Gri

Greetings. Fairly straight-forward chapter. Nothing much to say about it, so let's get to the choices: Sending Ichibaki (nice nickname btw) on a scouting mission would be a bit risky, knowing there's other youkai in there who could very well use Ichibaki as an improvised soccer ball if they find her. I don't think Sekibanki, even though she often uses her heads, would carelessly put one in unnecessary danger, especially after nearly losing one. I am not sure about Kogasa having Moriya's ofuda. Unless I am wrong, Kogasa hangs out at the Myouren temple, and neither Moriya nor Hakurei Shrine. But, let's assume she does, I doubt the ofuda would work as expected. Both are from the same religion (but different gods), so it's not like they necessarily cancel each other out. Or perhaps the idea for Kogasa to directly stick the Ofuda onto herself to trick the ones on the doors of the mansion? Unless she trained to resist it, it should be fairly painful for a Youkai to do this (Those are used by Reimu as weapons for Youkai Extermination, after all). Flying above would be the quickest option to reach Oscar without fooling around (and they might notice that someone entered from there already). I do like the idea of Kogasa and Sekibanki trying to convince a human to open the door. Kogasa is know to get sad easily, so I can totally see her "fake-crying" to beg for help to find her "missing" pet. Not sure how Sekibanki would do in this case. Sounds like she got too much pride to ask for help. And that's if we suppose this is a simple nameless human passing by (it could be a named character). Problem is: The fortune teller house is cursed, so normal people wouldn't dare approach it, and named characters that goes into the village (Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, Keine, Kosuzu) also know of the danger and would be suspicious of any one trying to get in (though Marisa might use this opportunity to take a look for treasure). I'll go for the "convince human" option for now. May change for the "flying" option later

Greetings, First of all, congrats Yumetou . It's been 1 year since you've started posting this story (Time sure flies). Thank you for keeping this going for so long. Here's to more adventures. Now, for this week chapter, while some intros spoil a little what will happen in the chapter, I feel the one for this week ruined the twist a little. Still, I am happy about the result, and so far I like what little insight we got for Houdini's rescuer (good timing too, I just finished Kubinashi Recollection for the 2nd time). In canon, we mostly see Aya and Mamizou going in and out of the village as they please, and both belong to very dominant youkai species, so seeing the perspective of weaker youkai living in the village could be refreshing (although in your story, we already saw Team9 studying at school, but they are kid, so I don't expect them to do much else in the village compared to an "older" youkai). Also, yet why is there a head in there exactly? To keep watch on the food in case someone tries to steal it ? Or maybe to give a passerby a good scare there's a quick opportunity to get "faith"? Anyway, the choices: I like the choice presented: more consequence-free than usual, so we can choose what "vision" we want to learn more about the past (dream of best friend), the present or the future (all the other options) . Despise this opportunity, I am drawing a blank here. The "best friend" option seems the most straight-forward one, so I would go for one of the others to learn more about what is going on currently (or what could happen). Pretty similar to what I would have written, so I won't bother detailing my theories. I wasn't sure what "Afflicted" meant at first, but my hunch was Wriggle. While I would enjoy seeing Team9 again, I don't think it will move the plot forward a lot. We know that Team9 is in danger, but we are powerless to do anything other than watch the situation gets worse (unless Keine notice something's wrong, but I wouldn't bet on that). I would avoid that one. Its sad we only got one choice, but those are the rules. As for "Stranger's Self-Loathing", I got nothing and haven't though of Rumia. I am really not sure about what this choice could mean (somehow, I have some doubts it concerns Rumia), but it sounds grim (I am most curious about that one). "Witch's strings" does sound like Alice, but she wasn't introduced yet. Like you said, it could be a change in perspective, so we could see Marisa talking about the stranger she met at the village. Yet, if it's really about Alice/Marisa, then this feels like another the start of another plot thread. I think it's better to keep it simple, so I would avoid this one too So either "best friend" or "stranger" .... As you said, "best friend" could be an opportunity to learn more about Oscar previous life. I would go with this one for now. Oscar already had a bad dream last time (meeting the Shinigami), so I would spare Houdini and avoid it getting a bad dream about "someone self-loathing". Vote for whatever you wish. My vote this week is not one of confidence.

