View source for 3380/Touhou Kakuadi Stage EX2 - Makai's Wonderland

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/11/13
|Location=The Realm of Gensokyo
|Synopsis=Though the Makai Expansion Project has been ended on an unexpectedly peaceful note, Shinki has extended an invitation to the Demon World's Wonderland for all who participated against the Koakuma incursions. With so much work put into creating it, it'd be a waste not to use it!
|Thanks=I want to thank everyone who came to the last major scene for the TP.  I couldn't have done this without you all.
|Cast of Characters=7, 33, 385, 648, 714, 807, 829, 847, 882
|Tinyplot=Touhou Kakudai
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:882|Shinki (882)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The appointed meeting place, Hakurei Shrine.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With the resident miko off taking care of something else for the moment, the Demon God of Makai has chosen to use the shrine itself as a place to meet up for her invited trip into the Demon World, Makai. Seeming incredibly out of place on the grounds of a shrine, Shinki stands out in her crimson and white garb, hands tucked into her sleeves.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Behind Shinki looms a circular portal ringed by sickle shapes of black color, shot through with pulses of violet magic.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And behind that portal, twisted shadows cast across bare gray stone, crawling up a visible wall in shapes resembling clutching clawed hands. Unmistakably the entrance to the Demon World itself. Makai.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With this barest hint of a silent hellscape floating beside a cheerful, humming young woman, the serenity of a crisp autumn day is rendered quite surreal. Repeating a song running through her head, the Demon Queen waits, eyes closed and head bobbing slightly from side to side.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, one figure seems to be missing from Shinki's side. Her daughter. She's not here, but that's okay, she'll show up... soon.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>This time around, Yuna is still in civilian form when she arrives.<br /><br />The same can't be said for the Matrix of Light: Elner is the usual robo-faerie, whereas Jiina, Marina, and Erina *have* civilian disguises - they just aren't using them. And Yuna's pretty sure she's going to need Flight Form tonight; time will tell if she needs to call on her other options. As it is, though, just one look at the portal and what's visible on the other side of it is enough to cue Yuna's transformation, the Light Suit replacing her civilian attire. Only after she's transformed does Yuna bow politely (if warily) to Shinki. "Good evening ... what should we expect for the tour?" she greets Shinki (manners first, after all) before tossing the question out there.<br /><br />She follows the question with another uncertain look at the portal. If Shinki actually wants to get rid of people, there are all kinds of potential options open to her ...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ugh. THe Hakurei Shrine. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Konoe avoided this place like the plague for...certain reasons. Obvious reasons. But nonetheless, it looked like she'd have to come here this once. And hopefully just this once. The miko flew through the air, coming in sight of the shrine and then descending down onto the stone path atop the stairs. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When you fly, you don't need to walk up all those stairs. And Reimu wondered why no one visited the place. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Landing with a soft tap of her geta, Konoe gave Shinki a slight bow. "H-Hello, Shinki-sama..." She looked left and right, and then back to the woman herself. "...Is Alice-san away?" She asked, keeping a mildly safe distance between them out of nervousness.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone had come to meet here she wasn't sure just how things would play out all things considered and she would be well wondering how this tour would go but here Kotone is and she's keeping near Yuna for the moment she looks to Shinki and bows a little bit at her. <br /><br /> "I admit I'm quite curious too Shinki and humm I haven't seen Alice for what it's worth Konoe..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As strange as the sight might be to (relatively) ordinary people, it's not quite that strange to the eyepatched cleric maid. After all, she's seen Shinki and her creations before, so the sight of that eerie-looking entrance is only slightly jarring before Shinki's appearance makes it almost seem... Welcoming. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Of course, Sanary's still dressed in a kimono just to fit the general look of the area, although she does have her gunaxe on her today just in case. She strolls up towards the small gathering by the entrance, raising one hand in a lazy wave while the other clutches a big red plastic bag containing... Something. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Evening, Shinki. Yuna. Konoe. Deel. Not late, am I?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo had not been able to make it to the last incident. She was unsure of her ability to carry out her plan, so she opted to stay out of it in favour of more preparation. And then it turns out the incident was resolved then and there.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Which is a huge relief to her, of course. Though she was a little bit put off by all that seemingly wasted time. Until she got that invitation! "I suppose Alice was working hard too~" she had thought to herself.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, it would be a shame if all that time got wasted.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Besides, Shanghai and Hourai need to go home.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And so, here she is, riding on that flying blanket of hers, once again wearing the dress Alice made for her. Now seemed the truly appropriate time to do so. Along for the ride is Shanghai and Hourai, as well as a trunk on the back. Sharp-eyed attendees might notice that the back of the blanket looks a little frayed.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The blanket comes in for a landing, and Tomoyo stands, smiling to everyone and bowing to Shinki. "Thank you for having me~"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ARTHUR LOWELL isn't one to turn down an invitation. Even if it comes from someone who halfway lasered one of his arms off, and invaded the world he built! He just doesn't like holding grudges, you know? So, he's come along, and his entry is appropriate to who he is. Instead of rocketing in, he's walked his way right to the shrine, a more humble and human way of getting here, but he does it with an incredibly confident swagger, as usual.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"WHAT'S UP, LADIES? Who's ready for PARTY TIME? Heard the CRAZY ATTACKS are all SHUT DOWN, I'm here about the INVITE. Heard we're gettin' our TOUR on up in this bitch, we TAKING OFF?" He's got that grin on his face, like he always does, and appears to have healed the horrific tears opened up all over his body by beams and other miscellaneous magic. He's gonna jump right on into that rift first, at Shinki's invitation!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He does seem to notice Alice's non-presence. For whatever reason, he doesn't seem to comment on it, despite giving it a curious tilt of the head.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Marisa Kirisame made a promise.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It was sworn with all her heart- a pledge that could never be revoked. Though Marisa is many things: a thief, a (COMPLETELY ORDINARY) magician, a student at a prestigious private school and a pathological liar, one thing she is not is an oathbreaker. And so she has arrived at the Hakurei Shrine as she has done many, many times before.<br /><br />By touching down at MAXIMUM SPEED right in Reimu's front lawn.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the dust clears, the witch hops off her broom, a not-much-shorter girl following close behind. Her face is set in a determined glare, determination glowing like hot coals in the pits of her eyes. "Shinki," Marisa says, narrowing those eyes. "You and I, we need to have words."<br /><br />Oh no. Did Marisa not get THE MEMO!?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:882|Shinki (882)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yuna~!" Shinki's hands leave her sleeves so she can wave them both to either side of her face, "Glad you could make it~!" She dips her head slightly, hands lowering, "I'll address that once everyone else has arrived." -- "Konoe-chan~! My sweet neko-miko, thank you for coming. Alice is already in Makai, getting ready." -- "Thank you, Kotone, and Sanary, too~. You're not late in the slightest!" -- "Tomoyo, welcome! I see you brought my daughter's dolls home. She'll be happy to see them~." -- When Arthur enters, Shinki's exhuberance disappears and she simply, politely greets him with, "God of Space."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a god-respect thing.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Marisa slams down scant meters away with enoug force to send Shinki's outfit billowing all over, she closes her eyes and leans slightly away from the impact zone. Straightening when addressed, she turns in place and spreads her hands out to either side, "We've already had words, Marisa~. I've put a stop to the Makai Expansion Project. This.. is just an invitation to play with Alice in Makai before we break down Wonderland. It'd be a shame not to use it after all this work, wouldn't it~?" She raises an arm, gesturing to the portal beside her, "Why don't you find Alice and talk to her? I'm sure you both have quite a lot to say to one another~."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A koakuma peeks her head out of the portal to Makai, looking around. "Oh, Lady Shinki! Alice is ready, and the card de...mons... are... set up?" suddenly, the Koakuma ducks back in, dissapearing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Shinki seems to be in good spirit and Kotone's been pretty polite to her as well. She's not quite caught Shinki is a flat out Goddess. A supernatural creature sure and well there's no need to be rude. Then Mariss slams down like a missile an it's enough to make Kotone jump backards from ut. <br /><br /> "Umm hi there Marissa right?" <br /><br /> She'a also very much aware of Arthur arriving is hard to miss and he gets a smile out of Kotone it seems se's relacing a good bit now with both Arthur and Yuna here.