New Years Eve/Danmaku Event

[betel_geuse]

"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!"

Comments

[koishi_komeiji]

"Satori youkai manipulate and read the conscious mind. But I'm blank now and can read and control the subconscious mind..."

She drifted forward as he stepped back, leaning in. "Nooo. Don't lie mister. I'll know if you do. There's something. It's really obtrusive. Do you want it there?" Koschei felt the little satori's cold, empty presence seep into his mind. Her third eye was open wide. "If it scares you so much then let me help you."

There was a pressure in his mind and... the drumming got a lot quieter. But it was also a lot harder to focus. "It's full of roots and tangled up... Strange... Strange strange. Not normal. Not normal at all..." Her brow knit in focus, a hand reaching up to gently touch her third eye.

"Stupid thing is poking me back... All over branching and looping... It's so complicated! Isn't it uncomfortable? It fits all wrong."

[koschei_oakden]

"Get. Out. Of. My. Mind," Koschei grated, angrily. He used his own mental abilities to push her away, throwing up powerful shields. He glared at her, his breath uneven. "If I want help, I'll ask. What's in my mind...never mind. I can control it on my own. You're hardly in any position to question someone else's normalcy."

[koishi_komeiji]

Trying to push her away was like trying to strike the surface of a lake. Her void like presence flooded back into any place he struck. Any spot he pulled at simply slipped through his mental grip. But he was making ripples, the shields pushing the overwhelming presence back somewhat. She, fortunately, seemed to get the hint and the mental force retreated from his mind.

"Mister...? You don't have to be scared of me. I was just curious. I will stop if you really want. It wasn't a part of your mind in the first place so I thought you wouldn't mind." She tilted her head. "It's like a little seed planted. One full of music! But it's so overgrown. Doesn't it hurt?"

[koschei_oakden]

"I'm not afraid of you and I mind very much," Koschei snapped, the previously quiet drums coming back full force, with the intensity of his emotions. "Curiosity is no excuse. There are worlds in my universe where you would be executed for doing that.* Never touch someone's mind without their permission."

Koschei swallowed, trying to gain control of himself. It was something his parents had insisted he always display--self control and good manners. After so many years, he felt he could probably remain polite, even if committing murder.

"Never mind what it is. It's no concern of yours, do you understand? It's nothing I can't cope with and...you could cause me a lot of trouble, if you persist in mentioning it. It doesn't always hurt and everyone gets headaches occasionally. It's perfectly normal."

He really hoped she got the hint and that the Time Lords never heard this conversation...not until he was fully dead and part of the Matrix.

(ooc: *I don't remember one from the show, but statistically, there have to be one or two, in a universe that has telepaths, I would think. lol )

[koishi_komeiji]

"Okay." She seemed a little hurt by his yelling. "I can't help it though. I'm a satori youkai. My ability doesn't turn off. I'm always feeling the subconscious of those around me. It's almost impossible to block out. Sometimes things are very noisy and it makes my head hurt. Then I have to lay down."

Her brow furrowed more as he struggled to calm down. She took a breath and made a very obvious psychic gesture, pulling up her aura of calm and contentedness. It was not a true influence or pressure on his mind. More like a gentle suggestion. Something that would sooth his emotions if he allowed it into his mind.

"I understand. My eye is broken and I don't like it when people try to help either because it can't be fixed. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you're having a difficult time though. I learned that the hard way. There's no shame in a little helping hand."

[koschei_oakden]

Koschei tilted his head.

"I'm not familiar with the term 'satori youkai,'" Koschei admitted reluctantly. "You caught me by surprise and I don't handle that well, I'm afraid. Thank you for offering to help, but I'm fine, really. I would appreciate it, if you didn't mention this to anyone."

[koishi_komeiji]

There was a long pause. "... Ohhhh. Okay. A satori youkai is what I am! We're mind readers and controllers. We can see minds just like how other people see things with their normal eyes." She touched her third eye, opening the lid gently with two fingers. The eye was frosted over white and tinted blue, the cataract thickest in a horizontal line across the lens like scar tissue. Completely blind.

