Conquering the Fantasy Kitchen Sink - Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo!

[Mirrinus]

As it turns out, Monday nights are just really busy for me, and will likely remain so for the near future, so you probably shouldn't expect updates on that day for a while. Consider it my break day.

Anyway, shall we continue?

Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo - Day 62

Spoiler

Show

Eirin leads some more mooks against us in the first battle of Eientei.

Eirin has one of the most useful abilities in the game. At the expense of lowering the target's stats, Eirin's Medicine will fully heal any ally for a reasonable counter cost. The stat debuff is annoying, but not crippling, while restoring hundreds or even thousands of HP at once is quite useful. Thanks to her decent defenses, especially against ranged attacks, you can expect Eirin to be quite annoying to take down. If your battle counter runs out before you can defeat her, take care that she doesn't just heal herself back to full and then start pounding on your team freely.

**********

Eirin: Ouch...I lost, it seems.

Eirin had lost the first battle against the Hakurei army at Eientei. Though it didn't look so, with the indifferent expression on her face. As she rubbed her hand, she thought of sleeping, when Kaguya entered.

Kaguya: Eirin.

Ah, princess. Is something the matter?

Even you were one step behind them, it seems.

...I'm sorry.

Eirin's demeanour was as light as usual in her initial reply, but Kaguya herself was giving off vibes of seriousness. Her gaze pierced right through Eirin sharper than she had ever felt.

There's a reason why I've left everything to you up till now...I'm sure you know what it is, correct?

...Yes.

So I would much prefer my trust to not be betrayed so easily. This has not been the first time either...You, Reisen, and even that girl...Fine. I shall participate in the next battle. I grow tired of saving myself here anyway.

Princess...

What? Do you have any objections?

...No, I am but a mere servant of yours, princess.

Very well. You shall accompany me into battle too.

Certainly.

...That's all I have to say. I shall be heading to bed, so take care of your injuries and rest for tomorrow.

Pleasant dreams, princess.

With a flutter of her skirt, Kaguya left her room. How long had it been since Kaguya adopted such a harsh and cruel attitude? The wound on Eirin's hand was nothing compared to the pain she felt elsewhere.

**********

Mokou: KAAAAGUUUUUUYAAAAA!!

Kaguya: Wahh! What's with you now, you mannerless neanderthal?

That's rich coming from you...Who's the one who kept redirecting that army to my place!?

That was Eirin, not me.

And you're her boss! You may not be the culprit, but you're still under arrest as an accomplice to the consipracy! And I'll be your judge!

My, that's quite a big mouth you have. Have you forgotten how scary I can be after so long...?

Of course I can't. I've never seen anyone else as horrible a person as you. And that's why...this power is flowing through my body!

Excellent, I'm enjoying this as well! Fine, let's have some fun!

**********

BGM: The Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess ~ Sengoku Arr. ~

Kaguya and Eirin together can be quite frustrating to fight because they support each other, and already have decent defenses to begin with. In this fight, Marisa's Master Spark (launched at full HP) only did ~70-80 damage each to Kaguya and Eirin, although it did wipe out the mooks.

Eirin's ability only complicates matters further. Nothing's more annoying than just barely failing to defeat Kaguya, only for Eirin to heal her back up to full HP. When at full health, both of them can hit Reimu for 300+ damage, which is fairly sizable given that Reimu's defenses aren't bad anyway.

Because of the tenacity of Kaguya and Eirin, this was our most difficult battle in a long time.

**********

A single figure stood in the bamboo forest near Eientei, staring at it. Reisen had hidden herself since that fateful battle at the Lost Bamboo Forest. Yet, she returned...but her face did not give away why she did.

Reisen: I ran away again...but now I'm back...What was I thinking? It's not like I had anywhere to run to...

When Reisen lived on the moon, she had deserted her allies in the fight against the earthlings and escaped. This time, she had tossed her allies aside yet. History was starting to repeat itself. She had thought that she had forgotten all about it, but Eiki's words, and the entire war game that seemed so similar to that time...all the events just served to make her recall her long-buried memories. The realization that she left her allies to die, while she escaped with her life...the thought clouded her heart. The only way she knew how to deal with that cloud of darkness was to run away from it.

I don't have anywhere else I belong. But...They took me in, they gave me shelter, yet I...Ahh, the princess must be angry with me.

???: Very, very angry indeed.

!?

She had thought that she was mumbling to herself, but the voice that rang out behind her caused her to panic. She hurriedly turned around to see the one person that was hardest for her to face.

Princess...!

Kaguya: My, is there any need to look so surprised? I'm not a ghost.

