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Heya gang. No update this week. :( Life has been demanding, and I have had no time to come up with the next post. Much less make it a decent read. Hoping to finally get to it on Wednesday, but I don't know for sure yet.

The Never-ending Book Genre: Comedy Manga Pages: 37 Release Date: June 15th, 2021 By: Nostrafort Source: Webtoons (English) | Internet Archive (Spanish) =========================== This doujinshi is about how Patchouli gets her hand on a book that seems to everyone’s secrets in Gensokyo. Hijacks ensure over Patchouli’s sudden “knowledge”. As the release was digital, the manga is in full color and my goodness does the colors help complement art quality! The emotion and movement of characters are emphasized better in full color. This of course, makes the humor bounce off the pages. But this scene with Sakuya's time stop shows the potential of a full color doujinshi where the world transitions into grayscale while Sakuya is highlighted in yellow. The colors made characters able to create separate scenes within the same manga. In addition, I have to say that the doujinshi’s paneling is more in line with a comic, which gives a more consistent flow to pacing. Now compared that with a comedy doujinshi’s paneling where paneling can suddenly turn into 4-koma, or turn into intermission pages. I have to admit, the more professional quality of Nostrafort made me enjoy the humor a bit more when pacing is felt right. By the way, the credits show sixteen people from Nostrafort are listed, which is far larger of a team compared to a Touhou doujinshi! Has there even been a non-joint Touhou doujinshi that had that many people working on one doujinshi? Anyway, that helps contributes to the professional quality the manga gave off while reading. And with that, I would like recommend this manga for those looking for Touhou comedy, especially as the manga is available online for free. Having said that about the quality of the manga, Nostrafort is no longer active due to internal drama from some of their members. Bit of a shame, but that how it is sometimes when it comes to art.

I'm curious about this RP thing and wanted to try it but I feel like I don't know much about the characters yet since i've only made it to Touhou 8 so far. But I'll be down with anything you guys can agree on given I'm actually able to do it

Hello. Here we will discuss recent changes in doujin sphere which happened in 2010s-early 2020s. Before we will start I will say some important notes. Here I won't discuss the popularity of series on doujin events. This post is based mostly on observations and comments by doujin circles which make critical doujinshi about doujin and things I noticed researching this topic. This post is not perfect, because I could miss something and there is nearly no statistics. If you find some mistakes in this post, please, write about them. It is important to understand what is doujin. Most common definitions you can find are something like: Doujin - a group of people who have the same purpose and hobbies. Doujin circle - a group which is formed to produce doujin works and goods. Doujin sales event - a flea market where independent products are exhibited, sold (distributed). And all of these is made to get fun; and all these activities are considered non-profit. I think you have heard something like this many times. This may sound similar to indie culture, but there are differences. Modern Japanese doujin culture is a Japanese subculture, so there are cultural differences with Western indie. As there are formally nearly no restrictions in these activities (don't do illegal actions, don't do something that can cause inconvenience to somebody else, follow the theme of the event and guidelines (if you make derivative works)), unspoken rules (loose doujin rules) formed to regulate them: That is from cultural side, but what about legal side (when we talk about derivative works). Many companies don't sue most doujin works as they are considered non-commercial (they are not competitors of companies, companies don't lose money; companies can get even more money, because they bring attention to the original works), but they can sue you and there were talks about that in government (some of them pre 2015 here), and in April 2016 Prime Minister Abe stated: "I believe that derivative activities such as doujinshi at Comic Market are not a non-prosecution offense because they generally do not use copyrighted works as they are, do not compete with the original works in the market, and do not unduly harm the interests of the rights holders". So you don't have to worry about copyrights on doujin events, but Copyright Act accompanying the TPP11 Agreement (2018) made the status of doujin works which are sold outside doujin events as non-prosecution crimes. ''Non-prosecution'' is a legal system that allowed prosecutors to prosecute acts that violated copyright law without the right holder's complaint. If that will be fully applied for whole doujin sphere were may be a lot of problems because of that. But still most companies don't do strikes on doujin (we will see why later). In summary, we see that doujin works on doujin events are in the grey zone, while doujin works outside doujin events are even less legal. As indie games aren't distributed on doujin events they can face all consequence of copyright acts. But we can also look at this from economical side. There is a doujin circle (五花八門 / Circle Goka) which develops Doujin Economics Theory, which researches doujin from economical side. Here is the summary: We see that doujin circles and indie studios have some common things, like making "products" being the primal goal. But we can also see the differences between them. Many indie creators have "profit-seeking" behavior and "production-seeking" behavior at the same time (if they lose "production-seeking" behavior (care only about money) in most cases their projects would be unsuccessful) and many indie creators don't limit themselves with self-funds and sales, they can also get donations, make crowdfunding campaigns, etc. It is important to note that this book was written in 2014. And we will see that situation changed later. After we pointed out features of doujin, we can go to main part. Before 2000s there were a lot of family circles and circles of friends, but lately the number of personal circles (one-man circles) began to rise greatly, and as C81 report showed most male and most female circles were personal (and looking at modern doujin events most circles nowadays are personal). Money exchanges has become so large in some places that the line between "hobby" and "main job" has become blurred. "Professional doujin artists" became more common thing; they are criticized a lot, because it is considered that their main source of income is doujinshi activities. But because the number of people per circle is decreasing and the number of personal circles is increasing, the financial burden per person is increasing and total expenditure that circles spend on one work has also increased as the number of copies distributed increased too. So nowadays, if the leader of circle has to bear all the financial burden of production, it would be extremely difficult to maintain circle activities in the long term, and there would not be many circles that could consider it a "hobby". Individualization increased, so circles begin to see doujin events more as a form of interaction (as some interviews showed, doujin events are a good place to meet people you already know, but it is difficult to make new friends there). As it became more harder to maintain doujin activities from financial side, circles began to be somewhat oriented toward earning money. They have to increase the production to earn more money to cover loses. But what about prices. Well, there is a thing like doujin "market prices". Circles set the unit price according to the content and volume of the work, but in the doujin market, it is extremely difficult to set a price that deviates from the "market price". In the doujin market, a wide, but not strict, agreement is formed that a certain type of doujin work should be priced at some level, and most work prices are guided to be determined within the range of