File: Spoiler Image (29 KB, 270x356)

29 KB JPG

MY HAND IS FOR THE BOY I LOVE!!!
I didn't know where to run, but I just kept running. Too many boys wanted to hold my hand, too many Princes, too many Hosts, too many Bad Boys... But those are not the boys I love!

I ran to the waters where I saw the moon shining brightly in the waters as much as the night sky. I fell to my knees at the edge of the waters and wanted to cry. I couldn't possibly handle rejecting more boys whom I did not love!

And then, a big strong hand clasped my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he said to me... He! Another boy! Not just any boy, but a Halfie, a Halfie ready to leave the Lingdom and become a Bravie for the Emperor!

But I knew this boy. My friend from the village I grew up with. Once small like me and our friends and family, now tall and mighty like a Tallie, bearing armor and a sword.

"I must go. The Emperor needs me," he said. His eyes swelled with tears, for he would journey far away from our home to lands unknown. "Will you be here for me when I return?"

He slowly reached for my hand...

File: lq033.jpg (26 KB, 446x277)

26 KB JPG

You woke up to Bubu nudging your shoulder with his hand. He promised to always wake you up every morning so you wouldn't become a scary monster for sleeping too long.

"I made some tortillas with some bugs for you. Here."

Bubu always prepared breakfast for your party in the morning. You, Bubu, Kari, Puki, and your fox friend Moochy enjoyed a light breakfast before setting off to the next village. You came across a small river and sitting in the waters was a Raft-House. That was the house of Rafties!

Before We became hosts, We were the guests of the land. As hosts We became tied to one grove, cultivating the land to produce the food to raise all the Little Ones We always dreamed of having. Although We still journeyed as guests when We become Youthies, some of Us continue to live as guests, though not of the land but of the waters.

Rafties are families who continue to move from grove to grove, although they are tied to the waters and live in their Raft-Houses, smaller than the houses on land but still very welcoming. Their Raft-Houses are drawn by Our Shrimp-Friends, helping Rafties move from waters to waters to find fish and wild rice. They love welcoming guests to stay with them for a while, sometimes delivering gifts from different villages in the basket loads. We still love to eat fish but not all groves have a reliable supply, so these Rafties usually become guests to a grove to share the fish they caught.

You see some Little Ones swimming with their Shrimp Friends, playing a game of tag while their parents fished the waters surrounding them. Their baba and pappy sat in a hammock at the Raft-House enjoying the sun and smiling and their Grand-babies' fun.

A Little One saw you and climbed on his friend to ride to the bank where you were standing.

"Chi and Anh, look, look! Look what I can do!" He leapt off his friend into the waters to disappear. You waited for 30 seconds. Nothing happened. You...
>Tell one of your friends to go find him! Maybe he needs help!
>Dive in yourself, getting your pretty clothes sopping wet to find him!
>Yell to the grown-ups for help!
>Wait longer. Maybe he's not done showing?

>>5939900
Good to see you back QM, and with nice digits as well.

>Dive in yourself, getting your pretty clothes sopping wet to find him!
Have Rika tell her friends to get the grown ups just in case. Quickly toss off anything valuable that she might lose in the water and whatever would tangle her limbs to them as well. Her height may also help her lift the little one above the water just a little bit quicker.

>>5939900
>Wait longer. Maybe he's not done showing?

>>5939900
>>Yell to the grown-ups for help!

>>5939900
>Wait longer. Maybe he's not done showing?
His granparents are watching him. If they're not panicking, we shouldn't too.

File: RikaSheet01.jpg (58 KB, 403x694)

58 KB JPG

>>5939898
Looks like I forgot to post this last night. If you guys haven't noticed, I've left the stats off, I guess it wasn't something I cared that much about, preferring to just go with whatever established personality Rika has without any numbers to limit her. Hope nobody's disappointed, you're not here to level up but to make Memories.

>>5939900
>Tell one of your friends to go find him! Maybe he needs help!

>>5940383
No I'm definitely not complaining about a stats-less quest

>>5939900
>>Dive in yourself, getting your pretty clothes sopping wet to find him!

>>5939900
>Yell to the grown-ups for help!

>>5939900
>Dive in yourself, getting your pretty clothes sopping wet to find him!

>>5939900
>Dive in yourself, getting your pretty clothes sopping wet to find him!

>>5939900
>Yell to the grown-ups for help!

Voting closed, writing and drawing.

File: lq034.jpg (27 KB, 599x228)

27 KB JPG

When you felt something wrong was going on, you took the initiative to save the Little One! Immediately you stripped yourself of your Memories and passed them off to whomever was next to you before diving into the waters. When you submerged yourself underwater, you saw the Little One floating under the surface and dragged him to the shore. After the commotion, you found out that the Little One was alright and was a bit annoyed at your rescue.

"Chi! You ruined it! I was going to beat my old record!"The Little One threw a bit of a tantrum, flailing his little arms. You see his baba on an elder shrimp riding towards you, looking unhappy. As she approached the shore, she dismounted her elder shrimp and went to her Little One to scold him, putting him on his knees and folding his arms.

"Little One, I told you no more!" the baba said. "How was Chi supposed to know you weren't just holding your breath!? What if you got stuck and they just waited for you, only for you to never come back up?"

