on your mind."

I sigh, savoring another bite of meat before putting down my chopsticks. "Well, I talked to Hatate today, and she did an interview with the goddesses. She'll be putting out a special on them in her paper, and will also be helping to print out advertisements."

Momiji nods. "Sounds like a good idea. So why are you acting so hesitant? Missing your paper?" Her smile is sympathetic.

"Yeah, but that's not it," I reply. "I also gave an interview in the paper, where I basically apologized to Gensokyo for my actions over the last... well, for a long time, really."

Momiji stares at me, emotions warring behind her eyes. "Did you... mention the reasoning behind this behavior?" she asks carefully.

I nod. "Yes. I kept it vague, but I admitted just how screwed up I was. I also told her that part of the problem was issues I had with the elders, and that I was kept in exile by them for a long time." Momiji bites her lip, thinking it over. "...I don't intend to stop with that," I add quietly.

The white wolf closes her eyes. "I was afraid you'd say that," she says quietly.

"I won't take the elders on directly," I say firmly. "There's too much at stake. But I'm not afraid of exile, not anymore, and that's the only hold they had over me. I believe in the Truth, Momiji, and I've been brutalizing it for way too long. Person by person, I intend to tell all of the tengu the truth, so that they can make up their own minds. I don't care if it takes me years. I don't care if it makes me an enemy of the elders. It has to be done."

Momiji looks up at me, hesitant and... frightened? "You're sure about this?" she chokes out. I nod solemnly. Momiji looks away and stand up abruptly, starting to pace around the room. "Aya, I..." she starts, then falters, looking at one of her old shields as thought seeking support.

"What is it, Momi?" I ask quietly.

The white wolf takes a deep breath. "Aya, I hate what the elders do, too. They're out of touch, and you have every reason to hate them. What they did was terrible. But... bastards or not, aggravating as they may be, they're still our leaders. They've guided us for centuries, and now you're suggesting that a very careful balance be thrown into disorder. There's no way of knowing what will happen. It could even lead to civil war!" She turns to face me, expression pale and drawn. "Aya, you're my friend. I care for you deeply. But you're suggesting something that could rip apart the tengu community, maybe even threaten our very existence. That's a threat and... I don't know if I can support you in this. Or even tolerate such a thing. I'm sorry, I know where you're coming form, but..." Momiji holds her hands out helplessly and looks at me pleadingly, lacking the words.

......

[ ] What do I say to her?

>>24707
>A few banners on the walls depict important events in tengu history, though I notice that a few are missing since the last time I've been here.
Sound like either the Elders did some censorship since the last time we visited (unlikely), or our retelling of our past led Momiji to reconsider what parts of Tengu history she wanted showcased on her wall.

[x] I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. Just look at yourself. You are a wolf tengu, which means you're basically a slave. You were born a guard dog and you'll die a guard dog, just like your mother and your grandmother before you. As far as this society is concerned, everything you and the other wolves have accomplished is worth less than nothing. The same thing will happen to your daughter and granddaughter too unless something changes. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better.

[x]But no matter what happens, I'll always think of you as a friend.

[x] I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. Just look at yourself. You are a wolf tengu, which means you're basically a slave. You were born a guard dog and you'll die a guard dog, just like your mother and your grandmother before you. As far as this society is concerned, everything you and the other wolves have accomplished is worth less than nothing. The same thing will happen to your daughter and granddaughter too unless something changes. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better.

[x]But no matter what happens, I'll always think of you as a friend.

[x] I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. Just look at yourself. You are a wolf tengu, which means you're basically a slave. You were born a guard dog and you'll die a guard dog, just like your mother and your grandmother before you. As far as this society is concerned, everything you and the other wolves have accomplished is worth less than nothing. The same thing will happen to your daughter and granddaughter too unless something changes. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better.

[x]But no matter what happens, I'll always think of you as a friend.

x] I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. Just look at yourself. You are a wolf tengu, which means you're basically a slave. You were born a guard dog and you'll die a guard dog, just like your mother and your grandmother before you. As far as this society is concerned, everything you and the other wolves have accomplished is worth less than nothing. The same thing will happen to your daughter and granddaughter too unless something changes. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better.

[x]But no matter what happens, I'll always think of you as a friend.


Also, Elders face when the paper arrives.

>>24703

> I did notice the moment I read it. I just thought it was so glaringly obvious it wasn't worth mentioning.

Myself as well.

>>24705

> No, I don't drink and write. But I should try it sometime, just to see what madness results.

Try Cisco, it's supposed to make you crazy: http://www.bumwine.com/cisco.html

>>24707

> "There's no way of knowing what will happen. It could even lead to civil war!"

[x] "That you believe a civil war is a possibility implies that there are tengu besides us who don't like what the elders are doing. This isn't just about you and me anymore, this needs to be done for all tengu."

[x] "If a civil war does break out then I can guarantee it won't last long. One thing I learned from the transcript of that Symposium Akyuu held is that Reimu collects newspapers. Imagine how she'll react when her subscriptions get interrupted. But as brutal as she is, she invented the spell card rules to prevent casualties in the first place."

[x] "If you want to protect the tengu then tell Meiling everything I told you. I'm sure she'll pass on important news like this to Reimu, and maybe Cirno. The sooner they know the sooner they can resolve any incident. They can go after me if they want, just so long as they leave the Mikami alone."

[x] "That reminds me, please make sure nobody steals the tengu historical records while I'm gone. Hide them in that vampire mansion if you think that's what it'll take."

[x] "I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. Just look at yourself. You are a wolf tengu, which means you're basically a slave. You were born a guard dog and you'll die a guard dog, just like your mother and your grandmother before you. As far as this society is concerned, everything you and the other wolves have accomplished is worth less than nothing. The same thing will happen to your daughter and granddaughter too unless something changes. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better."

[x] "But no matter what happens, I'll always think of you as a friend."

[x] "I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better."

Where did this nonsense about being a slave come from? That's the wrong angle to go with, I think.

Keeping them in power solely because of the "careful balance" (read: precarious situation) that they themselves have engendered is a logical and ethical error on the order of petitio principii.

We should also point out that we would probably be satisfied with (substantive!) reforms, starting with a Bill-of-Rights-equivalent. It's not the elders themselves, or at least not just the elders; it's the whole damn system of government. Putting new people in power in the same positions wouldn't help anything.

(Actually, would we be satisfied with that? Does Aya want a particular outcome or does she just want to see the elders hang?)

>>24705
>Did I mention how much I love alcohol? It makes everything better. (No, I don't drink and write. But I should try it sometime, just to see what madness results.)
You should pencil it in for the very end of March. Then you've got an excuse in the morning!

[x] "I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better."

DOn't like the slave angle, myself.

[x] "I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. Just look at yourself. You are a wolf tengu, which means you're basically a slave. You were born a guard dog and you'll die a guard dog, just like your mother and your grandmother before you. As far as this society is concerned, everything you and the other wolves have accomplished is worth less than nothing. The same thing will happen to your daughter and granddaughter too unless something changes. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better."

[x] "But no matter what happens, I'll always think of you as a friend."

When WAS the last time the Tengu did something NEW and innovative?

[x] "That you believe a civil war is a possibility implies that there are tengu besides us who don't like what the elders are doing. This isn't just about you and me anymore, this needs to be done for all tengu."

[x] "If a civil war does break out then I can guarantee it won't last long. One thing I learned from the transcript of that Symposium Akyuu held is that Reimu collects newspapers. Imagine how she'll react when her subscriptions get interrupted. But as brutal as she is, she invented the spell card rules to prevent casualties in the first place."

[x] "If you want to protect the tengu then tell Meiling everything I told you. I'm sure she'll pass on important news like this to Reimu, and maybe Cirno. The sooner they know the sooner they can resolve any incident. They can go after me if they want, just so long as they leave the Mikami alone."

[x] "That reminds me, please make sure nobody steals the tengu historical records while I'm gone. Hide them in that vampire mansion if you think that's what it'll take."

[x] "But no matter what happens, I'll always think of you as a friend."

