/jp/ - Otaku Culture

[All entries of the HSE here in chronological posting order!]
>>45324110 | Part 1
>>45324120 | Part 2
>>45324127 | Part 3
>>45324134 | Part 4
>>45324150 | Part 5
>>45324163 | Part 6
>>45407358 | Part 7
>>45442424 | Part 8
>>45515189 | Part 9
>>45587647 | Part 10
>>45678494 | Part 11
>>45774613 | Part 12
>>45888588 | Part 14
>>46097700 | Part 15
>>46241111 | Part 16
>>46406705 | Part 17
>>46529625 | Pary 18

[Last thread chapters]
>>46537438 | 12-14-Mima
>>46537475 |
>>46537505 |
>>46542601 | 1-2-Heavenly Gods Watch party
>>46542613 |
>>46545295 | 36-41-Kosuzu
>>46545308 |
>>46545316 |
>>46545320 |
>>46545321 |
>>46545325 |
>>46545614 | 3-6-Tsukasa
>>46545794 |
>>46546003 |
>>46546220 |
>>46556919 | 1-2-Heavenly Gods Spar
>>46556928 |
>>46557311 | 38-Patchouli
>>46557316 | 19-Meiling
>>46560543 | 171-173-Yamashiro/Seija
>>46560551 |
>>46560571 |
>>46565149 | 15-Mima
>>46567308 | 39-Patchouli
>>46567313 | 20-Meiling
>>46567318 | 40-Patchouli
>>46570559 | 178-179-Hana
>>46570574 |
>>46575326 | 1-Ruukuto
>>46575492 | 90-Aya
>>46589643 | 41-49-Patchouli
>>46589655 |
>>46589662 |
>>46589670 |
>>46589671 |
>>46589673 |
>>46589678 |
>>46589683 |
>>46589688 |
>>46614369 | 2-4-Dolly
>>46618729 |
>>46618756 |
>>46625698 | 180-182-Hana
>>46625708 |
>>46625713 |
>>46628721 | 35-37-Rikako/Lemontene
>>46628737 |
>>46628752 |
>>46637037 | 8-9-Satori
>>46637049 |
>>46643496 | 42-44-Kosuzu
>>46643516 |
>>46643529 |
(1072 entries)

[for phoneanons that can't access the dead threads, here's the last thread. Link to all others in the 'all entries']:
>>/jp/thread/46529603 | 25th thread

Huh, I'm first.
Don't see that everyday

>>46654113
I wouldn't count on that, Anon.

Morning starts like any other.

The weather is good, the sun shines brightly on snow-covered rooftops, and the streets are as clean as usual. Ignoring the HSE in weather like this used to remind me of better days before this mess; now, the fortified walls of the Hieda House had men perched on top of its roofed fences, holding close onto their fire weapons—such an uncommon sight for a Gensokyan—and watching like hawks the open area in front of the house, connected by three big streets and plain, as it should be the old central festival spot of the Human Village.

I bite my nail, analyzing from the clouds their positioning—not only the men but also machine guns, bombs and weapons to slow down enemy approaches: A fortress prepared within three days with enough firepower to properly quench a rebellion.

Human tactics using human weaponry would likely be crushed by Mokou to my side… If not for Sanae staring straight at us, her crossed arms as she stood on the top of the clan's house.

That does change things a lot.

“He's gonna attack.” Mokou says without an ounce of doubt, eyes firm on the shrine maiden as I frown. “There's no other motive to get Sanae involved. He already knows I'm only attacking if he provokes us, and Sanae is him saying he's more than ready for that attack—we should delay the protests.”

“… He's not attacking. We have our trump card to prevent exactly that.” I uncross my arms, the wind blowing like an ominous gong. “He might be insane to amass all that, but even he wouldn't—”

“Keine, look at me.” Her voice is uncharacteristically sharp, and as we cross gazes, I see something in her eyes that chills me to the bone: Experience. “He's lost his mind. Completely. He doesn't want to reason with us or proof he’s wrong; this—” She points broadly at the stationary Gatling guns. “—is his response because he has lost his FUCKING mind! And don't bullshit me with, 'All this is because he's lost his daughter; he's a grieving man—I can reason with him!', that means nothing! He's made his choice, and that choice is reading himself to spill blood.” She huffs, her words agitated yet body completely on guard.

Pale and quite tired, I stare at her, tension gripping my flesh and baptizing it in freezing water. There's merit to her words, and it scares me: despite my trust on our trump card, if Mr. Hieda has truly lost reason…

I feel the black cloak over my shoulders swinging in the air. Once imprinted on it was a symbol of war. Mokou took it away, but the threads have been marked forever.