The scolding reminded you very much of a time when your baba scolded you for being too good at hiding during playtime. You even almost reflexively got on your knees to cross your arms.

The baba turned to you and gave you a warm smile. She patted you on the head as if you were a Little One, even though her height has seen better years.

"Thank you so much for doing the right thing, Chi! I'm sorry you got your pretty clothes wet. Please, come and have some fish with us while we dry your clothes!"

A true Ling never turns down an offer of fish! The Rafties sent out a raft to gather you and your friends and on the way, Kari expressed how disappointed she was in herself for not jumping in first. She promised to be the first one to answer when there was trouble! Bubu, still holding onto your belongings, kept his clueless look as he called you brave. Puki said you looked pretty cool, she guessed.

The Raftie family was smaller compared to yours, but their smaller home sure made it feel just as crowded as yours. They gave you a change of clothes while they dried the clothes you got wet. You enjoyed the day learning how to fish with them and roasting your own catch, even showing how well you can fillet a fish away from the Little Ones. As you were filleting behind a curtain with the baba, she spoke up.

"I hope you don't think Little Zoku is bad. He just gets excited when we meet new people because he just wants to make friends. Since we're always moving around, he always has to say goodbye to the friends he made."

You felt sad about Zoku just wanting more friends, maybe even ones he could keep close to him forever like Bubu was to you.

"Would you please stay with us for a while? I know you're on your Youthful Journey, but it would be fun for Zoku and the Little Ones, we don't get many guests here."

Although you probably wouldn't learn so many skills here, your Youthful Journey was also supposed to be for making Memories. However, Bubu seemed to have been feeling sick from his time on the Raft House. Your response was...
>"Of course, baba! We can stay until your family visits your next village."
>"We'll stay for the night but we should go tomorrow. Thank you for the meal, baba."
>"I'm sorry baba, but we would like to return to the land and continue our journey. My friend doesn't do well on rafts."

>>5943917
>>"We'll stay for the night but we should go tomorrow. Thank you for the meal, baba."

>>5943917
>>"We'll stay for the night but we should go tomorrow. Thank you for the meal, baba."

>>5943917
>"We'll stay for the night but we should go tomorrow. Thank you for the meal, baba."

>>5943917
>"We'll stay for the night but we should go tomorrow. Thank you for the meal, baba."

>>5943917
>"Of course, baba! We can stay until your family visits your next village."

>>5943917
>"We'll stay for the night but we should go tomorrow. Thank you for the meal, baba."

Voting closed, writing and drawing.

File: lq035.jpg (29 KB, 248x244)

29 KB JPG

You decided to stay for only the night so Bubu didn't have to suffer from his landlubberness. He didn't mind swaying back and forth if he was sitting in a hammock, and it kept him from hurling overboard as he had done earlier. As you prepared for bed, Kari pulled you aside with a worried look on her face.

"Rika, how are we supposed to wake up without Bubu?" Kari said. "I don't think he'll be able to get up on here! Should we just go back to the shore?"

Puki laughed at the two of you. "Are you two still scared about my little story?"

Quite a predicament! You do have a sleeping problem, and you couldn't trust Puki to wake you up...
>"Kari is right, we should say our goodbyes and head back to the shore where Bubu would be most comfortable." Head back to the shore.
>"Puki is right, we're not going to turn into a sleepy monster!... probably..." You and Kari hold onto each other for the rest of the night, hoping neither of you turn into monsters.
>"Don't be silly, our hosts will wake us up!" Go to sleep alone, it'll be fine.
>"If Bubu isn't feeling good then... then I should just sleep by him!" Sleep in the same hammock as Bubu.

>>5945630
>>"If Bubu isn't feeling good then... then I should just sleep by him!" Sleep in the same hammock as Bubu.

>>5945630
>"Don't be silly, our hosts will wake us up!" Go to sleep alone, it'll be fine.

>>5945630
>>"If Bubu isn't feeling good then... then I should just sleep by him!" Sleep in the same hammock as Bubu.

>>5945630
>>"If Bubu isn't feeling good then... then I should just sleep by him!" Sleep in the same hammock as Bubu.

>>5945630
>"Kari is right, we should say our goodbyes and head back to the shore where Bubu would be most comfortable." Head back to the shore.
We could ask the hosts or someone among them in light of this circumstance; they may understand.

I hate to be a buzzkill, but I'm noticing first replies from 5945702 and 5945724, the first just seconds before 5945703. Maybe I'm just paranoid after reading about seeing a few of these incidents happen.

>>5945630
>"Don't be silly, our hosts will wake us up!" Go to sleep alone, it'll be fine.

>>5945630
>>"Puki is right, we're not going to turn into a sleepy monster!... probably..." You and Kari hold onto each other for the rest of the night, hoping neither of you turn into monsters.

>>5945630
>"If Bubu isn't feeling good then... then I should just sleep by him!" Sleep in the same hammock as Bubu.

>>5945630
>"If Bubu isn't feeling good then... then I should just sleep by him!" Sleep in the same hammock as Bubu.

Voting closed, writing and drawing.

