toho-literature

[toho-literature]

this has been going around. PSA:

if you have made purchases within the past several weeks on https://goodsmileus.com/, the figure website, you are going to want to monitor whatever payment method you used. word is going around that goodsmile's payment system was compromised in some way and bad actors have been stealing and using people's card information throughout the past month or so.

goodsmile has not been transparent about whatever the fuck happened, but they have allegedly changed their payment system somehow in the past few days. maybe they are still compromised in some way, maybe they are not, but if you have bought from goodsmileus in the past several weeks: keep an eye out. a lot of people are reporting charges from uber and uber eats specifically or having their card added to someone else's paypal account.

[toho-literature]

The Grimoire of Marisa - Pages 44-47 - Suika Ibuki's Spell Cards

Kishin "Missing Purple Power"

User: Suika Ibuki

Notes: Usually seen at parties, doping type (alcohol)

Reference Level: As if

She gets bigger, usually when she's drunk at parties. I mean, she's always drunk, but y'know.

This sorta thing ain't danmaku. Totally useless as a reference. She really is just a monster.

Oni Sign "Complete Massacre on Mt. Ooe"

User: Suika Ibuki

Notes: Usually seen at parties, a real spicy drunk

Reference Level: Won't

She catches and throws you, usually when she's drunk at parties.

Again: not danmaku. Hurts a ton, too.

Ghastly Air "Deep Fog Labyrinth"

User: Suika Ibuki

Notes: Usually seen at parties

Reference Level: Doesn't seem likely

She shows off a trick where she disperses her body like mist, usually when she's drunk at parties.

A monstrously crafty Spell Card where you can't touch her at all, but she can attack all she wants.

I wonder how the world looks to her while she's in mist form?

As always, I can't use this as a reference.

"Night Parade of a Million Demons"

User: Suika Ibuki

Notes: Usually seen at parties

Reference Level: ★★★

Suika's only danmaku-like danmaku.

Even though it's her only one, it attacks with nothing but projectile quantity, making it the most danmaku-like danmaku in Gensokyo.

It just flattens you with pure power, so forget tryin' to strategize your way through it. It's pretty difficult to imitate, too.

She hardly uses any Spell-Card-like Spell Cards, but when she does decide to use one once in a while, she throws out this sort of overpowered mess. Oni really are behind the times. They don't understand these newfangled pastimes of ours at all.

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The Grimoire of Marisa - Pages 40-43 - Aya Shameimaru's Spell Cards

Crossroad Sign "Crossroads of Heaven"

User: Aya Shameimaru

Notes: Often seen when I get chased away on mountain paths

Reference Level: ★★★

A path that was already treacherous is made even more treacherous by tengu.

This danmaku has a pretty strong "dead end" vibe to it, but if you look closely, there's a path right in the middle. Guiding people is part of a tengu's duty, so that's pretty fitting.

If it were up to me, I'd put a Master Spark through the middle.

Wind God "Wind God's Leaf-Veiling"

User: Aya Shameimaru

Notes: Often used when Aya runs away

Reference Level: ★★★★

A Spell Card that obscures Aya's form with a massive number of leaves. One of the classic youkai arts.

But for something that's supposed to be camouflage, I can't help but think that it's just making her position more apparent. She's probably a show-off at heart.

There's next to no leeway to approach Aya, so you've gotta dart back and forth between the sharp leaves from a distance.

"Illusionary Dominance"

User: Aya Shameimaru

Notes: Bet she'll get pulled over for speeding, theatrical type

Speed: ★★★★★★★

Her most befitting Spell Card, where she flies around at ultra-high speeds.

Her speed is just extraordinary; it's downright impossible to land an attack on her. If she can move at this speed without even being doped up on anything, then there's practically nothin' she can't do. Dunno why she sits around doing boring stuff like journalism all day.

By the way, this danmaku is totally useless as a reference for my magic, and there's obviously no particular trick to dodging it besides "try real hard" either.

[toho-literature]

The Grimoire of Marisa - Pages 39-40 - Minoriko Aki's Spell Cards

Autumn Sign "The Autumn Sky and a Maiden's Heart"

User: Minoriko Aki

Notes: A maiden's heart as seen at the beginning of fall

Maiden Level: Are ya sure their hearts change that easily?