I-I'm sorry. But why are you here...?

This area is my garden, why wouldn't I be here? Besides, there's something far more important to discuss...Where have you been this whole time?

Ah, uh...I...

Well, I more or less know even if you don't tell me anyway...What is it that you want?

What is it...that I want...?

If you ran away because you didn't want to fight, then you could've stayed away, and that would be that. But you're here right now. So what is it that you want?

Reisen's gaze fell to the ground, and she remained silent...Why did she come back? That was what she was trying to figure out herself.

I have no place to go...except here. I'm...really thankful for your kindness in protecting me when I escaped from the moon, and all the other times...

You're thankful but you don't want to fight. After all the care we gave you, that just won't do, you know.

......

But since you've come back, that means you've decided to repay the favour, hm? That's good, so I'll be counting on you from tomorrow onwards.

Uh, I...

My, what's the matter? It's getting rather late, you need to get some sleep or your body will feel it in the morning.

Kaguya took Reisen's hand and tried to drag her towards the mansion. But Reisen's feet would not move an inch.

What's wrong? Let's go back already.

...!?

Reisen reflexively shook Kaguya's hand off hers. She then realized what she just did, and cursed herself in her mind as she bowed deeply.

I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to...

...*sigh* You really are such a bother. Do you really plan on running away forever?

Running away...forever...

Did you think that I was clueless...? I know very well what you're running away from.

...When the Yama gave me a good scolding, I started seeing dreams of the moon that I hadn't seen in a long time. They quickly stopped, but now...

...You're seeing them again. And that's because...Well, it's obvious, isn't it.

Princess, what...what should I do? I don't know anymore...

Stop being so emotional!

!?

Kaguya suddenly became harsh and strict with her words. It was the first time Reisen had ever seen Kaguya be so direct with her emotions.

You don't want to be hurt, you don't want to feel pain, you don't want to see anything, yet you expect others to believe you that you're reflecting on it?

I don't expect them to! I just don't know what I should do anymore...!

...What do you think about everything now? About the moon, about the present, about you.

I...honestly don't know. But there is one thing I know, although it may be selfish...I want to protect the place I belong to...and Eientei is that place.

Huh, so you know what you should do already.

...Eh?

Everyone has regrets about their failures. Whether it's right or not to be regretful about it...That's something you won't know for sure in the near future. You shouldn't get swallowed up by such things like reflection and regret. Just accept the events of the past. They are what made you the person you are today. You said that there was a place you wanted to protect...That line that came from deep within you is your true answer to your past.

Her expression was strict, but her words were kind and carefully thought out. They permeated within Reisen's heart.

Is that...Is that really alright? I...

Good grief, I said it's fine, that means it's fine! In the past, the present, and even in the future, I...no, we all will always be here for you.

Princess...You can forgive me?

As I said, in the past, present and future...and always. Now, it's getting really late, so I'm going to bed. You should get some sleep too.

T...Thank you so much!

Mmhmm. Good night...Reisen.

Kaguya returned to the mansion with a yawn. Reisen slowly followed after her, but paused for a second to look up at the moon in the sky. She will never forget. But that did not mean that she had to let it haunt her forever. How will Reisen approach her new self-acceptance and direction in life? Whatever might happen, the moon will watch over her as she finds her way forward.

Reisen Udongein Inaba has returned to the Eientei Forest.

**********

One more counterattack on Eientei rounds out this turn. It's just a bunch of mooks, so this is nothing noteworthy. We crush them before they even get a turn (Aya is just that fast).

**********

Turn: 62
Ouki: 13971
Ryumaku: 93/124
Actions Available: 3

Our Territories:

Hakurei Shrine
Defense: 250/250
Cost to Develop: 27 RES

Night-Blind Road
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 33 RES

Faintly Dark Path
Defense: 175/175
Cost to Develop: 33 RES

Magic Forest Entrance
Defense: 180/180
Cost to Develop: 33 RES

Magic Forest Border
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 33 RES

Magic Forest Interior
Defense: 210/210
cost to Develop: 9 RES

Road of Reconsideration
Defense: 190/190
Cost to Develop: 30 RES

Muenzuka
Defense: 215/215
Cost to Develop: 6 RES

Human Village
Defense: 150/310
Cost to Develop: 30 RES

Garden of the Sun
Defense: 175/175
Cost to Develop: 30 RES

Nameless Hill
Defense: 205/205
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Misty Lake
Defense: 225/225
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

SDM Gate
Defense: 230/230
Cost to Develop: 12 RES

Great Library
Defense: 195/195
Cost to Develop: 12 RES

Clock Tower
Defense: 210/210
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