File: lq036.jpg (47 KB, 381x333)

47 KB JPG

Poor Bubu, he's been putting up with the raft all this time. We all used to be water-worthy, if We weren't sitting in Our trees, we were standing on Our rafts. But most of Us do not live on the waters anymore, and Bubu couldn't stand it. Though none of Us have problems swinging around in hammocks, Bubu was still unwell, he just couldn't get used to the less predictable swinging. Moochy sat on his chest, weighing him down to not make the hammock swing more than it needed to. The fat fox wasn't fat enough though, so you decided to climb into the hammock with Bubu to help him sleep. When Kari saw you get comfortable with Bubu, she climbed in as well. It wasn't strange for the three of you to share a hammock, you sometimes shared a hammock when you were Little Ones after all. Your combined weight made the hammock hardly swing, and thus throughout the night, you allowed Bubu to sleep comfortably.

The following morning, you wake up to see Bubu snoring quietly beside you with Kari beside him, her eyes closed with a pleasant smile, and Moochy pushed to his feet. It seems like Bubu broke his promise to always wake the two of you up.

Like Kari, staying by Bubu feels very nice. Maybe you should stay a little while longer...
>"Bubu... you dummy, you broke your promise." Wake Bubu up.
>"Bubu should keep his promise... so I'll just go back to sleep." Keep sleeping.
>"Just 10 more minutes with Bubu..." Give yourself him 10 more minutes.

>>5949453
>>"Bubu... you dummy, you broke your promise." Wake Bubu up.

>>5949453
>"Bubu should keep his promise... so I'll just go back to sleep." Keep sleeping.
I archived the Setting Sun thread

>>5949453
>>"Bubu... you dummy, you broke your promise." Wake Bubu up.
Very cute

>>5949453
>"Bubu... you dummy, you broke your promise." Wake Bubu up.

>>5949453
>>"Just 10 more minutes with Bubu..." Give yourself him 10 more minutes.

Voting closed, writing and drawing.

You nudged Bubu awake and he slowly opened his eyes. When smiled at first but then realized he didn't get the chance to wake you up.

"Oh... I broke my promise..."[/boy] Bubu said with a sullen look.

You had breakfast with the Raftie family who had some rice and berries to share. Bubu ate his meal slowly, looking far more lost in thought than his dumb face usually does. Moochy ended up eating most of his food despite Puki's best efforts to shoo him away. Kari was conflicted, seeing Bubu sad but wanted Moochy to get fatter.

Your hosts dropped you off at the opposite side of the river and gifted you some kerchiefs embroidered with shrimp tailored by their baba, a very common gift from elders. They told you there was a village a day away inland and gave you a basket of fish to deliver to them. Bubu didn't hesitate to accept and placed the basket on his head to carry.

As you walked through the woods, you and your friends talked about whether the Raftie life might be for you. Puki said no since she would hate to be stuck on a Raft where it's hard to be alone. Kari said maybe because she wouldn't mind getting to travel year-round, especially after their Youthful Journey. Bubu shook his head.

You said...
>"No, how could Bubu keep his promise if I decided to become a Raftie?"
>"I think I prefer settling and being surrounded by many others instead!"
>"I'm not sure yet, we still have some years left to decide!"

File: lq037.jpg (28 KB, 451x338)

28 KB JPG

>>5951402
lol I closed blue with boy

As the sun set with an orange sky above, you came across a village in the middle of festivities. It was quite a standard one where Little Ones acted out Our First Memory on a stage built to resemble the Great Turtle, going through all of Our initial Memories. It's something every Ling does, and it's a way to help Little Ones remember how special Our First Memories are. The villagers gathered together to watch their Little Ones, with babas and pappies sitting at the very front to smile at their Little Ones.

Far in the back was an ancient elder, sitting on a stool with a missing leg and a mustache as long as his arms. He wore a Bravie's hat and considering his age, he must have driven away the Meanies with the Emperor hundreds of seasons ago. When he saw you newcomers arriving, he waved his cane at you, beckoning you to him. You came over to him and Bubu dropped the basket of fish down.

"Ho there, Little Ones! You missed the best part, my Little One just saved the day with his knot-tying!" said the ancient elder.

During Our First Memory when We were the guests of the Great Turtle, a mighty storm bullied Us with the strongest wind and heaviest rain. To protect Ourselves, Our Papas knotted the strongest nets and Our Mamas weaved the tightest cloth. Our Papas' net kept the trees from shaking Us off from the wind, and Our Mamas' cloth kept Us dry from the rain above.

"Hey there, Little Bravie, why so glum? You should be happy to be traveling with three pretty Fairies!" said the ancient elder.

"I broke my promise with them, pappy," Bubu said. "I promised to always wake them up but I didn't this morning."

Bubu continued to be sad about breaking his promise. So you...
>Told him it's okay, the three of you have the rest of your lives to make up for it.
>Made a promise to each other to always wake each other up.
>Left Bubu be with this wise and ancient elder with the rest of your friends.
>Stuck around to listen to whatever the ancient elder had to say.

>>5951402
>"I'm not sure yet, we still have some years left to decide!"
>>5951403
>Stuck around to listen to whatever the ancient elder had to say.

>>5951403
>Stuck around to listen to whatever the ancient elder had to say.

>>5951402
>"I think I prefer settling and being surrounded by many others instead!"

>>5951403
>Told him it's okay, the three of you have the rest of your lives to make up for it.