[x] "I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever change. The elders may have kept us safe for the past thousand years, but we have accomplished nothing in all that time. There's been no great tengu art, no magical innovations, no technological advancements, there is nothing this society has to be proud of. You may be satisfied with the way things are, but I know the tengu are capable of so much more. That's why I have to do this. If I don't nothing will ever get better."

>>24717
It's not just that the society is uninnovative. It's also rigid, and thus /fragile/. And fragile things have a bad tendency to spontaneously fragment to pieces when faced with external forces. While Aya may be playing with fire, it's still better to get this kind of shit out of the way in times of relative peace.

What's everyone's thoughts on Tenma-sama being a potential ally against the elders? If I recall correctly, around the time Aya was seriously rethinking everything tengu-wise Tenma started drinking. He's likely come to the same conclusions Aya has.

>>24720
Yeah but how much use would he be? He's nothing more than a figurehead at the moment.
The one person we really need to get on our side is Kanako.

No matter who we get to ally with us, this is going to be a really slow burn. The tengu have been completely stagnant for a millenium, that's not going to change overnight. It'll probably take years before anyone even openly criticises the elders themselves.

>>24721
Except Aya of course.

I don't see why Aya has to be so hung up on getting back at the elders. She has cut all ties. She cares not for the tengu. She has found better things in life not worth putting at risk.

Call this the rebel vote but...

[X] back down. Rethink this. Will this truly lead to happiness for all involved? Heck will this make Aya, Momiji, Hina and all they care for happy? Why does it matter if the elders want to carry on slinging their Wang on their sinking ship? It doesn't matter to Aya anymore. She can move on to better things in life.

Adding more to my thoughts.

[X] Besides we're busy fostering a small empire here. There's more at stake here if you think about it. We stand to lose everything and we only stand to gain petty selfish personal vindication at best. In the long run if tengu society is as unsustainable as we really think it is it will slowly decay of its own accord. Forward thinking tengu like Hatate would realize this for themselves and move on as Aya did. When they do there will be a brand spanking new awesome faction for them to join, the all-embracing Mikami.

Life is more than the pursuit of peace. A life well lived, by the Yama's standards, is one spent doing what you believe is most right with all your heart.

That, for Aya, is the truth. She may not shove it into people's face, but not speaking it is the same as denying who she is- all over again.

[x] We're a follower of Hina now. Remember her doctrine, 'When one is blessed with good fortune, one should share it with others. Conversely, when afflicted with misfortune, don't be so quick to blame others. Just have the maturity to accept what has happened and move forward. Learn from the experience, and grow as a person.'. Think of Hina. Heck, think of Momi and Hatate. Think of those you care about now. Will you put them in harm's way for this 'supposed sake' of stranger tengu who've never even bothered looking your way all these years?

[x] Think of that moment, a few months from now, the Mikami shrine is shrouded in a Moriya thunderstorm, battered by rain and thunder, the pathway from the human village blockaded by an army of tengu Aya could never hope to face alone, maybe even one lead by Momi herself. The Aki sisters are packing up to return to their shrine, deciding that any more loss of faith isn't worth holding to principles. And there's Hina, looking at you, not angry, not upset, just disappointed, ready to fall into despair once more. And there's you finally realizing this was all the result of your petty thirst for vengeance, masquerading as this weak purposeless sense of 'Truth' that you barely thought through, just like that time you left the village. That time all you had to lose was your sanity. Now you've got Hina and everything you've come to love to lose. And all you can murmur to yourself is 'Fuck, Hina, I fucked up again. You deserved better'.

[x] Reconsider, what is the 'Truth' worth now, really? Centuries ago the tengu committed atrocities during their fight for survival. So did humanity. We preached to Akyuu to get over the past, to accept that things are different now, that what is true back then isn't necessarily true now. The tengu village aren't slaughtering innocents now. Revealing the past isn't going to fix the past. It might just well destroy the future. The Truth right now is 'the Tengu and their elders suck, but who cares? They aren't harming anybody'.

Also, there's no point asking Momi to go hide the manuscripts etc. She says she's not backing us, heck, she said she's not about to tolerate what we're going to do. She's ready to fight us over this.

Okay, gonna call the vote and write. Looks like we have a general consensus on write-ins, aside from a couple of voters who politely disagree with said consensus. Still, majority takes it.

Update later today, barring stuff happening.

On another note, fuck is it cold out.

I'm silent for a long, long moment, thinking. I don't fully know how to explain everything to her... but I know that I have to, regardless. This is something that has to happen, for the good of the tengu. I look up at Momiji. "Do you know why I want to do this so badly?" I ask her quietly.

Momiji haves a sigh. "Yes. You hate the elders, but-"

"No," I interrupt, shaking my head. "Right response, wrong answer. I do hate the elders, yes, but I also love the tengu." Momiji blinks in surprise, and I laugh. "Oh, come on! Don't give me that look! Loving my own kind is what started this whole thing off, Momiji. I'm not doing this because I don't give a damn about the tengu and want to see our people plunged into chaos. I'm doing this for the sake of what we failed to be. I'm doing this because, with our abilities, we tengu could be so much more. Could do so much more, rather than hide ourselves on the mountain and snarl at anyone who comes close."

Momiji cocks her head. "I've never heard you talk like that before."

I sigh. "Our people have made mistakes, Momiji. But that's fine; everyone and everything does. But we have to own up to our mistakes to truly learn from them to..." I smirk a bit, "...truly change, and grow from them. As a people, we have turned away from the knowledge of our mistakes, and those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. Those who refuse to acknowledge their wrongs will never truly grow from them. By hiding from our misdeeds, our people have locked themselves into a cycle of stagnation, while the world changes around us. How long until we're left behind? How long until the tengu simply don't matter anymore? We deserve better than that."

"It could lead to fighting, Aya," Momiji tells me with a trembling voice. "It could rip us apart."

"You said that already," I point out. "And it's interesting that you say that. You're telling me that there are tengu who would listen to me. Tengu who don't like what the elders are doing, and want a change."

Momiji lowers her eyes. "Of course there are," she says quietly, "There always have been."

"Then why don't they speak up?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Fear of the elders. Fear of being chastised. Ostracized. Exiled."

I nod. "It's hard to do that when there are a lot of people who feel the same way, Momiji. And that's how the elders have held on to power for this long. Not tradition; fear. Fear of daring to cross their leaders, who are supposed to be parental, guides. Not tyrants forcing their subjects to dance to their tune."

Momiji doesn't answer.

"I look at you, and I look at Hatate, and I see what we could be," I press on. "Honorable, creative beings. People who affect Gensokyo and are respected by all. Not an arrogant, aloof race that cares for none save themselves, but a wise, energetic elder race with much to teach people. Hell, look at Hatate and her paper! She's gotten a lot of respect for it, for reporting the Truth." I stand up and look long and hard at my wolf friend. "That's who we truly are, Momi, who we're meant to be. And I won't sit still and let the elders continue to drag us down. I want better for my people, and if that means being the target of scorn, it's a cross I'm willing to bear. Because you've just let me know that I'm not alone among the tengu in feeling this way."

Momiji is silent for a moment, then looks me in the eyes. "No. No you're not. You're just the only tengu who spoke up against them, Aya. And look what happened to you."

I nod. "Exactly. Look what happened to me. Look what they felt free to do, because no one would dare to speak out against them for it. That's why I'm doing this, Momiji. Not out of some stupid sense of vengeance, but because things have to change, and the elders won't let it."

"They have kept us stable for a thousand years..." Momiji points out.

I nod. "Yeah. And that's about it. They've kept us as crows locked in a cage, unable to soar. Wolves leashed to a post, unable to roam. Safe, yes, but rotting. That's not life, Momiji. It's a mockery." There's moment of silence as Momiji mulls over my words. "We've done nothing for a millennium, Momiji. No great art. No advancements in technology. The latest innovation was the newspaper, which I brought in myself from human civilization. How's that for irony? Especially given how all the tengu took to it, including the elders! Everything remotely new to us we get from the kappa, or have jammed down our throats by Kanako. Beyond that? Nothing. We have absolutely nothing to be proud of as a society, and that is a fucking waste!"