The color and direction of the danmaku turns on a dime.

I'll admit that fall weather changes often, but I ain't too sure about how often a maiden's heart does.

It looks simple at first, but every change of heart increases the bullet density.

Bumper Crop "Promise of the Wheat God"

User: Minoriko Aki

Notes: Seen from fall to winter

Reference Level: ★

Meant to be reminiscent of a ritual performed with the gods that arrive on New Year's, apparently.

A good amount of sun and rain are indispensable for farming. The danmaku is so earthy, though. I ain't interested.

[toho-literature]

Jesus, thank you for all the followers!! I wasn't expecting it at all! I'll continue to provide Touhou content for you all!! ヽ(*⌒▽⌒*)ﾉ

[toho-literature]

The Grimoire of Marisa - Page 39 - Shizuha Aki's Spell Card

Leaf Sign "Falling Leaves of Madness"

User: Shizuha Aki

Notes: Seen only around the end of fall

Reference Level: Depressing in several ways

A bunch of falling leaves, converted directly into a Spell Card. Unlike flower petals, falling leaves are real gloomy.

This Spell Card does a good job of expressing a slight sense of melancholy -- as well as the depression of having to clean the garden -- but I ain't keen on copying it.

[toho-literature]

The Grimoire of Marisa - Pages 37-38 - Komachi Onozuka's Spell Cards

Death Song "Ferry of the Deep Fog"

User: Komachi Onozuka

Notes: Possible on land too, "I personally" type (*see reference at bottom of post)

Reference Level: I ain't feeling this one

A Spell Card where she rams you with a boat that a bunch of phantoms are riding on.

I'm recording various Spell Cards in this book not to research countermeasures for them, but rather to widen my own magical repertoire. But there's no point in referencing something where the ghosts just decided to tag along of their own accord.

That aside, though, the phantoms are just floating in the air. They're not actually riding in the boat. What the heck is her job, anyway?

Malice Sign "Regretful Bound Spirits"

User: Komachi Onozuka

Notes: Seems like phantoms tend to gather around waterfronts

Gloominess: ★★★★★

A Spell Card where phantoms cling to you and follow you around.

Having phantoms cling to you is the worst kind of nuisance. You can shoo away mosquitoes, but your hand will just go right through a phantom.

Hm? Why do you still take damage if they just pass through you? I bet the secret of the phantoms' gloominess must be hidden there.

Death Price "Price of Life"

User: Komachi Onozuka

Notes: Mainly a popular party trick, servant-type (invisible)

Believability: ★

A Spell Card that changes the value of the opponent's life into money and shows it to them.

As you're surrounded by money, your own agitated movement tarnishes its beauty in this fearsome danmaku.

But what interests me is that, no matter who she does this little fortune-telling show for, the amount of money is basically the same... is she just messing with us?

By the way, a human's life is priceless.

*A possible reference to a line from Klaus, the final boss of Xexex, "I myself will come out!" (Watashi mizukara ga deru!, 私自らが出る！). Despite the quality of the game itself, the low-quality character graphics and the final boss's humorously bizarre last words have given the game-- and this line in particular-- memetic notoriety among Japanese shooting game fans. (from the Touhou Wiki)

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The Grimoire of Marisa - Pages 36-37 - Keine Kamishirasawa's Spell Cards

Land Sign "Three Sacred Treasures - Sword"

User: Keine Kamishirasawa

Notes: History lecture prop

Reference Level: ★

Seems like she uses this for history lessons.

The sword of the Three Sacred Treasures refers to Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. One slash from this thing, and there won't even be any weeds left growing nearby.

That sword's rough, barren nature really shows through in this Spell Card. Super weak.

Land Sign "Three Sacred Treasures - Orb"

User: Keine Kamishirasawa

Notes: History lecture prop

Reference Level: ★★★

She uses this one in history lessons a lot, too. It's some real hands-on education.

The orb of the Three Sacred Treasures refers to the Yasakani no Magatama. It's sorta like a yin-yang orb?

I thought the gross curve of the thing felt familiar somehow... It kinda looks like a phantom. Maybe magatama are actually phantom figurines.

