Weekly Writing Challenge Thread the First

[Phlegeth]

I tried, I'm not good at essay writing.  Just a weird theory that popped into my head one day.

Memoirs of a Secluded Scent

As a being who just came into consciousness I was naturally curious about the world I woke up in.  I was alone when I woke up in the strange yellow land.  Everywhere I went people were talking about this Saigyou Ayakashi that was recently sealed.  At first it was a passing whim I decided to investigate, but the deeper I dug, the more personal it became.  I decided to write down my findings so future generations can understand the truth of the Saigyou Ayakashi.

The origins are the Saigyou Ayakashi go like this, once upon a time there was a poet who traveled this land.  But this poet became old and sensing his own death he chose to be buried under the most beautiful cherry tree he could find.  After his passing word got around about the tree's beauty.  Over time it grew more beautiful and developed Youkai Powers.  That is the part most everyone can agree upon.  After that is when things become vague.

The most popular account of the story is that the tree is pure evil.  Using it's beauty it lure helpless humans near where it can drain their souls.  A second, more unpopular theory was that it was doing it accidentally.  It had no control over it's own power.  However, both of these theories had the common element of the people going insane before death.

There were crazier off the wall theories as well.  This one person thought it was just a normal tree and people died by falling asleep underneath and choking on a cherry petal.  A power youkai by the name of Yukari took great offense to that and branded the person a heretic.  Not wanting to get on her bad side, the others agreed and the man was burned at the stake.

This Yukari seemed to know a lot about the Saigyou Ayakashi and I wanted to ask her more, however she refused visitors.  On my own, I went up to see the Saigyou Ayakashi myself.  I knew it was sealed before I came into existence, but I had to take a look at it with my own eyes.  The stairway leading to the tree was long and covered with Cherry Blossoms.  As I got closer I began to see the top of the tree.  Even though it was sealed and most of it's Cherry Blossoms have fallen off and even though it was my first time seeing it, I was filled with such nostalgia. 

I was crying for an unknown reason.  It was then I heard shouting above me.  It was Yukari yelling at me to leave.  When we met eyes, she stopped for a split second.  Then before I knew it, I felt like I was falling and then I was back at the bottom of the stairs.

There was an old man standing in front of the stairs this time.  He introduced himself as Youki and from him I learned the truth.  The people of the first theory were correct.  The tree was luring and the humans and killing them maliciously.  And the truth about the seal: it was done using the body of a young woman named Yuyuko.  This woman had the power to take live souls into death.  These souls never reach heaven nor hell, but end up in Hakugyokurou.  Fearing her own power, she offered herself to be the Catalyst to seal the tree.

All of this was hard to take in, but what he told me next took by surprise.  The day this happened was the same day I was born.  The day the Ayakashi was sealed, one human died and two beings came into existence.  I am unsure if the seal on the Ayakashi as any relation to my birth; however, a couple of things are clear to me: I am not a reincarnation of the Ayakashi and killing humans with plants is interesting.

By: Yuuka Kazami

[FinnKaenbyou]

And now, for your consideration, an essay on the hidden meaning behind EoSD, submitted by a Miss K. Komeiji.

-----

Touhou Koumakyou ? The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil is, from the outside, an innocent looking shooting game which stars a variety of young women. Some suspect that ZUN, the creator of the series, produces the games solely for an excuse to produce the game's soundtrack. However, upon further analysis, it becomes blatantly obvious that the game is one fantastically written metaphor, covering the protagonist Reimu Hakurei's journey to understand her body and accept her sexuality.

The story begins with the entire of Gensokyo surrounded in a scarlet mist. Scarlet, of course, is the colour of blood, and it is the passionate blood flowing through her veins that causes Reimu such ire. From her very first lines, it is clear that Reimu is overcome by her hormones, even finding the silent night of the shrine an endearing sight.

REIMU: (carefree) It's so romantic in the temple yard at night.

With her pent up desire begging to be released, Reimu is willing to find romantic interest in anything nearby. This leads to her meeting with her first partner of the series, a young girl by the name of Rumia. In the conversation that follows, it becomes clear that Reimu is reckless and uninterested in a permanent relationship:

RUMIA: We met just a moment ago, didn't we?
Are you bird-eyed?

REIMU: Humans can't see very well in the dark.

This is, of course, a metaphor continuing along with her earlier statement about the romance of the night. It blinds her, and makes her forgetful as to who she offers herself to. There is no commitment, no feeling of unity with her partner.

Rumia eventually makes the first move:

RUMIA: May I eat the one standing before me?

Eat is clearly a euphemism here, and it is one ZUN uses frequently in his works. For example, in his later work Touhou Eiyashou ~ Imperishable Night, the character of Yuyuko Saigyouji commonly 'eats' other girls she meets on her journey. That, however, is the subject of another essay.

Reimu plays hard-to-get to start, with the response 'Have you heard the saying, "Good medicine tastes bad"?', but succumbs to Rumia's desire and offers herself. After the deed is done, Reimu steps out without a hint of shame, adding 'Well, you wouldn't know if it's good medicine or not
unless you drank it for yourself'. This aggressive, proud tone shows that Reimu is willing to offer herself to anyone who is present, simply for the sake of personal pleasure.

Later, in a trip across the Misty Lake (itself a metaphor for the uncertain grey area between lust and romance) Reimu is lost, struggling to find which side of the fence to land on. A spirit appears in the form of a girl to tempt her, claiming responsibility for Reimu's faults:

CIRNO: When you lose your way, it's because of the fairies.

However, the spirit's gambit fails miserably, as Reimu's ego naturally leads her to insult the fairy. The two grow more and more aggressive, until finally they resort to combat. Reimu prevails, but only after her victory does the chill reach her:

REIMU: Brr, it's starting to get cold.
I'll catch an air-conditioner cold!

It was the heat of her passionate blood that had driven Reimu to lust beforehand, but now a chill is overtaking her. She is beginning to doubt her promiscuity ? her pride has inadvertently led her to wisdom.

With this newfound power, Reimu reaches the mansion in the midst of the lake. The name Scarlet Devil Mansion is in itself symbolic, as once again the importance of the colour scarlet comes into play. The first member of the mansion we meet, Hong Meiling, is one of these lust-obsessed women, and ZUN shows her irresponsibility by having her lie blatantly:

MEILING: You know, you can follow me, but there's nothing over here.

This is being said when Meiling is guarding a gate leading into the mansion; one that is likely several feet tall and almost impossible to miss. Unsurprisingly, Reimu does not take the bait, staying around regardless. This may have been Meiling playing hard-to-get herself, though, because afterwards she attempts to force herself onto Reimu:

MEILING: As far as I've heard...there is a saying that Shrine Maidens are the kind of people you're allowed to eat...

Reimu's reputation precedes her. Clearly the incident with Rumia early was not a one-off ? Reimu likely has a long history of encounters with other girls her age. The experience with Cirno, however, has taught her to respect herself, and she promptly denies the accusation in an attempt to turn over a new leaf.

REIMU: Don't spread sayings like that!

Another battle breaks out, but with the power of chastity on her side Reimu is victorious. Meiling cowers immediately, apologising to her new 'mistress' for her misgivings. We are to have no sympathy for her, even in defeat.

The journey within the mansion then takes Reimu to the mansion's library. We never at any point see the contents of any of the books here, but given the earlier symbolism involving the Scarlet Devil it is safe to assume they are pornographic in content. When Reimu attempts to inspect one, the librarian immediately threatens her to stop:

PATCHOULI: The one in red-white over there! Don't run amok in my study.