external market prices (while aiming to cover the actual production costs). Those "market prices" are fixed, so this can lead to situation in which circles are forced to lower their distribution prices more than necessary. The economical situation in Japan is not very good, printing cost and travel cost is increasing, but "market prices" are decreasing: As financial burden for circles becomes more serious, doujin activities becomes less about fun and more about money. This and individualization may lead to different social problems and conflics (for example fighting over opinions on social media (which is not very otaku thing) as was pointed out by circle "国立大学同人　秋葉原大学" in their latest critical doujinshi "オタ寓話" (+ they covered argues about the state of Comiket in "秋葉原大学時局評論集　萌集C103号")). Despite that doujin activities still remain *mostly* as fan activities. But this was from the side of doujin circles, but there is another side: companies. Some companies in 1990s realized that they can collaborate with doujinshi creators and sell their works. Doujin creators got a way to actually earn money (if the shops would like to sell your works). Printing companies also began to provide their services to doujin creators, which can be profitable (sometimes much more profitable than for doujinshi creators). Companies realized that supporting these activities may profitable, so (aside increasing the amount of publishing and printing services) in 2010s they began to fund projects related to doujin. There were not a lot of them and they were related to services. Here are some of business projects: "日本の同人誌などのオタクマンガを翻訳し電子書籍として世界中に発信", "ＢｔｏＢからＢｔｏＣへ同人誌受注事業参入でのＥＣサイトの構築", "同人誌市場の深耕と海外需要の先取り対応に向けた新たな挑戦" Also, in the second half of 2010s 同人税金.com appeared. It is a service which helps with financial problems of doujin circles. But COVID changed everything. Doujin scene realized that self-funds were not enough and they needed a way to survive. I pointed out some changes here, but actually there are more of them and they are more serious. Before we will continue I will introduce another researcher of doujin: Hanara (花羅), the leader of STRIKE HOLE circle. He has been researching doujin since 2000s, visited a lot of different events of different genres, wrote critical doujinshi about that. He made a book about his activities. But he is also a "small and medium-sized business consultant who is familiar with subsidies for doujinshi artists" and he: ・Started full-scale work as "SME management consultant who is knowledgeable about subsidies for doujin artists" due to COVID-19 ・Meeting with politicians who are passionate about supporting doujin artists What he actually did? He helped a lot with different subsidies from government and business during COVID (you can read about some of them here). Circles applied for these programs to get help. Such programs helped circles during COVID a lot, because they needed a way to survive. But there was also a side effect. Circles realized that they can rely not only on their self-funds and sales, they can also get money from subsidies. And business saw that they can give money to doujin circles. Here you can see some business programs since 2020 (many of them intervene into doujin activities more directly (one of the listed below directly intervene into a doujin event)): "３密回避！オンライン同人誌イベント会場の開発", "同人誌製作のデジタル印刷へのシフトで顧客ニーズへの対応と生産性向上を図る", "印刷・加工技術の高度化による「同人誌」市場への参入と収益構造の再構築", "女性向同人専門フリマサイト「ＭＩＫＥＭＩＫＥ」の広告出稿", "デジタル印刷導入により同人誌の高精度化及び最新データ形式対応", "箔押し加工の生産能力強化による同人誌関連のニーズの獲得" We can see that companies realized that they can get profit from doujin. They began to invest money into it more actively. And this is only publicly available information. And in my opinion this is a problem, because this moves doujin from hobby activities to money-making activities even more. Now any company may try to boost popularity of their products by paying some doujin circles, their works would bring attention to companies' original works, so they would get not expensive advertisement. For some circles it may be a good thing, but is there fun in such activities? We can see that doujin scene has changed a lot lately from inside and outside. Some if those changes made doujin less hobby-like and more money-oriented. Commercial world became more interested in doujin. For many circles doujin activities remain mostly hobby like activities. We can only hope that doujin scene would remain mostly hobby as long as possible.

Over this past year I have been building up a collection of Touhou literature, ranging from manga, fanfictions, zines, and research papers. But I noticed that of discussion of Touhou literature is limited online. In an effort to rectify that issue, this thread's purpose is to act as a reading log on Touhou literature by sharing the work's details like story, characters, themes, art style, etc. Of course, any discussion about the work or sharing a Touhou work within the domain of literature is always welcome. If you have any comments to say on one of these reading log entries, be sure to comment in the Touhou Reading Log Lounge, a companion thread to this thread as to keep this thread clean for reading entries. =========================== Pinky Cat's Entries

“Hey, kid! Wake up!” My eyes snap open or they would, if they had been closed in the first place. I slowly turn my head to look at the man who interrupted my thoughts: a balding old guy, probably in his sixties, with a nearly toothless grin and a glint of smug satisfaction in his eyes. “Daydreaming again, are we?” he says, shaking his head. “I thought putting you to work would knock that habit out of you.” I scowl. “Yeah, thanks for that, old man. Like I ever agreed to this job in the first place.” He laughs, already getting on my nerves. “How many times do I have to tell you, kid? Honest work is what separates a man from a boy. Clearly, you haven’t tilled the fields enough yet.” “Right, ‘honest work,’” I mutter, glancing over at the camp sprawled out in front of us. What was once a barren patch of earth, pocked with holes from ages past, is now speckled with green. Small lettuce plants are beginning to sprout. “Lettuce,” the old man says. “The kind of crop you find anywhere. But here… well, it was enough to prove her point.” He chuckles to himself, referring to her, the upstarting cat who had somehow earned the queen’s favor and dragged us all into this mess. “Don’t pretend you like her, old man. You just wanted a distraction from rotting away in this place.” With that, we drift towards the bodies we’ll be using today, strangely the cat’s little pet is here too, after single-handedly filling a chariot with lettuce by himself, the sinsack was completely spent and had to be taken away from his activities for a forced rest. “Oi, Jun-san! Looks like you’ve recovered enough to pay these old bones a visit,” the old man calls out to him. The sinsack, didn’t seem surprised to see us here, considering that he teamed up with the old man for that cat’s experiment, it’s safe to assume that they are well acquainted at this point. “Shimura-dono, working hard as always, I see. But, given the state of things, you may not have many bones left to speak of” He glances over at me and raises an eyebrow. “And Maru-san, what a surprise. I didn’t think you’d have the patience for this kind of work.” I roll my eyes. “How many times do I have to say it? It’s Mark. And trust me, I’m only here because this geezer dragged me along.” “Ha!” the old man snorts. “This grumpy kid needed something to do. Otherwise, he wouldd just keep making that dumb face, staring off into space.” He has a point, as much as I hate to admit it. Ever since I ended up in this cursed land, Gensokyo, things haven’t exactly been… right. It feels like an eternity has passed, but my memories of that day are still fresh... _____ __, ____ "Mark, are you even paying attention to the question I just asked?" My thoughts are interrupted again, this time by a different balding man. This one is younger, in his early forties, maybe. Mr. Wilson, my teacher. I straighten in my seat, trying to look like I’m paying attention. Yes, I am, Mr. Wilson. But as you probably guessed, I can’t answer it.” There's no point pretending, I have seen this question before, after all. It's not my first time studying this