Let's attempt this resurrection with the help of Kazami Yuuka. She must know a thing or two about that, having been in both the PC98 run and the Windows revival, and even Seihou project as well! Like many Touhou characters, especially early ones, she's quite a vague figure, so there are many ways to interpret her, many ways to write her, many roles to give her in a story. But what you think about her in-game appearances? What do you think about her portrayal in fanworks? Do you have any ideas yourself?
Also, an organisational question: should characters be selected randomly, or should I just pick them myself?

>>18277
Most powerful youkai have strong characterizations, but Yuuka is left pretty vague. That means when I have a spot in a story than needs a generic powerful youkai that won't bring in lots of unwanted baggage, I tend to reach for Yuuka to fill that role.

>>18277
Yuuka is a nice, pleasant character. Not one of my favourites, but good to think about every once in a while. In the omikuji book, ZUN said that she's basically a guest character from the old works, that probably helps.
She fits the archetype of an old and powerful youkai, but not in a pompous way. She's a somewhat typical cheerful and carefree bully, there might even be something innocent to her threats, though not childish. Violence, destruction, it's all a bit of light-hearted fun for her, isn't it? Might also be an expression of her love for solitude, but I don't think it's as hateful as it seems. Hopefully she will continue to spend this eternity joyfully alone.
I also like her appearance, there's something light and cheery but calm and subdued about it. Also, remarkably for Touhou, she more or less feels like a real girl, visually speaking. It must be the hairstyle change — commonplace in real life, but kind of rare in fiction, unless it's a plot device. Her sleeping outfit is a bit whimsical, but otherwise, she's quite believable. She even reuses clothes in different outfits! Her vest and tie seem to be the same in Seihou and th9. It's great.
>>18280
Handy, isn't it, early Touhou vagueness. I feel like many fanworks use her that way, actually.

>>18277
I like when Yuuka has a mellow attitude. Despite her sadism she's a person who enjoys living a quiet lief away from trouble and even if she doesn't have any affinity for humans, she won't go out of her way to bother them.
Even if she is teases the people she runs across, she's careful about it and doesn't start trouble. I imagine she has a very ethereal beauty to her, with her being a person who enjoys the little things in life and long quiet days.

>>18277
Yuuka probably one the only Touhou characters I can think of that most depictions of her just kind of work. Like she can be full on sadistic monster, to not really well understood nice lady and anything between; and it really doesn't feel like a wrong version of her character.

There's can be a bit of fun when she shows up in some fan work, since you're not really sure how she'll be portrayed for a least a little bit.

>>18277
I think Yuuka's lack of appearances has actually helped her longevity in the fandom. She's remained pleasantly undisturbed, so people are free to approach her however they want. Want to pull in the way she acted in PC-98? Sure, go ahead. She's still plenty belligerent in PoFV. Want to make her more misunderstood and nicer? That's fine, just say that she was teasing specific characters, or that it was a strange day because of all the blooming flowers. Anything goes with her and none of it really feels wrong since there's little to work off of.
I'm a big fan of writing her as a character who's metaphorically in retirement. She's happy to just chill out and do whatever she wants, from strolling the Garden of the Sun to visiting the flower shop in the human village whenever she wants, regardless of what anything thinks. She's got a lot of patience and you'd have to actively work at it for a while to break it, but if you do, you're not going to like what you find.
There's no real call for this anywhere in canon except perhaps the fact that she refuses to properly fight the protagonist in LLS until she's gotten dressed, but I really like to see focus on her elegance. Especially when you then juxtapose it to when she loses her temper and gets into the violence.
I do like when she isn't outwardly threatening, or at least when it seems like it's unintentional. Making certain actions of her feel subtly threatening is a lot more fun to me.
P.S I get to ramble about flowers whenever I write her, and I love doing that.
P.P.S For me it's the green eyes and the hair over the eye. I love all her outfits equally.
P.P.P.S I really love her name. It seems to flow off the tongue great. Ka-za-mi Yuu-ka. It's just the right amount of hard and soft syllables.

>>18289
>P.P.P.S I really love her name. It seems to flow off the tongue great. Ka-za-mi Yuu-ka. It's just the right amount of hard and soft syllables.
Oh yeah! Flows well. I love cases when 風 is read as kaza as well. Just feels good phonetically! Is it fitting for her? I dunno, it's quite a simple, grounded name, actually, even if the spelling of the given name is a bit unusual. Is that Yuuka-like?

Something I feel that's worth mentioning with Kazami Yuuka specifically is that I saw a pixiv post that compared five different common depictions of her, translated now here on danbooru: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/9053765?q=parent%3A9053765

And it really does attest to Yuuka's versatility that there's five measurably different styles of depictions she gets, even if they overlap at times.

I have something I like to call the Waluigi theory, where franchises actually thrive when there's a little bit of something vague enough to allow just about anything to fill it's place, something for fanworks to thrive in. Of course Touhou in general has always been S-tier in interpretation potential, but Kazami Yuuka does stand out as a particularly vague one.

>>18277
>Also, an organisational question: should characters be selected randomly, or should I just pick them myself?
Actually, wild thought; would it be worth pre-selecting say a trio each week (random or pre-picked), and then having the readers vote for one of them? It might be a good way to encourage people to keep engaged with the thread.

>>18296
Oh, neat analysis in the pictures, with different flavours of portraying an refined and powerful character. Though I don't think I've seen the "genuine shoujo type" anywhere, it feels a little off... The "gap moe tender type" is the closest to my own perception, as I usually gravitate towards more light-hearted tones, though I see her as more youthful and a little more energetic.

>Actually, wild thought; would it be worth pre-selecting say a trio each week (random or pre-picked), and then having the readers vote for one of them? It might be a good way to encourage people to keep engaged with the thread.
Hm! I don't mind, it would be a little exciting, though I feel like winning the vote should result in something more than just being the week's subject of discussion... But maybe it's enough.

>>18296

This is the main reason I enjoyed Yuuka's arc in Touhou Mystia's Izakaya. They choose to go with a gentle, cute-as-a-button Yuuka, yet her punishment spellcard for fucking up her order is just blasting the dinning area clean in half and then walking out, as calm as you please. Most punishment spellcards are some small, trivial thing you can work around, but Yuuka demands a level of respect not seen with any of the other customers. It really highlights the duality of her nature, and of nature in general, so well.

>>>>18321

Is that really what she does? Man, I gotta get around to playing the DLC sometime, that's awesome.

>>18307
Yeah, genuine shojo seems a bit rare. I tend to like silent appreciator and gap more. The only one I'd have to say I dislike is the final boss type.
Power wanking characters to be even stronger or all powerful or whatever just isn't appealing to me.
The same artist did patchouli as well which seems pretty neat, although that wasn't upload to dambooru. Really I feel like there are so many flavors of each character to play around with.

>>18321
Is it framed as comedic or more scary-like? Or is it just mundane?

>>18325
I found a clip of it. https://youtu.be/s615ej7XcWM?si=v5glGFbsNF7wq8OB&t=144
She really just chooses violence and cuts your customer possibilities in half. That's amazing.

>>18329
>Dislikes: Filling, Japanese, salty, hot
>Japanese
Lol, lmao even. You serve her Japanese food one time and they kill half your guests and wrecks half of your Izakaya.
I wonder if she enjoys Greek?

>>18336
>Dislikes: Filling, Japanese, salty, hot
>not spicy
ez

>>18329
Oh, that's pretty funny. I don't really know that game well, but it seems not even like demanding respect per se, like >>18321 said, but just something she thinks is natural to do in such a situation. Something about whimsical blue-and-orange youkai morality, a result of their power and longevity... It's cute, actually. I have to admit that it's cute.

>>18296
The big one for me is the Elegant Appreciator type. I love it when she's classy. Stuff like the Final Boss type and the Sadistic type really don't do much for me. It's just too obvious and it feels like it reduces her potential as a character. If you have that version in a story, there doesn't seem to be much different you can do or show off with her personality.
>>18324
>Patchouli
Damn, my anemic magician looks like THIS!??

>>18324
>The same artist did patchouli as well which seems pretty neat, although that wasn't upload to dambooru.
Actually, the Patchouli ones are on Danbooru as well, as well as ones for Yukari and Sakuya. It's just that the ones for Yuuka are the only ones that have been translated yet. They're collected in this pool: https://danbooru.donmai.us/pools/25196

>>18343
True, but the Patchouli and Sakuya ones were uploaded 19 hours ago, so they weren't on there when that post was made.

Aside from that, what made so many artists draw Yuuka with pantyhose? Was it just one of those things were people just felt like it fit? You see the same with Colorswapped Yuuka Raiko too.

>>18344
Something about serious reserved girls wearing tights, probably. When it comes to anime characters, more reserved and mature or ladylike girls are often drawn wearing tights, especially with uniforms. It's not a universal rule, but you see it often enough for it to become noticeable as a tendency. She is also drawn that way in the background of Hopeless Masquerade, and also in the Kasen manga, I believe. Though that's a symptom rather than the cause.
I have to say I don't really like it! It's a cute look, but not very cohesive. Her outfit has a breezy summery feeling that black tights don't fit very well into.

>>18345
I can't say I've paid too much attention to leggings in general unless it's directly emphasised, but now that you've pointed it out, I think I prefer legging-less, too. It's a bit of a colour clash from the rest of her palette, which is quite vibrant.

While we're discussing her personality type, what sort of relationship do you like her to have with the fairies and characters like Wriggle? Not like they interact in canon, of course, but I've seen everything from "loving mom type" to "scary lady who really means no harm despite everyone hating her" to "oh look, free targets".

