Author Topic: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!  (Read 32590 times)

Jq1790

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #240 on: December 22, 2011, 10:52:44 PM »
>We realize our chakras have been attacked, so is there any way for us to redirect the flow of our Qi to our chakras to restimulate them, countering the effects of Touch of the Golden Sun?

Hopefully we wouldn't need full mobility if we CAN do this...
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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #241 on: December 23, 2011, 08:59:09 AM »
>Stance: Meiling's Tower.
>Towers do not fall as long as the foundations are strong, and chakra is our foundation.
>Re-position our Qi centers, anything, to evade being ensnared by these golden strands.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #242 on: December 25, 2011, 11:25:11 AM »
Aah, internet. Akyu's greatest foe.

>We realize our chakras have been attacked, so is there any way for us to redirect the flow of our Qi to our chakras to restimulate them, countering the effects of Touch of the Golden Sun?
>Stance: Meiling's Tower.
>Towers do not fall as long as the foundations are strong, and chakra is our foundation.
>Re-position our Qi centers, anything, to evade being ensnared by these golden strands.

> You shut down your senses and withdraw inwards.
> Deep, deep down your consciousness falls until there is nothing around you but the vast stars that are your chakra points once-pulsing with life, now dark and dessicated husks.
> You feel no emotion but serenity and a singularity of purpose as you expand yourself out in a manner only a disembodied consciousness can and entwine the incomprehensibly enormous bulk of the first chakra point and pull
> pull
> pull with every erg of might that you possess and indeed it is as if you are shifting a celestial body
> but bit by bit, step by step you force the chakra to move.
> With each miniscule motion you feel the chakra regain strength, processes deep within its core igniting once again, spreading, spreading in an unstoppable reaction, turning from in to out as the husk pulses with a power near-blinding...
> You do not know how much time has passed - and if time itself is something meaningless in your mindworld - but you stand before your now-reignited chakra point, its fire halting and unfamiliar in its new home, but eager to burn with all its power and let flow the starwind that is your Qi.

> Six more to go.

> It is as if years have passed in the mindworld's untime, your consciousness' spark - tiny against the chakra points' size - toiling tirelessly to create a new constellation within yourself, striving to achieve perfection of alignment between each point's new placement so that their starwinds would flow uninhibited.
> And finally you behold your work, a new set of stars burning brightly and cleanly, no longer hesitant and unfamiliar, but confident and comfortable in their new homes.
> Never before have you felt such a unity of self, such perfect comprehension of every aspect of your body that you yourself have crafted anew.

> Like reactivating an ancient mechanism, you return feeling to your senses, trivially swatting away the block that had been placed on your eyes and you rise, rise to the surface and
> You open your eyes.

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #243 on: December 26, 2011, 08:18:41 AM »
>Breathe in. Breathe out. Behold.

Aah, internet. Akyu's greatest foe.
Well said; but if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Fightest

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #244 on: December 26, 2011, 10:03:31 PM »
>Breathe in. Breathe out. Behold.

> The Shrine Maiden stands, eyes wide in astonishment, stance ready
> but, in inexperience with her great power, lacking the perfection that is needed
> to ward off the clear, singular passage of attack
> shining like a unbreakable thread connecting the now of the stand-off and the then of your victory
> your victory that seems like a certainty
> like water flowing downstream
> like the rise of the sun in the morning
> like the collapse and fall of Gensokyo



> but when faced with those gifted, what is certainty if not yet another barrier to break?

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #245 on: December 28, 2011, 08:37:54 AM »
>Stance: Hieda's Eternal Triumph
>Sprint towards Reimu

Fightest

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #246 on: December 29, 2011, 11:47:45 AM »
>Stance: Hieda's Eternal Triumph
>Sprint towards Reimu

> It is like following a path already chosen long before you.
> You duck under the Shrine Maiden's kick
> duck and roll behind her
> without turning step to the right, perfect dodge of the follow-up kick infused with golden flame
> momentum to spin, launch and kick out, away from the Shrine Maiden, your chakras filling you with a singular point of power

> shattering glass

> the Shrine Maiden's counterattack with a punch you know is strong enough to crack mountains
> Heavenly Guardian Defense
> stopped on your outstretched palm, the shockwave radiating to split the island you stand on
> unstoppable grab, pull, step, leverage and
> slam the Shrine Maiden on the ground in front of you, knocking the air from her.