>>5951402
>"I'm not sure yet, we still have some years left to decide!"

>>5951403
>Told him it's okay, the three of you have the rest of your lives to make up for it.

>>5951402
>>"I'm not sure yet, we still have some years left to decide!"

>>5951403
>>Stuck around to listen to whatever the ancient elder had to say.

>>5951402
>"I'm not sure yet, we still have some years left to decide!"
We haven't had our Baldwin IV punished arc yet.

>>5951403
>Told him it's okay, the three of you have the rest of your lives to make up for it.
I thought Rika was joking about it, or maybe it's Bubu's autism again.

>>5951402
>"I'm not sure yet, we still have some years left to decide!"

>>5951403
>Told him it's okay, the three of you have the rest of your lives to make up for it.

Voting closed, writing and drawing.

File: 05storydev035.jpg (66 KB, 474x500)

66 KB JPG

You told Bubu he had the rest of his life to make up for his broken promise.

"But what if I break my promise again? I only have one life to make up for one broken promise..." he said. What strange logic!

"Sit down, Little Bravie, let Pappy tell you a story about promises!" said the ancient elder.

You all sat down in front of the Bravie elder, though Puki seemed slightly disgruntled for being strung along. You...
>Glare at Puki for her disrespectful attitude.
>Tell her it might be fun to listen to the Bravie elder!
>Ignored Puki.
>Ask her if she'd like to leave.

The ancient elder spoke of when he was a Youthie, around the age of 19. It was around a hundred seasons ago when Uncle Meanie came to bully Us but was eventually driven away by the Captain.

A hundred seasons ago before the Emperor became Our host and guest, we had Big Boss and his family as our protectors. The Captain was his great-grandson, whose mama was Boss Baba whose husband was a Boss of Fire Keepers, thus the Captain's uncle. This Uncle Meanie came to Our home as an awful guest, demanding We row his ships and give his meanies all Our food. Even though the Captain was Uncle Meanie's nephew, he disrespected Uncle Meanie because there was no excuse for being a bad guest.

As a Halfie, the ancient elder volunteered to fight with the Captain. His parents cried for him, begging him to reconsider. So he promised to come back in one piece to alleviate his parents' worries. He fought for some months, mostly in the waters, boarding enemy ships to engage. At first, he was worried about his promise, so tried to stay as safe as possible. But then he felt that was unfair to all his friends who were just as in danger as him. He was hurt most when he lost a friend due to his own passiveness, thereafter he was far more active in battle, always trying to be the first to board the enemy. His recklessness eventually caught up to him, and his leg was hacked off as he was leaping onto the enemy deck.

Though he did not regret being brave, he had much trouble returning home as he didn't want to face his parents for breaking his promise. When he finally returned, he submitted to them on his knees and crossed arms, with tears in his eyes begging for forgiveness. His parents cried in return, but they were not upset. They were just happy he returned alive so that he could continue sharing Memories.

"Little Bravie, promises are easily made and are easily broken. We're not always in control of our promises, if I kept my promise then more of my friends would have died. If you continue keeping your promise, then your friends might never learn to fix their sleepy problem. We make promises to express how much we value something, but just because they get broken does not mean that value is a lie. My parents didn't care about my promise, and I'm sure your friends didn't as well. They just wanted you to know how important you are to them!"

File: lq038.jpg (77 KB, 520x732)

77 KB JPG

Bubu listened to the ancient elder in awe, perhaps secretly hoping he could be as brave as him when he grew up. He still had that dumb look about him, the kind where he intensely focused on someone or something.

You...
>Hugged Bubu and told him you didn't care about the promise, you just wanted to be with Bubu forever.
>Told Bubu to forget the promise, especially if it puts his health at risk.
>Told Bubu you still wanted him to wake you up because you're scared of becoming a Sleepy Monster.
>Stayed silent and let Bubu reflect on his own.

>>5954896
>>Hugged Bubu and told him you didn't care about the promise, you just wanted to be with Bubu forever.

>>5954893
>Tell her it might be fun to listen to the Bravie elder!
>>5954896
>Stayed silent and let Bubu reflect on his own.

>>5954893
>>Ignored Puki.
Almost forgot about this option lmao.

>>5954893
>Tell her it might be fun to listen to the Bravie elder

>>5954896
>Stayed silent and let Bubu reflect on his own.

>>5954893
>Ignored Puki.
>>5954896
>Hugged Bubu and told him you didn't care about the promise, you just wanted to be with Bubu forever.

>>5954896
>Told Bubu to forget the promise, especially if it puts his health at risk.

>>5954893
>Glare at Puki for her disrespectful attitude.

>>5954893
>Ignored Puki.

>>5954896
>Told Bubu to forget the promise, especially if it puts his health at risk.

Rolled 3 + 1 (1d3 + 1)

Voting closed, rolling for vote

Roll 1:
>1: Hug Bubu
>2: Stayed silent
>3: Divest Bubu of his promise

Roll 2:
>1: Tell Puki it might be fun
>2: Ignore Puki.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5956665
Woops, didn't add the 1d2

File: lq039.jpg (87 KB, 472x659)

87 KB JPG

Puki was being rude to the ancient elder but We were always taught to encourage politeness before we discouraged rudeness. You told her the pappy's story could be fun, she shrugged and squatted down by you all. Kari enjoyed all the action Pappy described, but when he spoke about when he lost his leg, Kari looked away even though there was nothing to be seen. Puki however was intrigued and asked how much blood came out and what did it taste like. Pappy indulged in her and spoke about how blood gushed out until his friend tied a knot around his thigh, though he had to disappoint Puki in revealing he did not taste any of the blood.