To continue >>18345... I want to elaborate a bit on Yuuka's th9 clothes, I like them a lot. The trousers are good too, but I prefer A-line skirts above all.
Even though I hate the combination of a red skirt and vest with a yellow necktie on Reimu, Yuuka, whose outfit is superficially similar and has the same colours, doesn't have the same problem to me. Obviously, the difference in clothing items plays a part too, but the warm and sunny feel the colour combination has is much more fitting for the sunflower-themed girl. Her bright green hair also balances out the warm tones, being somewhat cooler, so it doesn't become unpleasant. It's like a cold wind on a hot day — though maybe I'm just making the comparison because such a wind is blowing in my face right now... The tartan print that the reds come with is quite stylish, too. It's what adds that summer feeling, it's almost like a country lolita outfit, but not exactly, as it's more casual. And those decorative buttons, even though they're often overlooked, really elevate her charm and fit her theme and interests very well.
Also, to continue >>18281, sorry, I just love the way ZUN dresses her: notice how it's mainly her shirts that change every time. Her shirt is noticeably different in every appearance, and that really is how people normally dress in real life! For example, with men's suits and the like, the shirts are more or less expendable, and it's the jacket and the trousers that are made to last, and while I don't think Yuuka necessarily views her shirts like that, as they would have been more plain then, she changes them much more easily. Her vest and trousers between th4 and th5 look more like the same garments -— I like to imagine that the minor differences were her additions, it wouldn't be that unusual for her to make and adjust her own clothes. Her vest had yellow embroidery in th4, but it disappeared in th5, by the way. It's a little funny, it's as if she didn't like it and ended up pulling it out.
Those clothing details are mainly what makes me see her as more youthful. Her fashion sense doesn't read as elegant or ladylike, if taken at face value. It's bright, comfortable and casual, maybe even with a slight pastoral feel. It may even be made to be easily washable if she actually does gardening dressed like that. I think she does, maybe not in the skirt (I don't think it would have had the decorative buttons in that case), but in the trousers, for sure.

To transition into replying
>>18346
>what sort of relationship do you like her to have with the fairies and characters like Wriggle? Not like they interact in canon, of course, but I've seen everything from "loving mom type" to "scary lady who really means no harm despite everyone hating her" to "oh look, free targets".
Basically, because of this casual feel I get from her, she's just a cheerful gardening enthusiast to me. I don't think she's a threat to the fairies as long as they don't mess with her work. I guess they'd treat her like you would your neighbours, who let you play in their yard as long as you don't break anything. And because even things like dying aren't a big deal to fairies, I don't think they'd be that scared.
Wriggle might have some sort of peace treaty with Yuuka. Like, the flowers get to be pest-free, and the bugs get to live, something like that. Maybe they could have been rivals in the past, haha. Not in a serious way.

>>18347
>Wriggle might have some sort of peace treaty with Yuuka. Like, the flowers get to be pest-free, and the bugs get to live, something like that.
It's important to remember that, while some insects are pests to plants, many plants are also dependent on insect pollinators to reproduce and survive as a species. Therefore, I don't think their relationship necessarily has to be an antagonistic one.

>>18348
True! But the pests, and stuff... It's at least somewhat rocky, I think

I imagine a deal like “keep the good bugs in and the bad bugs out of the garden of the sun, and I won’t harm any of them” would be a worthy trade.

I've been thinking about the proposal of having everyone vote for a character out of a pre-selected trio. It's worth a try, at least as an experiment! Through the weekend, we can vote for the next discussion subject. So, let's say, to keep it fresh and balanced...
[X] Komano Aunn
[X] Mystia Lorelei
[X] Shinki
Pick whichever you want to hear everyone talk about next week! I'll collect the votes by the end of sunday.

Also, to make it a little more exciting... If a week's discussion goes well and people share something evocative or fun, I will do a little doodle of the discussion subject. Many of the girls enjoy posing for art as well, so let's entertain it.

>>18367
[X] Komano Aunn

>>18367
[X] Mystia Lorelei

birb

>>18367

[x] Shinki

Verified MILF

>>18367
[X] Shinki
If you ask me. We haven't had any oldwork characters, so why not?

[x] Shinki

[X] Aunn

[X] Mystia Lorelei

As much as I love Aunn, Mystia's someone a close friend loves, so I'm pickin' her.

>>18376
Altruistic

Well, that worked out. The vote ends now, then. Thank you for engaging! It seems that Shinki won, though by a small margin. She's a good choice, there haven't been any old work-exclusive characters up for discussion yet, actually.
Early Touhou, especially in the 90s, had a lot of freedom for interpretation. Shinki is a popular and beloved character, but due to that vague quality, fans end up seeing her in starkly different ways a lot of the time. What's she like to you? What do you think Makai, the world of her creation is like, and why could she have created it? A lot of fan works pair her up with Alice as a mother-daughter duo, but what do you think their relationship is really like? (And what's the deal with Byakuren? You must have seen the spellcards!)

>>18379
PC-98, didn't read.

Shinki and her lot in Makai seem to be Abrahamic demons, what with them being literally called demons, and Shinki having the characteristic 6 wings of a seraphim, implying she may be a fallen one. Seraphim are the highest order of angel, which explains her great power - I don't recall a single Ars Goetia demon capable of creating their own realms, and God knows how many legions of demons must reside in Makai! (Although they all seem to be cute girls in fashionable dresses... They do say that devils are charmers!)

Seraphim are said to surround the throne of God, singing constant praise to Him. would this mean that Shinki, as a fallen seraphim, has a perfect singing voice? maybe she could hold a concert in Makai. I bet she could do some gnarly scream vocals!

I will say, when interpreting demons, I'm more fond of the brutal and unrelenting evil of the old mesopotamian gods. having them be just another species of earthly youkai - some good, some bad - is disappointing. how would one fit that onto Shinki, though?... I haven't seen any interpretation of her character as such - I suppose it wouldn't fit.

>>18383
My initial assumption was that, just like how Japanese myths, religions in general, and Shintoism aren't 1:1 with Touhou, neither are western ones. Shinki just has traits that got conflated with biblical stuff, like how Makai is called Makai despite not being an after life and not having much to do with the east of Buddhism.
Lucifer/Amano-Kagaseo-no-Mikoto is referenced in Strange and Bright Nature deity as a god/the planet venus so I assume he(but lets be real she, this is Touhou after all) got conflated with Shinki somewhere along the way.
Although I wouldn't be surprised if he and Shinki were former co-workers.

>>18383
They're not so much "Abrahamic" as "occult", which I think is an important distinction to make. Shinki doesn't seem to have any visible role in relation to a superior deity, nor any stake in the fates or souls of anyone outside her own realm. And "demon" is an approximate translation; 魔物 has no particular Abrahamic connotations. Really, somewhat unavoidably, it points first of all towards Buddhist "demons" like oni and whatnot, or simply towards subjects of sorcery and witchcraft, and generalises outwards from there to Western occultism. But not towards wider Abrahamic mythology, because the term used to translate conventional demons and devils of that kind is 悪魔.

So, really, she's more like pic related; a creator entity whose job is (more or less) to bullshit up a material world and keep her creations contained within that world. A little bit like a warden, which is possibly vaguely in fitting with the role of Makai in UFO. And neither good nor evil, except "evil" in the Gnostic sense of not fully measuring up to the standard of a purported "true God", whether such a thing happens to exist or not.

>>18386
True. It is an important distiction! Makai people aren't even "demons" per se — I feel like 魔物, in that context, meant "magical non-human" more than anything. It's interesting how much translations and different connotations can dictate our perceptions.
Though, if you ask me, Shinki being a demiurge-"god" rather than a deity-"god" is more or less intuitive, judging by what she says. Though it's also the way she talks and carries herself. Both her music themes are quite pompous, and she looks quite regal for the most part, but doesn't act that way at all. I feel like that's exemplified by her goofy-ass ponytail. It really doesn't fit her style of dress at all, I really get the impression that she's someone that's... Not even trying to project an image, but someone who stumbles into that image almost by accident, and sees no harm in playing it up from time to time, but doesn't fully commit to it. A proper God would probably either commit to it or do away with it entirely, but a demiurge can afford to be more carefree, I think.

By the way, it's actually why I like connecting her to Alice, even if it doesn't have much basis in the explicit text. Alice is a dollmaker, and so is Shinki, if you think about it. Just on a bigger scale. They're girls who play with shapes. (I don't think she's anything like a mother, though. She strikes me as too careless for that role.)

>>18387
Shinki does give off that feeling, especially with her gullibility. Local woman stumbles into being a god and has no idea how to handle herself, but is nonetheless worshiped by her many adoring creations.
And of course despite those creations liking her, it's not like she has any actual power over them so they just do what they want and go on vacations in other words and cause chaos.

>>18388
I don't think Makai was an accidental creation, though I guess it's not necessarily what you meant here. It's not even that she's confused, I get the impression that she's just having fun at a leisurely pace rather than pursuing goals or caring about power, haha.
By the way, check out this fanart of little Shinki. It's really, really old. https://web.archive.org/web/20060225235019/http://cinki.net:80/chibi.jpg Anyway, she's not a kid character, but she has that whimsical quality, a little bit.

