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Gensokyo TDM
Mar. 15th, 2026 10:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tengugrandshogiThis is a Test Drive Meme, but it is not for a real RP. It's a sandbox for anyone who wants to have fun doing some threads in a concrete setting. Please post around and enjoy warmly.
The border between fantasy and reality is not as solid as most humans believe it to be. Most live their lives firmly in reality, but every now and then, there are gaps. It happens in various ways - you get lost, you let your mind wander, you take a route you don't remember being there before. Before you know it, you've slipped into the world of fantasy, and the way back is nowhere in sight.
Welcome to Gensokyo.
Gensokyo is a home for those who have passed out of human knowledge and into myth. Mostly, that means youkai, fairies, and gods, but there are a lot of humans here, too. They're all part of a complex ecosystem kept in a delicate balance. Throw away your common sense - magic is extremely real, and the rules of mythology are more useful than the laws of physics, which are more like suggestions. You'll figure it out as you go.
Here's the basics:
Normally, humans who wander into Gensokyo are sent back to the outside world. At the moment, though, it seems there's something wrong with the barrier - it's only letting people in, not letting them back out. So, instead, you wind up here.
The Hakurei Shrine is an unassuming Shinto shrine on the metaphysical edge of Gensokyo, home to the shrine maiden whose job is to sort out situations like this. With the sudden influx, though, she's got her hands full, and a crowd is starting to form. Explanations are mainly spreading peer to peer, with dubious accuracy. Of most interest to many newcomers is learning how magic works.
For some, powers remain as they were, but for others, crossing the boundary has changed them into a more appropriate form. The first and most obvious change is flight - just about all of the newcomers can fly now, even those who lacked powers before. Floating around in the sky is pretty commonplace in Gensokyo, and with a bit of practice, you should be levitating like a pro. The second is the conversion of most offensive powers to danmaku - huge, geometric patterns of magical bullets turning airspace into a chaotic game of dodgeball. In expert hands, it looks something like this. For newbies... less elegant, more running into things. Don't worry, none of it is lethal. It seems like these magical aerial dogfights are the primary way of solving conflict in this world. Fights are over the top, but seldom to the death. Instead, the loser gets away with bruised dignity and must abide by the wishes of the victor.
For now, this does mean that while people are trying to figure out what the hell is going on, a lot of people are flying around overhead shooting poorly-aimed laser bullets at each other. Tread carefully.
The beating heart at the center of Gensokyo. Youkai are creatures born of human fears, so it stands to reason that they need humans around to fear them. By agreement between a large number of powerful factions, the human village is strictly off-limits for monsters.
What this leaves is a mid 19th-century Japanese rural town that is, for all the magical weirdness surrounding it, often a very ordinary place. There are markets, bars, inns, all the things you'd expect... and if you dig deeper, you might find some more interesting places:
On the shores of Misty Lake stands a towering gothic mansion, completely at odds with the Japanese architecture seen everywhere else. The day people start arriving in droves, word spreads that there's going to be a big party there. Why not check it out?
Despite the Scarlet Devil Mansion's ominous name, it seems like a pretty welcoming place. The party is mostly restricted to a wide ourdoor garden area off to one side of the grounds, and contains an eclectic mix of humans and supernatural creatures. The lady of the house is said to be a powerful vampire, but who knows if she'll make an appearance or not.
Under many circumstances, putting those who prey on human fear in the same room with humans would be a recipe for disaster, but some kind of magic seems to keep things flowing smoothly. The name of that magic is alcohol. Drinks are on the house, and there's a LOT of them. When in Gensokyo, drink. If everyone's sloshed, then social barriers melt away, and sure, the occasional danmaku battle might break out overhead, but some kind of magical barrier is keeping the party safe, so you're free to enjoy the fireworks.
When people say that this place is cursed, they ARE telling the truth - paths seem to twist around in different directions each time, leaving you hopelessly lost in the maze of bamboo. On the other hand, in Gensokyo, people are weirdly cavalier about a lot of things, including curses. If you get lost, you can just hope that someone who knows the woods better than you - or another lost person - comes across you and guides you to an exit.