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Yuna greets the others as they arrive, mostly smiling and waving; it would be just a little unseemly to hug people at the moment. The way Shinki greets Arthur gets Yuna's attention, but she doesn't single that out for a response or an inquiry.<br /><br />And once everybody (including Marisa, whose landing makes Yuna wince) has gathered, Shinki makes good on her promise to explain what to expect. Sort of.<br /><br />Yuna gives the portal another uneasy look, then glances back at her cybernetic-appearing allies. "Erina, you're up - let's combine. Jiina, Marina, Elner, stay close but safe."<br /><br />One transformation sequence later, Yuna is in her Flight Form armor, and glides towards the portal. "Does anyone else especially want to be the first one through, or shall I lead the way?" she inquires. And if nobody takes her up on the offer to go first, then she does indeed lead the way; otherwise she holds back to let others play vanguard.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"God of Makai." Arthur gives a grin and a nod. "Whassa haps?" He gives her a wink, seeming both irreverent and attentive to the conventions she's indulging. Just obnoxious enough to teeter on the edge of likable, as always. He pops his neck a bit. "PLAYING with ALICE, huh? I've talked to 'er a lil'. Seems like a SWEET GIRL. I ALWAYS bring the PARTY, it'll be FUN TIMES." The koakuma that pops through gets a double-fingerguns and a wink as well at her emergence. "CARD DEMONS, huh? We doin' some CARDS? Lemme tell you SOMETHING, lady, I am the KING of CARDS. I'm the BEST poker player." He's tangentially aware of the Spellcards... But still quite intent on cracking some jokes. Helps psyche himself up, which it sounds like he might need<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a tiny flicker of energy in his body, ready to see what's going on on the other side, but he's not going to leave this unfulfilled just because it's already sounding a tad dangerous, or make any big sort of fuss. "TOMO, you look WAY LESS AWFUL, great seein' ya! Looks like you're havin' a BETTER WEEK so far, let's keep on the ROLL huh?" Arthur asides, to Tomoyo. And Marisa gets an easy-going hands-spread gesture. "YO, don't WORRY! Keep it COOL AND CHILL for now, Sabrina." Getting a little goofy with the nonsense pop culture is helping to calm his nerves. "Have some WORDS later if you GOT 'EM, we're here for some GRUDGELESS STUFF right now. Gotta know when to run COOL and when to run HOT, bro!" Arthur's going to jump in first, at Yuna's statement, as was always his plan. By jump in, I mean swagger up to the portal and keep on doing that overconfident stride despite the fact that his feet have left the ground on his own antigravity magic, and then disappear through the portal!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; More familiar faces! And voices, even. Sanary offers a quick wave to Tomoyo as she lands, looking her over quickly and that outfit. It's a surprisingly good look, and the temptation to ask where it's from does linger in her mind for a while. At least. until ARTHUR shows up. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Loud guy! Hey, so... Huh. That's what you look like." She strokes her chin for a moment as if contemplating something, then shrugs. "Yeah, looks about right. I brought food!" She raises that bag of shortly afterwards, clutching the bag a little more tightly upon Marisa's abrupt arrival. Was a fight going to start? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hey, hey, come on now. We're just here to have fun and see the... Actually. Kinda /have/ wanted to see these danmaku things up close." She strokes her chin again, almost as if contemplating something before shrugging again. "... I brought food!" There's another moment of curious silence as she watches Yuna seemingly.. Merge? Transform? Do whatever it is she does, the cleric shrugs before starting for the portal. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I'll be counting on the rest of you if it starts eating me, then." She laughs when Arthur heads in as well before matching her pace with his using her boring walking feet. If it ends up sucking... Well, they'll find out soon enough!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That's right!" Marisa ROARS as her presence is questioned. "I'm Marisa Kirisame, the number two in Gensokyo! And I don't break a promise once I make it! Now," she levels a finger at Shinki, "Goddess of Makai! Prepare yourself! FOR--"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Marisa kicks over her broom. "--MY--" She hops onto the wooden shaft and reaches for the girl following her. A flash of green-purple light floods the shrine. There's a sound like a HURRICANE! Marisa takes off like a shot! "PROMIIIIIIIISSSSEEE---"<br /><br />The broom, the witch, the grimoire, they're all wrapped in a HALO OF GALEFORCE WIND! And they're on a collision course with Shinki AND the portal behind her!<br /><br />"KEEEEPIIIIIIIIIII--" Marisa's hand snaps out! "--IIIIIIIIIING!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The wind blows right on through. It tumbles right into Wonderland. It smashes directly into the Koakuma at the gate! MARISA DIVES RIGHT IN and even swerves into a COLLISION COURSE with the little demon!<br /><br />HOW CRU...el?<br /><br />Wait, there are no bloody gibs.<br /><br />Why are there no bloody gibs?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Beyond the pale of the portal's mouth, a monochromatic witch hovers astride her broom amidst a swirling vortex of wind and stardust. She has in her hand... A pair of bright, red balls. And a black ribbon.<br /><br />Marisa's eyes flash dangerously.<br /><br />"I always keep my promises," she promises, "This is only the beginning of Marisa Kirisame's Great Revenge Plan!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo nods, and gently pats both the dolls on their heads. "They were feeling a little lonely without Alice, so Shanghai came to ask if she could stay with me. And I didn't want to leave Hourai all alone~"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She then clasps her hands together and cants her head to the side, still smiling pleasantly. "But I'm not just here to drop them off~ I'm taking part too." She's wringing and flexing her fingers together as she says it, the most polite and gentle gauntlet-throwing ever.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But then, Arthur and Marisa arrive! You can tell because it just got a whole lot louder. She bows her head slightly to Arthur. "Oh, I'm okay now~ Some emotionally draining things had happened prior to then, but that's all resolved now." That's quite an understatement.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Marisa, she says in a placating tone, "It's all okay now~ We're just here to have fun, and make sure Alice's efforts aren't squand-" Oh, she's not listening... but she's not attacking either? Tomoyo seems surprised, but smiles. "Alice has such a wonderful friend~" But now, she needs to prepare! She... undoes the clasps on the trunk. That's about it. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:882|Shinki (882)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, it's quite safe!" Shinki assures Yuna, a bright look on her face when she glances over hre shoulder. Towards Arthur, the God of Makai beams, "Of course, I raised her, after all~! I might be a little biased, though. Go ahead and enjoy yourself." To Tomoyo, "Then please have fun! Alice can take them back when you're done."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her attention returns to Marisa, evidently oblivious to the shouting and magical powerup, "Are you still shouting--" WHOOSH, the Demon God leans back from the rush of magic and witch, eyes wide in surprise. Whirling on Marisa once she's stopped, Shinki stares-- Not only is there red bobbles in the witch's hand, but also the silvery sidetail. And, if she felt around a bit-- the clip it attaches with.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a tird sigh, Shinki rummages in her sleeves and produces a new side-ponytail, complete with hair bobbles. In the same fashion as one would affix a refrigerator magnet, she reattaches it to her head in place of the original, "Seriously~..."<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hands free, she makes an exaggerated 'shoo' gesture, "Now go, play with Alice! You wouldn't want to keep her waiting, now!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Deep in Makai lies Wonderland, a portal just the size of about eight people. Just enough, oddly enough, for the ones on their way. Makai, however, is lined up with dolls leading towards Makai and, hopefully you can fly. And yes, all the dolls have ribbons in their hair. "It's about time..." comes Alice's voice, echoing along Makai. "Welcome to Makai, everyone. Follow the dolls and if you can run through the gauntlet that is Wonderland... only a few have... MARISA. You'll find me and... we'll have the final battle we all know you all want." the voice pauses, "Don't worry, I won't use what I used in Afterus and no grudges here. Just simply, using my former home."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hidden within Wonderland, Alice smiles and a loud click echoes through Makai. Her voice, however, isn't heard this time. "Let's see if they can dodge."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, that koakuma is bumrushed and her hair explodes into a massive length, "You know how long it took me to do that?! Three days! Now I have to do that all over again!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Konoe watched this all happen while hanging back. She blinked a few times as Marisa...stole Shinki's sidetail? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "........" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Facepalm. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She didn't even know how to approach that. No, she'd just keep quiet and fly along. She didn't have the mental energy to try and comprehend. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; No, she didn't want to try and comprehend.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone Yamakawa is taking in the landscape of this strange world and she sems curious but the talk about the final battle makes her wonder a little bit about where everying is going now.. She looks to Shinki for a moment. She just stares at what she does with her hair, and she gets a few ideas for an upgrad later for that. <br /><br /> "All right play?" <br /><br /> Kotone is certain things are about to get hair raising She keeps an eye on Arthur, Yuna and Tomo just the people she knows best of those out here right? She's also aware Arthur and Yuna are far better fighters than she or Tomo are so she's going to hang back a bit if the spell cards start flying.