On "gullibility" and that "impostor-god" idea of >>18387 >>18388 - that comes down to approach to PC-98 in general. Thing is, 2-5 games are a farce. Moe farce. Everyone in those games behaves silly, in a hypertrophied moe way, and could be called "gullible". And farce inherently defies internal consistency and ordering into a possible/believable fictional universe. Therefore, if one isn't content with absurdity, one is forced to stray from canon events and somehow "filter" them into something more serious to construct a fictional universe from.
So, applying that approach of mine to Shinki - even if she behaves silly "in absolute terms", she is more serious than anyone else in MS, so by my approach she "should be" serious in my "reconstructed" setting. I suppose it's also possible to interpret her as an impostor-god while taking more serious tone, I just don't like that and don't care about that. That does not mean she must be pompous or something though, she well can look whimsical and not quite regal by human standards. After all, she's a god, she doesn't need to maintain legitimacy of her rule like human powerful, isn't she?
Speaking of divinity:
>a demiurge-"god" rather than a deity-"god"
I do not quite understand what is this supposed to mean in your >>18387 case. In general, though, "demiurge" inherently implies existence of "true" absolute god, which is just, no. Monotheistic worldview is repulsive for me, and attempts to drag Christianity into Touhou are, honestly, especially disgusting. Nothing in Shinki or Makai even really hints at that? Anyway, I like to imagine Makai as alien dimension, wholly separate from our "real" Outside world - while all the other realms of Touhou are derived from Earth and humanity in different ways, Makai is one of manifold other worlds out there, one that had some contact with our world. That bit about Makai from Windows - that Makai has poisonous atmosphere and matter is sentient here (including Byakuren's scroll) ties in nicely here. Therefore, Makai residents are beyond any categories of beings of this world - youkai, god, demon, whatever - and Shinki is "god" only as an epithet, as somebody powerful and revered, unalike to heavenly or earthly gods (well, the word "god" is a very problematic and vague one, isn't it?). Why they have human shapes? Who knows? Memory of past contacts? Curiosity from new ones? A bit of a sampling bias in MS? Deep underlying metaphysical reasons? Illusion created by minds of protagonists unable to perceive their true forms? All of the above?

>>18390
>that "impostor-god" idea
That's not really what I meant? It might be what >>18388 meant, but I said "stumbles into that image almost by accident" to convey that the classic "godly" image others might have of her stems from expectations which come with her status as the creator rather than any real personal quality she might have. I don't percieve her as an impostor, that's too convoluted for my taste.
>I do not quite understand what is this supposed to mean in your case. In general, though, "demiurge" inherently implies existence of "true" absolute god
Uuuuh, I don't think it implies that. I was talking about fantasy character archetypes more than anything, because I don't like dragging abrahamic monotheism into Touhou either. She's just a creator-of-everything rather than a real deity.
>Shinki is "god" only as an epithet, as somebody powerful and revered, unalike to heavenly or earthly gods
Something like that, actually. I do generally have the same view of Makai, I just prefer taking it in a sillier (and maybe a little surreal) direction. Moe-farce, as you have said. That's a good way to describe it, lol. It's not the only way to view the games, and not even the most interesting one, but it's always been pretty intuitive for me, based on the raw source material anyway. You have asked some interesting questions, though! A completely alien world is quite evocative.

>>18390
>>18391

Ya know...both Alice and Shinki do have a unique kind of 'un-earthly' tone to a lot of their various interactions. The idea that Makai is based on the common sense of completely alien worlds definitely has some merit.

It also takes the idea of the air in Makai being poisonous in a more ontological direction, rather than biological, which is super interesting.

>>18393
Ontological posion, huh... I wonder what that's like. It's almost borgesian, which I think is a good fit for Makai.

Alright, since the week is almost up, let's vote for the next discussion subject again. I think we should give the two from last week another chance. There seemed to be interest, and they're nice girls, after all. So, this time, let's choose between the remaining two. The votes from last week carry over — though there was an equal amount either way.
[X] Komano Aunn
[X] Mystia Lorelei

Cycling through groups of three in voted order like that is still an experimental idea, so if you think going with a more traditional three-character vote is better, or have a different idea for picking subjects entirely, I'm open to suggestions.

[X] Mystia Lorelei

[X] Mystia Lorelei
cool girl

[X] Komano Aunn

[X] Mystia Lorelei

[X] Mystia Lorelei

Voting closed, thank you for participating again.
It seems that Mystia Lorelei ended up being this week's choice. She's been running a pretty popular restaurant lately, right? Is that place any good? Hey, is she still doing music? That punk band she was in was pretty out there, but her voice is quite strong, it would be a waste not to continue singing. Anyway, what does everybody think of her?

Before the hot and heavy meta discussion takes off, I just wanted to say Mystia is, without a doubt, the cutest of the birbs.

Thank you.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled discussion.

I actually have a lot of attachment to Mystia. She's far from my favourite character, but, in retrospect, she's always expemplified Touhou to me. Whenever I think of classic Touhou, I think of her. It's probably because she was one of the first Touhou girls I ever saw, back in around 2011. Watching random videos, I stumbled upon one of those silly Touhou animations. The girls in it really amazed me, they were so fantastical, like nothing I had ever seen before. Mystia was the most striking, and really made an impression on me. Even in the animation's simplified style, she was quite decorated, and still felt cohesive despite not having any observable theme. I couldn't recognise her wings as any fantasy creature's or real bird's, I didn't get why she had those strange ears, nor why her hat was so unusual, and why she even wore one, and why it had those wings too, those wings I could not recognise. But even though it was all so strange, it still fit together. She wasn't an eyesore, she actually looked really good, and I didn't even like pink or brown. It was really fascinating to see someone like her, a Touhou girl, for the first time. I didn't immediately become interested in the series, I don't even think it occurred to me to do any research on it, but the image really stuck with me.

Now, nearly fifteen years later, I totally get that feeling I had. Mystia really does have a wonderful design. It doesn't feel stereotypical for a bird character, or a musician character, or anything else she is, which makes it feel very fresh. The colours are also great — not even because they're particularly beautiful by themselves, but because they're very well-balanced. I love how she almost has a sense of volume and texture with the detailing of her dress. There's a lot of fanart out there that accentuates it. I imagine these decorations are quite coarse to the touch, coarse in a way that feels durable. It looks like a very well-made dress. Her long painted nails and earrings are very nice additions too. You don't actually see a lot of nails, earrings or makeup on anime girls, so it's always a treat when it's there. Of course, I love her ears too, their placing has a pleasant sense of attention to detail. Basically, she's great, ZUN truly struck gold with her. It might even be his best design, at least in my opinion.
Of course, having been a Touhou fan for a while now, I know much more about her, and she doesn't entice me as much. I know that she's a cunning little go-getter, a surprisingly good cook and even a part-time guitarist. It's alright, she's a good character with a lot of potential for fun slice-of-life plots. The sense of mystique is just gone now. But she still means a lot, she's THE Touhou girl to me. That impression from my childhood still remains.

Also, I really like her "surname", Lorelei, because it reminds me of the song Lorelei by Madame Edwarda. It might even be a good fit for her. The style doesn't fit Choujuu Gigaku at all — it's not slow, but quite melancholic, and I doubt that Kyouko would even attempt to get poetic — but who knows... Maybe Mystia gets to front sometimes, and her songs might have a more ethereal feel. Deceptively ethereal.

Mystia's character arc reflects the change in Gensokyo over the course of the series - going from just another man-eating youkai to a succesful business owner and musician. We've similarly seen a change in Gensokyo over the years, with less and less references to killing and eating humans and some characters vehemently opposing that youkai kill people. (I'm remembering a scene where Suika is talking to some humans and she says something to this effect, but the exact name of it escapes me...)

This post >>18012 in the irregular discussions thread found that the first reference to a food cart was Tewi's versus dialogue in PoFV. That Tewi was the inspiration for Mystia's cart, which is nowadays inseperable from her character, makes it quite strange that now neither character really has any link or relationship to one another, canon or fanon (at least that I know...)

What kinda lyrics do you think Choujuu Gigaku would have in their songs? They're a rebellious punk band, so an anti-establishment tone is to be expected, but with Gensokyo being the (pseudo)paradise that it is its difficult to come up with anything they'd want to scream and thrash at that isn't sort of shallow. maybe thats the point? Maybe like >>18425 says, the songs fronted by Kyouko are simple, while Mystia are more poetic.

>>18427
>What kinda lyrics do you think Choujuu Gigaku would have in their songs?

The SoPM article about Choujuu Gigaku suggests that Kyouko's rebellious lyrics relate to her frustration with her strict training at Myouren Temple. It's not really made clear whether Mystia also writes lyrics for the band, since only Kyouko is interviewed (the illustration shows Kyouko singing and Mystia playing guitar).

>>18427
>What kinda lyrics do you think Choujuu Gigaku would have in their songs?
Because of Aya's description from the SoPM article,
>From my investigation, what they call a "concert" is just a performance of explosive sounds and screaming about whatever annoys them.
I've always imagined something like London's Burning by The Clash, but worse and done a million times over.

>>18427
>That Tewi was the inspiration for Mystia's cart, which is nowadays inseperable from her character, makes it quite strange that now neither character really has any link or relationship to one another, canon or fanon (at least that I know...)
I know, it's a very odd and random thing in universe. It feels sort of like how Chen is a loan Shark in Mystia's Izakaya. Both are so far removed from the default perception of the characters that it comes off as weird.
For song lyrics, you of course of Kyouko's rebellious singing about life in the temple, I like to also image there's song about conflict between human and Youkai, since there are some anti-establishment types like Aya who want more conflict. I don't doubt there's also songs that are just total messes, pure slop with no direction but which people come to see anyway.
I like to imagine they've also tried different genres of music, even if it's not the punk rock stuff they became famous for. Maybe more traditional rock(?)