Patchouli represents a different sort of sexual irresponsibility from the girls represented thus far. While they offered themselves to anyone and everyone who would notice, Patchouli is clearly satisfying herself in secret. Her theme is titled 'The Girl's Secret Room ~ Locked Girl', another sign of her self-satisfying needs. (Some theories use this theme to suggest that Patchouli is a fan of bondage, but some have taken this to its extreme - but non-worksafe ? conclusion.)

REIMU: But really, can you actually read in such a dark room?
PATCHOULI: Unlike you, I'm not bird-eyed.

The bird-eyed point is one that came up before, signifying Reimu's inability to see beyond her base desires. Unlike Reimu who was merely ignorant, Patchouli is in outright denial over her promiscuity, and thus we are to cheer for Reimu as she fights through and beyond her.
One of Patchouli's last lines before the fight begins finalises her stance:

PATCHOULI: ...By the way, who are you?

Patchouli is demonstrating the same irresponsibility that Reimu presented at the beginning of the story. Unlike the hero, though, she makes no epiphany, and is defeated.

By now the story is approaching its climax, as Reimu approaches the Scarlet Devil. Given that Scarlet has held so much meaning in the story up until now, it is only logical that the Devil herself is a metaphor for pure, uncontrolled lust. When we come across the Devil's second-in-command, she is quickly shown to be utterly obsessed with pleasing her superior:

SAKUYA: Aah, the cleaning isn't getting anywhere! My mistress is going to be angry with me!!

In later appearances Sakuya is calm and relaxed, but in this moment when she fears disappointing her mistress she is flustered and frightened. The Scarlet Devil has an absolute rule over her, in the same way that she is unable to control her own desires.
When Reimu questions the maid on her superior, a pair of quotes appear that are worth analysing:

SAKUYA: The mistress happens to like dark places.
SAKUYA: Daylight bothers my mistress. She prefers darkness.

Once again, the 'darkness' metaphor rears its ugly head. It is clear now that the Scarlet Devil herself is responsible for the darkness plaguing Gensokyo. Besides the obvious meaning of blindness and an inability to see sense, this is ZUN's way of quantifying lust ? and indeed, the ignorance that leads to lust ? as a sin of the highest calibre.

Reimu asks to meet this mistress herself, and Sakuya refuses. As usual, there is no negotiating with those who have succumbed to their base desires, and thus Reimu is forced to resort to an even more basic method ? violence. With the maid disposed of, Reimu finally meets the Scarlet Devil herself ? a young vampire by the name of Remilia Scarlet.

Scarlet as a colour suddenly gains a new meaning ? as her surname, it is literally a part of her, and given the earlier connotations of the colour there is almost no jump in saying that she is literally a manifestation of lust. The representation as a vampire is also fitting for the role ? besides the obvious image of draining a person dry of their inner fluids, the fangs which vampires traditionally possess are without a doubt phallic in form.

(As an aside, Remilia's theme is named 'Septette for the Dead Princess'. Dead here is likely a reference to the French saying 'la petite mort', or 'the little death', a slang term for orgasm. As for septette ? if Remilia is to be a representation of Lust itself, a threesome would likely be beneath her. A sevensome, though...)

The exchange between the pair is nonsensical, deliberately. As has already been explained, there is no reasoning with the girls who have succumbed to lust, so it is only logical that negotiating with Lust herself will be less successful still. Only a few excerpts from this conversation are worth noting:

REIMU: I want you to leave this world.
REMILIA: You're hopeless.

Remilia is well aware that lust is a part of human nature. Even if Reimu has transcended her base desires, there will inevitably be others who succumb to sexual fantasy and accept the Scarlet Devil into their hearts. Reimu is idealistic, and the fact she has to resort to violence (perhaps death?) in order to defeat her is itself symbolic of the belief that we will never escape lust as long as the passionate blood flows in our veins as well.
The final exchange between the pair is also noteworthy:

REMILIA: Looks like it's going to be a fun night.
REIMU: Looks like it's going to be a long night.

This exchange brings up comparisons to the temptations of Jesus within the Bible, but as our hero Reimu battles against the devil's offers with a firm heart. She does not accept Remilia within her being for a second, and valiantly fights against her for the sake of all of Gensokyo, eventually emerging triumphant. Her example serves to give her fellow people an example to follow, and the 'mist' of lustful desire rises from across the nation.

With this, though, Reimu's battle is not yet over. As Remilia pointed out earlier, there was no hope of her killing off the Scarlet Devil forever, and she is eternally tormented by her for the rest of time despite her best efforts. She returns to the mansion soon afterward to try and resolve the matter, but it only makes the problem worse.

REIMU: Today is unusually hot.

Hot is not to be taken in the literal sense, but the sexual one. Now Reimu is tempted by another Scarlet Devil, the younger sister of the first. Flandre Scarlet is as incomprehensible as her sister, but speaks with more of a sneering and offensive tone:

FLANDRE: I've never seen humans as anything else but a drink.

Lust sees humans as nothing other than beverages, to be consumed and then thrown away. Flandre is an even more violent signification of Lust than Remilia is, but at the same time as the younger sister she is meant to be more na?ve and innocent. This works to convey the message that as we gain age and wisdom, we grow more distant from irresponsible sexual wants.

Once again Reimu defeats the Scarlet Devil in combat, and once again her victory achieves nothing. By the end of the tale, Remilia is still a frequent but unwelcome guest at the shrine who Reimu can do nothing to stop. She has matured, though ? she will never again offer herself blatantly to another in the manner she did to Rumia, and when otherwise she would have welcomed lust in with open arms she now accepts her human desires and does what she can to deal with them responsibly.

The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil tells a heartwarming story of one girl's challenges to overcome the temptations of youth, of lust and irresponsibility. It is not a battle she emerges from unscathed, but definitely one she grows wiser from.

-----

Can I have my Touhou degree now?

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Disclaimer: The subject named Sakana denies all involvement with the above entry and its creation. Statements that the subject was involved in encouraging the author to complete the essay and submit it have no substantial proof and will be ignored. None of this is a lie  :3

[Ryuu]

so I had an idea for this as soon as ruro posted the topic but then I wrote the entire idea in one paragraph. I couldn't think of a good way to expand on it so here is my grade 5 length paper tee hee hee


   Gensokyo is a subjective place. This is an undeniable fact that may be the very reason for its logic-defying popularity. Many people have their own thoughts as to what the true nature of the events or characters are, and these ideas have spread out through doujin, fanart, music, fiction and much more. We share our works and deductions with each other, each of our personal Gensokyos reaching out and altering one another. There are as many Gensokyos as there are fans of the series. From the artists, to the fanfiction writers, to the musicians, to the game enthusiasts, to the meme video watchers, we each have our own interpretation of Gensokyo?be it a simple setting to a game or a vast fantasia in which we fill the gaps.

[Esifex]

so I had an idea for this as soon as ruro posted the topic but then I wrote the entire idea in one paragraph. I couldn't think of a good way to expand on it so here is my grade 5 length paper tee hee hee

Except all of a sudden, Ryuu and Esifex are doing a collaborative work!


   Gensokyo is a subjective place. This is an undeniable fact that may be the very reason for its logic-defying popularity. Many people have their own thoughts as to what the true nature of the events or characters are, and these ideas have spread out through doujin, fanart, music, fiction and much more. We share our works and deductions with each other, each of our personal Gensokyos reaching out and altering one another. There are as many Gensokyos as there are fans of the series. From the artists, to the fanfiction writers, to the musicians, to the game enthusiasts, to the meme video watchers, we each have our own interpretation of Gensokyo?be it a simple setting to a game or a vast fantasia in which we fill the gaps.