Land Sign "Three Sacred Treasures - Mirror"

User: Keine Kamishirasawa

Notes: History lecture prop

Reference Level: ★★★★★

Occasionally used in lessons for senior students.

The mirror of the Three Sacred Treasures refers to the Yata no Kagami. Looks like a low-quality version of your everyday mirror, if ya ask me.

With the bad reflectivity, the reflected images comes back with an oddly different shape. I guess that's what she's trying to say...?

Reincarnation "Ichijou Returning Bridge"

User: Keine Kamishirasawa

Notes: At the Human Village sometimes, fractal type

Reference Level: ★★★★★

A returning-bridge that's said to temporarily return lost lives. If it can bring back entire lives, it can bring back danmaku no problem.

So this is what danmaku looks like while you're gradually moving back to the past, huh?

But even if you go back to the past or forward to the future, my Master Spark's impression ought to be exactly the same. In other words, the speed of light is unchanging throughout all of space-time. Man, lasers really are the best.

[toho-literature]

Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red: Pages 40-41 - Yukari Article and Interview

Season 119, Hazuki Issue #3

Youkai Practices Animal Abuse

The silent terror that assaults our idyllic Gensokyo

Keep reading

[toho-literature]

Thanks so much for consolidating so much touhou info in one place! I'm having a blast reading through it all. I really appreciate it! 😁

You're welcome!! I'm glad people like you enjoy reading it! (＾▽＾)

[toho-literature]

Curiosities of Lotus Asia - Chapter 12 Afterword

Good morning. Though I don’t think most people will be reading this in the morning... ZUN here.

The truth is that I was invited to participate the last time, but since the deadline for Imperishable Night was closing in, I couldn’t. So it's a good thing that I got another chance.

Chance for what, you say? You see, Curiosities of Lotus Asia is going to be published in another place now. This way, when it becomes a compilation, it won’t become just another mish-mash (lol). Or that’s the stereotype for publishing practices, kinda. (It’s mostly lies, so don’t believe it.)

Speaking of stereotypes, the Game Boy had stereo sound didn’t it? Even though it only had one speaker... I think that was lovely. Just like the wavy back of a skirt. Lovely.

I don’t think there’s hardly anyone who still uses the original Game Boy, right? Ah, it would probably be a crime in this day and age.

When the DS comes out, will everyone stop using their Advances too?

Oh right, back to story. This story is part of the current serialization called Touhou Kourindo ~ Curiosities of Lotus Asia.

If you haven't read it, you may not have understood this story, so I will quickly introduce the characters and setting.

Rinnosuke Morichika... A guy with glasses that picks up and sells stuff that falls around this area.

Kourindou... A shop-like building where he stores the stuff that falls around him.

Reimu Hakurei... A shrine maiden that doesn’t think much about anything.

Marisa Kirisame... A carefree girl that makes fun of Kourindo.

By the way, this chapter is a continuation of Chapter 11 “Ultraviolet Light”. Go check it out.

Team Shangai Alice — ZUN

By the way, by no means am I trying to get in a fight with Nintendo.

[toho-literature]

Curiosities of Lotus Asia - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Deities’ Tool

The Deities’ Tool

“This thing... What were the people in the outside world thinking when they made it?”

I still remember feeling chills when I put it away on a shelf deep inside the store.

Let’s put it like this: I am Rinnosuke Morichika, a merchant through and through. And this is my antique store, “Kourindou” where I keep all sorts of items, most of them curiosities. I gather these items from the outside world to sell them, and I always keep my door open to customers.

But then, there are those that are not customers but still come here and treat me like I am a fake merchant. “It’s not like you’re really interested in selling any of these things, right?”, they say. And I am indeed not interested in selling anything to non-customers.

There are, in fact, a few items kept deep inside the store that I’m not interested in selling. Some items are not for sale because I am personally interested in them. It’s true that some of these are bothersome things that would only take up space in the shop. However, I consider all of them to have value, but more so than my common wares. It just so happens that no one willing to pay a price corresponding to their worth has appeared.