>>18428 >>18429
Thanks for the info. As expected, the most the innocent Kyouko can come up with is 'fuck you mom and also society' style lyrics... But what lyrics might you imagine Mystia coming up with? She's clearly much less sheltered, if not more mature. maybe a funny one that seems to be just about innocently cooking for a series of customers at her cart, but if you pay attention she's killing each succesive customer and serving them to the next? Maybe one about her killing and eating people back before she had her cart, sending them blind and mad with her song? Maybe one insulting the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, which they don't play anymore ever since the incident where they played it too loud near the shrine and awoke that selfsame beast?

As an aside, what do people think about Mystia's inclusion in team 9 (Pairing Mystia with Cirno, Daiyousei, Rumia, Wriggle, and other weaker early stage characters)? It doesn't make much sense to me outside of gag manga where nothing's very serious. The characters don't really have much in common other than being early stage bosses. I can understand wriggle since they both live in the same place, and Rumia might be a funny pairing, maybe as a particularly annoying customer... But Cirno? Mystia's a grown woman with a business, and you've got her skulking around with mentally stunted Jill Frost. she sticks out like a sore thumb. Even before Mystia set up her cart, her and Cirno don't seem to have ever met, so thats no excuse either. (I'm referring to the versus scripts for PoFV again, https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Phantasmagoria_of_Flower_View/Story/Mystia%27s_Scenario and https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Phantasmagoria_of_Flower_View/Story/Mystia%27s_Script)

>>18430
I haven't played Mystia's Izakaya, but Chen being a loanshark makes some sense. She's probably been put up to it by Ran or Yukari to get her some experience. Harden the heart of the child against sympathy. She's working at the top rungs of politics, after all. I think I t would be a nice excuse to break Tewi out if you have a Mystia plot, she doesn't really get much attention otherwise.

as for what other genres they might try out... Maybe shoegaze? In terms of physical performance, you expect a lot of movement and energy from singers in rock and punk perfomances, so maybe the contrast of a still shoegaze performance could be good? Maybe some crazy fusion music with the other Gensokyo bands, like the Prismrivers or the Tsukomos. Maybe they could reign in Choujuu Gigaku enough for some symphonic metal!

>>18431
Mystia's inclusion in the Team 9 group was mainly because, around the time IN was first released, she was seen as a rather weak and unimportant character, who was not involved with the greater plot of the game and even seemingly got eaten by Yuyuko in one ending.

I could've sworn there's also a manga panel that shows at least several of the Team 9 members talking with each other at a shrine festival or something like that, but I cannot find it right now. I believe it was in one of the Sangetsusei manga.

>>18431
>As an aside, what do people think about Mystia's inclusion in team 9 (Pairing Mystia with Cirno, Daiyousei, Rumia, Wriggle, and other weaker early stage characters)?
I kind of hate it. Though I strongly dislike the idea of "Team 9" by itself, because it feels disrespectful to the characters to reduce them to "silly kid" type gag fodder, especially when they're not even children, like Wriggle or Mystia. It's not even whether they've interacted in the source material or not, it's just a waste of potential.
>as for what other genres they might try out... Maybe shoegaze?
It sounds a little funny to say, but is sort of on point. Choujuu Gigaku don't seem to be a serious band, they're more like a bunch of youths with access to music equpment and a fair bit of spare time, so anything garagey and grungey would be a good fit. Shoegaze is sort of like that, it often has a handmade feel, from what I know.

>>18431
Not to provide too much spoiler, but it becomes clear during the game that Chen is acting under Yukari's instructions, she's not loansharking on her own initiative. Tewi has a separate role in the game, as an extortionist who causes problems for the izakaya if not paid off.

I think it makes sense for Mystia to hang around with the other small fry youkai. It's not like the movers and shakers of Gensokyo would pay her much mind except as a late-night snack. She exists as a character to populate low-power stories.

>>18431
The Chen thing was before the Ran was revealed to be ex-Yakuza, so it was more unexplainable then. Even the idea of Yukari being the one to head the loan sharks as the leader of the Yakumo corp (or whatever their called) feels a bit out of character for her, but I digress.
When talking about having her appear as friends or alongside the other characters, I don't think team 9 is a good idea for a serious story. Honestly the entire team 9 doesn't really make sense, I can see Cirno Daiyousei (who isn't a character), and Rumia being friends since they're all young and child-like. But Wriggle and Mystia always came across as older to me, including with with the likes of actual children seems a bit silly and to just water down what personality they have.
I've always thought the Grassroots Network were better as Mystia and Wriggle's friends anyways, they're also weak-ish, friendly-ish, and I can see them interacting pretty easily. They're really just suprior in every way to team nine, and even if you don't want to use them you still have Kogasa, the Prismriver Sisters, and the Tsukumo sisters.

Tbh, I've noticed that a lot of fanworks ignore Mystia's opportunistic and scheming qualities. I mean, she's no mastermind, but, like, she makes people go blind and then essentially makes them pay for curing that blindness, that's crafty. Almost makes you imagine what kind of dishonest but petty moneymaking schemes other youkai come up with. (though maybe it comes up often and i just haven't seen it)

>>18442

Oh for sure, opportunities abound in Gensokyo for those willing to set morals aside.

Yamame and Eirin running a disease causing/curing racket.

Fairies selling their smelly, used undergarments to individuals of ill-repute since they re-spawn with new clothes.

Moriyas committing faith fraud by 'purifying' the very land Suwako cursed.

Rest assured; there's money to be had and suckers to be scammed wherever you look. Mystia having a night-blindness curing side hustle is probably par for the course considering killing people has fallen out of fashion in modern Gensokyo.

>>18442
Probably because people tend to view Mystia more innocently. Although I think there's a lot of potential material in her being a bad influence on Kyouko, but most people like that friendship and don't want to see it broken up. Some sort of dramatic story like that would probably involve some sort of non-touhou-esq status quo change.
Although, I don't imagine all Youkai can come up with that sort of scheme. Wriggle at least seems too honest and interested in getting people to like bugs, all of her buissness ventures fail because of that and at the same time I don't see her concocting a scenario which involves tricking people. Not because she's too moral, but because I don't think she's clever enough.

>>18444
Well, it's not, like, running an MLM, it's just a bit of dishonest business, right? Kids do that kind of thing. Like picking up fallen vegetables from delivery trucks and selling them to neighbours, or something.
Though I imagine you don't have to be a youkai to do that in Gensokyo, haha.

>>18445
True Tewi seems more like the MLM sort but Mystia still assaults people in order to coerce them to buy stuff from her.
I think that would be considered a bad influence, at least worse than the relatively harmless things he fairies get up to.

Speaking of things that fanworks overlook, her long painted nails are also one of those things. Such a shame! She's cooking with these as well. She's playing guitar with these. Can you believe it?

>>18448
That, and her having one less finger. Warning, you will not unsee this.

>>18449
That looks more like an awkward attempt at a side view to me, frankly very easy to unsee and/or not take seriously

>>18448

This should be the topic of the next writing contest. Take a little known fact, tidbit, or observation about a Touhou and just...make a really big deal about it.

>>18451
Oh man, I love that, actually, lol.

Thank you for participating again! Let's vo... Well, not really, actually... We only have one character left in the group of three we had, and it's her turn.
But, I want to say, next week, I want to see how having a group of three every time goes. Even if it won't have a huge impact.

Because it's her turn automatically, this week, the discussion subject is Komano Aunn. Komainu are actually awesome. They're fierce beasts of stone, and look beautiful and dignified, even elegant. They're great pieces of decor for a shrine, and in Reimu's case, it seems that a komainu functional as well. Aunn still has a lot to learn, but she's very dedicated to her job as a gatekeeper. Or is she? You could try sneaking past her as a test, but there's nothing to do at the shrine... Well, what do you think of this stone guardian? Is she as naive as she's often portrayed as? She's not a kid, after all.

I like her well enough, I guess, but her outfit is a pretty unusual choice for a komainu. Nice, cute and comfortable, but... It's not even green or grey. Maybe it's referencing something?
Really cool hair though.

You don't know how happy I was to learn that Aunn can actually make herself fluffy (or at least a dog). Lotus Eaters, constantly teasing us with doggo cameos, finally delivered the goods.

>>18456
That's delightful. That's so cute. I imagine she's actually hard, but the dog is kyuuute

>>18454
I like to image she's very effective at her job, but that invites jealously from other 2hus. Namely Kyouko (Who's her rival for the Myouren Temple's #1 dog), Satono, and Mai who are jealous Okina gives Aunn so much affection. I like to think she, like Reimu, can actually look very dignified, but then she opens her mouth and it's revealed she has a dog-like personality and is a bit silly. Of course, there's a difference between being a bit silly and being childlike, she's very responsible, reliable, and she isn't dumb, even if she isn't notably smart.

>>18457
Yeah, I think that's the implication since she turned into that form to ward flies away. I had already she, as well as a lot of the other animal 'hus, could do that. It's really cute, it'd be funny to see Narumi do the same since she also used to be a statue.

Aunn is one of the few characters Reimu apologizes to for beating up. This alone makes her one of the most powerful characters in the series.

>>18454
She is super cute, but that comes through better in a visual medium than pure text. I don't know that I really know how to use her properly in fanfic.

>>18455
I think her clothes are supposed to be based on Kariyushi, a kind of summer clothing associated with Okinawa, a bit similar to Hawaiian shirts.

>>18461
Yeah, I know about kariyushi and she's probably wearing one, but, like, why... seems really random for a komainu. Or is there some kind of cultural connotation that shirts like that have? Historical, perhaps? And why red? Is it, like... Unoxidized bronze, or something? They're bronze sometimes, I think.