There are several different takes on Gensokyo, yes; but the simplest way to categorize these different versions would be to draw the line between the 'canon' Gensokyo and the 'fanon' Gensokyo - that is to say, everything beyond the ZUN-written manga's and doujins, and the games themselves, versus all the personas generated by the fans.

An example of a contrast between the fanon and canon personalities between characters can be found with the ice fairy, Cirno.

Cirno is, according to the in-game dialogue, well over sixty years old, and of course, an Ice Fairy. Her link to ice as a sprite of nature could be one reason why she's drawn as a youth; alternatively, and more likely, it is just a matter of ZUN's particular art style.

Being a fairy means that she's not as bright as a human would be, or need to be; she's a fairy, and she's linked to nature. She has no need to educate herself, to make herself a valuable part of society through labor or intellect; she's a valuable part of nature to begin with. This is the accepted nature of fairies, period - they are playful creatures without a care in the world.

Ice has many properties - it is transient, and will melt to water if left exposed to warm temperatures, though at the same time, it can effect the temperature of the air around it. It can be frozen into a specific shape, using the yielding nature of water. Among the elements, ice - or more specifically, water - is almost unique.

The same can be said of Cirno - amongst the other fairies, she's one of the only ones in the games to ever get lines of dialogue, and by extension, a personality. Often boasting as being 'The Strongest', yet handily defeated by the players in the games, as well as a gag-label in an instruction manual for Phantasmagoria of Flower Viewing marking her as an idiot, has earned her a reputation amongst the fandom that she's less than bright, often imbecilic. However, in PoFV itself, Cirno is the first to catch on to the incident at hand, recalling that something like this has happened before, before even the other characters who'd been around for longer than her (Lyrica, Youmu, Reisen, Tewi, and Aya). Again, in PoFV, she even manages to outsmart Mystia.

Despite these canon-established facts - such as her ability to read, unlike Mystia - she is almost always portrayed as a raging idiot in doujin works... oftentimes as trying to read something but failing at it. Other portrayals take it in the complete opposite direction - that she is in fact a genius-level savant. This wildly divergent nature of fanon personifications is attributed to the sheer size of the fanbase.

Personalities aren't the only thing that vary between the established canon and the large sample-pool of fanon material, either.

[Ryuu]

Except all of a sudden, Ryuu and Esifex are doing a collaborative work!

COLLABROFIST! LET'S DO THIS


   Gensokyo is a subjective place. This is an undeniable fact that may be the very reason for its logic-defying popularity. Many people have their own thoughts as to what the true nature of the events or characters are, and these ideas have spread out through doujin, fanart, music, fiction and much more. We share our works and deductions with each other, each of our personal Gensokyos reaching out and altering one another. There are as many Gensokyos as there are fans of the series. From the artists, to the fanfiction writers, to the musicians, to the game enthusiasts, to the meme video watchers, we each have our own interpretation of Gensokyo?be it a simple setting to a game or a vast fantasia in which we fill the gaps.


There are several different takes on Gensokyo, yes; but the simplest way to categorize these different versions would be to draw the line between the 'canon' Gensokyo and the 'fanon' Gensokyo - that is to say, everything beyond the ZUN-written manga's and doujins, and the games themselves, versus all the personas generated by the fans.

An example of a contrast between the fanon and canon personalities between characters can be found with the ice fairy, Cirno.

Cirno is, according to the in-game dialogue, well over sixty years old, and of course, an Ice Fairy. Her link to ice as a sprite of nature could be one reason why she's drawn as a youth; alternatively, and more likely, it is just a matter of ZUN's particular art style.

Being a fairy means that she's not as bright as a human would be, or need to be; she's a fairy, and she's linked to nature. She has no need to educate herself, to make herself a valuable part of society through labor or intellect; she's a valuable part of nature to begin with. This is the accepted nature of fairies, period - they are playful creatures without a care in the world.

Ice has many properties - it is transient, and will melt to water if left exposed to warm temperatures, though at the same time, it can effect the temperature of the air around it. It can be frozen into a specific shape, using the yielding nature of water. Among the elements, ice - or more specifically, water - is almost unique.

The same can be said of Cirno - amongst the other fairies, she's one of the only ones in the games to ever get lines of dialogue, and by extension, a personality. Often boasting as being 'The Strongest', yet handily defeated by the players in the games, as well as a gag-label in an instruction manual for Phantasmagoria of Flower Viewing marking her as an idiot, has earned her a reputation amongst the fandom that she's less than bright, often imbecilic. However, in PoFV itself, Cirno is the first to catch on to the incident at hand, recalling that something like this has happened before, before even the other characters who'd been around for longer than her (Lyrica, Youmu, Reisen, Tewi, and Aya). Again, in PoFV, she even manages to outsmart Mystia.

Despite these canon-established facts - such as her ability to read, unlike Mystia - she is almost always portrayed as a raging idiot in doujin works... oftentimes as trying to read something but failing at it. Other portrayals take it in the complete opposite direction - that she is in fact a genius-level savant. This wildly divergent nature of fanon personifications is attributed to the sheer size of the fanbase.

Personalities aren't the only thing that vary between the established canon and the large sample-pool of fanon material, either.


As far as fanon personalities go, one could also state that the music in the games have an impact on how we perceive each character. Listening to Utsuho Reiuji's theme, even one with no knowledge of the series feels the sense of raw power. One could easily get the sense that Utsuho is someone who doesn't think problems through and instead solves issues through sheer overwhelming strength. The range of different theme remixes can also express a range of different character interpretations. For example, Parsee Mizuhashi, the hashihime who guards the Bridge that People No Longer Cross, could be seen as a deeply disturbed and tormented individual, or perhaps a very sad and lonesome person. Those two songs, despite being remixes of the same theme, bring to mind very different aspects of each character.

Similarly, the same could be proposed for the danmaku patterns of each character. Cirno, being the simple ice fairy she is, will throw bullets directly at the player with little form of pattern. Utsuho attempts to overpower you with gigantic nuclear bullets and quick waves. Nitori's bullet patterns are complex and mechanic, a true testament to her nature as an engineer. As each character is expected to create their own patterns and name their own cards with meaningful names, it naturally becomes a way for the characters to wordlessly express themselves in the games, subtly altering our perception of each individual--regardless if the spellcard patterns are a simple Stage One attack, or a massive Extra Stage onslaught.

[Bias Bus]

I let my hatred run wild with this one. So yeah...this is completely biased.

----

Fandom, an inevitable growth that flourishes from a popular series of games, television shows, and many other types of media. Some consider this a very important aspect to a game as, without people buying the product they are currently obsessing over, then the overall success of the product will be compromised. In the aspect of television media and (in this essay) games, the same thing can still apply, but it is what fans create from the original media is what I will focus on the most in my writing. At this moment, I would like to turn your attention too a danmaku shooter that is known as Touhou Project. To it's core, Touhou is a relatively simple game as it focuses on dodging bullets while trying to defend yourself from oncoming enemies with your own bullets. However, what makes Touhou special is not it's gameplay (although some do hold it in high regard), but the setting and characters that can be found in the fictional realm known as Gensokyo.

Touhou has, for the most part, an immense fanbase that gives birth to many different types of media involving their favorite characters in the series, ranging from; music, videos, fangames, doujin and many other forms of entertainment. One of the more prodominant focuses is that of "relationshipping" or the act of pairing two (or more) characters together creating the illusion that they are in a loving relationship with each other. Notice how I wrote the word "illusion" when mentioning the act of pairing two Touhou characters, which to say is not far from the honest truth on the matter. There is very little canon material supporting the fact that characters are interested in each other or if they are really involved with one another in a romantic way.