Congrats on the Lunatics and the NNs. Always nice to see another player enjoy touhou. I am afraid, however, that since I have already cleared all games with all shot-types on Lunatic (minus the alternative endings of TD and LoLK, and minus GFW hard/lunatic) + Extra with at least one shot-type, it is very unlikely I will go check your channel. I've only checked a few runs for some of the game to see if they were some tricks (UFO MarisaB and DDC SakuyaB, for example), but now that I have cleared all games, I no longer need to learn any tips/tricks. As for gameplay tips, I can't really give you any since if you are playing Lunatic, then you must have already mastered the shumps fundamentals. At high difficulty, it really becomes about reflexes, since you already know which manoeuvre to apply to which situation (minimal movement, quick dash to the side, stream, cross-stream, misdirect, etc...). So, I wish you good luck and hope you'll keep having fun chasing those missing 1CCs .

This is fine. I wasn't really talking about which characters I am hoping for in each option, but more trying to guest who could be there to make a more informed choice. Feel free to ignore my thoughts, especially if you have nice surprise in stock, then I definitely won't be disappointed.

Greetings. Wow, I was not expecting a new entry during the busy end of year holidays. What a nice surprise. Let me read that real quick.... poor Oscar , left completely alone . Still, it's not over yet. We must choose who could meet Houdini and notice rabbit's odd behaviour. The "medicine stall" is an obvious choice, since Reisen will immediately notice something's wrong with the rabbit (and while Tewi don't go to the village as far as I know, she might assist Reisen from time to time). If Reisen were to end up helping Oscar, it could make for a nice new dynamic. Reisen is usually not very friendly to humans (she does her job, but that's it). So far, only Keine was not immediately kind to Oscar (excluding Yokai that tried to eat him), and even then once she knew he was an outsider, she showed kindness. So, Oscar dealing with someone who doesn't like human (a bit different from Wriggle) would feel different. The "temple at the north". No expert on Gensokyo's geography, but would that be the Myouren Temple? I guess any beast youkai there could notice the rabbit, so that would mean either Nazrin, Shou, Kyoko(is she a beast? I don't think Yamabiko are beasts, but she has some beast features). Shou wouldn't leave the temple like that (unless ordered by Byakuren), and I doubt Nazrin would just chase after the rabbit, unless she believes it leads to treasure (she could double check with her dousing rods, then get a reaction due to the fortune teller's books). Her interaction would be similar to Reisen's, except Nazrin is even more unfriendly (tends to look down on others) The "rental library" would be Kosuzu or one of her regular visitors (so, Reimu, Marisa, Mamizou, Akyuu, maybe Aya). Oh! Maybe Marisa's when there to decipher the book she stole from Oscar Crap. Bad memory. She only stole his wallet. Aya would wait for someone else to follow the rabbit, then snap picture of whatever happens. Akyuu wouldn't go out, not sure if Kosuzu would (from memory, I think she more the type to tell Reimu/Marisa/Mamizou if something weird happens). The "tavern", so Miyoi or one of her visitors (Marisa, Mamizou, Suika, Aya). Suika wouldn't care (and she wouldn't be here anyway cause is the afternoon and she doesn't disguise herself unlike Mamizou and Aya). Mamizou is a beast youkai and could send a few tanuki to investigate. I already mentioned it, but her scheming nature could go well with Oscar who is also a trickster. This could be an early introduction for the two, and it could become a form of rivalry or maybe Mamizou would become an antagonist who want to expose Oscar's tricks (but for that to work, he would have to be more popular at the village. Right now, he's just the latest stranger to join the village). Finally, the "Heida Temple" would be Keine or Team9. I can kinda see Wriggle trying once more to convince Cirno to not worry about Osu, but Cirno is being more insistent now that Houdini is there. The two arguing could get the attention of Keine, who would interogate them and then quickly go in to save Oscar, scolding all of them for going to such a dangerous place. Those are my theories, but which one sounds the more appealing ? The library is out, and introducing Mamizou this early could work if she becomes important later, but I would go for anything more that a short introduction right now. Between Reisen and Nazrin options, I guess I would go for Nazrin (a less popular choice so it would feel different than usual). I do like my Heida temple theory, but this is something that could happen as soon as Oscar comes back for the night anyway (unless he go rest somewhere else). This is the end of the year, so I want to wish Yumetou and everyone a Happy New Year .

