...Thorns?

Although Mima, you might be fooling the kids, you ain't fooling us!

Even the Capcha knows who imprisoned you!

...Although I do gotta wonder if Mima will actually do something bad, considering despite being an evil spirit, she's basically nothing but a petty troublemaker after Reimu gives her some smacks.

Since everything this so-called "spirit/goddess" tells us could either be a total lie or the full truth about her situation and her jailer "Miko," there are a few suspects on the list:

- Mima (the most obvious suspect and who most people believe it is, myself included)
- Yuuka (she was supposedly defeated during her incident, and there's been no mention of what happened to her)
- Byakuren (not too likely, since she's supposedly sealed in Makai)
- Eternity (because of her backstory, she could fit into the goddess category)

This is probably not Mima, actually. Unless I'm missing something critical.

See, I'm still banking on Mima because this "goddess" doesn't have a lower body, which is a trait shared by...literally just Mima and Tojiko.

I don't think it's Yuuka, because she was fended away by the Moriyas, rather than the Hakurei...who is the only Miko around, since Sanae is MIA.

It also definitely isn't Byakuren, she's busy chilling in Makai and has not left.

Might be Eternity, though.

>>214377

Eternity’s hair is blue, the hair of the mysterious goddess is green.

>>214382
I don't think her hair color is mentioned though, in the drawing those seem to be plant vines more than anything?

My guess if it really is green hair would be Yuuka but if she was sealed it wouldn't have been a long time ago, unless she's lying about that? Then again she would have sunflowers and not roses or whatever these flowers are.

All the plant vine stuff makes me think it's Hisami but I really doubt this is her here? Or maybe Zanmu freed her in the original timeline and so she got a stalker loyal follower for herself?

>>214383

Oops, didn’t realize those were vines.

Hisami has eggplant motifs, so it probably isn’t her. Don’t know much about Hisami tho.

My bets are on either Mima—hasn't appeared yet, had a relationship of some sort with the previous Marisa—or maybe Yuuka—overly mysterious and suspicious, plus an association with plants. Or it could be an original character.

I would also like to remind everyone that there is also a horned creature that appears on nights of the full moon, that we haven’t seen yet.

Maybe it's Kasen's arm? Both Kasen and her oni side on her tabard have a flower. Plus, besides looking for the Hakurei heir, Kasen also said she'd be busy with something dangerous.

>>213362
>>“But while I was out here… there’s something I have to deal with. It’s very dangerous, and it’s proving elusive, but I could have it any night now. So I’m sorry to say that I can’t go escorting any kids until I’ve got that matter sorted.”

>>214385

That’s a cool idea! The mystery goddess mentioned a “Demon” that the Miko was working for…given that “demon” is sometimes used to refer to Oni, she being Kasen’s Arm isn’t impossible.

>>214385
>>214387

I hope we do end up seeing this miko that's mentioned. Maybe her jailor even is Kasen dressed as a miko if this ends up being Kasen's arm, with Kasen "playing at a miko while dancing to the So-called Devil’s tune"

Oh, huh, "Devil" is capitalised as a proper noun there, isn't it? So it's probably a name of some kind. So if we're limiting speculation to canon characters...

... is that idiot the Scarlet Devil at it again somehow? Remi...

Yeah, when it comes to so-called devils, Remi is the first one to come to mind. The question then becomes why she'd have a miko on her payroll, even a fake one. Kind of goes against her aesthetic.

>>214397
The other option is maybe Shinki? "Goddess of Devil's World," after all. Also a lot more likely to have a shrine maiden serving her.

Though Ms. Prisoner here sounds to me like she thinks that working for a "Devil" conflicts with being a miko. That sounds like a westerner's involved. For Shinto, usually a devil is still a god and still ought to be worshipped. Wasn't there (buried somewhere in the print works, maybe?) a scene where Remilia is bemused by that cultural difference? Genuine question, I distinctly remember it but can't find it anywhere, canon or fanon. So either our Devil is European and positioned against the gods, or Ms. Prisoner thinks like a European that they ought to be ... maybe, I think, possibly.

Maybe Remi just wants to try out being revered as a divinity who merely happens to be evil and dangerous, instead of reviled as antithetical to holiness? Yeah, I don't know.

>>214398

…A Miko working with a European?

Yukari’s behind this, isn’t she?

Out of curiosity, who else were fightable in Dim Dream? Something about Kotohime saying that the girl looks "familiar" is giving me some weird hint that she looks like someone Kotohime met before, which as far as the timeline Gooboi has given us, was in PoDD minus the Hakurei Miko (in this case, Haru) and Mima. Unless winning PoDD gave Kotohime the ability to see the previous timelines (the canon timeline and the one that happened before Redo), then it could've only been someone in PoDD for Kotohime to be familiar with her look but not know it in the first place, right?

>>214400

Well, Chiyuri and Yumemi have already been introduced, so it’s not them.

Gensokyo!Chiyuri is more of a gag character. She hasn’t shown up yet, however, so who knows what she’s doing?

Ellen is pretty much out of the question, as she is an eternal child with memory problems.

Kana isn’t much of a threat to anything, so I don’t think it’s her.

Rikako is the most likely, being a powerful human magician, and a direct threat to Gensokyo’s safety due to her interest in science.

Unfortunately, none of these characters’ personalities line up with our supposed goddess.

>>214401

Thank you, I guess I was just grasping at straws. Here's to hoping that it's Mima, then.

>>214401
>>214402
That crosses Yuuka off then?

>>214403

Yuuka should still be in Gensokyo, if I remember correctly. Since the Moriyas were the ones who dealt with her in this timeline.

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

If Marisa is anything, she's a trickster not afraid to play underhanded. As the kind of youkai she is... eh

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

You had me at gamble.

But anyways, now we have some extra info about who this goddess is, and something powerful enough to need *three* seals from Patchy's familiars is definitely not something to be messed with. Kotohime sudden snap was definitely not expected, but it adds to the gravity of the situation. Now, I *would* say trust the stranger you just met a few hours ago to pull through with what you two promised, except Kotohime just said *not* to do that, so I guess that's what we're doing.

[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.

So, that might be...

Sakuya (Possible, but it doesn't match from how she's talking)
Nemuno (Might be possible, But I don't see why she'd be present...and also how she talks.)

Or Keine, the (formerly) wanted woman responsible for the "vanishing" of "4" babies. Now that would be a case that Kotohime wouldn't want to talk to some kids about.

Because, despite the capcha, I don't think that's Momiji, and I honestly can't see any of the other silver/grey haired characters. Might be Sariel, but why the heck would she be up here?

No, I'd bet on Keine. Full Moon, after all, and her powers would be perfect for a temporary fix.

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.

Fuck the police! Okay, Kotohime's actually exactly right here, getting a pair of idiot kids involved in whatever this is is stupidly dangerous. But first of all that's not much of a story, second not doing that isn't actually an option, and third of all I genuinely think she'll fuck it up one way or another if it's just her, so let's at least get a more competent authority figure involved. As opposed to someone we've already seen engage in "it's okay if I break the the law, I am the law!" behaviour. I love Kotohime, but the woman who repeatedly attempted to break and enter without a warrant because she wanted to play with her toys is not a responsible investigator. Not that adding vigilantism on top of badge-wearing-borderline-vigilantism usually improves things, but...

Anyway, let's take stock of the situation again. Shrine maiden with silver hair - a Miyadeguchi? "For Oroha Chizuru," though... we haven't come across that name before, have we? Is it the shrine maiden's name? Is it the pseudonym the Scarlets used to order the sword? And there's probably something important about her face, just because it's hidden. Not to say she's hiding it for an important reason, just that narratively since it was blocked from sight, there's reasonably good odds of it being important (to Marisa, or us) somehow. She's also the prime suspect in "a grim case" who disappeared, and Kotohime think's she's dangerous. That's spectacularly unhelpful.