This lack of support does not stop the fanbase from coming up with their own reasons to give their preferred pairing "justice" in a world that, actively, does not promote it's existance. Any fan of Touhou can tell you one aspect of the setting that makes all of the pairings unique to the series; there are alot of characters to choose from to pair and there is the fact that 90% of them are female. Now, since both characters being "shipped" are female this implies that they are homosexual and since the majority of Gensokyo is seen as an all female realm, the (rather biased) notion of "everyone in Gensokyo is gay" crops up. Again, this is another instance where the fanbase fabricates it's own reason to give support to their pairings, this is, in no way shape or form, confirmed in canon that Gensokyo's populace is entirely female and that they are seeking to be romantically involved with one another.  Which leads up to the purpose of this essay; I am here to debunk any notion(s) concerning the fact that all "yuri" pairings are possible and that none of the characters are even interested in each other to begin with. Along the way, I will also bring up points that many fans overlook as they needlessly ship characters and try to change the sanctity of canon.

To begin, let's look at why fans believe that Gensokyo is one huge lesbian bar where everyone suddenly has a fancy for another woman. It's actually rather simple to see how this would turn about being many link this to the simple fact that there have been little to no male characters appearing in Touhou since it's debut in the mid to early 90s. With little male involvement, then this does not allow the fans to "ship" these types of characters, although there are those that exist, usually involving Rinnosuke Morichika who is seen as the sole male in Gensokyo. The idea that Rinnosuke is the only man in this realm isn't a very accurate assumption to make as there are several more males that are mentioned in many of Touho's official works by ZUN himself. From a practical stand point, one could say that males DO exist in Gensokyo, but they do not gain enough screen time as opposed to Rinnosuke for reasons that rest in the hands of ZUN. Seeing no effort to bring forth males in Gensokyo's setting, fans turn a blind eye to this fact and embrace yuri as they believe it is the only type of relationship possible. I for one, do not believe that is the case as there are many other mentions of males in Gensokyo besides Rinnosuke; Mr.Kirisame (Marisa's father), Lord Tenma (the tengu chief), Genji (the flying turtle Reimu used in her PC98 days), Shingyoku (has a male half) Unzan (Ichirin's Nyudo) and Myouren (Byakuren's brother). There are even males located within the Human Village as shown in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense.

Looking away from this, we come to see another huge reason why fans cling needlessly to the fact that everyone in Gensokyo is a lesbian. The fanbase itself is to blame for bringing forth massive amounts of propaganda telling of how certain Touhous are suddenly in love with one another or others who believe that what little canon involvement they have with each other suddenly equates to them having a relationship. In their folly, they fail to see how things actually work in Touhous canon and, like maggots to a festering corpse, they feed off of fanon's speculation, off their lies and decite. The moment a fan devours the fruit of fandom, they seal their fate. Entrusting their future to the fanbase, a Touhou fan will cling to a dim hope that all their favorite characters love one another. Yet they fail to realize that the canon is the means by which all is revealed. Nowhere in canon has there ever been any instance of other characters showing feelings for another character, or even actively pursuing a romantic relationship. It is stated by ZUN that he acknowledges the idea, but has it appeared in any games or print work thus far? No, it has not. Which means this was merely a hand wave to appease the many fans who support a yuri dominated Gensokyo, not an actual attempt to bring forth any canon support from the main man himself.

Allow me to direct your attention to one of the more popular of pairings that have managed to rear it's ugly head over the many years that Touhou has been around. Ever since a doujin depicting one Yuuka Kazami as sort of a big sister towards Wriggle Nightbug, fans have done nothing short of pairing them up not realizing the one consequence they have so carelessly overlooked in their insatiable need for everyone to be gay in Gensokyo. For one, the two have never appeared in different games and haven't shared any form of dialouge with one another to even HINT at the aspect of an interest they may have with each other (Yuuka appeared in Phantasmagori of Flower View, while Wriggle appeared in Imperishable Night). Case in point, with no connection to them ever meeting in game or printed works from ZUN, this means that they have, canonically, never met. The same can be applied to the pairing between Mystia and Mokou, while both of them have appeared in the same game as one another, there is nothing in their dialouge that hints them ever meeting or otherwise. Alongside this is the fact that Mystia dislikes humans, something Mokou happens to be...despite being immortal. If Mystia dislikes humans why would she suddenly drop her preferances for a human she doesn't readily know? This is one of the many instances where fanon tries to overpower canon and plug a character with a trait that doesn't readily exist. Because it doesn't fit true to Mystia's canon portrayal this can easily be considered "Character Derailment" just to support something that is essentially, non canon.

The notion that all of the touhou characters are "gay" is something that should never be considered a canon factor of Gensokyo. However, as a wise man once said, "in the face of disaster, lies oppurtunity for renewal"(1). The one way to remedy this senseless disregard to canon is for the fans to stop their needless binge on what the fandom itself puts out and try to pay some respect to their actual canon material that exists. While I'm sure it will leave a bitter taste within their mouths, it is all but nessacary to assure that fans will come to see Touhou for what it truly is and look away from all of the senseless drabble that clouds their eyes from the majesty of what Gensokyo really has to offer to them.

1 - Nyx Avatar, 12th Quote.

[Esifex]

IT GROWS FURTHER


   Gensokyo is a subjective place. This is an undeniable fact that may be the very reason for its logic-defying popularity. Many people have their own thoughts as to what the true nature of the events or characters are, and these ideas have spread out through doujin, fanart, music, fiction and much more. We share our works and deductions with each other, each of our personal Gensokyos reaching out and altering one another. There are as many Gensokyos as there are fans of the series. From the artists, to the fanfiction writers, to the musicians, to the game enthusiasts, to the meme video watchers, we each have our own interpretation of Gensokyo?be it a simple setting to a game or a vast fantasia in which we fill the gaps.


There are several different takes on Gensokyo, yes; but the simplest way to categorize these different versions would be to draw the line between the 'canon' Gensokyo and the 'fanon' Gensokyo - that is to say, everything beyond the ZUN-written manga's and doujins, and the games themselves, versus all the personas generated by the fans.

An example of a contrast between the fanon and canon personalities between characters can be found with the ice fairy, Cirno.

Cirno is, according to the in-game dialogue, well over sixty years old, and of course, an Ice Fairy. Her link to ice as a sprite of nature could be one reason why she's drawn as a youth; alternatively, and more likely, it is just a matter of ZUN's particular art style.

Being a fairy means that she's not as bright as a human would be, or need to be; she's a fairy, and she's linked to nature. She has no need to educate herself, to make herself a valuable part of society through labor or intellect; she's a valuable part of nature to begin with. This is the accepted nature of fairies, period - they are playful creatures without a care in the world.

Ice has many properties - it is transient, and will melt to water if left exposed to warm temperatures, though at the same time, it can effect the temperature of the air around it. It can be frozen into a specific shape, using the yielding nature of water. Among the elements, ice - or more specifically, water - is almost unique.

The same can be said of Cirno - amongst the other fairies, she's one of the only ones in the games to ever get lines of dialogue, and by extension, a personality. Often boasting as being 'The Strongest', yet handily defeated by the players in the games, as well as a gag-label in an instruction manual for Phantasmagoria of Flower Viewing marking her as an idiot, has earned her a reputation amongst the fandom that she's less than bright, often imbecilic. However, in PoFV itself, Cirno is the first to catch on to the incident at hand, recalling that something like this has happened before, before even the other characters who'd been around for longer than her (Lyrica, Youmu, Reisen, Tewi, and Aya). Again, in PoFV, she even manages to outsmart Mystia.

