Miscellaneous Questions Thread 2 (Please look here before anywhere else)

[Drake]

As far as I can tell it's just a wacky ASCII art picture that exploded.

ほうじゅうぬえ isn't even close to エビフライ or てんぷら though.

[Tengukami]

I was going to say the same. In fairness, I learned this by Googling "touhou nue shrimp tempura". Front page results, the whole thing is explained in a single Danbooru comment.

[Araceli Caralyz]

I was going to say the same. In fairness, I learned this by Googling "touhou nue shrimp tempura". Front page results, the whole thing is explained in a single Danbooru comment.

Yup, I did the same.
Google is quite the rescource :3

[game2011]

It is because her name sounds close to that in japanese so that is why the association is made

I know about this already, and nope, that's not true.

As far as I can tell it's just a wacky ASCII art picture that exploded.

ほうじゅうぬえ isn't even close to エビフライ or てんぷら though.

Figured it would be because of that pic...  Just wanted to clarify.

Anyway, thanks to all those who helped!

[Drake]

not even sure why the danbooru commenter would say that

[Araceli Caralyz]

As far as I can tell it's just a wacky ASCII art picture that exploded.

ほうじゅうぬえ isn't even close to エビフライ or てんぷら though.

I know about this already, and nope, that's not true.Figured it would be because of that pic...  Just wanted to clarify.

...except when google is not.

I rest defeated.

So, I present my own inquiry;  (Also with Nue) I heard an interesting story with why Nue is designed like that (pertaining to her "wings") .
It apparently has to do with an old Japanese fable where a Nue appears out of nowhere to a traveler and offers him a choice, a red or a blue cape.
If he picks the red cape, he gets shred to ribbons and if he picks the blue cape, he gets suffocated to death by the respective colors.
Therefore, the design choice.

Could someone confirm this for me?

[Error]

I'm not sure about the design choice, but she does have a spellcard in DS (12-4) that is named "Red Cloak, Blue Cloak"
Those red "wings" do look a bit like blades though...

This question seems kinda vague, but...
Have the official works ever stated how far the Great Hakurei Barrier extends?

[Drake]

How far, as in how big Gensokyo is? How much area in the outside world does it take up?
The answer to the latter would be "essentially nothing", and I think you should be able to estimate Gensokyo's size based on popular landmarks that are referenced such as Lake Suwa and the Yatsugatake range. At this point I don't think any estimate would be very accurate, though.

[PhantasmStardust]

Im guessing you mean how far as in not numerical, if so then it would extend as far as the Hakurei Shrine but the most you know of that is that it's on the eastern edge and since there isn't a map of Gensokyo you can't really tell how far. Anyway official works, you say?

Perfect Memento probably shows how far it extends if you count this "On the eastern edge of Gensokyo lies its only shrine. This shrine exists on the border between the outside world and Gensokyo"

Bohemian Archive mentions this "Deep within the mountains, seperated from the human village, Gensokyo's only occupied shrine can be found situated on the border between Gensokyo and the outside world.However, while this shrine does have a connection to Gensokyo, it's not a particularly close one.It doesn't have a close connection with the outside world either. This shrine's location is on the very border."

Ghostly Field Club with this "My partner took out a picture and started talking as usual."But never mind that, Merry, why don't we go see the entrance at the Hakurei Shrine?""

So the barrier I guess, would extend to the (somewhat) outside world (if you look at it that way) but there isn't really a location for the "outside world" Hakurei Shrine.

[M M]

I've noticed that characters keep their hands in their sleeves, raised to their chest.
Not like Ran, but rather, like, this:
http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/846955/alternate_costume-aura-blonde_hair-eyes-frog-hair_
(the picture itself is not nsfw, but you know, Danbooru and its ads)

I suppose it's some japanese custom, but I've been researching for it and found nothing about it. What's this custom? Or is it because it just feels confortable?

[Hanzo K.]

Near as I can tell, it's an elegant way to cross one's arms.

That, and you see it a lot in prints involving the divine, celestials, hermits, and the like.

[EthanSilver]

I suppose drawing a character with their hands by their side would be a lot less interesting than if their hands/arms are busy in some way.

I'd advise doing a bit of research rather than taking my word for it, but I've read that the chinese used to keep their money in their sleeves, and keeping one's hands inside one's sleeves meant being able to keep a hand on your money and keep it safe. Hand-fans were also concealed in one's sleeves (reference) so I guess in a way it's kind of like keeping one's hands in one's pockets.

[Drake]

...That would be the same as Ran, though.

I looked around for 20 minutes or so and couldn't find anything, but I would also be interested if there was a terminology for the pose. I would imagine it would either be simply a formality, or a buddhist thing.

[M M]

Near as I can tell, it's an elegant way to cross one's arms.

That, and you see it a lot in prints involving the divine, celestials, hermits, and the like.

Yeah I've noticed it too, inclusive in sculpture, dolls and images of Bhudda.

I suppose drawing a character with their hands by their side would be a lot less interesting than if their hands/arms are busy in some way.

I'd advise doing a bit of research rather than taking my word for it, but I've read that the chinese used to keep their money in their sleeves, and keeping one's hands inside one's sleeves meant being able to keep a hand on your money and keep it safe. Hand-fans were also concealed in one's sleeves (reference) so I guess in a way it's kind of like keeping one's hands in one's pockets.

I've been researching on this for quite a while hehe.

The most conclusive stuff I've found is relevant to geishas, who'd hide their hands so they (the woman) appeared smaller, to not show the color/imperfections, and to show off their kimono colors.
But nothing of this relates to Gensokyo... when I play with my Kaguya costume I keep my hands like that just because she also does it, and noticed that it is easier to use them when you need (the sleeves get in the way when you put the arms down). But it's so silly, there must be another reason or meaning.