My fist comes down hard on the table, and Momiji jumps. I look down at my trembling fist, and feel the words pour from me. "...The Oni have a city, Momiji. Over the years, they've changed. Become better. Become something that you can respect and admire. Us? We're a bunch of jerks who live on a mountain, and we can be so much more than that. I want to see our people be more than that. You and Hatate? You're a good sign of what we could be. Energetic. Creative. Strong. But the old guard won't let us be anything more, because they're too scared of change."

I give Momiji a fierce look. "Are you really happy with your lot in life?" I ask her.

"...No," Momiji admits.

"Why?" I ask her.

Momiji takes a deep breath. "Because as a wolf tengu, I'm effectively a glorified guard dog. It doesn't matter if I'm a damned Captain, at the end of the day, I'll always be regarded as a lesser tengu, no matter what I might do." There's a great deal of frustration in her voice, frustration I've heard many times before, when she came to me for someone to talk to, to vent to, for a shoulder to cry on.

"That's right," I tell her quietly. "In the end, our society feels free to throw everything you've ever done out the window. To ignore everything you ever do. They want everyone to be kept in their place, because that's how things have always been. And that's a crime, Momiji." I make a face. "Hatate told me how everyone always looked down on her because she didn't live up to some set of 'standards' that were thrust upon her. She considered herself worthless. All of a sudden, she decided to follow my lead and do something outside the bounds of tengu society, and now look at her! Hailed as a great member of our people! All of that potential, and it was nearly crushed by a society that could not tolerate anything different."

Momiji looks stunned. "I never knew Hatate felt that way," she says in disbelief.

"Well, she did," I reply. "Apparently this is the first time her parents ever felt proud of her. All of that potential, going to waste... and I see the same thing happening in you, Momiji. How many other tengu do you see this happening in? Who are forced into a mold, when they could be so much more?"

Momiji thinks for a moment before looking me in the eye. "A lot," she admits.

"Bingo. And that's why I'm going to do this, Momiji. I have to. If I don't, nobody ever will, and things will never be better. You'll be a forgotten, unimportant guardswoman, and Hatate will wind up the exact same way I did." I come to a halt as I admit this last. "The elders have already started on her," I add quietly.

Momiji looks horrified. "No..." she breathes.

I nod. "Yes."

The white wolf fidgets, at war with herself. "It could come to war... they could turn their wrath on you and the goddesses..."

I snort. "That's what the spell-card rules are for. Reimu and Yukari would never tolerate a full-blown war in Gensokyo. And if it does cause trouble for the goddesses, I know just what they'd say." I smile, confident and unafraid. "Change is hard, for everyone. It's our job to guide people through that change, and be unafraid of it ourselves. How can we encourage change if we shy away from its rigors ourselves? I say, bring it on! We'll prove just how right we are!"

Momiji just stares at me in wonder. I smile back, totally unafraid. I know this is the right path. Somehow, I can feel my goddesses' approval ringing through me. "I'm not afraid, Momiji. And I won't let anyone intimidate me into doing nothing. That's how tyrants maintain their power, by making people fear repercussions, reprisal. By making them fear what is different. And I won't stand for it." I take a breath. "Do me a favor, would you? Tell Meiling everything I just told you. She'll likely pass on the information to Reimu, and maybe Cirno. That way, if an incident does get stirred up, they'll have lots of advance warning." I shrug. "They can come after me, if they want. I'll gladly take all of the blame. I just want them to leave the Mikami alone."

"Actually, I already had a talk with Meiling about you," Momiji puts in. "She's still not happy with you, but I think that it tempered her opinion of you."

"...Oh," I blink. "Well, good."

Momiji coughs. "Those histories and documents you wrote... they're at Mikami shrine, right?"

"Yeah, but I think it might be time to make some copies and keep them in a safe place," I nod.

"Yeah, probably," Momiji agrees.

A long moment passes. I start to walk towards the door. "I need to plan out my movements. Figure out who I'm going to talk to. Momiji, I understand if you don't like, or can't accept what I'm doing. But I have to do it, for the sake of our people." I slip on my geta and pause, glancing back at the silent wolf. "But please remember this: no matter what happens, I'll always be your friend. Always." My piece said, I turn back to the front door and take a deep breath. Time to get started. I reach out to open the door.

I'm stopped as Momiji's warm hand closes around my own.

Blinking, I look back at the wolf tengu to see her standing with her eyes closed, lost in some internal debate. Finally, she takes a deep breath and releases it, some sort of tension disappearing from her. She opens her eyes, eyes that are devoid of fear of reservation, and grins at me. "What can I do to help?"

I grin back.


[ ] Screw this noise. Come with me.
[ ] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[ ] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.
[ ] Just hold tight for now. But when the time comes, I need you to stand with me.
[ ] Write-in.

Damn, Aya. You go girl.

[x] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[x] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.

We need an inside source.

[x] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[x] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.
-[x] But stay safe. If you think you might be in danger, come to me.

It begins. I don't think any harm would come to Momiji, but I'd rather be sure.

[x] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[x] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.
-[x] But stay safe. If you think you might be in danger, come to me.
Here we go. I predict things getting messy.

[x] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[x] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.
-[x] But stay safe. If you think you might be in danger, come to me.

[x] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[x] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.
-[x] But stay safe. If you think you might be in danger, come to me.


Momiji should focus on passive resistance.
Observing and passing on information is enough. She doesn't have to become a pariah like Aya. Actually, she mustn't, because we need her "on the inside" so to speak.

[x] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[x] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.
-[x] But stay safe. If you think you might be in danger, come to me.

[x] Just hold tight for now. But when the time comes, I need you to stand with me.

Not always a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket. Any group of shady elders worth their salt would likely have a pair of eyes on Momiji, given her rapport with Aya.

Momiji's demonstrated good judgement before by hiding Aya's things from the elders; let's keep our distance, and let her decide just how & when to handle things on her end.

[X] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[X] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.
-[X] But stay safe. If you think you might be in danger, come to me.

Let's Go! ...okay, so my music might be getting more pumped for this than I would be otherwise, but screw it, let's go. The theme just slotted in for endgame. We're not there yet, but the endgame is in sight.

[X] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
[X] Let me know of anybody who might be willing to listen to what I have to say.
-[X] But stay safe. If you think you might be in danger, come to me.

Oh baby all this justice I just wanna rub it into my skin~

>>24737
How would it be putting eggs in more than one basket to not get inside information from someone on the inside? You aren't making any sense.

>>24742
I think he meant relying too much on Momiji since the elders would probably suspect her first.

But since what she's supposed to do is basically just keep going as always and occasionally talk to an old friend about current affairs, I don't think she'll get into too much trouble.

Ah well, I still feel we should pick our fights a little more wisely especially in our situation. But I guess playing it by ear can be fun too. Let's see how this goes.

So, Keymaster, I remember you like rap. This one's better than my Yumeko rap....probably....

Cuz times'a'changin'
Got Fortune in my spin
Got Freedom in these wings
Rock'n'Soar, Roll'n'Spin
We'll show'ya what change is


A broken record
spewin lies
buryin' me in the dirt
Now there ain't no compromise
Yo

Your chains can't keep me down
Cuz them cherry red ribbons
They're real, son
They my godsend salvation

It's Time
to break out of the old
Cause change ain't a straight line
Spinnin' out of control
That's how real people roll

Cuz times'a'changin'
Got Fortune in my spin
Got Freedom in these wings
Rock'n'Soar, Roll'n'Spin
We'll show'ya what change is

[x] Keep me posted, let me know what the elders are up to, what people are saying.
- [x] But stay safe. If you think you might be in danger, come to me.

Vaguely poetic thoughts: the elders are old dried leaves, who just need a good swift kick to come tumbling down.

>>24737
>Any group of shady elders worth their salt would likely have a pair of eyes on Momiji, given her rapport with Aya.