Despite these canon-established facts - such as her ability to read, unlike Mystia - she is almost always portrayed as a raging idiot in doujin works... oftentimes as trying to read something but failing at it. Other portrayals take it in the complete opposite direction - that she is in fact a genius-level savant. This wildly divergent nature of fanon personifications is attributed to the sheer size of the fanbase.

Personalities aren't the only thing that vary between the established canon and the large sample-pool of fanon material, either.


As far as fanon personalities go, one could also state that the music in the games have an impact on how we perceive each character. Listening to Utsuho Reiuji's theme, even one with no knowledge of the series feels the sense of raw power. One could easily get the sense that Utsuho is someone who doesn't think problems through and instead solves issues through sheer overwhelming strength. The range of different theme remixes can also express a range of different character interpretations. For example, Parsee Mizuhashi, the hashihime who guards the Bridge that People No Longer Cross, could be seen as a deeply disturbed and tormented individual, or perhaps a very sad and lonesome person. Those two songs, despite being remixes of the same theme, bring to mind very different aspects of each character.

Similarly, the same could be proposed for the danmaku patterns of each character. Cirno, being the simple ice fairy she is, will throw bullets directly at the player with little form of pattern. Utsuho attempts to overpower you with gigantic nuclear bullets and quick waves. Nitori's bullet patterns are complex and mechanic, a true testament to her nature as an engineer. As each character is expected to create their own patterns and name their own cards with meaningful names, it naturally becomes a way for the characters to wordlessly express themselves in the games, subtly altering our perception of each individual--regardless if the spellcard patterns are a simple Stage One attack, or a massive Extra Stage onslaught.


It has been argued that one person - ZUN - can get away with doing literally everything for a game by being either exceptionally talented, or just slightly flawed. In this case, the flaw lies in the art; the character portraits have been described, at best, as 'laughable.' A primary example comes from Reimu, main player character and heroine of the series. As such, she gets possibly the most exposure, and because of this, her art style changes from game to game. Some changes include her hair spontaneously altering length between games, but the most notable art-shift comes with the Mountain of Faith game. Not only is Reimu afflicted jaundice, but apparently the Goddesses of Autumn aren't quite stout against gout - Minoriko Aki suffers from a very indistinct jawline.

However, examples of higher-quality art can still be found within the canon-verse of Gensokyo. The fighting games, though the music and art isn't compiled by ZUN himself, have his approval and are considered canon events in Gensokyo's timeline. The artist responsible for the portraits in the Tasofro-published fighting carnations goes by the handle of 'alphes' - all lower-case, as opposed to ZUN being written in all upper-case letters - has a distinctive art style. While not masterful works of art themselves, one can honestly admit that the alphes art is an improvement over the original sprites.

To find true higher-quality images, one needs look no further than the fans. Details originally indistinct or vague, such as Momiji's tail, ears, and details on her shirt that can't be made out from the in-game sprites have reached near-canon levels of pervasiveness. From a tiny sprite in Mountain of Faith that lacks distinct features, a sizable following became attached to Momiji, and many fanworks were put out into the fandom that featured the ears. Then, along comes Oriental Sacred Place, a ZUN-sanctioned sequel to the manga/doujin series based on the Three Mischievous Fairies, where Momiji makes a small appearance, and lo and behold, the wolf ears are present.

This not only shows the differences between the art styles, but also the nature of the canon-verse and its relation with the fanon-verse; such a phenomenon has been labeled 'ascended fanon', and the Touhou multi-verse is renowned for this, as well as the very vague nature of the world allowing for the fans to universally accept, and ultimately raise, an idea into the canon universe of Touhou. A prime example would be the transition of Hong Meiling - in her introduction in Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil, she's a normal gate-guard who is unlucky enough to be overpowered by the heroine. By the time she makes her re-entry to the series in Touhou 12.3, Touhou Hisoutensoku, her layabout-and-narcoleptic nature is the basis behind her entire story arc.

So, while there are differences between the canon and the fanon, sometimes the line is blurred, and the canon world of Touhou accepts an idea and concept from the fanon. Such a distinction is uncommon, but it very clearly does happen. This could be in part what attracts many of Touhou's fans to the Paradise of Illusion, Gensokyo.

[Ryuu]

this has been an imbrovised brollaboration between Esibro and Rybro. TWO BROS. ONE ENTRY... BRO.


   Gensokyo is a subjective place. This is an undeniable fact that may be the very reason for its logic-defying popularity. Many people have their own thoughts as to what the true nature of the events or characters are, and these ideas have spread out through doujin, fanart, music, fiction and much more. We share our works and deductions with each other, each of our personal Gensokyos reaching out and altering one another. There are as many Gensokyos as there are fans of the series. From the artists, to the fanfiction writers, to the musicians, to the game enthusiasts, to the meme video watchers, we each have our own interpretation of Gensokyo?be it a simple setting to a game or a vast fantasia in which we fill the gaps.


There are several different takes on Gensokyo, yes; but the simplest way to categorize these different versions would be to draw the line between the 'canon' Gensokyo and the 'fanon' Gensokyo - that is to say, everything beyond the ZUN-written manga's and doujins, and the games themselves, versus all the personas generated by the fans.

An example of a contrast between the fanon and canon personalities between characters can be found with the ice fairy, Cirno.

Cirno is, according to the in-game dialogue, well over sixty years old, and of course, an Ice Fairy. Her link to ice as a sprite of nature could be one reason why she's drawn as a youth; alternatively, and more likely, it is just a matter of ZUN's particular art style.

Being a fairy means that she's not as bright as a human would be, or need to be; she's a fairy, and she's linked to nature. She has no need to educate herself, to make herself a valuable part of society through labor or intellect; she's a valuable part of nature to begin with. This is the accepted nature of fairies, period - they are playful creatures without a care in the world.

Ice has many properties - it is transient, and will melt to water if left exposed to warm temperatures, though at the same time, it can effect the temperature of the air around it. It can be frozen into a specific shape, using the yielding nature of water. Among the elements, ice - or more specifically, water - is almost unique.

The same can be said of Cirno - amongst the other fairies, she's one of the only ones in the games to ever get lines of dialogue, and by extension, a personality. Often boasting as being 'The Strongest', yet handily defeated by the players in the games, as well as a gag-label in an instruction manual for Phantasmagoria of Flower Viewing marking her as an idiot, has earned her a reputation amongst the fandom that she's less than bright, often imbecilic. However, in PoFV itself, Cirno is the first to catch on to the incident at hand, recalling that something like this has happened before, before even the other characters who'd been around for longer than her (Lyrica, Youmu, Reisen, Tewi, and Aya). Again, in PoFV, she even manages to outsmart Mystia.

Despite these canon-established facts - such as her ability to read, unlike Mystia - she is almost always portrayed as a raging idiot in doujin works... oftentimes as trying to read something but failing at it. Other portrayals take it in the complete opposite direction - that she is in fact a genius-level savant. This wildly divergent nature of fanon personifications is attributed to the sheer size of the fanbase.

Personalities aren't the only thing that vary between the established canon and the large sample-pool of fanon material, either.


As far as fanon personalities go, one could also state that the music in the games have an impact on how we perceive each character. Listening to Utsuho Reiuji's theme, even one with no knowledge of the series feels the sense of raw power. One could easily get the sense that Utsuho is someone who doesn't think problems through and instead solves issues through sheer overwhelming strength. The range of different theme remixes can also express a range of different character interpretations. For example, Parsee Mizuhashi, the hashihime who guards the Bridge that People No Longer Cross, could be seen as a deeply disturbed and tormented individual, or perhaps a very sad and lonesome person. Those two songs, despite being remixes of the same theme, bring to mind very different aspects of each character.