stuff. Mr. Wilson sighs, crossing his arms. “Listen, Mark, I’m going to be blunt. If you keep up this attitude, you’re setting yourself up to repeat the grade. Again.” Easy for him to say. He doesn’t know what it’s like. He never had to walk up to the board with a bunch of brainless idiots staring at his back or hear them whispering whenever they think he’s not listening. “I know you could have answered it, Mark. You answered it last year, didn’t you? But this time, you wouldn’t even get up from your seat. Is it… your family again? Or the new class? I know it’s not easy starting over, especially surrounded by unfamiliar faces.” His words hit a little too close. My mood sours at a fast pace. I can tell he is being genuine, but there’s no way I’m ever going to fit in with those people. Not with the way they look at me “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wilson. But may I leave now? I would like to get home early…” I’m lying, I’m not thankful at all. I just need to get out of here, she might be home earlier today. He sighs, “Alright, Mark, you can go. But know that I’m not giving up on you. I won’t rest until we fix this.” Without another word, I turn and make my way toward the door. But as I reach it, his voice stops me one last time. “Oh, and Mark… before you go. Happy Birthday.” The walk back home isn’t far, but it still takes considerable time, especially since I don’t have my bike today. Usually, I avoid public transportation to save what little pocket money I have, but today I don’t have a choice. There's a good chance Mom will actually be at home, maybe even Dad. And that means real food for once. Living off instant noodles for so long makes me desperate to taste Mom’s cooking again. After the bus drops me off, I walk quickly, breaking into a jog as I get closer to the house. But something feels off. The windows are closed, and the lights are off. Are they… preparing a surprise? I fumble with my keys and open the door, stepping into a dark, empty hallway. Silence in the air as I make my way toward the kitchen. Each step feels colder, until I reach the table and see it: the same setup as always, a bag of cheap ramen and a note, probably from Mom. “Good job, Mark. Deluding yourself again,” I mutter, my voice echoing in the empty house. Why did I even think they would be here? I crumple the note and toss it in the trash without even reading it. She’s probably apologizing for working overtime again. I leave the ramen untouched and head upstairs, throwing my bag onto the floor as I collapse onto the bed. It creaks under my weight. Since Dad left, money has been tight. Mom had to go from being a simple housewife to an overworked clerk, and Dad lives comfortably with his new family. At least he still covers my school fees, but… *Buzzzz* *Buzzzz* My phone vibrates, snapping me out of my thoughts. It’s him? Maybe he remembered. “Dad! Did you remem-” I begin, but his sharp voice cuts me off. “Mark,” he says, with an irritated tone. I can hear it from miles away, he’s pissed. “I got an interesting call from your school,” he continues while audibly getting angrier. Damn it, Mr. Wilson. I thought you were on my side. “Dad, I can expla-” “No, Mark, there’s nothing to explain. You’re still keeping up the same selfish attitude, aren’t you? Do you have any idea who pays for that ‘stupid school’ of yours?” He cuts me for the second time, I knew it would come back to money. But he’s right because I let things slide too far. Repeating a grade didn’t help. “You’re eighteen now, Mark. An adult. Why don’t you try acting like one? You know, your sister is going to college next year. Meanwhile, you’re still stubbornly playing this little rebel act. Is it really so hard to be grateful? You know what? Since you’re eighteen, maybe it’s time to find a job instead of clinging to this mess. I have a friend who wor-” I turn off the phone and get up immediately, truth be told, he is right about something it’s time to act like a man instead of a rebel child. Still in my school uniform, I head downstairs. Mom will be back eventually, and if she can’t make anything for us, then I will. There should be enough of the money I saved to pick up a pizza, at least. Holding my tears back, I make my way to the front door, stepping outside into the cloudy afternoon. But I stop the moment I step outside. Instead of pavement, all I see is a rough, packed dirt road stretching out before me, winding toward an unfamiliar landscape. The bright sun blinded me for a second, and when my vision cleared, everything around me has changed. Impossible. I turn in every direction, finding nothing but run-down houses, spaced wide apart, their wooden frames looking entirely out of place. It’s as if my neighborhood vanished, replaced by an old rustic village. I spin back around, hoping my house will be there, but there’s no sign of it. “This is… Isekai?” I mutter. When rationality fails, sometimes it’s easier to believe in the impossible, no matter how absurd. With no other option, I follow the dirt path. If this really is an isekai, someone will fetch me eventually, right? After all, that’s how it goes. Soon enough, signs of life start to appear. The dirt streets transition into paved stone, and the houses become more frequent, shifting from simple wood to clay structures as well. Spotting a worker nearby, I approach him. He’s carrying two buckets of water over his shoulders with a bamboo pole. Normally, I’d leave a busy person alone, but right now I have no other options. “Excuse me, sir, could you please tell me where I am?” Perfect, now the script demands that the man recognizes me as the prophesized Hero, sent by a kind goddess to slay the Demon King threatening his homeland. “何って言ったの？” The man looks over his shoulder at me, his eyes narrowing as he takes in my uniform, and then he mutters, “別の部外者,” before walking off with a frown. “Of course. Language barrier,” I sigh. I should have guessed people here wouldn’t speak English. With no better ideas, I keep to the main path, ignoring the quiet whispers and stares that follow me. Soon, the village grows busier, a rush-hour of sorts. People are queuing in front of small storefronts, talking in low, friendly voices. They glance at me briefly, then go back to their business. Not wanting to draw more attention, I spot a nearby bench in a small park and sit down. “Think, Mark. Think! At least you still have your phone,” I say, pulling it out and turning it on. Relief washes over me as the familiar home screen lights up, showing me an old photo of me and my mom. She must be worried sick already. Quickly, I dial her number, but then I see it: no signal. “Shit, shit, shit! Where even am I, Ohio?” Desperate, I jump up onto the bench, waving my phone around, hoping to catch any faint signal. But my search halts as my eyes catch something in the sky: a blur, moving too fast to be a bird. Blinking, I see it again, this time a red blur. They seem to be two figures, floating nearly half a mile up, and I strain my eyes to make out two women, apparently arguing. People nearby glance up, and then, almost as if it’s routine, they vacate the area or step indoors without much fuss. The two figures start flinging glowing spheres and streaks of color at each other, shapes spiraling and weaving in different patterns. I can barely make out their forms as they fly around, fast as lightning. My phone slips from my hand as I watch in awe. So many colors and shapes, emotions freely flow out as I stare at the colors, they are filled with overflowing determination and the earnest desire of trying to best each other, could it be that they are having fun? “High-leveled characters, for sure,” I mutter, my heart pounds with excitation. This isn’t Earth and I’m really in another world. And if it means I can escape school, Dad, and their pitying stares… maybe I don’t mind. But then, one of the women brightens, her glow more intense than anything else in the sky. She raises her hand, murmuring something, and the entire sky shudders before erupting into light. Instinct kicks in, and I jump off the bench, breaking into a run. Just in time, as the surge of magic hits where I had been standing, narrowly missing me. The two women pause, noticing their mistake, and then shift away from the village, continuing their duel out of sight. I watch as they head toward a distant gate, the village exit, and for a moment, the urge to follow them grows within me. But I stop myself. This is way too dangerous, considering that I’m probably terribly under leveled. As the villagers emerge from their hiding places, a small contingency of what looks like an armed force hurries down the street. “Seems like my cue to leave,” I mutter, ducking into a side street. My mind finally slows as I walk, the last traces of adrenaline wearing off. The sun is setting, casting everything in a reddish glow. My excitement fades with the light, and I realize I have nowhere to go. “Maybe that park bench wasn’t so bad…” I pat myself on the shoulder for the idea but freeze when I remember my phone. I dropped it in the park. Rushing back, I scan the area, surprised to find the park undisturbed. Not even the grass is damaged. Only a small patch of dirt nearby has turned to glass. Could it be that PvP is not allowed in this area? Shaking off my thoughts, I look around for my phone, but it’s nowhere to be found. Nearby, a trash can catches my eye, filled with crumpled papers. With no other options, I pull one out and glance over it. It’s a newspaper, 文々。