At the conclusion of Pappy's Memory, you told Bubu to forget his promise, though you still enjoy being woken up by him. If anything, you wouldn't be disappointed if he didn't wake you up, but you would definitely be happy if he did. Kari said the same and broke into tears while hugging Bubu. It set you off in tears as well, the three of you now hugging in a warm embrace crying waterfalls, though Bubu still had that dumb look about him. Puki "guessed" she should join and hugged as well, though she did not catch the crying.

Pappy smiled at the four of you, and by the time the bout of crying ended, so did the festival. Pappy invited you to his home and Bubu helped him up and walk. Pappy lived with his son-in-law and great-grandchildren. Though his grandchildren were serving their time as Halfies, some of their spouses were not and still lived among Shorties like yourself. A family like this is rare in most villages as Halfies commonly live in communities closer to the Hammock, much like Bubu's own family. The fish you brought was shared with the village, but Pappy took a few to grill for dinner for you. There were so many Little Ones running around compared to grown-ups, a result of the many grown-ups being Halfies.

Pappy asked Bubu many questions, such as who his Grand-Pappies and Babas were, hoping to hear if he might know of Bubu's relatives.

"Both my Mama and Papa are Halfies, but I live with my Papa's Mama and Papa. Pappy is a Halfie and his papa was also a Halfie from the Hammock. Pappy told me Popappy escaped the Hammock with his family after his papa burned his farm and that all of our tomatoes are from them."

"Hoho! Was your Popappy's Papa the Big Tomato? I always loved Our Tomato Cousins' tomatoes!"

"Yes, Pappy. My Pappy told me his Popappy was the elder of the Tomato Cousins."

"You must be Topito's Little One! The Big Tomato only had one boy, and he was a mean fighter! What about your Mama's elders, Little One?"

"Mama said her Pappy was a Tallie Knight with the Captain and that I was named after him. Everybody calls me Bubu because I couldn't say it, but she said Popappy's name was Vu... Vrub... Vrubor?"

"Aiya! Lieutenant Vuboi!? He was scarier than Uncle Meanie!"

Pappy wanted to keep talking about Bubu's elders all night, but as it got darkest, you and your friends besides Bubu became tired. Puki decided to call it a night and went to her hammock with Moochy. Kari was doing her best to stay awake, but it looked like she was dozing off just trying to keep up. You were probably doing the same.

You...
>Asked Bubu if you guys can go to sleep (you don't want him to share Memories without you!)
>Called it a night and took Kari with you to sleep and let Bubu share Memories with Pappy.
>Tried to power through (Sleepy problem: 50/50 chance of succeeding or failing. Closing post will determine the result: odds succeeds, evens fails.)

>>5956763
>Called it a night and took Kari with you to sleep and let Bubu share Memories with Pappy.
We'll make it up by creating more memories tomorrow.

>>5956763
>Asked Bubu if you guys can go to sleep (you don't want him to share Memories without you!)

>>5956763
>>Called it a night and took Kari with you to sleep and let Bubu share Memories with Pappy.

>>5956763
>>Called it a night and took Kari with you to sleep and let Bubu share Memories with Pappy.

>>5956763
>>Tried to power through (Sleepy problem: 50/50 chance of succeeding or failing. Closing post will determine the result: odds succeeds, evens fails.)
C'mon lads let's gamble.

>>5956763
>Tried to power through (Sleepy problem: 50/50 chance of succeeding or failing. Closing post will determine the result: odds succeeds, evens fails.)

>>5956763
>Tried to power through (Sleepy problem: 50/50 chance of succeeding or failing. Closing post will determine the result: odds succeeds, evens fails.)

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5956760
Voting closed.

A roll of one and we'll go with:
>Called it a night and took Kari with you to sleep and let Bubu share Memories with Pappy.

Two we'll see how this post goes:
>Tried to power through (Sleepy problem: 50/50 chance of succeeding or failing. Closing post will determine the result: odds succeeds, evens fails.)

File: lq040.jpg (19 KB, 412x227)

19 KB JPG

When you got up to help Kari to the hammock, Bubu excused himself from Pappy to put you to bed. He helped the two of you in your hammocks and tucking you in, perhaps he was thinking if he forgot to wake you up the following morning he could at least put you to sleep. The following morning, Bubu woke you up despite his promise having been annulled. You ate some tortilla Baba heated for you before you started your day.

It wasn't a labor day, but one of the families was hosting a reading session of a story they'd been writing later that day. The grown-ups of the village were looking forward to it as it was one of their sources of community entertainment, though it wasn't something Little Ones were entirely interested in, who preferred playing games instead.

You needed to kill time until the reading session, so you and your friends walked to the village center to look for something to do. Some traveling Youthies were playing music by the Village Bell, a gentle and calm tune that everybody else relaxed to with their own particular activities. Some grown-ups were playing a competitive thinking board game, and a group of elders were weaving baskets to exchange for some sunflower seeds or bananas at the Baskin Store.

