Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Hakurei Shrine~ => Rika and Nitori's Garage Experiments => Touhou Projects => Topic started by: Lucarius on August 10, 2009, 12:02:45 PM
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Lucarius's Comments
I usually regret contributing because I screw up. Sorry.
If there isn't a thread for a translation of this thing, I can make a thread that translates this little by little. Members can ask for certain characters and I could translate on a first-come first-serve basis, or I can just translate this in order whenever I want to.
If someone's already started a translation, whether it be here or a wiki, I won't bother.
Only problem with my doing this is that I'm not going to finish it. lol
As people who know me from FFR know, I have an issue with ditching threads, especially ones that I start. Don't expect me to finish. However, as long as this gets rid of my boredom, I will continue to do it.
I will not post images. I will not post the Japanese. Buy the book. There are images aside from the danmaku screenshots. They represent Marisa's ability to draw, and it's rather well done. Sakuya's was a laugh. I'll explain the correlation of the images, but I won't post them here. I would hope no one else does.
I would like to be notified of insignificant mistakes like typos and untranslated romaji. I will gladly take any requests, complaints, etc. that I find productive and beneficial to the progress of this thread. That includes post format, organization, and the order in which I translate the book.
Last but not least, everyone translates in a different way. In a manner of speaking, this is simply my translation of the text as it comes to me. Other people may have other translations (apparently not yet, but), but please don't go about complaining about something concerning my style of translation. I will leave the decision of whether it's a serious error or just a stylistic approach up to the knowledgeable bilinguals. If it gets too annoying, I'll leave. For instance, I'm going to leave youkai, youkai. It's embarrassing to make it demon in my sense of translation. I will take translations that seem better than mine, though. Try your luck if you really want to. My temper changes from day to day.
About Reading
All spellcards will be in brackets. All oriental spellcard names will be in romaji. English version of the name will be in the analysis.
The title says Translation and Analysis. For certain terms, I will put a factual analysis. Lucarius's Analysis will be like my own editor's comments sort of thing. You don't have to read it, and you don't have to agree with me. It's just for my own leisure. Also, all of this analysis comes from my own source of information. None of it comes from wiki.
Usability refers to whether Marisa can use the spellcard as reference for herself.
I will place (insert image) when appropriate.
There will be certain romaji terms that I will take you know for granted. Like danmaku. However, I will explain most romaji terms in the analysis.
I don't like explaining wordplay because explaining wordplay ruins it, like giving away the point of a card magic trick. However, I will explain it anyway.
Lucarius's analysis may sound out of order, but that is because I am translating out of order. If need be, I can sum up my version of Gensoukyo's nature somewhere else.
Readers may make good use of Ctrl + F. I do when editing lol.
So, without further ado...
Cover slip (front):
The Grimoire of Marisa
I would love it if someone could read the artists names...
Cover slip (back) (all originally in English):
Grimoire of Marisa
"Touhou series"
This will be the shooting game in the 21st century
which continues from the 20th century.
Cover (back) (all originally in English):
The Grimoire of Marisa A Great Work of Spellcard Playing System in Gensoukyo
Page 3:
In a world without rules, danmaku is nonsense
Foreward
The stars that stream through the night sky, the butterflies that dance to the smell of the flowers, the water that flows vouching for low altitudes, the deep dark mist.
All natural phenomena have some sort of cause behind them. Humans created reasoning to place an explanation on these phenomena.
And so, everything that could be seen was to become possessed by the human race.......supposedly.
Reasoning behind natural phenomena was explained differently throughout various places. The human race, who sought out a unified form of reasoning, would come to believe that all but one, or maybe even all forms of reasoning were false.
However, the youkai think like this. All observations, phenomena, and the reasoning behind them are all true. Precisely because, all youkai were born from thought behind phenomena itself.
I happened to see the tengu's notepad once. The tengu had written all of the events of the world in that notepad.
That notepad described all of the most insignificant things of daily life from a completely different point of view. It seemed as if the tengu's observational skills transcended my capability to comprehend the world that the tengu had claimed for her own.
Even if it was just insignificant daily life, by writing everything, the tengu was able to see something unseen before. As I thought that, I decided to write what I had thought had become the everyday scenery of my life --- spellcards.
Although I had to resurface memories far older than those I saw on the tengu's notepad, I may be able to acquire hints for new magic by writing them down.
From that train of thought, this book was born. It is the only danmaku grimoire in Gensoukyo that a human has ever written. It is absolutely not a copy of Alice's grimoire in any way(ze).
I wish to be able to use more magic. No, I will be. I will eventually be called a Great Witch.
I won't lack the effort for that purpose, but I wonder if this book will add to that effort.
In the event that it doesn't, I'll name it something grand like the Gensou Danmaku Artifact Encyclopedia and sell at a high price at a library of some sort, so it'd be ok either way~.
Marisa
Lucarius's Analysis
I like this thought. Simply speaking, humans tend to assume that all others that look and act like themselves physically observe the same thing that they do. However, the chances of this are actually infinitely close to 0. Just because we call each other human beings does not mean we see the same world that the other does. It's an innate thing to classify similar objects under one term and believe they're completely the same. It's an illusion created by language and human nature. Philosophically speaking, it is impossible for me to see through your eyes, and vice versa. I may never know if you are "an observer" or just a part of this world. Objects that don't seem to have a sense of this world, like the earth, the water, and the air, may have their own way of creating existence and observing the world. I only know that I see, hear, smell, taste, and feel my world. That is my truth. If you know that you see your world, that should be good enough for you. That is why to youkai, everything is true. That's also basically what my sig says. "[Existence] is made up of [Observer] and [World]. [Observer] exerts [Spirit] and [World] exerts [Science]. The relation between the world and the observer is described as nature. However, there is no such thing as an existence without a world or without an observer, so it's impossible to contemplate the system of existence accurately." As an extra, the sig says, "If you put this philosophy to Touhou, you get an amazing story." Youkai are solitary creatures. Hence, their high spiritual potential. ZUN's foreward and afterward are the best part of his books. Because there is no reason to existence, creatures are free to put their own reason to it. It is the same concept as how danmaku retains its entertainment value via the spellcard rule. You can say that no reason is a reason, but that is logical tautology. Feel free to expand on that for eternity if you will.
Shikieiki Yamaxanadu
Shinpan [Juuou Saiban]
User: Shikieiki Yamaxanadu
Remark: Must I see this again after I die
Annoyance: ★★★★★★
A spellcard that's only seen once in a while, or rather, it may be because this girl doesn't come often to Gensoukyo.
Ten kinds of danmaku (which can actually be divided into four variations) are performed in order.
The danmaku is extremely patterned, and general structure of hell can be taken from it. I guess the patternization of judgement shows that past examples are the sole canon of the judgement procedure.
Then I can't be judged. 'cause I'm an only one.
Analysis
Judge [Divine Judgement]
Shinpan is judge.
Juuou is ten kings. Saiban is judgement.
Juuou Saiban is the Buddhist divine judgement that is done by ten judges over a span of three years. Shikieiki happens to be the fifth judge, the enmaou, and has the most authority amongst the judges. It is safe to say that she dominates the judging procedure. The enmaou judges on the thirty-fifth day after reaching higan.
Lucarius's Analysis
I've seen this, I believe. Unfortunately, I don't know how or why ZUN divided and specifically state in parentheses that the ten types can be divided into four variations. It probably has to do with the specific procedure that the ten kings follow. Anyone can tell ZUN knows a lot about Buddhism just by looking at names like [Hishou Ennoodunu], which is Ran's spellcard. Let me assure you, 99% of the Japanese people can't read it properly, even if the kanjis are for second graders. 役小角
(Insert picture of Shikieiki doing the third danmaku from [Juuou Saiban].)
Shinpan [Guilty or Not Guilty]
User: Shikieiki Yamaxanadu
Remark: Burning hell or peaceful hell
Hellishness: Absolutely hell
What a frightening judgement... no, danmaku that was. It was a decision between sinful or not sinful made mostly by pure power. It's danmaku from hell.
Anyway to push through with power is cheating. Anyone other than me doing it is cheating.
By the way, the blue danmaku means go, the red danmaku means stop. Hell-wise.
Analysis
Judge [Guilty or Not Guilty]
Shinpan means judge.
Her remark said Jigoku or nonki na meikai, which parallels the spellcard title. Jigoku is the burning hell seen in Subterranean Animism. Meikai is the peaceful hell seen in Perfect Cherry Blossom. Nonki is peaceful or easy-going. Easy-going fits better, but peaceful sounds better.
The last line is a spin off of pedestrian traffic lights, with the hell-wise at the end. Wordplay.
Lucarius's Analysis
After you die, you don't cease to exist. My primary question then is, what's the difference between an eternal life and an eternal existence? In our reality, we assume the life is equivalent to existence, but as everyone imagines, that is not necessarily the case. Under my observation of the Gensoukyo, after you die, you are relieved from the constraint of a physical body. That means that your ability to stay existent is solely dependent on your spiritual capabilities. Those with low capabilities end up as white blobs that can only manage to affect the world by bending light half-dimensionally. Those with great spiritual power end up like Yuyuko. Existence ends when your spirit fails to influence the world. Moreover, tenjins (those that live in heaven like Tenshi) either get their physical bodies back or are given new ones so that they are privileged to stay existent as long as possible. There's an interesting statement by Marisa in one of Tenshi's spellcards. I guess even if there is an afterlife, there isn't an eternal existence, because spiritual power dissolves from your will into the greater spirit of the environment. In the end, your existence is held by your consciousness, or the will of your spirit. As you can see where I'm going with this, spirit is the "free-will" side of philosophy. The world that the spirit observes is the "determinisim" side of philosophy. When those two entities influence each other, you get existence. It's like what Einstein tried to do with physics. It makes no sense.
Patchouli Knowledge
Kafu [Agni Shine]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Basic magic, the book burns
Usability: ★★★
A fire spire spellcard. The most simple danmaku-like danmaku.
It seems like I can use this level of magic easily, but if it's carefully observed, there are variegations in the spiral so the danmaku is avoidable.
That must show her feel of ease, but a sort of knack might be needed to make that calculated variegation with fire.
Analysis
Fire Sign [Agni Shine]
Ka or hi is fire. Fu is sign.
Agni is sanskrit for, and the Vedic deity of, fire. Shine.
Lucarius's Analysis
It's common to see fire just come out of someone's hands, but furthermore interesting to comprehend how that fire was made possible. Sort of like how Edward learned from his father how equivalent trade for alchemy was made possible by killing people from another world in the anime. My [Observer] [World] philosophy has a simple explanation for these phenomena. In Gensoukyo, when you lose the connection with your physical body because your body deteriorates to a certain extent, you can still be seen as a ghost. If you can be seen, that means that object is producing new light, or maneuvering existing light. There is also the possibility that the ghost is placing it's existence in your present memory. Tracking back to the light idea, if ghosts, as the spiritual materilization of the observer, have the capability of producing light, why not produce heat or plasma?
Simply stated, it's this. The world exerts a force called science on the observer. The observer exerts a force called spirit on the world. Anything that is scientifically unexplainable in the world can be explained by spirit. That's what magic is. The problem then, is from what point does the fire's owner go from the observer to the world? I can explain this system too, but I think this is getting too long.
Suifu [Princess Undine]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Basic magic, the book gets wet
Usability: ★★★
A spellcard that scatters water balls. The water balls fly straight so it's easily readable.
That's probably why the lasers are shot. To balance the difficulty.
Analysis
Water Sign [Princess Undine]
Sui or mizu is water. Fu is sign.
Undine is the water element from the Greek four, which resembles a water nymph.
Lucarius's Analysis
I don't play that many video games, but I see Undine everywhere.
The interesting thing about Patchouli's magic is that its power resides in fairies, according to Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Perhaps Undine is the name of the water fairy. How does this work? It is sort of like Marisa's use of star particles, except Patchouli gathers them to herself, and fairies are much more concentrated in spirit than sparticles. In another way of thinking, perhaps she seals the fairies in her grimoire for later use. That branches off to the subject of what happens to fairies when they "die," and how are transmutation circles/seal art created, but at another time.
Greek four, sounds cool, doesn't it? Gnomes, undines, sylphs, salamanders. I guess Tales of Phantasia used Ifrit instead of salamander because Ifrit was more name-like. You don't see the term salamander as often as you see gnome in video games.
Mokufu [Sylphy Horn]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Basic magic, the book dances
Usability: ★★★
A spellcard of leaves dancing to the wind.
I'm good at this kind of magic too. It's as easy as just activating it and watching the rest of the show, but there's the problem that you don't directly beat the opponent with your own hands.
Analysis
Tree Sign [Sylph Horn]
Moku or ki means tree. Fu means sign.
Sylph is the air element from the Greek four, often mistaken as angels in mythological literature.
The term mau, from the remark, means to dance, but more in the oriental artistic sense.
Lucarius's Analysis
Sylph(y) or (i). Maybe he wanted to do a unique pluralization. Maybe he wanted to make it an adjective to horn. Sylphs don't use horns, by the way, but I like how he chose horn as the instrument, because it gives you that middle-age feeling.
Kinfu [Metal Fatigue]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Basic magic, the book nothing happens
Usability: ★★★
A spellcard that hurls bullets made of metal.
The bullets break and split midway. In the world of danmaku, broken ones are often more difficult. Because, no matter what kind of bullet you get hit by, a loss is a loss.
Analysis
Gold Sign [Metal Fatigue]
Kin or kane is gold or money. Fu is sign.
Metal. Fatigue may refer to the warping of metal caused by heat and pressure, which causes metal to cleave and split.
The remark is grammatically incorrect because it is semi-so in the book. Wordplay, parallelism.
Lucarius's Analysis
It's gold because it's Friday. Did you know that the days of the week were named by the Mesopotamians based on the orbital period of the planets? That a 24-hour day developed from the Egyptian analysis of 12 constellations? Who cares. It's gold because it's Friday.