Similarly, the same could be proposed for the danmaku patterns of each character. Cirno, being the simple ice fairy she is, will throw bullets directly at the player with little form of pattern. Utsuho attempts to overpower you with gigantic nuclear bullets and quick waves. Nitori's bullet patterns are complex and mechanic, a true testament to her nature as an engineer. As each character is expected to create their own patterns and name their own cards with meaningful names, it naturally becomes a way for the characters to wordlessly express themselves in the games, subtly altering our perception of each individual--regardless if the spellcard patterns are a simple Stage One attack, or a massive Extra Stage onslaught.


It has been argued that one person - ZUN - can get away with doing literally everything for a game by being either exceptionally talented, or just slightly flawed. In this case, the flaw lies in the art; the character portraits have been described, at best, as 'laughable.' A primary example comes from Reimu, main player character and heroine of the series. As such, she gets possibly the most exposure, and because of this, her art style changes from game to game. Some changes include her hair spontaneously altering length between games, but the most notable art-shift comes with the Mountain of Faith game. Not only is Reimu afflicted jaundice, but apparently the Goddesses of Autumn aren't quite stout against gout - Minoriko Aki suffers from a very indistinct jawline.

However, examples of higher-quality art can still be found within the canon-verse of Gensokyo. The fighting games, though the music and art isn't compiled by ZUN himself, have his approval and are considered canon events in Gensokyo's timeline. The artist responsible for the portraits in the Tasofro-published fighting carnations goes by the handle of 'alphes' - all lower-case, as opposed to ZUN being written in all upper-case letters - has a distinctive art style. While not masterful works of art themselves, one can honestly admit that the alphes art is an improvement over the original sprites.

To find true higher-quality images, one needs look no further than the fans. Details originally indistinct or vague, such as Momiji's tail, ears, and details on her shirt that can't be made out from the in-game sprites have reached near-canon levels of pervasiveness. From a tiny sprite in Mountain of Faith that lacks distinct features, a sizable following became attached to Momiji, and many fanworks were put out into the fandom that featured the ears. Then, along comes Oriental Sacred Place, a ZUN-sanctioned sequel to the manga/doujin series based on the Three Mischievous Fairies, where Momiji makes a small appearance, and lo and behold, the wolf ears are present.

This not only shows the differences between the art styles, but also the nature of the canon-verse and its relation with the fanon-verse; such a phenomenon has been labeled 'ascended fanon', and the Touhou multi-verse is renowned for this, as well as the very vague nature of the world allowing for the fans to universally accept, and ultimately raise, an idea into the canon universe of Touhou. A prime example would be the transition of Hong Meiling - in her introduction in Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil, she's a normal gate-guard who is unlucky enough to be overpowered by the heroine. By the time she makes her re-entry to the series in Touhou 12.3, Touhou Hisoutensoku, her layabout-and-narcoleptic nature is the basis behind her entire story arc.

So, while there are differences between the canon and the fanon, sometimes the line is blurred, and the canon world of Touhou accepts an idea and concept from the fanon. Such a distinction is uncommon, but it very clearly does happen. This could be in part what attracts many of Touhou's fans to the Paradise of Illusion, Gensokyo.


Perhaps this very entry is a good example of why Gensokyo is such an attractive place. Two people, separated by miles of land, could come together and compose their thoughts about Gensokyo into a single document to share with those that they know. The openness and interpretation that Gensokyo offers may not be the only thing that draws people to it, but rather the ability to express those thoughts to those around you. Gensokyo is a world that offers as many faces as the viewer wishes to experience, each face bringing a new idea to an event or a new interpretation to a character, a new thought or a new conversation to share with those you know, each conversation you share bringing yet another new face to Gensokyo. Indeed, it may not be the setting of Gensokyo itself that is what is most attractive, but the ability to share our Gensokyos with those we meet and to experience the Gensokyos of others, our worlds coming together to influence one another, and those influences spreading from Gensokyo to Gensokyo, each land ever-changing in the hearts of the fans who love it.

[Alfred F. Jones]

Nobody expects the Library Squad!

Due to life catching up to one of our judges, I declare a DEADLINE EXTENSION for this contest. New deadline is one week from now. Sorry for any inconvenience this might cause anyone.

Edit @ Ryuu:

:suwakodwi:

[Ryuu]

Nobody expects the Library Squad!

Due to life catching up to one of our judges, I declare a DEADLINE EXTENSION for this contest. New deadline is one week from now. Sorry for any inconvenience this might cause anyone.

man I feel like one of those sitcom episodes in which people rush to meet the deadline and there's this awesome montage and friendly brofests going on and then as the main characters go to turn in their finished project, the person who asked for it is just like "oh yeah the deadline is extended lol"

[Esifex]

I like how the deadlines' been extended but no one is making use of it :v

[Ryuu]

I like how the deadlines' been extended but no one is making use of it :v

you just want the judging NOW you impatient bro

[Tengukami]

The deadline extension was for the judges, though, wasn't it?

[Esifex]

Just said 'this contest'.

I'm just joshin, anyways. If anyone else is workin on somethin, more power to 'em. If not, well, that makes it easier for the judges come crunch time.

[nolrai2]

What I Believe by Rumia

Since the dawn of time Humans and Yokai have tried to get the world.  They have believed many different things, some very silly. I believe that this world is a test for our of us.  I believe that Jesus came down not just to the humans of the world, but that he continued in his preachings after his death and resurrection. That the King of the Stars has a plan for us all.  I know this because the Veiled King taught me of the True Faith, and in these long years sense I have tried to remember as best I can. The fairies say that my beliefs are silly and Cirno says that I was always just a stupid little girl.  But I wasn't! I used to do big things.

This is important because it give my life meaning. Even if I am bad and eat people I shouldn't or the mean people come and beat me up I know that there is still a purpose to my suffering.  I am still part of the plan and when the Veiled King returns the lands of the wicked will burn! So the whole world should know that they are in big trouble! That is why this is very important.

Rumia.

[Alfred F. Jones]

It's that time of the week again!

Essays were a fresh change from the usual fic style, I hope. Not much dialogue for the most part, and a lot more abstract. So the criteria changed a little, but in the end there still ended up being a few standout entries.

First off, Roukan, you know better than I do how much I enjoy seeing the story of EoSD bastardized into a metaphor of lust and repression for the modern era-- or maybe that's the right interpretation. Who knows? Either way, Koishi is always an amusing medium. And Chibi-Reaper, I see that I have met another history fan! I do contest that Queen Elizabeth "declared war" on the Spanish, but that's just semantics, coming from a huge Tudor history fangirl (and therefore utterly biased).

Honourable mention, however, goes to Erebus. I was hoping for an essay to analyze the Touhou community itself, and your observations on how yuri became so prevalent in the WTC is illuminating. I really liked this one, bias be damned. It reminds me of how I need to show the MotK community this wiki, to record the history of one of the most fascinating fanbases of a doujin work in the west.

In any case, it's time for the winner. And this week's special-- or rather, yellow-- award goes to:

Tengukami! You went the alternate route of writing your essay in-universe, and the results were great. The little incidents in the essay were an amusing and fun read, and the citations were hilarious. Enjoy being yellow.

---

I like seasonal themes! Did you know that? No? Then just give me a piece of candy and get it over with.
October 25, 2010: "Oh, so it's a day of legal extortion?"