> time slows to a crawl to your heightened senses, a tunnel vision like any other focusing on the Shrine Maiden's next move...
> ...
> a satisfied smile
> a relaxation of muscles
> a slow movement of her free hand to
> tap
> tap
> the ground next to her.

> "I give."

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #247 on: December 30, 2011, 09:43:23 AM »
>Help Reimu up. Smile.
>Bow deeply. "Thank you for the match Hakurei Shrinemaiden. I am honored to do battle with you."

Fightest

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #248 on: January 03, 2012, 05:00:26 PM »
> The existence inside you awakens.
> All your experiences, all your memories and struggles are barely enough preparation for the sensation of celestial power streaming forth from the depths of your soul, filling you to the extremities of your limbs, pouring out of your eyes and mouth, clouding around you and streaming up, up to light up the sky in wondrous colours in a display of potence not seen for centuries.
> You feel the power amplifying every aspect of your body, making your muscles stronger, your mind quicker, your eyes sharper, and also of your being, swelling your Compassion, hardening your dedication... but also intensifying your rage, deepening your greed.
> You can still remember yourself, the Akyu that was, but those memories now share your mind with the perfect, ideal-made-living Akyu that is and the premonitions of the unimaginable Akyu that will be...

> Elsewhere...
> The din and shouting of the impromptu gambling den had reached their peak and, when the letters and numbers, streaming at a near-illegible rate on the grand scroll hanging on the wall, suddenly waver and stop the silence seems deafening.
> A single, carefully-steadied voice breaks the silence. It takes Rinnosuke every fiber of his being to remain calm.
> "Bet placed on contestant Hieda to be paid out. At established odds, the winnings are..."
> "Infinite, yes, to be paid out by the tournament funds themselves," says a soft, confident voice. "That will put an end to this tournament quite promptly. Good-day, gentlemen, ladies."
> The door to the gambling den opens and shuts.

>Help Reimu up. Smile.
>Bow deeply. "Thank you for the match Hakurei Shrinemaiden. I am honored to do battle with you."

> The Shrine Maiden accepts your hand and stands.
> "Call me Reimu. You have long earned that right."
> She turns and nods at the girl in gold armor. The girl in gold armor nods back at Reimu, then paces towards you, her eyes fixed on yours. Behind the girl's eyes you can see another pair, older, wiser, filled with regret and hubris. It is as if a great golden aura of an old ape, adorned in ceremonial armor and wielding a mighty staff, surrounds her.
> "Now you have awakened, you must remember! Your ancestors' memories are hidden inside you, find them! Take them into yourself! Remember a way to save this last bastion from the chaos-erosion, from the formed-and-unformed that threaten us all! You are our only hope!"

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #249 on: January 04, 2012, 08:21:56 AM »
> "Infinite, yes, to be paid out by the tournament funds themselves," says a soft, confident voice. "That will put an end to this tournament quite promptly. Good-day, gentlemen, ladies."
> The door to the gambling den opens and shuts.
Yes! Yes! YEAH!

>Just as Gensokyo hastens to it's end, so too, does it's revival.
>Eidetic Memory.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #250 on: January 04, 2012, 10:06:14 AM »
>Just as Gensokyo hastens to it's end, so too, does it's revival.
>Eidetic Memory.

> All it takes is for you to remember.
> Memories of a thousand lifetimes are laid before you like an open scroll. Every event is described in infinite detail, every action, every heroic act or villainous exploit performed by your ancestors - they all are perfectly recorded in your memory.
> And so you begin to read the saga of yourself, like a diligent student, starting at the beginning, hundreds, thousands of years ago, in the Age of Legends...