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Belatedly, Tomoyo waves back to Sanary! She also stares blankly as Shinki's extension is stolen and replaced. That's... hm. Okay. She just keeps smiling and gives Shinki one more bow. "We'll be going now then~ Sorry your plans didn't work out."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So polite.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She wills the blanket into the air and through the portal, only to behold the corridor of dolls! "Oh dear... Alice isn't making this easy for us," she murmurs. "Shanghai, Hourai. I understand if you would rather go and join Alice right away," she murmurs to the twin dolls.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once the gauntlet begins, Tomoyo urges her blanket into action. Thankfully, the residual magic in Makai is high, so it has quite a bit more pep to it than usual. But even so, there are a couple of close shaves, and she can't exactly barrel roll with the trunk on the back! She may need some assistance from the others if she's going to survive this part.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>'Safe' is, Yuna remembers, kind of a relative term. She hopes the danmaku are set for conventional blunt/nonlethal intensity, but she doesn't have much of a chance to ask; she just takes to the air with the others. Jiina and Marina are holding back, behind the regular Elites; Elner is further up, potentially providing a birds'-eye perspective on the lay of the land and the opposition.<br /><br />It's kind of a familiar feeling; Yuna finds herself relaxing, at least for now. Whether it holds once the 'shooting' starts - well, time will tell.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sanary nearly flings herself aside just to make sure she's not in the path of Marisa's charge, somehow managing not to jump onto anyone else in the process herself. She just stares at the witch and the demon god for a while, eventually breaking out into laughter. "Did you just... Your hair can do that? Convenient~" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It doesn't faze her nearly as much as it probably should. She settles down after a few more moments, at least, eventually turning to Alice once she speaks up. She lets out a confused grunt at the mention of a gauntlet and a final battle, looking from Alice to the others present. "What's this about a battle now? I thought this was supposed to be a party!" Kotone gets a confused shrug, but the cleric eventually cracks her knuckles with a mischievous grin shortly enough and, with the high concentration of residual magic, lifts off the ground easily enough with the aid of the A.A.N.S! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Like Tomoyo, however, Sanary's control in mid-flight could be a lot better. She sways rather haphazardly in the air as her feet sway beneath her, apparently moving based on where her legs are actually positioned. At least they're not going to have to avoid anything... Right?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hahahaha! Do you see? No hair dec in Makai is safe from--" waitaminute. Marisa freezes mid-thought. She... She didn't rip out Shinki's hair for real, did she? Marisa stares at what is now clearly a hair-extension cleverly disguised as a clip. "What." She asks of the world, looking from the clip to Shinki to the clip. "What," Marisa repeats.<br /><br />"Master," a voice calls from behind her. The girl on the broom reaches for the start of their GREAT HAUL. "I will hold onto those."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, right, uh. Ahem." Marisa nods abruptly and pushes the ribbon and clip into the little book-girl's hands. Celly stares at her collection with STARS IN HER EYES. Is this... The start of something awful?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"THAT IS ENTIRELY THE POINT," Marisa declares to the distressed Koakuma. "The next time you think about pulling a scheme like this, TELL SOMEBODY. That way I don't stay up at night for no good reason!"<br /><br />But, they do have a job to do here, don't they?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Marisa takes flight with the others. All those dolls- there are so many, each prepared with so many ribbons. Knuckles cracked, fingers spry, Marisa is ready to go. Sanary seems confused, though. "Yeah," the witch says, "Don't you know? In Gensokyo, you always work up an appetite before you have tea. Or booze. And the best way to do THAT is BULLET HELL."<br /><br />People are... straightforward here, aren't they?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The GAUNTLET, huh? Ya put something like THAT together? BADASS. I'm gonna CRASH THROUGH IT! I'm gonna BREAK IT on me!" Arthur shouts, mounting his broom and blasting off along the line of dolls towards wonderland. "You better have BROUGHT THE PAIN! OTHERWISE I'm puttin' the big PB up on the HIGH SCORES for THIS SHIT before it's GONE!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On the way over, he'll aside to Sanary Rondel. "HEYA, YEAH! It's ME, the LOUD GUY! Shit YES I'm EXACTLY what I SOUND LIKE, the flow I drop be STRAIGHT LEGIT, yo! Not ONE GODDAMN BIT OF PRETENDING." He's handing out double fingerguns like some sort of literal arms dealer. He also has mostly missed the hair issue, mostly by virtue of being too rushed, and also thankfully by virtue of having no weird hair ornaments in his excessive, messy hair. He just sticks to the plan, for now! Follow the dolls, jump in the portal to Wonderland at the end, and then get ready to deal with whatever. He'll do that until there's some obvious reason that he can't!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The true gauntlet isn't these dolls but once you cross into Wonderland." Alice's voice echoes through the Makai landscape, the dolls start collapsing on the troupe on their way towards the entrance to Alice's personal little space. Though, once they enter, instead of the hellish scenery they once saw around for Makai, it looks strangely.... familiar. Grass on the ground, floating platforms, faceless and flat things with hands and legs, spears and card suits on their chest. "Welcome to my home." comes the voice before the figure darts into view.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Alice is clothed in her blue outfit this time, a reminice of a long forgotten age. "Do take your time, I'll be ... over there." she smiled, the grimoire she carries is open, pages flipped and floating in front of her. Strangely there aren't any dolls around her for now. "I'll see you in a couple minutes, I'm sure these demons won't be too hard for you."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, Hourai and Shanghai shake their head, sitting on the back of the blanket, "We're just going to sit here and help stabilize your transportation, Tomoyo, you focus on your finger movements." comes Hourai's stern teaching, "And after this is over, do not forget them, you may want those skills one day."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once Alice dissapears in flight, the card demons stop their movements and start rapidly firing straight lines of danmaku balls, small gaps in between each shot. And soon, fairies come in from every forward direction, three lines of white ball danmaku coming flying towards the protragonists, and twin lines of spinning ball demons start throwing out random small balls of danmaku.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "... Eh? Since when did you have a sister?" Sanary stares at Celly even as she continues to wobble about in midair, peering at her and Marisa for a few moments. Not that she hasn't seen stranger siblings before, but... "Never figured you to have siblings. Huh." A quick shrug later, and she breaks into a grin again as Arthur speaks. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I like that idea. Let's break EVERYTHING." Another laugh erupts from the cleric even as she gives him a confused look at the fingerguns, apparently never having seen that gesture before... Somehow. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sanary's got speed on her side, at least, even if her aim with the gunaxe isn't all that great at said speeds. She's not going to ignore her allies in this place, of course, using that extra magic to aid in directing healing magic towards the others! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And herself, too, since she's also doing her part by widening the gaps in those danmaku balls. Of course, that really just means she's crashing through everything in her way instead of dodging properly, bruises and clothing damage be damned! That's still a strategy, right?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone had picked up a small flight pack from the Flotilla's stores and she's been using it but she's more enjoying the flying part. She foes a loop and lets out a bit of a wooph as she does she's not much for being the shooting but she's trying to not get hit and seems to be freaking out just a little bit. <br /><br /> "Mustnotsitstillmustgofaster!" <br /><br /> Kotone is clearly focusing on the learning to DODGE part of things!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo smiles gratefully at Shanghai and Hourai, the relief she feels evident on her face. "Thank you both." Through the corridor of dolls, and they're in Wonderland. "Oh my goodness... it's just like how the book described it." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes are sparkling now, and it only gets more intense when Alice appears. "That dress still suits you wonderfully!" she declares, utterly ignoring any attempt Alice is making to seem threatening. "Oh, I wish I had brought a camera..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo is a girl with priorities.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But now, the danmaku really begins! "It's like threading a needle..." she murmurs. Now, her relatively weak form of flight comes in handy! It means she's at less risk of overshooting as she tries to weave through the patterns. Murmuring her thanks to Shanghai and Hourai every time they nudge the blanket to better avoid a shot.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Yuna actually relaxes further once the grassy landscape of Wonderland is rolling past beneath the group, as opposed to the desolation of Makai. She can't really blame Shinki for wanting to improve on that place ...<br /><br />And then the danmaku starts flying.<br /><br />Yuna's had a fair amount of practice at weaving through attacks in Flight Form before, even before the 'invasion' of Shiraokadai. It comes back pretty easily, and it's not hard to find gaps in each individual wave of danmaku. The real challenge arises when multiple waves come together - but even then, there are gaps and lulls that she can capitalize on.