I assume the smiths aren't people we should know, since the only canonical blacksmith I can recall is Kogasa, and it seems fairly unlikely that a nebulous group of smiths on the Outside is a single Gensokyo resident. Could still be other Ippon-Datara, or considering how highly rated they are, some sword god like Futsunushi or a metalworker god like... goddamnit, is it the Moriya Shrine again? The sword is apparently one with some history behind it, which may point back at Ibaraki-Douji, like some people were speculating earlier - the famous Onikiri was important in sealing her, in canon. And then the default suspect for magical Japanese swords are Masamune and Muramasa... Muramasa's swords have a reputation for being devilish, which on the one hand, Scarlets, and on the other, being used in a sealing ritual.

Ah, wait, I just noticed. “If this magic was enough to kill her, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.” Which means this sword was used against her before. Which leds some strong odds to this being The Arm.

Hmm. The mythical Nue was finished off with a sword, but it's usually Yorimasa's bow that shot it out of the air that's considered the important bit. And it would raise so many questions if this was somehow Nue. Other than that, have we seen Suika recently? There's another one that was supposed to have been killed with a sword. But no, I think encountering Kasen earlier was foreshadowing/set-up, and this is her arm.

[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.

If anyone in the world should know if someone’s deal is sus, it’s Chimata. Besides, we need a third opinion on this. Chimata is a god of special markets, places where people buy and sell odd goods. Like maybe, a certain dangerous sword?

Write In Section

-[X] Wasn’t that hermit Kasen looking for something in the area? Maybe we should look out for her when we get back to the Lunar Market. Perhaps even tell her about a “sealed goddess” we encountered.

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

Crack Theory

The purple text from the end of Kosozu’s arc was Rikako Asakura from PoDD.

I’d explain, but it would take too long.

[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.

-[X] Wasn’t that hermit Kasen looking for something in the area? Maybe we should look out for her when we get back to the Lunar Market. Perhaps even tell her about a “sealed goddess” we encountered.

Marisa's been suppressing her "hide all the things" instinct a bit too much recently, and should probably indulge in that a bit. However, her past self would absolutely demand that she get all the backup she can.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
-[X] Don't specify who exactly it is that this investigation is helping. Just say that it's someone else on the Urban Mysteries forum who's going to be looking into that area.
This should be a fairly decent option for keeping both of her Shadow Selves happy.

Also: The people at the Scarlet Talent Agency were mean to bestgirl Mike-tan! They need to suffer.
-[X] Make sure to leave a "perfectly honest" (read: cripplingly degrading) review of the STA's talent hiring "skills" with Chimata, and ask her to spread it around.

...Guys, I'm really starting to think the "Miko" is Keine.

Think about it:

1. Has a power capable of making temporary "repairs". Keine's powers would work wonders at undoing damage for a short time, as she was able to hide the entire Human Village once.

2. Was able to tell the replica magic blade was damn near identical to the original, and that as a result it wouldn't be enough to kill the "goddess". Keine is both a learned history teacher and also a Were-hakutaku, if someone were to be able to compare an original that is not there to a replica, it would be her.

3. White hair, not a lot of 2hus out there with White/Silver/Gray, and she's hiding her identity.

4. A decent combatant, as shown by being an EX midboss and (former) guardian for the Village.

5. The "horned demon" is in this area, and Keine grows horns and gains her full power...when? During the full moon, where the next battle, and apparently this sealing, is set to begin.

6. Kotohime recognized her on sight! Keine is perhaps the most infamous criminal in Gensokyo right now. Of course Kotohime, Police Princess, would seek to capture her to try and save the Immaterial Children! Even if she thinks Keine is innocent, she would want to investigate...and with her age, Kotohime would have been too young to do anything when Keine got chased out. And of course, as a Police officer, keeping a pair of children near a "known kidnapper" is a big fat NO.

>>214440
Hm. "Prime suspect" in a "cold case" pretty much fits with Keine, doesn't it?

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

-[X] Don't specify who exactly it is that this investigation is helping. Just say that it's someone else on the Urban Mysteries forum who's going to be looking into that area.
This should be a fairly decent option for keeping both of her Shadow Selves happy.

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

for now, I’ll just vote and share my opinion later

[X] Keep any investigation under wraps. Claim trust in Kotohime and leave it at that. Probably was gonna be a tough sell, but if it did work there was unlikely to be anyone else they knew trying to stop them.

I know it's not either of the majority opinions, but think of the tantalizing reward if we pull it off: if we sneak out after asking pointed questions they have a trail to follow. If we sneak out without a trail, we're completely anonymous to their radar. Keep our secrets secret.

... I've been trying to think of who our mystery duo could possibly be, but I've got nothing that is reasonable.

Ok, so my vote got eaten by the void or something. If it returns somehow make sure not to count me twice.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

I don't think Marisa is very believable, but I'll admit to being more interested in keeping Kasen from stumbling upon Keine, who as I've said I am 100% convinced is our mystery "miko".

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

this will definitely probably maybe work

[x] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

Hm.

Counting to >>214451:
Main Choice:
[5] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.
[11] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
[1] Keep any investigation under wraps. Claim trust in Kotohime and leave it at that. Probably was gonna be a tough sell, but if it did work there was unlikely to be anyone else they knew trying to stop them.

Potential Additions:
For [x] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything...:
-[2] Wasn’t that hermit Kasen looking for something in the area? Maybe we should look out for her when we get back to the Lunar Market. Perhaps even tell her about a “sealed goddess” we encountered. (>>214435, >>214438)

For [x] Ask them about the Vanishing Path:
-[2] Don't specify who exactly it is that this investigation is helping. Just say that it's someone else on the Urban Mysteries forum who's going to be looking into that area. (>>214439, >>214442)

Miscellaneous Additions:
-[1] Make sure to leave a "perfectly honest" (read: cripplingly degrading) review of the STA's talent hiring "skills" with Chimata, and ask her to spread it around. (>>214439)

Sorry for being late again, Gooboi. :/
:3

[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.

Given that she is a Nue now, Marisa might actually be able to pull off telling a lie.

Ok, so I did some digging into the "Oroha Chizuru" name and...

As far as my admittedly limited abilities go, it's 100% completely fake.

Now, Chizuru works, it's a known given and family name and means Thousand Cranes and references the legend of folding 1000 cranes within a year to be granted a wish.

On the other hand, Oroha is nonsense as far as I can figure out. The only thing it references is a nail + nail polish business, and it's not unheard of for businesses to have names that are strictly meaningless or nonsensical by their written symbols. Whether there is a deeper meaning, pun or reference there, I don't know.

It is, however, worth noting that Google kept spitting "Iroha" at me instead, which is another very common name/surname.

Further, the Iroha is reference to an extremely famous and important Japanese poem, the Iroha. A perfect pangram (uses each of the language's symbol only once, essentially a literary anagram) and a basis of syllabary ordering.

For the full poem, here's a translation:

Although its scent still lingers on
the form of a flower has scattered away
For whom will the glory
of this world remain unchanged?
Arriving today at the yonder side
of the deep mountains of evanescent existence
We shall never allow ourselves to drift away
intoxicated, in the world of shallow dreams.

Now, that's a pretty deep and meaningful poem that I am not able to really examine...But it's text can apply to Gensokyo somewhat, yeah? If you're being philosophical, or maybe dramatic, about it.

And I am still 100% convinced this is supposed to be Keine, who is a freaking history teacher and also kinda dramatic (look at those spellcard names) so allow me to postulate a new theory.

"Oroha" is a typo of "Iroha", with O and I being directly next to eachother on the QWERTY layout. Because "Oroha" is seemingly nonsense.

>>214460

Oh, and "Iroha Chizuru" kinda seems like being named "Taylor Rose", which might as well be John Smith's in-law.

>>214460

Ah, feck. I was dreading getting my own Q.Nira.

The actual intended Kanji was 織羽, meaning “woven feather”… and reading “Oriha”. While I got the initial definition from ChatGPT among a list of other names, I actually went to check an ancestry website to check if it had been used as a last name. My mistake, I assume, was checking if the name “Oroha” was valid without a qualifier if it was used in japan.

With that said, the pronunciation/romaji is actually quite important, so neither “Iroha” or “Oriha” work. So for now, we’re switching up the kanji to 尾路羽, and keeping the romaji unchanged.