Nice work on the article. I've just finished it. While economic isn't my cup of tea, I took a look out of respect for all your efforts. Oddly enough, they are many things that didn't surprise me in this article, even though I know nothing about Doujin. For example, a "hype" period that had a quick grow (lots of events, lots of circle), followed by a period where people struggle to maintain that "hype" (less event or more expensive, less circle). Although I will say the hypothesis about university Doujin circle is interesting, and seeing how events compete to "survive" was something I hadn't though about. Then there's, well, Covid which unsurprisingly broke everything, though it's somewhat good to see that Touhou fans prefer Offline events over Online (I mean, there's so little opportunity to meet and talk to other fans IRL. Replacing offline events by online would be a real shame). I was expecting a faster recovery after Covid, but that just shows how hard it is to host those events. Good work again

Greetings. As I said before, I usually don't take into account the info in the chapter intro useless it is relevant to something that has happened. I am one of those people that though she was suddenly more mean than usual. That aside, the only "tsundere" part that I remember is from chapters way back, where Wriggle choose sit next to Oscar at Mystia's place (yet still act as if she didn't wanted to when they were other places, since she quickly move when Aggapa comes). She also chose to accompany Oscar to the manor, but my guest is more she doesn't want Cirno to get into trouble or get hurt cause she cares about her (not exactly cause she can't trust Oscar). Not really interested in the whole "tsundere" stuff, but just one moment isn't enough for me to write fer off as an annoying tsundere. I am patient on that, but I should have been more patient before thinking she was too angry, especially when it could be reasonable for her to be angry, given the situation with Rumia. On the other hand, she did choose to help Oscar, rather than preventing Cirno from accompanying him, so she had to care at least a little about Oscar (which is where I though she was suddenly going a bit far). I try to post every time you do (It's the less I can do to show I care about this story), but sometime I may post too quickly and not think things through, or post too late and miss some details. I am usually far more patient than that. Ah-ah, I said the mystery about her weird negative feelings was solved, not that they are in the clear. I do think that, even if Aggapa has a hard time speaking clearly, she can at least tip-off Oscar about something being weird with Wriggle, which would cause him to be more careful. Yeah, this week chapter. Team9 is in danger, oh no ! Aggapa might be left alone, cause the Yama's agents might do something bad to the Inugami if it harm one of them, but the rest are in trouble. As for Oscar, nice to see he can think clearly despise the situation he's in (yeah the readers choice affect that). I do think at that point he should start feeling a bit more scared, especially if that monster comes back. Him outright panicking wouldn't do, but maybe having him talk to Houdini would help him calm down and figure something out. My bet is the exit is in the ground, but I can only vote for one thing. Last week, I somehow confuse "cellar" with "attic". Keep up the good work.

Greetings, This was a nice surprise. Thank you for working on this despise being busy travelling. Very appreciated. Well, the mystery about Wriggle weird negative feelings got "solve" much quicker than I was expecting. She is clearly possessed, thanks Aggapa, certainly makes up for being completely powerless in the dark mansion. It's her time to shine . What will happen next? Will "Wriggle" try to get rid of Aggapa the hard way? Or will she manipulate Cirno's into leaving Aggapa behind? Will the dumb Cirno be smart enough to notice something is wrong? Will Oscar join them just in time to save Aggapa? Or will he meet another obstacle, crawling in the dark cellar waiting for a prey to step into its trap? Eagerly await the next one.

Greetings, Once more, I wish you a swift recovery. It's really bad to heard you'll have to do such a long trip (please, don't tell me you're going from somewhere like South-West USA to North-East Canada. That's almost a whole week of driving). I hope you'll find a way to enjoy your travels. Nay, nay. I do not dislike Team9, I actually quiet enjoy them, especially in this story. All the characters in Team9 have their role, expect for Mystia that feels a bit "too much" in the group, having a similar role to Dai (the kind-hearted, always ready to help but less brave than the others). It's not that I want to get rid of Team9, it's just I like when a story have characters going their separate ways then reuniting. It makes for a more interesting plot than having a fixed "party" from start to finish, and I think Team9 did their job at establishing their weakness to "spiritual" youkais (which shows the contrast between their weakness and Oscar strength, whose wits can trick that kind of youkai). As for Wriggle (in this specific story, as I don't care much about the original barely relevant stage 1 boss Wriggle), I would say I like how she's portrayed, even though sometime she acts like a typical "tsudere" (perhaps not the best term). She acts like this cause human dislike insects so she's bitter about them yet she knows "that's how things are", but on the other hand she kinda wish things weren't like that (especially seeing how her friends can easily approach humans), so she approach Oscar but is never able to bring herself to not be mean to him. That's mostly my interpretation so far, but she might also be truly suspicious of Oscar with Rumia's disappearance given the last few chapters. Speaking of those: I re-read a few chapter back. While it isn't 100% stated that Wriggle is cursed, there's a chance she is (usually, the intro describe a youkai that will appear in this chapter or has appeared. Usually, I am waiting for the chapter to show the youkai before assuming the intro is relevant, but in this case, the Inugami might have been invisible). Thank you for sharing this insight. Now it got more interesting, cause we can't say for sure whether those bad feelings are truly hers, or whether an invisible Youkai possessed/cursed her in the manor. And if she is under a spell, then how will it evolve? I eagerly await the answer.