Tallies like Our baskets because they don't leak. We tried teaching Tallies to make baskets but they don't want to learn. Instead, they would rather trade gifts, which was just as fine for Us because We didn't know how to make or grow many things they could that We wanted! Every year when the Tallies visited as guests at the Hammock, We would carry all of Our baskets We made to share, but it got crowded as We tried to carry many empty baskets around. So the Baskins collected Our baskets for Us and gave Us a coin that could be used to claim a basket. That's why we have baskets on Our coins!

Today, a Baskin lives in nearly every village to run the Basket Store, where they store baskets made by other villages to be delivered to the Hammock. We don't trade Our baskets for coins anymore, though Baskins usually share their sunflower seeds and bananas instead.

Every family has that one Bibaba or Popappy weaving a basket throughout the week to trade for sunflower seeds or bananas. You remember your Bibaba sharing bananas on "Banana Day" with you and your cousins and you and Kari sometimes helped her to get your bananas earlier.

For this free day, you decided to...
>Play music with fellow Youthies, maybe you'll meet a new friend!
>Watch the competitive thinking board game with grown-ups, it's not a bad idea to learn a new game to play!
>Weave some baskets with elders. You'll get some snacks but the elders will probably barrage you with questions!

>>5960827
>>Play music with fellow Youthies, maybe you'll meet a new friend!

>>5960827
>Play music with fellow Youthies, maybe you'll meet a new friend!

>>5960827
>>Play music with fellow Youthies, maybe you'll meet a new friend!

>>5960827
>Watch the competitive thinking board game with grown-ups, it's not a bad idea to learn a new game to play!

>>5960827
>Watch the competitive thinking board game with grown-ups, it's not a bad idea to learn a new game to play!
I have a feeling that strategic thinking will be useful to her later.

>>5960827
>Watch the competitive thinking board game with grown-ups, it's not a bad idea to learn a new game to play!

>>5960827
>Watch the competitive thinking board game with grown-ups, it's not a bad idea to learn a new game to play!

>>5939898
I’m getting some real Southeast Asian Gensokyo vibes from this intro alone, now I’m suspect that all will be well up until the white devils attack with liquid fire.

>>5960827
>Play music with fellow Youthies, maybe you'll meet a new friend

I hope we unintentionally do something magical, like maybe the woodland critters start playing along like in a Disney flick or we end up accidentally enchanting the Youthies like a Pied Piper.

Someone is hosting a /QST/ character tournament >>5961634. Should Rika throw her rice hat into the ring?

>>5962317
Absolutely!

Voting closed, writing and drawing. Odd post will be to play music, even post will be to watch a /tg/.

>>5962317
That sounds like it could be fun but it's not something I would like to commit to. Rika is going to have to be happy being Bubu's queen.

File: lq041.jpg (24 KB, 431x301)

24 KB JPG

You decided to watch the grown-ups play their game, something you've seen your parents, uncles, and aunties play before but were hardly interested in. The grown-ups were crowding around two players, watching them intently to make their moves. A grided wooden board sat on a stump populated by dark and light stones. The stones were laid out in lines like two twisted snakes of dark and light.

We call this game Bug Trails, inspired by the Bug Bells Festival where We went hunting for Termite and Ant hills near Bug Bells, smashing their hills so We could bake them in cakes. But because We could only do that once a year, We came up with a way to play it every day instead.

When one grown-up placed a stone down, the crowd cheered in excitement. It was the end of the game! The two players hugged each other before leaving their spots for new players. When they saw you watching, they invited you to play so you squatted on one side. Facing you was an Auntie who looked happy to teach you how to play.

"Listen, Little One, this game is easy! You see how each square is marked? Pick three spots within this smaller square and place a block on them! Those will be the hills you have to defend from my bugs, and I will have hills you have to attack with yours!"

"On your turn, you can place a starting bug at the edge of the board. You can spend all your turns filling up your edge of the board, but the only way to go deeper is to march your bugs in one continuous trail! But it's a good idea to have multiple trails because I can break your trail by marching directly onto one of your segments. You cannot extend a trail if it does not connect to your edge of the board! Technically you can fight over the same spot forever, but that's boring!"

"When a hill is taken by a trail, it's destroyed and you have to remove it from the board. Do you understand? Good! Let's play!"

You played a round of Bug Trails and although your opponent was kind enough to be easy on you, she didn't let you win. It's okay, it was your first time! Everybody complimented you on being smart and clever when you were making your moves, but it was time to switch players. The grown-ups offered you another round with another opponent, perhaps against one of your friends.

You decided...
>To play again against another opponent.
>To play again against a friend. (Choose Bubu or Kari)
>To turn down the offer but ask if one of your friends could play.

>>5962165
The only magic in here is the magic of Memories.

>>5962507
>To play again against a friend. (Choose Bubu or Kari)
Whichever of them agrees

>>5962507
>>To play again against a friend. (Choose Bubu or Kari)
Bubu

>>5962671
+1

>>5962507
>>To turn down the offer but ask if one of your friends could play.

