genessia | New Years Eve/Danmaku Event

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New Years Eve/Danmaku Event

"OKAY, LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND UNDEFINED OTHERS. HAPPY NEW YEAR and WELCOME to our grand event! The topic of the day is DANMAKU. THIS IS IT, FOLKS. This is gonna be the next big thing in Genessia. Here and now, you're gonna learn what danmaku is, what it takes to win, and how YOU, YES, YOU can be a part of it!" Betelgeuse announced, moving around the small stage area and waving his hands around. He was full of energy and doing his best to impart that energy to the crowd. "NOW. I know a lot of you, LIKE YOURS TRULY, may never have heard of danmaku or only know a tiny bit about it. Fortunately, MY GOOD FRIEND AND BUSINESS PARTNER KOISHI, is from a world where danmaku is a big deal, THOUGH WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT EVEN BIGGER!"

Betelgeuse paused to let people give some applause and to give the information a bit of time to sink in.

"Koishi is going to explain danmaku to you, then I'm gonna introduce you to some of the different activities we have for you to explore. So, without further ado, give a BIG GREETING FOR KOISHI!"

Koishi twirled once, appearing on stage in a small shower of hearts. After the mask incident back home the little youkai had gotten very good at ensuring she was seen on stage. She was dressed in her usual green and yellow though she was probably somewhat cleaner than most were used to seeing her. Satori had made sure she looked fully presentable on the stage.

"Hello! I'm Koishi Komeiji!" Her third eye was bobbing and weaving excitedly. "I'm a satori youkai and I'm from the great underground in Gensokyo. Because everyone there is super powerful if people fought then everything would break and that would be bad. So we invented danmaku to settle fights without killing anyone instead!" At least she was being clear for once.

She held up her arms, a spark of magic shooting up from her hands and exploding into hearts in the sky, spiraling outward and dissipating after a short distance.

"Danmaku is a lot of fun. It's a duel about beauty and skill and finesse. Not about power. And anyone can play! Even humans. Even if you don't have magic. If you do have magic, Danmaku is really really simple to learn. If you don't, then it's a bit harder, because you need to use other things! Most important though is to have fun! If you don't, then there is no point! It's also super pretty and fun to watch so everyone will have a good time I hope, okay?"

"Thank you, THANK YOU. You all are doing great! Now that ya know a bit more about the game, generally, it's time for some practical demonstrations! At each booth, you'll find experts to give you some practical know-how and HANDS ON experience. Cause anyone can tell you, the hands on stuff is always the best part, right??"

Betelgeuse chuckled at his own perverse humor, before walking over to the first booth.

"This here is where you'll learn pattern creation! This is the brass tacks of danmaku, folks! This is where you do your strategy and SHOW OFF YOUR STYLE! Fast or slow, intricate or basic, find out the uses of each!"

"Now, this next booth is another chance to show off CREATIVITY. Here's where we show you what sorta things you can THROW AROUND. All those pretty patterns you're gonna learn are made of something. Now, keep in mind, these are just EXAMPLES. Feel free to think up your own stuff. STYLE IS IMPORTANT. Balls and stuff is just the beginning, though balls never go out of style, in my opinion!"

"Booth number three is target practice! We all need some of that, right, guys! Believe me, hitting what you aim for is half the battle, well, once you find the target," Betelgeuse chuckled, giving a lewd wink. "SO. Come up and practice, work up all that HAND TO EYE COORDINATION. Believe me, everything is better when those work together."

"Later on, after you get some practice in, we'll have two demonstration matches. The matches will be Mamizou vs. Koishi and Remilia vs. Satori. Should be quite a sight! It's not all work, though, folks! We have a dancing area, food booths, drink booths, and some play areas for the kiddies! Being New Year's and all, we'll also have FIREWORKS, and not just the ones you'll be making with all those end of year kisses, neither! SO, eat, drink, and prepare to DUEL YOUR HEARTS OUT!"