> Here ends Akyu Quest! Congratulations for completing Akyu Quest and achieving the True End!
> Stand by for the next installment in the Akyu Saga, to be started soon!
> As per custom, the parser will answer questions and provide comments if requested until threadlock.

Jq1790

  • Wow I'm back to playing this game.
  • Let's puzzle together again, Karin!
Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #251 on: January 05, 2012, 03:07:43 AM »
>It worked out rather well, though this player wonders...What made you choose Akyu?  Any specific link you might have had to the character that made you wanna do a Quest for her?
>Did you have the entire thing basically planned out from the get-go?  Did player choices make you completely reqork ideas you'd had?
>Anything you wish went differently?  Anything that you couldn't do here that you would have liked to?
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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #252 on: January 05, 2012, 09:01:07 AM »
How many years experience do you have Fightest? You are damn good.
Also, you have run / are running games simultaneously? Heck of a task.

Dormio Ergo Sum

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #253 on: January 05, 2012, 09:11:09 AM »
No questions, just here to say that this was a really cool quest to follow.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #254 on: January 05, 2012, 11:26:16 AM »
>It worked out rather well, though this player wonders...What made you choose Akyu?  Any specific link you might have had to the character that made you wanna do a Quest for her?
>Did you have the entire thing basically planned out from the get-go?  Did player choices make you completely reqork ideas you'd had?
>Anything you wish went differently?  Anything that you couldn't do here that you would have liked to?

> Akyu is the one canonical absolutely-mortal character in Touhou that doesn't have any superpowers. The quest was always intended to be a shounen-style combat thing where the character would learn abilities from their enemies and become more powerful as they do, and Akyu's eidetic memory really ties into that.
> The initial setup for AQ was very barebones: point 1 was "beat up everyone," point 2 was the above "learn to fight by oneself, possibly steal moves," points 3-6 were some ideas for fights and point 7 was the actual plot, consisting of the single sentence "greatest fighter gains potion of immortality." From that point on everything was improvised, vaguely following rules of the shounen genre. As such, player choices did not force any reworks, although I'll readily admit that I railroaded every so often.
> As a corollary, I am not sure exactly when I started blatantly stealing from Exalted, but I'm definitely happy that I did.
> I feel that I did not handle the sudden flavour change where diplomacy suddenly took the forefront over physical combat. On the one hand, I made it quite clear that AQ was about fighting, but, on the other hand, I should have adapted faster than I did. I'll take this to heart and implement a more robust social combat system for the next installment.

How many years experience do you have Fightest? You are damn good.
Also, you have run / are running games simultaneously? Heck of a task.

I started being a GM about six or so years ago, and have had the (un)fortune of experiencing two medium-length games that went horribly wrong for different reasons, and the fortune of experiencing two long-length games that were very good - again, for different reasons. I like to think that I've learned just about everything about being a GM from those.

I actually found AQ to be a nice break from game-running. It was a very relaxed schedule, and I had plenty of time to think of cool things to happen at every turn. As such, I am entirely happy to keep going with this sort of thing.

No questions, just here to say that this was a really cool quest to follow.

Thank you! I appreciate your compliments, and I think you player folks have been great as well!

Kasu

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #255 on: January 05, 2012, 03:36:49 PM »
Though I kinda stopped participating at one point, I did follow the rest because it was really interesting. :3  Congrats on finishing this installment!

Also, I just want to throw one thing at you really quickly:

BGM: Akyu Quest

Apparently, Thomas the Tank Engine isn't one to take crap from anyone.

Hanzo K.

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #256 on: January 05, 2012, 06:43:46 PM »
Hey, lemme in on this too!

BGM: VS Reimu
BGM: Befriending Yuuka
BGM: Battle Royale (The big fight towards the end.)
BGM: Contest with Yuugi
BGM: Pulling yourself Together
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Youkai Quest: Unknown Adventure

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #257 on: January 06, 2012, 12:59:14 AM »
Though I kinda stopped participating at one point, I did follow the rest because it was really interesting. :3  Congrats on finishing this installment!