This exactly. They'll know we're meeting with her; they'll probably ask her to pass along misinformation. (Which is fine: let 'em.) I'm more worried that they might have a far more loyal spy approach her, posing as a rebel sympathizer, whom Momiji would then introduce to us.

(Also it's a little more active than I feel comfortable being right now, what with the shrine needing to gather followers. I'd rather wait until people will react in anger, rather than just in fear, at tengu patrols keeping them from going to Mikami.)

"Right now? I need you to hold tight," I tell Momiji, turning to face her fully.

She makes a face. "That doesn't sound like a lot."

"Well, it's not," I admit. "But declaring all-out war on the elders won't get me anywhere. I need to be subtle, and undermine them without tearing the village apart. I want people to make up their minds, not force their ideas on others. But that's a whole other story." I think about it for a moment. "Keep those fluffy ears of yours open, and keep me posted," I say finally. "Let me know what the elders are up to. You know how they are about you wolves; you're pretty much there, and they don't pay much attention to you otherwise."

"Tell me about it," Momiji mutters. "Okay, so in other words, you want to know what the word on the street is, and what people are thinking. I can do that."

"Great," I nod. "Also, talk to people. Figure out who might be willing to hear what I have to say and point them my way. Or at least tell me who they are so that I can approach them."

"I have some ideas, but I'll ask around, discreetly," Momiji replies.

"Perfect." I hesitate. "So, what made you change your mind?"

The wolf thinks about it. "I think... it has to do with the fact that in five minutes, you showed more leadership than all of the elders have since the day I was born," Momiji finally says.

Oh. Well.

"Uh, thanks," I say awkwardly, scratching my head. Then I give Momiji a very serious look. "Last thing: stay safe. I mean it Momi." I reach out and grasp her shoulders, staring deeply into her eyes. "Keep your head down and stay discreet; don't give the elders any reason to suspect you. If you think that you might be in some kind of danger, don't even hesitate, come to me. I can protect you."

Momiji nods seriously. "I will. You have my word." There's nothing more to be said. After a moment, the two of us reach out and wrap our arms around one another in a tight hug. "We're really doing this, huh?" Momiji murmurs.

"We have to," I sigh. "It just happened to fall to us, that's all. Thank you for being with me on this one." After a moment, we let go of each other, and with a final confident smile, I leave Momiji's house, swiftly taking to the air.

It's gotten dark, and the stars are out in the sky. It's deceptively peaceful. Who would guess that a crazy old tengu woman was plotting sedition against her elders? Still, this is a tengu matter. As long as I try to keep it that way, the Moriyas should stay out of it, or be kept out by the elders. They wouldn't risk disgracing themselves by asking for aid with an internal affair.

I hope.

I land in front of the Mikami Shrine and start looking for the others. It doesn't take me long to find them in the private living room, in the goddess' living quarters behind the main shrine. "I'm back," I call out, walking up the where the four of them are sitting around a table. Well, three. Sukuna is actually sitting on the table. They all look up as I enter the room, looking very pleased with themselves.

"Welcome back Aya!" Hina says cheerfully, "How'd it go?"

"Pretty well," I reply, sitting down at the table. "It looks like Momiji's on my side for this, which is reassuring. I'm gonna have to step carefully, though. I'll tell you all about it later."

"I thought I felt you invoking our names earlier," Shizuha comments. She looks quite pleased.

"Don't look so surprised. Or smug," I joke back. "Anyway, what are you guys working on here?"

Minoriko proudly holds a folded sheet of paper out to me. "It's our model for the pamphlet!" she says excitedly, "Take a look and let us know what you think!"

"I did some the drawing myself, with Lady Shizuha's help!" Sukuna says proudly.

I take a look, and can't help but smile excitedly. This thing looks great! The pamphlet carefully lays out the tenets of the faith, provides directions to the Mikami Shrine, and invites everyone in Gensokyo to come by and have a look, and maybe have a drink while they're visiting. A section for each of the goddesses lays out their specific role in the pantheon, and thoroughly debunks all of the bad rumors about Hina.

"This thing looks good, but I notice you have a central blank spot on the front," I note. "Did you want me to take a photo of the three of you for that space?"

Hina nods. "We think a good photograph of the three of us on the cover would really help to sell our advertisement."

"The plan is, we'll have the model sent to the printers tomorrow morning, and then spread the pamphlets all over Gensokyo," Minoriko enthuses. "We were hoping to get your help on that; the three of us should stay here in case any petitioners come by."

"They will come by," Shizuha says firmly. "We have to believe in ourselves at this point if we want others to believe in us, too." She glances over at me. "I think someone's already started on that, though."

I smile bashfully. "Well... I believe in the message, you know what I mean? But I have to warn you, what I'm doing could cause some problems with the elders, so-"

"Good," Hina says with a feral grin, "Let them come, if they want to make trouble."

"Nobody ever gets anywhere without a bit of risk," Minoriko nods.

"Besides, some of us were pretty much at rock bottom anyway," Shizuha snorts.

"As long as I'm here, you have nothing to fear!" Sukuna declares fiercely, brandishing her sword. "If anyone causes trouble for this shrine, they'll have to deal with me, the Guardian of the Mikami!"

I blink. "That's new title."

Sukuna laughs weakly. "Yeah, I kinda came up with it just now." Adorably, the inchling rubs the back of her head in embarrassment.

I just giggle despite myself. "Yeah, Gensokyo isn't gonna know what's hit it, huh? Anyway! Let's get that picture taken, and I'll run this over to the printers in the morning!"

"Take it over to Nitori," Hina says as she stand up. "She was over earlier and said she'd be happy to put a printer together for us. Probably has it made by now, actually." I nod, that's one less thing to worry about.

In any case, we spend a couple of hours trying to find the perfect pose for the Mikami so that I can get the perfect shot of them. We finally settle for a fairly simple shot of the three of them smiling together, with Hina in the middle with an arm over either Aki's shoulder, and the two sisters waving to the viewer.

Sadly, they didn't take to my idea of wearing bathing suits, much to my and Sukuna's dismay.

---------------------------------------------------------------

What is your first errand in the morning?

[ ] Find Reimu, apologize.
[ ] Find Cirno, apologize.
[ ] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.

>>24748

Keep dem beats comin' son!

[x] Find Cirno, apologize.

She was the one Aya was the worst with, the sooner we apologize the better.

[x] Find Cirno, apoloigize.

[X] Ask Meiling for permission to apologize to Cirno.

No matter how good Aya's intentions are, approaching Cirno is going to look a bit suspicious. This extra step might be unnecessary, but it is a gesture of sincerity that will help to restore Meiling's opinion of her.

[x] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.

This is more important and possibly time-sensitive, we can worry about personal things afterwards.

[X] Ask Meiling for permission to apologize to Cirno.
-[X] If Reimu's there (and she probably is) apologize to her and Remilia. Both of them.

[x] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.
Gotta give them time to absorb the article.

[x] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.

This more important. Let the confession and apology circulate through Gensokyo for a week or two before trying anything.

[X] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.

[X] Ask Meiling for permission to apologize to Cirno.
-[X] If Reimu's there (and she probably is) apologize to her and Remilia. Both of them.

Directly approaching the girl we seriously considered molesting is a great way to get Dragon'd.

[X] No, better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.

Key misspelled pamphlets in his post :P

Also, playing devil's advocate again, Moriya Shrine might come into play once things go full swing with these efforts, hopefully we'll be ready for them by then.

[X] Ask Meiling for permission to apologize to Cirno.
-[X] If Reimu's there (and she probably is) apologize to her and Remilia. Both of them.

[X] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.

[X] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.

This we can do now, the apologies should wait until after the Kakashi Spirit News spreads the interview.

[X] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.

[X] No, better get those pamplets out as soon as possible.

So I've been thinking.
Should we see about carrying around symbols of our Goddesses? Or maybe just getting them to bless stuff we already have?
Shizuha gets the camera because art, Minoriko the Maple Leaf Fan because maple syrup I guess, and for Hina, pic related?
Also, Aya has tornado spellcards in SWR/Soku, so maybe see if we can channel Hina's power through/into them, possibly with Aya spinning.
Or make a new one called Spiral Sign: Heaven-Piercing Drill of Change.