Update will hopefully come soon, but I expect a lot of this weekend to be spent with Expand Dong, so we’ll see.

>>214462

Well, that's embarrassing on my part, I went down a completely wrong rabbit hole. Damn Tewi...

Hello, really big fan of the series, but unfortunately, i feel anxiety to characters i get attached to, all i wanted to ask is, is marisa's arrival in gensokyo soon to come? like in 3 threads or less?

>>214465
The arc after this one will be about the Immaterial Children all finally regathering and regrouping in Gensokyo. Everyone who wasn't last seen in Gensokyo will arrive there at some point during that arc.

Marisa's arc is gonna take the whole of her 'tomorrow'. I can't say for certain how long that will be, but I would be very surprised if it was three threads.

thank you so much, you are really kind

Here’s my thoughts:

Seeds of Unknown Form are good for causing distractions, but I have a feeling Marisa will need to face her problems head-on. Relying on this option may cause problems.

A mobility tool may help Marisa in a few ways. Firstly, flight allows Marisa to approach situations at a new angle. Secondly, stealth, escape, combat, and chasing someone are much easier with flight. Thirdly, depending on how the flight manifests, Marisa could connect more with either her Nue-self, or her Past-self. (UFOs or brooms?)

An attack option is useful for obvious reasons.

—Voting Section Below—

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

I had forgotten about this story. This is how much time had passed by..
My vote:
[X] More Seed of Unknown Form Cards would be good. They’d served her well throughout the day, and she hadn’t figured out the trick to making them, yet.

And the captcha wanted me to have 46 pagodas.

[X] Or see if there’s a big, powerful attack? The spell she had required a focus or something to work. Of course, there was the risk that the new card would have the same limitation...

You just gotta hit em really, really hard

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

It'll be interesting to see how Marisa flies whether she uses her wings, a broom, or a trident
Though picking a powerful attack isn’t a bad choice either.

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

[X] Or see if there’s a big, powerful attack? The spell she had required a focus or something to work. Of course, there was the risk that the new card would have the same limitation...

IMMA FIRIN' MAH LAZAR!

[X] Or see if there’s a big, powerful attack? The spell she had required a focus or something to work. Of course, there was the risk that the new card would have the same limitation...

kill

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

No brute forcing

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

Well, we already figured out the Seed of Unknown Form, so while topping that up would be nice, it'd probably be better to know something new. Big Laser would be good, *but* that runs the risk of hurting the STA, the Goddess, or even both on our next encounter. So, by process of elimination, magician movement it is.

[X] Or see if there’s a big, powerful attack? The spell she had required a focus or something to work. Of course, there was the risk that the new card would have the same limitation...

This could be useful for dealing with threats that can not be reasoned with and for destroying things.

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

If we were in Gensokyo I would be voting for a big, powerful attack, since we are in the outside world I think mobility is the more important of the 2.

gasp, SHE LIVES!

I'm excited to see this return from the grip of the strongest tie-wearing Gorilla, but now the question...

UFO/Broom... or Laser Beam of Doom?

...Although the mobile might also turn into a rocket, she did have a ICBM at one point...

...Mmrrrgrhhhh....

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

Lesse how Flight manifests for the Alien Witch from Sado!

hard to have flashy Danmaku without flashy maneuvers!

[X] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.

[x] Or see if there’s a big, powerful attack? The spell she had required a focus or something to work. Of course, there was the risk that the new card would have the same limitation...

Interesting.

Counting to >>214509:
Main Choice:
[1] More Seed of Unknown Form Cards would be good. They’d served her well throughout the day, and she hadn’t figured out the trick to making them, yet.
[11] Maybe something to help with mobility, instead? She had something like wings, it’d be nice to be able to fly in some way or other. Especially as flight seemed like something most youkai could do.
[5] Or see if there’s a big, powerful attack? The spell she had required a focus or something to work. Of course, there was the risk that the new card would have the same limitation...

Glad to see another update as always.
:3

Rip ooga booga attack. You will be missed.

>>214511

"Ooga booga"....?

...do you mean Unga Bunga?

Because "Ooga Booga" is, like Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Unga Bunga is "BIG HAMMER SMASH", basically the physical version of what Marisa does.

And, ah, no. Marisa does not Unga Bunga. She has the spirit, but not the muscles.

Seriously, Marisa is tiny! She might actually be taller right this moment than she was when the Pyres attacked the last timeline.

Good news for Gooboi: Touhou 20 is out, and it's been confirmed that Chimi is completely unrelated to Nue.

>>214514
That hasn’t been confirmed at all, though. If you’re talking about the claim they’re actually a Lunarian AI, I’m still yet to see the dialogue that supposedly evidences that. And I have been looking.

It seems like an early mistranslation (or a complaint about character designs) that got snowballed into the actual story reveals.

...Uhhh, from what I read, one character could be considered an AI.

Except it's not the Houjuu, it's the EX Boss, who was born from the Pyramid's data.

The Houjuu seems to be around solely to kick her friend out of the Sanctuary for a bit.

The only argument for the Houjuus not being family is that they're different species. Which would be a decent argument, if both weren't "unidentifiable" and based on very vague concepts of very non-specific creatures. She's a Chimi, which refer to *all* monsters of mountains and rivers. By that, a Kappa and a Tengu could be a Chimi.

Sounds kinda like a Nue, which has referred to many different creatures of different legends.

Even older, the term "Chimi" is basically equivalent to how Youkai is used in Touhou.

And what are their names? Oh, just the names of their "species". Same naming scheme, same last name, similar titles, similar origins... I'd be really surprised if they aren't related!

One very important detail, though!

If they are related, Nue is almost certainly the younger, as the term for Chimi is over two thousand years old while Nue's oldest legend is less than 1300. So Chimi's baby sister/cousin had a daughter! She can fawn over them and be the cool auntie!

II'm still thinking that maybe it would be great if she were Nue's mother, hey Chimi, meet your granddaughter Marisa!

[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about a bookstore with magical tomes within.

It's great to see Mike doing better, it's been a rough day for the poor kitten. Anyway, there's some fun options here; I'm reasonably sure the first four correspond to the other four IC's, but we'll get plenty of screentime with them later. I'd like to see the other people important to our young nue.

[x] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.
[x] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[x] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.
[X] Dream about... a black-haired woman she didn't recognize, but...

Well... the first five choices are about the other main characters, and the rest are about her family. Although I have no clue who they mean by the silver-haired gettleman.

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.

Reimu’s there because she’s her best friend, then Nue’s choice, which I guess doesn’t recognize her since she’s really different in this timeline, and the last one is… Sanae?

I'm glad Mike is starting to overcome his problem.

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

Ok, so...

So the first four are her fellow Reincarnates, while the latter four are her family. Two from the past timeline, two from the current.
In order:

Hakurei Shrine with Reimu

Suzunaan with Kosuzu

Duel with Youmu

Hieda Estate with Akyuu
-----
Mima of the Stars

Rinnosuke

Auntie Mamizou (BIIIIIIG tail)

Houjuu Nue

Hrmmm...

[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about a bookstore with magical tomes within.
[ ] Dream about a duel with a ghostly swordswoman.
[ ] Dream about a discussion at a beautiful estate.
[ ] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[ ] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.
[ ] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

>>214527
[undo] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[x] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.

touch the fluffy tail

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.

Best friend, teacher, and creator of the mini-hakkero.

...I just realized...

Marisa got a Vessel of the Stars.

Huehuehue.

she almost said the phrase!
>>Or was it… was it because it was an Unidentified Flying Object?

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.

[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.

[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognize, but…

Very good chapter! Well worth the wait.

>>214516

Two characters…Sharing a naming convention…And the same last name…It’s like they have some sort of…Unidentified Familial bOnd!

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about a duel with a ghostly swordswoman.
[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

For now, I'll go with these. Can't say no to fluffy tail.

hmmmm... clearly Marisa needs some mom time

[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

[x] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[x] Dream about a duel with a ghostly swordswoman.
[x] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.

I wonder...