新聞, printed in symbols I can’t read. But some images stand out, as if taken with a camera, how they are able to take pictures in a seemingly medieval village? I return to the bench, curling up with the paper for warmth against the chilling winds. The night is quiet here, only the sounds of crickets breaking the silence, dim lanterns casting faint shadows, and a bright, full moon above. “So, how’s that for a birthday, Mark?” I whisper, staring up at the sky. My eyes linger on the moon. “Huh? I could have sworn that for a moment the moon could open an eye and stare back at me.” It's time to rest, I can only hope Mom is not too worried. ____ __, ____ *Bonk* *Bonk* *Bonk* “Ouch! Hey, watch it!” I blurt out, scrambling up from the bench, only to be met with the sight of a hunched old woman wielding a cane high above her head, ready for another strike. *Bonk* “Alright, alright! I’m up, Granny! You can put that thing down,” I say, quickly taking a step back. Then she pulls out a small cloth bag, reaches inside, and begins tossing something at me, wait, are those beans? “You better not be debuffing me with some weird spell, you old witch!” I shout, shielding my face from the flying beans. To my surprise, she stops mid-throw and points with her cane at the newspaper lying crumpled on the ground, the one I used as a blanket. She doesn’t say a word, just fixes me with a withering stare and taps the ground with her cane. She wants me to throw it away? Fine. I don’t want another swing from the cane of doom. Moving cautiously, I scoop up the newspaper and carefully drop it into the trashcan. Finally, her assault halts, and she lowers herself onto the bench I was been sleeping on, ignoring me entirely. “Really, what a way to wake up.” I mutter, rubbing the back of my head. The sky is overcast, with the faintest light of dawn seeping through the clouds. Villagers are already bustling about, early risers moving in and out of storefronts and alleys. Search and negotiate with the armed forces who were investigating here yesterday, maybe they are with my phone too. With a grumbling stomach and a plan, I head deeper into the village, hopefully I can pledge my services to some noble or king in order to live an easier life in the future. As I move forward, the simple wooden homes gradually give way to elegant mansions, their architecture apparently Japanese in style. The crowd thins as I step into what appears to be the noble district, where the air is laced with the scent of fresh fish. I spot a group of fishermen, hauling their daily catch, likely on their way to the market. “If I’d known I’d end up here, I wouldn’t have turned down that ramen yesterday,” I mutter, my stomach growling in protest. Eyeing the fishermen, I make a mental note of their route, hoping I can scrounge up enough coin for something to eat. Hunger steadily slows me down, making my legs feel heavy as I make my way through the streets. Just ahead, I spot what seems to be a garrison, possibly the same guards I saw yesterday. They’re laughing and drinking among themselves, with some posted as sentries outside a large building that I can only assume to be an adventurer’s guild. A perfect opportunity to enlist. I’ll take any beginner’s quest they have in store, probably the classic one where you need to gather herbs and buy a meal with the payment As I approach, two guards block my path, holding up their hands in a universal “stop” gesture. “やめて、用件を述べてください,” one of them says, eyeing me suspiciously. This time, I am prepared for this, I take a deep breath and mime picking a plant from the ground, then gesture as if handing it to them. I follow it up by pretending to drop imaginary coins into my hand, making a sound, similar to a cash register, to drive the point home. “Kaching, Kaching, Kaching” They both start making unintelligible sounds, as if aggravated? “私たちを呪っているのですか？” One of them barks, while pointing his spear towards me. “Ka…ching?” I repeat, taking a cautious step back, is this a trial to discover my aptitude as an adventurer? “You may just put me at F rank!” I say, taking yet another cautious step back, while doing a time out sign “ここで何が起こっているのでしょうか？” A powerful voice booms from the entrance as heavy footsteps approach. The guards instantly lower their heads in a deep bow, revealing an imposing man dressed in traditional Japanese attire, with a katana strapped at his side. Judging by how the guards defer to him, he must be the guild master. Well, this wasn’t the warm welcome from a friendly receptionist girl I was hoping for, but I’ll take what I can get. As I stride over to him, his eyes lock in with mine and flash with recognition. “Hello there, Guild Master!” I say, attempting a friendly slap on his shoulder. “I’d like to join your merry band of brave adventurers if possible-” My sentence is cut short by the back of his hand, and I find myself sprawled on the ground, the right side of my face throbbing. “部外者よ、自分の限界を知ってください,” he says coldly, looking down on me with stern eyes. My head spins and my stomach clenches from hunger. Trembling, I manage to pull myself up, one hand holding my aching face. “What is wrong with you? Are you insane?” I shout at him. He narrows his eyes and rests a hand on his katana, sliding it out of its sheath just enough to reveal its deadly sharp edge. “ここではトラブルメーカーを許しませんが、あなたの価値を証明するチャンスを一度だけ与えます。” “This was a mistake, I shouldn’t have expected more of savages” I walk my way back without sparing them another glance. Cents are made of zinc-platted copper, should be enough to fool a merchant into thinking it's the real deal. Taking a deep breath, I shove down the frustration from my earlier encounter with the guild master and follow the path the fishermen took. It doesn't take long before I hear the bustling sound of voices haggling and bartering over goods. As the market comes into view, I see rows of stalls and carts, each one packed with something different: spices, meats, fruits, and intricate crafts. But as I navigate through the crowd, I feel the prickling sensation of people’s eyes on me, the same judgmental stare I remember all too well from school. It’s not pity this time but instead, their looks seem to say, “You don’t belong here.” Maybe this land isn’t as appealing as I thought it would be Spotting a modest stall, I approach an older man selling grains, fruits, and vegetables. He’s deep in conversation with a woman, her young child clutching her hand. My hand trembles slightly as I pick up an apple and reach into my pocket for ten coins, it’s about all I have on me. I have no idea what their currency is but If my knowledge of fantasy is correct, then one hundred copper coins is worth around ten silver coins and ten silver coins is worth a single gold coin. “Excuse me, old man, I would like to buy this apple,” I say, interrupting their conversation, as I hold out the coins and the apple. His friendly expression quickly vanishes when he notices me. His eyes shift from my coins to my face, and he doesn’t hide his disdain. “ここでは外の世界からの通貨を受け入れません,” he mutters, waving my hand away and reaching to take