Truth is merely hidden.

These are the moments I'd love to retain my Hakutaku memory. Gladly, I do not; otherwise, the sensory overload of using my powers would kill me, as I'm not a pure Hakutaku…

No safety net, only forward. “We cannot postpone it, Mokou.” She tsks, scratching her hair. “Something is brewing—I saw it with Goro-san, Aya, Suzu and the whispers that loop the village.” A Youkai stopping another Youkai? Kappa in human suits? Flandre in the HSE…? Escalation seems to be happening all around; a clear build-up. “I fear what's to come will kill our revolution and instill fear of its idea. Yukari might move any time too; we cannot take any day for granted, not after I wrote Seiga's demise…” I close my eyes, sighing, heart pounding. “Should we lose this momentum, Mokou, it'll be impossible to regain it—it's now or never.”

Mokou narrows her eyes, but unlike what I expected, anger doesn't come to the forefront. She seemed almost placid as her eyes flickered down. Sanae still stared at us from the roof of the Hieda House before looking down at an armored figure leaving the main house for the courtyard; Mr. Hieda looked up, his eyes visible through the red, bearded mask and horned kabuto, surrounded by samurai armed to the teeth. He looks like a devil.

“Fuck… I'm trusting you, Keine. Sanae I can deal with; she hasn't gotten any younger and has grown careless with no major incidents. The squirts she calls apprentices are nothing, too. But if Sanae summons Kanako and Suwako… We aren't winning, and I cannot protect everyone, so do know my priority will be saving you, Suzu and Mystia. The rest I'll leave behind.” The words came out with an iron tone, and unparalleled bitterness overtook my tongue: leaving the people that trusted me for the betterment of their lives, of their children's lives, behind to save myself? Mr. Hieda and the Moriyans wouldn't spare the Youkai; the humans would be punished—maybe even killed for following me.

The cloak, with its faded sigil, feels incredibly heavy.

Nothing would heal that wound…

… Nothing but my ability. “I'll eat that history and return us to this checkpoint as many times as necessary.” My true last resort: Hieda-sama and the Moriyans won't be affected, but everyone else will…

Ideally, there won't be a need for explanation as to why I'd toy with their fates to my liking.

Mokou stares, no judgment there as she silently lifts a hand…

… A massive stream of fire pierces the sky.

>>46654121
—
Hieda watches; the shrine maiden watches; the whole fucking village watches and so holds their breaths, the fire stream consuming clouds and painting the morning sky a flourishing pink. Perhaps they expected death from above or maybe the abrupt destruction of Gensokyo with those wide-eyes and fingers pointing up, but soon the flames revealed their true purpose as, with intervals between each, they began exploding into vibrant, fragmented lights…

Fireworks.

Blue, red, green and even purple fireworks filled the skies above the Human Village, gathering eyes and presumably many 'woah!'; however, it wasn't merely the Human Village that saw it; the rest of Gensokyo did as well. The fireworks yearned for attention and tickled the sense of exploration of those that paid attention, calling them to this vast plaza as if a beacon to moths. I glanced at Keine, who gazed at the fireworks with a tender smile, black cloak hiding her maimed right hand rolled in bandages. A fear that's been present since day one fades under the gorgeous lights: Whatever happens today, at least now I know I’m not losing Keine… A small measure of peace for an immortal.

“There they are,” Keine says. “Right on time too, as expected from the Kurodanis~” I follow her eyes and smile a little wider as I watch the approaching 'army' of Tsuchigumo flying towards the Human Village, white flags in their hands as to state their peaceful intentions. Still. “You protect them; I'll go fetch the others.”

“On it—stay safe.” One shared kiss and we parted ways, Keine flying towards our home, where the bulk of our rebellion patiently waited. Fireworks, still blazing above, accomplish three things: they announce the start of the protests; they issue a call to action to the Kurodanis; and they bring people running from all over the village, confused and trying to make sense of what is going on, including those who were already on the sidelines marveling at the Hieda weapons.

Bullseye, Keine~

After all, Hieda is not shooting if we have the village as a meat shield.

I ignore my smile of pride as I get closer to the 'leader' of about two hundred Tsuchigumo: Yamame Kurodani, carrying a big backpack—same for all the others following behind carrying silken bags with logs, colored fabric and boxes of all heights and weights—, excitedly waved. “Mokou-tan, hi!”