>>18458
>Of course, there's a difference between being a bit silly and being childlike, she's very responsible, reliable, and she isn't dumb, even if she isn't notably smart.
Yeah, Aunn seems like a honest and hardworking girl. Which is very nice, I'm always happy to see that in a character. She works well in tandem with the lazy Reimu.
>It's really cute, it'd be funny to see Narumi do the same since she also used to be a statue.
Hey, hey... That's a fun idea! Would Eiki be able to do the same? I forgot if she used to be a jizou or not, though.

>>18462
Off the top of my head, there's regional variation of the Komainu, the Shisa. But I don't much about them.
>Would Eiki be able to do the same? I forgot if she used to be a jizou or not.
She did, I guess that means if she ever visit Gensokyo again her, Narumi, and Aunn can statue react to people together. Some good bonding time for the three of them.
Although I don't know why they would be bonding?

>>18462
I can see two possible reasons why, mutually exclusive:

- Despite being most associated with the Hakurei Shrine, she's noted to travel around to multiple shrines and temples at first. So it might be designed to look like travelling clothes.

- Alternatively, it was a good way to give her the same colours as Reimu - and thus associate her as a resident of hakurei shrine - without implying she's a miko or has any corresponding roles or knowledge.

>>18463
>Off the top of my head, there's regional variation of the Komainu, the Shisa. But I don't much about them.
Now I'm imagining Aunn going "shiisaa yaibiimi? shiisaa yaibiin!" at her okinawan equvalent, because Reimu (?) taught her how to say it... I think she would do that...

>>18464
>Despite being most associated with the Hakurei Shrine, she's noted to travel around to multiple shrines and temples at first. So it might be designed to look like travelling clothes.
A stereotypical western tourist's clothes for her? Interesting.

Awoo Aunn!!!

Aunn seems like a smart, hard working, type, though not one to take the spotlight. If you're writing a comedy story, Aunn could take a role not too dissimilar to Courage the Cowardly Dog - working behind the scenes to make sure Reimu and company don't fall afoul to dastardly plotting youkai! I think that could make an awesome CYOA.

Thinking of other ways to use Aunn as a main character... I must apologise that I cannot come up with anything that puts her in the forefront that isn't at least somewhat tinged with sadness.

A dog is what Aunn is, and for all their noble traits - their loyalty, their tirelessness, their intelligence - They are rather static, and are dependant on a master for purpose. What if she had to fight tirelessly with or without her master? what if she lost her master (Or less drastically, what if she was separated from her master for a long period of time)? What if she failed in her duties, even in a minor way, and had to come to terms with that?

Of course, these are just suggestions - sorry if they're a little macabre. There's a story I'm told features Aunn on the site at https://www.thp.moe/youkai/res/31590.html that leans towards melancholy.

I found a few historical lion dog stories at shrines, though they're all in Japanese:

https://www.ishikawa-jinjacho.or.jp/shrine/j0239/
https://thelocality.net/komainu/
https://kyotopi.jp/articles/SuzQd

Well, outside of those things, what do you think Aunn does as a hobby? what other people does she hang around with? How is she received by the temples, shrines and other holy institutions she guards as a volunteer? And WHERE can I get THAT OUTFIT!!!

>>18466
As a hobby? Maybe she does people watching, with two bodies spread across multiple temples she would have tons of subjects.
I like to think she has a warm welcome at the places she stays, aside from her one-sided rivals. (Tsukasa from the Moriya Shrine, Kyouko from the Myouren temple, and Satono and Mai from Okina, with no one contesting her position at the Hakurei Shrine)
Aside from the Taosists of course who have a neutral stance on her, due to the conflicts she would come into with Yoshika. On that same note I like to think she's friends with Kogasa who also hangs around the Myouren Temple's graveyard, but isn't as big of a pest like Yoshika, Orin, and Yamamae are.

Alright, week's up. For a while, let's try voting in a more standard format, with three options every time. Though... should three completely new options be presented each time, or should the selected one be replaced with everything else remaining?
For now, let's choose between:
[X] Iwanaga Ariya
[X] Mima
[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

(I probably drew the wrong kind of jizo...)

[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

Another 500 appearances to Mamizou!

I think the selected one should be replaced. I think its more relaxed that way.

By the way, love the artworks you do for the votes. Very charming!

>>18469
>I think the selected one should be replaced. I think its more relaxed that way.
Makes sense, I guess, because coming up with a new rotation that's more or less balanced every time is kind of a challenge, this way, it will be less trouble, perhaps?
>By the way, love the artworks you do for the votes. Very charming!
Thank you, I try

[X] Mima

[X] Iwanaga Ariya
It's about the best time to discuss newhus while the tail of hype wave's still there, don't you think?

[X] Iwanaga Ariya
One vote for the newest sex'hu.

[X] Iwanaga Ariya

PERSONA!!!1!1!!

Alright, thanks for voting again! Well, that was to be expected, because she's brand new, and a lastboss — Iwanaga Ariya is this week's discussion subject. She's been mentioned a while ago in Bougetsushou, I believe. Must be exciting to get a proper follow-up. Did you expect her to show up? Did you like her? Hey, say, what do you think of her appearance? It's really... unusual, right?

>>18475
I didn't expect Iwanaga to show up again, but I'm very glad she did. Ariya’s design is a good mix of sexy and cool we don't usually get from 2hus.
For the coolness I think the gold on white is a good color combination that somehow gives her a sense of authority. Asymmetrical wings, with one of the wings being a flaming ribcage is also pretty cool.
For the sexy side her dress/shirt thing is really suggestive when you think about it, especially with that rock skirt: meaning, underneath that skirt she either has a longer dress, bike shirt, underwear, or she's going no pan. All of which are incredibly sexy with her plain girl design that has short hair. I also get some light OL vibes from her, which are always nice, we don't get 2hus with a lot of those.
Anyways, despite her being the Princess of Permanence and having an ability very useful to the Lunarians she opposes them. Sure the power of Permanence is the power of rejection, but I think there's something being said narratively where the things the Lunarians end up coveting always reject them.
I can't help but feel like there's something sad about her character. Her profile and spell cards make mention of death, and the power of stagnation being the power of rejection and loneliness while she herself thinks she will always end up alone and in multiple of her endings other characters end up being that again, with Reimu feeling bad for her and wanting to visit.
So even if Ariya doesn't want to leave her shrine after the events of FW, I think it's nice Reimu and Marisa are going to visit her. Oh and Kanako as well, but she's more so visiting Yuiman.

I really like Iwanaga's design. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's definitely some 'demon lord from early 2000s deviantart' in there, but something about how restrained her actual clothing choices are gives this 'demon lord from early 2000s deviantart who really just wants you to submit your work before the deadline so they can get this deal clinched' vibe.

It also works surprisingly well with Zun's past descriptions of Iwanaga-hime as a plain-looking woman. Like, the wings are super flashy, but it's a lot of adornment atop a very plain-looking woman - even some of her magical adornment is disguised as regular clothes.

What really has me wondering is how asymmetrical it is. Like, Nue's design was asymmetrical but still balanced - her wings aren't anywhere near as lopsided as Ariya's. And even her 2hu hat - of which she is the second mask wearer after, y'know, the menreiki - has me wondering. Maybe what we're seeing is one half of a whole, and her sister (Konohana Sakuyahime) will have some of these traits reflected, like the other half-mask? This is of course assuming that whatever I've heard about Yuiman being connected to Iwanaga via her Asama identity being connected to an alt name fo Konohana doesn't preclude Iwanaga having an outright sister.

>>18477
>Maybe what we're seeing is one half of a whole, and her sister (Konohana Sakuyahime) will have some of these traits reflected, like the other half-mask?
This reminded me of something I read on /jp/ a user speculated that Kaguya was a 'clone' made of Konohana and Iwanaga, combining Ariya's 'ability to stop change to a certain degree' with a presumed 'ability to cause change to a certain degree(?)' that her sister would have. Of course that presumes that Ariya's real ability is something like, the ability to control permanence or eternity, which I don't think is unreasonable as the ambiguous wording of character abilities and some character (Namely Reisen and Luna) having ability descriptions that are fake outs for a real ability.
Anyway, the logic for Kaguya being a cross-clone is that she would have a combination of abilities the Lunarians would highly value, and is the only Lunarian who it is unclear what she is, all the other people from the moon we've seen are either rabbits, or gods.

>>18477
I think the asymmetrical design also comes from Iwanaga-hime's lore as an ugly woman. Obviously ZUN is not going to draw any of his characters actually ugly, so he's going to represent that aspect by making them non-traditional beauties. One traditional aspect of beauty is symmetrical features, so Ariya's design was given asymmetric elements to play against that.

The mask and her nature as a "handsome", prince-type woman also play into this. It seems like the main guiding principle for her design was "how can I capture the idea that Ninigi would send this woman away, while still making her pleasing to look at for the audience"? I think it worked.

>>18480
Reimu herself doesn't think Ariya is ugly and thinks Airya's story of being a princess who was hated for her appearance and thus closed off her heart is just a story people made up about her. Notably, while Reimu doesn't agree Yuyuko and Zanmu, or any of the stories about Ariya she still decides to go back to the temple in order help her meet everyone. (As a side note, Reimu's Toyohime's narration confirms that Ariya isn't helping the Lunarians anymore even if she's still living in her old shrine.)
Even ignoring Ariya, while Reimu learns a lot less about the incident compared to Marisa, she seems to glean the personalities of the new characters, particularly Yuiman and Ariya who all the other characters have a bunch of assumptions about, that Reimu and the narration cast doubt on.
I think this is very interesting, as while everyone else has all these thoughts about her as a god of death, or as somebody hated, she doesn't let any of that affect her. She seems pretty steadfast sometimes, even if she's can be careless, like when she says she won't make any moves to help Gensokyo either.