Dofu [Rage Trilithon]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Basic magic, the book gets dirty
Usability: ★★★
A spellcard that hurls mud balls.
It's basically playing in the mud. If you get hit, you become muddy and dirty.
Analysis
Earth Sign [Rage Trilithon]
Do or tsuchi is earth or dirt. Fu is sign.
Rage. Trilithon is a model made of a horizontal pillar on top of two vertical pillars, like the ones you see at Stonehenge.
Lucarius's Analysis
This katakana proved to be the most difficult, primarily because I never heard of the word trilithon before. There are no spaces in Japanese, so it's hard to discern where the word begins and where the word ends.
I've never played in the mud. I play in hard concrete. My abnormal lump on the ventral side of the skull proves it.
Getsufu [Silent Selene]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Expert magic, you can silently read the book
Usability: ★★★★
A spellcard in which moonlight pours down in a straight fashion.
The elemental magic up to now was easy to understand, but what properties moon and sun have are a mystery.
Analysis
Moon Sign [Silent Selene]
Getsu or tsuki is moon. Fu is sign.
Silent. Selene is the Titan goddess of the moon.
The remark doesn't parallel the others because it doesn't do so in the book. The others described what happens to the book, but this one describes how you can read the book. Wordplay.
Lucarius's Analysis
Marisa probably only remarked that it's an expert level magic, because she doesn't know it's properties. However, because all of Patchouli's magic come from the same process of gathering fairies, the moon and the sun should be no different. Surely, the physical properties of physically materialized "moon" and "sun" are harder to imagine than "fire" or "water," but Patchouli uses it so you don't have to be able to imagine it. We do though.
Everyone reuses names from various historical things... and it gets respected for research. Why can't we come up with something new this day in age like the Greeks did several hundred years ago? We should make something that others will use in the future too. It doesn't matter how wacky or unbelievable it is. A toilet could be worshipped if people gathered and prayed to it. Toiletra, the goddess of plumbing.
Nippu [Royal Flare]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Expert magic, you get thirsty
Usability: ★★★★
A spellcard that gives birth to explosive light.
Evasion is difficult, but the fact that it is made to be evaded shows that she knows what spellcards are for.
Analysis
Sun Sign [Royal Flare]
Nichi or hi means day, but the day of the week itself means the sun. Fu means sign. Like 21 in Italian is ventuno instead of ventiuno, the word is contracted for easier pronounciation (nipufu, nippu).
Royal. Flare.
Lucarius's Analysis
It seems like Patchouli's best friend and her sister don't have have enough wits to understand what a spellcard is.
The cheapest spellcard in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody (my opinion). It's rarely ever avoidable, once activated. Maybe she doesn't consider the spellcard rule much at this point in the game after all.
Ka & Dofu [Lava Cromlech]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Fused magic, the dirty book burns
Usability: ★★★★★
A spellcard that throws both balls of fire and mudballs.
It seems like she's doing different magic in each hand. But there is an incantation, so I wonder how she's incantating two at the same time.
Analysis
Fire & Earth Sign [Lava Cromlech]
Ka or hi is fire. Do or tsuchi is earth or dirt. Fu is sign.
Lava. Cromlechs refer to megalithic creatures and structures. Megalithic refers to large stones. Onix is a megalithic creature.
Lucarius's Analysis
Incantations, another major part of magic that I love to explain. Language by itself is just a part of the world. It is a part of the world that greatly affects the observer, because language is how the observer processes its spiritual qualities. It is essential to the observer if the observer is to hold a strong superego in maintaining the spiritual side of existence. That is, for us humans. Language is the observer's only communication tool with the world, but it is not necessary for language to dominate our minds. We cannot imagine thought without language, because concepts that can't be physically materialized, like philosophy, can only be "efficiently" explained to others, and even to ourselves, by language. Just like by using higher level computer languages (not just C++ but even programs like AUTOCAD and RPGTool) we limit what we can do with the computer. That is precisely what verbal and written language does to our minds. It is much more efficient to use telepathy, but that is not possible at this point. Then, what are incantations? It does not matter what language you use or what words you choose. It is about the how comprehensive the words are to you. The observer exerts spiritual power simply through will power. It is about how much the world has affected you to make the conversion from will to spirit difficult. Incantations using modern language is like using the MUL command to multiply numbers instead of the SLL ADD combination command. Very inefficient. It's a check on the existential balance between world and observer. That's a relatively simple explanation, but I think Reimu's spellcards cleared some of the confusion too.
Moku & Kafu [Forest Blaze]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Fused magic, the burning books dance
Usability: ★★★★★
A spellcard of fireballs and leaves. Caution: If you throw fire at falling leaves, you get a forest fire.
Leaves fall automatically, so I guess multiple incantations are easier. I feel like it's a bit of a cheat though.
Analysis
Tree & Fire Sign [Forest Blaze]
Moku or ki is tree. Ka or hi is fire. Fu is sign.
Forest. Blaze.
Lucarius's Analysis
This implies that Patchouli is controlling the direction of the materialized powers to a certain extent after they've been shot too, not just letting them fly whereever. But it looks like they're flying whereever. It's probably to enforce the spellcard rule, but I don't think it's necessary for her to control their directions to that extent. She'll cough up blood from the incantations.
Sui & Mokufu [Water Elf]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Fused magic, the wet books are dried with wind
Usability: ★★★★★
A spellcard that throws water balls and air balls. For some reason, they're not leaves.
Analysis
Water & Tree Sign [Water Elf]
Sui or mizu is water. Moku or ki is tree. Fu is sign.
Water. Elves were originally fertility gods from Germanic mythology. They do not necessarily hate dwarves.
Lucarius's Analysis
Many fictional works tend to group air, wind, and tree all together. Rather, I question the classification of tree as an element, because it is an organism. However, such questions only arise because humans have classified things as living or nonliving, and grouped them that way. In Gensoukyo, things with life and things without life have the same value. I don't like how humans in our world stress the "importance" of life, when in reality it has no value that's any different from anything else in this world. I don't mind if people think life is an amazing priority, but I don't need society shoving it in people's faces. They're being hypocritical. However, I still question the grouping of air, wind, and tree under one element. Not that classification matters at all.
Do & Kinfu [Emerald Megalith]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Fused magic, emeralds and aquamarines are the same stone
Usability: ★★★★★
A spellcard that synthesizes jewels by hurling mudballs.
Is this what they call alchemy?
Analysis
Earth & Gold Sign [Emerald Megalith]
Do or tsuchi is earth or dirt. Kin or kane is gold or money. Fu is sign.
Emerald. Megalith is a large stone.
Emeralds and aquamarines are both beryl. Emeralds are green for their chromium, and aquamarines are blue for their corundum.
Lucarius's Analysis
Emeralds are more expensive than aquamarines, because of the chances that beryl fuses with chromium is much lower in nature.
Rubies and sapphires are both corundum. Rubies are much more expensive than aquamarines for the same reason. In Japanese, corundums are corums. I learned this a long long time ago because I was bored.
I wanted to get into alchemy, but I won't, because it's probably as long as both afterwards combined in the shortest form possible.
Getsu & Mokufu [Satellite Himawari]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Fused magic, silently dances
A spellcard in which sunflowers orbit like the moon.
I wonder what kind of sense allows sunflowers to make such a danmaku. According to Patchouli, she referred to a foreign grimoire that described sunflowers that orbited the Earth. Uhhh.
Analysis
Moon & Tree Sign [Satellite Sunflowers]
Getsu or tsuki is moon. Moku or ki is tree. Fu is sign.
Himawari is sunflowers.
Lucarius's Analysis
I wonder why he didn't use サンフラワー instead. Probably because he didn't want the word sun in there. I do believe that sun and wood would've made much more sense.
I also wonder if Gensoukyo generally considers science as magic. The foreign grimoire that Patchouli read, probably has to do with sunflower circumnutations in calculating satellite orbits, or the Japanese weather satellite.
(Insert picture of Patchouli using [Kenja no Ishi].)
Kasuimokukindofu [Kenja no Ishi]
User: Patchouli Knowledge
Remark: Fused magic, there are many books and slave type
Usability: ★★★★★★★
A spellcard that crystallizes the basic unit of five magics, and makes them shoot.
Because it calls forth many magics, the danmaku that is released from each stone is weak. She's probably only capable of making it fire automatically.
I want to know how to make these kinds of stones, but the specific procedures aren't written in any books I look at.
The philosopher's stone. What I got from reading books was, it's capable of turning non-metals into metals, curing everyone's health, and it makes good topping for any culinary dish. Man, I would love to make a five-colored lunchbox topped with philosopher's stone.
Analysis
Fire Water Tree Gold Earth Sign [Philosopher's Stone]
Ka or hi is fire. Sui or mizu is water. Moku or ki is tree. Kin or kane is gold or money. Do or tsuchi is earth or dirt. Fu is sign.
Kenja is philosopher. Ken or kashikoi means wise. Ja is a being. Ishi is stone.
Philosopher's stones come in many different forms and for many different uses. It is also known as red mercury.
Prepacked lunchboxes are called bentous, whether it's homemade or bought.
Goshoku bentou is a five-colored lunchbox, and it is a wordplay with the common gomoku bentou, which is the traditional name for a five-colored lunchbox. Gomoku uses the kanji go (five) and moku (eye) to mean five visuals. Goshoku uses go (five) and shoku (color).
Lucarius's Analysis
I like making my own lunch. I like cooking in general. But I won't eat a philosopher's stone.
I like the idea that the philosopher's stone is a compilation of souls. I can't put an explanation to how it would be made though, surrealistically thinking about the both the spiritual and physical energy necessary to overcome the souls' individual qualities. However, Patchouli's stones are different from what I call philosopher's stones. Like Marisa said, they are the crystallization of sparticles gathered from the environment and from fairies. The crystal breaks when Patchouli tries to use a magic that requires sparticles from the same element of the crystal (like in Tasofro's games). The crystal can be resynthesized when there is enough sparticle concentration. This also puts an explanation to why Patchouli can't make combos using the same elemental move to a certain extent. Of course, there is the physical qualities of the spellcard (the paper that everyone holds up), but that's for another time.
Yakumo Yukari
Mouryou [Nijuu Kokushichou]
User: Yakumo Yukari
Remark: Disturbing butterflies can be called moths now
Haplesssness: ★★★★★★
A spellcard that shoots butterflies similar to Yuyuko. However, these are a few levels more annoying than those of Yuyuko's.
Unlike the butterflies of eternal dreams, these butterflies give the impression that they gather at the smell of rotten flesh.
How disturbing(ze).
Analysis
Youkai [Bilayered Black Death Butterflies]
Mouryou or chimimouryou describes the youkai of the mountain or of the river. It may also refer to a mutant youkai (yes, amongst youkai, some would consider others to be mutants). Mouryou collectively refers to the youkai of Sanzu.
Nijuu is bilayered. Koku or kuro is black. Shi is death. Chou is butterfly.
Butterflies represent many things, but are mostly used as symbols of bizarre misfortune. Examples: xxxHolic and Higurashi's OP.
Mouryou in this case would probably correlate with death, but I kept it youkai as a generalization.
The remark has to do with Yuyuko's spellcards. She describes them before Yakumo.
Lucarius's Analysis
Chimimouryou. I just asked my friend about this special four-letter word (yonmoji jukugo are like "sayings"). He told me 70% of the general population would have no idea what it was. If you look at the kanji for chimimouryou(魑魅魍魎), they all have the letter for "oni" in it(鬼). It proves to show how powerful the onis are as a youkai in Japanese folklore. More to come in Suika's Hyakumankiyakou.
The original chimi referred to the Sudama youkai from Chinese folklore. The original mouryou referred to a cross between a Gensoukyo fairy and a youkai (natural youkai). Mouryous even looked like young children. ZUN really has a grand array of knowledge.
Kekkai [Yume to Utsutsu no Noroi]
User: Yakumo Yukari
Remark: Is it like fused magic?
Haplessness: ★★★★
A spellcard that uses both the danmakus of an eternally expanding dream, and a rapidly shrinking reality.
Whether it be dream or reality, it doesn't matter as long as you don't get hit.
Analysis
Border [Curse of Dream and Reality]
Kekkai means border. It can also be taken as a barrier towards something. ZUN primarily uses the term as a border.
Yume is dream. Utstsu is reality, or now. Noroi is curse.
The remark refers to Patchouli's magic.
Lucarius's Analysis
A great amount of meaning and wordplay in just two lines, but I'm sure you get the gist of it. It's like putting quantum physics and relativity together, or looking left while you're looking right at the same time. Like Marisa says, it doesn't matter as long as "it doesn't hit you."
I take this as ZUN's way of saying, relax, towards life. Unfortunately, I can't. I just am.
Or he just wanted to play with words. Who knows?
Kekkai [Hikari to Yami no Amime]
User: Yakumo Yukari
Remark: Bright
Haplessness: ★★
A spellcard that buries the opponent with stitches of wonderous light.
What kind of powers result in lasers like these, I wonder. ......A mirror?
Analysis
Border [Stitches of Light and Dark]
Kekkai means border. It can also be taken as barrier towards something. ZUN primarily uses the term as a border.
Hikari means light. Yami means dark. Amime means stitches, like in knitting.
Lucarius's Analysis
About borders. Border and barriers are the same thing. It's like saying light is brightness or the absence of darkness. I don't remember if Yakumo said this, but you can make a border around anything and it becomes a new entity. It's about how capable the spirit is of wrapping the mind around that new entity, which determines the entity's existential power.
Simply put, no one heard the tree fall, so it made no sound.
Shikigami [Yakumo Ran]
User: Yakumo Yukari
Remark: Pure slave type
Cheat level: ★★★★★★
A spellcard that requires the evasion of Yukari's attacks while avoiding Ran.
This is like being double-teamed, but it's my overthinking, right?
Analysis
Summon [Yakumo Ran]
Shikigami from Japanese culture are summons that Japanese priests (onmyouji) use to observe the wrongdoings of mankind.
