eyes open, be ready to shoot.. whatevers at whoevers.

Well, nothing to do but keep watch till the trouble starts. Stay awake, and keep all your senses alert. Stakeouts are tough.

Let's try hanging out in the tree branches, somewhere they won't see us until it's too late~

Ragnarode 2013/10/11(Fri)16:08 No. 543811 ID: d9bed9
File 138153289094.png - (16.83KB , 800x600 , 035.png )

Stage 1: Illusionary Night ~ Ghostly Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78mxBMKGIQo

-----

Twilight comes and goes. A post-Autumn chill floats on the wind, and the sound of insects fills the night.

...A lot of insects. Someone's coming.

Prepare for a confrontation, and dodge the Wriggle kick.

Alright, this is a combat mission. Advance to meet the enemy, and protect the crops! Start off with Serrated Tempest since that's gonna cover a large area in front of you.

you wan to shoot large bullets. weaker then noral is fine, since they are still bugs. just want to kill as many as you can per shot.

Ragnarode 2013/10/12(Sat)11:42 No. 543977 ID: d9bed9
File 138160337979.gif - (91.22KB , 800x600 , 036.gif )

Stage 1 Boss: Stirring an Autumn Moon ~ Mooned Insect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kAOz5huQg0
-----

You launch yourself off the tree, knives in hand. You fire off several bolts of danmaku, and the swarm thins, revealing your target.

Choose a spellcard, or create a new one to take advantage of your strengths and her weaknesses.

Serrated Tempest SHOULD do pretty well all told, it's omni-directional which should clear out the bugs pretty quick.

Focus on dodging any attacks, but what the last guy said should be fine, serrated tempest and all that jazz, lets shoot the fuck out of her...and honestly...she looks like she's gone fucking nuts, so be ready for anything.

...Is it significant that her eyes are glowing? I dunno, might just be a thing that happens, but that look...I can't help but wonder if there's more at stake here then just a few crops.

I think Fireballs would do much better to clear out these bug swarms than our knives will. We should stick to those then.

>>544092
If we can reliably keep fireball use from getting anywhere near the ground and setting things on fire that's tactically plausible since I know most insects have severe overheating issues... but only you can prevent cropland fires!

Goddamn 2D versus 3D issues, can we even use serrated tempest without setting things on fire? If we can then it is a pretty good idea to clear the helper swarm, especially since if we don't they might be able to do the crop-spoilage while we're distracted with bug-lady. They might be doing it *right now* and the best we can do is burn them all to limit the damage to further sites.

What I wouldn't give for a good time-stop right about now....

Ragnarode 2013/10/16(Wed)12:20 No. 544415 ID: d9bed9
File 138195121288.png - (17.18KB , 800x600 , 037.png )

You launch yourself off the tree to meet her, the Serrated Tempest card in hand. Balls of fire and red-hot knives fill the air in front of you, and insects start falling in droves, burnt to cinders. The firefly youkai makes an odd chirping noise and the bugs form a shield around her. Blue orbs fire out in an expanding vortex, detonating into a fuchsia firestorm. The card in her hand reads Firefly Sign 「Comet on Earth」.

Hrrrm...Well either you can move to stay within the lines of that pattern, or you can dodge through the gaps of the lines, depending on how fast the individual bullets that make the lines are moving.

Twisted Skeins is a more focused attack. Switch to that to penetrate her shield.

>>529780
if she is staying still then this one would blast the hell out of her. just line her up with the middle of the attack. and all the cross bullets would wreak shit.

...wait, what kind of spell card rules are in effect, here? Is this just shoot till someone yields or faints, or are we concerned with who can break or time out the most enemy spell cards?

Because if we end one spell card to use another, aren't we basically giving her a free spell card break for our first card?

Ragnarode 2013/10/21(Mon)06:24 No. 544846 ID: d9bed9
File 138236184523.png - (20.91KB , 800x600 , 038.png )

>>544440
The rules are simple. The first to fall loses, every bullet is a KO.
>>544419
The focused shots blast through her shield, rendering it useless. She has found a safe spot in the card, however.

Ragnarode 2013/10/21(Mon)06:25 No. 544847 ID: d9bed9
File 138236191686.jpg - (19.21KB , 192x223 , lamp sign firefly phenomenon.jpg )

The card she's holding says:
Lamp Sign ~ 「Firefly Phenomenon」.