But among them there is an item that’s lately been bothering me terribly. And it’s worse than usual, because I can’t really ask anyone’s advice regarding this item. It’s a grey box, small enough to be held in the hands, made of... plastic, I believe it was called? As I was saying, it’s a box made from a material neither metal nor stone. Items made of this material have been extremely numerous lately. On top of that, this one has several differently-shaped buttons and switches on it. However, even if I push them, nothing happens.

Insofar there’s nothing particularly ominous about it. However, this item’s “utility” is very unsettling. Yes, my ability permits me to “determine an item’s utility”. That’s why I am the only one that gets this uneasy feeling. And it’s this feeling that prevents me from selling this item.

Knock, knock.

“It’s freezin’ out there, Kourin! And it’s even worse in the forest.”

“Is that you, Marisa? If you are coming in, wipe the snow from yourself before you do.”

“Yeah, I’m doin’ that now.”

I put the ominous little box deep inside a shelf to hide it, and went over to the entrance.

“It’s too late to start now. Aren’t you already inside the store?”

“I’m not even a customer, so it’s not that bad, right?”

“No, it’s doubly bad. I’d like to know what you are going to do if you get my merchandise wet.”

“Butcha aren’t going to sell any of it, are ya? The whole shop is full of nothing but stuff that isn’t for sale. It doesn’t look like ya want to part with any of it.”

“Even if it’s not for sale, it’ll be bad if it gets wet. Anyway, hurry up and go wipe yourself outside.”

Marisa reluctantly went outside. There was a lot of snow piled up on her hat. Was it really snowing that much...? Since I haven’t been outside at all, I didn’t even notice that it was snowing.

That’s fine, though. During the harsh winter, I can wait for it to end staying close to my heater – a result of human ingenuity.

“I’m back. It’s cold outside, but the sun came out so it’s real pretty.”

“It stopped snowing, then?”

“Huh? ’Twasn’t even snowin’ to begin with.”

“What about the snow piled up on your hat?”

“Ah, it landed on me when I went under some tree in the forest. I wonder if it was some fairy’s idea of a prank. Makin’ the tree shake when someone walks under it so the snow falls on ’im. My head did feel a little heavier ’cause o’ that, but whatever...”

I was curious as why didn’t she wipe it off at that time. But since she would surely say something like “I was exercisin’ my neck.”, I didn’t bother asking.

“Get anythin’ interestin’ lately?”

I was about to say, “Oh, that’s right, just a while ago...,” but I held my tongue.

That item I got a while ago would be that creepy box. As to why I had a bad feeling about it, it was because of for what it’s used to do.

What that item does is that it can apparently control just about anything. For example, manipulating people, making them fight, starting wars and, depending on the circumstances, even destroying the world. It’s just as if it were a god’s tool. But by looking at it, it doesn’t seem like anything that powerful, or at least that was what my eyes told me.

While it only took me a short while to ascertain that, since I don’t know how to use it, I wasn’t even able to get it to make an insect move. So I gave up and let it rest deep inside the store, as one of my not-for-sale items.

“A while ago what?”

“A while ago... I had this strange dream. I could feel an unpleasant air. And there was this ear-splitting noise and an incredibly dazzling light. I had never seen anything like it before, but for some reason, my memories are...” Better to talk nothing more of that small box.

“What does that got to do with anythin’? Like I care what you dream about!”

Knock, knock.

“Aah, Mr. Rinnosuke! This shop of yours... It’s dangerous.”

“What do you mean by ‘dangerous’, Reimu? You won’t find a shop more modest than this one.”

It turned out Marisa only came here yesterday because she was free and wanted to kill some time. But maybe she couldn’t stand doing nothing for long, because soon she went somewhere else. Just like a dog frolicking around in the snow.

Today’s visiting customer – wait, she���s not actually a customer – is Reimu. Maybe it’s because only non-customers ever come here that this shop is so modest.

“It’s not a modest shop, it’s simply one where there’s no intention of selling any of its items, isn’t it? But anyway, don’t you ever go outside, Mr. Rinnosuke? Since you are always using heating, the snow on the roof melts and forms a lot of icicles, you know that? If one of those were to fall on someone it would hurt a lot.”

“It’ll be fine. Maybe a prankster fairy will use them to drive away weird people coming to the store.”

“A fairy that drops icicles? I don’t think that’s a fairy from the forest.”

