Well, something to keep in mind is that the way they bonded together was under the assumption they were just strangers who looked very similar

Hmm no, the first thing they find out about each other is that they are related. Tsukasa and Tsukuyo are scared shitless of each other at the shrine. When they're trying to run away, they see each other's flutes, both flutes inscribed with their dad's mark and with complementary half moon marks. Then they figure out they're twins and start hanging out after that.

thus their wish causes them to think of each other primarily as "the most important and most beloved person to me"

I'd agree their wish could have impacted their feelings, which would be problematic because that calls into question the validity of their current feelings. Just like how Rika's friend's feelings for her were a wish-induced lie, that could be the case here too. And we saw how much her wish backfired once she realized. Therefore I'd like to think that isn't so for the twins and that their wishes affect them only when it comes to hating each other. The understanding each other, choosing to spend time together, I hope most of that was untouched.

My personal interpretation of their relationship is actually a combination of both options, while they held a strong connection, they weren't truly family, and their wish pushed them further into that mutual dependence.

Yeah it's weird because they started talking to each other because they were family, had similar enough stressful backgrounds to form a connection separate from being family, felt they couldn't survive without that other person who understood them, and made a wish for the explicit purpose of letting them always be together as sisters. It is quite the mess.

Either way, my thing with the Amanes is that there is so much subtext between them, very much past the point that there would be any doubt if they weren't both girls, that I figured that I'd either have to accept them being incestuous, or reject them entirely as characters, so I went with the former.

I think the Amanes are one of the few cases where I'm fine with them remaining subtext, as the current dynamic is quite discomforting. Both the being sisters part and any role their wish plays in their feelings. ...That anime scene though. I haven't watched the anime yet but that scene by itself without context is the closest it gets to making me completely reconsider.

Ah yes, the big deal that's made about how they hold hands all the time, although that's another thing which blurs the line between romantic and familial since it can be both. I wasn't even thinking about non-MSS stuff when I made the post but I know they gave chocolates to each other during a Valentine event too. They also have conjoined doppels which would block out the rest of the world at their worst.

while the Amanes come across far more as people who need each other first and foremost, with the fact they are related being pretty much secondary to that.

The only thing is them being related is still one of their primary traits. They're always referred to as the twins, they think of themselves as twins, and they restart their relationship not as friends but as sisters primarily at the end of Tsukasa's side story (which also has undertones of a marriage vow jesus). One thing that does make it less creepy is I believe they don't ever call each other nee-chan or anything, and they don't think of the other as their sister, but as Tsukuyo/Tsukasa-chan.

What they have right now is more of an exploration on how much one could push the boundaries of codependency, familial love, and romantic love, so I don't think I'd actively ship it. But I could see a development for them where their relationship becomes less sisterly, Not that the writers would have the guts to do that. Technical incest plus yuri = double not happening.

@BV, that does seem like quite the personal matter, so this forum wouldn't be the place for that. I do hope though that things have been well since.

I have been grinding that much that I have almost ran out of 50 AP pots (just ten left, and I will finish those off before I sleep)

That's impressive, I can't even imagine grinding so much I run out of AP pots. Are you close to finishing the shop?

Just played through Tsukasa's MSS. Another storyline that left me with conflicting feelings. I like the twins even more than I did when I learned of their general backstory. Kanagi is adorable. Even Alina approved. Their wish was such a human one. It's the sort of wish that seems too good to be true, but they seem happier after it. So... can it be said they got what they truly wanted?

What's also weird is that instead of reinforcing the feeling that they were sisters, Tsukasa's MSS reinforced the feeling of them as strangers with, uh, subtext romantic undertones. Meeting at Mizuna Shrine like the reunited couple in the rumors did, being compared to their mom and dad, etc. Very subtext cause a purely familial interpretation is more than feasible but still. Maybe I'm just overthinking it with yuri goggles. What's strange is I usually hate incest of any sort.

last edited at Jul 21, 2020 4:44AM

Also thats exactly how and why Saeko got together with Miwa so I dont understand why it would somehow be better with Tsuruta, we cant know he would be the perfect boyfriend because relationship problems happen after the relationship starts afterall.

The grass always looks greener on the other side. And I also feel like his nice guy thing is just an act. Already highlighted some examples in my post above, but he is just not any better than Saeko.

Anyway, about Tsurutas flirting, usually thats how it goes and there's nothing wrong with it but... 1. Miwa is already dating(and he knows this) 2. Miwa is a lesbian(and he knows this). So yeah, he needs to get over this crush lol.

I'd like to at least think he's not actively trying to flirt, more of he gets caught up in his idealistic daydream and starts wanting to be nice to Miwa at every opportunity because that's how he feels. Which doesn't change how he's bullheadedly overstepping the boundaries of just being a friend.

I'm glad the next chapter will hopefully force a direct resolution of this so that plot point can get wrapped up. Then there'll only be dramatic, dark histories each of our MCs have to deal with!

Honkai has made appreciate the extent to which people will go to overwrite homosexual scenes and relationships. I wasn't too surprised to learn the creators were forced to censor the Bronya x Seele kiss in Chinese manga releases, but what did surprise me was how happy people were to accept the censored version as canon. It has showed more explicit yuri but it has also gotten more backlash because of that, making the game revert to subtext. Just makes me sad how the playerbase doesn't create an atmosphere of acceptance for that. And perhaps as a result, the creators are also more inclined to make the captain, the literal avatar for the players, male and a part of these relationships.