>>5962317
Just took a better read of the tournament thread, looks like I don't really have to commit to anything. However, I'd rather someone else nominate Rika, or maybe even Forgotten Princess Ruka, in my stead just to see how you guys have been interpreting her. Maybe Bubu as well.

>>5963343
It will be done, QM.

>>5963343
>>5963521
Done! I hope it does your character justice.
>>5963648

>>5963668
Hot diggity, maybe I'll draw some Forgotten Princess Ruka tomorrow as a thank you!

>>5964364
That'd be awesome! Glad to know the post isn't half bad.

>>5962671
+1

File: ForgottenPrincessRuka.jpg (47 KB, 289x671)

47 KB JPG

>>5964538
I could have drawn her more chuuni but in the end she just turned out to be Halfie Rika without a skirt.

>>5962507
>>5962671
Forgot to vote for this post. +1

>>5965455
Don't sell yourself too short no pun intended, that's neat!

Voting for the character tournament has begun! Don't forget to vote if you're able. Remember, you must reply to the post in the thread itself and vote for 6 characters, no more, no less. >>5966353

Voting closed, writing and drawing.

File: lq042.jpg (20 KB, 309x244)

20 KB JPG

Bubu watched you playing with the sort of intensity he often displays when staring. You asked him if he wanted to play so he nodded, the grown-ups were excited to see someone else show interest in the game. When you played against Bubu, he always made his move after 10 seconds of thinking of his turn. He stared at the board the whole time, paying little attention to you or anybody else around you. The grown-ups whispered plenty, commenting on the play style. You thought you were doing well against him in the beginning, snatching up his first two hills, but then you realized he baited you. As you were coming after his final hill, you noticed his trails were branching across the board. His bugs broke your trails, forcing you to start on your side of the board, but as he had so many interconnected branches, you were unable to defend yourself as each trail still led back to his side of the board. He snatched your hills, ending the game. Bubu's trance on the board ended and he finally looked up at you with a smile.

"Thank you for playing with me."

The grown-ups wanted to challenge Bubu to a match to which he agreed. You watched him defeat two grown-ups until a Pappy decided to challenge him. It was a slow match and it bored you enough to slink off to find something else to do before it ended. A Baba beckoned for you to come to her. You came over with Kari and saw Baba chiseling a grid into a block of wood.

"Your friend sure brought a lot of life to those grown-ups. I wanted to make something nice for him for making the grown-ups so happy today. Do you want to help Baba make a little Bug Trail set you can take with you?"

Of course, you said yes, so you spent the day helping the Baba. She taught you how to whittle with a knife, though all you did was make small flat pieces and six lumps for the hills. She also taught you how to hollow out a block of wood, shaped for the board to fit in and close. When you reached the bottom of the box, she asked if you wanted to carve a message for Bubu. Kari was having fun carving a picture of ants and termites on the underside of the board.

>"Thank you for playing with me!"
>"For Bubu from Rika and Kari."
>No message. You're sure Bubu will think about you every time he plays.
>Write-in.

>>5967542
>"Thank you for playing with me!"

>>5967542
>"Thank you for playing with me!"

>>5967542
>"Thank you for playing with me!"

>>5967542
>>"Thank you for playing with me!"

>>5967542
>"Thank you for playing with me!"

File: lq043.jpg (65 KB, 565x435)

65 KB JPG

As the sun began to set, the match between Bubu and the elder finally ended with Bubu defeated. The grown-ups congratulated him and the elder offered Bubu to be his guest, though Bubu declined because he wanted to sleep near his friends. When Bubu returned to the ancient elder's house for dinner, you and Kari presented him the Bug Trails set you made with Kari and that nice Baba went home and didn't seem to mind not being given any credit. It was one of the few times you noticed him smiling, a contrast to the dumb expression he constantly displayed.

"Thank you, Rika and Kari," Bubu said as he hugged you.

You spent the night at the village again and the following morning it was time for you to press on to visit another village. The villagers said their goodbyes to you, and the Bug Trails elder asked Bubu to come back when he was ready to win. They gave you some riceballs as snacks to munch on as the next village was a day's travel away.

You took to the trail with your friends, and the few Youthies from the village decided to tag along to the next village with you. They introduced themselves as being a group of friends from another village. One had a banjo, another an accordion, and the last a fiddle. They were far more musically inclined than your group and they invited you to play music with them. So you and Kari took out your instruments, Puki didn't bother but Bubu felt left out.

Bubu could still sing... but he didn't know any lyrics except for the song about making Yummy Jam-Filled Dumplings. It might get super annoying if that's the only song you guys played...

So you suggested...
>Let Bubu sing along in gibberish as he usually does.
>Ask your companions to be patient and help Bubu learn new songs.
>Ask Bubu if he'd like to learn to play an instrument and if your companions would like to offer lessons.
>Deal with singing Jam-Filled Dumplings all day.

>>5969232
>>Deal with singing Jam-Filled Dumplings all day.
Jam dumpling supremacy.

>>5969232
>Ask Bubu if he'd like to learn to play an instrument and if your companions would like to offer lessons.
Maybe a drum? This band lacks a drummer

>>5969232
>>Ask Bubu if he'd like to learn to play an instrument and if your companions would like to offer lessons.

>>5969232
>Deal with singing Jam-Filled Dumplings all day

>>5969424
>>5969497
That's not a bad idea. He should be conscious enough to understand basic rhythm.