<br /><br />On the flip side, she's so involved in dodging that she's .... apparently kind of forgetting to shoot back. Or maybe she's not 'forgetting'?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Marisa-- and her passenger-- stare at Sanary like she's grown another head. The former sniggers heartily! The latter looks very, very confused. And a bit bashful. "What? Nah. This here's my..." Marisa starts, considers, then nods, "My ~partner in crime.~ Or maybe my apprentice? Or maybe it's the other way around." She taps her chin, weaving casually out of the way of the first of the incoming Dollmaku, "Hm."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Celly blinks as another stream of bullets passes her by. "Master," she says, prodding SORT OF DESPERATELY at Marisa's back, "Master, you should keep your eyes in front of you."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But then they'd've gotten knocked outta my head, and that's not exactly--" More bullets! Marisa 'ahs' and deftly BARREL ROLLS out of the way, illicitng a surprised squeak from the girl riding along with her. "Oh, right. Danmaku. Alright. Targets locked!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A brief rush of wind. Marisa SHOOTS FORWARD, her hands directing RAPIDFIRE MAGIC MISSILE BURSTS at the horde of card soldiers. They swerve as Alice appears, narrowly missing the girl in the... old-fashioned blue dress. "Man, that look takes me back," Marisa sighs, "This is a little nostalgic, actually. Haven't been here in years. But..." The air in front of her howls like a vacuum at whirlwind speeds. She gestures, the gale gathers into crescents of condensed cyclone force-- and then shoots out into the swarm!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I've gotten a lot stronger since the last time, Seven-Colored Puppeteer," the witch says, a fierce grin on her lips. "Let's see if your Wonderland can still measure up!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur holds his fire while Alice indulges her brief bit of dramatic dialogue, and keeps attentively silent. He's an obnoxious little twerp, but he's always more respectful than not. "CARDS?" Arthur's eyes light up. He's not just experienced in poker. Ohohoho no. He's got an incredible history with things like this too. His dealings with the card-themed gang of Dersite Carapacians, in fact. "SHIT YES." He takes a white-knuckle grip on his broom. "I'mma see EVERY INCH of your GAUNTLET, SMASH THROUGH IT, and give you the FIGHT YOU'RE AFTER, ALICE!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur isn't holding back. When he gets going, he's not going in straight lines, swerving around the danmaku. No, he blasts forward, then twists space to do harsh forty-five or ninety degree turns without losing speed, ejecting a rush of white light behind him, making him a meteoric, TRON-like stream of shining white through the air. He's paying close attention to the flow of Danmaku, the gradual wave-like motions, and trying his best to graze along the demonic magic, not even caring if that grazing fails a bit and sometimes results in some wounding on his Squishy Mage type body. He is, of course, shouting the entire time, and emitting from his front side a constant gush of nonlethal, shotgunned magical pseudo-danmaku bolts.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And they finally arrive. Konoe eyed Alice in her new(old) getup and blinked. ...Okay. Well that was something. She hardly ever saw the puppeteer in anything other than her usual outfit. "Nice dress, Doll Cr- ...Alice-san." She could not be a jerk for once. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For once. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then the danmaku started. Having been paying attention, unlike certain witches that shall go unnamed, Konoe slowed down her flight, focusing on the oncoming array of bullets. Considering that she wasn't here to be shooting down mooks, the miko stayed her hand, not firing back, only dodging carefully. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She was saving her attacks for someone else.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Danmaku is fired and danmaku is given in return by those who are capable (or willing to fire back). Various card demons fall to the onslaught of bullets from Arthur and Marisa, clearing the way for their more pacifist allies to head out further along the gauntlet. The gauntlet gets really hairy for a while, almost places where there is twitch dodging for some until the demons are destroyed. Soon, a single card demon comes into view over the green grass and the now missing platforms.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Jack of Spades raises its hand up but before it can, a hand is placed upon its 'shoulder', Alice making her boss appearance, "It's okay, I'll handle the rest. You go gather up the rest and go relax. Thank you for your service again." she smiled, eyes now fixated on the group before her. "Hi." she replies, "I suppose you are ready for the end?" Alice slips a card out of her sleeve and hovers it over the open grimoire.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Two cards." another pulls out from her sleeve and hovers over the book, both gold bordered cards. "If you're ready... I guess we can start with something ... simple." The cards float around Alice's head as the grimoire is taken up, the dollmaker now wreathed in fire as the entire world starts to change, showing a moving spellcircle behind the girl. "Welcome to Wonderland."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Without much of a chance to reply, Alice shoots off into the sky and a rapid fire barrage of many waves of fire start coming out in a wide cone, the intensitiy of the danmaku attack has the fire quickly going from Alice to her now foes. "Let's have fun!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's quite the nerve-wracking experience, weaving through this ballet of bullets, but Tomoyo manages! Thankfully, the more trigger-happy members of the party help ease the tension, but the tailor is still gripping the ends of her blanket by the time Jack of Spades shows up.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But Alice asks him to stand down. "Alice," the girl says, standing up on her blanket. "I was really worried about you... through all these attacks, your heart didn't seem to be in it. I was worried you were being pressured into it, or you were just doing it out of obligation."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sighs softly, and offers a relieved smile. "But it's all over now, and I'm glad. I can already tell you've had a weight lifted off your shoulder." She really is quite receptive, isn't she? "But, when you wouldn't listen to my words... I put together a plan with Shanghai and Hourai here, to make you listen with force."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's still smiling, in spite of such strong words. "I've been told that such words don't suit me~ So I'm glad it didn't come to that. But I still wanted to show you what I was planning to do. So thank you for putting this together." She clenches and unclenches her hands, staring straight ahead at Alice. "No hard feelings, right?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a grand gesture, like a conductor beginning a symphony, she waves her hands. The frayed edges of the carpet suddenly make sense. The trailing threads have been wrapped around Tomoyo's fingers before disappearing into that chest. And with that grand motion, the lid is blown open from the inside, four figures rising out from within.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Four of Alice's dolls, 'borrowed' from her home.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They do not move with the same artistry that Alice can move hers with, more in slow, jerking motions. But the fact that a girl with no magic and no experience in such things managed to kitbash a method together to get them moving at all is still pretty impressive!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Shanghai, Hourai. I can't focus on the carpet and the dolls at the same time. Can I ask for your help again?" Ah, but Alice begins the attack before she can get an answer! Tomoyo wiggles her fingers and moves her hands in the way that Shanghai and Hourai taught her, directing the dolls to attack. They draw from the magic that the blanket absorbs from the air to power their own danmaku! They're... not very strong, and fire with a half-second delay between each shot.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But, it's something!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's a nicer place than I expected from that first look at Makai," Yuna admits as she shifts to weaving her way through and around Alice's danmaku. It's arguably more bullets than the combination of the card demons and puppets brought to bear; at least it's all coming from something vaguely akin to a single source.<br /><br />And it's at this point that Yuna actually starts shooting back, relying on sprays of low-power bolts from her vambraces' pulse blasters. They individual bolts still carry some impact - but Yuna is playing by Gensokyo rules for real now, making sure that her own contributions to the 'guests'' barrage remain safely nonlethal, even if they somehow got focused enough to converge on a single point.<br /><br />(Which should not even have a possibility of happening, but Yuna is overly cautious like that sometimes.)<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone Yamakawa is just not having much luck really she's got no means to shoot back but she can try to dodge the crazy magic spells coming her way but she just can't she's hit again and again but to her credit she keeps going but she's going to end up in a bit of trouble as she ends up going into a tailspin from one of the last hits as Kotone attemps to right it, she's very much out of her league with Damaku but she doesn't seem too dismayed about it. <br /><br /> "This is just insanity!!!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Marisa remembers the last time she had to shoot up the Jack of Spades. Wonder where Alice keeps that thing when she's not using it?<br /><br />Come to think of it, Marisa's got a few things from back then lying around somewhere, too. But... Where?<br /><br />Curious.<br /><br />More important things to worry about right now, though.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"'Let's have fun?'" Alice really did just say that, didn't she? Smirking incredulously, Marisa leans forward on her broom and snickers, "Looks like your wardrobe ain't the only thing that went back in time. Were you really that earnest back then? Jeez."