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How is everyone doing? I've been lurking for a while now, but I think it's time I officially introduce myself. So here it goes: I've been playing touhou for about 5 years now. Absolutely love danmaku, music and the characters, and I currently own quite a few merch (plushies, fumos, figurines, etc.) Happy to be here!

I'd like to know how long some of y'all have been involved in the fandom, because I see lots of content that's been around long before I was born! Personally, I've been interested for around two years, starting during the fall of 2022. Anyways, when did y'all first discover Touhou?

hi! welcome to the shrine! hope you can get along with the people here

I would honestly not know the answer of exactly when, but I remember that I got into Touhou through the music before Covid. Then I branched out to the games after Covid in I believe it was 2022, and then I joined this forum's consistently laidback energy last year. And now, well, I have firmly planted myself as a regular here, despite the initial hesitation hidden behind theatrically written comments and honest philosophy seeping through the cracks.

I knew about Touhou for some time, but never chose to interact with anything Touhou related until January or February of this year. At some point I just decided looked deeper into what Touhou was, and downloaded a few games. I really never thought that I'd enjoy a bullet hell.

hi! i'm doing ok. Welcome to the shrine !

Probably for like 5 or 6 years. Started with the music and how beautiful I thought the danmaku were, downloaded EoSD and got hooked instantly.

I'm the same as you :) Maybe a little longer I think it's nice that the community is accepting of newcomers, even if they don't play the games.

And look who is here too? Yup, I'm paying you a visit after our last talk! And I must say Fairy WARBANDS? Did I read it right? We are having a Gensokyan turf war in a post-apocalyptic setting? I mean if Gensokyo is about magic and magic is fading then it's like the apocalypse yes? Haha, and I was playing Fallout last week. Let's talk about our girl, Mina katt the Cat, sounds like something you would do (going by your profile), she seems like our usual reliable cat (as far as cats can be) and hardened maybe? I'm already worrying for her, since Rose almost killed her in the first chapter I assume people here shouldn't be trusted and that's why I choose to follow from afar, amusingly this is the second time I had to be the tiebreaker today.

Hi, I'm N. I love Touhou mainly for its music and arranges, but I've been looking to get more involved in the community as well. I love cars of all kinds, and motorsports, mainly touring car racing and Formula Drift. Please be patient with me as I'm still learning how to navigate around forums such as these! Nice to meet you!

welcome!!! :ChenWave:

Fracture Feature! What random selection will be showcased this time?

just checked my dms with them and yeah they deleted their account

On Magic While the Outside World considers magic the domain of fantasy novels and children's stories, magic is a very real force within Gensokyo. While the simple answer is magic is a product of Human faith much like Youkai, this may be contradicted by magic existing in realms outside of Gensokyo, such as Makai. Magic in Gensokyo comes in many forms, ranging from European alchemy and goetias to Japanese animism and rituals. These spells, despite their numerous differences, are universally produced by a common set of characteristics by the caster. These traits being the Ability of the sorcerer, the Temperament of the sorcerer's soul, the Quality of the reagents used, the Space in which the ritual takes place, the Time at which it is performed, and Luck which may conspire for or against you. Your success at Magic is dependent on your ability to utilize all six aspects of its creation. Finding a tutor in the field of magic is a difficult task. Not for want of possible teachers, but because it will be difficult to persuade a capable magic-user. Witches, Hermits and Monks are seldom cajoled by gifts, or desire money. Someone capable of using magic effectively will usually have all they desire, so convincing one to take you as a student will prove difficult. Learning by grimoires or scrolls is harder still; most magical texts in Gensokyo are written in older forms of Japanese, Chinese, Greek or Latin. These are extremely rare, but can be a way to coerce a magic-user into teaching you their arts. Schools of magic can vary wildly, not just in origin but in practice and components. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The right voice was tantamount in showmanship. You had to know well the voice you needed to hold a silent audience’s attention, or to be heard above a crowd of excited youths. It would not take much for one’s voice to be completely drowned out, or to lack the command needed to calm them. Not that one could tell there was an art to it, as he swept a disappointed young woman’s coins into a bag. “Alas young lady, you have failed in your quest. Return once you have mastered the Arcane, or after your parents give you your allowance.” Her soft green eyes began to tear up, even as the crowd of children pressed in around him. Each pleading to be the next to challenge him. So far, he had a fairly respectable mound of coins, which Agappa was carefully counting. Raising each to her eye as she studied it quizzically. Whatever their value, he just hoped he had enough for a meal soon… “OSU!” The shout was surprising. Not least because the only person in the village he had told his name was Keine. When his eyes went up, he could see a figure waving from a window at the school. But she was entirely unfamiliar. Her hair was black and straight, and she was dressed in a simple kimono. Before he had a chance to look more closely, the figure vanished. Oscar didn’t have to wait long however. A few moments later a side door in the Heida Temple School opened, and the figure from the window raced towards him. Quickly joined by three others he barely had a glance at. The first figure ran across the grounds with breakneck speed, pushing others aside without concern, until she reached the front of the table, slamming her palms upon it. Blue eyes staring at him with a mix of relief and anger under her dark hair. “There you are! We’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Oscar already had a good idea of who this was. But his suspicions were confirmed as her hair rolled forward as though alive. In a moment her face was overcome with concern, hands pulling the long hair back in place, revealing a flash of white-blue bangs underneath her wig. Three other figures stood behind her. Each dressed in simple kimonos they had hurriedly donned. Their more extraordinary features were tucked out of sight. Wriggle wore a mane of curly black hair, while Mystia wore a long light brown one. The only other difference either had was the dark rings under their eyes. Mystia nodded as though echoing her friend’s words. Wriggle crossed her arms irritably. “Don’t you know how worried we were? We were out all night looking for you and Rumi!” “...Ah, well I—wait, you were worried about me?” The cliché was she was supposed to blush and turn away. Perhaps denying it as she did. Instead, both Cirno and Wriggle slammed their hands on the ‘table’ in frustration. The cups slowly sliding off the table as they yelled in unison. “Yes!” “Stupid human!” “It was dangerous!” “You might have gotten lost!” “Or eaten!” “Or lost and eaten!” Behind the two, Mystia and Dai-chan looked on silently. Though both had a small smile of relief. Dai-chan even managed a giggle at the two’s antics. “Careful, ‘Chi’. Remember what Keine-sama said. But we’re glad you’re okay, Osu-san.” When did you last hear that phrase? Life had not been easy. His degree hadn’t panned out how he wanted, and yet life moved on. Life had been a series of deadlines, each with a bill meant to lock him in place. Where in his rush, did he ever stop and hear those words? Not since…Ah. He was in his thoughts again. “...I’m sorry...Chi? And uh...you know.” “Our real names are secret.” Cirno said as she leaned in. Raising a hand to her lips even as she whispered. “We’re in-cog-neato. So the humans don’t suspect us.” “Keine-sama teaches class after dark for people like us who work at night.” Mystia managed, around a large yawn. Oscar’s eyes went over the four again. Each with their own unique expression of relief gazing at him. Then something clenched his gut. “Did you find Rumia?” The mood shifted over the four. None seemed to want to speak. One of Dai's hands ran along her shoulder. “No...We spent all night looking for you two. Keine was mad we missed our classes but understood. She said you were okay, but didn’t say you were at the school.” “We looked everywhere in the forest.” Cirno continued, her brow wrinkling in thought. “She must have really wanted to be alone.” “I’m just surprised Mystia’s barbecue didn’t draw her out.” Wriggle said with a slow shake of the head. “Its not like her to miss a free meal...or any meal.” The four grew quiet again. Oblivious to the jostles and stares of the crowd of kids. It wasn’t hard to tell they were confused at first. The silence Oscar was a little slower to notice. In part due to his new friends’ mood. He only noticed the shadow over his ‘desk’ when the pointed hat drifted in front of the sun. Cirno only noticed when the end of the broom swung down, pointing towards Oscar’s face like a sword. Framed by the sun, only the figure’s golden hair and confident smile could be seen. “Heya. I heard you’re a Magician. Let’s see what you can do.” =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Congratulations, you are now a few cents richer, and a stranger's confronted you. What now? = Whoever this is, she seems confident. Maybe playing to that will result in a bigger payday. = Introduce yourself to the stranger! We should be friends, especially if I am going to take your money. = She wants to see a magician in action? Show her what a real magician is capable of. = She's heard of you already? Surely she has something more to bet than a few coins. It might even be useful. = The jig is up! Flee!

