Interesting Times

*yawn*

Whoa! Who's that... oh, it's just you, Yugen. For a moment I thought it was someone actually important.

Delightfully chuffed to hear that... *yawn* ... pardon me, it's just so... so dull around here.

Dull, you say? How so?  Are you not entertained?

Well, I'm not someone like you who'd be satisfied watching old movies and playing online games on his laptop all day. Sometimes I feel the most interesting thing that happens around here are the random nonsensical press releases by Mii News, which we all know are designed to placate the common individual by instilling into them the fear of the eldritch and unknown.

What the flippin' eck? Are the news people quackers? And yet, DESCO's face seems to fit almost perfectly...

There's hardly a dull moment in Gensokyo Island with all the nutcases and maniacs in residence here. And that's not including the ever so frequent danmaku battles between otherwise perfectly sensible individuals whose primary flaw is being convinced that every dispute should be resolved through the massive application of explosive force. So I don't see why you should be dissatisfied.

Well, violence gets old after a while, even if its perpetrators don't. And duffing each other up over a minor slight is hardly gentlemanly and certainly not worthy of praise. It's probably because the majority of this island's residents subscribe to it, that's why it's such a plebeian concept.

Oh, so you like something of a higher order then? What about Okuu's Look-alike's stated plan to subjugate the world by inundating it with a tide of specially-nurtured babyflesh spouting bad catchphrases and making wild allusions to popular culture?

Well, that... it's certainly aspirational at the very least. But it must get very tiresome after a while, especially when all we're seeing is the window into one person's twisted psyche. At the end of it all, it's just one person - admittedly, an utterly evil, incorrigibly vile and corrupt person, but just one person. It's not the whole world.

Surge, spill forth, and consume, my minions! On top, newborn children Nozaki and Regina, below, newest travellers Jacques and Patricia... ?

I mean, even if we're supposed to be the caretakers of an assembly line dedicated to churning out the world's most monstrous biological creations, in the end it's just an assembly line and we're just the button pushers. Now see, in the last photograph with Patchouli Knowledge and Overlord Mao and their daughter Patricia? Something's gone all wonky again.

Oh dear... but you wanted something interesting, didn't you? So there you go. 

No, look here, that is the very opposite of interesting and we both know why. Once the limit on travellers is reached the entire island shuts down because... because apparently the costs of handing out welfare cheques to all these good-for-nothing low-class layabouts completely drains the rest of the island of its will to function. And that's outrageous, not to mention simply unfair for the rest of us.

I... resent your statement about low-class layabouts (you know that includes us, right?), but yes, I don't like it either when this island seems unusually stifled, and we now know that the numbero f travellers has something to do with it. So it's during times like that when we should be grateful to that ever-so-convenient time manipulation device allowing us to cast Gensokyo Island's surplus travellers across the time-space continuum.

As opposed to having boats naturally arrive on their own. Rather takes the charm out of it, don;t you think?

What? I'm just being utilitarian here. You want a problem solved, you do what you need to solve it. While it's absolutely charming for some random island to send emissaries here on their own initiative, completely unaware of our pernicious reputation, such incidents are few and far between. In contrast, Okuu's Look-alike, and you and I, would like to see this logjam at the port resolved as soon as possible.

Welcome to Gensokyo Island. Our chief export is death. Make that death and vileness. Death, vileness, and swanky Round-Collar Blouses.

See, Yugen, for your charming gentlemanly tastes the 'natural' unsolicited arrivals at Gensokyo Island's port may suffice, but for the purposes of Okuu's Look-alike's plan to despoil the world, thae slow rate of arrival and long interval between them are hardly enough. That's why we've resorted to all these underhanded methods, even at the risk of disasters, accidents, and gross mutations and mutilations befalling the travellers of Gensokyo Island. But after all, they were created to be expendable.

Oh, don't misunderstand me! I'm not against the ethics of it - it's just that... well... mechanising that as well kind of ruins the aesthetics of it, doesn't it?