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The spellcard starts up. Anxious sweat glistens lightly on the witch's brow, reflecting the light of those flames. "Well, you know what they say," she comments as Alice turns the world into an inferno, "The more they stay the same."<br /><br />Marisa twists away, gouts of fire burning in her wake. The witch's speed makes getting out easy enough. She streams to one side, arcs of concentrated stellar wind spiralling to life all around her. With a quick mental gesture, they go sailing for the puppeteer and her book, leaving contrails of fading stardust in their wake.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur has exchanged much Danmaku fire. He's not directly wounded yet, but it has strained his magic to dart around, just a little. While he might have some experience, well, most of it's theoretical. And Giga Wing isn't exactly a substitute for the true bullet hell. Unfortunately, it looks like he's gonna drain a little more. Danmaku, of course, is something you're meant to dodge! Arthur was tanking the other stuff head-on, but this? It's kind of disrespectful to charge through, not to mention incredibly exhausting. Though perhaps it may turn out to have its lethality limits broken as well. The heat of the fire is intense, though, and burns intensely even without the direct impact. The mage is going to blast between the bolts, but he'll suffer the effect of the exhausting heat and the muscle-straining stress of dodging the intense waves even if he's grazing around each attack.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur doesn't intend to try. No, this time, he's doing things the right way. He's going to put his all into dodging, and assaulting, and he's going to do it the way you do things native! "Got a BADASS KINDA THEME here! The whole ALICE IN WONDERLAND thing, huh? Kinda MIXED UP, little LOST IN TRANSLATION, but I LIKE IT! It's CLASSY!" While MArisa has a strafing sort of pattern, Arthur refuses to keep his distance like that. He's going to go, loud and proud, to get right in Alice's face and fire concentrated beams now! And now, he's starting to see more of what "spellcards" are like. More and more, he's starting to see a mirror of something from his own homeworld.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "...." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This was weird. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was like there was a joke she wasn't getting. But then again, there wasn't really any need to 'get' it, was there? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Konoe's been oddly silent all the while, no jabs or comments. She just focuses on weaving through the storm of bullets, strafing left and right, and while doing so, she produces two sets of ofuda in each hand. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "..." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Without a word, those ofuda burst into flames, and are thrown outwards. Weaving through the air, they navigate Alice's bullet spread and like red streaks, home in on the puppeteer herself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Alice keeps up with her fire barrage, fortunately, this magical fire (while hot) is still non lethal... then comes the counter attacks. The dolls under Tomoyo's command get a surprised look from Alice and a brief smile, a thought going through her head, o O (I know she has it in her.) "I was doing this because it was for my mother, Tomoyo. But yes, it's all over, so come at me with all you got!" The danmaku shards fired from those dolls aren't much and some even hit home thanks to the rest. Meanwhile, Shanghai and Hourai nod at Tomoyo, keeping the carpet steady so Tomoyo can focus on attacks. Alice gives an even brief smile, the image of Reimu from long ago superimposed over Tomoyo in her mind for a brief moment.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuna's shot's converge and has the Dollmaker herself move in more ways than left and right, helping some of the other people's danmaku strike her along with a few bolts from those vambraces, knocking the dollmaker back and changing up the pattern just slightly which also seems to be aiding Kotone in dodging some of this stuff, and probably a few others too.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"No, I was much more naieve back then. Much more childlike. And besides, I like this outfit! At least you're not in purple! Black and White does you better." Alice gives a brighter smile to Marisa, watching the streaming and the stellar wind, most of which hit her and send her reeling, with Alice biting down on her lip to keep the spell going. A brief look to the right and she nods, time to show what she's learned from Mother.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just as she even gets ready to do that, Arthur's own Danmaku and Konoe's homing barrage of fire-laced ofuda along with barreling through her pattern gets a direct hit with those concentrated beams with all of Alice's own dodging! And with a shattering sound, the danmaku stops, only for the grimoire to fall with the pages up and the card over it. "SPELLCARD!" she declares, six fairies converge on Alice in six different points, a flicker of Shinki's own wing pattern coming off of Alice's back for just a brief moment. "Daughter's Magic! Alice's Recitation!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The spellcard dissipates and MARISA'S FAVORITE SPELL goes into play. It's almost a faithful recreation of it but the downside is Alice is locked still as the danmaku fest goes on. "One of two!" she shouts out, "Let's continue."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:882|Shinki (882)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Floating at a respectably safe distance, her own sickle-shaped wings outspread, Shinki claps her hands together with a pleased look on her face, "Aww~! Just like her mom~!" Glancing down, she rummages inside her sleeves for a moment, then withdraws a pair of silken pom-poms, one yellow and the other blue. Raising these, she shakes them to one side, then twists and shakes them to the other. Finishing it up, she pumps both hands over her head, "Go, go~!"<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The gathered devils who've accumulated to watch as well just kind of distance themselves. At least, until Shinki shoots a glowing crimson glare over her shoulder.<br /> <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nervously, the gathered Koakuma join in the cheer as well.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sure, she has it in her, but she probably could have done with more rest. Several days of cat's cradle without rest has Tomoyo's fingers aching and trembling already. But still, she presses on. She worked hard on this! With another gesture, she has the four dolls move to flank Alice, shooting at her from the side!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I know Alice. During your attack on Kaibaland, I found the portal you entered through. Seeing Makai on the other side clued me in right away." She ducks to avoid a bullet, staggering a bit on the blanket. "And when I came to visit you, that confirmed it." She sighs softly. "I understand wanting to help your family, but I've had this question on my chest this whole time..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But now the first spellcard comes out! Tomoyo takes a hit to the shoulder right away, crying out and falling back on her blanket. The chest is knocked off, falling to the ground. The dolls go limp, shots stopping. But with a groan, Tomoyo is back on her feet and commanding them again!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She glances to the side, spotting Shinki and the koakuma cheering squad. "Now's the time... Alice! My question was this; had Shinki known how miserable you were, do you think she would have accepted your help?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Weh-" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She'd never seen this spell before. ...And it was pretty intricate. Gah! Konoe suddenly found herself forced on the defensive as the spellcard began. Eyes widening, she frantically dodged left and right, panic from dealing with a new pattern setting in and screwing up her focus. "Ow-- ow--!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Bullets struck the miko's shoulder and sides, throwing her off momentarily before she got back into it, trying to stay focused and figure this new spellcard out. Given it's speed of fire, Konoe forewent firing back in order to learn how to best deal with it. Eventually, she managed to get to a point where she was comfortable enough to navigate without panicking and getting hit. And once she got there, she began to fire back. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pursuasion needles were set out in multiple arrays, one after the other in a floating arc behind Konoe. Once she got into a position to fire, she directed an arm forward, willing the needles to shoot forward. One array, then back to dodging, then once another opening was found, she fired off another array of needles, repeating this process back and forth in a clumsy, but not entirely hopeless manner. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While doing so, Konoe stared straight at Alice silently. "......" And after a while, she spoke. "Alice-san. ...Are you happy now?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur's been waiting for this since the little koakuma asked if he had spellcards. As soon as Alice seems to be saying hers, Arthur chants out his own words simultaneously, with quick, frantic, excited tones. He's having so much /fun/!<br /><br /><br />               "SPELLCARD!"                            "FRAYMOTIF!"<br /><br />                                                  <span style="color:!white">                       </span><br />                                                  <span style="color:!white"> </span><span style="color:white!xterm33">                     </span><span style="color:!white"> </span><br />   "Daughter's Magic! Alice's Recitation!"        <span style="color:!white"> </span><span style="color:white!xterm33"> Dimensional Cadenza </span><span style="color:!white"> </span><br />                                                  <span style="color:!white"> </span><span style="color:white!xterm33">                     </span><span style="color:!white"> </span><br />                                                  <span style="color:!white">                       </span><br /><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur isn't locked into place. No, there'd be no way that he could even pull this move off if he could, or avoid getting completely knocked out by the attack if he was! He can't pull through the precision grazes needed to zip around the mid-sized spheres simultaneously with the smaller ones while limited to one section of a heavily divided field. Too densely packed in those waves!! No, he had to resort to his "cheat"; GATES! Spewing out a mess of Gates, he has to zip between them to hope to get out of the line of fire, darting between his spray of personal portals with expert finesse in order to just barely dodge. Unfortunately, creating so many Gates is straining his magic. One can see the exhaustion has gotten so deep that he's ceased casting from his spare "MP" and he's casting direct from his own endurance!