[X] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.
[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

[X] Dream about a bookstore with magical tomes within.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

Well, at least Mike's confidence is back to a better point now, even if it involved *slightly* pissing Chimata off. On another note, it feels rather surprising to have a dream sequence with multiple familiar faces, so I'm looking forward to it. Of course I'm voting for Kosuzu, and since I'm not sure who the other two are, I'm hoping to see them in action.

Oh, and don't forget, Marinue is now the natural predator of Urumi!

Reimu shall be unimpressed at her evolution to cattle rustler.

[X] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.
This one just barely beat out green-haired teacher... but I think this'd be a fun parallel: the undefined girl and the man who can identify anything.

[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…
This better be a fond memory and not Nue leaving to go get milk.

[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
Poor Mamizou must be worried sick about Marisa. At least she can be there for her in her dreams.

[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.

>>214548

Don't forget Keine either!
now Marisa has an advantage against the hakutaku and ushi-Oni

[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about a bookstore with magical tomes within.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

Kinda also tempted to sacrifice a choice to go for the Rinnosuke dream, since he was also like family to Marisa.

[X] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.
[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about a duel with a ghostly swordswoman.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

[X] Dream about a duel with a ghostly swordswoman.
[X] Dream about a discussion at a beautiful estate.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.

I thought the green haired teacher was Keine for a moment hahahaha

Counting to >>214559:
Main Choice:
[13] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[4] Dream about a bookstore with magical tomes within.
[4] Dream about a duel with a ghostly swordswoman.
[1] Dream about a discussion at a beautiful estate.
[11] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[6] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.
[12] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
[18] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

Still enough time for more votes, I believe.
If only we could have multiple dreams...
:3

[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.
Snuggle fluffy tail.

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…

Marisa if you wake up and sleep again you will get multiple dreams trust

[x] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…
[x] Dream about a duel with a ghostly swordswoman.
[x] Dream about a discussion at a beautiful estate.

[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.

I want to see Mima if she actually exists.

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.

[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.
[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.

I think that Mike needs more help than Marisa right now and of the choices I think Reimu, Mima, and Rinnosuke are the dreams that would help Marisa help Mike the most.

Seeing Reimu's natural talent vs. past Marisa's hard work might help Marisa figure out how to help Mike overcome her inferiority complex.

Rinnosuke while goes off on tangents during his talks, does sometimes have some okay advice from time to time.

Seeing how Mima trained past Marisa when she was a human might give Marisa an idea of some training that could help Mike. Also, if the ghost in the shrine is indeed Mima it might reveal her identity at least to us or tell us that we need to spend more time figuring out who the ghost is.

[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.

I finally caught back up. I would love to see her bond with her actual unidentified mom, but I also miss mima so here we go.

[x] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[x] Dream about a duel with a ghostly swordswoman.
[x] Dream about a discussion at a beautiful estate.

Wooooh mima let's goo!!! (Also gonna vote for Youmu and akyuu just to cope)

[X] Dream about a bookstore with magical tomes within.
[X] Dream about a dashing young silver-haired gentleman.
[X] Dream about snuggling into something soft, brown, and fluffy.

[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[Y] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[Ze] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.

[X] Dream about an impish, green-haired teacher.
[X] Dream about… a black-haired woman she didn’t recognise, but…
[X] Dream about a quiet day sipping tea at a shrine.

Seems like Mama Nue is taking the win, with (Mama? Teacher?) Mima in a hotly contested second with Reimu and Mamizou fighting against her.

I made some cute art of Myon and Okuu since I missed them

>>214581
hah, nice

>>214581
cool!

[?] in terms of arcs, how much longer are you planning to continue R/R?

[?] What media most inspired you with writing? (in general and with R/R)

[?] Whats your favourite Touhou character | official media | fanmade media?

[?] What was your favorite vote so far?

[?] Not sure if this is spoilery or not, but what can the UFOs do? Big and small... Because I watched a Mirae Somang animation and... Yeah, I wanna kidnap Akyuu with Marisa's new ride if we've got a tractor beam. It'd be funny, and likely *very* confusing to everyone else. Also, Marisa would definitely do it to prank her friend.

[!] May i offer you a Nue in these trying times?

[?] You've said before you liked to do this again once you finish the series, right? Would you do it with the same characters but different choices? Different characters? Or a brand new incident altogether?

[?] Will Mayumi have more interactions with Yachie as a mother and daughter? Since at some point Reimu will know the truth that Keiki is her other mom and Mayumi will realize that the four of them are like family.

[?] Will Reisen2 appear in the story or will she keep the same name? Since in the original timeline she ends up being the substitute pet for the Watatsuki sisters, and they also changed her name.

[?] What is your favorite spellcard in the story?

[?] If you were to write this story over from the beginning again, what would you do differently?
[?] On a related point, is there a specific plot point or arc you think didn't land as well as it should have... or conversely, one that went particularly well?
[?] Given that we've got Orin, Chen, and now Mike all in the story, we need a cat PR. Which feline Touhou is best?
[?] Has writing R/R noticeably changed your opinion about a character?
[?] Are there any characters that you really wish you could have used that you just haven't been able to fit in?
[?] Any plans for the TH20 newhu's?
[?] What would be your biggest tip for any would-be writers?
[?] Is there a favorite reader comment or favorite piece of fan art you've received?
[?] Have there been developments in the story that have surprised you? Moments where characters acted out in ways you weren't expecting (or perhaps weren't prepared for) them to behave?
[?] Is Ser Inchling going to get his chance soon? Or, for that matter, do you have plans to write any more what-if content?
[?] Out of curiosity... did you figure out who all this was coming from before that last question?

[?] Out of all of the write-ins, which one would you say is your favorite?

[?] What were the general story arcs for each alternative choice (Tengu Reimu, Vampire Akyuu, etc.)?

[?] Is there any particular myth you'd want to see in newer touhou games that's not already in?
[?] If you could choose a third player character for a future touhou game (assuming Reimu and Marisa as the first two and it being a character that had no previous playable iterations like Youmu or Sakuya), who would you choose?
[?] If you had to make the story for a new touhou game/spinoff, what would it be?

[?] What was the original plan for Kosuzu's arc?
[?] Would anything special have happened if Kosuzu hit 0 Grip before That Scene?

Completely understandable. Take as long a break as you need and enjoy yourself! This isn't your job, don't make it into one. (Also, cute image for the gmpost!)

[?] Did the Scarlet Talent Agency have any particular inspirations? It seems like a pretty fleshed-out idea.
[?] Any votes you can recall that left you facepalming at the voter's logic? I promise we won't get mad.
[?] Are there any epilogues/shorts/xenologues you look back on fondly?
[?] If you were given the opportunity to give one of your characters a headpat, who are you picking?
[?] Which area is worse between the two HK games, Deepnest or Bilewater?

>>214594
>Any votes you can recall that left you facepalming at the voter's logic? I promise we won't get mad.

Throwback to the guy that really wanted to follow Tsukasa into the tube system.

[?]A while ago you mentioned how if the voters failed to vote for reimu to save youki there would be heavy consequences like her getting PTSD or youki actually dying, how would that have affected y/y? Also if akyuu failed to save Haru, and Youmu to Koishi, what would have been the consequences there?

First round of questions, up to >>214590

[?] in terms of arcs, how much longer are you planning to continue R/R?
I tend to see the story as three or four broad sagas:
1: Re/Awakening, the first six arcs ending with the original five getting back to Gensokyo.
2: Re/Union or Re/Collection, the next five/six arcs starting with Paradox/Prologue.
3: Re/Growth, an unset number of arcs covering the larger timespan between the kids all getting together and the deadline. This is the one I'm most uncertain about, because it feels necessary to not just skip to the very end but I'm not 100% certain how I'd like to divvy things up just yet. It's hard to say, because I actually have pretty clear goals set for Re/Awakening and Re/Union, but Re/Growth will largely focus on the various knock-on effects.
4: A final set of arcs where everything gets actually finished off and wrapped up.

[?] What media most inspired you with writing? (in general and with R/R)
My favourite series of all time will always be the Discworld series, so that's my general inspiration.