SDM Top Floor
Defense: 225/225
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Lost Bamboo Forest
Defense: 205/205
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Hidden House
Defense: 195/195
Cost to Develop: 6 RES

Enemy Territories:

Eientei
Army: Eientei Forest
General: Kaguya Houraisan (leader)
Defense: 60/230

Blossoms Barrier
Army: Hakugyokurou Hades
General: Prismriver Sisters
Defense: 220/220

Hakugyokurou Stairs
Army: Hakugyokurou Hades
General: Youmu Konpaku
Defense: 200/200

Hakugyokurou
Army: Hakugyokurou Hades
General: Yuyuko Saigyouji (leader)
Defense: 235/235

Yakumo Residence
Army: Yakumo Clan
General: Yukari Yakumo (leader)
Defense: 310/310

Special Events:

War Declaration: Yakumo Clan
Costs 10 NEG to declare war.

Kaguya does have a mouth. It's just really small and hard to see in some of her poses.

I can't tell if Kaguya is suppose to be a jerk or not in this story.

[Cogwheel]

I think Kaguya's meant to be constructively vicious. A sort of drill sergeant therapist, if you will.

Well, with regards to Reisen, anyway. I think she's half-joking in the scenes with Eirin. Which Eirin proceeds to take far too seriously. At least, that's the impression I got. And with Mokou, well, I'd expect no less.

Also, my favourite remix of Mokou's theme. Seemed fitting for this part of the game Kinda odd, though. If memory serves, she's better at punching people in the face than actually chucking fire around. Ah well.

[memnarch]

Well, fist are better because Mokou has more control punching really. Hence the earlier comment of burning part of the bamboo forest down when she and Kaguya fight.

[Cogwheel]

Well, fist are better because Mokou has more control punching really. Hence the earlier comment of burning part of the bamboo forest down when she and Kaguya fight.

So... ranged power is being toned down in the interest of avoiding collateral damage? Makes sense, I suppose.

Also, I just noticed something. Kaguya's a bit rare in that she has very little theme to her attacks. Every character (or close, anyway) has some clearly defined means of attack (Eirin's bow, Reimu's seals/amulets/needles), a unifying element (Mokou's fire) etc.

Kaguya, at best, has a selection of magical gadgets she fires at you, more or less.

[Assassin89]

So... ranged power is being toned down in the interest of avoiding collateral damage? Makes sense, I suppose.

Also, I just noticed something. Kaguya's a bit rare in that she has very little theme to her attacks. Every character (or close, anyway) has some clearly defined means of attack (Eirin's bow, Reimu's seals/amulets/needles), a unifying element (Mokou's fire) etc.

Kaguya, at best, has a selection of magical gadgets she fires at you, more or less.

You do realize that the theme of Kaguya's attacks are the items from Tale of the Bamboo Cutter aka Kaguya-Hime, but then again those items don't have a theme outside of that story.

I guess we will now have to plan to fight death by moe, because Eirin won't be helping Kaguya for much longer, if we keep up the successful attacks.

[Cogwheel]

You do realize that the theme of Kaguya's attacks are the items from Tale of the Bamboo Cutter aka Kaguya-Hime, but then again those items don't have a theme outside of that story.

Well, yes. I knew that. Just saying that she's something of an exception, that's all.

Wait a second... Kaguya can't die, is fairly intelligent/scheming, and has no particular powers to her name (well, aside from the immortality thing) except what amounts to a lot of gadgets. Also, very powerful.

Basically, Kaguya is like Batman, but incapable of dying like Batman.

[Mirrinus]

Well, yes. I knew that. Just saying that she's something of an exception, that's all.

Wait a second... Kaguya can't die, is fairly intelligent/scheming, and has no particular powers to her name (well, aside from the immortality thing) except what amounts to a lot of gadgets. Also, very powerful.

Basically, Kaguya is like Batman, but incapable of dying like Batman.

She's also a rich idiot with no day job. And has a very competent servant.

Although she does have a specific power: it's listed as "manipulation of eternity", whatever that is. Some of ZUN's written works do explain it a bit: it lets her preserve an object in its current state for as long as she wants, or make something experience a long period of time in an instant. It's generally understood to be similar to Sakuya's time-stopping powers (yet another reason for the fan theory that Sakuya is a Lunarian). In fact, Kaguya's special ability in this game is named as such: Instant Eternity.

[EifieFlare]

Although she does have a specific power: it's listed as "manipulation of eternity", whatever that is.

I basically interpreted this as "Sakuya's power except on other objects", which seems to reflect what those written works say. Although, it sounds like a difference would be that Kaguya can noticeably speed up time for something, rather than only freezing it.