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then something happens. The portals move, and so, too, does space with them. Portions of the field are partitioned off along subtle cracks, and re-arranged entirely as the battle goes on! Arthur's FRAYMOTIF is a simple four-direction stream of bullets that wavers back and forth... But everything's much more complicated than just that! Because the field of battle itself is altered! Once Alice is unlocked from her Spellcard, Arthur's going to initiate the OFFENSE portion of his own! His bullets, once they reach the edge of one crack and emerge where they ought to elsewhere, are predictable... If the observer can pull apart their understanding of space and match up which cracks in which territory lead where! The pattern is incredibly simple, but becomes vastly more complicated, chaotically improvised, and uniquely difficult to dodge away from due to twisting up the space those bolts of non-lethal but surprisingly impactful magic slip through!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>This pattern...<br /><br />This could only be--<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Devil's Recitation," Marisa observes. It's an astute observation indeed! One that's only confirmed when Alice's remote dolls start firing the very same, laser-like streamlines of danmaku. "Third time, now," the witch observes, skating narrowly around one scything arc of bullets. "You're just trying to make me all kinds of sentimental, aren't'cha? It's too bad though. I've seen this one way too many times!"<br /><br />"Though, if we're gonna bring back the past, then--"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A gesture. Cool, cerulean starlight floods the world around the witch. The flare dies quickly, resolving first into a ring, then into four large, whirling spheres. "You should be glad it's not the dress. But maybe not so glad it is what it is."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Orreries!" The witch snaps her fingers. Like the OBEDIENT SLAVE(-type spell) that they are, the crystal spheres jerk to attention. Each one takes up a position in front of the witch as she bobs to and fro between bullet patterns. "Take her down!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The whirls of stellar wind keep right on coming, arcing out from the space behind the witch. Now, though, that magic is joined by the scathing lances of laser-light that blaze out from the orreries. Is she using two shot-types at once!?<br /><br />Or is there something... else going on here?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'Would she have accepted Alice's help?' is a question that goes through her mind, shaking her head while she keeps up the spellcard though there doesn't seem to be hesitation in this one when it actually hits Tomoyo. She's fixed in place for this and as such, if she wanted to show hesitation, she couldn't. "Yes. Because she's my mother and even if she didn't I would still be beside her, like you would your own! Even if my mother is ditzy!" And Konoe gets a look, those needles and the shots from the Borrowed Dolls strike home, exploding around and on her, causing the dollmaker to wince. "Am I happy? Yes... yes I am, Konoe. But there's just one thing I have to do before I can end this..." she smiled, looking at the second card at her side.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Marisa gets a glare, "I hate that card.." she mutters, watching those Orreries come up into view, the laser lances strike home and singe the dollmaker's outfit and body under it, and the stellar wind crashes into her... "M... marisa?! How are you using two shots at once?!" and then there is Arthur. The 'Alice's Recitation' card gets dispelled from the previous one and now it's Alice's turn to duck and dodge and weave through the danmaku 'spellcard' that Arthur's giving out. "This is strange, you're bending space with this. I've seen this before." she gives a brief nod, Reimu...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Alice starts on her defensive patterns, throwing out lightning lasers and small laser shards while trying to knock out Arthur from his own. A grin comes to her face, some of the shards hit, most are dodged thanks to Alice's understanding and spatial awareness from her dolls and her brief encounter with Reimu using something smiliar. "Okay, we can do this! But I'm afraid I'm going to have to bomb your card with my last spellcard!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone Yamakawa is just barely able to come out of the tail spin she's fallen into she does pull out and botls back up to more so dodge the odd pot shot coming out her way at this point and watching the massive light show that's going on. Best of all she'll be able to send everyone a recording of the fight's highlights for them to enjoy later. <br /><br /> "You people never do anything related to Danmaku small do you?!" <br /><br /> She's got at this point it's akin to magical fencing in a way, try to get taps for pounts more or less not to maim or kill the other person.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well, yeah. I mean it's about the most versatile thing ever, you know?" Marisa sniffs, rubbing gently at her nose. "It's not like teacher developed it for shits and giggles, after all!" Even IF Mima did use it for ramming or chucking more often than pretty much anything else. Still, credit where credit is due!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But it's got room for improvement. Room for improvisin'. That's where I come in." The witch laughs, her magic spooling up with a shrill whine. More beams pour from the orreries as they spin through their orbit, lancing through the space between witch and puppeteer at THE SPEED OF LIGHT.<br /><br />Which is utterly unsurprising for lasers.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Doesn't matter, more crescents of star-wind scythe out to batter Alice's flanks. Marisa's smirk only grows, impossibly, MORE devious. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. I'll tell you my secret AFTER I'm done schoolin' your sweet ass!"<br /><br />wait what<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "...I see." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Konoe dodged left and right, shots grazing by her as she said so. She ceased her attack, watching as Arthur pulled off him own spellcard. ...Well, that was familiar. In a way. Deciding not to continue attacking, she stayed back, watching as the two spellcard patterns, well three if you count Marisa, mixed together in a show of utter chaos. Ergh, with all of this excitement, there was no need for her to be here, right? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nope. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While this was happening, Konoe narrowed her eyes and focused. ...She should use a spellcard. But which one? After a moment of thought, and dodging aside, she smirked. She had just the card to use. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But not yet. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Instead, Konoe remained defensive, letting Marisa and Arthur do the heavy lifting while she prepared a spellcard for use. Telltale signs being flames lighting up in both hands and growing larger and larger. She couldn't help but blink at Marisa and Alice's banter however. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "...'Sweet...ass'?" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Blink blink. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Headtilt. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And an amused smile formed. Just a tad. "Should we all turn around and give you two some alone time? We'll try not peek."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo shakes her head softly at Alice's answer. "I don't know about that Alice. If she knew how upset you were over the whole thing? I think she would have refused your help. No mother would want to pressure her daughter into doing something that hurt her so much."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo is having to duck and weave a lot more, trying her best to spare this dress. But it still takes some damage, some scorch marks and tears. Of course, she plans to fix it later... but now it seems that Alice is planning to go to her next card.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Time to show her the ultimate fruits of her labour. In true Gensokyo fashion, she declares, "Barest Spellcard: Cat's Cage!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The dolls begin to move, swirling all around Alice as Tomoyo's fingers begin to move. Intertwining the strings, twisting and pulling them as they begin to form a design between her hands. The string between them and the dolls is woven in the space around Alice, making a criss-cross pattern... a net. It doesn't close in on her, but it would need to be broken up for the dollmaker to move beyond it. The gaps are also big enough to shoot through, so the duel can proceed uninterrupted. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, this means that the dolls have much more limited movement too. Now they're just hovering in place outside the cage and shooting through the gaps at Alice.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"HA HA HA HA! Why in the HELL would we NOT do it LOUD AS SHIT?" Arthur shouts to Kotone, still exhausting himself on dodging around those lasers. He's lost the energy that he can safely channel into cheating, so he has to dart around the beams with just his ROCKET SPIRIT. It's not too long, though...! Either Alice will figure out his spatial warps in time to get clear of his shots and bomb out his card with her own, or she'll manage to score a lancing lash of the beam over his chest, knocking him out of his own spellcard and sending him briefly tumbling!! He has to switch back to his shotgun spray, he's exhausted too much of his MP and too much of his endurance to sustain more flashy tactics now!