Greetings. Thank you for the chapter this week. I wish you a swift recovery. I really liked how the choice were done in this one. At first, I wasn't exactly fond of Wriggle being angry at Cirno being friendly with Oscar, but from her point of view he IS suspicious (I didn't get the impression Cirno was more friendly than usual with Oscar, but him being an outsider + Rumia disappearing makes sense), but I like how it turned out: Oscar scaring the Youkai away to allow Team9+Aggapa to flee, and Wriggle decide to help Oscar despise her feelings. That said, I am not sure why Aggapa would leave Oscar side, but I'll be patient on that. For the choices, I had a good laugh at two of em: "If I confront it directly and fool it twice more, maybe it will stop?", in other words "Hit the bosses weakpoint (the eyes) 3 times to win". What is this, a Zelda game ? I am joking of course. The other one where the girl distract the Youkai from the outside safely reminds me and my friend playing Phasmophobia, where sometime one person gets trapped in the house with the Ghost, while all the others just yell at the ghost or laugh at the poor guy through the windows (The ghost can't leave the house, so the people outside are 100% safe). I would go with that option, since I think it's the most prudent one, but I think Team9 leaving the story now (for this "arc" anyway) would be best. So the next most prudent one would be to prepare a trick, then slowly head to the cellar, and use that trick in case Oscar encounter the Youkai.

Greetings. This delay allows me time to comment on last week chapter. Frankly, I don't have much to say. I did think simply throwing a flash-bomb would have made things a bit boring, so of course I got a bit less interested in that chapter (no worries. That's the rule of the game). But at the very least, Oscar got to trick the Youkai with a magic trick, so that's nice. Now, for this week, I voted for going out through the window, since it's probably the safest option (no need to wander further, and I doubt the window is somehow a trap). Going through the tunnel did cross my mind, but I am afraid it would stretch this "arc" a bit too much. I don't expect the plot to evolve considerably until we find out what's in those book (unless something unexpected is coming )

Keyboard. Personal preference.

Greetings. Do not feel bad about having a more horror vibe, it is very fitting, and having a variety of moods help to keep a story fresh. Besides, it is not the first time, the early chapter were very tense. And we are in spooky month, so it fits . A new Youkai, yay! I think I know which one it is, but I have forgotten the name. Is it the one that make people want to commit S then it hang a lock of it hairs (shaped like a rope with a knot) so that they give in and K themselves? I don't remember if they had many eyes though (Oh, so that's what Aggapa saw. Meaning she'll be useless against it) The options now, I doubt talking to that Youkai would work, unless Oscar convince the Youkai that Wriggle and Cirno can't be hanged since they can fly, but then the Youkai might want Oscar to hang as well. Maybe there's a magic trick where Oscar can levitate, making the Youkai leave in disappointment. Hey, that's might not be a bad idea after all . Though if it is the Youkai I am thinking, Oscar would need some kind of protection, or else he could be manipulated into committing S (oh, potential tension, I like the idea more and more, especially given Oscar might have S before to end up in Gensokyo) Reading a random spell from the grimoire sounds pretty funny, but it could be the beginning of Oscar turning into a real magician (Him being a "fake" magician may be one of the reason he ended up in Gensokyo, cause people lost faith even in "fake" magic. Doubt it, but possible). Flashbomb could be effective, but a bit boring if you ask me. Asserting the situation for hints as to what's keeping the Youkai trapped could work, but Wriggle and Cirno are in danger. Well, turns out I'll change my vote.