>>24769
I was thinking that whenever the goddesses choose someone to be their miko (still hoping it'll be Aya), we could have Aya create a version of her fan to serve as the gohei. It already looks like a maple leaf, which will serve as the link to Shizuha, and I'm sure we could think up somethings to link it to Minoriko and Hina.

[X] Ask Meiling for permission to apologize to Cirno.
And Reimu if the opportunity presents itself.

Hey, did Aya ever apologise to Rumia for the entire kidnapping thing? I don't remember.

[X] No, better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.

[X] Ask Meiling for permission to apologize to Cirno.
-[X] If Reimu's there (and she probably is) apologize to her and Remilia. Both of them.

[X] No, better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.

[x] No, better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.

Might want to hold off on the personal apologies until people are unlikely to assume the worst. I'd rather not get shot down by an overzealous Hakurei/ice fairy.

[x] apologize to cirno
Fuck meiling

[X] Better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.
[X] Then go apologize to Reimu and Cirno.


Printing the Pamphlets is going to take time. Just dropping off the original for printing isn't.
We can easily drop it off, then use the time it takes for printing to go apologize.

I also agree with the sentiment of "No, fuck Meiling".
She is a self-proclaimed "big sister" to Cirno, not her guardian. Cirno is old and competent enough to decide for herself whether she wants to accept our apology or not.
She may look young, but she's a fairy, and a rather powerful one at that. Appearance doesn't equate to actual age.

Aya should go to the mansion, ask Meiling to announce her visit (and possibly also her intentions) to the Ladies and then ask her if she can go find Cirno and Rumia as well. They also deserve personal apologies.
Before the public apology gets out. It will have a greater impact and show her sincerity more clearly if she apologizes to them before the "I apologize to everyone" pamphlet reaches them.

[x] Bandwagoning this: >>24778

I can feel a second verse to my rap coming on. But before that have some fan art.

>>24778
[x] Better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.
[x] Then go apologize to Reimu and Cirno.

Agreed, Meiling doesn't deserve apologies. Reimu, Cirno and, indeed, Rumia, do.

[x] Better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.
[x] Then go apologize to Reimu and Cirno.

[X] Better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.

>>24778

Alright, you've convinced me.

[X] Better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.
[X] Then go apologize to Reimu and Cirno.

>>24778

I thought that part of the reason that Aya's behavior was so wrong was that Cirno's maturity is approximately equal to her apparent age?

>>24785
Maturity. Yes, mostly.
Knowledge and power. No.


She's immature enough to love the idea of a power rangers-esque team of her and her friends, but she's also smart and powerful enough to actually pull it off.
When Meiling talked to her about Aya, she showed that she wasn't as naive as someone that actual age would be and she could probably have fended off any of Aya's more direct advances.
She also pulled off a(n unconventional) win against Yukari, with Ran and Chen along for good measure.


Not to mention that she has matured some with the whole DyCirno thing. She's definitely mature enough to not need a babysitter decide whether or not she will listen to Aya's apology.

>>24787

Fair. But would Meiling agree with you? I, for one, do not wish to see Aya needlessly reprimanded or threatened because we did not take a minor precaution.

[X] Ask Meiling for permission to apologize to Cirno.
-[X] If Reimu's there (and she probably is) apologize to her and Remilia. Both of them.

I'd rather have this done first so we can stop worrying about that.

Man it would be nice if I could like Meiling again.

>>24788
Meiling may want to butt in, but she actually has nothing to do with it. It's between Aya and Cirno.
Aya doesn't need her permission to talk to Cirno any more than she needs her permission to talk to Reimu.
If Aya talks to Cirno without "permission", apologizes and then leaves again with nothing else happening, what's she gonna do? Retroactively defend Cirno by assaulting Aya later?
If Meiling gets that protective of Cirno, she'll basically start going down the same road as Aya but just with a different kind of obsession.


Me, I actually think Cirno's reaction will be along the lines of "I don't get it, but sure! Strong people should forgive others and I'm the strongest so that makes me the forgivingest too!"
She never really realized just what exactly Aya was doing, so she's not holding any grudges and wouldn't mind at least listening to her apology.

[x] Better get those pamphlets out as soon as possible.
[x] Then go apologize to Reimu and Cirno.
- [x] ... but take Reimu or Yuuka or someone along for the second apology, if they'll come.

Mostly so we have an independent third party witnessing our actions. (Partly because Aya still needs a handler sometimes, and partly because I fear a Draconic Interrupt.)

>>24795
Yeah, this sounds like a better idea to me than asking for permission.
Aya may have realized that she's done wrong and is trying to better herself, but that doesn't mean everyone else will just suddenly believe her.
Either this, or have someone bring Cirno to the SDM. Aya shouldn't go alone to talk to her her, because that will just upset Meiling (even if nothing happens).

I'm all for allowing a chaperone (as long as it isn't Meiling. She's way too overprotective and antagonistic towards Cirno and Aya, respectively), but asking permission is too far.

>>24780

Yay! I have fan-art!

Calling the vote now for delivering pamphlets first. I'll get started on it, but update might take a bit. Kinda busy at the moment. We'll see.

I wake up early the next morning, feeling anxious. Big day, today. Got some people to apologize to. Some pamphlets to deliver. Sedition to plan. Possibly getting my ass kicked by an angry shrine maiden or ice fairy (in frozen armor, no less). So yeah, I'm feeling a bit tense.

It's not even dawn when I get out of bed and get dressed. A quick trip to the kitchen sees me making a small breakfast. Honestly, I'm not very hungry. Call it tension, but my appetite seems to be totally absent. Still, it is the most important meal of the day, as they say, so I make sure to stuff something down my throat.

I'm just finishing up my meal when Minoriko comes into the kitchen, blinking in surprise at my presence. "Getting an early start, are we?" She nods approvingly. "Good! I was going to make breakfast anyway, but I guess you beat me to it."

"Well, I always used to get up early," I shrug, "You know, before losing my newspaper. Early morning deliveries, and all that. In any case, I have some stuff to do today. Including meeting with a certain shrine maiden and ice fairy." I sigh heavily.

Minoriko gives me a solemn look before walking over and putting a hand on my shoulder. "Hang in there," she tells me. "We're with you all the way. You know that, right?"

I smile back at her. "I know. Doesn't make this any easier."

"Who are you going to visit first?" the harvest goddess asks as she goes to start breakfast for the others.

"Actually, I'm going to take that pamphlet over to Nitori and have her get started on the printing," I comment. "Business before personal stuff, and all that. Plus, it gives me more time to think over what to say to the others."

"You'll figure it out," Minoriko says calmly as she gets some materials out of her refrigerator. "I have absolute confidence in you."

"Thanks." I can't help but smile. It's kind of nice when your deity puts faith in you, for a change. With a final wave, I bid farewell to Minoriko and head for the door of the shrine, only to see a newspaper waiting out front. The Kakashi Spirit News. Curious, I pick it up and take a glance at the headlines. Front and center, there is a professional-grade picture of the Mikami sitting together, smiling. Hatate's lead article immediately goes into the emergence of a brand-new faith in Gensokyo, one made this time of familiar faces. A quick glance through the article shows it to be pretty complete, talking about the goddesses, the shrine, the faith itself... Hatate's really improved, this is actually quite readable. Certainly a hell of a lot better then any of the crap they keep in the tengu village.

There's also mention of a special article with me on page five. I flip open to that section, and... oh. Okay, that's certainly something. Hatate has put a huge picture of me at the top of that page, sitting forlornly in a chair and looking solemnly at the camera, while my confession to Gensokyo reads out below it. In a few hours, this story will be all over Gensokyo. The story on the Mikami takes up much of the rest of the paper, but my own article is far from small. Talk about a good news day.

I take a moment to toss the paper into the living room, then start to head back outside before pausing. After a moment of thought, I walk up the central corridor into Hina's own serene shrine, the gentle flow of water moving in a spiral calming my nerves. I pause for a moment, then close my eyes in prayer.