I'll keep searching, I love those kind of trivia about the old japanese culture :V

[Hatateru]

I've been wondering, stuff like the powers of the girls, are they classified as "magic" or something else? I mean, it doesn't seem like magic to me but more like forces of nature or divinity or something (like the manipulation types). Is there a specific term to categorize their powers?

[lightdreamer]

So, when did the Lunarians first arrive at the Moon on relative to human civilization as a whole? The wiki says it was "thousands of years ago" so there should be already human civilization back then. However, there are also claims that they're from a really distant past where humanity hasn't even formed a civilization yet.

And please don't bring that whole "Eirin is millions of years old" thing because rather than convincing me, it just makes me get headaches of thinking of the implications of that.

[cuc]

Well, in the newest CD Izanagi Object ~ Neo-traditionalism of Japan, we've finally been given a specific date regarding the age of myths: Izanagi created the islands of Japan 25 million years ago.

If the order of events is the same as real life mythology, the moon god Tsukuyomi should be born after that, and his exile by Amaterasu happened much later (you can read about this story on Wikipedia).

[lightdreamer]

Well, in the newest CD Izanagi Object ~ Neo-traditionalism of Japan, we've finally been given a specific date regarding the age of myths: Izanagi created the islands of Japan 25 million years ago.

If the order of events is the same as real life mythology, Tsukuyomi should be born and exiled after that.

But Tsukuyomi was once a human, right? I don't think this part of Touhou canon follows the real mythology.

[cuc]

That's hard to tell at this moment. I think probably some Lunarians were once human, and some have always been gods.

What is confirmed:

Amaterasu was summoned as a goddess by Yorihime in SSiB. In fact, because Amaterasu is a greater goddess than she could directly summon, she had to summon another goddess, and then call Amaterasu through the proxy.

in CiLR, the Wakatsuki sisters' first reaction upon seeing Yukari's crow was wondering if it's a messenger from "Tsukuyomi's elder sister", and crows, as we all know now, are symbols of the sun in the Touhou universe.

[lightdreamer]

Well, that doesn't answer my question at all.

Also...

The Moon War, for those of you who are curious (AKA: No one), was when America landed on the Moon in the Apollo 11 mission in summer 1969. The Lunarians waged war against the unarmed, unprepared Armstrong and Aldrin and canonically lost, despite the two astronauts not having any weapons. Don't ask me, that's actually a part of Touhou canon.

Is this true? I've always thought that the humans were the one who lost there.

[Error]

Does Gensokyo have a dentist, or anyone that could qualify as one?

[Araceli Caralyz]

I'd make some joke about putting a tooth under your pillow for a fairy to stop by, but that is beneath me.

I think Eirin would qualify as she is the closet thing to dentist.

Also, lightdreamer, I have not ignored your question, I am in the process of research.

Edit

Polaris took care of it, yay!

[Polaris]

The astronauts winning over the Lunarians is definitely false. Chapter 1 of Cage in Lunatic Runagate describes what occurred:

Long ago, the humans had made it to the moon's surface and claimed it as their own by planting a flag. They were probably impressed by their own science and thought the moon really was theirs.

But, if you know where to look, the moon's technological prowess was far beyond that of the Earth's. The humans had spoken of building a base on the moon, but in the end they ran back home before ever deciding on a place or even acquiring the means to do such a thing. It was a terrible defeat for the humans.

The humans' lunar landings were reported as a great success in the outside world, but their failures were not. The humans kept losing after their first landing, so eventually they stopped returning to the moon. And we, who'd remained in contact with the moon, knew how every time they tried to establish a base, they'd failed.

It's not very clear what exactly happened between the Lunarians and the humans (i.e. whether they actually interacted or not) but it's obvious that the astronauts "lost".

[lightdreamer]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up. Now I know that guy was just pulling shit out of fanon instead of doing actual research into what he's talking about.

And he's introducing Touhou to the non-Touhou folks. What a joke.

[Drake]

Yeah. Apollo 11 successfully planted the flag on the moon. This, to the Lunarians, was both a declaration of war and something they had "lost". But this was not the "Lunar War" per se, just the beginning; there literally was not any confrontation being done at all. After that, the Lunarians sabotaged every attempt to get back to the moon, including the famous Apollo 13 incident whose cause at the time was unknown. Eirin, of course, gets the credit.

[lightdreamer]

Yeah. Apollo 11 successfully planted the flag on the moon. This, to the Lunarians, was both a declaration of war and something they had "lost". But this was not the "Lunar War" per se, just the beginning; there literally was not any confrontation being done at all. After that, the Lunarians sabotaged every attempt to get back to the moon, including the famous Apollo 13 incident whose cause at the time was unknown. Eirin, of course, gets the credit.

So, how the hell did Eirin get the credit? She was already exiled back then.

Or are you talking about her spellcard?

[Drake]

I meant it's implied that Eirin was the one that sabotaged 13 because of her spellcard and a few other lines from elsewhere.

[lightdreamer]

I meant it's implied that Eirin was the one that sabotaged 13 because of her spellcard and a few other lines from elsewhere.

And how and why did she do that considering she should be hiding in Gensokyo at that time?

[Drake]

It isn't explained "how" the missions were sabotaged besides the naming of the ships; being named "Apollo", representing the god of the sun, means they were all destined to never reach the far side of the moon. It being directly Eirin's doing might as well just be speculation, but she makes note of it a few times and it's usually only mentioned around her. It's the doing of Lunarians in any case.

I doubt that Eientei hiding in non-history would have stopped Eirin from doing anything outside of it though, just saying.

[lightdreamer]

Man, there's too much implying and speculation in Touhou canon.