So, why would you come to a place like this? The local youkai rabbits, experts in navigating the forest, have gotten together to organize a test of courage! A thrilling game for those who have the guts for it. Hapless challengers are given a route through the forest by following a series of flags tied to bamboo, but along the way, you'll have to make it through a gauntlet of terrifying creatures! Fortunately, they aren't here to harm you, just to scare you... and you're pretty sure some of these are harmless fairies or humans in costumes. On the other hand, some of them are very real monstrous denizens of the night.
Invaders can join in the fun from either side - either as the players or as the monsters. Those who aren't human are encouraged to take a chance to terrify their new friends, and for more ambitious humans, costumes are available to make you seem like another monster. What's the reward for surviving the test of courage? If the glory and satisfaction of reaching the end isn't enough, there's a delicious spread of fresh, chilled watermelon greeting you at the goal. Just be aware that they were chilled using the frigid aura of real ghosts.
The base of Youkai Mountain is kappa territory. While usually off-limits to outsiders, a river on the edge of it has been set up as a temporary marketplace, to fleece-- sorry, to trade with the invaders.
The kappa are pretty different from the more traditional youkai communities seen elsewhere in Gensokyo. Identifiable by their broadly identical blue uniforms, the kappa are industrious, ambitious, and technologically advanced compared to their neighbors. The wares are an eclectic mix of traditional, modern, and bizarre - at one stall you might find cucumber-based festival food, then obviously fake religious relics, then a Gensokyo-made bootleg gameboy at the next. For those who aren't interested in shopping, there are a few other opportunities for exploration:
Maybe the attractions of the surface are too mild for you. If you talk to the right people, or spot the right cave entrances, you might find yourself on a subterannean journey. Technically, this is off-limits to outsiders, as the warning signs will make clear, but if you've got the guts to ignore them, you may find yourself in Former Hell.
There aren't any actual tormented sinners here - those were relocated ages ago. In their absence, this underground city is a paradise for the oni. It's a chaotic place, where the national pastimes are violence and booze. Oni will take any opportunity to pick fights, which are some combination off the aerial danmaku battles of the surface and straight-up brawls. While just about everyone in Gensokyo drinks, the oni are the heaviest drinkers of all, and they know how to party.
For outsiders, you'll find yourself inevitably attacked by oni, but they aren't here to eat you, just to enjoy a good round of fisticuffs. There are battle tournaments, drunken festivities, and once you're done fighting and drinking, you can soothe your body in one of the several natural hot springs in the area. Just be careful not to wander into the Hell of Blazing Fires beyond Former Hell, where beyond the endless flaming lakes and hellish beasts, a modern nuclear reactor can be seen in the distance.
[ Art credit: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ]
The border between fantasy and reality is not as solid as most humans believe it to be. Most live their lives firmly in reality, but every now and then, there are gaps. It happens in various ways - you get lost, you let your mind wander, you take a route you don't remember being there before. Before you know it, you've slipped into the world of fantasy, and the way back is nowhere in sight.
Welcome to Gensokyo.
Gensokyo is a home for those who have passed out of human knowledge and into myth. Mostly, that means youkai, fairies, and gods, but there are a lot of humans here, too. They're all part of a complex ecosystem kept in a delicate balance. Throw away your common sense - magic is extremely real, and the rules of mythology are more useful than the laws of physics, which are more like suggestions. You'll figure it out as you go.
Here's the basics:
- Through mysterious and vague means, you have stumbled out of your original plane of reality, and wound up in Gensokyo. Getting home is possible, but it'll take a while.
- Most people arrive wandering through the woods, where you might get attacked by various minor youkai. Eventually, someone sensible may find you and direct you towards the Hakurei Shrine to get you sorted out.
- From there, you are free to explore.
- Any superhuman abilities may emerge in a translated form - you still have them, but in a form of magic more suitable to Gensokyo. This is optional, and is explained in more detail at the Hakurei Shrine.
- Characters can get some spending money - don't fret too much about how. Maybe by helping out with some minor work around town, or by hunting youkai.
- The logic of language barriers is: Don't worry about it. You can understand each other.