Give me fortune on this day, dear Hina. Take away all of my misfortune, just so this day goes as smoothly as it can. This is my plea to you.

My prayer done, I turn around and leave the shrine for real this time, taking to the sky and heading for Youkai Mountain. I feel a pair of eyes on me as I leave, but do not look back.

It doesn't take me too long to get to Nitori's workshop, fast as I am, and I land gently, marveling in the change that has taken place here since my last visit. Everything is clean and tidy around the building, and it looks like the place itself has had a fresh coat of paint. Heck, it even looks to have been expanded somewhat. A sign proclaims this as being the workshop of Nitori Kawashiro, and for visitors to feel free to announce themselves. A much smaller sign below it indicates that Nitori is the 'chief technical advisor to the DyGuard.'

Somehow, I think Nitori still doesn't think much of the latter title. Still, the light's actually on, so I shrug to myself and walk up to the door. I go to knock, then pause when I notice a large red button labeled 'visitors please press.'

...I have this instinctive fear of large red buttons, but what could possibly go wrong-

Okay. Lots of things could go wrong. But I'm going to have to trust that Nitori at least has a clue on how how to welcome visitors. Shaking my head, I press the button. A chiming noise comes from inside the building, and I stand around patiently, assuming this to be some sort of device to alert the owner to guests.

And, sure enough, about a minute later Nitori herself opens the door, stripped to the waist and coated with grease stains. She blinks in surprise upon seeing me. "Oh, hey there Aya! What brings you here?"

I hold up the model pamphlet. "I need to print a bunch of these for the Mikami, and they suggested that I come to see you."

A huge grin splits Nitori's face. "Ah, yes! Please come in! I have the printing press all warmed up and waiting." She gestures me inside, and I follow Nitori through the controlled chaos that is her home. At least it looks a lot more cared-for than the last time I was here. "Wow, Aya, you sure are coming by late, huh?"

"It's early in the morning, Nitori," I correct the kappa.

"Er, really?" She rubs her head in embarrassment. "Heh, musta worked through the night again. But, you know how it is! Once you get started on a project, you just can't drop it, know what I mean?"

I just chuckle in response. That's a kappa for you.

Nitori eventually leads me to the room where she's built her new printing press. "It took me all night, but I finally got it built," the kappa says proudly, gazing at her construct. "This baby can put together as many pamphlets as you need in no time flat!" She hesitates. "Though I need to carefully align everything and set up the ink jars and, well... give me a few hours to make up all the pamphlets?" Nitori laughs awkwardly. "Hey, this is my first printer, give me a break here. Ah! But I have every confidence that it'll work just fine."

I don't respond to Nitori's explanation. All I can do is stare at the baffling, bewildering array of metal, springs, rollers, mechanical hands, and other unidentifiable stuff that apparently makes a printer. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when a kappa's mind runs wild, and it is not a pretty sight. Why does that hand have a paintbrush? Is... that a drill? That thing looks like one of those 'adult toys' that falls in form the outside from time to time! Why...

You know what? Screw it. This weird monstrosity has Nitori happy, and kappa gear tends to work more often than not, so I might as well take her word for it. "Impressive," I say politely.

"Thanks!" Nitori chirps, taking the template from my hands and walking over to do... something... with her printer. "So, wanna stick around and see the magic happen?"

"Eh, no thanks," I reply. "I have some things I need to do first, so I'll be by in a few hours to get the pamphlets." Barring getting hospitalized in Eientei due to irate females, that is.

"Suit yourself. Later!" Nitori waves farewell to me as she fiddles with her... machine. Not trusting the suddenly hissing, rumbling monstrosity not to suddenly spring to life and attempt to devour me or something, I carefully make my way to the door.

Back outside, I take a deep breath and up at the dawn sky. That's one chore done. Where to next?


[ ] Go find Cirno.
[ ] Go find Reimu.

[X] Go find Cirno.

[X] Go find Reimu.

Let's assure the power player that we have harmless intentions first.

Finally got re-caught up after taking a vacation from the site, good stuff! I'm really happy to see Aya get redeemed.

[X] Go find Reimu.

I feel like getting near Cirno without someone we've already apologized to is kinda a bad idea what with Meiling in big sis mode.

[X] Go find Reimu.


While the whole incident started because of the thing with Cirno and she is the one Aya really needs to apologize to, I believe we should start with Reimu.
Explaining things to her will make things a lot easier once we go to find Cirno as we won't have to worry about being mistaken for another Incident.
When going to find Cirno: If Meiling tries to butt in, tell her to fuck off. (Maybe in more polite terms though. No need to antagonize her more than necessary.) This doesn't concern her, it's between Aya and Cirno only.

[x] Go find Reimu.

Reasons already discussed.

[X] Go find Reimu.

Priorities. While Cirno was out of line (and by a long shot) it's something we did to pretty much all of the power players in gensokyo at one point or another. Reimu, we went above and beyond in an entirely different way, interrupting what is arguably the most important moment of their lives.

...yeah, I'll put it this way. If we can't apologize to Cirno for some reason, no need to lose sleep over it. Reimu is another story.

[x] Go find Reimu.

Everybody already listed the reasons I was thinking of, so no reason to type them again.

[x] Go find Reimu.

[x] Go find Reimu.

[x] Go find Reimu.

> Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when a kappa's mind runs wild, and it is not a pretty sight.

No, an ink cartridge being "out of ink" because of a built-in expiration date, that's not a pretty site. Sure, kappa printers completely lack standardization but so do Outside printers. Anyway...

[x] Go find Reimu.

Since we're planning sedition, it'd be a good idea to get on the good side of what passes for the federal law enforcement in Gensokyo.

[x] Go find Reimu.

When?

>>24813
Only after talking to Hina about it.
Threesome with both of them domming Aya is objectively the best outcome.

>>24813

Get in line spidey. We've already got 3 goddesses.

Calling it for Reimu, and I'm gonna start working on the update.


>>24813

This picture? I like this picture. I like this picture a lot.

>>24816
Quick question Keymaster, are you willing to write actual sex scenes or are you just going to >imply everything?
I'd be fine with either.

I heave a sigh. First things first. I should really have a talk with Reimu and get things sorted out with her before anything else. Maybe I can get her off of the Mikami's back before she even starts up on them. Cirno can wait until later, when Gensokyo's primary enforcer isn't liable to come after me. Nodding to myself, I take to the air and blast off towards the misty lake, and the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

It doesn't take me too long to see the red walls of the mansion, or its artfully done gardens. Yin-yang signs seem to be in vogue right about now, as well as some other flower arrangements that seem to be blending the Hakurei symbol with the image of bat wings and a red, slitted eye (though none of the latter are very prominent). Best guess is that Remilia is trying to blend Reimu's symbol with some of her own symbology. Wonder how Reimu's taking that? Still, first and foremost there's another little issue that I'll have to deal with.

Taking a deep breath, I land in front of the gate. Standing in front of it. Meiling Hong is waiting for me.

For a long moment, the two of us just stare at each other.

"Hey," I say quietly.

"Hey," Meiling says back, giving a little wave. She falls silent.

"...I like the gardens," I try awkwardly. "Nice yin-yang symbols. And the other stuff, too."

"Yeah, thanks," Meiling shrugs. "Yuuka helped me with them. Remilia's trying to merge the two symbols and make a new one to symbolize the marriage, but it just isn't working out all that well. Reimu's humoring her, but it's clear she isn't going to change around the imagery she uses. Centuries of tradition, you know?"

"Heh," I chuckle, "Nothing like a cute marital spat."

Meiling smirks. "That about sums it up. Remilia's pouting about it, but she'll get over it." I nod at this, falling silent again. Meiling takes a moment to think over her next words, then sighs. "Momiji came by and talked to me a while back. She didn't tell me everything, but she told me enough."

"Oh," I say with a nod.

