Post by maltramac on May 27, 2013 14:22:09 GMT -5
I wish to lay claim to Byakuren as my first alt.
Here's a fancy written out backstory that should double as proof of competence:
The flames of the funeral pyre crackled loudly, gradually engulfing the coffin. The gradient-haired woman looked down quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks. As the coffin and the body of the young Buddhist monk inside it both turned to ashes, a hoarse whisper broke the silence. "Myouren-kun... it's not fair... why did you have to... leave me behind like this..."
The flame of the candle flickered, giving off barely enough light to let a human eye see, let alone read, but the gradient-haired woman didn't seem to care. Ancient, dry pages rustled as the woman studied a forbidden manuscript of black arts. The woman whispered under her breath, magic coursing through her body with a faint glow, enhancing her eyesight and staving off the need to sleep. Faint footsteps echoed in the distance and the woman froze up briefly, her heart racing as she thought her midnight studies of black magic might be discovered. But the sound of the footsteps grew quieter and quieter, and the woman resumed reading words of power that nobody else has laid eyes on in a century.
The flames of torches lit up the night, a mob of peasants gathered around the gradient-haired woman, pitchforks and scythes at the ready. "Rejoice! The foul beast will haunt you no more!" The woman's voice rang out loud and clear and the villagers cheered loudly. The woman, now a famed youkai hunter, raised a clay gourd above her head. "The demon has been sealed in this flask, where it will remain for eternity!" The declaration was met with cheers of joy, the peasants finally being able to live free from the terror of the unknown.
An hour later and further from the village than an ordinary human could have travelled in two days, in the heart of a dark forest, the gradient-haired woman uncorked the gourd. Black mist spewed from it, taking the shape of a tall, fierce oni. The demon spat on the ground, glaring at the youkai hunter. "Why? Why didn'tcha jus' leave me in there t' rot, Buddhist?" The woman looked down quietly. "I am not a youkai hunter." The oni grunted, scratching his head. "Eh? Ya sure look like one t'me. Hmph. Whatever." The oni stomped off, the woman watching him leave.
Was what she was doing right? No. Her heart was seized by fear of death. She turned to black magic in search of the answer and she regained her youth and ceased aging altogether, but... if youkai and magic were to fade away from this world, she would lose everything. Unable to turn back from the road she's taken, the woman began her grand deception - in the guise of a youkai exterminator, she wandered the country and saved youkai from humans that wanted them gone.
Phantom flames danced across the ocean waves as a small ship braved the treacherous currents, carrying the gradient-haired woman to her destination. A fierce storm was brewing, but the woman paid it no mind. She had set out to face the vengeful spirit of a drowned sailor. It was a dangerous journey, one that could easily end in tragedy, but the woman did not hesitate. She would not use her power to protect the ship. She would not vanquish the cursed ghost. She couldn't tell when the change had happened, but her goal was not to selfishly cling to her own life anymore. She still posed as a Buddhist monk and a youkai exterminator, and the true nature of her actions was still saving and helping youkai she claimed to exterminate, but her heart had changed. Her goal was no longer to keep magic from disappearing to save her own life. In the youkai that grew weaker every day, persecuted and hunted down by humans, she saw victims that needed a savior, and to that end, she set out on a tiny ship, with no more crew members than it was absolutely necessary, to face the drowned spirit on her own terms and offer her redemption.
Flames of determination shined in the eyes of a young girl, her cloud companion grumbling quietly behind her. The gradient-haired woman smiled softly. "Welcome to our humble temple, Kumoi-san, Unzan-san."
Flames reflected in the golden blade of a ceremonial spear as the gradient-haired woman extended it slowly towards the person that knelt before her. A tiger youkai that would become the avatar of Bishamonten, in order to preach the word of Buddha to the youkai that lived in the woods surrounding the mountain temple. Standing by her side was a mouse girl, Bishamonten's little helper, that would watch over the tigress and guide her.