- If you want to play a Touhou Project character, they don't need to be jamjarred. You just live here.
- Yes, male characters are allowed.
Hakurei Shrine
Normally, humans who wander into Gensokyo are sent back to the outside world. At the moment, though, it seems there's something wrong with the barrier - it's only letting people in, not letting them back out. So, instead, you wind up here.
The Hakurei Shrine is an unassuming Shinto shrine on the metaphysical edge of Gensokyo, home to the shrine maiden whose job is to sort out situations like this. With the sudden influx, though, she's got her hands full, and a crowd is starting to form. Explanations are mainly spreading peer to peer, with dubious accuracy. Of most interest to many newcomers is learning how magic works.
For some, powers remain as they were, but for others, crossing the boundary has changed them into a more appropriate form. The first and most obvious change is flight - just about all of the newcomers can fly now, even those who lacked powers before. Floating around in the sky is pretty commonplace in Gensokyo, and with a bit of practice, you should be levitating like a pro. The second is the conversion of most offensive powers to danmaku - huge, geometric patterns of magical bullets turning airspace into a chaotic game of dodgeball. In expert hands, it looks something like this. For newbies... less elegant, more running into things. Don't worry, none of it is lethal. It seems like these magical aerial dogfights are the primary way of solving conflict in this world. Fights are over the top, but seldom to the death. Instead, the loser gets away with bruised dignity and must abide by the wishes of the victor.
For now, this does mean that while people are trying to figure out what the hell is going on, a lot of people are flying around overhead shooting poorly-aimed laser bullets at each other. Tread carefully.
The Human Village
The beating heart at the center of Gensokyo. Youkai are creatures born of human fears, so it stands to reason that they need humans around to fear them. By agreement between a large number of powerful factions, the human village is strictly off-limits for monsters.
What this leaves is a mid 19th-century Japanese rural town that is, for all the magical weirdness surrounding it, often a very ordinary place. There are markets, bars, inns, all the things you'd expect... and if you dig deeper, you might find some more interesting places:
- Kourindou: A curio shop a little ways out of town. What makes this place interesting is that many of the things here are from beyond Gensokyo's borders - books and magazines from eras as recent as the 1990s, slightly obsolete computers, even a cell phone or two. The bespectacled man who runs the place will gladly tell you what any of them are, although he seems pretty confused about a lot of the details.
- Gedontei: A popular izakaya where villagers can eat and drink their worries away. After the sun sets, though, it gets some peculiar clientele - some of them with tails or horns. This seems to be something of a safe haven where non-humans can be a little less discreet about their actions in the human village.
- Suzunaan: A rental book store with a strange reputation. Browsing is free, and their selection is baffling; there's poem collections, textbooks from the outside world in a dozen languages, supernatural murder mysteries by Gensokyo's own Agatha Chris Q... and in the back are the dangerous books. Dark power radiates from some of them, some seem to move around when nobody's looking... word is the proprietress even has a first-edition Necronomicon in there somewhere. Just be careful - some books might release dangerous spirits when opened, and then it's your responsibility to get it back into the book.
The Scarlet Devil Mansion
On the shores of Misty Lake stands a towering gothic mansion, completely at odds with the Japanese architecture seen everywhere else. The day people start arriving in droves, word spreads that there's going to be a big party there. Why not check it out?
Despite the Scarlet Devil Mansion's ominous name, it seems like a pretty welcoming place. The party is mostly restricted to a wide ourdoor garden area off to one side of the grounds, and contains an eclectic mix of humans and supernatural creatures. The lady of the house is said to be a powerful vampire, but who knows if she'll make an appearance or not.
Under many circumstances, putting those who prey on human fear in the same room with humans would be a recipe for disaster, but some kind of magic seems to keep things flowing smoothly. The name of that magic is alcohol. Drinks are on the house, and there's a LOT of them. When in Gensokyo, drink. If everyone's sloshed, then social barriers melt away, and sure, the occasional danmaku battle might break out overhead, but some kind of magical barrier is keeping the party safe, so you're free to enjoy the fireworks.