the apple back. As your stress goes past the threshold of your patience, you angrily throw the money in his face and push him back “At least look at the money, you worthless NPC!” I shout, finally losing control as I throw my coins at his face, shoving him back and clutching the apple to my chest like it’s the last thing I own. “おじいちゃんを放っておいて!” I hear someone yell as I’m shoved backward. The voice belongs to a young man, likely the woman’s husband, standing protectively between me and his family. The woman backs away, shielding her child and letting out a scream that draws the attention of the market crowd. “You bastard…” I mutter, clenching my fists as I prepare to fight back. But then I notice something odd, the apple in my hand is gone. My raised hands are empty, and from the widening eyes of the man in front of me, he noticed it too. -1 MP An inexplicable wave of fatigue hits me, not physically, but deep inside. It feels as if something essential has been drained out of me, leaving a hollow space. “魔法？” The crowd murmurs as they step back, their eyes widening with fear. Then, the old man I had shoved shouts something and points at me, and the crowd recoils. Run and Hide before the situation gets worse. Instinct kicks in, and I bolt, sprinting through the parted crowd like a river splitting in two. I duck into an alley, collapsing to my knees, gripping my chest as the emptiness slowly fades, replaced by exhaustion. Tears well up, spilling down my cheeks. “How did this happen? If only I’d been able to take that apple with me…” I mutter, clutching my chest as the strange sensation returns, tearing away another part of myself. -1 MP But then, to my shock, the apple reappears in my hands, just as it was before. I barely pause to question it, biting furiously into the fruit, desperate to fill the aching emptiness in my stomach. It’s not enough, but the relief is undeniable. Still, one thought lingers: the apple vanished and then came back, just because I wanted it to. This can only mean one thing, my cheat skill has awakened. For now, though, it seems I’m out of fuel, my skill took a sizeable chunk of my “mana” leaving me nearly depleted. Testing it further would be too risky, especially with only an apple core left. “Well, at least I got something out of this mess,” I say, scarfing down the last bits of the apple. I’m still hungry, but my mind is clearer. Guilt strikes with full force as I remember what I did to the old seller, Mom raised me better than that. “彼は盗賊だけではなく魔術師でもあるようです。” My thoughts are interrupted as hands grip both my arms, yanking me upright. Slowly walking past me was the same Guild Master from before. “あなたが容疑者であることは最初からわかっていました。” His words are unintelligible, but I see him holding something familiar, my phone. Its screen is cracked, probably from when I dropped it, and he fumbles awkwardly, trying to press the side button until the screen lights up with the photo of Mom and me. “ああ、紛れもない証拠 この装置は弾幕戦が行われた場所で発見され、あなたはその所有者です,” he says, holding up the phone like evidence in a trial. “Look, I think it should be obvious at this point but neither me nor you can understand each other.” “黙れ、あなたがこの事件に関与していると言える十分な証拠がある” Maybe I can use my power to disarm them, then I can break from their hold and run away while they are surprised. The Guild Master keeps speaking, his voice a jumble of angry sounds, but I’m done with this whole farce. I glance at the two guards holding me, they're the same ones from the guild, each with a spear strapped securely on their back. They’re my biggest threat right now. Closing my eyes, I focus on my tiny reserves of mana, should be enough for this stunt. While they’re distracted, I raise my hands slowly and then place them on their weapons in a single, swift motion. The hollow feeling hits hard as my mana depletes again. -2 MP Judging by the startled cries from both guards, my trick seems to have worked, and I wrench my arms to pull free. But as I try to break away, another surge of weakness takes over, even stronger than before, leaving me slumping forward. This time, the drain feels even worse than I anticipated, my body losing my balance immediately. “何？あなたはギャップの賢者と提携していますか？” The Guild Master yells something at me, and then, without warning, lands a solid punch to my stomach. The force makes me tremble, spilling what little food I’d managed to eat onto both of us. “志村さん大丈夫ですか？” I hear one of the guards ask, though his words are only barely registering through my dazed mind. “野郎、私の判決は追放だ、村から追い出してやれ,” the Guild Master commands. The blow, combined with hunger and mana exhaustion, leaves me almost unconscious. The guards grip my limp arms and start dragging me through the village, my body too weak to resist. Every step feels like an eternity, my senses dulled, as the effects of the mana drain, starvation, and physical abuse take their toll. “その場で殺さなかったことに感謝してください,” one of them mutters as they unceremoniously dump me onto the ground. I fall face-first, coughing up dust as I realize I’m no longer in the village, but somewhere deep in the surrounding forest. The sounds of their footsteps grow faint as they walk away. That village is a dead end, but hopefully I can find my way around to the next one, all I need to do is to find a trail and follow it. “Argh, my stomach… You’re all going to pay for this, you bastards. I swear it,” I mutter, clutching my torso. Struggling to focus, I can’t even recall which direction the guards went. Looking up, I barely make out the sun between the leaves above, it’s almost directly overhead, a bit tilted, which means its past midday. That direction should be west, so if I position myself… left hand to west, right is east, putting north at my front and south at my back. “When in doubt, move forward,” I say aloud, trying to distract myself from everything that just happened. Today has been one of the worst days of my life, no question. That village has got to be one of the most unwelcoming places in existence. Everyone there was suspicious or outright hostile, like over-superstitious villagers from some backwoods, definitively not the beginner’s town. Hopefully, I’ll stumble onto a main road, find a decent area to level up, and grind for experience. My skill doesn’t seem to be combat-focused, but I could probably use it to transport goods, maybe get a decent job that way. “Calling it ‘cheat skill’ all the time is getting old… maybe I should name it?” As I trudge forward, it’s getting harder to breathe, the air in this forest is heavier than it should be. “Maybe ‘Storage’ fits?” But it sounds so basic. After what feels like hours travelling, I stop, leaning against a tree to catch my breath. The hunger pangs are unbearable, but then I notice something: mushrooms growing on the tree next to me. The brown caps remind me of shiitake mushrooms, and in my desperation, I grab one and pop it into my mouth. As expected of someone who always nails Biology, Shiitake is the second most consumed mushroom in the world after all. +1 Max MP -1 HP Acquired the following statuses: Poisoned Hallucination “Aah… that’s better,” I say, feeling a burst of energy and rushing forward with renewed vigor. It’s exactly what I needed to get out of this forest. Soon, I reach the forest’s edge. In front of me, a wide, open field stretches as far as the eye can see, and, as if my prayers were finally answered by some god, six bluish, child-sized creatures are standing in a circle on the grass, not moving at all. “Slime! A grinding area. Time to level up!” I shout triumphantly. Summoning one of the spears I had stored earlier, I hold out my hand. “Inventory… no, maybe Kamui?” I cringe at my own attempt at a dramatic name, but it works. The spear materializes in my hand, and I march up to the nearest creature as it stands perfectly still. Slowing down a bit, I try to remember what I know about slimes, they are magical blobs that dissolve girl’s clothes, most importantly, their weakness is a core of the size of a tennis ball that lies inside the oozy part. “Die, foul creature!” I plunge the spear into it, the slimy body barely resisting as the spear strikes its core. The creature dissolves right before my eyes. “Huh? That’s it?” I look around, noticing none of them move. Apparently, they can’t perceive me without eyes. Dispatching the remaining slimes proves