Flames were spreading slowly, engulfing the roof of the temple. The shouts of the angry mob outside were getting louder, demanding that the monk of the temple, the demon in human form, shows herself and faces a trial. The gradient-haired woman's expression was peaceful, even when her youkai disciples were tense and preparing to fight the humans. "I knew my deception would not last forever. I'll go out and talk to them. You all... please, just leave quietly. I don't want anyone to get hurt. And... thank you." The woman stepped through the gate of the temple, facing her fate.
Darkness surrounded the woman, the last rays of light winking out as the seal was completed. In the depths of Makai, the woman could not even see her own hand in front of her face, her magic unable to penetrate the darkness that surrounded her like a choking, oppressive mist. The woman sat down, or perhaps floated in the air, closing her eyes and engaging in meditation that would not be interrupted for countless years.
Crimson flames engulfed the seal, breaking it and letting light into the gradient-haired woman's resting place for the first time in centuries. The woman looked up, surprised by the sudden disruption of her meditative solitude. The faces of a curious crowd greeted her sight, neither human nor youkai, but demons - the native inhabitants of Makai that finally discovered an outsider sealed in their realm. A white-haired, divine figure clad in red stepped forward, six wings unfolding behind her back as she extended her hand in a greeting.
"May I see your scroll for a moment?" The gradient-haired human didn't hesitate, offering the only material possession that she was sealed with to Makai's goddess. A wondrous act of creation later, the scroll glew with rainbow light and twisted itself like a serpent. The gradient-haired woman couldn't help but clap her hands together in delight, amazed that she got to witness a new life beginning right in front of her eyes.
The flames were spreading fast, the wondrous buildings of Pandemonium collapsing one by one as fire rained from the sky, divine wrath spreading death and destruction throughout Makai. The gradient-haired woman could do nothing but watch silently, her magic already exhausted from helping the countless wounded.
Darkness surrounded the woman, the last rays of light winking out as the seal was completed again, this time by her own hand. Driven by despair, she sealed herself away, until the images of the devastation would fade away in her mind and her heart would forget the grief caused by the lost lives.
I tried to keep the presence of other Touhous to a minimum, but details can obviously be changed if someone wants to claim one of the characters involved and doesn't like this backstory.
Here's a fancy written out backstory that should double as proof of competence:
The flames of the funeral pyre crackled loudly, gradually engulfing the coffin. The gradient-haired woman looked down quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks. As the coffin and the body of the young Buddhist monk inside it both turned to ashes, a hoarse whisper broke the silence. "Myouren-kun... it's not fair... why did you have to... leave me behind like this..."
The flame of the candle flickered, giving off barely enough light to let a human eye see, let alone read, but the gradient-haired woman didn't seem to care. Ancient, dry pages rustled as the woman studied a forbidden manuscript of black arts. The woman whispered under her breath, magic coursing through her body with a faint glow, enhancing her eyesight and staving off the need to sleep. Faint footsteps echoed in the distance and the woman froze up briefly, her heart racing as she thought her midnight studies of black magic might be discovered. But the sound of the footsteps grew quieter and quieter, and the woman resumed reading words of power that nobody else has laid eyes on in a century.
The flames of torches lit up the night, a mob of peasants gathered around the gradient-haired woman, pitchforks and scythes at the ready. "Rejoice! The foul beast will haunt you no more!" The woman's voice rang out loud and clear and the villagers cheered loudly. The woman, now a famed youkai hunter, raised a clay gourd above her head. "The demon has been sealed in this flask, where it will remain for eternity!" The declaration was met with cheers of joy, the peasants finally being able to live free from the terror of the unknown.
An hour later and further from the village than an ordinary human could have travelled in two days, in the heart of a dark forest, the gradient-haired woman uncorked the gourd. Black mist spewed from it, taking the shape of a tall, fierce oni. The demon spat on the ground, glaring at the youkai hunter. "Why? Why didn'tcha jus' leave me in there t' rot, Buddhist?" The woman looked down quietly. "I am not a youkai hunter." The oni grunted, scratching his head. "Eh? Ya sure look like one t'me. Hmph. Whatever." The oni stomped off, the woman watching him leave.