Meiling sighs again. "I saw you as a threat, and reacted as my heart dictated. I still cannot accept what you did, but had I known then what I do now... I would have acted differently. At the very least, I can understand your situation." Her words are formal, polite.

"...I was threatening one that you considered your sister, your ward," I say quietly. "From your perspective... well, I can at least understand your actions." Meiling nods silently in response.

And that, I think, is about as good as it's going to get.

I glance over at the house. "Are Reimu and Remilia in?"

"Yeah, they should be having breakfast right about now," Meiling replies. "Did you want to see them?"

"Is it okay?" I ask.

"Well, I suspect that you have a legitimate reason for being here, so they should at least be willing to see you," Meiling shrugs. "Just to be clear, the entire household throws its weight behind the Hakurei Shrine, so we probably won't be visiting your new shrine, save as a courtesy."

I chuckle. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting any of you to convert. And I do have some things to talk to them about." I glance at the mansion. "Um... is Flandre up and about?"

Meiling gets a strange look on her face. "Flandre is hard at work in the basement. She's been hollowing out large sections of the bedrock to make a new game setting."

"Sorry?" I blink.

"Well, she got her hands on this boardgame from the outside," Meiling explains. "Something about a 'catan,' whatever that is. Anyway, she's been hard at work making rules for a life-sized version of it. Been gathering provisions, too. I have no idea why, and I've been staying out of it. Got enough on my hands with Sakuya and Yuuka."

"My sympathies." I grin. "And a fair bit of envy."

Meiling coughs and blushes. "Yeah... yeah, they're something, no two ways about it." She shakes her head. "Anyway, you wanted to go in?" She puts her hand on the gate.

"Yes, please," I confirm, and Meiling pushes the gate open for me. With a final nod, I leave the gatekeeper behind and walk up to the main doorway of the mansion. I knock once, and moments later, a familiar maid opens the door. Sakuya looks... pretty good, honestly. I think she's wearing some makeup, and overall looks bright and cheerful. Guess love does that to a person.

Sakuya blinks once upon seeing me, but quickly regains what little composure she lost and curtsies politely. "Miss Shameimaru, what a surprise! Can I assume that you're here to see the Mistresses?"

Wow. That's right, Reimu's technically one of the ladies of the house, huh? And Sakuya regards her as such. Damn, things sure do change. "If it would be possible, I would like to speak with them," I nod to Sakuya, speaking as politely as I can.

The maid gives me an interested look, but nods after a moment. "Very well. They are currently having breakfast, but you came at a good time. Reimu has yet to depart for the shrine. Please, this way." Sakuya gestures me into the house, and I follow after her, walking down the long, red corridors. The mansion looks much the same as it did the last time I was here (well, barring the wedding, that is) with the exception that there appear to be Hakurei symbols on the walls every so often. Nothing overwhelming, just a reminder that Reimu now calls this place home. I have to wonder what all has gone on here during my confinement. Eh, probably the wrong time to ask about it, honestly.

Sakuya glances back at me. "Fair warning: Miss Reimu won't be too happy to see you. She's been going over that article in the Kakashi Spirit News all morning and grumbling about it. The one about the goddesses, I mean. In her words, she regards your new religion as 'another group of damn upstarts looking to steal away some more faith.' Miss Remilia has been trying to calm he down, but... well, she was thinking about paying you a visit, let's say."

I wince. "Sounds like I picked a good time to come along then." I take a deep breath. Okay, Reimu could be a little hostile towards me. I guess I should have expected that. Actually, I sort of was expecting it. Oh well, best to deal with it sooner than later. I'm about to say something else, when whatever it was is wiped clean from my mind as something else catches my eye.

I stare blankly, turning my head to follow a small figure as it marches cheerily down the hall, leaving the smell of caramel in her wake. Baffled, I turn back to Sakuya. "Hey, um... that fairy maid we just passed?"

"Yes?" Sakua asks serenely.

"Well... it looked like she was using a magical flame to roast a marshmallow, and-"

"It's just her way, so please leave her to do her thing," Sakuya says, polite but firm. "Sometimes, you just have to let people roll with things. This is what's best for her. Anyway, here we are." Sakuya come to a stop and gestures to a large pair of double doors. Without waiting another moment, the maid pushes them open and announces me. "Aya Shameimaru to see you." With a sigh, I walk inside.

The air is very still as I enter the dining room. Reimu and Remilia are sitting across from one another, a large breakfast spread before them. They look the same as I remember, but... healthier, somehow. Remilia has a pleasant blush on her pale skin, while Reimu is looking one hell of a lot better then I remember. Her hair seems more lustrous, her body more filled-out. Even her uniform is visibly of a much higher quality, with flowery designs faintly embroidered into the red fabric. Most likely, she's feeling the advantages of marrying into wealth.

Remilia looks up, takes one look at me, and winces, turning her head away. "Oh boy..." I hear her mutter.

Reimu absolutely impales me with her glare. "You," she says darkly. With deceptive slowness, the shrine maiden rises up from her chair and begins to stalk towards me. Looking uncomfortable, Remilia rises from her chair and begins to follow behind Reimu.

So. I currently have an angry shrine maiden barreling down at me while her spouse looks worried that she might make a mess all over the carpet. Sakuya has conspicuously vanished. I have mere moments until Reimu reaches me. What do I do?


[ ] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.
[ ] Try to calm her down before she clobbers you.
[ ] Throw yourself upon the mercy of the mighty Hakurei.
[ ] Say something, quick! (write-in option)


----------------------------------------------

>>24817

...Maybe. If people vote for Aya to hook up with someone, I give it a try, but my attempts to write smut haven't been very good. We'll see.

[x] "How's Flandre coming along her 'Auntie' project?"

Quick, throw her off guard, and hit her with the Truth while she's down!

[x] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

If she vents all her anger now, she won't have as much when we start explaining things.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

This is partially why we're here. Better for Reimu to vent on us than on our Goddesses.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

DO make sure we survive long enough to apologize, though. Also, it's good to see Malla again. Glad to see she's doing well.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

>...Maybe. If people vote for Aya to hook up with someone, I give it a try, but my attempts to write smut haven't been very good. We'll see.
Please don't do this, I'd hate to drop the story that quickly after just having caught up.

[x] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

It's not like we don't totally deserve a dressing down anyways.

>>24818
hard to tell when we haven't really seen it, that and writers are infamous for considering their stuff worse than they actually are.

[x] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.
-[x]If necessary dodge blows.

[x] Raise a hand quickly and speak while she's surprised.
-[x] I know you're mad about a new faith emerging but I'm here for something that concerns you as a person and a wife, not as a shrine maiden.
--[x] Apologize for your actions during the wedding and everything that came before.


I like how she's mad at the faith thing, but we're here to apologize for something far far worse

[x] Raise a hand quickly and speak while she's surprised.
-[x] I know you're mad about a new faith emerging but I'm here for something that concerns you as a person and a wife, not as a shrine maiden.
--[x] Apologize for your actions during the wedding and everything that came before.

Also, shrine talk! After the apologies, of course, unless Reimu completely ignores our heartfelt efforts and insists on trying to punch us over religion instead.

[X] Getting mad about the Mikami Shrine is uncalled for, Reimu, considering our spheres of influence are far different from yours. We're all about art, food, parties and good fortune, whereas you're about exterminating youkai and... um.
-[X] Okay, I'll be blunt; no one has any idea what the tenets of your religion are. If you're going to try and blow us up, at least make sure we're actually poaching faith from you first.

Finally!

[X] "So... How's Flandre coming along her 'Auntie' project?"

[x] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

Just let her blow over. Remilia doesn't seem to be especially hostile at the moment so after Reimu finishes flipping out it might even and up a somewhat amicable visit.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

Can't be reasoned with, can't be bargained with, no pity or fear, etc.

>>24819 here. Changing mu vote to >>24832's:

[x] Raise a hand quickly and speak while she's surprised.
-[x] I know you're mad about a new faith emerging but I'm here for something that concerns you as a person and a wife, not as a shrine maiden.
--[x] Apologize for your actions during the wedding and everything that came before.

If religion comes up...