Bomb?

Or yanno, just dogde and change to a different spellcard if she's found a safe spot in the one you're using.

OOooooh crap. Oooook. Sooo if I'm understanding the appearance of that card right, there's four circling straight streams headed at you, and a 5-7 way spinning spread coming off of Wriggle herself, sooo...
Ok, good news is moving, even moving slowly SHOULD be enough to keep the blue shots off of us.
Bad news is the green and teal shots-I'm not sure exactly what the teal pattern is, but the green should only come around once in a while. Given that it's Wriggle, I'd think the teal shots could be handled like the spinning pattern from Comet on Earth, the last pattern Wriggle used.

Ragnarode 2013/10/24(Thu)12:51 No. 545187 ID: d9bed9
File 138264427954.png - (59.98KB , 800x600 , 039.png )

>>544864
You skirt the hyperdense stream of blue danmaku, barely grazing the shots as you shoot towards her. The teal shots are more difficult to dodge, and it takes longer to plot a course through the field of bullets.

Suddenly you're through.

Right under her guard.

Finish her. Point blank attack!

...I guess 「Twisted Skeins」 is the closest we have to a stacked forward shot? Unless we can use this one >>529780 and blast an orb right in her face, or close range trap her in the firing diamond.

Geeze. Scrolling up to look at all our options is annoying. Gonna have to put a list of spell cards on the wiki.

you can also make a new card on the spot, we still have blanks

Finish her off!
BLAST HER TO OBLIVION

The diamond could be useful, but is her hitbox small enough to fit between the flak?

Ragnarode 2013/10/28(Mon)07:02 No. 545630 ID: d9bed9
File 138296893719.gif - (54.56KB , 800x600 , 040.gif )

>>545620
>>545204
>>545213
She has nowhere to run now, nowhere to hide.
She detonates in a vortex of colors and symbols.
You feel good. Better than good, great even. The rush of the moment, watching bright lights flash by you, only your skills and reflexes between you and a painful defeat, adrenaline flowing through your veins.

You breathe in.

And out.

The rush of the moment is gone. You feel empty without it. In the back of your mind, you wish she had put up more of a fight, had fought back harder. But the job is done, the fields are safe again, and the goddess Minoriko can sleep easy.

Time stops.

The breeze is gone, ripples in the wheat frozen. The twilight hour has come and gone, and you are no longer alone.

Ragnarode 2013/10/28(Mon)07:07 No. 545633 ID: d9bed9
File 138296922193.png - (113.77KB , 800x600 , 041.png )

A strange woman approaches you.

Ran: Well hello again! You seem to be doing well for yourself. Fitting in fine just like we thought!

You: Who are you?

Ran: My name is Ran Yakumo, and my master facilitated your journey here. I'd like to talk about you, and who YOU are. I'm sure you have many questions.

pichun~

Sorry, Wriggle.

>I'm sure you have many questions.
We'll start with the obvious one, then. Why?

yes why is a good question.

also if you always had the ability to shoot bullets.

Why did we get brought here would be a good one to ask, yes.

Another one to ask is how we would leave, if we wanted to.

A third one to ask is who else was involved in bringing us here, and who would oppose our presence/life.

A fourth is what hazards and potential opportunities are there here we should be aware of.

A fifth might be if there are any women around that aren't terrifying and what the local dating scene/customs are like. Just throwing that one out there 'cuz I'm puzzled by the fact that everyone we've dealt with besides that fishdude (maybe?) seems to have been a woman.

Seeing as most of the better questions were asked, but not the most important one...

Can we hug one of those fluffy tails?

>>545773
fluffyfluffyfluffy tails.

Ragnarode 2013/10/29(Tue)19:09 No. 545854 ID: d9bed9
File 138309895520.png - (127.85KB , 800x600 , 042.png )

You: Why? Why did you bring me here?

Ran: ...Walk with me for a moment.

The two of you make your way through the field, the sensation of time frozen sending shivers down your arms. You absentmindedly notice that the khitsune is a good foot and a half taller than you are.