Also, I just want to throw one thing at you really quickly:

BGM: Akyu Quest

Thanks! As for the BGM, I'm not entirely familiar with the tradition, but if you're asking for my preferred soundtrack for the theme, that's easy. Don't even have to leave the franchise: Memory of Forgathering Oriental Dream (Arrange Version)

Hey, lemme in on this too!

BGM: VS Reimu
BGM: Befriending Yuuka
BGM: Battle Royale (The big fight towards the end.)
BGM: Contest with Yuugi
BGM: Pulling yourself Together

I'd actually rather hear you guys' take on more specific themes, as I'd just end up referencing IaMP and SWR tracks.

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #258 on: January 07, 2012, 08:17:49 AM »
BGM: VS Reimu
I'm biased though.

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #259 on: January 07, 2012, 10:17:54 PM »
Damn it, had I read a bit faster I would've made it in time to participate at the very end. This was a great quest, Fightest, I really find myself lacking words to describe the feeling of it being over, I wish I had found it earlier. Thanks for everything.

First attempts at BGM, feel free to suggest other more fitting songs:

BGM: Befriending Yuuka
I didn't quite know whether you wanted to refer to the encounter or the aftermath, so I settled with the latter.

BGM: Nursing Home ~ The Rowdy Akyuu Household

BGM: Pulling Yourself Together

BGM: Gensokyo's Impending Doom

BGM: Back Home ~ Well Earned Rest

BGM: Battle Royale

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #260 on: January 08, 2012, 12:19:14 AM »
Those tracks are great! Certainly an eclectic mix.

And, because there wasn't much of a way to do it as the story stands otherwise...

> Epilogue.

> They descended from Heaven like a funerary procession. Yet, instead of mourning, they each carried a light inside them, born from the words and actions of one girl, and tempered in the fire of battle and the warmth of camaraderie.
> To those on the ground, it is as if a slow landslide comes down the Youkai Mountain: fairies, oni, humans, gods, once rivals born from needless conflict, now bound together in a single goal not of their choosing - all walk side-by-side down the precarious paths.
> Between them they carry a still shape, her eyes closed, her face tranquil.

> "It is as if she is dead," says Kaguya, worry cresting her features despite her efforts to appear calm.
> "She'll come back to us," says Meiling, patting the princess on the shoulder. "Do you not trust your physician's assurances?"
> "I did set her on fire once, and that was all right..." says Kaguya, more to herself than anyone else.

> "I'm not quite clear on what she's doing" says Remilia, "it is a bit beyond me."
> "Yer a truly smart-like bint, en't ye?" taunts Mokou. "Kid's a-cookin' a right breakfast between yon ears, so all's ye need to is leave off 'n drop yer tea."
> Remilia gives Mokou a level stare.
> "I did not understand a single low-bred word of what you just said," she says, narrowing her eyes. "Sakuya?"
> Remilia's maidservant, up until now silent throughout the journey, clears her throat and speaks.
> "Ye's grey-wise, berk? Hardback's thicker'n it sees. Yer drape-like?"
> Mokou, recovering quickly, grins and winks at Sakyua.
> "Yes, my Lady," says Sakuya, deadpan, to a wide-eyed Remilia. "Mistress Fujuwara assures us that Mistress Hieda will come to no harm."

> "Now's what?" says Cirno, idly twirling an icicle between her fingers.
> "A remarkable astute two words," replies Byakuren. "We cannot continue as we were before. Not after everything that has happened."
> "Oh, I'm sure things will change. It'll be fun!" says Yuyuko cheerfully. She looks down, talking to herself. "Yes. Change will come, whether we like it or not."

> "Hakurei," says Marisa, coldly.
> "Kirisame," responds Reimu, not missing a beat.
> The two burst out laughing, but quickly quieten down to avoid drawing attention.
> "She's did amazing things, that kid," says Marisa.
> "No doubt about that," says Reimu. "I did not dare dream she could achieve so much in so little time."
> "'N she's made a lot of friends, too, eh?" Marisa playfully nudges Reimu.
> Reimu hmphs.
> "Don't expect me to develop a sudden affection towards Youkai," she says, eyeing large parts of the procession with disgust.
> "Hah, whoa," says Marisa, smiling. "Worth a try, eh?"