How do you think one might use the character in a work? She seems like the solitary sort. I know she's a god of permanence but maybe something about her and Yuiman leaving the shrine and seeing the new stuff in Gensokyo?

I'm not well-read up on the game, so if you dont mind me asking, whats her relationship with Yuiman? I understand they inhabit the same shrine/lunar captial facility and that Yuiman was brainwashed by the moonies. Is there anything more to that, like a real world relationship between them? I tried searching for myths surrounding the real god but came up short.

I also think its somewhat of a bitter irony that a god of permanence's symbol is a rock, something that might have seemed sturdy and unassailable to men before but which we know now are subject to constant erosion and which men have developed many ways of destroying and reshaping.

Also the trend of barefoot 'hus is good. plz ZUN more toes

>>18484
We don't have much on her yet, but I imagine Kanako would like to get to know her, especially since she seems interested in giving the Lunarians some payback. Reimu independently wants to get to know her better and introduce her to people, even of her own volition, which makes her a rare of a person Reimu likes, doesn't bad mouth, and goes out of her way to associate with. So I imagine there's a story there with Reimu trying to get Ariya out of her shell, ironically enough taking on a role more typical of Marisa.
If you want to really play into her being a chuui you could have her meet Eientei's resident Chuuni Reisen or Sumirenko and I can already imagine public planet is writing a doujin with her and Akyuu.

>>18485

>which makes her a rare of a person Reimu likes, doesn't bad mouth, and goes out of her way to associate with.

Egads! Just as Marisa collected a harem of magicians, Reimu is collecting a harem of gods! First Shion, now Iwanaga!?

>>18486
It's more like Reimu is the one in her harem.

>>18484

As far as I've heard, one of the names associated with Konohana Sakuyahime is Asama no Kami. But at the same time, she doesn't have any of the traits one would normally associate with Konohana (e.g. an explicit sisterly relationship to Ariya, or any references whatsoever to cherry blossoms).

I suspect the real connection is to Asama Shrines. These were shrines that exist around and generally relate to volcanoes in general and mt. fuji in particular - apparently, building replicas of Mt. Fuji on them is common. Perhaps the Pyramid is itself something made to be a replica of Mt. Fuji.

Because most asama shrines are dedicated to Konohana and/or Iwanaga, this'd make her somewhere between 'my miko', and 'my sister's miko', and combined with her 'god-human' status, it's enough for them to be close.

As for where she'd fit in a story... it's surprising how well-connected they both are already, honestly. Yuiman's apparently an old friend of Kanako's, and if you take Ariya as Iwanaga-hime, she's already got connections to Mokou from the original hourai elixir incident and Akyuu as a person who explicitly prays to her. And also someone who wants to tell lunarians to go fuck themselves.

I can imagine her being a good sort of long-term unchanging perspective sort of character. Like how you can see necrons in 40k watch a planet change hands and completely get reinterpreted over the centuries while the necrons themselves stay practically the same. Personally, I actually already have an idea for how to incorporate her in R/R, but it's less 'some specific thing I want her to do' and more 'something I was already planning to accomplish through other means, but now have a specific face to do it with'.

with that said, considering how standoffish and steadfast she is, I doubt that she's going to become anything like a Moriya Shrine Conspirator in terms of troublemaking. she's essentially a goddess of the status quo, at least in an abstract sense. I think I see her more as something deployed to slow a ticking clock, or something to justify specific stories and gags than anything else. Facilitating things and preventing incidents from spiralling out of control more than a mover and shaker in her own right - though I'm more than happy to be proven wrong!

>>18492
She' not exactly 'in' the Mokou story, Keine and her talk about her relation as Youkai'd Mountain's god, but Mokou didn't meet her. They do mention she left her younger sister's side due to her younger sister's bad personality.
But like a lot of other rumors surrounding her in universe, this may just be a story other people made up about Ariya.

Well, it's not like we're not allowed to be negative, so I just want to say this: I do not like her design. I actually hate it a fair bit. She has to be the first Touhou character whose appearance outright infuriates me. There have been characters I didn't like before her, like Biten or Kokoro, but at least I can muster up reasons to tolerate their clothes - Biten has her yamanba thing, which makes sense, and Kokoro passes for a cute if goofy scarecrow girl, even if I'm not sure why she would be scarecrow-themed. Ariya, however, just looks disorderly and rushed, very much like a first draft. I imagine ZUN was going for more of a high fashion look, which is actually something of a tendency in th20. That's great, it's good that he's banching out and experimenting, but this one's a total dud. The only part I like is her head - the mask is cool, I guess.
Her wings are what's immediately striking. I don't actually mind the grey one. It's cool, unique and fitting for the game, even if it could use being drawn in a more elegant shape - it looks like a torn-up rag, which I doubt was the intention. The flaming wing, however, comes out of nowhere and clashes with her whole appearance. It's gaudy, and its shape is weird too - at least it would have been passable if it was the same as the other one, but this shape just makes it look weird and bad.
Her shirt could have been cool, but a lot about it is just done badly. The yellow of the fossil bits works well with the main white of the fabric, and I like the sense of volume the fossils have, but that's about it. I don't like how haphazardly they're wrapped around her - there are too few to form a pattern, so they look aimless instead of tastefully chaotic. The ends of her sleeves also look like torn-up paper because of ZUN's lineart style, which, in turn, makes the shirt look thin and cheaply made. Like, if they were just regular sleeves without that kind of attempt at decor, it would have been fine, I wouldn't have had this much of a problem with it. But this one little detail really ruins it, and it was already kind of subpar.
The skirt is what made me the angriest. She's got her whole unchanging solid stone thing, I get it, but this thing really screws with her silhouette, it's so bulky and uneven. It comes across more like an overly thick belt rather than a skirt. It also probably feels terrible to wear - especially considering her bare legs. And I don't like her bare legs either - for how gaudy her top part is, having absolutely nothing on the legs makes the design really unbalanced. And again, it just doesn't look comfortable with the outfit, and I hate when the character's comfort is disregarded like that. Clothes aren't just some abstract thing that happens to be on the body, they're made and worn, even if it's some kind of art garment. Ariya's clothes don't feel like that. This lack of realism is really hard to bear.
I see that a lot of people think she's cool and even sexy, and sure, I get it, she has a fashionable short haircut, she's wearing a dress shirt, it gives her a strict and mature feel that's unique for Touhou, it's appealing in theory. I get that it's about the legs too - and I'm a leg man, I like a bit of leg, or even a lot of leg, but not when everything above the leg looks like this! To me, it's just as good as just attaching a pair of feminine legs to a vaguely torso-shaped splash of colours - and at this point, I'd rather cut out the middle man entirely and just look at legs in isolation. And besides, ZUN isn't even that good at drawing legs, so they're not appealing in the first place.
>>18477
>there's definitely some 'demon lord from early 2000s deviantart' in there
Very true, by the way.

I've sketched up what I think would have been a better way to go about the idea of her outfit. Her skirt is based on columnar jointing, I imagine that's what ZUN intended too. Both wings are supposed to be in the shape of regular bird wings, but a little more dramatic and stylized. The winged fossil-construct is supposed to be attached to her torso via the "ribcage", which itself is wrapped around her ribs. The "spine"/"tail" is part of that construct too. I've also added heeled boots and a fossil-themed anklet. There are also fossilized bones embroidered on her sleeves, collar and shirt fasteners, matching the anklet and the wing contraption. I don't think this is perfect, and I bet there's somehow some kind of lore inconsistency there too, but I tried, haha.

>>18484
>I also think its somewhat of a bitter irony that a god of permanence's symbol is a rock, something that might have seemed sturdy and unassailable to men before but which we know now are subject to constant erosion and which men have developed many ways of destroying and reshaping.
Oh yeah, actually. I've noticed that too. Is she really so unchanging after all? Well, being a god, she probably actually is. It must be a little tragic to see even things like stones or mountains erode over time, while you stay the same. Though, for her, it's probably comforting, or even just a natural inevitability.

>>18494
>The rocks
I didn't think of those as being part of her outfit, sure they form a skirt but I imagine them as a collection of stones that float around waist and aren't actually connected to her clothes.

Now that its been brought up, why is fire even part of her design? It seems like it'd be the exact opposite of permanence.

>>18496
Yatsugatake is supposed to be a volcano if I recall correctly. She's keeping its flame alive.

>>18496
When she left Mount Fuji for Youkai Mountain the eternal flame of mount Fuji disappeared. Looks like she took it on the way out. Its worth noting that Youkai Mountain is the original form of Yatsugatake before her sister cut it down in jealousy so it looks like she had a sense of irony there.

>>18494
As a continuation: hey, doesn't she look like a glam rocker in her original sprite, with the shirt and the gold bits? The mask sort of accentuates that, and her haircut is a bit visual kei-like. I don't know why Iwanaga-hime would be a glam rocker, but I still wish more fanart leaned into that aspect.
But maybe I'm just seeing things.

Well, that was a pretty lengthy discussion, by these threads' standards, at least! I guess people really were excited about the new game.
Anyhow, let's vote again today. Let's say...
[X] Imaizumi Kagerou
[X] Mima
[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou
>Flat
>Smells like nicotine
What's not to love.

>>18502
>What's not to love.
I agree. However
[X] Mima
I cannot vote otherwise. On account of the curse

[X] Mima
I have to rant about one PC-98 character I dislike

Aw man I missed a lot of the earlier discussions, especially Mystia's.

Anyways.

[X] Imaizumi Kagerou

>>18505
Well, if there's something you want to add, there's still the >>17770 Irregular Character Discussion Thread!

>> 18501 here, I'm going to change my vote to Mima on account of the rant and the curse. I hope both of these topics will be entertaining.