Ran: Well, there are a number of different reasons you were brought here. First and foremost, of course, is that my master has a task that she wants you to complete. Telling you what it is now would be premature. Also, my master was curious about something. Something nobody in our little world seemed to be able to do. So she went into the outside, grabbed you, and fiddled around in your brain. There were a few things she changed, but the change I'm going to tell you about now, is the one thing that makes you truly unique here in Gensokyo. You have the power to tweak and change your spell cards at a moments notice. Now, that might seem a tad underwhelming at first, but you have to understand that our entire society and social structure is built around the spellcard rules, and you are in a unique position to take complete advantage of that. All you need is a little creativity, and some knowledge of the basics of danmaku.

You: So... do I have any enemies here? Anyone who would oppose a human from the outside?

Ran: Well, that's the thing. Nobody here knows you're a human. There's a rumor spreading around Gensokyo that you're the new yatagarasu. The old one was an ancient solar youkai, but was devoured by a three-legged hellraven. Quite a fascinating tale, but for another time. Point is, the youkai think you're one of them. And with your skills using danmaku, and the ability to warp your spellcards, they aren't really wrong. You belong with us more than you belong in the human village, truly.

You: Just out of curiosity, could I leave Gensokyo if I wanted to?

Ran: No, that is impossible. The Great Barrier exists for a reason, and only my master is capable of passing it in any fashion.

You: I've noticed that almost everyone I've met here is a woman of some description, with the exception of the shopkeeper and the trout youkai at the misty lake.

Ran: Ah, an excellent observation! You won't find male youkai out of their dens much. The culture here leans heavily towards the female gender, though we do see men venture out, however rarely. This makes you an anomaly, a curiosity, something new and welcome in a predictable land.

You hug the fluffy tail. It is wonderfully warm and soft and fuzzy and wonderful. You pity the unfortunate fools who have not experienced this luxury. Ran merely smiles.

Waaaait a second. So you're saying I can basically 'cheat' in a game that your entire society is based on!?
I don't like the sounds of that, or what your master could possibly have planned for a power that could do that much.

Does your boss think I owe them for the privilege of being kidnapped to here or that they owe me for the talent I was given and the effort to set up my stay here?

Was that woman I saw just before speaking with Mamizou for the first time your mistress?

Are there penalties or sanctions for cheating the spellcard-game--should we hide this ability?

What keeps the peace generally and prevents people from using their powers to harass, steal from, manipulate, assault or oppress others?

What is there you would suggest as worth doing here in 'Gensokyo'? Can you suggest some plausible, rewarding occupations or hobbies to pursue besides being the hired muscle of a moneylender?

When am I likely to see you, or your master, again if I don't seek you out? Would you like me to visit, or would it be better to avoid being seen interacting with you?

...wait, we've been given the power to bend or break spellcard rules?

Isn't the spellcard system wholly voluntary, anyways? Something Reimu set up so the inhabitants of Gensokyo had a way to interact and settle disputes without destroying the whole place? (Because the power to destroy the entire place is kind of a low bar, here).

And, uh, don't we run the risk of facing the wrath of a full power, not spell-cards rules constrained Reimu if we break them? (Or anyone else we piss off, potentially).

Also, it occurs to me our cover story is probably going to draw Okuu's attention at some point.

>everyone's going to assume we're a youkai
I suggest our new default is to just not challenge that. Not to lie directly, or ever make the claim, just don't bother to correct assumptions.

Leaves the door open to be honest if we want to or need to. And keeps us from getting into trouble with the few people we have been honest with. (And we can always blame Yukari for the situation. Almost no one will have a problem believing that).

>>545879
I think there's a limit though. When you think about it, we still are following the basic rules, but we are using our unique ability to bend them in a way that won't break them. We still lose if we get hit and we still need to hit to win, but as is we basically have a very high level of flexibility to make up for the fact we are facing off against crazy things.

Ragnarode 2013/10/30(Wed)16:10 No. 546005 ID: d9bed9
File 138317461902.png - (61.16KB , 800x600 , 043.png )

You: Am I in debt with your master? For bringing me here?

Ran: Absolutely. But! It's not as bad as you'd think. All she demands is you be yourself. Go out and live! Everything will become clear with time, I promise.

You: You know, the ability to alter my spell cards sounds a lot like cheating. Will I face penalties for using it?

Ran: No, see, it's only cheating if you alter a spellcard you are already using. You can see how an opponent reacts to your danmaku, and plan the next spell accordingly. This should, in theory, give you an edge over similarly skilled opponents.

You: So I'm not actually breaking any rules?