just as easy, and when I pierce the last one, a rush of energy surges through me. “There it is… Level up!” I feel a surge of energy, followed by a strange sensation. -1 HP I can’t keep the smile from blossoming in my face as from the corner of my eye, I spot a group of goblins wandering nearby. Perfect. Crouching down, I sneak up on them, hoping this might improve my stealth. Readying my spear, I approach one who seems to be communicating with its fellow green creatures. “Waaargh!” With a yell, I thrust my spear through one goblin, piercing him and then another who was standing directly in front of it. Apparently, the stealth skill is quite overpowered since their panicked friends doesn’t notice me crouched. Standing at my full height again, I swing the spear, crashing them into each other, the spear breaks in half as their bodies explode in a gory bath of blood. The last goblin tries to escape, but I throw the broken spear at him with all my might. It flies through the air, hitting its target dead-on. “AAAAAGH” Power flows through my veins as the experience is finally quantified and absorbed into my body, yellow aura flows out, cracking the ground near me, with my energy growing exponentially, I cry out with all my newfound power, unlocking my evolution: The Super Saiyan. -1 HP Breathing out in satisfaction, I decide to call it a day when I look at the bloodshed staining plains red, surprising enough, I was standing on a road all along and if I squint my eyes, I can barely make the shape of a town stretching away in the horizon “It’s finally time to settle down, the mysterious Town of Beginnings has been found” mentally patting my own shoulder for the job well done, I start moving along the road. While my newfound power allows me to fly if I want, I prefer to walk and enjoy the scenario around me, beautiful rainbow-colored flowers covering the sides of the road while the sun sets beautifully. Until my body leans forward and throws up a mixture of blood and bile. -1 HP “What… is this?” My voice trembles as I glance around, I notice that the previous rainbow flowers are, in fact, blood red, the vast plain around me is nowhere to be seen as dark trees with the occasional, purple colored cherry blossom tree dots the surroundings. Crawling forward, my hand brushes against something hard: a human skull, cracked and weathered. “きもい” Weakly, I look to my side as a figure watched from beneath the canopy, unnatural red eyes glaring at me as if I was a pile of trash. A moment after, the figure reveals themselves to be a beautiful woman as she steps out of the darkness, her dark hair, cut in a Hime style, was pocked with vegetation, her clothes, looked like an imitation of a druid outfit with laurel leaves adorning a robe of bay tree. “あなたは私が今まで見た中で最も嫌な人間の一人です、まだ誰もあなたを食べていないのも不思議ではありません” she sneers, holding her cute nose with both hands while looking down at me with disgust “Quit your yapping, Demon Lord, you are not fooling me.” I say, forcing myself to stand. My pulse quickens as I meet her gaze. This creature, probably the most beautiful beast I have ever seen, has to be the Demon Lord. Defeating her might be the key to getting back home. With a surge of determination, I grab the skull and hurl it at her, hoping to catch her off guard. “気が狂ってしまったのか？” The confused Demon lady says as the skull falls in front of her peacefully, not even touching her feet. -1 MP This is all a ruse however, as I run and pull my other spear from the storage, but I miscalculate. The mana drain makes me stumble, and I fall forward, straight into her chest. “手を離してよ、変態” she says with a disgusted expression, shoving me back. A second later, she’s kicking me repeatedly, her foot smashing into my battered body. -15 HP “You’re asking too much, Shimura-dono. I think he’s a lost cause,” Jun mutters, eyeing me with skepticism. “Don’t be so hasty,” the old man replies, dismissal in his voice. “He just doesn’t understand yet. How can he make peace with it otherwise?” Great. He’s doing it again. I grimace at the old fool’s tone, directed at the sinsack. Sure, maybe I spaced out longer than usual, but that’s on him for triggering my PTSD flashback. “Hey, you finally awake? Listen, Maruku, I think of you like my own ‘special’ kid, so why don’t you find something meaningful in this ‘unlife’ of yours instead of sulking?” “It’s Mark, not Maru or Maruku,” I snap. “Also, what were you two discussing?” “He asked me to take you along, Maru,” Jun chimes in, surprising me. Take me where? “You have heard the news, I assume?” With that, Jun probably alludes to the war between the Hakurei Republic and the Netherworld. “I’m enlisting,” Jun continues, “and came to say goodbye to Shimura-dono while I still can.” “And… he asked you to take me along.” “In short, yes.” I smile as I fly at the sinsack and take control of his body. “Sigh. You’re hopeless, old man,” I mutter, enjoying the rare sensation of physical form. Shimura just chuckles, taking his leave with a wave as if he’s somehow satisfied with this exchange. Descending this place proves itself to be a chore, normally I could just float down using my ethereal body but now I’m possessing a man, a naked man with a sack on his head but beggars can’t be choosers. “Why didn’t you say a proper goodbye?” Jun’s voice cuts into my mind again, nagging. “Shimura is not sentimental,” I reply flatly. “After all these years he spent ‘showing me the ropes’, he barely cares if I’m here or not.” Quite an irony, the hand that fed you is the same that beat you, as my father used to say. The walk to the Palace of Earth Spirits proves itself to be uneventful, the citizens of Old Hell barely glance at the naked sack-headed figure I have possessed, my presence goes unnoticed, a far cry from the stares I used to hate when I was alive. “You’re a terrible Vengeful Spirit, Maru-san,” comes Jun’s voice. “What?” “When a vengeful spirit like you possesses a youkai, you drain their energy. However, I’m not only fine but also talking to you right now. Doesn’t that tell you something?” He says, then my… his body stops moving immediately as he recovers his control over it. “Shimura warned me you couldn’t hold a proper grudge.” His voice takes on a tone of pity. “You don’t even hate the people who wronged you. In fact, you just hate that it all happened. Why?” “…” Quietly, I resume walking, MY body obeying my commands again as my simmering rage squishes the nuisance away, the Palace of Earth Spirits looms in the distance, beckoning. When we arrive, the ground rumbles as a towering figure emerges from the gates, exuding an aura so fierce it’s like standing before a wrathful deity. “Asura,” I mutter, acknowledging the figure with a nod. His massive form pauses, barely glancing at me, and then strides off as though I’m no more than an insect. Maybe he likes my rage and thus spared me, or maybe I’m too insignificant for him to care about. Seeing the familiar chequered floor does bring some memories, especially the floor windows, the architect who planned this place is surely a weird one. “Looks like you are calmer” The nuisance returns, but that doesn’t matter, I keep moving before realizing that I never bothered informing myself about this enlistment, hopefully, the queen won’t mind if I barge in her room. Before I reach her, a familiar Nekomata emerges from a nearby door, visibly exhausted. It makes sense, considering that an Asura was here before. “Miss Katt!” Jun shouts with unexpected excitement, wrestling control from me to wave like a complete fool. To her credit, she at least tried to sound polite as she tried to send Kuroshiro away but the sinsack was having none of that as he personally led her to an interview room in the corniest way possible. “Jun Kuroshiro, as a Warden, your duty is here in the Underworld. You can’t join me in the Hakurei Republic,” she explains curtly. “But Miss Katt! It’s war, I can’t just sit here and wait! What if you get hurt?” “Dude, she is literally worse Orin, how can you simp for her so hard?” I communicate, inside of our shared skull, which is apparently lacking a brain. Mina could only stare with pity as the mentally challenged sinsack, who was kneeling in front of her, begged to be allowed into the small party that would advance to war, until a familiar aura exuded from poor soul, the