Greetings. First off.... Don't try to deny it. You have wasted a perfect opportunity to troll Yumetou: after a very close vote where we had to break the tie with luck, now everyone voted for the same thing. Everyone, except you who wanted to be SO different. Bah, we have more pressing matters now. So, turns out Oscar can't read Japanese (how could have I forgotten this simple fact). Gathering books/text left by the fortune teller might be useless after all. And turns out I was right about Agappa being scared of "eyes", too bad it was useless to Oscar, as he still don't understand what scared her exactly. Our options now, going to the study would probably be useless, unless the fortune teller had some plan/formula written down (Oscar can't read them, but if he left only a few behind it can be manageable). The storeroom could contained potential cursed artifact, but since there currently does seem to be any danger Oscar can go (he can run if things go south). Regrouping is also an option, but it hasn't been that long since the group entered the building, so checking up on them won't be of much use (unless Oscar is worried about them). I'll go with the storage room for now, to explore the place a little more until Oscar find something more promising, or runs into something dangerous, or half of Team9 does something stupid. Bullet hell aren't that bad difficulty wise. Don't let the Lunatic gameplay scares you from trying the game, that's what difficulty levels are for (It's like rhythm games. Nobody's born a pro, so there's no shame playing lower difficulty first, then increasing it if you enjoy the challenge). Bullet hell is a very unique genre that I recommend anyone to try at least once (especially Touhou fans so that they at least experienced the game that spawn character/lore/music they are so fond of. Demo are available for the latest games, so money isn't an excuse, and a full game last ~30-40m so time isn't an excuse either). The goal of the game and the controls are extremely simple compared to more modern game, so it's very quick to learn how to play those (just make sure to read up the short introduction that's on this site to learn the basics). It's not for everyone, so no big deal if you don't like it, but it's an experience that deserve to be tried.

Greetings. A short'n'sweet chapter this week. I totally forgot about the Coin Flip when there's a draw and both options cannot be done. Now, Aggapa being scared is certainly a first. If I remember correctly, according to the Youkai she's based on, she should be scared of things with many holes in it (due to her bad eyes, she confused them for eyes watching her), but I doubt that's a mere doors full of holes would cause that kind of reaction. Fitting reaction for Cirno to enthusiastically accept her mission, but Wriggle "thank you" was a funny addition, as is "thanks for not making me team up with the freak" + "thanks for letting me keep an eye out on my clumsy friend". While I would be all for exploring the house further, I think giving Aggapa the chance to talk a bit more may help her grow as a character. So far, she's been the silent-mysterious girl who seems unfazed by anything. Having her talk about her fear (or failing to do so) should help cause tension as well as make her and Oscar closer friend (right now, they are pretty much companion out of necessity. Aggapa stalks Oscar cause of her job, Oscar keeps her around cause he'd be alone otherwise) Hello to you. I am not a master Jedi, but I am almost a veteran Lunatic player (I just have UFO MarisaB to clear, and I will have cleared every game with every shoot-types on Lunatic. Any day now). Would that suffice?

You're not the only one. Though I have voted last week, I've been meaning to write a post yet never took the time. My apologies for disappearing. So, let's start over... Greetings. Not much to add over what kymoh already said: We couldn't pass the chance to see the Indian Rope Trick a 2nd time. As for the vote this time, an interesting one, much like the one where we got to choose where Oscar would start his search. Now, I voted Wriggle not because I think she'd make a great team with Oscar over Cirno or Aggapa, but because Cirno & Aggapa together could be very funny. EDIT: I'd argue that Aggapa would be an interesting in this case, cause she's already with Oscar 24/7, so she'll get her moments to shine (for instance, the poem she spoke when seeing Marisa).