I wonder if Kaguya has some sort of control over space as well...

[FantasyFoxMan]

What does Instant Eternity do, specifically?

[EifieFlare]

Instant Eternity reduces the enemy's Battle Counter. It costs 8 to use, but I'm not sure exactly how much it removes, or even a range if there is one.

Edit: I tried it several times and it removed 6 (twice), 7, 11 (twice), and 12. The lower numbers were seen as I used it later on in the fight, with the double digits appearing earlier, so I'm assuming the value reduced is based on how much of the opponent's gauge is still left.

[IncoherentEssay]

I'd guess Instant Eternity to be entirely random, as i've gotten 13 out of it twice now late on in the battle and a 6 early. Bit of a dissapointing ability given how the gains are small in comparison to the risks. At least i haven't seen it whiff completely.

Not much to vote on anymore, is there? Eientei is practically down and out already and Yukari will just gaphax us if we try to go past Yuyuko, so it's an obvious progression from here.

I wonder if it would have been even remotely feasible to go straight for the village from the start, ignoring Alice in order to recruit Medicine first? One uphill battle to be sure, but i wonder whether character interaction scenes differ depending on current allegiance. For example, Youmu attacking Eientei triggers a scene with Eirin, but whether the reverse is true remains to be seen.

[EifieFlare]

I wonder if it would have been even remotely feasible to go straight for the village from the start, ignoring Alice in order to recruit Medicine first? One uphill battle to be sure, but i wonder whether character interaction scenes differ depending on current allegiance. For example, Youmu attacking Eientei triggers a scene with Eirin, but whether the reverse is true remains to be seen.

I'm sure "sequence breaking" is possible, it'd just be incredibly difficult to do so, considering the "limitations" you'd have to follow.

As for cutscenes, the order and allegiance of the characters does matter. Otherwise, why would Alice (you) VS Medicine (DLF) get a different cutscene than Medicine (you) VS Alice (FoM)? Also, unrelated, but for some interactions, the location is set. For instance, Mystia VS Merlin has to occur at Blossoms Barrier in order to activate.

Incidentally, Eirin VS Youmu actually is a normal, and I'm assuming completely different, cutscene that takes place at Hakugyokurou Stairs.

[Terraoblivion]

IN seems to be the game of people who have no particular theme in their attacks. Keine appears to use generic bullets and there is nothing about the ability to devour history or the ability to create it that suggests how she actually fights. Eirin is also supposed to lug a bow around all the time, but her danmaku doesn't appear to be anything similar to arrows. No real indication of what Tewi is doing either.

And as far as i can tell the big difference between Sakuya and Kaguya's powers, apart from the fact that Sakuya can also manipulate space, is that Sakuya creates change, while Kaguya creates stasis. Anything that gets aged by Sakuya's power changes like it normally would, while everything stays completely unchanging baring outside interference while under the effect of Kaguya's power. For more than a millennium flowers didn't bloom and the leaves did not fall off the trees in Eientei due to her influence.

[memnarch]

Tewi doesn't have spell cards.

Keine's spell cards are based on japanese history.

Eirin.... I got nothing.


How about the other games? Like what would you say the themes for Remilia and Flandre are?

[Cogwheel]

Tewi doesn't have spell cards.

Keine's spell cards are based on japanese history.

Eirin.... I got nothing.


How about the other games? Like what would you say the themes for Remilia and Flandre are?

Several very good points. Eirin, though, has generally space-themed spell cards. Galaxy in a pot, Apollo 13 etc.

Remilia has her spear, generic magic, and ohgodbats. But yeah, little in the way of a unifying theme beyond lots of red.

Flandre has a series of references with varying levels of obscurity, plus, uh... quad damage.

So yeah, not exactly cohesive in that case either.

[Terraoblivion]

Keine's spellcards have a theme in naming, but there is no real theme to how she makes her danmaku, what they are or how they relate to history. That's what i was thinking about. It's the same with Eirin, space related names, it still doesn't have much of a theme in what she actually does. It's not like Patchy's elements or Reimu's ofuda for example.

[Cogwheel]

Because I'm bored, the origins on a few IN names, spellcards and whatnot.

Spoiler

Show

First, the stage 1 theme, Ghostly Eyes. In the original, this was called Genshi no Yoru, where Genshi can (among other things), mean "ghostly/illusionary sight" - which is what the kanji chosen for the title mean - or "primal/primeval". So basically, it's a pun.