aura of a soul tormented by grudges, something that is not uncommon in the underworld, the aura of a Vengeful Spirit, but somewhat lacking at the same time. Standing on guard immediately, the Nekomata takes her whip as the Sinsack slowly stands at full height, crossing his arms, then a transparent form emerges from the back of the naked man, dressed in a dark blue uniform, the spiteful face of an unassuming youngster stares back at her, his left hand holds the nape of the sinsack while his upper torso tilts to the side, his right hand points directly to her face as he yells: “This is the expression of a loser, Mina Katt!” I would be breathless if I had lungs now, I was never fond of this cat and now she even dares to look at me this way, as if dealing with this simp wasn’t enough. Seeing my appearance as my upper torso pops out from Jun’s back, shocks her for a moment before she snorts and tries to hold a mocking smile, causing me to finally snap. Use your power to disarm her, this will surely wipe that expression from her face. “The Hand,” I yell, sweeping my right palm across the air. When it touches her whip, it vanishes, materializing safely in my dimensional pocket as I retreat back into my inferior fleshy vessel. “That’s more like it-urk!” My triumph is cut short as Jun’s hands turn traitor, strangling his own throat in protest. Just before I lose control, we hear a slow clap. *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* We both stop our internal conflict to look at Mina, she takes both a formulary and a pen, without even looking away from us, her stare is so piercing that I can feel it in my soul, almost like a cat who found a new toy. “Name?” she asks calmly, pen poised. “Jun Kuroshiro and Maru,” Jun says, mangling my name yet again. Maybe forever this time. “Why do you want to join this expedition?” “To understand…” I trail off, Shimura’s words echoing. He was right I’m a defective Vengeful Spirit who doesn’t even know his own resentment. “Hmm?” She raises an eyebrow, watching me. “I want to understand, Mina Katt. Only then will I find peace.” For the first time, I speak the truth. “I didn’t think you would be capable of acknowledging that, Mark.” Jun whispers in my mind, as I feel like a weight has been lifted from me. Wait, did he just pronounce my name correctly? “How much do you want to be compensated?” “Obviously, your hand in marr-.” Jun begins, but I throttle him before the cursed words fully escape. Without warning, our interviewer rises from her seat, a puzzled look at her face while staring at me, slowly, she raises her palm expectantly. Give her whip back, as much as you dislike her, you still need to pass the interview. I control Jun’s hand without resistance this time, maybe he knows my intentions or is merely that eager to touch her hand, her whip materializes the moment I hold her hand. “I look forward to working with you,” she says, turning to leave with that same calculating gaze. “haha, I’m in danger.” “haha, I’m in danger.” We both say at the same time after the door closes. Leaving the two of us alone. \------------------------------------------/ HP: 0 MP: 44 Nothing left to cripple Items & equipment: Jun Kuroshiro \------------------------------------------/ This means Stealth or Perception, originally, Maru was bad at it but his skills at hiding got much better after he lost his physical restrictions. This means using Knowledge as a way to solve problems, Maru's strongest skill due to his academic background but he loses some points due to lack of common sense. This means using Maru's racial traits, as a Vengeful Spirit, he lacks the restrictions of living beings, this skill also allows possession, which might open a new array of options depending on what creature he possessed. This means using diplomacy, Maru's worse skill as he was never a sociable person. This means using Mark's special skill, however, as the magic of Gensokyo has dissipated, it also signifies that overusing this abillity can be lethal to an incorporeal being. This means taking a break to recuperate and heal, not as useful to Mark as it is for his allies. "Mom taught me better", Good Karma choice, this is essential to help Mark understand his circumstances. Beware, this option might change him forever. "Dad used to say", Bad Karma choice, this is essential to help Mark understand his circumstances. Beware, this option might change him forever.

I've been here for one year that's a lot actually

This has been bugging me for a while now but I just want to see these two swap whatever they got on their arms and see how others around them would react.

sounds great! for the drawing website there's magma.com also we could make cool suggestions for cool drawings or animations and stuff... (totally not self promo) btw do you guys like speedcore?

Touhou in Malaysia Pages: 29 Release Date: May 3rd, 2024 (Reitaisai 21) By: Malaysian Touhou Brigade Source: MTB Facebook Post =========================== Touhou in Malaysia is a short historical doujinshi on the Touhou fandom in Malaysia, from Touhou fans forming their first cosplay group, to forming the group called Malaysian Touhou Brigade, which would organize many offline Touhou offline and online activities over the years. From the beginning, the book talks about the nature of the first organized Touhou group as a community group. While the group was focused on fighting games, due to Hisoutensoku’s influence, the books notes the friend connections the group made by both its gaming activities paired with its offline activities. Special note is made on AniManGaki for the 2012 expansion from university rooms to a convention center as a sign for the rise of anime in Malaysia, and for how AniManGaki uniquely focused on niche interest groups like Touhou. Speaking of growth, this fighting Touhou game group would eventually decide to take on the name of Malaysian Touhou Brigade, MTB for short, to include the more activities of Touhou fans partake in. In addition, MTB took advantage of their now large presence at conventions in activities they call as “Touhou Matsuri”, which can range from screening fighting game matches on the big screen to selling Touhou doujinshi. The latter half of the book focuses on how MTB was able to invite famous doujin members from Japan as guests for AniManGaki, noting that handling traveling logistics and giving their guests the best Malaysia experience was a team effort between AniManGaki and MTB. More interestingly, is mention of Touhou fans across Southeastern Asia, like Indonesia and Singapore, where Touhou fans traveled across countries in Southeastern Asia to meet artists like D. watt. After a short intermission on MTB’s online experience from 2020, the book ends on reflection with the community experience Touhou fans have created for each other, and noting the growth of offline Touhou events from across the world like TouhouFest 2024. === Thoughts === Reading the brief historical overview, it would appear what this book intended to show how dedicated a Touhou fan group can be. Selling doujin goods? Screening a NitorInc showdown? Organizing a Yuuhei Satellite concert? Having an online panel with ZUN? That a lot to take in for as someone living in the US, as there been never been a fan group to the extent of MTB’s level. But, I digress on the differences the US has on offline fan activities compared to Asia, and instead say that the Touhou fandom can grow. That what this short historical book tells me, even if that takes many years. I mean the impossible did happen in the US with the existence of TouhouFest, so I be more optimistic for where this fandom will be going in the future. Before I close off on this entry, I want to shout out kkcwkoh’s YouTube channel for having so many video recordings on MTB’s offline activities in one place. When I look for Touhou offline activities for a country like the US, I have to go across Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, DeviantArt, Maidens of the Kaleidoscope, and more to figure out what offline activities were done in the past. But for Malaysia, it is all organized into one Youtube channel, so check it out if you interested it seeing how high a Touhou fan group from outside of Japan can go to! Be sure to check out MTB’s Facebook and Twitter as well!