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Spellcard." Alice declares in the midst of bullets from Arthur and wind scythes and lasers from Marisa. Though, when she hears the word Spellcard come from another person, she perks up, looking around... and it's not from the person she actually expected. "Tomoyo?.. With a spellcard?!" At least she knows HOW that came into play... she'll have to have a talk with Hourai and Shanghai after this. She's kept up on the move, looking for gaps between the spellcard... there are a lot.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Entrapment-type spellcard. Hourai must have shown you that one." she comments, taking a deep breath before the book opens once more and the card is lifted up inside of it. The sheer magical power this card has clears out the area full of bullets and with a loud resounding voice. "Spellcard! Mimicry!" seven dolls start to materialize. A Mima, Yuuka, Sanae, Reimu, Youmu, Sakuya and... the one doll that Konoe knew she had. Marisa. "Grand Play of Gensokyo!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All seven dolls seem to be armed with something particular and start attacking in turn. Mima's cape billows out and spreads rapid fire star shaped danmaku across the field while Yuuka's sunflower glows and sunflower shuirken danmaku is lobbed and aimed at everyone in sight. Sanae's little wand starts to glow and homing snake shots start billowing out while Reimu starts throwing out homing ofuda! The Youmu one closes her eyes and suddenly is in another location, a rip in the space sends out tiny shards of danmaku before the Youmu doll does it again in another direction! The Sakuya doll throws out a knife and, with a NOTICABLE TIME STOP FOR ARTHUR, suddenly becomes many tiny knives spread out in an arc. And finally, the Marisa doll pulls out the Microhakkero and fires off rapid, rainbow colored Mini Sparks in every direction. There does look to be a noticable strain on Alice, sweat beading down and her arms hanging slightly, fingers twitching rapidly and eyes scanning the horizion, keeping track of dolls and danmaku.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Welcome to my last play in Wonderland."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Noticably, a single doll is missing from this. The Shinki doll. Now where is that one?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hah!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Konoe pointed at Alice, hand still on fire, and looking really pleased with herself. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "You DID have a Marisa-san doll! I knew it! I KNEW it!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then came the barrage of stars, ofuda, mini sparks, and danmaku shards. "Mgyah!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now wasn't the time to be pleased with herself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kotone Yamakawa is just hoving back watching the light show with all the wonder of a young child watching their first fireworkd dispaly she's also very glad she's no longer a target even if it's not lethal it would not be fun to get hit by all of that at all.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo is also looking tired from such precise weaving of a cat's cradle while dodging bullets. "Shanghai and Hourai taught me all of this. They've been by your side all these years~ They were able to show me the basics of what you do." She's still smiling, in spite of how tired she is.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then the play begins.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo stares in wonderment as the little dolls come out. She recognizes Sanae and Marisa of course, but the others are totally lost on her. But given how unique they are, and how different their danmaku is from each other, she supposes they must be other friends of Alice.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How wonderful, a play about her friends.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A combination of her awe and exhaustion means she's left herself wide open. The shards from the Youmu doll and the knives from the Sakuya doll fly towards her, and she throws her arms up to protect herself!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Which leaves the strings exposed to be cut.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The spellcard net around Alice collapses, thankfully in such a way that she freed, rather than dragged down with the plummeting dolls. Tomoyo, robbed of her ability to attack, urges her blanket forward! Taking the stings of the nonlethal danmaku in order to catch all four dolls before they break upon the ground!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hahah... it looks like your play bested me in the first act Alice," she says. Not an ounce of regret to be heard in her voice. Instead, there is only quiet exhilaration that she made it this far and got to see it. Her blanket drifts to the ground so she can stay and watch until the play is over.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur Lowell knows SHMUPS. But SHMUPs are a far cry from bullet hell. And a far cry from THIS bullet hell, with these particular people, and their particular expertise in dealing with the cast of Gensokyo in its entirety. Arthur has met some of them, but not nearly all, and not nearly enough to be able to withstand the waves. He has to resort to cheating if he's gonna stay in the game. Another Gate, another blink around a starry wave, another gate, another blink around the snakes, another blink, another blink... Arthur's already expended his MP of sorts for now, so each blink that Alice forces him to execute in order to dodge is the equivalent of a punch to the face, in terms of his endurance and exhaustion.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Keeping up the steady, constant stream of bullets is becoming more draining than he can manage. "Haaaahhhhh... Haaaaaahhhhh... Gonna GO OUT with a BANG, huh? Ghhhh... CHRIST it's hard to KEEP UP with YOU when you're like THIS!" The time-stop gets Arthur particularly. TIME is one of the Aspects that's diametrically opposed to Space in a major way, and while some of its interactions with Arthur are actually beneficial, this is not one of them. Time used against him is particularly effective. While he can dodge around mini-sparks, and shurikens, and similar suchlike, it's the knives that get him, since the timestop throws off his spatial senses. "HELL OF A SHOW, Alice, but... CLOSING NIGHT, huh? Let's get some FLOWERS on the STAGE, and NO ENCORE. Make this GO OUT RIGHT! And not with a PITIFUL LITTLE SPUTTER at the VERY END! Let's make this shit a CELEBRATION!!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"GET READY, ALICE! HERE COMES THE PARTY! HaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! Arthur is critically aware that if he continues this, Alice is going to outpace him while they're limited by Danmaku rules, at least. So he decides to put in a last effort! He's going to... SUICIDE BOMB! Well, no, not suicide, but perhaps the danmaku equivalent. He's going to rush through the array of light, blinking back and forth, and reach into his magical energy... And detonate all of the magic that he safely can, without dipping into his HP! Like before, he's going to try to get right in Alice's face, and right around those dolls, rushing forward on his rocket-broom, and then EXPLODE like a firework! In fact, the explosion bursts into beautiful streams of light that turn into their own smaller explosions, branching off in a vivid, artistic show.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arthur has exhausted his MP, and now his END; his HP is still fine, but that explains why at the end of the SUPERNOVA FINALE, he's smoking and limp, falling to the ground with only a light cushion of gravity magic to make sure it's not lethal.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Okay so, let's get this straight. There was an unknown doll firing star danmaku, another unknown doll firing flower shuriken, A.../really/ familiar looking Miko doll firing homing ofuda, a Sanae doll firing snake bullets, an unknown maid doll firing knives that...multiplied? How?, and then came MARISA DOLL with the mini sparks. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There was WAY TOO MUCH happening here. Konoe moved aside to avoid the stars and flowers, but it wasn't enough to just move slowly. She needed to keep moving to avoid the homing snakes and ofuda, but the KNIVES ensured she'd be locked into a tighter space, giving Marisa doll the chance to spark her... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Tch! Nice card, Alice-san! It's time for me to show you another one of mine!" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was time. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Clapping her hands together, Konoe chanted, and the flames from her hands intensified. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "<span style="color:xterm202">Spirit Sign - Purification Wave!</span>" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Immediately, the miko's body took on a fiery glow. Following that a storm of fireball danmaku began to rapidly spread out from her body as a vessel. At high speed, those spiritual flames froze in place. And then as if finished determining their target, those fireballs proceeded to home in on Alice's position, chasing after her and then proceeding down a straight course after a second before exploding outwards into small fireballs, then dissipating. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This pattern repeated itself three times in quick succession, lighting up with air with heat as the bullets blazed by.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And that's the ball what dropped right there.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That's... One of everyone," Marisa murmurs, her eyes narrowing with nervous energy beneath the broad rim of her hat. "Not just me and Reimu, but Sakuya and Mima and... Everyone, huh?" All her friends, compatriots, teachers, childhood nightmares.<br /><br />It'd be a hell of a tribute, if it wasn't trying to shoot her out of the sky.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"People say I'm the copycat," the witch smiles as the Danmaku floods in. Suddenly, the tide's turned. Numbers are with the puppeteer-- but not endurance. Bullets and lasers flood the battlefield that is Wonderland. A mini-spark scythes across her flight path! Marisa dodges, weaving right into a flood of ofuda and shining stars that pummel and batter her body. With a sharp yelp, Marisa is hurled through the air, smoldering as the orreries shatter to fragments of glass and magical energy.<br /><br />It still stings less than when Shinki was going all out.<br /><br />But, as fun as this might be, this card can't go on forever.<br /><br />It's not just a matter of time. From the way Alice is sweating, it really CAN'T be allowed to stay active for long.