Eternal Night Hermit, Wriggle's... last spell? Last word? I forget. Anyway, aside from tying into the whole eternal night thing, the hermit bit is relevant. The way it's written in Japanese (or rather, the kanji it's written in) means that it's the same word as what fireflies do in the winter, a combination of burrowing and hibernation. Okay, so the card itself is anything but sleepy, I admit.

Also, a bit of trivia. The whole night-blind thing with Mystia? First off, I assume it's a poor literal translation, since I've never heard that term in English. Second, it refers to not being able to see well at night, often due to eye problems, and is also known colloquially in Japanese as bird-eyed.

Keine's stage theme title is another pun. Basically, blood is pronounced the same way ("chi", and no, that's not pronounced "ki") as ground, earth or land.

First Pyramid refers to, I assume, the three gods/spirits that created Japan in shinto mythology.

Now for the confusing one, Ephemerality 137. 137 refers to the age at which the first emperor of Japan supposedly died. According to the myths, he was half-divine, hence his long life. Ephemerality since, presumably, 137 years still don't look like much next to the lifespan of his divine parent or, for that matter, most of the Touhou cast.


I am bored. Yes.

[Mirrinus]

Tewi doesn't have spell cards.

Tewi does have one official spellcard in IN: [Ancient Duper]. And if you include PoFV, she's got two more: [Rabbit Sign "Great Fortune Crest"] and [Rabbit Sign "White Rabbit of Inaba"].

And then there's her appearance in the non-canonical Concealed the Conclusion...

Anyway, if you guys want something to vote on, decide whom from Eientei we ought to recruit, and who to drop. (The character list on Post 1 is updated.)

[EifieFlare]

Mostly copied from my first post about it: For our generic drop list/order, I propose that we drop Fumi Doll, Alice Doll, Sousuke, and Rosedia if needed, and hold on to Souichirou and Ayu. I guess if everyone else wants to, we can drop Akyu, but I kept her around (rather pointlessly) for the Neg score. Wriggle and Hourai might also be candidates, since they're both rather low-leveled compared to the rest of the team.

I have no requests for recruitment myself, since I actually stopped recruiting characters after the SDM. Eirin's ability sounds useful though, so you could get her if we have room.

[Assassin89]

My suggestions for who to drop are Fumi Doll and Souichirou.

As for who to recruit, I suggest Eirin and Reisen. However, I'm not sure if Eirin will be helping us that much, even if we raise and lower our arms in rhythm. I'm pretty sure that Kaguya will cause a penalty to Mokou, and that might not be good against Yuyuko.

[Mirrinus]

Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo - Day 63

Spoiler

Show

BGM: The Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess ~ Sengoku Arr. ~

The last hurrah of the Eientei brigade.

They all support each other, so the Eientei trio can put up some decent numbers. To take them down, we concentrate on Eirin right off the bat, although we do eliminate the mooks just because we can. Once the threat of Eirin's Medicine is past (redirected once on a mook, just as planned), the remaining members of Eientei have little to defend themselves with against our assault. Unfortunately, our battle guage runs out before we can finish off Reisen, but it's still our victory.

**********

At a long corridor of Eientei, Reimu's Hakurei army and Kaguya's group stood. The battle had already long been decided, and all that remained were the after-battle rites of passage.

Reimu: Whew, that was quite a bit of work. But it's the end for you all.

Kaguya: Boo~, now all those cool things I said to Eirin makes me look like an idiot~.

Eirin: My deepest apologies for not being more helpful, princess...

Hm, are you two the only ones here? I thought there were a lot more around.

Now that you mention it...Eirin, what happened to everyone else?

Most of them have ran away.

Cowardly traitors~!

Reisen: I didn't run away!

Marisa: You're not too popular, are ya? How sad.

How impolite! ...Well, that is what I want to say, but looking at this situation, I can't really deny it...*sigh*

Ooh, this is such a disgrace...

Yes yes, can we stop this princess game now? From now on, you all have to do what I say anyway.

How rude, it's not a game!

Allllright then, if ya would excuse me...

Hey, what do you think you're doing?

We won, so this is our place now. So now, all the important things here also belong to me. Oh yeah, there's so much stuff here!

Stop that right now, you thief~!

Ohh, that's a real ancient-lookin' book! Sure looks like it could be important!

Ahh, that's from so many millenia ago...No, don't wrap it up!

Ahh, a mysterious lump of metal! I've got no idea how to use it though. I'll let Kourin take a look later.

...Alas, all things must come to an end.

...She's the one doing it, not me, geez.

And so, the army of Eientei residents led by Kaguya ended their futile struggle and was defeated by Reimu's army.

"Eientei Forest" has fallen.
Kaguya Houraisan has been taken prisoner.
Eirin Yagokoro has been taken prisoner.
Reisen Udongein Inaba has been taken prisoner.