“Well, whatever. Just take them down on your way out. You can do that much, right?”

“Fine by me. But that’s not why I came today. I was asked to give you a message.”

“A message?”

“ ‘In a short while, I’ll be coming to take the usual.’ Just what is the usual?”

“...What do you mean by the usual? And just whose message is that?”

“It’s from Yukari, of course.”

When I imagined Yukari saying this, an unpleasant look appeared on my face. It’s true that I am in her debt, but that youkai girl’s smile is terribly ominous.

“Wasn’t she still hibernating?”

“That’s exactly why she sent a message.”

That’s right, that youkai girl would certainly know something about that small box. However... She is the last person I would want to hand it over to. To date, she has never returned any of the items she arbitrarily took from me. And for some reason, she gives me the chills.

“I have no idea what ‘the usual’ is.”

“Anyway, I’ve delivered the message. Now I have to go out and do some shopping.”

Reimu said that and promptly left. When you come to my shop and then leave saying that you ‘have to do some shopping’, what am I supposed to think? Looks like she is suggesting that I have nothing worth buying here. No, it’s more like she is saying it out loud... I once again took out that small grey box. I imagine this is likely the thing Yukari mentioned. I picked it up by coincidence, so maybe it really is Yukari’s?

The outside items that fall into Gensokyo include items that came through the barrier by accident, items that became ‘illusionary’ because no one used them anymore, items whose users had suddenly disappeared, and so on. So, if this box really is a god’s tool, then it means that the gods have – very likely – disappeared from the outside world.

If this item really can control anything, then Gensokyo can easily be put in a dangerous situation. Especially if I hand it over to that youkai girl, I can’t even imagine what might happen.

No normal person would seriously believe that such a mysterious item like this exists. But in my case, I can’t not believe it, given what I know.

Of all the items from the outside world I have gathered until now, there are some that no one in Gensokyo would believe it possible to create. So it may very well be an item capable of destroying the world. I don’t want to loose into Gensokyo such a powerful tool from the outside capable of wreaking such havoc if I can avoid it. For now, the small grey box shows no sign of working, but who knows when it may release its god-like power? If this ability is set into motion, people might start being controlled, be made to fight, might start wars, and the world might very well be destroyed.

I love Gensokyo as it is. That’s why I can’t possibly give this box away to anyone.

I should break an item as dangerous as this. I should break it with a mallet.

With slight reluctance towards destroying this little grey box, I hit it with all my might.

The next day, I was preparing to go out for the first time in quite a while. I had business that required me to do so.

I had in fact swung a big mallet on that small box yesterday. But it, how can I say it... had a strange outcome. It felt like striking a soft pillow. Surprised, I looked at the end of the mallet...

That was a scene I would rather not recall. There, between the mallet and the small box I was supposed to break, was a white hand that had snuck in between them! Yes, a creature made of only one hand had stopped the mallet. I had struck down as hard as I could, but this (slender, female) hand was calmly interposing. The hand brushed the mallet aside, raised the index finger and, in front of my eyes, waved it left and right. And then, just as if ridiculing me standing there dumbfounded, the hand grabbed the small box and disappeared into the floor along with it.

At that time, I had no idea of what had just happened, and just stood in blank amazement for a while. But once I could think calmly about it, I realized there wasn’t anything mysterious about it. Of everyone that I knew, there was only one that could do this. That’s right. It was that girl who took it. The last one I wanted to give it to.

I still don’t know where she lives. But for now, I’m just getting some fried tofu ready.

“Preparin’ fried tofu... Gonna stand in front of the shop holdin’ it again?”

“Marisa? When did you come inside?” Marisa had suddenly appeared behind me.

“You seemed to be in a hurry, running all over the place, so I just entered and kept quiet. No particular reason.”

That’s right, if I can get Marisa to go searching for me instead of going after her myself, it would be many times more effective.

“Marisa, I have a favor to ask...”

“Go look for Yukari, right? Yeah, sure. Why not?”

“!? How did you know that I wanted you to look for Yukari?”

“The fried tofu.”

Marisa gladly accepted, and went out again almost as soon as she had arrived. In this case... Since it’s so cold, I’d rather not go out myself.