Shikigami in Touhou are an example of youkai using youkai (using youkai). Ran and Chen are youjuu.
Yakumo means eight clouds. Ran is the color indigo. Chen is amber.
Lucarius's Analysis
You're being double-teamed.
Indigo, unfortunately, isn't a part of the scientific rainbow anymore. A scientific rainbow has 6 colors. Less colors for us to study.
Ran can calculate the width of the sanzu. Yukari can calculate the depth of the sanzu. You may think a computer can, but humans can't, so computers can't. There was a part of Bunkachou where Ran was compared to a computer because they both don't like water, but I'm pretty sure Ran is more efficient.
Yukari Ougi [Danmaku Kekkai]
User: Yakumo Yukari
Remark: Barely for play, theatrical type
Usability: Not usable
A spellcard that forces you to dodge within a border created by danmaku. This is scary.
There may be many instances of having no elbow room, but not of being bordered by danmaku.
That is because danmaku tend to expand. Common sense says that the volume increases and density decreases.
However, Yukari's danmaku differs from this. As time passes, the border shrinks and becomes dense.
When battling with an opponent, that would be the right thing to do. Put pressure on the space to stop the prey from escaping.
Danmaku isn't made for an actual battle, but Yukari probably took the border between a danmaku for play and a danmaku for battle to create this barrier. That is the danmaku barrier.
A bit too much for me to copy......
Analysis
Yukari Art [Danmaku Barrier]
Yukari means purple. Ougi means art, in the form of martial arts. Special attack sounded unsophisticated. Hiougi means secret art. Tales series uses these terms often.
Danmaku means bullet curtain. Kekkai means border or barrier. I used barrier because it sounded more appropriate this time.
Not to be confused with Reimu's Nijuu Danmaku Kekkai.
Lucarius's Analysis
I always wonder why Yakumo's world is filled with eyes. I can't put an explanation to it that would be more convincing than any other explanation. In the end, all explanations are just as good as the other. It's about what's more convincing or believable to yourself.
(Insert picture of Yukari during the [Danmaku Kekkai].)
Kyoufu [Nami to Tsubu no Kyoukai]
User: Yakumo Yukari
Remark: Seen at meikai, theatrical type
Usability: ★★★★★
A spellcard in which danmaku spreads quickly, concentrated.
Danmaku are usually particles, but if the concentration goes up it may not not look like a wave.
Particles are evenly spread and difficult, but there's definitely room for evasion. Waves are concentrated in a certain area, but a large field of view will show wide open space, so it's easy.
The real scare is the borderline. The purpose of the spellcard can be well read from its name.
Analysis
Border Sign [The Border Between Wave and Particle]
Kyou or sakai means border. Fu means sign.
Nami means wave. Tsubu means particle. Kyoukai means border. Kyoukaisen means borderline.
Meikai is the hell from Perfect Cherry Blossom. The place that creatures with normal karma go to as a ghost after they receive divine judgement.
Lucarius's Analysis
Grain doesn't necessarily refer to rice, pasta, or bread. Barterers would say "a grain of rice." Though, Japanese people do call it rice 米 (kome) anyway. They even call comments 米. Sooner or later, comets will be 米 too.
In physics, there is no supposed border between waves and particles, because all particles move with a distinct wave motion, and all waves have a particle at the head of it.
I give this spellcard my personal award for best visual representation.
Gensou [Daiisshu Eikyuu Kikan]
User: Yakumo Yukari
Remark: Rare, theatrical type
Usability: ★★★★★★
A spellcard that automatically shoots danmaku. Yukari doesn't seem to add any power during the spellcard.
I guess there really was perpetual machinery.
However, it seems that even if perpetual machinery was to be practically used, its balance would disintegrate and cease to function.
Therefore, there is no acquisition of infinite power. Yukari said that nuclear fusion was more capable of efficiency. Nuclear fusion must be amazing.
Analysis
Illusion [Perpetual Machine Prototype]
Gensou is illusion. Gensoukyou is illusionary land. We are all delirious.
Daiisshu means the first type, or prototype. Eikyuu means eternal. Kikan means machine. Put together, refers to perpetual machine.
Perpetual motion is deemed impossible because of friction and heat loss under all environments.
Cyclical particle heat motion is said to make perpetual motion possible, but I don't believe that is true, because humans have not mastered the particle-wave theory.
Lucarius's Analysis
I'm puzzled by Marisa's statement, although it seems Marisa is puzzled by Yukari's statement, when she says that the balance of perpetual motion disintegrates and ceases to function when used for practical purposes. How does Yukari use it then after all? What is the difference between a practical purpose and any purpose whatsoever? Purpose shouldn't matter when making something happen. Purpose is an illusion that people create to make believe their existence is worthwhile. There is no defined reason for life, blatantly put. That is the bliss of youkai thinking in the foreward. Because there is no reason, creatures are free to put their own reason to existence. It is the same concept as how danmaku retains its entertainment value via the spellcard rule. Also, this move may be physically perpetual, but may be spiritually stimulated. However, I'll just take Yukari's word for it.
(Insert image of Satori sitting with a crow and a cat in the midst of a tinted shade.)
Komeiji Satori
Souki [Terrible Souvenir]
User: Komeiji Satori
Remark: Hypnosis, pure stress type
Effect of the hypnosis: ★★★★★★
A type of hypnosis that arouses trauma.
After being mentally distracted by the paranoia-inducing light, you get hit by simple danmaku.
It is said that humans wake various memories the moment before they die. Perhaps this hypnosis utilizes that.
Danmaku usually sealed within the innermost memories are aroused by this hypnosis.
This girl can surely read people's minds, but not their memories. That is why this hypnosis is necessary to awaken these traumas.
It's probably a strategy of flashing light at their faces to read their traumas. No wonder why she's hated.
Analysis
Arousal [Terrible Souvenir]
Souki means the arousal of thought or feeling. Sou or omoi means thought or feeling, while ki or okiru means arousal.
Souvenir is French, for memory.
Lucarius's Analysis
Simply put, Satori needs to use this move to use her other moves in Subterranean Animism. Just so you all know, Satori is supposed to be the strongest youkai down there, because she has responsibilities given to her by the enma (judges like Shikieiki). Watch Makoto Shishio's gensouiri, if you haven't already.
Komeiji Koishi
Hyouzou [Yumemakura ni Gosenzo Soudachi]
User: Komeiji Koishi
Remark: So many ancestors
The uncomfortability of waking up: ★★★★★
There are times when ancestors appear in your dreams to give admonishment. This is what happens in this spellcard.
Just because it's your ancestor doesn't mean he/she has a word of advice. In fact those ancestors who stand by your dream pillow are said to be the visualization of the unconscious alert of the mind.
Koishi arouses that unconscious thought.
Then again, I often see my ancestors standing at my bedside very often anyway.
Analysis
Forthcoming Illusion [Ancestors Standing At Your Bedside]
Hyou means front, forth. Zou means illusion, concept. Hyouzou expresses the arousal of unconscious thought.
Yumemakura means dream pillow. Gosenzo is ancestors. Soudachi is collectively standing.
It is often seen in anime where dead people come back to warn you of some futuristic happening. This is interpreted as a psychological representation of your unconscious precaution.
Lucarius's Analysis
Just so you know, I've never made it to Koishi in the game. Never seen ancestors either. Looks like I'm as careless as I can be. From the pictures, it looks like a bunch of lasers. I can't tell whether your ancestors are there to warn you, or rather haunt you.
Hyouzou [Danmaku Paranoia]
User: Komeiji Koishi
Remark: So many ancestors
The Darkness of the Heart: ★★★
It's the stress of dealing with inexistent dense danmaku that comes from trenches of your mind, not even found in your memories.
Perfect for those that feel they're always surrounded by danmaku.
Analysis
Forthcoming Illusion [Danmaku Paranoia]
Hyou means front, forth. Zou means illusion, concept. Hyouzou expresses the arousal of unconscious thought.
Paranoia. Perfect for the overcautious and worrisome.
Lucarius's Analysis
I'm paranoid about why I'm alive. I wonder what kind of danmaku that would make.
Hannou [Youkai Polygraph]
User: Komeiji Koishi
Remark: Don't get distracted, motion stress type
Trustworthiness: ★
An anomalous spellcard that graphs the weakness of the mind.
It seems that polygraphs are supposedly lie detectors. It has nothing to do with creatures that don't lie.
I'll write this for my own honor, but a larger polygraph is more easily avoided. It's definitely not because I lie, you know?
Analysis
Response [Youkai Polygraph]
Hannou means response.
Although polygraphs are known as lie detectors, it's simply a measurement of the fluctuation of various physiological quantities. (Bp, heart rate etc.)
Marisa lies. Proven in Sangetsusei.
The word used in the remark is douyou. It's a cross between distraction and disturbance, in a mental sense.
Lucarius's Analysis
I don't trust these things either, though I'm sure that Koishi's polygraph is large because Marisa lies. In the end, her sister's telepathy is much more reliable.
Muishiki [Danmaku no Rorschach]
User: Komeiji Koishi
Remark: Interestingly difficult, theatrical bug type
Usability: ★★★★
A spellcard that shows a cluster of miraculous danmaku that looks different depending on the person.
I asked her what it was really supposed to look like, but she said that she just making random images that seem to have meaning.
I only see it as a colony of mosquitoes.
Analysis
Unconscious [Danmaku Rorschach]
Muishiki mean unconscious.
Rorschach's test is the psychological warping of a simple inkblot into an object or concept that reflects the viewers inner mind.
Marisa refers to a certain kind of mosquito, known as the yabu mosquitoes. It's still an ordinary mosquito.
*There's an editing typo in the text here, so I did my best making it seem right.
Lucarius's Analysis
Once again, I haven't seen this. Looks like a bunch of ellipses to me. Reminded me of a spirograph.
As for the Rorschach test, I've never done one, but I would probably respond with complete darkness.
Best inkblot is Yume Nikki. Play it, it's in English.
Honnou [Id no Kaihou]
User: Komeiji Koishi
Remark: What ever could she be thinking of
Release level: ★★★★★★★
A spellcard that unconsciously releases a bunch of hearts that you most certainly want to avoid.
The speedy hearts decelerate at a certaind distance and clump. However, they don't disappear.
By the way, she doesn't even seem to realize she's releasing danmaku. The fleeing opponents aren't in her field of view either.
She has a goofy face on, but what ever could she be thinking of.
Analysis
Instinct [Release of the Id]
Honnou is instinct. Kaihou is the noun form of release.
The id, ego, and superego are all a part of Sigmund Freud's understanding of the psychological aspect of the human mind. Id is the instinctive nature.
Lucarius's Analysis
My id and ego are fighting all the time, going opposite ways whereever they conflict. The only things they have in common are laziness, which proves to come forth most often.
Moreover, the ego is a really weak entity in most human beings. You may not realize it, but when you feel emotion, that is all the id. The phrase "someone has an ego" often refers to a gloating pride, but pride is not part of the ego, but is a part of the id. Simply put, humans have weak minds, and they are overwhelmed by the id's will to live. That's one major difference between a human and a youkai, and their abilities to use spiritual power.
(Insert picture of a cute smiling Koishi releasing a bunch of hearts.)
Yokusei [Super Ego]
User: Komeiji Koishi
Remark: A bit thorny. Combo type
Release level: ★
A spellcard that gathers all of the scattered hearts that don't disappear. This is a unique spellcard that makes a set with [Id no Kaihou].
Without [Id no Kaihou], [Super Ego] can't be activated, or its density is low.
Koishi makes a very straight face when using this, but I still can't tell what she's be thinking about.
Analysis
Forced Control [Super Ego]
Yokusei means forced control.
The id, ego, and superego are all a part of Sigmund Freud's understanding of the psychological aspect of the human mind. Id is the instinctive nature. The superego is responsible for perfectionism and informational greed.
Id and superego make a set because the superego is responsible for controlling the id. When superego and id are balanced in a number of human beings, civilization is made possible.
Koishi's face also coincides with this quality.
Lucarius's Analysis
My superego is way too strong for my id to handle, but that doesn't mean my id is gone. Id is responsible for emotion, and unfortunately I still fear death. If not, my superego would have killed me a while ago. It is said that you aren't born with the superego, but I don't believe that's true. Within my philosophy, it explains how the development of the system of existence is not complete at birth, so the id, or the world-side of existence dominates the superego, or the spirit-side of the human being. Based on how the environment affects the growth of the id and the superego, you get varying personality. The id is made solely of genetic material. The superego accesses bodily control through the memory bank. I can go on and on about this, but I'll control myself.
[Kirawaremono no Philosophy]
User: Komeiji Koishi
Remark: Theatrical type of the hated
Aloofness: ★★★★★★★
A special spellcard in which the only the danmaku around Koishi becomes thorny. By further closing her mind, Koishi can only recognize danmaku or open space.
She's hated because her philosophy doesn't allow the danmaku to synchronize with the environment. The danmaku becomes thorny, because she closes her mind and refuses to acknowledge them.
It means that hated creatures become hated by their danmaku. The danmaku isn't at fault, but according to the philosophy of the hated, it's all the danmaku's fault. The hated don't admit their own guilt.
And, I, who happened to be involved in the spellcard of the hated, am nothing less than troubled.
Analysis
[Philosophy of the Hated] No prefix.
Kirawaremono means hated creatures.
The remark parallels the spellcard name. It does not mean that the theatrical type is hated, but that theatrical type is used by hated creatures.
The term hated may be confusing, but think of the user as a social outcast.
There's a lot of word play here. I did my best.
Lucarius's Analysis
I'm a social outcast. I used to be that way to a certain extent. Perhaps I still am, but that's not for me to decide. However, my philosophy has evolved to the point where this doesn't apply anymore. However, I'm amazed at how wide ZUN's range is in understanding the various phenomena of this world.
Kirisame Marisa
Mafu [Milkyway]
User: Me
Remark: It's not that tiring
Usage: ★★★★★
A spellcard that solely depends on those star pieces floating about.