**********

BGM: Legends

???: Now then, how's Gensokyo been looking?

???: The Hakurei army has strengthened considerably, and is expanding at a fearsome rate.

Hmm...Looking at their numbers, they shouldn't have any problems from here on. How are things looking on our end?

Despite the unforeseen circumstances, the principle people in charge have begun preparations as ordered. We should be able to act shortly.

I see. You get the job done even faster than I expected, li'l ???.

I am not worthy of such praise.

At that moment, two figures appeared and approached the first two figures. the two new entrants seemed to be respectful servants.

???: We have returned as requested, Lady ???.

???: The preparations you have ordered have been completed. We are ready to fulfill your command.

My my, everyone's been working very hard. You're all such good children.

I have not detected any particularly abnormal behavior from within Gensokyo.

Then there's no need for us to rush. You two, please stay on standby for now, but be prepared for anything.

Understood.

In the case of an emergency, I'll protect us with my life.

Heh heh, it is nice to have people you can rely on.

......

Oh? Is something the matter?

...Can I ask something?

Please do.

Why are we all shadowy and black?

...Well, that is...

And our names being ??? and ??? and so on makes it really hard to figure out who's who.

Er, um...W-We're still suppose to be acting in secret, that's why.

Y-Yes, we must keep our identities and appearance hidden as much as possible.

...There you go.

Hmm, I don't remember agreeing to this...but let's go with it. ???, you're the closest to the outside, how has the situation been?

We have not received any human or human-like visitors. Ghosts and fairies occasionally come floating by, but it has been peaceful otherwise.

I surveyed the area as well to be safe, and I found nothing abnormal either.

That sounds strange. I thought they should have approached us by now.

They must be trying to make us relax so they can catch us unaware. We mustn't let them succeed.

...I...oh, never mind. You may return to your posts, you two.

??? and ??? stood up and bowed before returning whence they came. Silence returned to the area.

......Hey, li'l ???...

Yes?

What did you want to say earlier?

...A thought occurred to me. It has been a very long time since our world separated from Gensokyo.

Yes, it has.

Then, would it not be likely that they have totally, absolutely and completely forgotten all about us?

S-Surely not.

But not a single one of them has approached here.

.........

.........

...P-Please remain on standby.

...Very well.

Ugh...If what li'l ??? said turns out to be true, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands!

**********

Turn: 63
Ouki: 11319
Ryumaku: 94/130
Actions Available: 3

Our Territories:

Hakurei Shrine
Defense: 250/250
Cost to Develop: 27 RES

Night-Blind Road
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 33 RES

Faintly Dark Path
Defense: 175/175
Cost to Develop: 33 RES

Magic Forest Entrance
Defense: 180/180
Cost to Develop: 33 RES

Magic Forest Border
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 33 RES

Magic Forest Interior
Defense: 210/210
cost to Develop: 9 RES

Road of Reconsideration
Defense: 190/190
Cost to Develop: 30 RES

Muenzuka
Defense: 215/215
Cost to Develop: 6 RES

Human Village
Defense: 150/310
Cost to Develop: 30 RES

Garden of the Sun
Defense: 175/175
Cost to Develop: 30 RES

Nameless Hill
Defense: 205/205
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Misty Lake
Defense: 225/225
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

SDM Gate
Defense: 230/230
Cost to Develop: 12 RES

Great Library
Defense: 195/195
Cost to Develop: 12 RES

Clock Tower
Defense: 210/210
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

SDM Top Floor
Defense: 225/225
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Lost Bamboo Forest
Defense: 205/205
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Hidden House
Defense: 195/195
Cost to Develop: 6 RES

Eientei
Defense: 230/230
Cost to Develop: 12 RES

Enemy Territories:

Blossoms Barrier
Army: Hakugyokurou Hades
General: Prismriver Sisters
Defense: 220/220

Hakugyokurou Stairs
Army: Hakugyokurou Hades
General: Youmu Konpaku
Defense: 200/200

Hakugyokurou
Army: Hakugyokurou Hades
General: Yuyuko Saigyouji (leader)
Defense: 235/235

Yakumo Residence
Army: Yakumo Clan
General: Yukari Yakumo (leader)
Defense: 310/310

Special Events:

War Declaration: Yakumo Clan
Costs 10 NEG to declare war.

Prisoners:



We actually picked up several generics from Eientei (thanks, Remilia!), but I didn't think they were noteworthy enough to mention. At this point in the game, unique units are just so much better (unless said generic knows Pressure or Rally, which none of ours do).