I tried to calm down and think. Just what was that small box? My ability showed me its frightening use, but you wouldn’t think an item that small could have that power. But if Yukari took it when I was about to break it, then it couldn’t have been just another trinket...

It had black, cheap-looking buttons, and some small openings on its back and sides. But its most characteristic feature was the small window just above some buttons, that would neither open nor shut. If you stared for too long at that window, you would almost feel like you could get sucked into it. It was made of a strange artificial material.

However, from its weight, it didn’t seem like there was a lot packed inside it. Rather than danger, what I felt from it was more like an eerie and somewhat lonely feeling. If I had a better sense of intuition, like Reimu, maybe I could’ve sensed something more. Maybe even something like the feelings of the one who used this.

...Why is it that, now that I don’t have it anymore, I remember its details much more clearly? Did my eyes get clouded by all the illusionary visions that my ability showed them? From now on, I should start looking at things without relying only on my ability...

...Knock, knock

I noticed the sound of the front door opening. I must have fallen asleep while I was thinking.

“Whaddya doin’? You send me out lookin’ for someone and then go take a trip to dreamland?”

“Ah, Marisa... Was I sleeping?”

“She was at the shrine, that Yukari. Drinkin’ tea and relaxin’. Guess she forgot about hibernation.”

“So... What did she do?”

“Asked me to deliver a message.”

“Another message? And what is it?”

“Ah, she said ‘Yes, I have received this month’s fee.’ ”

What? So that was for payment? And a monthly one at that? Does she intend to come collecting things every month now? Looks like I walked into a deal with a very troublesome youkai.

“And then she said ‘Didn’t I inform you before that portable things are popular in the outside world now? That’s why this kind of item is appearing a lot. This one is a handheld game machine. You can use it to fight and destroy imaginary enemies, wherever and whenever you are. But unfortunately, this grey one is a rather old variety. It’s only monochromatic... and since it’s so old, almost nobody in the outside world has one anymore. You know, the popular one right now is one that has two screens.’ What’s she talkin’ about?”

“I see now. That’s a relief to hear.”

What kind of “handheld game machine” is it that’s popular in the outside world now? When that small box with the two screens that Yukari mentioned goes out of fashion, maybe it’ll start appearing in Gensokyo as well.

And the icicles on the roof actually fell. I guess a strange person came by so the prankster fairy drove them away?

[toho-literature]

The Grimoire of Marisa - Page 35 - Chen’s Spell Cards

Hermit Sign “Fenghuang Egg”

User: Chen

Notes: Seen in places like scarcely-traveled roads

Reference Level: The eggs are interesting

A Spell Card that flings bird eggs, from which danmaku is produced. A very simple attack.

It's not so much the power of a bakeneko as it is the power of eggs. She is just a cat, after all.

Kishin “Soaring Idaten”

User: Chen

Notes: Seen in places like scarcely-traveled roads, doping type

Reference Level: Don’t count on it

A technique that dramatically raises one's physical capabilities. Bakeneko are already pretty nimble, and this technique makes her even faster.

A human like me can't imitate these ridiculous power-ups.

Kishin “Rumbling Jikokuten”

User: Chen

Notes: Seen in scarcely-traveled roads

Reference Level: Dusty

A Spell Card where she raises her arms to the sky and shouts in a weird voice, making her surroundings vibrate and sending all the dust that's been accumulating on various things fluttering around.

You should hold your breath. Nothing good can come from inhalin' dust.

[toho-literature]

The Grimoire of Marisa - Pages 32-34: Ran Yakumo’s Spell Cards

Shikigami “Banquet of the Twelve General Gods”

User: Ran Yakumo

Notes: Confirmed in the Netherworld, slave type

Reference Level: ★★★★★

An exceptional slave-type spell.

It's a crafty Spell Card where she remotely controls twelve slaves at once. Yep, I still really want slaves that I don't have to control directly.

The slaves' attack seems impossibly intense at first glance, but on closer inspection, each individual slave is just repeating one simple attack pattern. As long as you keep an eye on the ones that are spinning around, it's not that scary.