[X] Mima

and also on account of my wanting more time to get my thoughts together for Mammaries Futanari's turn

[X] Mima

She ain't ever going to come back to canon, so she might as well come here.

Alright, tie avoided, phew! Thank you, everyone.
Well, would you look at that, another old work character. A pretty famous one, and a pretty persistent one, too, many even consider her a symbol of the era. Do you? It seems that a lot of people want her to come back, but do you think she has to? And what would she even do if she did? The same old haunting stuff? Ah, what a driven girl... By the way, she looked pretty different in the first game, I wonder what's up with that...

I'm an old works fan primarily, but I don't feel that strongly about Mima. Not as much as many people seem to anyway. She's a pretty overhyped character - it's not that weird, she's in almost every game, and is pretty flamboyant, I get it, but I don't feel it. The meme of everyone waiting for her to come back also annoys me like hell, she really shouldn't... It's not about "canon" or whatever, "canon" isn't fun to care about to me. She just wouldn't be the same. It's been ages, ZUN has different sensibilities and tastes now, and even if I'm still interested in the series, I prefer the way he did it in the past. If he were to do Mima now, she simply wouldn't be Mima. A fan could try and write a what-if work that brings her back to highlight the differences between the early and the current games, but I don't think ZUN himself would be willing to do that.
I'd be delighted to hear out anyone who genuinely, unironically wants her to come back, though. People don't usually provide their reasoning when they say they do...

But anyway, despite it all, I don't actually have anything against her. In isolation from fandom culture, she's kinda fun and has a lot of potential for comedy. It might sound weird, but she actually reminds me of Junji Ito's Souichi and his whole deal. Because of her schoolgirl-like appearance in th1, I imagine she was an over-zealous occult otaku who went a little too far with rituals, ended up in hell and became a vengeful spirit, which all absolutely delighted her. I think her and Reimu are a good comedic duo.
By the way, I like to imagine she's sealed away in Hell now, because Reimu tsukkomied her bokeing really hard. But it's fun for her, so don't worry about itttttttt. She has her own stupid occult adventures there.
(But I don't have much of an opinion on her relationship to Marisa... Marisa just isn't evocative to me... It was probably some brainwashing ritual she did for the hell of it... But maybe someone else cares about that way more than I do!)

What do you guys think of the way Mima is represented in fanworks, and what is your favourite?

Mima's pretty popular in old work revival fanworks and ensemble cast fanworks (Often these two categories overlap), and in those she often has some dramatic re-appearance or reveal. I think that that is a bit overdone at this point, and I prefer 'retired' Mima, where she's just not active anymore, but she's still around.

I quite like Mima's personality and character, and unique as (probably) powerful (once) human who's independant from any faction in Gensokyo. I'm fond of magicians, both for their general occult stuff and also their 'punch-up!' style of fighting, using sheer effort to match the power of gods and yokai.

Its hard to bring up Mima without Marisa, and uncommon to see a work with Mima but not Marisa. I like to think of Mima being like a Marisa^2 in a lot of ways. irreverence^2, Disregard for other^2, age^99999. Their relationship isn't really well-described in canon which is a boon, but from her backstory from Curiosities of Lotus Asia Marisa Doesn't have a good relationship with her father or family (https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Curiosities_of_Lotus_Asia/Chapter_06), so it only makes sense they'd be close, right!?!?! Theres no way she intentionally inflamed her relationship with her biological family, come on, everyone loves found family. And Marisa's a good enough egg, so Mima can't be that bad either, right!

>>18511
>What do you guys think of the way Mima is represented in fanworks
If you ask me, I'd say she's taken a bit too seriously and portrayed with too much pathos. She acts intimidating and has a noticeable 90s fantasy anime villain feel, so a more serious approach isn't unintuitive, but she was also never much of a threat - at least that's the impression I get. I wish she was portrayed as still powerful, but more underprepared and kind of silly. In a similar vein, I think she shouldn't be as mature as people usually make her. Her personality is more fitting for someone more youthful and energetic. I don't really know any fanworks that portray her to my liking, though...
>I think that that is a bit overdone at this point, and I prefer 'retired' Mima, where she's just not active anymore, but she's still around.
I guess that's good too, because she really isn't as active as she used to be, but I feel like unless she has an excuse, she has to be involved, because she's just that kind of nosy person.
Does that go against her not being in th4? It does, doesn't it. Maybe she's frightened of Yuuka? Maybe she got a magic power overdose in th3 and got knocked out temporarily? I dunno...

>I quite like Mima's personality and character, and unique as (probably) powerful (once) human who's independant from any faction in Gensokyo.
Oh yeah, I like the faction independance too. Gives her more flexibility. Though she's kind of fixated on being Reimu's rival, that's just her nature as a vengeful spirit... Hey, I wonder, what did the Hakurei do to her...

>Its hard to bring up Mima without Marisa
Tbh I keep forgetting their master-student thing. I guess (as I've said above) to me it was a one-off incident of Mima's possession powers. Marisa's speech patterns are actually fairly different in the old works, which makes me suspicious...

Okay, I've reread the source material and my rant fell flat. In several senses of this word. Turns out Marisa doesn't even mention Mima once in LLS and MS and they only just recognize one another in PoDD, so my main issue with her slavering attitude towards Mima half-dissipates? Really, only now I've got just how all over the place PC-98 dialogue writing is, making Windows epitome of seriousness and consistency in comparison. All characters are as if caricatures of themselves, somewhat different in each game they appear, but ultimately - flat. Author-flanderized, a few traits and nothing more, and all similar in their farcity and endless (sweat)♥(sweat)(angry)(sweat) to boot. Mima is... mocking, haughty, playful, and what else? It's actually easier with characters who appear only once, since you can go wild with extrapolating from one small depiction instead of trying to interpolate between ever so different depictions leaving barely anything as the result.
Mima isn't inspiring enough, or, at all, to disregard dialogue and just go fantasizing wherever like with the rest. Take HRtP - a wordless but evocative game with feeling of dark, alien underworlds, and you get... a schoolgirl ghost? With a knife? Like some fucking yandere from your average seasonal anime about high school jank? How do you belong here, woman? On her later appearance - best personal impression I can get over her being a different quasi-person each game is of an annoying braggart who doesn't even project some actual competence like, say, Yuuka or, in Windows, Yukari, another person who likes to be seen stronger than she is. In fanworks (I guess that's an answer to >>18511) my impression of their depiction is usually more or less the same. Suppose it doesn't help that Mima is often thought of as superficial "symbol" of PC-98, which is unproductive for developing a convincing personality for her.
To finish this - Marisa doesn't deserve a teacher like this, it's good she's gone and it should stay that way.

>>18513
>Okay, I've reread the source material and my rant fell flat.
We really do sometimes over-focus on our impressions while forgetting what actually caused them, don't we.

>somewhat different in each game they appear
I'm genuinely curious as to what you mean. I've never sat down to compare, I just kinda play the games as-is, but I'd actually say the opposite - that every character talks roughly the same all the time in the old games, and not that they're inconsistent. The dialogue is quite simple, so it's hard to make any proper conclusions, let alone say that they're outright different every time. And...
>It's actually easier with characters who appear only once, since you can go wild with extrapolating from one small depiction instead of trying to interpolate between ever so different depictions leaving barely anything as the result.
I think your problem is actually just with Mima, because there are literally two old work-exclusive characters who appear more than once and have dialogue. The other one is Genji, and he's pretty consistent. Or did you mean Reimu and Marisa?

>Mima isn't inspiring enough, or, at all, to disregard dialogue and just go fantasizing wherever like with the rest.
I do agree, even if it's a matter of taste. I guess I'm halfway interested in coming up with a backstory for her, because I actually prefer more grounded settings, which is sort of implied to be her origin, but there are better things in the old works. Though...
>a schoolgirl ghost? With a knife? Like some fucking yandere from your average seasonal anime about high school jank? How do you belong here, woman?
I actually like her th1 appearance, even if it's not my favourite in the game. I get that it goes against the sense of enigmatic pathos the game generally has, but not as much as you seem to feel. I've laid out my interpretation above already - I don't think a teenage occultist is categorically unfitting for a depiction of Hell, or really all that kitschy. It's kind of absurd and somewhat comedic, but also pretty creepy. Also, I just like interpreting her as a teenager, I guess. It makes a lot of sense to me. Of course she'd be incompetent, of course she'd be over-the-top but harmless, of course she'd make herself look like a fantasy villain. She's, like, sixteen.
(By the way, I don't think you'd find a yandere in a seasonal anime anymore, they're way out of fashion, but that's beside the point...)

Oh well, I get the sentiment, even if I like silly stuff, it's not for everyone.

Not much discussion this week... I guess there just aren't that many old work fans here. But maybe it's just bad timing, or pure chance, who knows. I'd like to ask, are you interested in discussing old works, as well as things like DiPP? It's not that PC98 & misc. characters are going to be excluded completely, but maybe they should be less of a priority.

Also, let's vote again. Because it's autumn...
[X] Imaizumi Kagerou
[X] Aki Minoriko & Shizuha
[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

[X] Aki Minoriko & Shizuha

You ever notice how a lot of Gensokyo's gods come in contrasting pairs?

And they've got their own game now too!

Sorry Mamizou... I need to stop being a secondary and read the source materials before I can say I'd contribute anything worthwhile!!!

>>18516
[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

[X] Aki Minoriko & Shizuha

'Tis the season, indeed!

[X] Imaizumi Kagerou

Sex wolf

[X] Aki Minoriko & Shizuha
I like Mamizou, but...