Disusedtopia Pages: 40 Release Date: October 16th, 2016 (Autumn Reitaisai 3) By: Kotoinari Disusedtopia is a full color illustration book that describes the memories of Kogasa Tatara while she lived in the care of family. Her memories recount the time she played with their daughter during rainy days by catching frogs. Those are the usual activities children do after all. Though, those were only a recounting of memories from over ten years ago ever since Kogasa was abandoned to the waste dumps. The rest of story is about Kogasa’s time at the Waset House which takes care of all sorts of abandoned objects. There, Kogasa plays with her new family – now composed of objects. This part was quite cute to read admittedly. Of course, nothing last forever, and so objects started to leave the Waset House as their caretaker took the objects to their “mother”. And this continued until Kogasa was the only one left. Alone again, Kogasa went to see the caretaker in secret. But she found the caretaker did not take objects to “mothers”, but rather sent them to the fiery blazes of of an incinerator. Upon being spotted, Kogasa ran out while the caretaker chased her, before tripping on her feet and setting the mansion in blazes. There was nothing left of the mansion aside from Kogasa. With no where to go, Kogasa was left on the streets again where Kogasa faded away with no left to take care of her. Admittedly, when I was ordering from Suruya-Ya, I would of preferred grabbing an older doujinshi of Kotoinari since his art style between the later half of 2016 and the end of 2017 was what I considered a transition period. His art style stopped using unique body shapes in flavor of a standard body shape, and colors begin to be much more saturated compared to the drab colors of before. But this was one of the only doujinshi available online, so I went with Disusedtopia. As for how I think of this doujinshi, I liked how the simple illustrations accompanied the story's text on the other pages. Made the each story beat impactful seeing how Kogasa has rise and fall in her situation. But most of the pages are filled with white space outside of Kotoinari’s art, making the doujinshi as a illustration book lose some flavor. However, if there is one area Kotoinari kept consistent in this transition period, it is how he tackles topics. In my mind, this story tells the experience of an orphan through Kogasa, and the Waset House is simply an orphanage for objects. Think of objects as children in the sense that they cannot act on their own without “parental care”, thus abandoned objects can be viewed as orphans when their “parents” stop using the objects. In Kotoinari’s story, an orphan has little options to go to aside from going to an orphanage or to sleep on the streets. And both options as shown by Kotoinari, are undesirable for the potential abuses, or the lack of help respectably. It is bit of a twist on the caretaker role Kogasa in the original canon and shows the true horror of Kotoinari; his ability to twist Touhou around non-Japanese topics in a bit of a satirical sense. Before I finish this entry, searching up the name Waset pulls up result the Egyptian city of Thebes, which was also known as Waset. Though, I can only say there is a relation in the sense that Kotoinari picked a name with Western roots. And I doubt the name is related to the predatory academic publisher WASET which has held fake conferences in the name of artificially boosting one’s credit in the scientific world. Then again, a Touhou doujinshi featuring Okazaki Yumemi finding herself in a fake conference in an attempt to prove her research is real sounds like the sort of topics Kotoinari would target for.

Wages in Gensokyo We have in brief gone over the monetary system used in Gensokyo. One consistent question from Outsiders however is, what should be considered a 'living wage' in Gensokyo. Alas, such things are not so simple in this world. Most forms of work in Gensokyo are manual labor. Farming, fishing, wood cutting. These occupations seldom make enough money to compensate workers in cash. Typically they are instead payed in food or wares, which can then be bartered or traded for coin or other goods. Often, your employer will also furnish food and living arrangements for their employee. Though this may be as simple as a blanket in a warm corner of the house or a loft, to a spare bedroom. Provisions and bedding vary from employer to employer, and the onus is often on the worker to decide if their situation is acceptable. The Otherworldly Ventures Division of Labor exists as a source of relief however for any possible wronged individuals. In return for a small service fee (equal to your last week's pay), we will happily determine if your present living situations are acceptable, and negotiate with your employer. We also are able to find you positions elsewhere in our network (for a fee equal to half a week's wages for the first month). Otherworldly Ventures employs and has connections to everything from farmers to merchants and temples. There is sure to be a job that fits YOU in Gensokyo! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= “Ohohoho, it looks like you useless kami can’t decide what this loser should do! Never fear, Jo’on is here to guide you. Heads, he is headless! Tails he has the blue fairy do his dirty work. The Ryu, please.” *ting* “Heads! Hope his comes off.” =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The rumbling from behind him was growing louder. Wood splintering as the lanky beast tore after him. Its oversided fist smashing through the floor. Oscar tried to ignore it. His gaze remaining on the door to the kitchen. “Cirno, Wriggle, I’m going to throw you up to Agappa. You two stay up there until I deal with this guy.” “W-what?” The question spilled from Cirno’s lips with surprising earnestness. Her eyes, still ringed with frozen tears, gazed up at him. Her small hands grasping at his jacket. “You can’t do that Osu! I’ve already lost a friend. I don’t...I can’t…” “Hey, its okay.” He replied. The welling tears in her eyes made him glad he was such a good showman. Oscar doubted he could lie to a friend’s crying face. He smiled broadly, even managing a wink. “I’m Oscar Diggs, the great and powerful. Nothing can go wrong when I’m around.” Wriggle let out a huff. Cirno looked almost ready to start sobbing again. “Do you promise?” “I promise I will be back.” The reassurance in his voice fooled even him as he heaved his arms up. Throwing either of the two smaller girls towards the rafters, where overhead Agappa gazed with bleary eyes. Wriggle drifted upwards effortlessly. Cirno floated in place, gazing down with nervous eyes as Oscar dove into the kitchen. The beast in hot pursuit… The door thudded loudly as it shifted behind him. The door of rotted wood doing little to reassure him of his safety. In an instant, he threw himself into securing the doorway. A piece of firewood rammed into the sliding frame. Heavy earthen pots filled with scents he dared not think about slid into place. Scarcely a moment too soon. The lumbering thing rammed against the door, scarcely holding. With a few moments to himself, his eyes cast around the space, scrambling as he pulled his phone from his pocket. 18% power. Just enough for this stunt. Plugging in the appropriate add-on, he glanced around the room. Finding what he wanted more by the acrid scent of rotting meat than any logic. The piece of dried meat was beginning to age, but even the rot on it was not as strong as the air around it. This would do nicely… All he had to do was record. The door splintered. Shuddering on its frame before it fell away. The formidable shape elbowing its way through the door. Before him, the cocksure wizard stood. A willful smile on his face. “The monster at last arrives, to face the champion of legend.” “Silence! I will hang you by your neck!” The smile on his face, if anything, seemed to grow wider. Even as the lumbering thing drew nearer, he spread his arms to either side. “But Mister Youkai...I have no neck.” A low, soft but growing laugh escaped his lips at those words. His head in its top hat began to sway, shifting unnaturally from side to side. Until it seemed to fully detach. His curly brown hair swaying with the motion, revealing a mass of putrid dried meat where his neck should have been. The beast stared with its yellow eyes, the red and orange ones closed for now. Gazing at the face drifting overhead. That laugh of his ringing in his ears. The monster raised a hand, shaking just a little as he did, before grasping at the figure. Only to see his fingers move straight through it. Oscar’s laughter redoubled as the monster turned. Sprinting from the room in alarm. The room was still for a moment, before Oscar stepped from a darkened corner of the room, where his cloak had been wrapped around him. He sighed with relief as he gathered up his phone, the mobile projector beside it still glowing as his laughing face faded. The youkai and fairy watched form their perch overhead as the monster lumbered into the room. A moment later, it came sprinting from the kitchen. Its orange eyes closed, the yellow and red looking around in sudden fright as it fled towards the darkened halls. A moment later, Oscar emerged. One hand brushing at his cape. Cirno descended, happiness etched into her finer features. Wriggle, at least, did not look completely displeased. Agappa had her same expression as usual. “O-Osu! Are you okay? That youkai didn’t eat you did he?” “Hmph, why didn’t you destroy him?” “Nice to see you’re alive too Wriggle.” Despite Wriggle’s renewed hostility, Oscar found he couldn’t stop smiling. His hand rose. Brushing affectionately at Cirno’s hair even as Agappa slid down to join them. “Now little ladies, I think its time we get out of here.” “Bright thinking, Mister Great and Powerful. How are we going to do that?” That...was a good question. And that Youkai was still in here somewhere... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= What next? =Welp, best way out is how we came in. = There's a window here in the kitchen. Maybe we can slip out that way. = Wriggle's insect friends bring news of a hidden tunnel under the house. = I still don't see why we can't just break through a wall.