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There is a table set up with a stack of paper and a variety of objects of various color and shape as well as several three dimensional wire frames that could be contorted into many different shapes from which to draw inspiration.

Participants are helped by a woman in a formal maid uniform. Be sure to direct any questions to her.

Meekly, Ted peered around the tent. This world was turning out to be very, very magical, and he wasn't sure how he ought to fit in with it. Couldn't hurt to ask, he supposed.

"Miss? Excuse me. I'm interested in this danmaku game; how does one go about it sans magic?"

Sakuya looked up from the current person she was helping and over to Ted. She seemed normal enough save for the rather obvious knife garter she had around her leg.

"Hmm? Ah yes. Melee attacks are actually acceptable in danmaku, however it's generally considered inelegant and its very hard to get in close at times. Projectile-wise, anything can be used. Arrows, stones, leaves... I personally favor throwing knives myself, though I do have my time affinity to aid me."

"If you meant danmaku entirely without magic... well... It's possible but not something that is easy to do. Danmaku generally requires at least flight, though ground battles can be agreed upon. I suppose technology could be substituted, but you will lose some agility. If you're worried about your own ability, we have supplied the basics in the practice area. Simple things."

Throwing knives? She looked too conservatively dressed to be a circus performer. Then again, he didn't know much of Japan. As for time affinity...what even?

Alas, the game would likely have to be unacceptably diluted for Ted to meaningfully participate. To play he would need flight, and a means of unloading a lot of projectiles very quickly. He'd have to puzzle out what sort of delivery device he might attach to his satchel. Ah well; he'd have to content himself and watch the others.

"Thank you, and Happy New Years."

"Well... If you are sure then I can't make you play, but if you change your mind then feel free to come and ask. We've provided a safe means of practice and everything you need to try the basics. If you are not yet confident with a means of producing the shots you can always design potential patterns to use."

The maid flicked her wrist, a knife appearing between her fingers. It was quite elegant, the blade faintly engraved with runes and patterns meant to charge the weapons with ambient magic and dispel negative energies. She twirled it masterfully through her fingers before letting it vanish once more. Little parlor tricks to impress onlookers.

She probably didn't understand that it was his overall aversion to magic that was holding him back.

Luke is mostly just watching, hesitant. He's curious to see what he might be able to figure out, of course, but that doesn't mean he's got any confidance in his ability to participate in this event whatsoever.

"So, anybody can do this?"

SKEPTICAL.

"Naturally." She knelt down to talk with him on his level. "With practice, of course. As with any skill it takes time to improve and master. However, cleverness can also trump raw skill in this game. It is why I like it so much. Patterns rely not just on your method of creating the shots, but also your own perception and how clever you can be."

She flicked a wrist, producing a throwing knife. Shifting the weapon delicately in her hands she offered it to Luke hilt first. "These are what I use. I have spent years mastering the art of throwing them and acted as a daytime guardian of My Lady. When we relocated to Gensokyo these skills translated well to Danmaku. My favorite is to bounce the blades off of surfaces so they hit at unusual angles. In addition the spinning blades are more frightening to dodge than magical shots allowing me to more easily suppress my opponent and mix in more precise strikes."

"Of course this stems from a skill I had previously. What are your skills? Maybe I can help you find a core pattern or theme."

What are his skills?

Puzzles. Making tea.

"I'm not...very good with that sort of thing. Mayu is teaching me judo because Miss Kiryuin insisted, but..." Luke pauses, folding his arms in thought. "I'm better at puzzles--looking for patterns, planning things out, finding solutions..."

Luke understands that she's explained intelligence and pattern recognition as useful, but he imagines that this is only so useful if one has additional skills to be used. "I bet those knives are scary when you throw them at someone!"

"Judo will be good for keeping your movements precise. Martial arts moves will help you aim and shape your patterns. As for puzzles, that is perfect. Do you want to know a secret?" She leaned in. "Most victories in danmaku come from forcing your opponent to move into a shot they didn't see rather than hitting them directly."