“Sup, Yams!” Greetings are simple yet heartfelt, the other spiders waving too, a multitude of wafting white flags—made from their silk—refracting on the light of the multicolored fireworks. “Everyone seems up to par, huh?”

“Of course, humans and Youkai co-existing? Ah, that'd have made things so much easier…” She gestures her head as if remembering something—a frown followed by softened eyebrows: happiness despite tribulation. “It honors our family to be part of this movement, Mokou-tan, even if by little~!”

“By little?! That's rich coming from you, Ms. 192!” Yamame giggles, flushed; talk and hearty laughter echo from the rest of her family. That soon dies as we close on the Hieda State, though it warms my heart to see the Kurodanis march on even with massive weapons of all calibers pointing at them, bravery witnessed by people who watched the flying unit from below. “Remember, Yams; if they fire, none of you are obligated to stick by us. Our contract doesn't require you to fight our war.” I increase my speed and put myself in front of the unit of Tsuchigumo, my phoenix wings opening to their full span as a terror tactic.

Fear was a delight seen in the eyes of my enemy, and the promise made would be fulfilled at the first shot; even under Sanae's keen gaze to Mr. Hieda's side, the two apparently locked in an argument.

Yamame merely sighed and floated to my side, my gigantic wings dwarfing the blonde Tsuchigumo. “Don't write us off as weak, Mokou-tan. Our desire to have a foothold in the Human Village doesn't stem from only profit but also belief.” Her eyes move, following weapons aimed directly at her head. She doesn't even flinch. “… And I believe that Keine's words are as valid as the love I once felt.”

I glance at her and meet the same eyes I'd often see in the mirror—love that shouldn't have been, but was…

… With a grin, I merely nod in acknowledgement as we arrive at the plaza in front of the Hieda State. The Kurodanis didn't waste a second before starting to work; humans watched the two hundred Tsuchigumos’ mind-boggling working speed as they spread across the streets and began… Building.

I hovered above them and their white flags as they worked, my arms crossed and watching pointedly Mr. Hieda and Sanae, challenging them to make a move, wings of fire withdrawn as if resting yet cackling with the swimming fire anyway.

In the skies, the fireworks still sparkled and multiplied, the light show calling people—humans and Youkai—all over Gensokyo to come and see.

After 15 minutes, the Kurodanis had finished…

… Transforming the plaza and its intersections into vast festival grounds.

>>46654125
—
What the hell is happening here?

When they came to scout, I prepared myself for battle; had my apprentices protect areas of major importance; did my due diligence in praying my top 10 coolest prayers of the week—a very serious ritual—and, as all good warriors, I stood, waited, and watched.

Then came the fireworks and I knew things would go down. The unknown supernatural insurgence of feral revolutionaries made samurai grip their weapons as if to save their lives…

Now I stare down at an enclosing ‘army’ holding white flags of peace. I recognize them too; those are fucking Kurodanis! Builders, not warriors!

— “Prepare your weapons!” Mr. Hieda yelled with cadence to his samurai, action immediately taking place as the fire weapons were ready all around. W-Wait, can't he see the white flags?! “Get the mounted machine guns up to acti—”

“No!” I interjected with thunderous intonation, pulling Mr. Hieda and his clunking armor to the side. A piercing stare through the demonic mask made my skin crawl. “You're not shooting—none of you are if they don’t attack first! Whoever tries will have to deal with me!” The words boom and though my face bears a vivid similarity to concrete, inside, my heart trembles for motives opposite: who this old crook think he is?! After promising non-escalation yesterday!

… And, dude, I look so cool shouting like this to these lanky samurai armed to the teeth~! Anon and Hana would be in awe if they were here!

Mr. Hieda, however, scowls deeply before thinning the distance between us to mere centimeters—the man is really trying to intimidate me? The one he has contracted protection from? All he meets are two arms crossed and a stare of iron… “Sanae-san, I respect you a lot and recognize your strength.” I can sense my apprentices peaking from their assigned places, and they're as tense as the samurai. “But, please, do not feel entitled to give orders to my soldiers. You're being paid to protect us—”

“I'm protecting you from yourself, Mr. Hieda—I don't want an incident today, and if you feel the need to question how I conduct protection, please talk to Kanako-sama.”