Ethics, aesthetics... how's it different again apart from the "aesth"? Now, don't get all arty-farty with me, and just step out of your damned ivory tower for a moment. I'm all for doing what needs to be done, and besides it's been conclusively proven that travellers who have been cast across time and space actually have a better chance of survival than those who meet Gensokyo Island's so called contemporaries. Probably because our contemporaries have heard of our bad reputation and people in distant lands haven't.

But think of it this way - doesn't the fun from anything come out of the challenge or difficulty in succeeding in the first place? If you could accomplish anything just by turning on some machine or another, what satisfaction could be derived out of that? That's what I mean by aesthetics.

And doen't the most fun from raising living biological weapons come from hearing about all the havoc that they wreak in distant lands? Let's simply describe our course of action as... 'utilising effective dispersal mechanisms'.

Given up for dead. now newly proclaimed as Gensokyo Island's most experienced travellers - Chiyoko and Yves!

I'm sure you'll agree with me that the most thrilling part of sending all these hapless travellers off to their almost certain doom would be watching them not only survive against the odds, but possibly even prosper! Remember Chiyoko, daughter of Chiyo Mihama and Shikieiki Yamaxanadu, and Yves, son of Tia Arlert and Tadakichi Mihama, two of the travellers who were given up for dead after the events of Massacre Monday? 

Yes, what about them? If I recall correctly they somehow survived against the odds, and they've just written back with a new update?

Yes, It turns out that they've overtaken Gensokyo Island's previously most well-travelled  individual, Junichiro, son of Junya Ohta and Reimu Hakurei, who had visited five islands. Now, Yves has reported having visited six islands, while Chiyoko has written from a stunning seven islands! So much for a bunch of no-hopers.

I... I say, that's rather impressive. More impressive than either you or I, Kiba.

Only because we're of the sort that chooses continued survival over fame and glory. Not like Toritori or Rebecca, neither of them could really sit still for long, which is why they'd happily throw themselves into the abyss if it meant a fantastic new adventure.

I'm not sure it's that simple, but I suppose you are right. In summation, we had very contrasting personalities, ideals, and opinions. It's surprising that we were all able to get along for so long.

Oh, you never know what could have happened...

 Not being able to find your contacts on the floor of a dark room is no reason for breaking up! Just look at he smile on her face, she's not sorry at all!

Wait, what? Holy... where are these photographs from? Is that Toyohime Kirisame and Shinichi Yasaka? What the heck happened to them?

I thought someone said he was bored?

Well, yes, I was, but now I want, no, I demand an explanation for this. What happened between the two of them?

Do these sorts of things really have an explanation? Whatever happens, happens. It's only when something catches your eye that you realise you live in interesting times.

BUNBUNMARU UPDATES, 7th June 2015

Traveller Updates

Yves, son of Tia Arlert and Tadakichi Mihama, wrote back from Edelweis Island! He has visited 6 islands so far.

A boat from Tortimer Island arrived. Lily departed.

Relationships and Marriage

Shinichi Yasaka and Toyohime Kirisame are no longer Sweethearts!

Children

Iosif, son of Suika Ibuki and Ken Izumi, grew up. He was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!

Nozaki was born to Reisen Udongein Inaba and Nozomu Itoshiki. It's their first child! He is an Independent Artist.

BUNBUNMARU UPDATES, 8th June 2015

Traveller Updates

Chiyoko, daughter of Chiyo Mihama and Shikieiki Yamaxanadu, wrote back from Streetpass Relay Point Island! She has visited 7 islands so far.

Maiko, daughter of Marisa Kirisame and Miko Toyosatomimi, wrote back from Streetpass Relay Point Island! She has visited 2 islands so far.

A boat from Konoha Island arrived. Minosuke departed.

A boat from PandaCity Island arrived. Kurei departed.

A boat from Konoha Island arrived. Tamako departed. 

Children

Jacques, son of Yuuka Kazami and Augustine Sycamore, grew up. He was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!

Regina was born to Unyuho Morichika and Berthold Gregor. It's their third child! She is a Confident Adventurer.