>>5969232
>>5969861
Forgot to vote again.
>Ask Bubu if he'd like to learn to play an instrument and if your companions would like to offer lessons.

>>5969232
>>Ask Bubu if he'd like to learn to play an instrument and if your companions would like to offer lessons.

Boats closed, writing and drawing

File: lq044.jpg (22 KB, 293x429)

22 KB JPG

You and your companions introduced each other by name. The banjo-playing one was Naha, the accordion-playing one was Tina, and the fiddle-playing one was Yora. You asked your new companions if they'd like to help Bubu with learning to play an instrument.

"Hnn??? He doesn't know how to play one??? That's so sad!" said Tina. "I have this drum if you want to beat it!" She untied a waist drum from her pack and handed it to Bubu with sticks. "The drum has the most important role because it helps us synchronize our songs! Try it!"

Bubu beat his drum to the rhythm of his steps as you all marched along. The new companions began playing a slower song to match it and you found you and Kari joining with your instruments. Soon, singing broke out and after a few choruses, Bubu began singing random syllables, though Puki remained quiet, uninterested in performing with you guys.

As the sun reached as high as it could, you all decided to rest under a tree for shade. You shared snacks and Memories, the musicians reveal that they're all cousins from neighboring villages who always wanted to play music with each other all day. Tina was getting close to Bubu, teaching him interesting ways to beat the drum and some basic rhythms.

"Hey Puki, how come you didn't at least sing with us, hnn???" asked one of your new companions.

"I didn't like your songs," said Puki in a deadpan tone while she munched on her snack.

Puki was such a loner, maybe you felt sorry for her, but it was rather rude of her to just say that!
>You ask Puki if she'd like to pick the next song instead.
>You ask Puki to be nicer for at least Bubu's sake.
>You tell Puki that she didn't have to stay with the group if she didn't want to.
>You remain quiet.
>Write-In.

>>5973290
>>You ask Puki if she'd like to pick the next song instead

>>5973290
>>You remain quiet.

>>5973290
>You ask Puki if she'd like to pick the next song instead.

>>5973290
>>You ask Puki if she'd like to pick the next song instead

Voting closed, writing and drawing.

File: lq045.jpg (49 KB, 433x614)

49 KB JPG

You asked Puki if she would like to pick songs when you start marching again. Your new companions thought it was a fun idea despite Puki's own protest.

"Hnn? But why, everybody loves to sing~" Tina said.

"Yea but not everybody likes each other's singing," Puki said.

"That's not true, all singing is beautiful! It's the gift that Lala Baba and Happy Pappy gave to Us!"

When We were guests of the Great Turtle, We felt lost, sad, and scared despite Our Host's kindness. Our Little Ones would not stop crying so the Great Turtle told Us to weaver hammocks for them to swing in. To do so We had to cut down Our Host's trees, but We were so slow doing it as We were still new to living in this new world. So Happy Pappy told Us to follow his lead, and with every strike with his axe, he yelled: "Ha! Pi!". So We all yelled the same in unison to remind Ourselves that We were not alone. Even when We had Our hammocks made for Our Little Ones, they would not stop crying, so Lala Baba began singing to them so that they would finally feel safe.

Puki eventually gave in and agreed to sing, but she made everybody promise to not hate her for the song she wanted to sing. You all packed your belongings and began marching off as the Sun lowered and the day cooled. Puki asked for the drum Bubu was holding onto and put it by her hip.

"Try to keep up," Puki said with a mischevious grin. She struck the drumsticks together three times while counting.

"I DON'T WANT TO SHARE A HAMMOCK I JUST WANT TO SLEEP ALONE!
I DON'T WANT TO EAT TOGETHER I JUST WANT TO EAT ALONE!
I DON'T WANT TO SING ALONG I JUST WANT TO SING ALONE!
I DON'T WANT TO COPY STORIES I JUST WANT TO READ ALONE!
I DON'T WANT TO PLAY WITH FRIENDS I JUST WANT TO WALK ALONE!"

Puki banged the drum so fast that you had trouble keeping up with your lyre. You were so focused that you didn't even pay attention to how everybody else was playing. It was so intense not long after marching, you all stood in place just trying to play music to Puki's screaming. In the end, everybody but Bubu was panting, catching their breath from this session of music-making. Bubu just stood off to the side, with his dumb expression.

Before anybody could share their opinion as they were still trying to catch their breath, you managed to bring your voice out.
>"Puki... do you still want to come with us?"
>"Puki... I feel the same sometimes..."
>"That song... was so cool!"
>Hug Puki despite her lyrics of wanting to be alone.
>Write-In.

>>5975654
>>"Puki... do you still want to come with us?"

>>5975654
>"Puki... do you still want to come with us?"
Did Puki sing in a growl?

>>5975654
>>"Puki... do you still want to come with us?"

>>5975654
>>"Puki... do you still want to come with us?"

>>5975654
>"Puki... do you still want to come with us?"

>>5975654
>"Puki... do you still want to come with us?"
Be sure to reminder that we love having her around, regardless of what her answer is. I think she feels unwelcome for some reason, on top of the snarky comments from the trio of chicks that joined us.

Is this thread archived?