Happy Halloween! This theme should be relatively straightforward-- Halloween must feature in your story. No genre restrictions, no tone requirement. Just trick-or-treating and evil spirits or whatever. All Saints' Day would be an interesting touch, though.

Have fun writing, folks!

[Suikama]

Weekly Writing Challenge! - Current: "All Hallows' Eve!"

Danmakufu Contest #7 - All Hallow's Even 2!

Ruuuurrrrrooooooooo

[Esifex]

No mention of the BROLABORATION? ;-;

[Alfred F. Jones]

No mention of the BROLABORATION? ;-;

Blame Sakana for that. He was supposed to do the judging, but didn't. What a lazy tuna I have for an assistant. :|

[Bias Bus]

Great, I can use this as an outlet for my planned Halloween fic.

Let's see if I won't flak out on this one.

[Chibi-Reaper]

Halloween.... Hrm. So, the question is if I should be channeling inner-Jack-Skellington, or inner-Michael-Myers.

Oh! Maybe I'll compromise, and channel inner-Michael-Jackson, Thriller version? That might just work....

[Esifex]

Halloween.... Hrm. So, the question is if I should be channeling inner-Jack-Skellington, or inner-Michael-Myers.

Oh! Maybe I'll compromise, and channel inner-Michael-Jackson, Thriller version? That might just work....

Ouch. You got me, you win. That was funny.

[Tengukami]

Woo, thanks! It was fun to write, too.

Though I think between the two articles due for my job this week, Esi's project, and Out Of Breath, I'm going to probably skip this one. Which is a shame, because I love Halloween.

[Iced Fairy]

Hm....  El D?a de los Muertos, legit too?   :V

[Drake]

ruro y u steel mah title

[Alfred F. Jones]

ruro y u steel mah title

It's a public domain holiday :ohdear:

Hm....  El D?a de los Muertos, legit too?   :V

:*

Yes yes a million times yes.

[Phlegeth]

?Meiling!  Meiling Meiling Meiling!?  Flandre came running out into the hallway of the shrine carrying a book.  ?Meil?oof!?  She wasn't watching where she was going and tripped over her self.

?Hahaha, I can't believe you tripped!? Marisa laughed at her.  She looked up and saw Reimu, Sanae, Marisa, Alice, and Meiling setting on the front porch staring back at her.  She puffed out her cheek and stood up.

?It's not funny!? she yelled.  Marisa started laughing again.  Reimu smacked her in the back of the head.

?Stop laughing.?  Marisa fell in the yard and started rolling around holding the back of her head.

?What's that book?? Meiling said walking over to her.

?It's a book of events from the outside world!  Look,? she opened the book and pointed, ?there's this fun one called Halloween!?

?Ha, Halloween?? Sanae's face went pale.

?Yeah!  We get to dress up and trick or treating for candy!?

?Ha, Halloween?? Sanae repeated.

?And it's a time for spooky things too!?

?Ha, Halloween??

?Yes, Halloween,? Alice said, ?What, you're not the type to get easily spooked are you??

?It's not that.  Kanako,? Sanae looked down at the ground, ?Kanako's just so bad at it.  She tries to get more faith by dressing up as a popular character.  One year she went dressed as Krillan and then another year she went dressed as Buggy the Clown and then she went dressed as Rock Lee.?

?I have no idea who any of those people are,? Reimu said.

?Neither did she!  She'd always yell out, 'Look I'm Shonen Jump!'  Every year,? Sanae pulled her legs up to her chest and started shaking.

?There, there,? Reimu patted her back, ?she won't do it this year.  No one's heard of those characters so she won't get faith my dressing up like them.?

?If it's about gaining faith through dressing up like popular people, then she'll dress up like me of course!?  Marisa stood up and jammed her thumb into her chest.

?That won't work, you're popular for all the wrong reasons,? Alice said.

?There are a lot of Marisa costumes in here,? Flan said.

?Damn straight!?

?How's this trick or treating thing work?? Meiling asked.

?It says we go from house to house saying 'Trick or Treat' and even they don't give us treats we get to trick them,? Flan read from the book.

?So let me get this straight.  People dress up like me and go around extorted treats from their neighbors.  This holiday is a tribute to me!?  Marisa said.

?No, this is a fun day where we get to dress up and go around town and get free treats!? Flan protested.

?That's what I do everyday.?

?In any case,? Reimu sighed, ?If we're going to do this, we should spread the word.?

?I'm on it!? Marisa said and grabbed her broom and took off.

?Where's she going?? Sanae asked with her head still in her knees.

?Towards Youkai Mountain,? Alice said.

?To tell the tengus?? she said with a false hope.

?Maybe, but only after tells Kanako.?

?Faith no more,? Sanae groaned.

[Bold]A Very M4 Halloween[/Bold]

?Everything looks great,? Reimu said looking around the shrine.  She had Jack-o-lanterns placed at both ends of the stairs and in front of the shrine.  There were black and orange balloons tied to the gateway and many tables set up with snacks and drinks for everyone.  ?I'd like to think everyone for all there hard work this past couple of days.  Well most of you anyway,? she shot a look at Marisa who was eating candy.

?You think you can see pieces of candy corn in your--?

?Stop, please stop,? Reimu held up her hand.

?Fine, I need to get changed anyway.?

?Yea, I should probably head back too.  See you later tonight,? Alice said and both waved and flew off to the Magic Forest.

?Heh heh heh,? Yukari chuckled and hid behind her fan, ?It doesn't matter.  I'M going as the scariest thing imaginable!?  She yelled and disappeared into her gap.

?What's she going as?? Reimu asked Ran.

?I don't know.  I should probably get Chen and meet up with Keine, we're taking the class through town,? she turned towards Meiling, ?Is Flan ready??

?I'll go check,? Meiling said and disappeared into the shrine.

?So what is Kanako dressing up as?  What's popular in Gensokyo right now?? Reimu asked Sanae.

?A cat-eared, thigh-high sock wearing,? Sanae gulped, ?black-white witch with detached sleeves.?

?Detached sleeves?? Ran asked looking at the two shrine maidens.  ?I just don't get it.?

?JOOOOAAAAA!? there was a scream from inside the shrine and a green flash jumped outside.  ?Look, look!  I'm Meiling!?  Flandre said jumping around excitedly.

?That's cute,? Ran said smiling.  A gap opened up behind Ran.

?You're still at the shrine??  Yukari said from inside.  ?Here, take Chen and go so I can get changed.?  A giant penguin popped out of the gap.  The beak opened and Chen's smiling head popped up.

?I'm a penguin!? she started waddling to Ran.

?Hey what's the hold up?? Mokou said coming up the stairs.

?Huh, what?? Ran said, she was hypnotized by Chen's waddle.

?We're coming!? Chen said and started waddling to Mokou.  A huge smile appeared across her face.  She held out her arms and pushed Chen down.

?Why the hell'd you do that!? Ran yelled.

?I...I couldn't help myself,? she said watching Chen struggle to get up.

?I know what you mean,? Ran watched too.  Flan ran over and picked Chen up.  They both looked back at Mokou and Ran before walking down the steps.

?Those two are weird,? Flan said.

?You get used to it,? Chen sighed.

?Hey, Mokou?? Reimu said looking her over.  ?Those clothes...?

?Yea, pretty scary huh?  I'm going as an ass,? she was dressed as Kaguya.

?You stole them off her clothes line, didn't you??

?I wish.  Tewi caught me and I had to bribe her to keep quiet.  Why didn't any of you dress up??

?I did, I'm Shrine Maiden Red,? Reimu said with a bored look.

?And I'm Shrine Maiden Green!?