Fairies usually disappear instantly when they are killed, but the low magic of Gensokyo during the magic crisis made fairies’ bodies stay as ‘corpses’ for a bit. Like they were in some kind of purgatory for a week. - Fairy Retrospective \------------------------------------------/ I should go back to my small camp and see if I can steal a weapon from the battlefield it should already be. Though the difficult terrain I traversed was not exactly terrain I hoped to have to cross again, I don’t think Sanguine Rose let me off just to get rid of a potentially deadly vengeful spirit… While the way back went without incident, save for your occasional detour to avoid ravenous Youkai or a trap set by some warband, what I found at my camp is much more alarming than just your common denizens of the Plains fighting for loot big and small. It is namely fairies, likely from a warband as they like clinging together, and humans in what I first assumed to be Hakurei military attire, but on closer inspection is a uniform I don’t recognize. They’re all human, though, and I don’t need to use my ability to feel the vengeful feeling coming from them, so these people must be the Purification Brigade I heard about recently… fighting a Crazed Fairy warband… Well, This looting is an inherent part of life on the Plains. I just need a weapon and some food to last me a day, thus I’ll just get near the battle– Someone already threw a corpse at me, because it was in the way of the enemy. This body belongs to a fairy, and the ‘sword’ she is holding on to could better be described as a dagger than a sword, but I’ll take it. I’d have preferred a human body as they would have also had food, but I’ll take what I can get. I leave as quickly as possible because I don’t like being near an entity called the ‘Purification Brigade’ for any amount of time longer than necessary. Especially if they have so much vengeance I can feel it without having to actively use my understanding. As the lush green rolling hills of the Fantasy Plains make way to the Scarlet swamplands, I hunt some fish with my bare hands while also being paranoid that those vengeful humans are after me. A lot of those fish escaped due to that paranoia, but I should have enough for a decent meal. I find an alcove to spend the night in and drink some water from the ponds in the area. It seems like none of those humans followed me, but the amount of vengeance I felt there was truly destructive. Do humans always have that much potential for vengeance stored in their bodies? I wake up sometime after sunrise and begin my journey to the cavern I came out of, when I spot a caravan heading the same way I want to go. Now, travelling with more people is usually safer… Yet how am I going to ‘join’ the caravan? \------------------------------------------/ HP: 144 MP: 48 (+4) No crippled body parts New Items and/or Equipment: A dagger Follow it. → A trading caravan so close to the Plains must be prepared for ambushes, better play it safe and keep my distance. Create a roadblock. → If I stop the caravan, I might be able to bargain my way on it. Act like a poor person. → Maybe by appealing to the merchant’s humanity I’ll be able to join the Caravan. Bargain with the merchant directly. → I don’t have much to offer, but extra protection in these outskirts of the Empire wouldn’t hurt, now would it?