With that said, what inspired R/R specifically... maybe a few things? One is simply the wide bevy of 'reincarnated as X' manga, like Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken and Kumo Desu Ga. That sort of got me thinking about the concept of becoming other species.

I've also long liked speculatives about how you can change one little thing about a character - even just as simple as making a girl a boy, or vice versa - and that can sometimes have massive ripple effects in everything about them and how people react to them. Imagine how much chaos could ensue in Gensokyo if even just a couple of the protag group were boys - suddenly, thnks like romance for straight characters goes from 'entirely irrelevant to anything incident-related' to 'potential vicious war over the few named character-tier guys'. It's the ripples from those changes that I think are most interesting - a big theme of R/R in general is how things change (and stay the same) if people within are changed.

And in a weird way, Lost Word inspired me without me having played it - though with a spiteful note. For all the focus on AUs, they never actually make anything interesting like a world where someone ended up a vampire or a world where anyone's a different species. And nobody ends up in anything really wild, y'know?

[?] Whats your favourite Touhou character | official media | fanmade media?
Joutouguu Mayumi, Forbidden Scrollery, and this youtube video: https://youtu.be/aReJUM5PpCs

[?] What was your favorite vote so far?
Hmmm... probably still the Akyuu vote about how to address Reisen. Definitely a really heartfelt and inspiring one.

[?] Not sure if this is spoilery or not, but what can the UFOs do?
It is a bit spoilery, and you should find out soon enough, story time. One thing I will say at this point is that the thing can't produce any danmaku, or act as a 'slave' for such - but this is only known of the ability card version. She might be able to wring more potential out of it in the fullness of time.

[!] May i offer you a Nue in these trying times?
It's a very cute nue, thank you. I always feel bad when my first thought seeing someone else's shown art is 'damn, wish I could make that a chapter image instead', but I can always just crop it a touch.

[?] You've said before you liked to do this again once you finish the series, right? Would you do it with the same characters but different choices? Different characters? Or a brand new incident altogether?

...Did I say that? Well, regardless, a lot of that is what X/X is for. At this point, I'd rather pursue other ideas if I'm dedicating full story chops to it.

[?] Will Mayumi have more interactions with Yachie as a mother and daughter?
Not likely. The relationship between Yachie and Keiki isn't really even close to familial - for a painfully felt lack of a better term, it's more like Keiki's a sperm donor. They're staying around because it's better for their mutual kid, but there's nothing approaching a familial relationship between the factions, and likely won't be anytime soon.

[?] Will Reisen2 appear in the story or will she keep the same name?
She already has! Akyuu choked her out back on the moon.

Other than that, we'll see. CiLR is a prime example of what could happen in Re/Growth, though.

[?] What is your favorite spellcard in the story?
Probably Kosuzu's night parade card, at least right now. That one was just fun to come up with things for.

[?] If you were to write this story over from the beginning again, what would you do differently?
I'd consider putting one or more characters having a 'shared' backstory, like being sisters. Less arcs overall that way. I'd also probably put way more thought into which options I like, and probably do less three-fers.

Either that, or introduce a 'Jesus take the wheel' vote where if a hefty majority of epople vote for it (i.e. after a twenty-vote penalty) then I can decide whatever I like for the species choice.

[?] On a related point, is there a specific plot point or arc you think didn't land as well as it should have... or conversely, one that went particularly well?
The Moriya Shrine timeline is absolutely my Task Failed Successfully moment. I genuinely didn't expect people to just go 'yeah that makes sense' and roll with it, but it helped make Suwako's twist go smoother, so that actually worked out for me.

Something else I wanted to communicate with that is that the Immaterial Children have an innate sense of what the original, unaltered timeline should be, which is sort of a compensatory factor. It's stronger for each kid the less memories they have - or maybe it's that the more memories they have, the more easily they can override that feeling of wrongness.

And lastly, I am shocked that a certain character has received basically no questions about her nature whatsoever.

[?] Given that we've got Orin, Chen, and now Mike all in the story, we need a cat PR. Which feline Touhou is best?
Toramaru Shou.

[?] Has writing R/R noticeably changed your opinion about a character?
Before K/K, Tsukasa was a character I mainly wanted to write straight sympathetically - someone who'd bring anyone she wanted to help to ruin, whether she meant to or not. Needless to say, the Tsukasa we got was very different.

[?] Are there any characters that you really wish you could have used that you just haven't been able to fit in?
Toramaru Shou.

[?] Any plans for the TH20 newhu's?
Currently, I've got plans for Nina and Ariya in Paradox/Prologue. Nothing that world-changing, mind - Ariya's just serving a role that would have been covered otherwise by a different preservation method, and Nina would just be comic relief.

[?] What would be your biggest tip for any would-be writers?
The biggest tip I gave in the last QnA, so I'll do some others this time:
- Break your first works into small, bite-sized chunks. Small pieces that are internally complete, even if they're part of a greater whole. Better to have something small that's at least a satisfying story than something grand you'll never finish.
- Crosspost! In my eyes, the best way to help the site grow is to post the story in two places and accept votes in just one. It doesn't even matter where to - I actively encourage you to pick something I didn't.

[?] Is there a favorite reader comment or favorite piece of fan art you've received?
I still have a soft spot for the very first image Kosuka made of Reimu and her plushie Genjii. Even as other artists and Kosu themselves have produced much more technically strong works, it's still the work that made me realise Redo/Reimu would be something special.

As for reader comments, the original Tidepisser is still legendary.

[?] Have there been developments in the story that have surprised you? Moments where characters acted out in ways you weren't expecting (or perhaps weren't prepared for) them to behave?
I've mentioned it before, but Kosuzu's original meeting with Reimu was a lot more playful, when she was a full toob fox. Of course, the Kosuzu we met was a lot less... fun in that regard, so it wasn't to be.

Really, true-toob-fox Kosuzu is complete flip. I think her mother would sincerely want nothing more than for her to live up to her grandmother's legacy and become a kitsune again, even if this meant not being able to acknowledge her as a daughter - but I think Kosuzu herself ends up very much a menace regardless. Megumu is not a good mother figure if you want any discipline whatsoever. Her past self would have to rein her in, not encourage her bad behaviour.

(Kosuka decided to draw that version of Kosuzu recently, so I used her as the post image. I love this dubious little creature.)

[?] Is Ser Inchling going to get his chance soon? Or, for that matter, do you have plans to write any more what-if content?
[?] Out of curiosity... did you figure out who all this was coming from before that last question?

I didn't, but that's because my eyes locked on to the spoiler you casually dropped in your post, LS.

All I'll say on Ser Inchling for now is that I intend to do... not an arc, but a silly little short involving the Shining Needle Castle in R/R. If you see something alone the lines of 'Shining Needle Defence Force" as an option, know that it's been a long time coming, and one of my favourite ideas for the whole story on a shenanigans level.

[?] Out of all of the write-ins, which one would you say is your favorite?
Still the Akyuu blend one, i think.

> [?] Will Reisen2 appear in the story or will she keep the same name?
> She already has! Akyuu choked her out back on the moon.

This had me cackling

>As for reader comments, the original Tidepisser is still legendary

What was this?

>>214599
It's referring to this vote in the first arc >>205537

...Y'know, I have this image in my brain of Akyuu's defection causing a mass defection later on, spearheaded primarily by the whole Eagle Ravi squad...

And now I'm imagining Rei'sen getting accidentally pressganged into it, only to meet both the tiny nightmare who choked her out and the much scarier big sister.

>>214597

Follow up question to all the arcs, since you mentioned CiLR does that mean you'll be writing about all the game incidents and written works like from SSiB to FDS?

Sorry if I'm late, but:

I'm a tengu enjoyer and not that poster, but adding to >>214591:

[?] How would an Iizunamaru Reimu's relationship be with the other known/named tengus? Are they just subordinates, mentors, almost family?

[?] Which of the boss fights (any encounter using the strike system) would you say your favorite is?

[?] Are there any story bits that were planned to be mostly irrelevant but became notable after voters latched on to them?

[?] You occasionally like to play with the voting system, like 'broken votes' mid update or Yukari blocking the vote. Is that particularly worth investigating or should I put away the corkboard I've built up over it?