It seems to get hated by everyone, but as a matter of fact, there's the problem that its strength is affected by the concentration of star particles. It can't become a finisher.
Analysis
Magic Sign [Milkyway]
Ma is magic or demon. Fu is sign.
The name comes from the Milkyway Galaxy, also known as the Ama no Gawa in Japanese.
I would believe it's a fractal slave type.
Lucarius's Analysis
By concentration of star particles, I would suppose Marisa meant spiritual particles (not to be confused with the physics use of the term, sparticles). From my understanding of spiritual power in Gensoukyo, I would assume that this concentration is effected by the amount of starlight that reaches the area. Elemental particles come from both fairies (the physical form of nature) and the natural phenomenon itself. I would assume Marisa's Milkyway is more useful during the night, but starlight (not sunlight) still reaches Gensoukyo during the day.
Kuroma [Event Horizon]
User: Me
Remark: Tiring, slave type
Usage: ★★★
My slave type. I'm seem to be only capable of using slaves that just go around me in circles.
This spellcard represents the difficulty that this limited motion can make.
I've got a long way to go.
Analysis
Black Magic [Event Horizon]
Kuro is black. Ma is magic or demon.
Horizon...?
Lucarius's Analysis
Doesn't look like a horizon to me. Don't bother posting about what this does or doesn't look like please.
Slaves are probably the infusion of your own spirit with another entity. It may be that she doesn't have the spiritual capacity to infuse spirit into a conglomeration of star particles because she's a human witch, or it could be because she doesn't have a manipulative character.
Koifu [Master Spark]
User: Me
Remark: Fun
Usage: ★★★★★★★
A super fire power shot that penetrates the opponent. This feels good so I use it most often.
However, feeling good leaves you open, so there's the problem of making this danmaku difficult.
For your information, I'm using the mini-Hakkero to create the laser, but I'm researching how to modify it for a scatter Master Spark.
Even if the strength goes down, scattered is more powerful. Because that's what danmaku is.
Analysis
Love Sign [Master Spark]
Koi is love. Fu is sign.
Master spark. Yes. The love sign does not indicate her relation with Rinnosuke.
The hakkero is a burner that comes from the Chinese novel, Saiyuuki, in which Songoku was imprisoned for various sins.
The mini-hakkero is a gift from Rinnosuke when Marisa fled from her home. Aside from its firepower, it has an air-purifying contraption.
Lucarius's Analysis
The mini-hakkero is actually contradictory to the hakkero from Saiyuuki, because although Songoku was able to avoid the fire in the 49 days of imprisonment, he was blinded by the smoke that blew into the windpiece of the hakkero. The hakkero itself is divided into the 8 fundamental elements of Chinese nature, but it doesn't seem these come into play with Marisa.
Kougeki [Shoot the Moon]
User: Me
Remark: So-so
Usage: ★★
A spellcard in which danmaku are thrown towards the ground to emit linear light towards the sky at impact.
I crammed light magic into my light bullets, using Alice's exploding dolls as a reference.
I'm not cruel, so I don't shape them into humans though.
Analysis
Light Attack [Shoot the Moon]
Don't confuse kougeki with 攻撃, the general term for attack. This is 光撃. Kou (hikari) is light. Geki is impact or hit.
Shoot the moon. Although her description uses "heavens".
Lucarius's Analysis
Alice isn't cruel either, fyi. Probably much more civil and hospitable than Marisa, though she's a youkai.
[Blazing Star]
User: Me
Remark: Become the wind, from myself type
Usage: ★★★★★
A spellcard in which a backward Master Spark is used as acceleration to fly through the sky.
It feels good to fly at extreme speeds(ze). I wonder if Tengu are like that too.
However, it's quite frightening to tackle at that speed......especially within forests or buildings.
Analysis
[Blazing Star] No prefix.
Blazing star.
Lucarius's Analysis
Note how she mentions Master Spark, but not Final Master Spark. It's hard to tell the difference by size, because it seems size doesn't correlate with firepower. It's either ZUN never intended for there to be a Final Master Spark like in SWR, or that she changes the name at whim.
Seifu [Dragon Meteor]
User: Me
Remark: And to the stars
Usage: ★★
A spellcard in which a Master Spark is shot downwards to float.
To shoot from a position of complete safety is so much fun.
It's hard to hit with the laser, but that doesn't matter.
Even if you lose a spellcard battle, you win if you feel good. It's a game after all. A game isn't there to entertain you. You enjoy the game yourself.
Maybe when you reach the point when you can enjoy anything, you see the true glamour of the spellcard for the first time.
Analysis
Star Sign [Dragon Meteor]
Sei (hoshi) is star. Fu is sign.
Meteors are stars. Not rocks. Right.
Lucarius's Analysis
Note that this is the last spellcard in the book. Good ending quote, if you ask me. Thank you, Marisa.
Afterward
......and with several of the representative spellcards down, the tea is ready. There are many more spellcards that I've seen, but I think I'll take a break and organize my thoughts for a bit.
Research can't start without a thought process. Listing and organizing is important, yes, but to make it worthwhile requires thought.
First, I will explain what the term spellcard signifies. Spellcards are rules that morph murder into a game, and the point is to show off your power by going lenient on your opponent. Because it is a game, each creature's abilities, memories, and thought are vividly expressed. That's why you can feel entertainment from just watching a spellcard battle.
It is not far off to say that a spellcard describes the user.
Now, when talking about spellcards, it is a must to know the difference between
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If I don't get any responses at all, I'll assume there's no demand for this translation and quit.
Oh, you.
Well, to comment, I really love how ZUN's foreword can actually extend so much the perception of what we know as the universe within Gensokyo. And even more, this one accomplishes this effect by staying in Marisa's character, which makes it somewhat amusing.
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I don't think it's wrong or insane to bring his ideology into the real world either. It'd stop all the wars in this world.
Next up, Marisa's afterward and ZUN's afterward. Both combined is 3x as long as the forward. Figures.
It may be important to read Marisa's afterward before you read the book. It has some classification explanation. Very like Marisa to put the pretext at the end. I'll put this as a heads up in the first post somewhere. It's not necessary, but it may be useful for most people.
I'd also like a heads up on what character I should translate first.
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As per usual I can only provide undying support for this kind of thing, but I really wouldn't mind reading this (Especially after I just read the foreward).
Have you thought about uploading this translation to the Touhou Wiki?
If I had to pick a character to do first I would say Yukari.
Good Luck!
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As people who know me from FFR know, I have an issue with ditching threads, especially ones that I start. Don't expect me to finish.
Oh you. (FFR's Touhou Online thread XD)
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I'm doing Koishi first for Gpop (and for myself). btw that's not the only thread. Not nearly.
Oh yay, while I was working, more people posted.
Got a Yukari.
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I'm doing Koishi first for Gpop (and for myself). btw that's not the only thread. Not nearly.
Oh yay, while I was working, more people posted.
Got a Yukari.
<3
And of course not. I still remember the handstyles thread as well, which people still post in XD.
It's just that the Touhou one was the most memorable.
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At first I wasn't sure that Marisa would sound like this, given her character in the games, but I guess it would be entirely within her character to take danmaku seriously like this, even if she sounds a whole lot like ZUN. That's probably more the fault of the writer than the translation though, haha.
But yeah, I'm definitely interested in this. I'd contribute myself but I'm already working on translating that Touhou Soccer game, and I don't even have the book yet anyway.
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I was surprised too when I read this book. Nothing like Marisa from Sangetsusei or Mugetsushou. It's hard to tell what part of that translation is coming from me and what part is coming from ZUN. However, my parents tell me my Japanese is effected greatly by what I read or heard recently, so hopefully I can do an accurate job. There was this one time I acted like Ash from Tales of the Abyss for a few weeks. Looking back, it's hilarious.
In the foreward and afterward, the only Marisa-ish kind of feel I got is from the last few lines in the foreward. It's the only part with (ze) as well. There's more Marisa-ish parts in the actual content, so no worries.
Marisa's Afterward is up.
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The plural of danmaku is just danmaku, right? You seemed to start out adding an 's' for plural and then dropped it later on.
"the one and only best" seems a little redundant, or maybe just phrased strangely. Maybe just "which in turn means to be in pursuit of the best"?
It's nice to see ZUN realize that spellcards are an inherently silly idea, despite the fact it's one of the factors that have made Touhou so unique and memorable.
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s fixed. Tell me if I go haywire again.
one and only fixed.
何でも出来る反面、すぐに最適解が求まってしまい、余計な事をしなくなるのだ。
For everyone's information, it's nowhere near a literal translation.
's enough for one day don't you think? I'll put the overall progress down there somewhere.
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If you finish I swear to god I'll edit the entire fucking book.
Good show. It's very philosophical, and I love that in ZUN's descriptions. Even taking note that it might not sound like the playful personality Marisa's connected to, I do find that it would sound like her quite a bit if she actually took some time to do things seriously. Even when fooling around I can see her getting quite serious, and writing a book might just be one of those things to make her concentrated enough to explain things thoroughly.
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2) If anyone wants to know a certain character, please post. I would like as much motive to translate as possible.
Shikieiki, please.
Also, thanks for you motivation to translate this. These sorts of projects usually drift off into limbo unless translators intervene, so... many thanks.
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Shikieiki, please.
Also, thanks for you motivation to translate this. These sorts of projects usually drift off into limbo unless translators intervene, so... many thanks.
How could translation projects start without a translator? lol
What's motivation? Is it edible?
Shikieiki listed.
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Also the general romanization the western base use for 幻想郷 is Gensokyo, just noting.
I'm going to request Patchouli, just because it's the least amount of translation for the sheer amount of spellcards she covers.
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Also the general romanization the western base use for 幻想郷 is Gensokyo, just noting.
I'm going to request Patchouli, just because it's the least amount of translation for the sheer amount of spellcards she covers.
本をお持ちの方は手伝ってくださってもよろしいのですが。ってか呑気に見てねぇで手伝えよゴルァァァ
Really.
I think I'll use ZUN's romanization. Gensoukyo. (From the fine print of the back cover.)
Patchouli listed.
As those who know Japanese can tell, I suck at translating. So please, don't stare and laugh at me in your minds. Do something for those who can't read the book. I dunno. Do people who imagine online people tend to visualize his/her avatar?
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Oh, I'm excited! Thank you so much for this, Lucarius.
Marisa's writing really is interesting. I guess we shouldn't be surprised, since it's always been said that she works hard when she's not playing hard. Or maybe she's just making an effort to write a proper book. She had that small section narrating in Curiosities of Lotus Asia once, and I always thought that sounded surprising for her too.
-- And did she really do the illustrations too? (Er, you know, fictionally.) I've seen some of those; she's good! Who knew?
I too am wondering what your thoughts are on putting this on the Touhou wiki. It'd be easier for others to contribute that way (and I know the wiki has some members who are better at Japanese than English), but if you'd rather keep this project low-key and more private, that's understandable.
Regarding names: Well, obviously the stuff in this book has all appeared in the games before, which have been translated, so I'd imagine it'd be simplest to use the same translations except if any of those prove to be inaccurate. To be perfectly frank, nope, I have no clue what engeki danmaku or that Danmaku Kekkai which was mentioned in Marisa's Afterword there are. If you're using Japanese terms that aren't common within the fandom, it'd probably be best to explain them.
As for requests... I'm just happy to be here and read any of this, and I feel bad asking for anything when you're already working hard, so please feel free to ignore this... but I have to admit, I'm most curious about what Marisa has to say about her own Spell Cards.
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First, thank you for caring to translate the book, so far ^^
Second, I'm seconding the Marisa request. She's the closest character that could compensate for the absence of.. people here know who Mima
:D
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Oh, I'm excited! Thank you so much for this, Lucarius.
Marisa's writing really is interesting. I guess we shouldn't be surprised, since it's always been said that she works hard when she's not playing hard. Or maybe she's just making an effort to write a proper book. She had that small section narrating in Curiosities of Lotus Asia once, and I always thought that sounded surprising for her too.
-- And did she really do the illustrations too? (Er, you know, fictionally.) I've seen some of those; she's good! Who knew?
I too am wondering what your thoughts are on putting this on the Touhou wiki. It'd be easier for others to contribute that way (and I know the wiki has some members who are better at Japanese than English), but if you'd rather keep this project low-key and more private, that's understandable.
Regarding names: Well, obviously the stuff in this book has all appeared in the games before, which have been translated, so I'd imagine it'd be simplest to use the same translations except if any of those prove to be inaccurate. To be perfectly frank, nope, I have no clue what engeki danmaku or that Danmaku Kekkai which was mentioned in Marisa's Afterword there are. If you're using Japanese terms that aren't common within the fandom, it'd probably be best to explain them.
As for requests... I'm just happy to be here and read any of this, and I feel bad asking for anything when you're already working hard, so please feel free to ignore this... but I have to admit, I'm most curious about what Marisa has to say about her own Spell Cards.
I was hoping I could leave the oriental spellcard names in romaji and give some funky English translation of it in the analysis. Danmaku Kekkai is Reimu's spellcard.
Someone else can put this translation on the wiki if they really want to. Just don't mention me, my name, etc. I don't want to be responsible for this whether it's good or bad. I should've asked Gpop to post my translations for me, but oh well. Someone else can claim this translation for all I care.
I'm not working hard. Trust me. I'm starving myself to death because I'm too bored to go out and eat. It's 3:35AM right now. This is no work at all. No sarcasm intended. I'd rather have something to do than think about suicide all day.
First, thank you for caring to translate the book, so far ^^
Second, I'm seconding the Marisa request. She's the closest character that could compensate for the absence of.. people here know who Mima
:D
All of these thanks are going to go to waste soon, for all of your information. You may want to consider reading my comment before thanking me.
I'll put Marisa up top. I'll put the most wanted up top.
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3) Is there any way to expand this editing box?
Standard forums, small editing box. It is a trouble when making such huge posts or editing. I guess you will have to workaround like using Word or whatever text editing program to form your translation with the forum codes and then simply copy paste. (Though I assume you are already using such method.) It keeps the overview for you more suitable.