"My eye is broken though so I can only see subconscious minds now. And my head gets funny because I'm all disconnected now. But that's okay I've gotten much better." She let the eye go, letting it close and leaning forward. "I used to be a really powerful psychic though. But it was much too noisy all the time and it hurt my head. My head doesn't hurt anymore though!"

[koschei_oakden]

"You're fortunate," Koschei said dryly. "It's interesting that your psychic ability manifested as an actual eye. I have telepathic ability, but it's only physical presence are some neural pathways in my brain. I'm sorry for you injury."

It was only polite to offer sympathy, though empathy wasn't one of Koschei's greatest traits. When he did care, Koschei cared very deeply. He rarely felt any emotional regard for strangers, however.

[koishi_komeiji]

"It's not actually an eye though. It just looks like one. Part of my brain is in my head and part of it is in my eye. They used to be directly connected but now they're not. It's okay though because it doesn't hurt anymore." She brightened. "Most psychics, I understand, don't have a third eye though. There's another really powerful one I mentioned. He's purple~"

[koschei_oakden]

Koschei peered closer at her eye, fascinated.

"And all satori youkai have part of their brain in a third eye? Your world's timelines must be wonderful!"

[koishi_komeiji]

The eye wasn't anything special. Soft, almost powdery looking skin stretched loosely over a sphere of... probably rigid cartilage. It was nearly flawless, marred only by a single scar on the top. It was quite deep, and whatever had been there probably had extended into the organ itself. Likely another one of those arteries. It opened a little as he got close, closing again. It was nearly impossible to see through the cataract though the eye had probably been green at one point.

"Well... Kinda. It's more specialized than the brain in my head. It sorts all kind of information and helps us understand the world around us so sometimes things don't make sense to me. But I'm figuring everything out so its fine."

[koschei_oakden]

"What kind of information?" Koschei asked. "Psychic things or more ordinary things, like depth perception? I'm sorry. I'm getting rather personal with my questions."

[koishi_komeiji]

"Noo it's fine. I don't mind telling you." She let her third eye settle into her hands.

"All sorts of information. It gives us our mental powers but acts as a filter and sorts information too. A lot of a satori's ability to understand the world is in their third eye. That's why I can't associate names with people very well. And its why everything is shape and color and sound instead of concrete. And its why I see things that aren't there and don't see things that are there. That's why I only get whats in front of me because the sides are fuzzy and wiggly.

[koschei_oakden]

"You don't always know what you're seeing is real? That sounds rather dangerous."

[koishi_komeiji]

"Nooo. I can tell whats real, silly! I'm not insane!" This was debatable. "I just can't understand what I'm seeing half the time. I can guess based upon contextual information like something nearby I can understand. And I can put in extra effort to make myself understand if I need to."

She floated closer to him, her third eye drifting up, nudging his cheek. "You're a really nice person to be concerned with me. I like you mister. Let's be friends, okay?"

[koschei_oakden]

Koschei forced himself to not back away, when she drifted closer. After all, she couldn't do him any real harm...or so he told himself. He gave a wry smile at her suggestion.

"I think we could all use some friends in this place, yes."

[koishi_komeiji]

"Yeah! That would make me really happy mister! I like you, even if your head music is odd." She blinked, the people at the party moving some. Koishi looked back over her shoulder.

"Oh... OH I should get ready. I have a duel later tonight. It will be lots of fun because danmaku is fun! It was nice meeting you mister!"

[koschei_oakden]

"It's not music and I don't want to talk about it. And you mustn't talk to others about it, all right? As my friend, I hope you'll help me keep the sound a secret," Koschei declared solemnly.

"It's nice meeting you, too. Where is the duel going to take place?"

[koishi_komeiji]

"Umm..." She blinked. "I dunno why it should be a secret but okay! I wont tell!"

"And the duel is going to be over there!" She pointed to a large open area, though she seemed to be pointing up just as much as to the side. "You can watch it where all the chairs are. It's shielded so it wont get hit by anything."

She floated up, still all smiles as she drifted back slowly. "I better hurry, okay Mister? It was nice meeting you!" She took to the air right away, vanishing after a short distance, the faint scent of roses drifting in the air.

[koschei_oakden]

"Thank you," Koschei said, hoping she remembered later.

He looked at the area she pointed to and nodded.

"Yes, of course. Good day, Koishi."