“You naive maiden… They're going to kill us from so close! Why are you giving them an advantage?!” Distrust layers his voice together with authority, but… Something more nudges my mind, a feeling that'd sometimes taint the prayers of those faithful to me: rage unparalleled—against others, against the world, against self… Peering into his eyes behind the demonic mask, this heart of mine beats as fast as when I looked inside Yukari's eyes…

No, nothing bad will happen while you are here, Sanae! You're the coolest shrine maiden around and won't commit the same mistakes again! You'll not lose control of all that surrounds you to crazy people like Yukari and this geezer!

Pressing a finger against his chest, I push the old man away from me. Despite his age, there’s strength there. “With all respect, they're not getting any 'advantage' because there won't be any war, Mr. Hieda. See their banners: They're white—peace! And that’ll be maintained; I'll personally see to it.” Uncommon to a place full of people like this is this rising tense silence, Mr. Hieda's eyes narrowing at me—eyes seasoned by a Gensokyo before Spellcard Rules—eyes I meet with no fear.

… If only I could've faced Yukari with this same courage…

Maybe then there wouldn't have been the need for someone else—Reimu! Of all people, Reimu…—to come and save Hana.

Tsk, no need to mull over that. This nightmare—a revolution, the HSE—will find its ending soon enough, and Hana and Anon will need someone in their right mind to take care of them when it's all over…

Hopefully, I don't fail again.

“… Keep your arms up!” Mr. Hieda yells, turning away from me and towards the Kurodanis and Mokou, her fire wings the span of a bus. “But you've heard her: You'll only shoot at my signal or at the first of their attacks!” He glanced one last time at me, and whispers of bad omens echoed inside.

But I kept my silence, watching as Mokou floated above… whatever the Kurodanis were building. It didn't look like preparations for war—ovens, stands, boxes of food and whatnot; just what the hell are they doing? Whatever it was, Mr. Hieda wasn’t liking it.

As the Kurodani worked and later finished, the people's terror became puzzlement and curiosity. Not siege weapons, not even a weird youkai contraption…

A festival, built in 15 minutes—

—the crowd that had accumulated around to watch start to yell and… open as if a sea, mystification in their eyes as they watched Keine march down the central street towards the festival plaza, a legion of humans and youkais who offered treats and kind words to the people following close behind, fireworks still booming above.

What in the…

Out of the blue, my body freezes, and a realization suddenly dawns on me: when Mr. Hieda ordered the attack on Mokou and the Kurodanis…

… Why didn’t he take into consideration the regular people below them?

>>46654127
—
As always, Keine came off as strong and concise to the others; she had a soft smile when asked questions, and when the march started, everyone that remained followed her lead without an ounce of fear… But I've seen Keine at her lowest and highest points—when she boasted about her and her children's survival and when she kneeled on the ground in pain, unaware of the death I had just bestowed upon her—and worry deeply about her wellbeing.

Hopefully whatever she hiding isn't major…

“You okay there, Mystia? I'll go sick if I don't see you smiling…” One of the humans that has been circling me nonstop for the past few days—Yuu, I learned during one of his many, umm, flirting sprees—stuck to my side and held a bowl of treats, copying the others in handing the candies to the onlookers around our march, my heart racing as the fireworks above thundered across the village. At least the sight of his wide smile as a child takes the candy and smiles just as widely makes my heart all warm. “Eyy, there it is! A big, cute smile!” He boasts, his loud laughter calling attention from others, knowing sly smiles and small gossip making me all flush—geez, are all humans like this?!

“I-I'm okay! I'm just…” I stare forward and get glimpses of Keine's black cloak through the crowd of humans and all sorts of youkai, Suzu standing by her side; it appears they were talking. “… A little stressed.”

“Stressed? But you're always stressed—full-time mother, cooker and revolutionary; stressed is an understatement~” I pout, though I don't hold it for long, as I offer a well-dressed, grown man a treat with the best of my smiles. He stares sternly at me and completely ignores the treat, and I can feel my wings droop as the march goes on, acid layering the back of my throat. “Bleh, dumbass doesn't know what he's missing.” Yuu steals the treat from my hands and eats it himself, petty rage rising inside.

“That's for gifting, you!” I yell-whisper, wings flapping up and down quickly.

“Heh, sorry~” He didn't seem sorry at all. “So, why worry about Keine? She looks fine to me.” That stops the fluttering immediately, one moment of shock following before resignation… Not that it mattered as we finally reached the plaza, Youkai and humans rushing to do their functions as they greeted and thanked the Kurodanis in the way, the Tsuchigumos sitting on roofs, walking around and, overall, appreciating their work—a work of art; to think they could create the entire facade of a festival in such short notice… Saddens and frightens me its background is heavy human weaponry and stares of absolute contempt.