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You can actually drag the box down. There's a bar at the bottom of the box that you can move to make as long as you want.
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You can actually drag the box down. There's a bar at the bottom of the box that you can move to make as long as you want.
That I seriously never noticed. The hell. Drake, why are you so. . . ** speechless **
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You can actually drag the box down. There's a bar at the bottom of the box that you can move to make as long as you want.
That I seriously never noticed. The hell. Drake, why are you so. . . ** speechless **
None of you knew? It's how I was able to type out any of my parts in the RPG thread =/.
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And with that, Marisa is done.
First spellcard translation debut. Lots of formatting changes are in order. Tell me about it.
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Yes, Koishi next~
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I hope I didn't write anything weird on the translation. Looks like my stress is at max.
Anyway, I'll do Koishi next in two timeslots at when I wake up, and 2PM Tokyo time today.
I expect some criticism about the format, and perhaps my translation capabilities. I also want the character list at least a quarter complete.
I'd appreciate if someone explained the psychological theory behind the Rorschach test. (Koishi's spellcard) I read several articles, but it just doesn't come to me. Maybe I'm too sleepy right now, but I would appreciate additional info anyway.
HOLY CRAP EARTHQUAKE IM GONNA DIE =_=
I think this earthquake is a sign from nature to stop doing this now.
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I'd appreciate if someone explained the psychological theory behind the Rorschach test. (Koishi's spellcard)
Didn't read all your post yet, but Rorschach test is basically an abstract picture psychologist use to estimate the patient's emotion and personality. Example: a food addict would see the picture as food while a serial killer would see it as a person or weapon.
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HOLY CRAP EARTHQUAKE IM GONNA DIE =_=
I think this earthquake is a sign from nature to stop doing this now.
Must have been this one (magnitude 6.4):
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009kdb4.php (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009kdb4.php)
Interestingly, about 10 minutes before that, there was this magnitude-7.6 monster off the coast of Burma:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009kdb2.php (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009kdb2.php)
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the format is nice enough, it doesn't make reading difficult, only thing so far is that Marisa does have Final Spark in IN (not to mention IaMP), both as a non-playable character and as a playable character:
http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Imperishable_Night:_Characters
http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Imperishable_Night:_Stage_4B_Spell_Cards#Spell_Card_098
Sadly, no mention of Orreries Sun.. but at least there's Spark (which also doesn't mention Yuka's original Master Spark). Will wait to see what Marisa has to say about Patchy's Non-Directional Laser (which is a non-spellcard), if it's present.
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"Marisa seems to be hard at discovering the most practical" seems a little confusing. Is she hard at work discovering, or is it hard for her to discover?
Otherwise this is a really good translation, at least as far as I can tell since I don't have the source text. Don't sell yourself short.
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I woke up at 2PM. Figures. Starving, alone, afraid.
I have school at 4. I came home from lunch at 2:45.
I'll get as much Koishi as done as possible right now, while completely ignoring my homework.
hard at work fixed. and I'm pretty sure it means both.
5/7 Koishi complete. I'll do the rest at 22:00 Tokyo time.
Then the next person.
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only thing so far is that Marisa does have Final Spark in IN (not to mention IaMP), both as a non-playable character and as a playable character:
http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Imperishable_Night:_Characters
http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Imperishable_Night:_Stage_4B_Spell_Cards#Spell_Card_098
Sadly, no mention of Orreries Sun.. but at least there's Spark (which also doesn't mention Yuka's original Master Spark). Will wait to see what Marisa has to say about Patchy's Non-Directional Laser (which is a non-spellcard), if it's present.
She mentions her slaves (familiars w/e) in her Event Horizon which are the orreries I believe. One thing I am confused: If she mentions/analyses her own Masterspark (which is supose to be a imitated from Mima/Yuka) why not the other imitated ones. She does however admit she is being inspired/basing things on other character's techniques, like she explained Alice her exploding dolls for her Shoot the moon. Marisa has alot of different named cards which makes it even more confusing. I believe Shoot the Moon is the hard/lunatic version and Milky Way is the easy/normal version.
Basicly she is analysing her most beloved and interesting cards it seems which fits her.
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This was really fun to read, thanks. I'm really looking forward to more!
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I believe Shoot the Moon is the hard/lunatic version and Milky Way is the easy/normal version.
Actually, that's what's confusing me.
The Easy/Normal version isn't Milky Way, It's Earth Light Ray. Yet, she does not mention that spell card.
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To all of you who are commenting on what spellcards Marisa did or didn't right down, read the afterward.
She wanted to drink tea. Moreover, she wanted to do the thinking part about her research. Even moreover, she says "representative" spellcards.
Finishing Koishi.
(You have no idea how much nicovideo time I'm sacrificing. Just look at my storage mylist inflate. It was even hammer day today...)
So watch for me.
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm5028603
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm5064729
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm5156038
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm5353992
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm6259324
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm7023809
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm7901605
It's by the person who drew my avatar. 2 4 5 and 6 are a must watch.
Working.... working...
Aww gifs don't work. Her eyes are supposed to rolling.
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Actually, that's what's confusing me.
The Easy/Normal version isn't Milky Way, It's Earth Light Ray. Yet, she does not mention that spell card.
You got my post wrong. What I mentioned are two different attacks: 1st card (Milky Way easy/normal & Astroidbelt hard/lunatic) 4th spellcard (Masterspark: easy/normal & Doublespark: hard/lunatic) and 5th card: (Earth Light Ray: easy/normal & Shoot the Moon: hard/lunatic:)
@Lucarius,
I am not complaining about why she doesn't names ALL spellcards. More like trying to figure out why she selects a few of her own spellcards. It is a little shame there is no indept analysis of Marisa for explaining why she selects certain cards.
And ZUN's afterward is somehow really amazing. As far as my english goes and understood: He doesn't want people to read this book like as a strategy guide or something but more like "grab it when your heart asks for it".
PS: Who is "Hakurei Kannushi" ?
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I purposely avoided using the term "complaining" to make it sort of like a joke... but I failed. Like always.
Hakurei Kannushi 博麗神主 = the holy owner of Hakurei. Holy gives the meaning of the name a different and more gloating taste... but it's the closest. Simply put, it's his way of saying he's the author. Most people in nicovideo address ZUN as Kannushi.
I'm sure many people would agree with me when I say that the Afterward and the Foreward are the best part of his books. I'm pretty sure I got that translated right, because I really wanted to get the message across.
Listening to Vocaloid Ranking 97~... You murderer~♪ Yeah~♪
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Double post, cuz I finished Koishi.
Lots of problems... concerning word play. I don't know if I got Marisa's message across accurately. Well, I never know, but I mean my level of confidence.
I had to look up two kanjis this time, but it was no sweat. 疎ら means spaced out, both the physical and psychological sense. 抑 means forced or pressured.
That's Koishi for y'all. I like her spellcards because they resemble me.
You all do realize that that's already a little more than 1/10 of the whole book.
I'm going to be watching nicovideo for about an hour, and then I'll do whoever is up next.
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but I failed. Like always.
You are being way too negative about yourself. Atleast that is the tone I am sensing from reading your previous posts which puzzles me as I see no such reason.
I'll see if I can get my hands on the book somehow from a certain site. Think Paletweb was selling it.
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but I failed. Like always.
You are being way too negative about yourself. Atleast that is the tone I am sensing from reading your previous posts which puzzles me as I see no such reason.
He's like that in general, although he seems better than how he was over at FFR back then.
Anyways, I read through Koishi's spellcard comments. A lot of things I never thought about through most of them, but the first one I questioned. I never noticed ancestors as well =/.
Also, I found her spellcards Honnou, Yokusei and Kirawaremono most interesting. It seems like those spellcards changes her mood and facial expressions as well. Of course you never see that in the game.
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what, where can I read it, I want to see!
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what, where can I read it, I want to see!
OP post.
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He's like that in general, although he seems better than how he was over at FFR back then.
Anyways, I read through Koishi's spellcard comments. A lot of things I never thought about through most of them, but the first one I questioned. I never noticed ancestors as well =/.
Also, I found her spellcards Honnou, Yokusei and Kirawaremono most interesting. It seems like those spellcards changes her mood and facial expressions as well. Of course you never see that in the game.
This made me feel queasy. It must be the id and the superego. Id says thanks, awesome buddy. Superego says shut up. \(=_=)/~
I don't believe pessimism is worse or better than optimism. I believe both is neither. However, I really do suck at both grasping and making jokes and sarcasm, because I'm serious as long as I'm not tired or starving.
It's 12:35AM here, and I don't know if I want to start Yukari today. Primarily because the first two letters are probably the hardest letters I'll face in this book.
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Hey, it's great that you're translating this book, but you don't have to kill yourself over it really. Take your time. We're not that eager over it (well, not me at least).
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Koishi's spellcards made for some really interesting readin' for me. This entire book seems to be turning out to be an excellent source for information, which is good (Koishi is the main character of my fiction, after all) for a writer who would like to draw as much help from canon as she possibly can. Thanks much.
Also, Lucarius' comments/analyses remind me of ZUN's for whatever reason. This is a very good thing in my eyes. Keep at it.
It's 12:35AM here, and I don't know if I want to start Yukari today.
Go to sleep~ Nobody's so eager to see this that they'd run the translator into the ground. Or at least, I should hope no one thinks that way.
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if you translate this book, my god we'll love you.
GOD iz srs biznis. No doubt.
Koishi's spellcards made for some really interesting readin' for me. This entire book seems to be turning out to be an excellent source for information, which is good (Koishi is the main character of my fiction, after all) for a writer who would like to draw as much help from canon as she possibly can. Thanks much.
Also, Lucarius' comments/analyses remind me of ZUN's for whatever reason. This is a very good thing in my eyes. Keep at it.
Go to sleep~ Nobody's so eager to see this that they'd run the translator into the ground. Or at least, I should hope no one thinks that way.
My Japanese is affected by other Japanese. My thought is mostly done in Japanese now-a-these-days. Hence, my thought is affected by other Japanese.
It's probably not just that, though. I don't like to say it, but I've been thinking in a similar fashion to ZUN before I knew Touhou. If people observed the world outside the box, you can end up somewhere near ZUN. I just happened to be raised outside the box.
As for sleep, I used to not sleep at all, and I travel globally often so my sleeping habits are completely astray. I'd rather translate this than face the boredom I face during the process of getting to the subconscious state. It's just a matter of which process I feel is more boring, and more worthwhile in the mid-run.
I got the kanji, so I'll translate Yukari now. The kanji, by the way, was 魍魎. It's part of a yonmoji jukugo (four-letter saying). It's a collective reference to youkai that arise from natural concepts. More to come from the first spellcard analysis...
I'll be translating while I watch Mars Story CPV part 47~, so it'll take a while.
As for the Touhou wiki, if you don't want this translation to become buried and unknown to the greater half of the American Touhou community, I would suggest someone put it up there without mentioning my name. I have no intention of doing so. I also don't like to look at wikis to get information, though I know it could answer the kanji questions I have. It's a feeling analogous to the use of a strategy guide for beating an RPG. Translation, like everything else in this world, to me, is a game. Even life is a game, a game in which you have no idea what the rules are supposed to be, and are forced to speculate. Well, not "even," but it is.
Yukari has 6 pages, 7 spellcards. The analysis may take a while, considering she's one of the founders of Gensoukyo, and THE most intelligent. Expect 1.5 hours.
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if you translate this book, my god we'll love you.
GOD iz srs biznis. No doubt.
Hey, I said that we'll like you, but that didn't mean that you had to cram yourself into this book.
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Shush, I'll thank you if I want to. It's not like it costs me anything, and I really do appreciate this whether or not you do.
Anyway, that's really interesting stuff. Marisa's surprisingly insightful too. But more than her, one should never underestimate ZUN... And since it looks like she's leaving a fair number of spellcards out -- picking the ones that stand out most to her -- I wonder if the selection is more him or her. Ah, fictional authors are fun like that.
I've also been asked to relay a request for poor Reimu herself. Though at this rate, I can't think of anyone I'm not interested in seeing.
ETA: Also, this inspired me to finally get around to watching a video of the Koishi fight. Damn she has some cool-looking attacks!
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Bookworms cram themselves into books. It's a natural law, because that's where bookworms reside.
Have the guests join shrinemaiden lol.
Working... working...
I think I edit my posts too much. However, that's mostly because of my personality. Philosophy changes according to the raw information that is gathered. Whenever something new comes up, it has to be hastily recorded before the rawness dissipates.
Reimu added.
One reason you might want to get this recorded somewhere else, is because I'm not saving it anywhere else.
I'm going to idly check for new posts when I'm done with a spellcard...
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I'm saving it all.
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Ditto here. When I get the book I can simply print this stuff out and read the translation and look up the images in the book.
if you translate this book, my god we'll love you.
GOD iz srs biznis. No doubt.
Hey, I said that we'll like you, but that didn't mean that you had to cram yourself into this book.
I am sure on the net being thankful is mostly overrated as you cannot expres is like you can in real life. You cannot hear the persons who are thankful thus cannot judge their tone of their voice, their face or simply the thankful radiation they emit. Like Gpop says: You don't need to cram yourself, bookworm or not.
Afterall it is a privelege we get this translated by your help, not a right. Thus atleast I am thankful and this translation really motivated me to buy the book. Paletweb sells it still.
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I must really suck at joking. Ya know, there are always those people who know how to make jokes on the internet. I thought I did a good job with the bookworm.
I'll just shut up. =)
Halfway done with Yakumo. I'm just going to add Satori because she only has one spellcard, and she's in between Yukari and Koishi.
There's half of Yakumo, about. Taking a break~
minute break done. Back to work. Breaks are boring for the superego.
I wonder if anyone notices subtle changes I make in the ones I already posted...
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I would be pleased if you could do Komachi as well.
Thank you very much for your translations up to now.
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...Woah.
Just woah.
This is far too awesome for my mind to process.