[X] Imaizumi Kagerou

Alright, it seems that we have the Aki sisters as discussion subjects for this week. It really must be because of the current season. Do you think they represent it well? That's kind of obvious, though - they really do, don't they. Do you like them more as a duo, or do you prefer one of them on her own? Actually, even if they usually appear together, Shizuha seems to be less popular and prominent than her sister, perhaps by virtue of only being a midboss. What do you imagine her to be like? And how do you think the sisters treat each other? How do you think they spend their days as minor gods, and how does the change of seasons affect their life? And do you think they might have special relationships with other seasonal youkai?
(A lot of questions in the intro post this time... Evocative girls...)

Of particular note about Minoriko, is that in TH12.5, she was described as being the Sweet-Smelling God. Perhaps some intrepid scent enthusiast sought to catalogue to unique smells of the powerful figures in Gensokyo.

Regarding the Aki's jobs, I really don't get the feeling they are trying their hardest. Like...running a sweet potato stand? Really? Is this truly the extent of their divine power? I can't imagine their yearly performance review with the Dragon God sees him singing their praises.

I REALLY enjoyed the portrayal of their ongoing struggles we got in Tengu of Misfortune by the by.

>Aki Sisters
Honestly I have a hard time telling these two apart sometimes, but that’s a real shame since they do have differences, Shizuha is more jealous and melancholic befitting Autumn while also being more braggadocious, trying to make up for her lack of popularity. Minoriko in contrast is happier and less god-like with her own sense of jealousy towards her little sister, although shes a bit more generic. Even her trait of not acting very godly isn’t that uncommon, Larva, Tewi, and Suwako all share it to a certain extent.
Anyway I like we get some representation from the numerous harvest gods we’re told exist but don’t often see, these little wild gods who don’t have a great drive to become popular but enjoy what they do and help humans out when asked.
I wonder how the pair feel about Letty or Cirno, I at least like to think they get along with Larva and Aunn. They also make for good side characters in a work featuring mainly weaker Youkai like Mystia, in fact I think they compliment Mystia pretty well with them all being normally unexcitable sorts who can end up being pushed along by others, for good or ill.
But I like to think they have a good rapport with the Grass Roots network.

>>18523
Shizuha is so lightly constructed in canon that she might as well be an OC when she shows up in stuff. Minoriko is at least nice as a canonical big titty good smell goddess.

Minoriko in Symposium of Post Mysticism https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Symposium_of_Post-mysticism/Minoriko_Aki is said to individually bless each crop she helps grow, which takes a long time, and is also said to prefer natural farming methods… that gives me the impression that she is, or likes to be seen as, an artisan in the field of autumn crops. I’d think that to most human farmers, her methods would seem ineffective and even detrimental, (Like, why would you leave weeds in your field!?) but being a god, I suppose this is just a way of racketing up faith, by placing faith in her seemingly insane methods (especially considering that a farmer’s harvest is their livelihood, and a failed crop can mean ruin!!!). Maybe they could even come into conflict with the Moriya gods, given Kanako wants technological innovation, which would extend to modern farming methods, and Suwako’s Mishaguji are able to more effectively bless crops at scale…

Both sister’s danmaku isn’t particularly inspiring. Shizuha throws leaves at you, Minoriko throws rice and sweet potatoes at you. I suppose its to be expected of a stage 1 boss. It actually seems quite wasteful, really…

Coming back to Minoriko’s methods, her sister also similarly paints every leaf red for autumn. Seems like it runs in the family. Do you think they could strike a chord with other characters who like to do things the hard way, like Alice? I bet she’d get along well with Shizuha, with her being an artist too. What art do you think Shizuha makes anyway? Landscapes? Still lifes? A bunch of leaves stuck to a canvas?

>>18524

Minoriko is said to smell like sweet autumn harvest crops. I’d imagine she probably has a bunch of different perfumes of different crops she uses on different days. I bet she also smells warm, like a hearth.

Shizuha probably smells like dessicated leaves (not rotten ones!), like a sort of slightly bitter, earthy smell you could get from grinding up a bunch of freshly-fallen, dry, autumn leaves. I bet her scent is cold and somewhat furtive compared to Minoriko too.

>>18527
>https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Symposium_of_Post-mysticism/Minoriko_Aki
>She can destroy your crops*
*By trampling them
Very cute. I wonder if she prefers multiculture farming over monocultures, Akyuu doesn't make a specific note of it but I get that impression based on her comments.
Although consdiering we only see her use rice and sweet potatoes as weapons maybe she doesn't?
But with Shizua, I do think she would make art pieces with fallen leaves. I imagine they would look very beautiful, of course since she is a painter I'm sure she could make other works as well, and considering she's a god they probably focus on the beauty of the natural world.

The Aki sisters, both separately and as a single unit, aren't really my favourites, but are very nice to remember and think about. I love their concept, (implied) personalities and dynamic, the social group they seem to belong to and, above all, their designs. Autumn-themed clothing and decor is pretty awesome in general, because temperate autumn is a beautiful, colourful season that can provide a lot of inspiration for visual design, and their outfits are wonderfully themed after it. If I were to choose, I'd say that I like Minoriko's peasant girl getup better because of the crop ornaments, but Shizuha's modest and elegant outfit is good too, it fits her personality well. I wish I could say more, but it's the kind of thing that's hard to say much about because it's basically perfect... I would say they're the best-looking Touhous (but I'm bad at picking bests and favourites). I also love their stage and boss fight backgrounds and themes, they're quite beautiful and very autumn-like. "Inadahime is scolding me" is good for walks when there's a lot of fallen leaves around.
I also like how they represent the duality of autumn. Minoriko is life, and Shizuha is death.

>>18528
>But with Shizua, I do think she would make art pieces with fallen leaves. I imagine they would look very beautiful, of course since she is a painter I'm sure she could make other works as well, and considering she's a god they probably focus on the beauty of the natural world.
Aren't the leaves her art pieces by themselves?
By the way, the idea of her hand-painting every autumn leaf is so fun and whimsical, it's like something out of a fairy tale or folk myth. Not a lot of Touhou gods are this hands-on!

>>185270
>Both sister’s danmaku isn’t particularly inspiring. Shizuha throws leaves at you, Minoriko throws rice and sweet potatoes at you. I suppose its to be expected of a stage 1 boss. It actually seems quite wasteful, really…
True! They're so pretty! They deserve pretty and colourful danmaku too!

>Do you think they could strike a chord with other characters who like to do things the hard way, like Alice? I bet she’d get along well with Shizuha, with her being an artist too.
They could, why not. That wouldn't really come down to their hobbies, though. Alice does dolls, which is really significantly different from painting. There is some sketching involved in both, but painting is largely about knowing how to work with colours to portray a scene, which isn't really what you do even if you're making a BJD from scratch - you might paint some details onto the face, but that's about it, unless it's deliberately made to be a painting-themed art doll. And besides, I imagine Shizuha mostly paints autumn landscapes (during her time off, because she misses autumn), which is a bit outside of Alice's area of interest. Depending on your interpretation, Alice would either appreciate the craft from afar or be politely disinterested.

>Minoriko is said to smell like sweet autumn harvest crops. I’d imagine she probably has a bunch of different perfumes of different crops she uses on different days. I bet she also smells warm, like a hearth.
>Shizuha probably smells like dessicated leaves (not rotten ones!), like a sort of slightly bitter, earthy smell you could get from grinding up a bunch of freshly-fallen, dry, autumn leaves. I bet her scent is cold and somewhat furtive compared to Minoriko too.
And there's that duality again... Life and death... Though I've imagined more grounded scents for them. I think they would both kind of smell like dirt and soil, in a good way. Though Minoriko would obviously also smell of cooked vegetables when she's running her stall or something, and Shizuha would have a hint of wet leaf on her at all times, maybe paint as well, gouache, I would say.

I love the artist of picrel to death, but here, they've committed the cardinal sin of Tohou fanart and neglected to add the patterns to Minoriko's skirt and apron. Shame corner.

Sorry, I couldn't draw anything this time T^T Not that I had much to go off of... Have a very cute recent Kaigen piece as a peace offering... Don't get the impression that there's a problem with these two or anything.

For next week, let's choose between...
[X] Imaizumi Kagerou
[X] Sekibanki
[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

By the way, what do you think of having a discussion period of two weeks instead of one? Maybe it's just me, but weeks come and go kind of quickly. I imagine it would be more relaxed with two weeks.

>>18530
[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou
>Spoiler
Nah, I prefer the current schedule.

[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

The current schedule is fine. If we need to extend a discussion, simply hold off on the new character vote or move to the irregular thread...

speaking of that is there a way to edit that into the OP? or perhaps just attach it to each new character announcement. Could drive up its numbers.

>speaking of that is there a way to edit that into the OP? or perhaps just attach it to each new character announcement. Could drive up its numbers.
Yeah, I should probably do that. I've already mentioned the thread here, but I guess I should do it in a more "official" fashion

[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

[X] Futatsuiwa Mamizou

Unanimously.
It's a tanuki! A lot of japanese media about youkai seems to feature mischevious but good-natured tanuki, and she certainly fits the archetype. Do you like that kind of character, and do you think Mamizou is a good example? Tanuki are often drawn as brown too, even if they're actually greyish or reddish. But apart from Mamizou, there are hardly any primarily brown characters in Touhou, for some reason. Maybe it's considered drab and plain, but is Mamizou drab and plain? I don't think she is... That little leaf on her head, it really adds a certain colourful charm to her appearance, doesn't it? By the way, it seems that she took a liking to Kosuzu's book store. She's developed a bit of a soft spot for the girl herself, too, didn't she? Are they friends?