?Between Chen's costume and setting up this party, I didn't have the time.?

?Nah, you can go as a foxy lady,? Sanae laughed.

?Hm, we're going now,? Ran said and went down the stairs.  Mokou waved good bye and followed.

?Look, I'm Reimu!? Mystia said to everyone.

?And I'm a witch!?  Cirno said jumping up and down, waving her arms.

?Um, I'm dressed like Titania,? Daiyousei said and was wearing a long elegant green dress that went past her knees and a pink flower in her hair above her side ponytail.

?Guess what I am, guess what I am!? Rumia was shouting.  They all turned to look, but the sun had already sit and she was covered in darkness.

?We can't see you,? Keine said.

?I bet she's going as a naked person,? Mokou said.

?Why would you say that??

?If I was invisible I'd go around naked.?

?She's not invisible.?

?Close enough.?  They heard some scuffling from inside the darkness.

?Keep your clothes on,? Wriggle said.

?Hey look, Wriggle's dressed like a girl,? Mokou pointed at her.  She was wearing sneakers and socks up to her knees and short frilly skirt and sleeveless shirt and she was carrying pom-poms.

?I'm a cheerleader.?

?It looks like everyone is here now, let's go trick or treating,? Keine clapped her hands together and they went into town.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Magic Forest, Alice and Marisa have finished changing.  ?So, what do you think??  Alice asked.  She walked out into the living room.  She had hair bobbles and put up her hair in a side ponytail.  But her hair was really short and it looked more like an ahoge than anything else.  She was wearing a long pink dress and she looked up at Marisa.  ?What are you suppose to be??

?I'm Alice,? she did a twirl.  She was wearing a short blue dress with a white ribbon tied around her waist with white pantyhose and black strap on shoes.  She had her hair flattened too.  ?Won't you die for me??

?I have never worn anything like that in my life,? Alice said and walked out the door.

?Wait for me Mama!? Marisa yelled and started skipping after her.  Alice stopped dead in her tracks.

?Don't call me that, it's weird,? she shuddered.

?Whatever you say, Mom,? she said skipping around her.

?Ugh,? Alice groaned, but suddenly looked up, ?are you jingling??

?Yea, it wasn't easy figuring out to do that either,? she said with a proud look.

?Let's head back to the party.?

?We've got to hold hands so I don't get lost Mom,? Marisa held her hand and grinned.

?You're enjoying this aren't you??

?That's a dumb question, I never do something I don't enjoy.?

* * *

Later that night, the shrine was bustling with humans and youkai alike.  Everyone was having a good time, except for one person who was hiding in the shrine curled up in a fetal position.

?Sanae, what are you doing in here?? Reimu asked.

?Kanako's out there in that costume.?

?But she seems to be popular.  I don't see what the problem is.?

?She's popular with the wrong people!?

?She's a grown Goddess, she can handle herself.  And Yuugi's right there too.?

?Yuugi's the worst of all.?

?I'm leaving now to check on all the guests, have fun in here,? Reimu said and left.

Yuyuko and Youmu came up to Reimu.  Yuyuko was wearing a black dress and long white shirt underneath and a white hat with a pink ribbon and Youmu was wearing a pink dress with a slit up the middle and a short sleeved white shirt with a  pink belt and what little hair she had was tied up in a pony tail with a yellow ribbon.

?We're the Watatsuki sisters!? Yuyuko exclaimed.  ?And look at this,? pointed at Youmu's ghost half, they put rabbit ears on it.  ?We call it Reimu!?  Reimu gave her a confused look, ?Get it cause their rabbit is called Reisen and Youmu is Youmu and Reisen and Youmu is Reimu!  It's a pun!?  She burst out laughing.

?That's clever alright,? Reimu said.  ?Have fun,? she said and went off.

?Hmph,? Eirin said coming up to Reimu.  She was dressed like Keine.  ?I wonder how she'd like it if I dressed up like Youki or something,? she said staring at Yuyuko.

?Knowing her, she's find it hilarious that an immortal would dress like a half-ghost.  And I'd hate to ask, but why are you dressed like Keine??

?It was the Princess' idea,? she sighed.  ?She's dressed like Mokou.?

?This can only end badly,? Reimu groaned.

?Why?  Is Mokou dressed like the Princess?? Eirin laughed.

?Yea,? Reimu answered sullenly.  ?Luckily Mokou's out trick or treating with the school kids.?

?Umm, we got a little while ago,? Ran said coming up to them.

?YOU!? there was a shout from the crowd.

?Oh  crap,? Eirin sighed.

?Take my clothes off!? Mokou shouted.

?Ugh, what's that you pervert?  You stole my clothes and now you want to see me naked.  Eirin!  Stop this pervert from doing perverted things to me!?

?Oh yes, Eirin Eirin!  Help me, Eirin!  I'm a little useless Princess!? Mokou mocked.  ?I set in my room all day doing nothing!?

?Keine, Ah'm sho woenewey!  Being an immowtal is hawd.  Keine be my fuweind!  Ah dun got no fuweinds cause Ah am the dumb!  Be mah fuwiend!?

?Why you little!?  Mokou jumped at Kaguya.

?What are you doing!?? Kaguya yelled and they grabbed each others faces and started pulling.

?Keine!?  ?Eirin!?  Shouting came from the dog pile.  The two walked over to a table and poured each other drinks.

?Um, aren't you going to help?? Reimu asked.

?I wouldn't even know who to help,? Keine sighed.

?And after that stunt, I say we let them kill each other,? Eirin added.

?Here, here,? Keine said and tapped their cups together and watched the two fight.

?INFERIOR BEINGS!? a loud shout roared across the night sky!  ?IT IS I, THE SCARIEST THING IMAGINABLE!?  They was a flash of light and someone in a dress similar to Yuyuko's costume appeared.  ?I AM A WATATSUKI SISTER!?  She landed in the middle of the crowd.

?The scariest thing, huh?? Eirin said and took a big gulp of her drink.

?Inferior beings with your inferior party!  Hand over your inferior treats or I was purify this land!? she shouted.

?Pst, hey Yukari!  Yukari look, we came as the same person!? Yuyuko was shouting, trying to get Yukari's attention.

?Inferior being!  I am a pure and incorruptible being from the pure and incorruptible moon!?  She yelled and walked to the shrine entrance.

?Why couldn't you have come as the other one?? Reimu sighed.

?Inferior being!  My sister isn't as scary as me!  Only I, the pure and incorruptible Toyohime can purify this Inferior land with my pure and incorruptible fan laser!?  She pulled out her fan.  ?Now surrender your inferior treats at once!?

?I need a refill,? Eirin said and place her cup down.

?Inferior beings!  I will be in here waiting for my treats!? she tried to kick open the shrine door, but ended up kicking through it and getting her foot stuck.  ?Huh?  I mean, you got your inferior door all over my pure and incorruptible leg!  How dare you!??

?I need a drink too,? Reimu said and went over to the table where Eirin and Keine were.

?Is that really how, you view us?? Eirin asked and took a drink.

?Well I got along with Yorihime when the fighting was done,? Reimu took a drink.

?Let's make a drinking game, every time she says 'inferior' we take a drink,? Keine said.

?I'm game,? Reimu said and they drank the night away.

[Chibi-Reaper]

Best line in there- "I'm a penguin!"

[Dan-Heron]

just what we needed: Marisa's day XD

That was pretty enjoyable, liked the little bit of insanity here and there.

For a moment I thought Yukari was throwing a Prinny at Ran. I imagined Chen moving like Chiyo -from Azumanga-, made it all the more adorable.