I... damn.
/me genuflects
By the way, Yukari Ougi [Danmaku Kekkai] is what we know as Danmaku Bounded Field?
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I must really suck at joking. Ya know, there are always those people who know how to make jokes on the internet. I thought I did a good job with the bookworm.
I'll just shut up. =)
Halfway done with Yakumo. I'm just going to add Satori because she only has one spellcard, and she's in between Yukari and Koishi.
There's half of Yakumo, about. Taking a break~
minute break done. Back to work. Breaks are boring for the superego.
I wonder if anyone notices subtle changes I make in the ones I already posted...
Internet is hard to detect sarcasm btw.
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Yeah, you can't discern whether a person is joking or not just by their manner of typing, or something. That'd be stupid.
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I would be pleased if you could do Komachi as well.
Thank you very much for your translations up to now.
Komachi added.
By the way, Yukari Ougi [Danmaku Kekkai] is what we know as Danmaku Bounded Field?
Why can't there be a single word for "the space within a barrier or border"? I think I'll stick with Danmaku Barrier, if you all don't mind. Kekkai is barrier. Kyoukai is "bounded field." Kyou is border, kai is area. It's simply a matter of naming sense.
Done with both Yukari and Satori. I didn't reread, because I don't have the power to reread efficiently. List up errors while I take a bath. I probably wrote something wrong about modern thinking towards perpetual motion.
Also, I'm planning a prank for you all sometime in the distant or near future. ~♪ Hopefully, I'll remember to do it. I wonder how many people will notice. It'll be big and noticeable but inconspicuous and deceitful. Not a small typo or something. I do that all the time.
3:48AM right now. I have no school tomorrow, so I can do this for a while. As long as I can translate efficiently. I'll probably be doing some CASL and C# while I do this.
Do you know how shampoo turns into glue if you don't wash the tub after you use it? Ugh...
(I'm living alone in an apartment, fending for myself in modern society.)
Please don't say you are lazy ~♪
(You know this album sold 2x as much as the third place album did within the anisong industry... a whooping 130000 for spring 2009. The OP sold 120000. Never will watch the anime though. Kyoani has been hitting the dumps.)
There's this term, 動揺, which I can't seem to translate in a satisfactory fashion. It's like being mentally shaken. It comes out in the Komeiji sisters' spellcards. It's not as far as a mental breakdown, but it's that status in which you become vulnerable because of trauma or guilt or fear or regret or taunt. Any ideas?
The best way to concentrate is to not concentrate. Otherwise, you put too much concentration into concentrating.
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I suppose that's a necessary problem of translating. You can try as hard as you like to be precise, but one language simply won't always be able to convey the same things as easily as another.
I always find it really interesting to see how different people translate the same thing, though. Feels like getting a glimpse at the connotations and obliquenesses behind words I don't know, like triangulating. Different langauges really function differently in basic ways sometimes.
But "Arousal", huh... ;D
I'm also slowly becoming more amused by the various weird things Marisa rates these spell cards on. And your notes sound more ZUN-like by the minute, at least aside from the parts where you get all nihilist. A couple other points -- for one of Yukari's cards, Marisa's remark is "Seen at meikai, theatrical type". What's meikai? Also, I just noticed that back in Koishi's, you repeated her remark from the first card ("So many ancestors") on the second.
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I'm glad someone's reading to a level of satisfaction~
I'll add meikai.
lol nihilism. If you mean something about "there's no reason for life, everyone just makes believe there is" it's just my way of respecting the youkai acceptance of reasoning. It's the bliss of ignorance. All creatures find their own form of joy in life by doing so. There is no reasoning. Science is not reasoning either at the existential level.
I found several typos after rereading, while trying to fix the distraction/disturbance cross term. I would like to be notified of typos.
Added meikai.
Fixed the nihilism into something more optimistic. To me, optimism and pessimism have no value like everything else in this world. Not the same value, but no value. They're mirror images of each other. But if it makes you all happy, fine. The wordiness becomes tedious after a while~
I'm taking half the posts on here. I wish there were more posts to respond to =_=
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Double posting because I'm done with Shikieiki.
Lots of good read for existential philosophers.
If there is some demand, I can sum up my philosophy both about Touhou and about our existence. I doubt there is though.
I don't want to double post. You guys post. My double posting and my post proportions in this thread measure demand and cooperation.
6:09AM. When the higurashi cry.
Oh noes. Patchouli has 13 spellcards... Although the names are all katakana meaning not Japanese, the analysis may get offhand. First of all, I have no idea what foreign word the katakana is supposed to resemble, and there is no way for me to know unless if I know the original word in the first place. For instance, アグニシャイン looks like Agni Shine, but I don't know what Agni is. =_= Research time. I know Princess Undine though lol. Silphy Horn (Silph from Tales of Phantasia?). Metal Fatigue. I have no idea what the dirt one is. I can't imagine why the name would double up on vowels. レイジィトリリトン Regit Liliton? Regi Triliton? It could be anything. Silent Serena, Royal Flare. Larva Kromlek(?), Forest Blaze, Water Elf, Emerald Megalis. Now he mixes Japanese using katakana... Satelite Himawari (sunflower). Even more confusing. And of course, the one and only Japanese name, Kenja no Ishi, or the philosopher's stone.
Agni seems to be fire in sanskrit. I should've known that from the Bartimaeus Trilogy.
As for the dirt one I had no idea about, it's Radiatory Riton. Radiatory lol. Not even a word. Riton is an Alexandrian wine vessel made of metal, forged in Thracia. Makes sense. I found Riton, so I think Radiatory is right. If anyone can think of a better word, tell me. The romaji is RE I JIi TO RI RI TO n. The Rs could be Ls for all I know. Try twisting them about. It's about what it sounds like, not what it's spelled like. The lowercase stands for the lowercase katakana, which is used for emphasis or tailgating.
The remarks are amusing. Look forward to this one.
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I just finished reading your Shiki Eiki translation and I so far it is the most interesting analysis (both you and marisa) I have read. (Sorry if Koishi is more based on psychology) but philosophy is more like my kind. It drives me nuts once I start talking about such cases. It is a shame I cannot hold such conversations with people around me except my sister.
However I am not an ordinary philosopher, I hate the ones who try to cram their own ideas into others and believe what is right for them. I don't know if it is correctly explained ( donmai my english )
Also Marisa saying: Anyone other than me doing that is cheating. I seriously laughed. She is crazy afterall. Very her-ish as ZUN probably says.
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Hmm, you just need people to keep talking, huh? Unfortunately I really don't like getting much into philosophy in public and/or with people I don't know well. I suppose third-hand fictionalized philosophy doesn't count... This is fun!
Really, I figured this would be more insightful than we usually give Marisa credit for, but who knew it would be this philosophical? Though it's around as blasphemous as expected. However, I don't understand "Then I can't be judged. 'cause I'm an only one."
Let's see... Agni's some sort of Vedic deity associated with fire, if Megaten's taught me anything. レイジィトリリトン the wiki has down as Rage Trilithon, and they may have a point because Patchy also has a トリリトンシェイク. And Kromlek is Cromlech.
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Shikieiki's section is as interesting as Koishi's, if not more so. This is making for awesome reading.
If I can request another character whose spellcards I'd love to see... Hmm, can I? Oh well. Even if I can't, I would love to see Sanae's spellcards next. Power of miracles gogogo
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レイジィトリリトン Regit Liliton? Regi Triliton? It could be anything.
Rage Trilithon.
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[Agni Shine] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agni
[Princess Undine] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ondine_(mythology)
[Sylphi Horn] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylph (Odd, as it's usually either Sylph or Sylphid)
[Metal Fatigue]
[Rage Trilithon] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilithon
[Silent Selene] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selene
[Royal Flare]
[Lava Cromlech] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromlech
[Forest Blaze]
[Water Elf]
[Emerald Megalith] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalith
[Satellite Himawari]
おk？
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Wow Lucarius. You're doing a very good job at this. Quadruple Kudos for you, because you translated well and it was well worth the read. Its contributions like this that make this community.
I'll be looking forward to reading Mokou Fujiwara?s Spellcards, if you have the time. I like your little touch... adding your own analysis for each spellcard. Once again, nice work. I'll be looking forward to reading more.
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Yes, Katakana is a translator hell.
If it just a title or name, I think it's fine if you leave it as it is. Someone in the future will figure it out...or compare note with me when it's translated to Chinese.
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I always find Lucarius to be a very interesting person.
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I'm here to express my verbal support of this project (and so it'll show up in my "show new replies to your posts" list).
Also I might help with the editing, if I'm not too drained by my other projects.
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"What a frightening judgement that was. No, danmaku that was." might be better phrased as "What a frightening judgement... no, danmaku, that was." although it probably sounds better when spoken than when read. It seems that pattern shows up a lot in Japanese for some reason.
But it's interested how Japanese refers to particles as grains. It makes sense, and might even be indicative about how important rice is to their culture, since it's the same kanji.
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However I am not an ordinary philosopher, I hate the ones who try to cram their own ideas into others and believe what is right for them. I don't know if it is correctly explained ( donmai my english )
An ordinary philosopher doesn't try to cram their own ideas into others. Those are just zealous and annoying INTJs. I was one before, until I reached the point several years ago where I understood what ZUN said about youkai in this book (the thought came from, why are youkai strong and humans weak). Weird thing is, it's hard to find the line between keeping these ideas to yourself to satisfy your superego, and telling the idea to as many people as possible to satisfy your id. Simply put, hi religion, society. Society as a whole tends to naturally force people into it's own ideals, because people naturally want to be like others. Youkai don't naturally need to, nor do they want to be. Difference in spiritual level.
I like to emphasize the observer and the world as two different entities making up existence, only when it comes to Touhou. In the real world, I believe existence is nothing more than a phenomenon within the world itself. However, that philosophy doesn't make for good fictional material, so I keep it at the back of my head.
If I can request another character whose spellcards I'd love to see... Hmm, can I? Oh well. Even if I can't, I would love to see Sanae's spellcards next. Power of miracles gogogo
Sanae added.
[Agni Shine] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agni
[Princess Undine] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ondine_(mythology)
[Sylphi Horn] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylph (Odd, as it's usually either Sylph or Sylphid)
[Metal Fatigue]
[Rage Trilithon] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilithon
[Silent Selene] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selene
[Royal Flare]
[Lava Cromlech] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromlech
[Forest Blaze]
[Water Elf]
[Emerald Megalith] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalith
[Satellite Himawari]
おk？
Concerning the Sylphi Horn. I think it's supposed to be Sylph, if you could tell that to the people who said it was Sylphi. Why? Because Rage Trilithon is written as Ragei Trilithon in katakana. Don't ask me why. Maybe ZUN started using silent letters. Like that h in tickets. Or maybe it's to make the pronounciation more legato and orthodox.
Wow Lucarius. You're doing a very good job at this. Quadruple Kudos for you, because you translated well and it was well worth the read. Its contributions like this that make this community.
I'll be looking forward to reading Mokou Fujiwara’s Spellcards, if you have the time. I like your little touch... adding your own analysis for each spellcard. Once again, nice work. I'll be looking forward to reading more.
I want this community to make something that would make daily rank top10 on nicovideo. Represent the American Touhou community and show them what you all can do. THAT'S what communities are for.
Mokou added. I put the no in her name, but I guess it's not supposed to be there.
"What a frightening judgement that was. No, danmaku that was." might be better phrased as "What a frightening judgement... no, danmaku, that was." although it probably sounds better when spoken than when read. It seems that pattern shows up a lot in Japanese for some reason.
I don't like adding ... when there isn't (...). In this book, all ... are ......, but fixed anyway.
日本人や日本語が適度にできる人募集中。話し相手ちょうだいな。日本語を互いに鍛えましょう。
Or make a Japanese thread.
I woke up at 2:40PM, I got woken up a few times by calls from my mom saying whether I wanted Holic or other things. I'm going to starve today, so I'm probably not going to do an awesome translation. But I edit them many times afterwards anyway.
Does everyone know that Patchouli is spelled Pachery in Sangetsusei 0? I don't know where Patchouli came from in the first place, though I've been using it since I've known her.
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Well, I guess you don't need the ellipses, just commas would be fine. That kind of phrase is just weird to see in English in written works like this because it's possible to go back and edit to correct yourself. Maybe it's just more common in Japanese or she's dictating.
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Patchouli is a type of herb in the mint family. It's used in perfumes and oddly enough are used in some medicinal cures.
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Does everyone know that Patchouli is spelled Pachery in Sangetsusei 0? I don't know where Patchouli came from in the first place, though I've been using it since I've known her.
Oh, heck, when was she even mentioned in that? Anyway, patchouli is a word and makes some conceivable sense as a name -- gah, beaten! -- and I believe Patchouli was the romanization in Perfect Memento, so eh. (Then again Perfect Memento apparently also had Medicin Melancory. I'm not honestly convinced ZUN is that good at the romanization thing.)
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Well, I guess you don't need the ellipses, just commas would be fine. That kind of phrase is just weird to see in English in written works like this because it's possible to go back and edit to correct yourself. Maybe it's just more common in Japanese or she's dictating.
Rephrasing. I don't like using ... when the book doesn't say ...... therefore, I used ... there instead of ...... there because the book didn't say ...... There are no parentheses anywhere. I used the parentheses to separate the ... from the period.
Also ... this is probably ...... more (confusing) than ... deciphering (Rage Trilithon)'s ...... Katakana.
Well it isn't for me, but. Wait, what's an ellipse? Ellipse = ...? I never knew that.
ZE~ HA~ ZE~ HA~ done with half of Patchouli's.
This is what I do during breaktime. http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7902754
Oh also, EWI 20 is out. The Touhou Electric Flute person, WINNsan. http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7912698
I'm not going to watch it. I have translation to do.
I can't expect any posts this time of day, can I? See, this is what drives me to stay up late.
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Couple of notes -
"The Border Between Wave and Grain"
I've seen this as the border between wave and particle most everywhere... Thoughts?