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I appreciate it. The memories, I mean. But you've got something wrong there, Alice." Her hands dart into her pockets. A gust of wind sweeps the plummeting broom back onto a stable flight-path as Celly hangs on for dear life. "This ain't hardly the last time, and you shouldn't say that it is," when Marisa withdraws her hands, they seem limned with gossamer strands. "You live in Gensokyo, after all." Mana surges around her fingertips, suddenly those threads flare outward, spreading like spiderweb across the battlefield.<br /><br />"It might be an Eastern one," The corners of Marisa's lips quirk up into a sly grin, "But it's a Wonderland all of its own!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Now let me show you," the witch roars as the threads spread completely, incredibly thin cords strung up through air and space. They glisten briefly, glinting in the light of Wonderland. "Just what I meant that day! COMBINATION!" <br /><br />                              <span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ hy">MAGICAL</span> <span class=" bold_fg_b bg_n ++ hb">ABSORBER</span>                              <br />                                  <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">--PLUS--</span>                                  <br />                          <span class=" bold_fg_c bg_n ++ hc">FOCUS POWER</span> <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">-</span> <span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ hy">TRIP WIRE</span>                           <br />                           <span class=" bold_fg_r bg_n ++ hr">--COMBINATION SPELL--</span>                            <br />                           <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">***</span><span class=" bold_fg_b bg_n ++ hb">GALACTIC</span> <span class=" bold_fg_c bg_n ++ hc">LEYLINE</span><span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">***</span>                           <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a brilliant flash, like the first light of dawn. It spreads across the whole length of the expanded thread, twisting down through the threads like lightning arcing across copper wire. The whole of Wonderland seems to be awash with light! Light that swallows magic, draining it in to a single source-- the witch at its heart, who receives it with open hands.<br /><br />...And a Mini-Hakkero.<br /><br />One that is now shining more brightly than it has any right to shine.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Don't ever forget," the witch yells as she angles the little octagonal box toward the girl in blue. "Burn this magic onto your retinas!" Magic circles spin out from the Hakkero's lip. Cocentric rings weave out from its heart, building up layer-by-layer into a great, solid disc of golden, arcane power. "Behold, the magic with the power to reach the stars! This is the curtain-call, Seven-Color Puppeteer!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A thrum of power ripples through the world as the threads fall apart. The last of their strength floods into feeding this single spell. Marisa smiles-- it's time. She leans in.<br /><br />She fires.<br /><br />It's a sound like a cataclysm. A BIG BANG.<br /><br />                    --<span style="color:xterm160">MA</span><span style="color:xterm173">GI</span><span style="color:orange">CA</span><span style="color:xterm184">NN</span><span style="color:xterm190">ON</span> <span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ hy">-</span> <span style="color:xterm154">FI</span><span style="color:xterm10">NA</span><span class=" bold_fg_g bg_n ++ hg">L</span> <span style="color:xterm156">MA</span><span style="color:xterm158">ST</span><span style="color:xterm75">ER</span> <span style="color:xterm69">SP</span><span style="color:xterm99">AR</span><span style="color:xterm129">K!</span>--                    <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That wall of light gives way. What results is a veritable flood; erupting from the countless magic circles is a tidal wave of light that touches upon and dances between and EXCEEDS all the colors of the rainbow. Colors that should not exist- CANNOT exist- are made manifest by the raw power invested in this (still, impossibly, nonlethal) spell.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:807|Alice Margatroid (807)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With Tomoyo's fall, all she can do is mouth an apologetic sorry. For this spellcard, moving was out of the question as well, a never been tested, first time seen card and the visible strain it takes on the dollmaker may mean it's too much for her. "You've done well, Tomoyo, more so than I expected. Practice more, and come back to Gensokyo... I have more to show you." she responds back towards the Tailor and Dressmaker extroidinare. Hourai and Shanghai did a lot for her in such a little amount of time, it's almost scary. Either that or there's just something about Tomoyo...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And there was definately way too much going on here to keep track of, the multitude of specialized dolls using powers that Alice has only briefly seen does take a toll for the dollmaker and with Konoe's new spell, at least Alice /thinks/ it's a new spell... "So the copy cat has something new..." that storm of fireball danmaku homes in on its target and crashes right into her, four waves of those bullets but the Dollmaker is still not down. Singed but not out. "Nngh.. good... good spell Konoe." Alice's eyes close slightly, her breath becoming ragged but still the spell keeps going!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And right into Arthur's own. "That's the point. My danmaku's designed to try and keep you away from me. And.." huff... "And I expect the party from you, Arthur. LET'S CLOSE THIS!" she shouts bak towards the God of Space, though him dodging everything but the Sakuya Doll's knives brings her to a questioned look, shaking her head a bit as there's a very brief opening that lets Arthur through. "Evening." she whispers with the explosion rocking her face and body, the bright lights and the force of it knocks the dollmaker around and around and the dolls away from her but even after that, the spell still seems to be going!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"All but Shinki... she's tucked safe at the Castle." she comments, "I learned copycatting from you... I hope you enjoyed it. A wonderful trip down memory lane, is the phrase right?" Though when the ORDINARY MAGICIAN cracks open a brand new spell that sucks a lot of the magic around the area, the dolls for the spellcard concentrate a bit, focusing the power on Marisa as Alice brings up one hand and the Grimoire and Card in front of her, a defensive Spell Shield overlapping.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"As you promised..." she whispered, with all the colors and then some, the sheer, raw power of this Master Spark rips across the sky at one singular target, the dollmaker herself. It crashes into the shield, Alice's groans a bit as each of the dolls gets anniahlated one by one by the spellcard, 'Just a little more, you can time this...' crack. Crack crack..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SHATTER<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For a brief moment after the shatter and before the spark hits Alice, the book closes and Alice smiles. "This... is a resolved incident..." she laughs out slightly in her head, the spark washing over her and that spellcard... it's not just Spell Broken, it's Spell Destroyed. The card vaporizes in the light and power from it and there's an explosion around Alice, signifying the Final Spell Break, the Dollmaker soon falling from her position with Hourai and Shanghai flying forth to catch their Maker from hitting the ground. The Grimoire does thud into the ground and lands in a way that it locks itself once more.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:847|Konoe Kanno (847)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Konoe sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before opening them and staring over at Marisa. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Overkill, Marisa-san." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Not like anyone was surprised by that though. "I'm glad that's over however..." She probably would have fallen from Alice's spell if Marisa didn't spark it into oblivion. ...Better not say that. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The miko lowered herself to the ground before flopping onto her back. Her outfit was torn and battered, and she was dead tired. Thank god it was over. But putting all of that aside... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hehe...It was fun." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A small smile formed on her face at that, and she chuckled lightly as she stared upwards.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:648|Tomoyo Daidouji (648)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomoyo is enraptured by the spectacular display above her, but not to the point where she can just ignore Arthur's crash landing. She goes and retrieves that trunk to help prop the godboy up. "A terribly manly way to end it Arthur. Well done~" she says.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She keeps watching as Konoe unleashes her original spellcard, wincing as Alice is knocked about. And then Marisa fires that massive beam. How does she do it? They just get bigger and bigger!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Alice's shield is breached, Tomoyo is already running towards her! As Shanghai and Hourai save her from a nasty landing, Tomoyo drapes that blanket over her before flopping onto the grass herself.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, I'm so tired..." she says. But audibly pleased with herself, and everyone. "Thank you for having me..." she says to no one in particular, before drifting away for a nap. How much sleep has she gone without these past few days?<br> <br>
:'''{{#var:829|Marisa Kirisame (829)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>                            <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">--SPELL DESTROYED--</span>                             <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That settles that. Marisa huffs as Alice's spell comes apart. Enough raw power can overcome any obstacle! You just need to have enough of it. "Yeah, it better be," Marisa huffs as she descends, hovering just over the ground, not far from where the Dollmaker herself had fallen. <br /><br />"And for the record," she looks to Konoe with a grin, "There is no such thing as too much overkill!"<br> <br>


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