Honestly, this is a very weird take. This is just flat out wrong. Continues do not remove any of the challenge, as the moment you use one, you've lost. Continues are merely a way to switch from "real run" to "practice run" organically without kicking the player back to the main menu. It does make "seeing all of the game" too easy (I have heard this take before), but the real challenge comes from mastering the game. Without continues, the player would be forced to "die'n'retry" from the beginning every time, only to die at a spell that they didn't know about cause they died in their last run early. It just makes the game more unfair at first cause the player doesn't know what to expect, but when the players get close to the end, then there's barely any difference between continues and no-continues. Currently, the games are doing that for Extra stages, and those have the most tricky spell cards. Without continues, it's a real pain to start over the stage every time, only to die either at the same spell, OR the next one because you didn't know that to expect. I'll say arcade game are a bit weird, cause you need to play through the game once in order to know what are the obstacles so that you can beat the game on you next go. Making the obstacle easier to react to or less tricky would "fix" this, but also remove a lot of the charm of those games. If the player doesn't care about getting the good or bad ending, then that's the same as saying the player doesn't care about winning or losing. In that case why play? The only case I can think of is people playing casually, and those are the type to use continues cause they just want to play as long as possible. If you care about winning and getting the good ending, then you will be using them as a mean of practice OR you won't use them at all (making practice probably more painful for you, but that's your choice). The moment you use one, you've lost. The game IS forcing you to win without continues. When you end the game with continues, you don't win (hence the bad ending and lack of Credit Roll), you've just practice all of the stages back to back. The challenge is the same. Let me tell you that when you reach Stage6 on Lunatic with few lives and your close to 1CC, the tension is very high, because continues do not count as a victory, so those few lives are all you have to achieve victory. Continues do not factor into the possibility of winning. I only use them as a metric to see how close I was to victory, and as a way of seeing how much practice I need (If I only used 1, then very close. If I used 2-3, it was a bad run. If 5 or more, need more practice) That would be an improvement, but merely holding Ctrl for 5sec to fast-forward the bad ending will solve your issue (it really is that fast). They are many other more important thing Zun could add to the game, such as a Practice Mode on par with Thprac. I've never seen anybody saying continues are for noobs. The Tewi meme only mention "Easy Modo", and I've never seen any version of that meme that mention continues. The people that makes fun of noobs are morons that should be ignored. I am playing Lunatic (and 2 years ago, I was struggling on Normal like any other new player), and I've yet to see another Lunatic player making fun of Easy/Normal player. If anything, pro-players will be happy that more people are trying the game. I am sure most Lunatic players have started playing on Easy/Normal before e. Nuking the continues system for morons like that will just make the game less enjoyable for many people, and I am pretty sure these fake elitists aren't even playing the game. That's what the games pre-MoF were doing. It had the annoying drawback that Zun had to make a very vague bad-ending, cause otherwise it would spoil the story to the player (Example: Marisa being stuck in Makai at the end of UFO when she fails to defeat Byakuren. If the players die at stage 2, Makai and Byakuren are complete unknown to the player, so the ending wouldn't make sense at all. If Zun changed it where the treasure ship is still flying in Gensokyo, then it doesn't make sense if the player reached that ship on Stage4). Yes and that's what you should be doing if that's what you prefer. The default settings in a video game are made to fit the majority of player. Just select "no" when being prompt to continues. The only way I can see this being improved is that there's an option to disable continues in the settings, so that if you commit to play a run without continues, then you cannot go back on your choice. By default, continues would be enabled, and only very few player that don't want to bother choosing "No" on the continue screen would be able to disable them.

If you've already played a few of the games, I recommend reading the game manual. They aren't long to read, and you'll be sure the information is accurate (unlike watching Memories of Phantasm, which is made by fans and has a lot of made-up stuffs from "fanon". THe chronology is also all over the place in the anime. You go from 7 to 6 (flashback) to 12 (teaser) to 9.5 to 9 to 12.3 to 8 to 10. Few explanation as to who's who, I can only recommend to people already familiar with the games). Starting from Touhou 7, the game manual have more detailed background for important characters (a lot of which is not mentioned in the actual game at all. Mokou's story is way more complex in the manual than in the game). You can find the translation on the wiki if I am not mistaken. If not, you can find them on the translation site: https://www.thpatch.net/wiki/Th07#Outside_the_game. It's the characters settings.txt file (sometime, it's in the omake.txt file). Reading the mangas is fine. I don't have particular recommendation. Characters will pop-in and out, but you should be able to follow. After that, you could read the wiki, but personally I recommend saving this for last. While the wiki has a lot of information (including from obscure print-works), it's also the most boring way to discover the characters and the world.

Regarding Touhou 20's story, I doubt we'll see more of the beast realm. The plot is kinda finished at the end of Touhou 19. We've seen the big boss of hell, so I don't think it can get any higher. I don't really have theories as to what the story could be about, but I know it will be related to Zun recent thoughts in life (like 18 was based of market being empty during Covid). There might be hints in the ongoing manga (hopefully it won't be about AI). Gameplay-wise, there's probably going to be some heavy RNG involved. Touhou 18 had it with the cards, 18.5 (even as a spin-off) had them and had random waves and I've heard 19 wasn't supposed to look like 9 initially (maybe it was only 1 screen, and you survive a long random stage with the boss popping up a few times). What's sure though is that the going to be a new mechanic to get bombs/lives. I think it's going to be 4 characters like usual. Touhou 10 is a bit of a special case. And with the number of playable character we have now, reducing the number of character only reduce the potential for story-telling. It could be teams of character like IN (it's the 20th anniversary of IN soon), so maybe Zun will make a small homage (I doubt it, but it's possible). Maybe a spin-off where you play as Muzuchi, like another ISP? That'd be nice. Like, instead of cheat items, you possess a character to gain their ability (though this might end up just being ISP but with multiple shot-types. ). Who knows, maybe the next side-game going to be a HRtP game ? Let's not expect Zun to stop Touhou when it reached a round number (like 20 or 25). He doesn't seems to be the type to care about "normal" and "common sense" (and it this case, that's a good thing).