"variegations"
On agni shine. Probably should be variations?
Keep it up!
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Finally done with Patchouli Knowledge. 3 hours folks. 2:40 to 6:00PM
I have to go walk 5 miles on an empty stomach now... time to die in the royal flare of Japanese summertime.
I'll change grain and particle. I assumed so.
As for variegations:
Variation defines different types or kinds of a certain thing.
Variegation scientifically defines the different colored zones on a leaf.
Variegation practically defines uneven zones. In this case, zones of space and danmaku.
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Well, I guess you don't need the ellipses, just commas would be fine.
Wait, what's an ellipse? Ellipse = ...? I never knew that.
A "..." is an ellipsis. The plural of "ellipsis" is ellipses, with the last syllable pronounced "eez". That helps distinguish the word from the one for squished circles. :)
By the way, though this is a bit late, the English Touhou wiki might actually be helpful when you get stuck on nasty katakana spellcard names, since it seems a number of people have refined the name translations for those.
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That's true, I guess a shorter string of dots would indicate a shorter pause, which makes sense here, assuming anything in this book does. :V
I don't know about the Touhou Wiki for English names though. I mean on the whole it's reliable but they translated "Rising Game" in katakana as "Game Of Rising". I know it was probably to keep it consistent with "Game of Life" which was "Life Game", but "Rising Game" sounds less awkward. Oh well, semantics.
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I don't know about the Touhou Wiki for English names though. I mean on the whole it's reliable but they translated "Rising Game" in katakana as "Game Of Rising". I know it was probably to keep it consistent with "Game of Life" which was "Life Game", but "Rising Game" sounds less awkward. Oh well, semantics.
True, "Game of Rising" does sound odd, but it actually feels more appropriate to me. Since it's a higher level than "Game of Life", I assumed that "rising" referred to "rising from the dead", so it's a game about that. "Rising Game" simply makes me think of a levitating game box. :D
But yeah, one has to treat the wiki contents with caution. Still, it beats blundering about in the dark.
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Read through your Patchouli comments, and saw a couple of things. In Marisa's Princess Undine's description, "That's probably what the lasers are shot." should probably read "why" instead of "what". I almost want it to say "fired" instead of "shot" too, but saying "fired" in a water-themed attack seems a little odd. Also in Metal Fatigue's remark, "the book nothing happens" sounds weird. Maybe just "nothing happens to the book" or "the book is unaffected" if you want to keep the same format.
But with her knowledge of so many elements, it's a shame how the only thing holding her back is her asthma.
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Read through your Patchouli comments, and saw a couple of things. In Marisa's Princess Undine's description, "That's probably what the lasers are shot." should probably read "why" instead of "what". I almost want it to say "fired" instead of "shot" too, but saying "fired" in a water-themed attack seems a little odd. Also in Metal Fatigue's remark, "the book nothing happens" sounds weird. Maybe just "nothing happens to the book" or "the book is unaffected" if you want to keep the same format.
But with her knowledge of so many elements, it's a shame how the only thing holding her back is her asthma.
Undine: that's probably what the lasers are for + that's probably why the lasers are shot = my mistake, fixed. i'll go with shot. To me, lasers are shot. Muskets are fired. Lousy freeters are also fired.
Metal Fatigue: Analysis states why it's grammatically incorrect.
Asthma: 500 years from now, she'll be in a large tank filled with red liquid barring a large doorway to Flandre's room below the library. In my story anyway. Not that that means anything.
Entertaining nicovideo for people who don't understand Japanese. (2nd most popular commentary playthrough video, Super Mario 3 played 4.2x normal speed part 13.)
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7917274
ZUN was talking about commentary playthrough videos, so I figured why not introduce some. I know a lot. No doubt.
Reimu was next? That's a breeze compared to this one. Her names are straightforward. BUT, I'm not doing til tomorrow. Another 7-pager...
For some reason, Reimu has a ponytail that goes down to her knees on the picture on page 15. No idea why, but it doesn't seem right. I wonder what date Marisa was imagining when she drew this.
なーんかかったるいからやめようかな～
Hmm. I think I'll quit if I get defeated by Comiket on the 15th. Yup. I don't know left vs right in that place.
It's because of people like those who become "concerned" about the "violence and content" of mangas like X and Tsubasa Chronicles, that I cannot come to favor society. I find such books to be no different in value from this grimoire.
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Haha, that video was fun. And sadistic. As bad as some ROM hacks. I wonder what it is that makes watching people throw themselves at those things so compelling. I'm sure it says something very deep about us as humans.
I didn't have much to say about the Patchouli section since the commentary seemed a lot simpler than the others. Realistically, it should be because she has so many spellcards represented, so each one needs to be shorter to take up less space in the book. But I have the feeling it's also because it's a kind of magic Marisa understands much better. For her it's just talking shop. I wonder how she approaches Alice.
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I didn't have much to say about the Patchouli section since the commentary seemed a lot simpler than the others.
I wonder how she approaches Alice.
Perhaps it's because my consistency isn't so consistent. Nah, pride, my strongest sin, won't let me post something I believe is unworthy of what it should be, unless if I'm being delirious, which I very well may have been.
Alice added, though I don't know whether I'll continue doing this much longer. It doesn't seem like there was much demand any way. Some of it is definitely my laziness, but some of it also may be attributed to the reason why the other books are incomplete too (if they are incomplete, that is. I haven't checked) , which is not enough demand.
Also, that video is a series. Good for a 15 minute laughter break. He does both Mario Bros and Mario Bros 3.
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It doesn't seem like there was much demand any way.
Alas. There's demand, but mainly from the same few people, it seems. I don't know if the Japanese Touhou fandom is different, but the English-speaking one always seems ready to overlook Touhou's written works. That's my one big frustration with it. Everyone likes the games -- when the UFO demo came out, the whole script was up and translated on the wiki within a weekend, but there are still untranslated sections of books published years ago, and a good fifteen chapters of manga waiting in line, and so many ardent fans who just never get around to reading what there is. I don't really understand it, for all that the Touhou fandom's known for its love of fanon. But then I'm a relatively recent fan, and there was enough translated stuff when I got here to fall in love with, so it's always been part of the series to me.
It's self-fulfilling, though. Stuff doesn't get translated, so nobody knows what's in it, so nobody cares about it, so nobody cares to translate it. And much as I'd love to learn Japanese proper (instead of the kana and tiny handful of words and basic concepts I've picked up), it's not a very practical plan, at least right now. In the end, I'm pretty useless myself.
Oh yes, as for the video, I noticed that there was more afterwards. It's on my list of things to check out. :D
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I have been watching your progress since the beginning, and all I have to say is, kudos to you, good sir. Everything that you have done up until now is more than anyone has asked of you. I have never done a translation project myself, but based on researches that you have to do, I could say that it takes a well-dedicated effort to do this. Due to my level of awesome being significantly lower than yours, I could not give a proper constructive advice, and for that, I apologize. It's up to you whether or not you want to continue doing this; you have my approval either way. Just... don't be too stressful about this. Also...
Alice added, though I don't know whether I'll continue doing this much longer. It doesn't seem like there was much demand any way. Some of it is definitely my laziness, but some of it also may be attributed to the reason why the other books are incomplete too (if they are incomplete, that is. I haven't checked) , which is not enough demand.
If requests for more characters would help you motivate yourself to continue, then by all means, I request Remilia and/or Flandre Scarlet (both or whichever one you feel like doing, if any, at all).
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lol
I'll being doing Reimu on the train, as far as I can go without the internet. I'll be reading the new Fullmetal Alchemist first though.
I'm not an awesome person. Rating this translation on the Japanese scale as a work done by a civil human being would give it a 3 out of 10. No set schedule, many typos, inconsistent work, etc. As a Japanese-oriented person, my work-ethic is disgusted. Unfortunately, however, I was raised in America, so I do not have the complete work ethic that a university student in Japan would have at this age. There's really no point in talking about my work ethic as it is, but I hope you would understand that this is mostly an internal struggle between my American background and the Japanese person I want to be.
Of course, that's my id speaking there.
I'm not associated, and never have been associated with the Japanese community of Touhou. I have never been on 2ch or 4ch or any of those BBS. Therefore, I would not know. However, I do know that the stuff that goes up on nicovideo, as a representation of what Japanese people our age have done, is something that is far more than what I've seen Americans our age do, but is something that can be reached by Americans as well. I see the possibility of that happening within this community, but see no action done towards achieving it, which leads me to the question of the worth of contributing to this community.
That's my ego talking. My superego doesn't care.
The term "fandom" reminds me of that terrible Tales game. lol
Anyways, Scarlets added.
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We pretty much do stuff for the western fandom, which is kind of disappointing yes, as far as translations and etcetc go. We leave most to the japanese.
But be reminded that the japanese fandom is much, much larger than the western fandom and as such we aren't able to gather the people necessary to do awesome things. A few things get through, but there's not much attention paid to them anyways.
But yeah I wish we could. It's not like I just ripped all the japanese images and other data files for nothing.
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Should get around to reading through this actually. Been busy throughout the week (no time between my regular gaming sessions to keep myself sane).
Oh yes, thanks for translating.
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It is kind of sad how the print works are passed over for stuff, but for me, I've always been more of a video game fan, which is why I'm working on translating fan games. If there were fewer games, I probably would focus more on the books/comics.
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We pretty much do stuff for the western fandom, which is kind of disappointing yes, as far as translations and etcetc go. We leave most to the japanese.
But be reminded that the japanese fandom is much, much larger than the western fandom and as such we aren't able to gather the people necessary to do awesome things. A few things get through, but there's not much attention paid to them anyways.
But yeah I wish we could. It's not like I just ripped all the japanese images and other data files for nothing.
Most works on nicovideo's high-ranks are done by one person (illustrated PVs, 4coma mangas, CGAs, music arrangements, etc.). The few collabs that hit the high rankings are mostly done by 4~5 peopl depending on what kind of work it is. A music PV consists usually of an artist, a composer, a lyrics composer, and a singer. Yes, there aren't any doujin circle type organizations in America to make anything like Touhou boom in popularity, but there surely are enough people here to get something accomplished. Rather, you can call shrinemaiden one doujin circle and make something that could be sold on the comiket, don't you think? I would hope so. Even a conglomeration of various items under one circle-name would be fine.
Mapping out route for C76 now. Won't update until this thing's over.
Circles I'm buying from:
Shanghai Alice Genrakudan
Tasogare Frontier
REDALiCE (for someone else)
Shoujobyou
Sasacreation / KStudio
As/Hi
TAMUSIC
Kitsune no Kousakusitsu
Orience
Kokuyasou
Ninjin Wine
t=NODE
Companies:
GOODSMILE (for someone else)
I'll buy some random stuff too, probably.
Actually:
15th C76
16th ~ 17th Suwa Lake
18th last day of CS school
19th plane
20th back from plane
24th university
25th ~ 31st stupid university foreplay
31st class.
When do I have time to do this?
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I've always been more into reading and plot-oriented things. Games were a secondary interest for me, so when I saw Touhou, I got pretty interested. But yeah, basically it seems that the written material hasn't been translated as much, which is a bit disappointing. After I watched the Haruhi anime, I went on to read the translations of the books, all of which were translated. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case with Touhou, as everyone else has said. At the same time, whatever literature on Touhou I can get my hands on, I really enjoy reading.
I'm learning Japanese as well, but like Hieda no Aya, I'm pretty much worth nothing at this point (although, I'm teaching myself through a combination of online textbooks and immersion).
Also, if it's not too much to ask, could you translate Youmu and Sakuya's articles?
EDIT: Also, I really like Lucarius' commentary, really adds a new layer to it. Maybe they should be put in quote blocks, just so that it's easier to differentiate between the text and his comments, but whatever. Awesome stuff.
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I came back from C76. I got 12 and 2 copies of 12.3.
I bought 1100$ worth of stuff. Congratulations. I'm broke.
Well, I never use my money anyway. I'm not really broke, rather 1100$ is no more than a bug bite. I'm just really happy I was able to "buy" instead of stand and be notified there was no more. I got there at 6:00AM and was the 7688th person to enter. Everyone earlier came at 4:30AM, which is the waiting commission.
I bought CDs. CDs that I had wrongfully torrented before and are now paid for. Includes all that I listed down there. I also bought a Suika and Remilia glass. I failed to buy the Reimu nendroid and the Toranoana Touhou Tarot Cards set. However, I still think I did a marvelous job for my first time. 4 hour wait before entry. 2 hour and 45 minute wait for Touhou 12. 1 hour and 10 minute wait for Touhou 12.3. All in the sun. However, it was probably one of the most bearable Comikets in the history of recent comikets. I really regret not getting to the Company Booth on time.
Also bought keychains and Touhou Bomberman from Messe Sanoh at Akihabara. My feet are dead now.
Taking arcanesign's idea to account, adding Youmu and Sakuya.
Sorry all. I'm disappearing. Anyone can feel free to take the first post and continue.
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Uh... OK then. I guess he really meant it when he said he would drop it.
Maybe I can try to pick up where he left off, but it'll be really slow going. Hmm...
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Sorry all. I'm disappearing. Anyone can feel free to take the first post and continue.
D:
Damn, and I was looking forward more of his comments.
Maybe I can try to pick up where he left off, but it'll be really slow going. Hmm...
By all means, please do so. Even if it's slow, I'll be glad to read through this.
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Man, Lucarius hasn't really changed about his leaving habits =/.
Ah well. I expected it sooner or later.
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Well, the thing is I'm still prioritizing that Soccer game, so... Yeah. I don't know, but I'll figure something out soon enough I guess.
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Man, Lucarius hasn't really changed about his leaving habits =/.
Ah well. I expected it sooner or later.
What is his problem anyway? This is seriously overreactive behaviour. I know he doesn't needs to explain himself but deleting your account is like seriously overreacting.
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Well, it was fun while it lasted.
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Man, Lucarius hasn't really changed about his leaving habits =/.
Ah well. I expected it sooner or later.