Ran: If you actually broke a rule in the spellcard system, you'd have the red-white come and beat you senseless. I think you'd notice! But no, so long as you don't TELL anyone you're altering your cards, there should be no way for them to figure it out. And if they do, my master will intervene on your behalf. So no worries!

You: Just out of curiosity, if these people think I'm a sun youkai, won't that hellraven come after me?

Ran: Well, no. She's not that smart, despite being proficient in nuclear physics and such! Plus, her den is deep, deep beneath Youkai Mountain. She doesn't get out much, so far as I know. Is there anything else you would like to know?

Oh. So our cheat is more like being able to go back and change what spells we have prepared. We can decide on the fly, instead of having to have made everything in advance. What is strategic planning for everyone else becomes adaptive tactical planning for us.

And yeah, there's no way for anyone to know we don't just have a large number of spell cards prepared. No way to know we're making them up on the spot, like we did with whatever we used to finish Wriggle. (Maybe we should name that?).

>Is there anything else you would like to know?
What was the result of my battle tonight? Is the insect-youkai I fought dead? Destroyed? I'm not sure how that works with youkai, or danmaku.

Afterwards, thank her for her answers, and bid Ran good night.

>>546014
i am certain no one dies in a legit danmaku battle with spellcards. and youkai usually have power from their type. so even if she did die wriggle will come back as long as insects are around. and the common fairy is pure magic, so they come back from that. in the winter when everything is covered in ice cirno may actually pose a threat, luckily she is... not that smart.

Wait, didn't the former sun god die of natural causes before the hellraven ate her corpse? We shouldn't have issues with her at all.

>>546021
I just thought it might attract her interest. But yeah, there's no reason she'd want to fight. Aside from the fact everyone fights everyone with no reason in this setting.

>>546019
Fanon is kind of... muddled on death. I doubt she's dead, but better to just find out what the rules are anyways, and it's not as if our protagonist would know them yet anyways.

>>546028
You can't start a fight without reason. It in the rules for spellcard battles.

You know I can think of a few tricks that we can use to seriously abuse our ability to change our spell cards. Like say a spellcard that constantly changes from one spell card to another, or even just alternating between two and changing the contents of the spell cards each time.

Personally with that revelation, I'd kind of rather look into getting people to think we're some kind of card-playing/fortune-telling youkai despite the cover story. If only because of how fun and fitting it would be to come up with danmaku patterns based on card games or tarot cards. And we can 'shuffle' the deck by changing our cards. It's slightly meta, I guess, but I'd find it amusing.

"There is lots I would like to know, but I don't have any succinct questions to ask besides what happens at the end of a danmaku battle like that, what should I do to sell the sun youkai story, and how should I keep in touch later?
"I'm betting for that last one you'll find me instead of the other way around, which is hard to plan a schedule around. Thank you for your help, wisdom and company though."

Ragnarode 2013/11/02(Sat)12:29 No. 546371 ID: d9bed9
File 138342056312.png - (14.72KB , 800x600 , 044.png )

You: So what happens when someone loses a spellcard battle? I fought Wriggle, and she, well, exploded.

Ran: Well, you die, the Judge of Heaven sends you back later. She's quite nice, really. I understand that there's a whole set of exceptions to death that involve the spellcard system. Don't worry, Ms Nightbug will be on her feet soon enough.

You: So, where do I stand here? Am I employed by Mamizou? Do I owe loyalty to the humans? Or the Miko? It's rather confusing.

Ran: Well, none of those. You're part of the Yakumo family now, and your skills are rented to the highest bidder. Ms Futatsuiwa had need of a debt collector, and you needed a good start on the workings of this place. Speaking of which, your contract with Mamizou has come to an end, as she and my master have business in the outside world. Your employment will be transferred to Ms Eirin Yagokoro of Eientei. ...Oh don't give me that look, it's not bad! She's been informed of your stance on body alteration and mind altering substances. She requires an agent, someone a little more tactful than her aide, Reisen.

Ran hands you an envelope.

Ran: This is for your assistance with the matter of Ms Minoriko, and the errands before. I must go now, but I will see you again in due time!

She disappears into the night. You hadn't realized how long and far you had walked, and as time starts it's flow once again, the sounds of crickets and other life echo throughout the forest. You find yourself in front of an old building, nestled in a glade of a massive forest of bamboo.

Stage 1 Complete!

Well, might as well meet your new hosts. Watch out for tricksy rabbits.