[X] Getting mad about the Mikami Shrine is uncalled for, Reimu, considering our spheres of influence are far different from yours. We're all about art, food, parties and good fortune, whereas you're about exterminating youkai and... um.
-[X] Okay, I'll be blunt; no one has any idea what the tenets of your religion are. If you're going to try and blow us up, at least make sure we're actually poaching faith from you first.

[x] Raise a hand quickly and speak while she's surprised.
-[x] I know you're mad about a new faith emerging but I'm here for something that concerns you as a person and a wife, not as a shrine maiden.
--[x] Apologize for your actions during the wedding and everything that came before.

Let's not poke a sore spot just yet.

[x] Raise a hand quickly and speak while she's surprised.
-[x] I know you're mad about a new faith emerging but I'm here for something that concerns you as a person and a wife, not as a shrine maiden.
--[x] Apologize for your actions during the wedding and everything that came before.

Iff (If and only if) religion comes up...

[X] Getting mad about the Mikami Shrine is uncalled for, Reimu, considering our spheres of influence are far different from yours. We're all about art, food, parties and good fortune, whereas you're about exterminating youkai and... um.
-[X] Okay, I'll be blunt; no one has any idea what the tenets of your religion are. If you're going to try and blow us up, at least make sure we're actually poaching faith from you first.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

Standing strong and letting Reimu vent helps show both our sincerity and our determination.

Then, after that, iff religion comes up,

[X] Getting mad about the Mikami Shrine is uncalled for, Reimu, considering our spheres of influence are far different from yours. We're all about art, food, parties and good fortune, whereas you're about exterminating youkai and protecting the peace.

The rest of it is too confrontational. We want to appear strong, but we don't want to start something here, in fact that's explicitly what we're trying to prevent.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

>>24816

You have good taste, sir.

>>24825

Why would you drop it? Why not just not read the porn?

>>24813
>>24815
Aren't you forgetting someone?

>>24825
What if it's in a separate /at/ thread?

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.
-[X] Then this: >>24832

Let's let Reimu say her piece first. We won't get through to her until she's calmed down a bit.
Even if it comes to violence and/or danmaku Aya should stay completely on the defensive, never throwing a single attack of any kind.
She's here to apologize, not pick a fight.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.

Best way to face an angry person is to stay silent and let them blow off all the steam. They eventually tire out and feel all awkward when left unchallenged.

Best if this is immediately followed by an explanation that Aya's here firstly for a personal matter, to apologize wholeheartedly, etc.

Secondly, address her concerns regarding the shrine in a reassuring manner, tell her exactly what the Mikami stands for.

Now, a question to everyone, we've discussed the pros and cons of having Reimu be our ally before. However, that was before the three goddess alliance. Now with Hina set up with two other goddesses with a shrine of their own, has this position perhaps changed somewhat?

Reimu doesn't have a deity. We don't have a miko. There's a potential partnership here. We'd get the nuclear deterrent that is Reimu and the SDM behind her, plus her genius knowledge of the divine. She'd get herself 3 deities with an excellent faith potential. Cons are, well, it's Reimu. She might boss us around less with us having 3 goddesses and a shrine of our own, plus not having to scavenge for donations and food anymore etc. she's probably mellowed out some hopefully, but it's still Reimu. Plus there's her rather ambiguous anti-youkai stance...though now that she's married to one I wonder how that's changed?

There's also the fact that we haven't discussed this with the goddesses. If we launch this preposition there's the issue of the goddesses being somewhat annoyed at us for not consulting them.

Thoughts?

[X] Offer Reimu a business preposition. She wants faith and followers. She doesn't have any deities but she's got a miko, her. We have 3 deities but no miko. See where we're going here?

On further thought, another con is the fact that the SDM is behind her - on a personal level Aya probably wouldn't be comfortable having Meiling and Flandre in close association.

[X] Stand firm, let Reimu vent her anger before speaking.
-[X] Then this: >>24832
--[X] You used to say that hosting the feasts and parties are tire some so if we take responsibility for those at our shire you can't complain.

> "Well, she got her hands on this boardgame from the outside," Meiling explains. "Something about a 'catan,' whatever that is. Anyway, she's been hard at work making rules for a life-sized version of it. Been gathering provisions, too. I have no idea why, and I've been staying out of it. Got enough on my hands with Sakuya and Yuuka."

So, will the next fic be about the LARPers of Catan?

>>24843
Reimu does have a deity. The problem is she knows absolutely nothing about the Hakurei shrine's deity, not even his name or gender. This is why her faith has very few followers. Reimu is an excellent police officer, but as far as being a priestess goes she's an utter failure.

>>24832
>If you're going to try and blow us up, at least make sure we're actually poaching faith from you first.
I don't like this because, ignoring the aggresive tone, it opens the field for her to say 'My goddess is all about parties now, so you're in my turf'

>>24847

Actually canon points to otherwise. In Silent Sinner in Blue she was shown to be able to channel just about any deity with ridiculous ease, something even Yukari commented was a mark of unnatural talent. She's a genius at being a shrinemaiden. She's just not bothered about it most of the time, and not having a proper deity at her shrine doesn't help either. Having 3 faith-drawing deities she can see, hear and work with might in fact help.

>>24849
I never read Silent Sinner in Blue, so I based my last post off of this quote from Reimu's entry in the touhou wiki:

"Reimu knows next to nothing about the god dwelling in her shrine, making her unable to provide it with faith despite her efforts. Byakuren stated in one of the endings for Undefined Fantastic Object that the god is mad because of this."

>>24840
>>24841
Blame balistafreak and to an extant YAF, but mostly balistafreak.

Eh, only write smut if you think you're going to enjoy writing smut. Otherwise don't bother. This is as much for your own enjoyment as it is for ours, Keymaster. I personally don't really care one way or the other. Your writing so far has been more than enough.

Though I would love to see Hina and Aya get together...

>>24843

Don't forget the Scarlet fortune. If the tengu withdraw their financial support we'd have a safe and reliable backup. I say we see how this meeting with Reimu pans out. We'd be able to better judge what Keymasterverse Reimu is like and see whether she's likely to be a good partner or an overbearing tyrant.

>>24852

Why stop there? We could call it a ritual to bring shrine maiden and patron goddesses closer together.

>>24854
While I don't doubt that Aya finds the Aki sisters attractive, they're not as deeply important to her as Hina is.
I mean, the Misfortune Goddess basically saved Aya's sanity and gave a new, real meaning to her life.
Also, Keymaster's revealed that Aya's had at least one 'fling', but in a thousand years of life, has she ever actually loved anyone? I can't see Aya risking damage to her relationship with Hina just for a quick lay with the Sisters of the Harvest.

Spiderbutt, on the other hand...

>>24855
Well who can argue against that ass?

>>24855
Hard to say as I think the thing with Yamame as a typical physical attraction while with Hina it'd be something deeper. Perhaps with time the two sisters might be in that same area.

Though what better way to give faith than being intimate with the god(s) in question?

>>24857
Well, I'm pretty sure that gods would rather receive simple prayers.

Most of them, anyway.

While we're on the subject of shrinemaidens, what if we ask Reimu to be our mentor? There's more to being a shrinemaiden than simply wearing the costume (Gasp) and Aya, if she's still hot on the idea, would want to learn from the best. Perhaps we can offer her something in return, say selling new Hakurei protection amulets at the shrine for her or something. Plus if word gets out that Reimu is mentor to the Mikami shrinemaiden it'd be a boost for Reimu's reputation and while it'd not be as obvious a nuclear deterrent it would make people think twice about attacking the Hakurei's protege.

>>24857
Something "deeper" than physical attraction might also mean that there's no desire for things to get physical.
Platonic love, as it were. Ignoring the fact that true platonic love is from a man, directed at a young boy.
So there's spiderbutt for a quick roll in the webs, and Hina for more emotional closeness.

[x] Bandwagoning this: >>24838

Okay, calling vote for letting Reimu vent, followed by careful discussion. Update will be in a new thread.

New thread:

>>/youkai/24863