We've also built up quite a backlog of items for sale at Marisa's shop. Maybe we ought to take a break from pursuing Hakugyokurou and just develop/recruit/purchase items? Or are we in a strong enough position to just plow through them right now?

Hmm...most blatant example of breaking the fourth wall in this game?

[Mistral]

Because I'm bored, the origins on a few IN names, spellcards and whatnot.

Spoiler

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First, the stage 1 theme, Ghostly Eyes. In the original, this was called Genshi no Yoru, where Genshi can (among other things), mean "ghostly/illusionary sight" - which is what the kanji chosen for the title mean - or "primal/primeval". So basically, it's a pun.


Eternal Night Hermit, Wriggle's... last spell? Last word? I forget. Anyway, aside from tying into the whole eternal night thing, the hermit bit is relevant. The way it's written in Japanese (or rather, the kanji it's written in) means that it's the same word as what fireflies do in the winter, a combination of burrowing and hibernation. Okay, so the card itself is anything but sleepy, I admit.

Also, a bit of trivia. The whole night-blind thing with Mystia? First off, I assume it's a poor literal translation, since I've never heard that term in English. Second, it refers to not being able to see well at night, often due to eye problems, and is also known colloquially in Japanese as bird-eyed.

Keine's stage theme title is another pun. Basically, blood is pronounced the same way ("chi", and no, that's not pronounced "ki") as ground, earth or land.

First Pyramid refers to, I assume, the three gods/spirits that created Japan in shinto mythology.

Now for the confusing one, Ephemerality 137. 137 refers to the age at which the first emperor of Japan supposedly died. According to the myths, he was half-divine, hence his long life. Ephemerality since, presumably, 137 years still don't look like much next to the lifespan of his divine parent or, for that matter, most of the Touhou cast.


I am bored. Yes.

RE: Mystia

Spoiler

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Night-blindness is both an extant term and the literal translation for nyctalopia (a symptom where the same occurs), though the most common genetic disorder at the root of it'd probably be shortened as CSNB since "Congenital Stationary Night Blindness" is a real mouthful. The actual interesting note, and probably why it figures enough to have its own pourquoi in Japanese folklore compared to that of most other folk mythologies, is because a particular genetic disorder that causes nyctalopia (Oguchi disease, an autosomal recessive variety of X-linked CSNB-1) has been noted to have an unusual frequency of occurrence in people with Japanese heredity. That's probably also why it was translated as night blindness rather than something else, like the symptom "nyctalopia" itself or the literal Japanese Mystia used (looking at the script, she used the colloquial term you already pointed out, "bird-eyed," rather than the literal "night-blind"), as well as because "night-blind" is more readily apparent in English than either of the other two terms.

As for the West, there isn't really as much like that as far as I know, but there's the big ado about carrots that got started back in World War 2 as an urban legend to cover up the effectiveness of British radar. Obviously, carrots don't actually help with vision in low-light conditions unless you were already suffering a Vitamin A deficiency, but the story took off and, well, so it goes. Apparently, it also helped that it played into older German folk remedies, too, and it got popular in Britain itself since unlike liver, another A-rich source, you could grow your own carrots in a victory garden.

It's also kinda interesting that Mystia appeared in the game where a false moon set off the main plot, because apparently, another Western folk term for the phenomenon is moonblink, since it's "caused by sleeping under the moonlight" or something like that. That's probably coincidence, though, since I'm pretty sure ZUN didn't make any allusions like that (Mystia was out hunting because of the imperishable night, not the false moon), and I'd certainly never heard of that particular pourquoi before.

And the only reason I knew exactly where to look for all of this info? Because I like carrots. *shrug*

[Assassin89]

And now the shadows show Sara and Luize, the first and second stage bosses of Mystic Square. I'm not sure when the possible time paradox will emerge or if Mai and Yuki are also involved in this.

[EifieFlare]

I think we could take some time to just develop, buy some things from the shop, possibly recruit some units, and level up the rest of our team (compare the levels in the screenshots you have of the battle for Eientei). Of course, we have several on a x9 level, so we'd have to wait for Hakugyokurou to throw some attacks our way, but if we're going with the development plan then we have some time. I'm sure we could put up a reasonably good fight against them right now, but hey better safe than sorry.

And hurray, fourth wall breaking!

And now the shadows show Sara and Luize, the first and second stage bosses of Mystic Square. I'm not sure when the possible time paradox will emerge or if Mai and Yuki are also involved in this.

Ssshhh, they're not supposed to know that yet!

Spoiler

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But yes, the time paradox and Mai and Yuki do indeed show up later. In fact, Alice talks with her, and mentions it as a thought.