Greetings. I don't really have much to add that Kymoh hasn't already said for this week's chapter, other than "great job". It's cool to see Kimiko again, and this scene helps establish that Oscar isn't safe just because he got in the village. It's a bit the same for the scene with Keine, but Keine is more suspicious of him that outright hostile. Trying to impress a group of people with one big introduction + magic might have worked, but I doubt Oscar would want to try that again with the stern Keine who doesn't seem to buy his bluff. A simple introduction will do (Keine might react favourably if she learns who Oscar "friends" are, or she might be more suspicious if she learns he came from Muenzuka. No sure if Keine knows about the significance of this location in canon, but regardless it's a dangerous place and any "magician" coming from such a place could be bad news for the villagers) I don't agree with this. Sure, a long entry might turn off people who haven't started reading the series, but once they start reading it and taking an interest, I don't think they'll mind. If anything, longer entries can spend more time to describe the characters feelings, the small actions they do, and smaller details about the environment (all of which contribute to build the ambience). Better entries means more chance to keep people hooked.

1. When did you get into Touhou? Present (17.5, 18, 18.5, 19) ~ 2021-2024 2. What made you first interested in Touhou? Social influence, I think? (often heard about people from Ys and Etrian Odyssey saying Touhou had great music, and I knew they were shumps. Decided to give the fan-game Scarlet Curiosity, an Ys clone, a shoot) 3. What made you stay with Touhou? The official games. The gameplay of shumps is very addicting. Not sure how long I'll stick around once I am done with the games on Lunatic, but I'll definitely keep my eyes open for any interesting fan-games, as well as new official games. 4. What level of fanbase do you like to interact with? Medium. This site and a private discord. Not much interaction really, this is the first time I really take the time to chat online with others. 5. How familiar are you with Touhou lore and story? Above average, but I am against "wiki-reading" cause it's boring, so I know about all the games plots, some of the mangas 6. Do you think Touhou is the hardest bullet-hell game? Clearly not. I didn't play that much yet, but Ikaruga's on Easy is far harder than any Touhou game on lunatic. Getting extra lives is hard (you need to kill 3 ennemies of the same color to increase the "chain" counter, and keeping that counter high is the only way to score high. Ignoring this makes it near-impossible to get extra lives, so your 3-5 lives is all you'll get). Haven't played other shumps yet. 7. Do you think Touhou Gacha harmed the franchise? Haven't played it so I'll refrain from speaking much about it, as I am biased against Gacha in general. In Touhou's case, Lost Word is selling waifus, so it will "give what the fans wants" and put random fan-services that often disregard the lore, and will simplify the characters into a "one-liner" personality. Examples I have seen: Eiki in a weeding dress saying she "wouldn't lecture the player as much, since the player may need to rest and it's ok". Random Nue in a night-party-dress (cause we all know Nue, of all characters, like to show herself). From what I have heard, there alternate universe in there, so this is how they justify all the various version of the characters they are selling (such as cyberpunk). I can't really speak about the impact it might have had, since I wasn't in the community before that game was release. 8. Is piracy within Touhou good or bad? Other. It's good cause It makes more visibility, so more people will be willing to try it out especially since the official game are "expensive" when you consider their state (no English language for players outside of Japan, some requires for resolution and other things). Other shumps cost the same price but comes with English at least. It's the only way to play the most popular games (6-8) without spending a lot for CDs It's the only way to play PC98 (these game cost a fortune, and Zun's stole some asset in those games anyway, including music parts, so it'd be quiet hypocrite of him to call out thieves) It's bad cause It harm Zun directly (though he might be getting money from Gatcha) In the long term, unreleased games stays inaccessible (piracy site can be shutdown at any time) Once someone pirated a game, it is more likely they will pirate the other, since they already know how to. Not much will buy the game afterwards (since they are so many, the price to buy them all is quiet impressive). The only way to fix this situation would be for Zun to stop being lazy and release EoSD-PCB-IN (the most pirated games) on steam. If pirates can make the game playable, surely the creator can as well. Once all windows game are released, it will be easier to direct new players to the "official start" of touhou (EoSD) rather than telling them to start in the middle of the series (MoF, which isn't very noob friendly with its continue system, power bombs and overall more complex spells than EoSD-PCB). 9. How flanderized do you think Touhou characters are? 6 seared, but not charred. Really depends on the characters. Eiki, for instance is very "flanderized". Can say the same for Satori who is often depicted as a lonely person who's suffering because of her power, when in fact she doesn't care about being lonely and really likes her ability. Doesn't help that most character only have one major moment (their boss fight), then they becomes minor characters or cameos. Fans will fill in the blanks if there too few information. 10. Overall, which era(s) did you like/dislike the most? I am biased in that regard, since I've started with EoSD, so of course the Present era seems like the worse since there's isn't much new after playing the 11th shumps in a row (with PC98 being a refreshing final era for me). I can say that stages are definitely not as memorable in 16-17-18, as well as most bosses, which is pretty bad. If I can't remember them, then maybe it wasn't worth remembering. I'll give points to 18 for having the very unique card system. Story wise, they are not interesting, but previous games weren't that much either. Early game had the advantage of introducing Gensokyo, so they felt more relevant. Best era for me was MoF-LolK. While TD was a small mistep, the games are very enjoyable and the writing is less clumsy. Though the simplicity of EoSD-PCB is very nice as well. Never been a big fan of IN, even though its stage 4-5 boss fight are really good.