Was what she was doing right? No. Her heart was seized by fear of death. She turned to black magic in search of the answer and she regained her youth and ceased aging altogether, but... if youkai and magic were to fade away from this world, she would lose everything. Unable to turn back from the road she's taken, the woman began her grand deception - in the guise of a youkai exterminator, she wandered the country and saved youkai from humans that wanted them gone.
Phantom flames danced across the ocean waves as a small ship braved the treacherous currents, carrying the gradient-haired woman to her destination. A fierce storm was brewing, but the woman paid it no mind. She had set out to face the vengeful spirit of a drowned sailor. It was a dangerous journey, one that could easily end in tragedy, but the woman did not hesitate. She would not use her power to protect the ship. She would not vanquish the cursed ghost. She couldn't tell when the change had happened, but her goal was not to selfishly cling to her own life anymore. She still posed as a Buddhist monk and a youkai exterminator, and the true nature of her actions was still saving and helping youkai she claimed to exterminate, but her heart had changed. Her goal was no longer to keep magic from disappearing to save her own life. In the youkai that grew weaker every day, persecuted and hunted down by humans, she saw victims that needed a savior, and to that end, she set out on a tiny ship, with no more crew members than it was absolutely necessary, to face the drowned spirit on her own terms and offer her redemption.
Flames of determination shined in the eyes of a young girl, her cloud companion grumbling quietly behind her. The gradient-haired woman smiled softly. "Welcome to our humble temple, Kumoi-san, Unzan-san."
Flames reflected in the golden blade of a ceremonial spear as the gradient-haired woman extended it slowly towards the person that knelt before her. A tiger youkai that would become the avatar of Bishamonten, in order to preach the word of Buddha to the youkai that lived in the woods surrounding the mountain temple. Standing by her side was a mouse girl, Bishamonten's little helper, that would watch over the tigress and guide her.
Flames were spreading slowly, engulfing the roof of the temple. The shouts of the angry mob outside were getting louder, demanding that the monk of the temple, the demon in human form, shows herself and faces a trial. The gradient-haired woman's expression was peaceful, even when her youkai disciples were tense and preparing to fight the humans. "I knew my deception would not last forever. I'll go out and talk to them. You all... please, just leave quietly. I don't want anyone to get hurt. And... thank you." The woman stepped through the gate of the temple, facing her fate.
Darkness surrounded the woman, the last rays of light winking out as the seal was completed. In the depths of Makai, the woman could not even see her own hand in front of her face, her magic unable to penetrate the darkness that surrounded her like a choking, oppressive mist. The woman sat down, or perhaps floated in the air, closing her eyes and engaging in meditation that would not be interrupted for countless years.
Crimson flames engulfed the seal, breaking it and letting light into the gradient-haired woman's resting place for the first time in centuries. The woman looked up, surprised by the sudden disruption of her meditative solitude. The faces of a curious crowd greeted her sight, neither human nor youkai, but demons - the native inhabitants of Makai that finally discovered an outsider sealed in their realm. A white-haired, divine figure clad in red stepped forward, six wings unfolding behind her back as she extended her hand in a greeting.
"May I see your scroll for a moment?" The gradient-haired human didn't hesitate, offering the only material possession that she was sealed with to Makai's goddess. A wondrous act of creation later, the scroll glew with rainbow light and twisted itself like a serpent. The gradient-haired woman couldn't help but clap her hands together in delight, amazed that she got to witness a new life beginning right in front of her eyes.
The flames were spreading fast, the wondrous buildings of Pandemonium collapsing one by one as fire rained from the sky, divine wrath spreading death and destruction throughout Makai. The gradient-haired woman could do nothing but watch silently, her magic already exhausted from helping the countless wounded.
Darkness surrounded the woman, the last rays of light winking out as the seal was completed again, this time by her own hand. Driven by despair, she sealed herself away, until the images of the devastation would fade away in her mind and her heart would forget the grief caused by the lost lives.
I tried to keep the presence of other Touhous to a minimum, but details can obviously be changed if someone wants to claim one of the characters involved and doesn't like this backstory.