> "I appear to be in possession of a few thousand years' worth of false history," says Keine, her tone cordial.
> "Indeed?" says the girl in gold.
> "Don't play games, celestial," replies Keine, snapping. "You tend to cause ruin when you do."
> "Very well, celestial," says the girl in gold, ignoring Keine's questioning expression at the emphasis. "I will tell you what I know, which, I fear to say, is woefully incomplete, unlike the account the Hieda Daughter could provide you. It is a story that starts with a war to end all wars..."
« Last Edit: January 08, 2012, 12:21:48 AM by Fightest »

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #261 on: January 08, 2012, 04:08:49 AM »
So she overstrained in order to find a solution, huh? that's our Akyu :3

Took me a long time to find the kind of thing I was looking for, plus a few more:
BGM: Contest with Yuugi

BGM: The War is Over

BGM: Lunatic Eyes ~ Chaos at Eientei

My own take on BGM: Vs Reimu

BGM: Ambush! Free Fall Brawl

I can't seem a particularly good one for BGM: Akyu Quest, so I'll leave that to somebody else.

Hanzo K.

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #262 on: January 08, 2012, 02:23:43 PM »
Gee, Reimu and Marisa sure are Mass Effect in here.
But aside from that, I was pretty surprised that Sakuya could understand Mokou. Good laugh that.
Essence RO
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Fightest

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #263 on: January 12, 2012, 11:08:01 AM »
As long as this thread's around, I might as well take the opportunity to ask some questions of my own:

Are there things you liked/disliked?

What would you like to see developed for the sequel?

Were there threads that weren't followed up on that you'd like to see finished?

Was justice done to the re-imagining of some characters?

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #264 on: January 12, 2012, 05:59:05 PM »
I was kind of expecting Yukari to slip away from the battle and find Akyu instead of Yuyuko, she most likely had the knowledge to give a speech on why Gensokyo's crippling was happening, and in retrospect,  Yukari actually needing help from somebody, seeing her getting serious for once and having her help us find our way to the memories key to fixing the whole mess would've been a rare sight and pretty cool. The ending was nice regardless, specially since it appeared to be kind of rushed to get the adventure over after such a long time.
I felt kinda bad when the diplomatic/peaceful route was chosen, because yeah, it was a fighting quest, and taking the battle component away from it isn't that good an idea, unsurprinsingly it lead to you having to try to force the battles on, but you managed that pretty nicely. Other than that, I have nothing but praise for this one. Starting up with a battle scenario with holes to be filled later was a very nice hook, considering most of these adventures take some time to pick up. The battles at Eientei and with Parsee were specially awesome, on the level of "did that really just happen?", I quite enjoyed the character side-stories, specially Youmu's, and I'm looking forward to see what happens in your next one.

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #265 on: January 13, 2012, 08:56:23 AM »
Obviously, Akyu Quest was very enjoyable.  Cannot think of an encounter that wasn't fun and didn't bring anything new to the table.  The some of the fights at the beginning still stand out to me though, just because it felt that we were horribly outmatched, and we won by the skin of our teeth, and barely walked away (or sometimes not even that).  The character switches brought in an excellent change of pace, and each fight had it's own ohshitohshit moments.  I think the railroading was fine, and handled skillfully.  The only thing I think could have been expanded on was Chireidin at peace and did New Kid ever get a name?  Like I said before, superb running the game.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #266 on: January 13, 2012, 09:02:33 AM »
and did New Kid ever get a name?

Hah. I got the impression that most readers didn't much care about New Kid, so I quickly shuffled her off to the sidelines. If there is interest, she could well come back during the Akyu segments of Legend of Hieda.

Otherwise, the thread's comments and feedback are much appreciated! Thanks, everyone!