However, the heart of a festival is the people and its blood the food.

Time to do what I do best: cook good food~

Taking a deep breath, I quicken my pace and soon find my Izakaya—perfectly built and stocked~Kurodanis are so very reliable—not noticing someone had stuck by me until I heard a little hum and, shocked, turned to see Yuu there, the absurd human already having snagged himself an apron. “Do I look nice?” He asks after twirling in place.

“W-What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be working with balloons?!” I yell over the sudden crescendo of voices now that everyone is getting the festival started; food is being cooked, attractions underway and nice music is being played. The people watching from the sidelines couldn't resist their curiosity—and the signs showing prices so low it felt like a robbery!

Keine's plan is working~protests through good, cheap food and fun together; Mr. Hieda is unable to attack us due to the human shields that are the villagers.

The first step to—

— “Oi, Mystia, stop daydreaming! We're losing clients!” Yuu yells, and I almost jump, his voice punctuated by the last of fireworks that echoed as herd mentality took over and the festival plaza was flooded by morbidly curious humans, hungry Kurodanis and the lost Youkai. Tense and unsure on how to act, I watched as he fired all cooking stations and rapidly began preparing ingredients for the most famous dishes on my menu—wait, how does he know?! Did he get it all from watching me cook…? “Clients, Mystia!” He cries out, his eyes not leaving the knife he uses to cut vegetables—good—before, without need of asking, leaving to take the orders of the two excited Kurodanis that'd just entered.

I stared between the clients and Yuu… then let out a defeated sigh and went to work, years of experience guiding my hands as if natural, the smell of fried meat and diverse spices filling the air and attracting clients, routine settling—

“Don't worry about her,” Yuu says to my surprise, placing the orders on the holder above the stoves. “I know you wouldn't follow her if she wasn't THE big deal! Trust her as I trust you!” He then leaves to deliver the clients their drinks.

Huh… What a weird, weird human.

… It feels nice to have some help, though.

As the minutes pass, bustling conversation and children's laughter become more and more commonplace, shaping a true festival~

>>46654121
>>46654125
>>46654127
>>46654133
And here starts the Keine finale! Stopped here to give Suzuanon a breach to write the Suzu acclimatizing herself to the festival if he wants and other writers, again, if they want, to react to the festival!

>>46654125
Surprise Yamame cameo, my favourite!
Between this and Patchouli wanting to hire her for reconstructing the library, the Kurodani are gonna be rolling in money by the end of things. It sounds like it was all of her children who came to do the village, though, which makes me wonder what the rest of the Kurodani brood are up to these days.

>>46654136
I'll admit I still gotta catch up for like 3 threads worth but nice bump

>>46655221
>It sounds like it was all of her children who came to do the village
close, but others of the 2nd biggest family in Gensokyo came too. If only our boy was here too... Nah, he's resting in peace
>>46655446
good luck, and thanks!

wait, are we autosaged

>>46655724
it would appear so, and unlike last time I don't see a clear culprit (maybe the nippon numbah one, fuck china line?)

>>46655745
probably, or maybe it was “[...]Said Okina to herself as she sipped some cunnying juice”, fuck me, will remove these next thread.
>captcha: HAG2RD
fuck off, Okina!

>>46655760
This is her punishment, you deserve it.
You know what you did.

to be fair the thread tripped my filters somewhere anyway

>>46655804
damn...
still weirds me out how the one with the picture didn't get autosaged, but this one did.
well, time to dedicate the thread to shitpost

>>46654118
Guess i'll just polish it and post it next thread

>>46656514
same

maybe you should take the KMS approach with the next thread and just call it 'The Hakurei Shrine Experience' and then link back to the OP of this thread for the recap

>>46658680
Exactly what I have in mind, will be removing the greentext and leaving only the disclaimer in the end, as we're sure that wouldn't bring an autosage

>>46654133
(Yuu) better be the first human to directly stand against Old Man Hieda and duel him in an epic clash that rallies the rest of the yook sympathizers.

>>46659294
he's just like me, I too love Mystia!

>>46659294
he can draw inspiration from the patron saint of youkai fuckers

>>46659603
>Ms. 192

Wow, Already halfway there!
Only 1 thread left boys

>>46660030
s-sugoi!

>page 10
will be creating the new thread now. Pray it doesn't get autosaged boys!

the ride never ends, gents!
>>46660060
>>46660060
>>46660060
>>46660060
>>46660060

>>46660076
Stop this gay shit