What is his problem anyway? This is seriously overreactive behaviour. I know he doesn't needs to explain himself but deleting your account is like seriously overreacting.
Back at FFR, he was really negative about life. Almost to the point of emo-ness. He said that he would kill himself if it wasn't for his natural fear of death =/.
He left FFR for his reaction towards a few people (related to Touhou), as well as RL taking him away from the internet also.
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How can one even be so negative about his life. I understand psychological depressions and other things can cause it. But seriously, robbing your own life for the good of what? What do you achieve? Freedom?
People who talk about suicide do not even think beyond their depression ( hence they cannot because of their depression ) but seriously. I have met and know friends who suffer from the same problems but suicide is the last thing they think about.
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I'm only negative about life, because most people think positive about it. Comparison always begins at a set standard. Most people just happen to be more positive about life than I am.
I'm not depressed. People just think I am because they think I think negative about life, or more generally, evaluate existence at a different level from the general norm.
This is the result of the lack of what an id needs to overcome its counterpart superego, which is the comprehension and realization of natural human values, the most important being human relations. Because I failed to assimilate to my environment and society at an early age, my observational skills completely transcended my innate nature. I don't think living is a bad thing, but I don't think dying is a bad thing either. To make things simple, I don't have a civil or social sense of morality, but am held back from doing what most people would call crime because of consequence or fear. I don't have a sense of value because I see my environment as a bunch of matter and energy, and all conceptual ideas such as race, finance, truth, etc. is rooted to that physical observation. If everyone thought the way my superego does, life would be "safe" but life wouldn't be "fun," because life wouldn't need to be "fun" anymore. That's just not possible though, because of probability.
Simply put, I was raised in the perfect condition to become a human with a distorted mentality. Distorted from most peoples' points of view.
I hope that answers your questions. I don't mind if people like life. I mind if people say I'm wrong because I don't like life as much as most people do. I'm not most people, because the "most people" that I know shaped me that way, and I have no intention of changing my ideas about existence. My id suffers, but it's been suffering since I was 6, so I've gotten used to it. My superego has become the shield to my mental weakness. All of this existential reasoning is, in fact, a natural psychological barrier produced by the id to keep it from feeling negative emotions. I think the subject is fascinating.
If you don't like me for how I think, then simply leave me alone. I'm quite used to it. After hearing what I said above, I doubt you would want a heartless apology for my actions.
As for what I achieve, there is no reason that would satisfy my will to live life, or to lose life. Life is a game that I don't want to play. Existence is the rule that binds me to it. That is all.
Without this upbringing, I wouldn't have been able to do that analysis. It's like the principle of equivalent trade lol (not at all, but you know what I mean).
If you don't want me to delete my account, then fine. I'll leave it here. I just thought you wouldn't want an inactive and empty account lying around. Although I may be prone to come back later in the future, not many people would accept me any way, because this kind of action isn't accepted by the general public. On the internet, the consequences for such an action are lightly taken (probably because most people don't see my seriousness), but I just go with the flow. If I can't come back, I won't come back. If I can't commit suicide, I'll live til I die. That's all.
It takes a lot more to change a mentality condition like this one. I have no will of changing it because I don't suffer from it in the least. Rather, I have a strong will to keep myself who I am, because I think differently from others. It's probably my own way of making believe that I have some value to this world. Therefore, I probably won't change for a long time.
PS: I'm a completely different person irl than I am on the internet, because I have no time to think as much as I do here than in reality. I play Touhou with the few friends I have, go visit places like the Suwa Shrine because I want to put up a wish tablet with a yukkuri on it, laugh at funny videos etc.
PSS: I finished Hakurei Reimu lol.
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I'll speak for myself in this post. Any comment / thought given is from my PoV. Take it or leave it if you want.
I'm only negative about life, because most people think positive about it. Comparison always begins at a set standard. Most people just happen to be more positive about life than I am.
Funny, I don't compare myself to other people. It was a general comment.
I'm not depressed. People just think I am because they think I think negative about life, or more generally, evaluate existence at a different level from the general norm.
That is what I sense from the constant depressive words.
This is the result of the lack of what an id needs to overcome its counterpart superego, which is the comprehension and realization of natural human values, the most important being human relations. Because I failed to assimilate to my environment and society at an early age, my observational skills completely transcended my innate nature. I don't think living is a bad thing, but I don't think dying is a bad thing either. To make things simple, I don't have a civil or social sense of morality, but am held back from doing what most people would call crime because of consequence or fear.
Superego and id? When shave all that off what remains is common sense. Everybody has it.
I don't have a sense of value because I see my environment as a bunch of matter and energy, and all conceptual ideas such as race, finance, truth, etc. is rooted to that physical observation. If everyone thought the way my superego does, life would be "safe" but life wouldn't be "fun," because life wouldn't need to be "fun" anymore. That's just not possible though, because of probability.
Thank god people are not similar. As similarity is what makes people dangerous, not diversity.
I have no intention of changing my ideas about existence. My id suffers, but it's been suffering since I was 6, so I've gotten used to it. My superego has become the shield to my mental weakness. All of this existential reasoning is, in fact, a natural psychological barrier produced by the id to keep it from feeling negative emotions. I think the subject is fascinating.
Superego and id are bullshit when you use common sense. Common sense tells you what is good and what is wrong. Everything around common sense are morals and rules. Superego and id are nothing but psychological disorders. Do not mix up superego/id with characteristic behaviour.
If you don't like me for how I think, then simply leave me alone. I'm quite used to it.
People might respect your choice, but you are not showing signs of giving the same respect for other people. I am not suprised you are used to it.
After hearing what I said above, I doubt you would want a heartless apology for my actions.
I never demanded or requested one. Again, it was mere general statement using you as an example.
As for what I achieve, there is no reason that would satisfy my will to live life, or to lose life. Life is a game that I don't want to play. Existence is the rule that binds me to it. That is all.
I don't see life as a game as you cannot retry it the same way you left it.
If you don't want me to delete my account, then fine. I'll leave it here. I just thought you wouldn't want an inactive and empty account lying around.
Bad excuse, that is why I said: overreactive behaviour.
Although I may be prone to come back later in the future, not many people would accept me any way, because this kind of action isn't accepted by the general public.
Funny how you decide for other people by judging your self. Makes 0 sense.
On the internet, the consequences for such an action are lightly taken (probably because most people don't see my seriousness), but I just go with the flow. If I can't come back, I won't come back. If I can't commit suicide, I'll live til I die. That's all.
Internet and human life are seperate things. Don't compare them. Talking about suicide makes me laugh. Because people like you don't use common sense. (again, common sense)
It takes a lot more to change a mentality condition like this one.
It takes nothing else than your self first. Then everything around you.
I have no will of changing it because I don't suffer from it in the least. Rather, I have a strong will to keep myself who I am, because I think differently from others. It's probably my own way of making believe that I have some value to this world. Therefore, I probably won't change for a long time.
I never asked you to change. Hence what is change anyway? Change your clothing? change your behaviour? Change the way of thinking? Change what?
PS: I'm a completely different person irl than I am on the internet, because I have no time to think as much as I do here than in reality. I play Touhou with the few friends I have, go visit places like the Suwa Shrine because I want to put up a wish tablet with a yukkuri on it, laugh at funny videos etc.
Do you think I am the same aswell in real life as on the internet? You are awfully centering yourself in this situation when you are not the only one.
PSS: I finished Hakurei Reimu lol.
I'll read it as the Miko interests me.
I am sure you will be back reading this. Maybe by any chance reply to it, though I don't expect anything. Like I said: I have seen, read and met plenty of persons like you. They also don't want to change but like I said: they don't speak about suicide. People who talk about suicide are mentally weak people with no common sense. That is all.
To the other people on Motk: Sorry for going offtopic. My apologies.
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We can use pms. I replied.
Anyone else can feel free to pm me, with their own unaffected analysis of my post up there.
However, I probably won't do this translation anymore.
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I probably won't do this translation anymore.
*ignores the rest of the entirety of those posts* Why not? You were doing so damn well with it!
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If I can discern anything from what he's said about himself so far, it would be because he doesn't want to anymore. Pity really, he's an interesting guy. Always wanted to meet a real live Marvin.
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As a psychologist, all this 'id' and 'superego' freud nonsense being thrown around makes me shudder.
In other news, I've been studying Japanese for six years now at a university, and i'm looking for translation practice to help with my continuing studies. So, if there's anything I could assist with..
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Since Lucarius abruptly ran off for no particular reason, I'd say it's open for "actually doing it" and stuff.
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Well, if he doesn't have a copy of the original text, it'd be really tricky.
I bought the book a little while back and it's pretty cool, and although the pictures are little too cute for my liking, what I can understand is interesting. I think I'd have the drive to translate it though.
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Oh hey, it looks like someone's putting up the text on the Wiki, and a translation is already under way. I told them I was going to put up the translation here (without indicating it specifically of course) as well.
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As a psychologist, all this 'id' and 'superego' freud nonsense being thrown around makes me shudder.
This'll be off-topic, but do psychologists think that id, ego and superego are nonsense?
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This'll be off-topic, but do psychologists think that id, ego and superego are nonsense?
Not complete nonsense per se, but those who still follow and utilize Freud's ideas do so in a modified form. Freuds theories were all based on his observations with his patients (who were almost all rich Austrian women from the Victorian era), and he did no experiments to arrive at his conclusions. These assumptions were largely influenced by the constraints of the time period and its sexual conservatism.
However, Freud is still important for putting the idea out there, however flawed they were, about the unconscious mind, childhood influences on personality development, defense mechanisms, etcetera.
tl;dr version: Some psychologists think Freud was utter crap, others think he made some valuable contributions to the field. However, it's generally agreed that his ideas are useful from a historical standpoint.
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I see. I always thought that Freud's system was universal and flawless, so I was a bit surprised when you said it was nonsense, but I guess I didn't notice the context.
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Heh, if there's one thing you learn while pursuing a science degree, is that nothing is universal and flawless. Freud is just that household name everyone knows when thinking of Psychology.
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Yeah, just thinking of the techniques that were once thought to be good and now are banned (and to think of those that were already banned and were brought back years after). I think this relates to cirurgic techniques, but I guess it might happen in other fields.
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For anyone who is interested, we've finally finished up the last of the book over on the wiki, so go check it out.
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Nice work! =)
Gotta find Marisa's way of thinking funny.
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Hell. Yes. I am seriously considering that proposition I gave about editing the entire thing, but I'm starting to wonder. Scans haven't really been "publicly" available aside from maybe what I posted of the symbols; I'm wondering if I should be just handing it out like that. Getting works from other people is easy, I'm just not sure if I should give it away, just for respect's sake.
Damn you, ethics.
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Very nice. Very nice, indeed.
I didn't notice at all and suddenly, the whole thing is translated.
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I think this is up to you, Drake.
The only difference is that the little book is supposed to be paid, but the authorship won't change. :D
If I were in your place, however, laziness would be a major deciding factor in this dilemma.
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The only hard part is shopping the beer glass in ZUN's afterword.
Gonna have to think about it.
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...It's shocking how fast the whole thing was translated. I mean...wow.
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おめでとう～ ＼（^o^）／
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Yeah, compared to the other books, it was defintely a lot faster. Fortunately, we had a native speaker provide the original material on the wiki and that helped a lot.
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It really is wonderful to see. And a very interesting book to read as well, I got a lot of neat little tidbits out of it.
...But almost as awesome as that is that GoM's translation seems to have sparked more work on what remains of the other two books. I'm giddy as a schoolgirl! You and all the others who've been working on those are among my favorite people right now, Forza.
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I decided.
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/338/003526l.jpg (http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/338/003526l.jpg)
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/4154/005526l.jpg (http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/4154/005526l.jpg)
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/5920/007526l.jpg (http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/5920/007526l.jpg)
shit previews obv
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I decided.
...
FUCK YES
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Look nice enough? (http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/868/010526lcopy.jpg)
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Yeah, pretty nice, but you should make sure everything is consistent as far as the notes and types go. Also, looking at it now, I think that "Seen Often" works better.
Also, I don't think that there be any second-person pronouns (like you). I kind of decided on that half-way through translating it though, so... yeah. Maybe it still needs a bit of editing.
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Speaking of grimoire, have you ever been to the "new age" section of a bookstore? I've seen some REAL books about magic.
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Speaking of grimoire, have you ever been to the "new age" section of a bookstore? I've seen some REAL books about magic.
Those are mostly to trick lonly women into thinking that doing some bogus spells will give them more self confidence
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Those are mostly to trick lonly women into thinking that doing some bogus spells will give them more self confidence
Well I once saw a book that told how to do Tarot readings, and it came with a pack of actual Tarot cards. Also I once saw a book on how to interpret dreams. Another book told of real magic, such as how to make a healing wand from a quartz crystal (the emitter) and a copper pipe (as the handle) and other such mystic spells and cool stuff.
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Speaking of grimoire, have you ever been to the "new age" section of a bookstore? I've seen some REAL books about magic.
http://www.amazon.com/Initiation-into-Hermetics-Franz-Bardon/dp/1885928122
PDF: http://omploader.org/vMWpqZg/initiation.pdf
There's Franz Bardon, as well as Aleister Crowley, but there's numerous other authors. I've read through part of the book linked above, interesting stuff, even if it has no practical value (although, I have suspicions that it's true, otherwise there would be no reason for writing the book to begin with).
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hooray twenty pages completed
Progress: November 6
Danmaku (3)
Contents (5)
Foreword (7)
Reimu Hakurei (10-17)
Rumia (18)
Wriggle Nightbug (18-19)
Parsee Mizuhashi (19-20)
Nitori Kawashiro (21-22)
Letty Whiterock (22)
Hong Meiling (23-24)
Youmu Konpaku (25-29)
Mystia Lorelei (30)
Hina Kagiyama (30-31)
Kisume (31)
Yamame Kurodani (31-32)
Ran Yakumo (32-34)
26/138 Completed, 18.8%