Shiki Shot “Ultimate Buddhist”

User: Ran Yakumo

Notes: Confirmed in the Netherworld, movement stress type

Reference level: ★★★

Now THAT'S a manji (卍).

Ran forces everything around her to spin in circles. It's like a folk dance in a Buddhist temple garden. Strong folks always tend to have at least one movement-restricting Spell Card like this, probably to show off how effortlessly they can fight. It's like that story with the Buddha's palm.

By the way, a manji apparently represents the shape of some super-awesome god's chest hair. Gods really are on another level, huh.

“Kokkuri-san’s Contract”

User: Ran Yakumo

Notes: Invisible slave & stress type

Reference Level: ★★★★★

I had her tell me who Kokkuri-san was afterwards.

It's a fox spirit, apparently, but it gets all full of itself and starts pretending to be Inari-san when humans call upon it. But it's a pretty mischevious spirit, so as soon as it gets bored, it amuses itself by frightening the humans instead.

It sounds like summoning Kokkuri-san to play a divination game is pretty popular down in the Human Village right now. There ought to be some merit in trying it out. I might be able to make it my slave, for one thing.

Shikigami “Protection of Zenki and Goki”

User: Ran Yakumo

Notes: Confirmed in the Netherworld, invisible slave type

Reference Level: ★★★★

More invisible slaves.

This fox sure uses slaves a lot, doesn't she? But surprisingly enough, she's a slave herself.

Superhuman “Soaring En no Ozunu”

User: Ran Yakumo

Notes: Confirmed in the Netherworld, doping type

Reference Level: Nope, not any time soon

A technique that dramatically raises one's physical capabilities, it seems. Has a very "now this is a youkai!" feel to it.

En no Ozunu was a magician from a very, very long time ago. An ancient senior of mine.

They say he could fly through the sky and used a bunch of different slaves. This Spell Card of Ran's is made in his image, she says; it's not actually summoning the guy. So she can boost her physical capabilities just by picturing him? Bah, friggin' youkai.

[toho-literature]

The Grimoire of Marisa - Pages 31-32: Yamame Kurodani’s Spell Cards

Spider “Cave Spider’s Nest”

User: Yamame Kurodani

Notes: Sticky, theatrical type

Reference Level: ★★

Dark and cramped places usually have spider webs stretched out in them, don't they? This girl was probably tryin' to stretch out a spider web as a trap, too.

But this is a tsuchigumo we're dealing with. She's not a normal spider, so she can stretch out the web and draw it back in instantly. It's a relatively Kabuki-like theatrical type.

That's the mysteries of insects for ya.

Miasma Sign “Filled Miasma”

User: Yamame Kurodani

Notes: It’ll make you sick

Gloominess: ★★★★

A gross cave filled with sickly air.

If it weren't for Miss Creepy-Crawly, though, I wouldn't even mind caves that much.

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The Grimoire of Marisa - Page 31: Kisume’s Spell Card

Horror “Tsurube-Otoshi Apparition”

User: Kisume

Notes: Seen in the evening from fall to winter

Reference Level: It’s only a jerk-in-the-box

A Spell Card where she just suddenly lunges at you from somewhere like the top of a tree, or the ceiling of a cave. As long as she doesn't catch you by surprise, there's absolutely nothing to be frightened of.

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The Grimoire of Marisa - Pages 30-31: Hina Kagiyama’s Spell Cards

Wound Sign “Pain Flow”

User: Hina Kagiyama

Notes: Near the river that flows down from the mountain

Reference Level: Too unlucky to reference

Ripples of pain. She likes to save up bad omens in her body, and just by getting close to her, it feels like the misfortune will cycle over to you.

This Spell Card uses her specialty well; she just has to spin around in the water, and the water becomes a prickly mess. I can't copy this, and I sure as heck don't want to.

Flawed Sign “Broken Amulet”

User: Hina Kagiyama

Notes: Near the river that flows down from the mountain

Recycle Level: ★★★★

Danmaku that just throws broken amulets. Since they're broken, they fall apart immediately, and their fragments fall irregularly in this Spell Card.

I really don't wanna get hit by one. It's bad luck.

I bet Reimu would do fine against this, though. She's got way more amulets than Hina, and they aren't broken. They do have "full house" (大入) written on them, though.