She reached up and ruffled his hat gently. "You should look into what you can do with curving bullets and lasers. Perhaps coupled with a spiral of normal shots or a simple spray of random shots. With time and practice you'll find a way to fire your shots in ways your opponent wont predict."

"Oh. That makes sense."

Luke looks up at her hand as she ruffles his hat, and then tilts his head. "Can I curve bullets and lasers? I don't have any magic sort of stuff."

He is so skeptical, but Koishi pushed him to consider it. The hesitation lasts another moment before he steps closer to the table, looking at the array of cards. "Koishi said maybe spell cards. I'm not really sure what they are, but--I'd like to learn."

"Yes you can." Sakuya passively reached up to straighten the collar of his shirt and sleeves. She was a maid and such things were a habit she was not going to break any time soon.

"In the demonstration area we have plenty of equipment you can use to create these patterns with ease. Likewise here you can design your patterns and even your spellcards if you wish."

Luke is generally neat looking enough so he doesn't fidget away from Sakuya's primping. His mum still does this to his collar, especially if they're going somewhere where he has to dress nicely. As she tugs his sleeve, he fidgets with his hat.

He hesitates before speaking again. "Won't people get hurt when you fight like this? Even...even if it's training, or practicing..."

A smile. "The practice area is well shielded and safe. Don't worry. You wont get hurt."

She stopped fidgeting with his collar, satisfied with how it looked. "Besides, the most fun things in life come with a measure of risk. It's important to think about the origins of a game like this. In a world where a fight between two creatures could level a forest and kill a great number of people and creatures, its important to have a means of settling disputes that doesn't cause any death." She stood, smoothing her apron. "Danmaku can leave you with some cuts and bruises. Probably a few minor burns. But nothing serious."

"Ah--I understand. So long as nobody is really, really hurt."

That does make sense, when placed in context--that the danmaku fights are are a way of preventing people from being seriously injured.

Anyway, he looks to the table with cards, blinking. Pattern cards? "Can you show me how? I'd like to try!"

"I wont lie and say its perfectly safe though. In an actual duel people can get hurt. As with any sport there are occasional accidents but I've not heard of a case so serious as to cause any long-term damage. Mostly cuts and bruises. A few burns at worst. There probably has been a case or two of people falling and breaking a bone but it's nothing I've heard about. And the rules of the game encourage you to forfeit before it gets to that point."

Sakuya looked down at the table. "As for cards, it is preferable to have a physical object showing a representation or description of the pattern you plan on using. This eliminates cheating and ensures that what patterns are used were not thought up on the spot. Though its fine in more casual duels to think patterns up on the spot."

he reached forward and pulled a card toward him. "The green satori left one of her cards here as an example. She used a photograph as one of the tengu offered to take pictures. She then decorated it and applied it to a card-stock. Instead of a photo, however, you may use a simple drawing or a description. As you give your opponent a copy of your card if they 'capture' it they are generally designed with some visual appeal in mind else they would make poor trophies. I would suggest testing out patterns until you find one that is effective before dedicating a lot of time to a single card."

Edited 2015-01-25 00:51 (UTC)

Luke listens intently to her, the gears in his mind obviously turning. What sort of pattern would he be able to use to his advantage? His eyes go to the supplies on the table, biting his lip.

"I don't know that I'd really want to try for real...but making some cards would be nice!"

He can't draw particularly well either. But the first idea for a card that comes to him would be to trip up an opponent--not because he likes tripping people, of course, but because it could stop someone in their tracks without physically assaulting them. But the best way to do that? Holes would stop someone walking, but then there are people who fly like Koishi. What about some sort of barrier? Is that even possible?

Luke is scribbling on a piece of paper from his notebook, clearly thinking through the possibilities as he thinks about what best he could do with a card.

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New Years Eve/Danmaku Event

Spellcard and Pattern Crafting

Re: Spellcard and Pattern Crafting

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I'm not sure if you want to continue this, but I'd be happy to have him make a card or two and try!