Greetings, my my, what a speedy chapter this week, already to the Human Village (though it will be a welcome change of pace, since "walking in the scary woods" was getting a bit stale). Good integration of Narumi. She's a simple character with not much to it, so her not being there for long makes sense. Nyoko was right in that "magician" would make people react (though Oscar didn't know that). I like Oscar being "so done" with this trek through the woods ("no more questions, just get out of here"). Now, for next week choice: being late has its advantages, I get to break the tie. I'll go for the obvious "enter through the gate". Making a magic trick will get Oscar into trouble, but eh, not like he hasn't done with trouble before. Besides, what would people think if suddenly saw a Youkai jumped over the wall (and Aggapa could count this as "breaking in")? Or a suspicious person climbing with a robe or from a tree? If Oscar doesn't get spotted, then what would people think if suddenly there's someone nobodies knows dressed in a weird outfit? EDIT: Forgot the reference to Team9 cooking in the woods as Oscar walks by. A nice touch that shows a hint of what could have been.

Greetings, a nice chapter this week. I really like the outcome of asking Agappa if she know the way out (where we're reminded that she can't see jack). It's funny, but then the stuff about her only seeing the truth is a bit unsettling for some reason (that and the fact she can removes her eyes, but that's a fairly normal level of weirdness for Gensokyo). Glad to see Narumi being included in the "Forest of Magic trip" (did my previous comment I influenced you perhaps ?). As a Jizo, she should be able to guide Oscar out of the forest no problem (they watch over travellers). Now, for the choices: 4 are about talking to Narumi. Running away after popping-up a flare wouldn't make much sense, since attracting the attention of someone other than Team9 was very likely, a risk Oscar should have been aware of. I have to say, I am curious as to why Agappa would be looking for Oscar (though maybe she simply looks for any outsider ending up in Muenzuka). Narumi is fairly harmless, but Oscar doesn't know that. The fact that she knows Agappa yet isn't afraid of her can be both reassuring and unsettling for Oscar. Agappa hasn't done anything bad to Oscar (yet) so maybe Agappa can be trusted, therefor Narumi can be as well. On the other hand, people usually fear Agappa, so someone not being afraid of her means they might be even more terrifying (with abilities worse than causing misfortunes). If Oscar were to run now, he could end up completely alone in the forest, which would not do at all. Being slightly prudent would be wise, so asking Agappa for more info could be an option, but she tends to speak as little as possible, so that might not be useful. The magic trick introduction was done in a previous chapter and it didn't work really well, so I don't think Oscar would try again, unless he has more info on its "audience". A simple introduction should do for this week. Let's how it goes, shall we?

Greetings. A slight unexpected turn of event this week. Could this be where Team9 part ways with Oscar? Will Oscar have to survive on his own, accompanied by the unnerving Aggapa? His fate rest in our hand once more. We must think carefully... Walking around in the forest would be dangerous, so the astronomy option is out, and while it would be very funny for Oscar to try to mimic Mystia's song, I doubt he could pull it off (though it might get Mystia attention if she notice that Oscar is gone). Firing a flare might attract curious Youkai and Fairies to Oscar's position, which could potentially be dangerous. I don't think Team9 have seen Oscar shooting a flare (though Rumia might, but she seems angry at him. Maybe she can redeem herself? Or maybe they can have a heart-to-heart talk and apologize to each other?) That leaves the obvious "asking Aggapa for info", but seems a bit boring, so I would go for "climbing on the top of trees", since this one has Oscar actively trying something and is "safe" (as far as we know. Not all tree are monsters, and if they are Aggapa might tell Oscar juuuuuuust before it's too late). As usual, I'll think a bit more about it.

Well, someone had to sacrifice their vote to break the tie. Let's go with the weird option of eating in the middle of a Youkai forest and see how it goes.