[?] Any works you want to shoutout like the old end-of-thread shoutouts?

>>214603

I'm also curious about this question, since we never got a tengu/youkai mountain route, what was the general plot going to be there for Reimu or Youmu? And who would have been their dads?

>>214605

I forgot to [?] my question so

[?] I'm also curious about this question, since we never got a tengu/youkai mountain route, what was the general plot going to be there for Reimu or Youmu? And who would have been their dads?

> I didn't, but that's because my eyes locked on to the spoiler you casually dropped in your post, LS.

Sorry about that. It slipped my mind that it was a spoiler, I thought the general thrust of the short had already been mentioned.

Anyway, one more.

[?] Are there any good, non-spoiler antagonists that we'd have seen on the routes not taken? I find heroes and mother figures tend to be in shorter supply than a good villain.

> [?] Will Reisen2 appear in the story or will she keep the same name?
> She already has! Akyuu choked her out back on the moon.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that answer, but it cracked me up
Hope that doesn’t become a running gag x)

>>214608
But Tewi, isn't that Seiran? Not Reisen.

[?] Any clue on what happened to Renko in this story? If it's not spoilers, of course.

[?] What would the plans for Youmu's arc have been if we had voted for Reimu to tale Hakurouken back in her arc?

[?] Is there a certain inspiration for the Pyres and the mysterious black fire?

[?] Can you give info on what Marisa would have been like as Sekibanki’s kid?

[?] What were the general story arcs for each alternative choice (Tengu Reimu, Vampire Akyuu, etc.)?
Varying degrees of story applied to each one. Some I genuinely don't know how I could have constructed a whole arc for them (Tengu Reimu is definitely one of these - high power, decent memories, literally the youkai mountain).

Most of them were really just scattered scenes I'd figure out how to string together. That's partially what X/X is for.

...This actually lead to a straight-up private meltdown during the Marisa vote, because I had so little for Mouserisa that it ended up stressing me out for days that it might get picked. Which, while I'm at it, let me make one more addition to the writing advice I gave in the first one.
Don't put a choice in for 'themes' or for 'nice symbolism' if you don't actually have something to put behind it. Don't give the audience choices that you're not honestly ready to write.

[?] Is there any particular myth you'd want to see in newer touhou games that's not already in?
I'm less deep into japanese mythology, and more curious about interconnections and so on with the existing cast. So right now, my biggest curiosity is Konohana Sakuyahime, Ariya's presumable sister.

[?] If you could choose a third player character for a future touhou game (assuming Reimu and Marisa as the first two and it being a character that had no previous playable iterations like Youmu or Sakuya), who would you choose?
Either Mayumi, or Kosuzu.

[?] If you had to make the story for a new touhou game/spinoff, what would it be?
So, I've had a few ideas for games, but most of them would fall pretty firmly into Fan Game territory. A metroidvania involving Reimu gaining the powers of various beast youkai, an Ace Attorney-style game featuring Daiyousei, so on and so forth.

I think the one that'd fit in at least the fighting game spinoffs was essentially something very similar to urban legends, but what characters got were based on time periods and historical events - for example, Cirno would have the power of the Ice Age, and Marisa the Salem Wtich Trials. Mainly because it was a golden way to sneak in Mima, Yumemi, or both.

[?] What was the original plan for Kosuzu's arc?
Foxsuzu would probably have ended up being broadly similar in terms of the geopolitics, with the fox herself being more about trying to moderate her own behaviour to not screw Reimu over. The idea of Shirohime wasn't a concept at this point, but there was an idea Kosuzu could end up becoming an inari to steer herself away from tubefoxdom.

[?] Would anything special have happened if Kosuzu hit 0 Grip before That Scene?
I think she would have tried to tell Reimu a bit about what had happened to her. To say this would've ended poorly for Tsukasa would be an understatement.

[?] Did the Scarlet Talent Agency have any particular inspirations? It seems like a pretty fleshed-out idea.
I'd been toying with the idea of a greater House of Scarlet since at least the Vampire Akyuu days. The STA specifically came about intended to be part of Tigersuzu's arc: she'd sneak out on her own to get to Gensokyo, and that was one of the options. And the Koartette came out just because I needed someone who ould deal with tresspassers.

[?] Any votes you can recall that left you facepalming at the voter's logic? I promise we won't get mad.
If you ever hear a character say or think something along the lines of "why the hell did I think that was a good idea?" after a vote, there's a good chance they're acting as an author mouthpiece to at least some degree. Probably the most recent was trying to comfort Mike post you-are-nothing-special funk by talking about Marisa's own recent breakthrough.

[?] Are there any epilogues/shorts/xenologues you look back on fondly?
Most of them I do!

[?] If you were given the opportunity to give one of your characters a headpat, who are you picking?
I think Kosuzu needs the headpats most of all.

[?] Which area is worse between the two HK games, Deepnest or Bilewater?

Let me put it this way. I never want to stay in Deepnest. It's dark, it's oppressive, and nothing has any thoughts or soul, it all just hungers and comes out at you every which way. I want to get in, grab what I need, and GTFO. Silksong doesn't have any true equivalent of that - the zones that match aesthetically don't have the same oppressive feel to them, and the zone you listed actually has quite beautiful, if tragic, music. I'm actually listening to it as I type this.

[?]A while ago you mentioned how if the voters failed to vote for reimu to save youki there would be heavy consequences like her getting PTSD or youki actually dying, how would that have affected y/y? Also if akyuu failed to save Haru, and Youmu to Koishi, what would have been the consequences there?

For the most part, it'd largely be heavy guilt on the failed party, even with relatively little pressure from the most affected who remain. Haru's death had happened once already; expecting Akyuu to pop out of a crash landing and change that was unreasonable, but that wouldn't let Akyuu excuse herself.

[?] Follow up question to all the arcs, since you mentioned CiLR does that mean you'll be writing about all the game incidents and written works like from SSiB to FDS?
This is meant to be an alternate timeline. Things might end up jumbled and out of order, deliberately or otherwise, but a lot of things that originally caused incidents will end up covered in one way or another I'm sure.

[?] How would an Iizunamaru Reimu's relationship be with the other known/named tengus? Are they just subordinates, mentors, almost family?
[?] I'm also curious about this question, since we never got a tengu/youkai mountain route, what was the general plot going to be there for Reimu or Youmu? And who would have been their dads?
I'll put these two questions together.

For Youmu, she'd basically just be smaller momiji when it comes to inter-tengu relationships. Aya messes with her, Hatate's a bit more neutral, and Megumu thinks Crows are better. Her father would've most likely been just an unnamed wolf who passed away.

Reimu woulda been... interesting. I was playing with the idea of her father actually being Tenma himself, though this would be mere speculation among the general tengu society. Still, even without that she's a daitengu, one with an aggressive demeanour who doesn't like people causing problems. And Megumu is NOT the mother figure you want to rein in a child's more dangerous impulses. Remembering her past would mellow her out and turn her ire outwards, but until that point she'd be an absolute menace to tengu society, though still an ultimately kind-hearted one.

[?] Which of the boss fights (any encounter using the strike system) would you say your favorite is?
I'm really mostly glad they've all worked well. Each one has sort of been it's own beast, making it hard to compare.

I guess of my options, it'd probably be Youmu and Okuus. A big grander plot moment in so many ways, y'know?

[?] Are there any story bits that were planned to be mostly irrelevant but became notable after voters latched on to them?
You will be very surprised where those two plushies Reimu 'lost' ended up.

[?] You occasionally like to play with the voting system, like 'broken votes' mid update or Yukari blocking the vote. Is that particularly worth investigating or should I put away the corkboard I've built up over it?
The votes are the reader's/hollow psyche's will, manifesting when the character is making an important choice. Votes 'break' when circumstances change such that the original decision point is no longer relevant. Yukari, likewise, stepped in specifically to block off Kosuzu's thoughts from external influence.

Do keep an eye on it. We're only gonna get more screwy from here.