[PKF995]

I vote to drop Fumi and Souichirou as well, but I support recruiting Kaguya and Eirin. Kaguya and Mokou debuff each other, but you could just put them in different teams, and Kaguya's stats look better to me.

Also, I think we ought to plow through Hakugyokurou right now, but spend time developing when only the Yakumo are left. It won't be easy winning the final battles without more decent items and levels.

That fourth-wall breaking moment counts as a Crowning Moment of Funny for this game in my opinion. There are other funny scenes, but I like that the best.

[Cogwheel]

RE: Mystia

Spoiler

Show

Night-blindness is both an extant term and the literal translation for nyctalopia (a symptom where the same occurs), though the most common genetic disorder at the root of it'd probably be shortened as CSNB since "Congenital Stationary Night Blindness" is a real mouthful. The actual interesting note, and probably why it figures enough to have its own pourquoi in Japanese folklore compared to that of most other folk mythologies, is because a particular genetic disorder that causes nyctalopia (Oguchi disease, an autosomal recessive variety of X-linked CSNB-1) has been noted to have an unusual frequency of occurrence in people with Japanese heredity. That's probably also why it was translated as night blindness rather than something else, like the symptom "nyctalopia" itself or the literal Japanese Mystia used (looking at the script, she used the colloquial term you already pointed out, "bird-eyed," rather than the literal "night-blind"), as well as because "night-blind" is more readily apparent in English than either of the other two terms.

As for the West, there isn't really as much like that as far as I know, but there's the big ado about carrots that got started back in World War 2 as an urban legend to cover up the effectiveness of British radar. Obviously, carrots don't actually help with vision in low-light conditions unless you were already suffering a Vitamin A deficiency, but the story took off and, well, so it goes. Apparently, it also helped that it played into older German folk remedies, too, and it got popular in Britain itself since unlike liver, another A-rich source, you could grow your own carrots in a victory garden.

It's also kinda interesting that Mystia appeared in the game where a false moon set off the main plot, because apparently, another Western folk term for the phenomenon is moonblink, since it's "caused by sleeping under the moonlight" or something like that. That's probably coincidence, though, since I'm pretty sure ZUN didn't make any allusions like that (Mystia was out hunting because of the imperishable night, not the false moon), and I'd certainly never heard of that particular pourquoi before.

And the only reason I knew exactly where to look for all of this info? Because I like carrots. *shrug*

...Well. Excuse me while I stare in awe at your superior knowledge. Just one thing, though: I distinctly remember Mystia actually using the term "night-blind" in the Japanese version. Fairly confident about that - I'm not quite as sleep-deprived as I was earlier

[Tono]

If it helps, I have heard the term 'night-blind' being used before. An orthodontist(I hope I got the right donist there) recently used it to me, and my Grandmother has used it plenty of times before describing it herself. it may just be an 'old-person' term.

[IncoherentEssay]

Ideally, we'd want everyone remotely relevant across the 19->20 barrier before we defeat Hakugyokurou. Once leveling with the power of money is available to them we can go back to developing. 20 -MONEY->29 would give us a reasonable buffer of time to develop in without getting overleveled by the opposition.
So i say we drag Hakugyokurou down to their last territory with a focus on getting everyone across the 19-20 gap. Hold and develop if they need a few more brawls before finishing the enemy off. After that we can do a final development-binge.

Our current roster folds up pretty nicely into teams.
Using the default C/C/M/F/F positioning:
Meiling / Remi / Flan / Sakuya / Patchy
Keine / Mokou / Reimu / Marisa / Aya
Shanghai / Medicine / Yuuka / Alice / Shikieiki

So adding Eientei would require some further recruitment to work well:
Kaguya / Wriggle?[->Yuyuko?] / Eirin / Reisen / Cirno[->Youmu?]_
Though a fourth team feels slightly redundant and would raise our upkeep costs quite a bit.
Who we drop if we pick up the Eientei crew is not all that relevant since we can pull a 33 Res-action* anyway and have a lot of practically undeveloped turf for low Res characters to work on.

[PKF995]

Well, if we're only getting two of them I would wish to drop Medicine and Yuuka...or maybe Medicine and Alice first of all.

[Terraoblivion]

Let's get rid of generics first. I'll even go so far as to vote for keeping actual Touhou characters over generics, even when the generic is better. It just feels more right to me. I would also strongly recommend keeping Alice, PKF. She's one of the most important characters to the plot in this game and removing her would make a lot of later events come off weird, not to mention cut us off the end of Marisa's plot.

Developing and shopping sounds like a good call for now, though.