Bamboo Forest of the Lost
When people say that this place is cursed, they ARE telling the truth - paths seem to twist around in different directions each time, leaving you hopelessly lost in the maze of bamboo. On the other hand, in Gensokyo, people are weirdly cavalier about a lot of things, including curses. If you get lost, you can just hope that someone who knows the woods better than you - or another lost person - comes across you and guides you to an exit.
So, why would you come to a place like this? The local youkai rabbits, experts in navigating the forest, have gotten together to organize a test of courage! A thrilling game for those who have the guts for it. Hapless challengers are given a route through the forest by following a series of flags tied to bamboo, but along the way, you'll have to make it through a gauntlet of terrifying creatures! Fortunately, they aren't here to harm you, just to scare you... and you're pretty sure some of these are harmless fairies or humans in costumes. On the other hand, some of them are very real monstrous denizens of the night.
Invaders can join in the fun from either side - either as the players or as the monsters. Those who aren't human are encouraged to take a chance to terrify their new friends, and for more ambitious humans, costumes are available to make you seem like another monster. What's the reward for surviving the test of courage? If the glory and satisfaction of reaching the end isn't enough, there's a delicious spread of fresh, chilled watermelon greeting you at the goal. Just be aware that they were chilled using the frigid aura of real ghosts.
Kappa Bazaar
The base of Youkai Mountain is kappa territory. While usually off-limits to outsiders, a river on the edge of it has been set up as a temporary marketplace, to fleece-- sorry, to trade with the invaders.
The kappa are pretty different from the more traditional youkai communities seen elsewhere in Gensokyo. Identifiable by their broadly identical blue uniforms, the kappa are industrious, ambitious, and technologically advanced compared to their neighbors. The wares are an eclectic mix of traditional, modern, and bizarre - at one stall you might find cucumber-based festival food, then obviously fake religious relics, then a Gensokyo-made bootleg gameboy at the next. For those who aren't interested in shopping, there are a few other opportunities for exploration:
- The mascot of the event is the star of the show - a full-size giant robot! This is Hisoutensoku, a nuclear-powered super robot crafted by the kappa. While it looks the part, towering over its surroundings, its movement is very limited, because it's actually just an advertising piece with little in the way of actual capabilities.
- All the rage among the kappa these days is something called water courses. You get an inflatable inner tube, and float your way down a river, experiencing the thrill of the twisting and turning currents like an aquatic roller coaster. Basic courses are open to humans, but if you want to do the intermediate or advanced courses, you'd better be some combination of highly skilled or highly durable, as the kappa don't have a good grasp of what's safe for people who can't breathe underwater.
- For the more adventurous, not far from the bazaar you may hear crowds of voices from a nearby abandoned building. This is the Komakusa Gamblingn Den, where the alcohol flows freely (but not for free) and high-stakes games of cards and dice are enjoyed by many. It's rare for humans to come here - the proprietress isn't human herself - so you'd better be careful. In a place like this, newcomers are potential marks, and while you won't get eaten alive, the tanuki aren't above a little friendly cheating to drain your wallet.
Former Hell
Maybe the attractions of the surface are too mild for you. If you talk to the right people, or spot the right cave entrances, you might find yourself on a subterannean journey. Technically, this is off-limits to outsiders, as the warning signs will make clear, but if you've got the guts to ignore them, you may find yourself in Former Hell.
There aren't any actual tormented sinners here - those were relocated ages ago. In their absence, this underground city is a paradise for the oni. It's a chaotic place, where the national pastimes are violence and booze. Oni will take any opportunity to pick fights, which are some combination off the aerial danmaku battles of the surface and straight-up brawls. While just about everyone in Gensokyo drinks, the oni are the heaviest drinkers of all, and they know how to party.
For outsiders, you'll find yourself inevitably attacked by oni, but they aren't here to eat you, just to enjoy a good round of fisticuffs. There are battle tournaments, drunken festivities, and once you're done fighting and drinking, you can soothe your body in one of the several natural hot springs in the area. Just be careful not to wander into the Hell of Blazing Fires beyond Former Hell, where beyond the endless flaming lakes and hellish beasts, a modern nuclear reactor can be seen in the distance.
[ Art credit: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ]