[?] Any works you want to shoutout like the old end-of-thread shoutouts?
Perhaps I should try and resurrect that. There's a lot of good stories across the site, after all. I started naming specific ones in my original response to this and ended up with at least six after a moment's thought.

[?] Are there any good, non-spoiler antagonists that we'd have seen on the routes not taken? I find heroes and mother figures tend to be in shorter supply than a good villain.
Biggest one is that Rikako would have made her debut at the end of Youmu's stealth exit. The sneak-out option for Reimu also would have made Kurokoma the focused threat for the arc, with Yuuma being saved for a followup arc - rather than the other way around.

In said followup arc, it also could have been Seiga who captured Yumemi and joined forces with Tsukasa. The one Reimu and Yukari didn't attack would be the one the kidnappers retreated to. This would've likely been more like a 2v2, in the library Kosuzu loved so much.

[?] Any clue on what happened to Renko in this story?
Yes.

[?] What would the plans for Youmu's arc have been if we had voted for Reimu to tale Hakurouken back in her arc?
Looking back? I honestly don't know. Youmu was expected to be the last arc, so Reimu could have headed to the surface to hand it over as part of their reunion.

[?] Is there a certain inspiration for the Pyres and the mysterious black fire?
I think looking back, FFXIV Endwalker and the Blasphemies seem like big inspirations in hindsight. Despair spreading like a plague that silences all life... the mechanics and designs are different, but it's hard to deny a through-line.

[?] Can you give info on what Marisa would have been like as Sekibanki’s kid?
A key factor would be exploring one particular concept; when it comes to getting magic and becoming a magician, Marisa is her own worst enemy. She's too self-confident, too stubborn - it got her into the field of magic, but she refuses to take the magic that technically suits her, rather than the magic she thinks is flashiest.

Bankisa would be outwardly a lot less confident, and generally shy, cautious and reserved - but because of that, she doesn't take the path of most resistance to every step of progression. So she's actually much stronger compared to the equivalent human Marisa, despite having far less training and power. And that self-confidence can return, if the situation calls for it - Bankisa's arc would've significantly revolved around that balance (and this weird rabbit who insists they were friends in their past life).

I often say that what makes to the Watatsukis so powerful is they have reimu level talent with Marisa level drive. Bankisa doesn't actually lose that drive - it just gets channeled into far more productive means to their ends.

Silksong is actually 100% done as of tonight. Here's hoping I can get to proper writing tomorrow.

Damn you already 100% silksong? That game is so hard

[?] Why was the vote to this arc advertised to give Marisa “power in spades” (which you promised to respect the vote for) yet this entire arc has been the opposite of that? Especially if as you're saying that the sekibanki one would have her stronger than before, but you advertised none of that for that route?

[?] Speaking of the first vote, why after every previous arc having the spirit choices labelled was this one unmarked? Especially with one of the options completely negating what this arc was advertised to have?

[?] Why is the entire powerset we are getting for Marisa something that can be just handed to someone else and still work?

[?] why after an entire arc establishing that a youkai’s species could change, and that the human side of the ICs were affecting how they grew, did we get Marisa having been raised only months shy of twice as long as Kosuzu was as a ‘useless tube fox’ as a human? Potentially implying that her whole Re/Incarnation is completely pointless?

These feel a little unfair, but I'll give them a decent shake.

[?] Why was the vote to this arc advertised to give Marisa “power in spades” (which you promised to respect the vote for) yet this entire arc has been the opposite of that? Especially if as you're saying that the sekibanki one would have her stronger than before, but you advertised none of that for that route?
Specifically, it was 'power without knowledge'. Marisa is both physically and magically strong as a youkai, but she hasn't got the knowledge to tease out those various abilities. And when players have had an option to have Marisa explore that, they've usually chosen otherwise, like in >>213659, where they're choosing between Kasen's standard training, and Zanmu's method:
>Zanmu gave a scoff. “Sure, that’s one way to go about it. But I wanted to offer a different style.” She leant in, with a conspiratorial grin. “Marisa… you haven’t had the chance to really cut loose, have you?”
>The changeling blinked. “Cut… loose?”
>The oni gave a small chuckle. “You’re afraid of your own strength, right? You don’t really know how strong you are, only that you’ve got to hold yourself back. But while we’re here… you can go as crazy as you can.” She gestured grandly to the space around them. “I mean, this whole space isn’t ‘real’. It doesn’t matter if you knock down a building, even. And you’re certainly not gonna hurt me.”
>Marisa hesitated, as Zanmu leant in. “Trust me, kid. You’re a powerful youkai now, and there’s nobody that can really get hurt here. Why not go a little bit berserk, and have some fun with it?”
>“Ah-hem.” Kasen grabbed at one of the oni’s horns, pulling her back. “I think a more subtle combat style would be a better fit, here. After all, if they try and do some massive attack, they’ll be exposed.”
>“But if they get exposed, isn’t it better to know exactly how hard they can punch?"

This was where Marisa's raw power would have been displayed.

See also, the big powerful attack ability card that's been offered twice now and turned down each time. When Marisa is worked up, she can break brick with just her grip, carry her friend around with one hand, and punch holes in the wall. The power is there, but the player choices have generally been to round Marisa out rather than lean in on her strengths.

Marisa's actually in a position surprisingly comparable to canon Reimu right now. She has a lot of raw potential waiting to be unleashed.

As for Bankisa, stronger might have been too narrow of a word. She's more effective, but that's more because she's more versatile - she leans into her strengths and learns a broader range of useful magic, thus making her a better spellcaster and even sometimes a better fighter than a human Marisa of the same age, despite not having extra memories. The X/X "Nightless Red vs. Countless Heads" idea had this as one of it's bigger themes, of bankisa punching above her weight without needing to just get a bigger fist.

[?] Speaking of the first vote, why after every previous arc having the spirit choices labelled was this one unmarked? Especially with one of the options completely negating what this arc was advertised to have?
The spirit stat was determined by the species choice this time. I have no idea what you mean by 'one of the options completely negating what this arc was advertised to have' .

Instead, the adjustable stat was the instinct choice, which was signposted. A little twist on the usual, and fitting for someone who only just awakened to her powers.

[?] Why is the entire powerset we are getting for Marisa something that can be just handed to someone else and still work?

Putting aside that passing powers to others is literally the point of Ability cards, this isn't actually the case. There's only a few specific things that can be moved, and Marisa's got multiple other powers - such as everything her shadow did. It's also because Marisa's using ability powers as a crutch to get around her not understanding her powers - this extracts them as consumable items, that she has no reason not to let others use.

Mike's also taking these for two other reasons. One, she's actually better at using ability cards than Marisa, and two, without them... she barely has any useful powers at all, at least in this arc. The fact that Marisa's power is more easily borrowed than used by it's owner directly is a factor both girls are aware of and very much not happy about.

[?] why after an entire arc establishing that a youkai’s species could change, and that the human side of the ICs were affecting how they grew, did we get Marisa having been raised only months shy of twice as long as Kosuzu was as a ‘useless tube fox’ as a human? Potentially implying that her whole Re/Incarnation is completely pointless?
This is a couple of different mechanics getting muddled together, though tbf that might be because I haven't explained them well.

Basically all characters are some combination of physical and spiritual presence. Flesh and blood vs. magic and soul. The flesh is immutable, and will do it's best to follow the laws of physics and biology at least at any given moment. The spiritual is not, and is not only subject to change and influence but will affect the body as well.

Full youkai are more spirit than flesh. As a result, their species is ultimately changeable, they age as much as they feel like, and they can become far different things over time. Their physical body submits to their mind and the expectations of others. The ICs have been growing up like humans, however, because ultimately half or more of their minds ARE human. This is why youmu's also aged like a half-phantom.

Humans are generally far more physical than spiritual. They will age whether they want to or not, they will basically always stay human except under extreme conditions or another's influence, and they will largely stay nearly the same regardless. Their bodies submit to physics and biology most of all.

Half-youkai usually end up somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, with exactly where depending on the balance of power they have at any given moment. In particular, it's quite common for their spiritual potential to be dormant or inactive for some time after birth, with that potential emerging after a trigger. this means they're humans until they aren't, whether that point is before birth or years into their life. Marisa has aged like a human up till now in no small part because, until a couple of weeks ago, she was functionally indistinguishable from a human. It's only with her memories beginning to stir that her spiritual power has fully awakened.

Other than that, there is a more general disclaimer: Sometimes I just get into something after advertising it and feel like my original idea didn't make sense, or otherwise sucks. so sometimes choices have different consequences than I originally expected. Sorry if it ends up feeling like I've deliberately misdirected you - it's accidental misdirection at worst.

Wait…Rikako was planned as an antagonist?? I recall making a theory that she might appear, but that’s certainly something…

all of the questions i have are pretty much answered already, so im just going to offer you this :D

>>214629

Asakura Rikako was mentioned in both the Akyuu and Youmu arcs, in that she worked with the Tengu after going off the rails with Haru over the Immaterial Children incident...and escalated that into a lynch mob, a burnt down street (Mokou...), and Keine fleeing Gensokyo with her heart broken. Haru, meanwhile, was trying to figure out the why of the incident when this went down.

Speculation is that it was because Rikako's rep was suffering, though we still don't know why she did it, or what she's doing or thinking now.

Now the Immaterial Children are returning, and Rikako is very conspicuously completely excluded from the loop.

Makes sense she'd want to hunt the first credible instance of a loose Immaterial Child down, whether that be to find the truth or to "prove that she was right".

...Of course, it's probably a good thing for her health that she didn't run into Youmu or Akyuu...

...Then again, if one of the others doesn't beat her down, Reimu probably will...

And the Capcha agrees, it says "Judgement".

Rikako being the boss would definitely be interesting but there's something really perfect about Suwako helping Youmu during the whole arc only to be the final boss, and yet Youmu still ended up helping her by the ending.

Also if gooboi is still taking questions

[?] Was Rikako planned to also have black pyre if we took that route? And aside from Suwako, were there any other bosses you had planned to give black pyre to?

>>214629
That's awesome

>>214629
Oh my god that's adorable

>> When Akyuu got to her first destination, there were two rabbits guarding the doorway, looking around frantically. It seemed that there was no getting through them without a fight.

>> But Akyuu wasn’t just a chronicler any more. She pulled herself together, preparing the Lunatic Gun. Carefully setting her pack down, she considered a few strategies. She focused, taking a moment to prepare herself, and made her move.

>> She thought back, pulling a moment from her memory. Something that’d panic him without sending a signal up. A memory of a particularly hectic drill came to mind, and she focused. Thinking back to all the details, the smell of gunpowder, the sting of the rubber rounds, and the voices yelling in confusion, the pounding of her heart. Drawing the memory out of her, pulling and shaping it… and loading the psychic energy into her gun. The cartridge glowed with purple energy.

>> She rounded the corner, firing a shot straight at the male of the two guards before ducking back. He turned to see it, but was unable to dodge the shot slamming into his chest. At once, his eyes began to jerk around wildly in confusion, and he yelled out. Akyuu watched in amusement. As much as it was never pleasant dredging up her own bad memories, there was something undeniably amusing about watching the effects. Like watching a rabbit guard dive behind cover that wasn’t there to dodge a round that had been fired months ago.

>> His partner stuttered, running over to check the yelling guardsman was okay. +My partner’s freaking out! I think he’s hallucinating?!+ She looked around, torn between trying to help or keeping a safe distance from the flailing rabbit and finding the attacker.

>> Akyuu holstered her gun. +I’m right nearby, coming right now!+ She rounded the corner, running as fast as she could. The other rabbit waved her over, eyes marked with clear worry.

>> "He just started screaming and flailing, like a lunatic-" Akyuu’s left knee slammed into her chest, drawing out a strangled cry. The mallet slipped from her grip, and Akyuu flowed around her, pulling an arm around her neck.

>> “Yeah, of course.” Akyuu said, looking at the rabbit’s shocked expression. “That’s why it’s called a Lunatic Gun, dumbass.”

>> The rabbit’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, and Akyuu’s grip loosened as she slipped from consciousness. She stuck her hand into the rabbit’s pocket, fishing out a keycard, and swiping it into the console. The door hissed, and opened.

It's been some time since I last drew a scene from a previous chapter, so here's the last appearance (so far) of Reisen 2. Thank the response to Asutnima's question for this one lol

>>214658

Rei'sen didn't deserve this...

No wonder Eiki was so strict on Akyuu, she's become such a thug!

>>214658

Tactical Espionage Akuu... errr.. wait

since downtime, have yet more doodle; just some idle speculation about how Reimu's moms might interact

>>214663

Very good!!!

>>214581
>>214629
>>214663

These are all awesome! (I did already reply to the first two without "signing" the post, but to expand:)

>>214581
I love Okuu's goofy face, makes me chuckle every time I see it.

>>214629
This makes me wonder what would Mike's favorite game be in the arcades. Lovely stuff as always.

>>214663

I'm loving this one too, and the "dragon miko" speech bubble is golden!

This last one made me realize I never posted an image of Haru without the ofuda covering her face, which I did draw some time ago (once when originally making the first design, the other which I drew like eight months ago and never posted).

I'm posting this Haru drawing now because I should have done so a long time ago but I think she feels very dated so I'm going to redraw both her and Aunn (who also has an old design) and post them later.

I'm sorry for not posting drawings for some time. I've been drawing quite some stuff backstage for both R/R and USiL, plus drawing stuff for my personal projects (my goal is to draw every 2hu at least once, as a self-imposed challenge) and I think I've improved a lot lately. There's still lots to improve but I'm feeling great about how these are turning up.

Having gotten that last bit out of the way, I want to ask all of you: please keep the fanart coming! I want to see more!

I really enjoy it when people create fanart of this story, it’s always fun to check out

>>214635
>>214637
>>214665

tysm guys!! I'm also enjoying every fanarts people post, I take a look at the mega folder every once in a while to see if I missed any art. Eating good rn with a lot of new ones being posted heheh

Several pixel art drawings that Kosuka and I made.

We’ve actually been making a bunch of pixel art together for a while, and at some point I wanted to draw a Reisen based on an artist I liked. Then one idea led to another, and in the end we ended up making the moms and main characters of R/R. Kosuka edited most of the protagonists and they turned out really nice though it took us like 3 weeks to finish everything. So enjoy!

Here’s the link to the pixel art artist:
https://x.com/takeez3/media

The coordinates of the drawing in case anyone wants to make something:
https://wplace.live/?lat=-26.01484873852607&lng=139.3120016217773&zoom=13.136990730198907

>>214704

oh, that's lovely; really well done sprite work

>>214704

HELLO?? THIS IS SO SICK!!! amazing work

Zanmu is one sly, charismatic, glorious bastard, isn’t she? Well, I at least have an idea on how Marisa and Reimu are going to meet again now.

Also, poor Nue, I think I know why she’s in hiding….

...Oh...

Oh god, poor Nue...

No wonder Marisa reacted so hard about the "Shapeshifters" who "replaced" her Auntie and neighbors, she's got some deep-seated, if misguided, trauma about it...

No wonder she bolted outta Sado so hard...

Wel... the good part is that Nue from this timeline showed up, Minimarisa described a little of her personality in the flashback/dream.

The bad part is that Marisa got scared of Nue during that fight.

I hope that when Marisa meets momNue again, she apologizes to her for not recognizing her that night.

You might of duplicated the Chapter on Ao3, just a heads up.

(Undead_Flowers by from Ao3)

>>214715

Ok yeah that’s a pretty funny image. Although, something about Zanmu wearing glasses feels very wrong to me.

>>214716
I see nothing wrong in the picture, Zanmu is wearing regular shades!

>>214718

I’m not saying the picture is bad at all. I’m just weirded out seeing Zanmu wearing glasses. Why? I don’t know!

>>214719
I was just joking about everyone but Marisa seeing Zanmu wear shades instead of glasses, nothing about the drawing, sorry!

>>214665
>I'm going to redraw both her and Aunn (who also has an old design) and post them later.

I did redraw them! Genjii too!

>>214721
Cute!