It's really funny how broken the game's difficulty balance is. I can clear pretty much everything using one 4s support with top-tier MLB memoria so I can't imagine how easy the game becomes with three or more of those. And then if you don't have that, EX challenges instantly become much harder. There's not much of a middle ground between for strategy, because the game doesn't reward that.

Rant aside, I started farming labyrinths instead of episode quests. Screw being AP-efficient when I'm never running out of pots.

Edit: Geez, is this where Inucurry got the idea for Beachside Bonds from? There's an entire wiki page on consensual homicide. It's sort of disturbing seeing macabre fiction reflect reality.

last edited at Jul 20, 2020 4:04AM

They're making great progress. Keep it up Hino and Koguma!

Was this series always tagged as yuri? I feel like I remember it being tagged subtext before.

Hoping for a more relaxing event after this one. Something with better rewards instead of a x4 price hike. This is tiring.

If roster set up proves canonicity, I have Lappland and Texas and no Exusiai. XD

As a side note, can we all stop to appreciate how Alina is aggressively gay? this is hardly even about Mifuyu anymore, she appreciates most of what she sees.

I'm torn as to whether that's aggressively gay or aggressively creepy cause honestly leans towards the latter for me, but it is very Alina.

So what are the most popular pairing for Touhou Project? I don't want to go through all the pairings...

BTW I mean popular as in which pairing has the most doujins...

I forgot what it was exactly, I think Alice x Marisa doujins are most common on this site. Marisa x Reimu should have a good number too.

I see thanks!

Just checked and yep Alice x Marisa tag is number one most common, Marisa x Reimu a close second.

We know that because the one-shot was about them breaking up not because they "had problems," [...] Breaking up was no big deal--it was hardly any deal at all.

Yes, that. I'll admit I have a bias too, a bias towards seeing them work out their issues, but I do still think this story is not the same as what they wrote before, so it could have a different ending.

So the fact that two out of three stories they wrote about Miwa and Saeko end up with them breaking up isn't a pattern we can rely on to predict the outcome of the third?

Those two stories are continuations of each other, so it's more like one story. They break up and then they stay friends with benefits after that.

^Why must you police the grammar, BV. XD But fair enough.

SHE SLEPT OVER IN CLAUDINE'S ROOM, SHE SLEPT OVER. THE FANON IS REAL.

last edited at Jul 18, 2020 7:03PM

Another unit for me to save up for, regardless of how good it is. Haven't even looked at the stats but I know will be trying for them when they're released.

I looked at the plot summary for the movie and it is a trip lol.

I've finally finished all of the doppel quests! I'm no longer an eternal noob. :D

Plus the whole "badmouth their relationship to their other friends when they aren't around" is what adds up to him being pathetic to me.

The pining is one thing, that's common in unrequited love of any sort and can be difficult to let go so I can't hold it too much against anybody just for that.

The actively trying to find reasons Saeko and Miwa don't work together is a whole other issue. Okay I get that real life can be more complicated, including the person you have a crush on truly being in a bad relationship, etc. and which I'm sure people would argue is true here, but Miwa has also never approached him about any of that. She hasn't told him about anything going wrong in their relationship or made him a confidant. So all that he can see is from an observer's standpoint and he's overstepping some boundaries, because of his feelings. Along the same line, he is acting more because of his feelings and less because of concern for Miwa. Not that he doesn't genuinely care for her, but it can't be denied his feelings are blinding him in his actions. The way he acts around her is so puppy love. So his feelings aren't pathetic but the way he's acting really toes that line.

So if I were to judge him by real life standards, I wouldn't see him as a suitable partner for Miwa. His feelings blind him, and he has yet to make a real connection with the real Miwa. He doesn't truly see her, only the idealized version of her who Saeko isn't treating properly. He is not even being real himself, trying to act like the good guy in front of Miwa while not properly dealing with much darker feelings of jealousy that he accidentally lets out at times. If he were to ever change in that regard, then he might be a better hypothetical candidate for a hypothetical bi Miwa.

On the topic of jealousy, that does actually make him somewhat similar to Saeko. And I do believe this, Saeko and Tsuruta are no "better" than each other, if you were to compare the two. So I couldn't agree with assessments that Tsuruta is a better partner for Miwa or that Saeko is a better partner for Miwa, by measures of their inherent personalities / actions at this point in time. This is my own philosophy more than anything, but the one reason I do think Saeko is a better candidate is by virtue of Miwa having chosen her, and them still continuing to choose each other up to the current chapter. Until that changes, until they begin having serious doubts or long-lasting, unresolved issues, that's how I like to see it.

So what are the most popular pairing for Touhou Project? I don't want to go through all the pairings...

BTW I mean popular as in which pairing has the most doujins...

I forgot what it was exactly, I think Alice x Marisa doujins are most common on this site. Marisa x Reimu should have a good number too.

What if it was Tarumi who confessed first, would Shimamura say yes?

Shima wouldn't have accepted her confession, as before the Gon chapters, something as bothersome as other's feelings wouldn't be something she'd want to have to deal with. After the Gon chapters it's clear she prioritizes Adachi and even before the Gon chapters, she thinks of Adachi when she's hanging out with Tarumi. Not to mention the most recent chapters with Iruma's heavy-handed fate explorations show Shima and Adachi always find each other.

Seems like Shimamura is feeding Adachi sweet words that are not from the heart.

I think there is a difference between dreaming and awake Shima. After all awake Shima doesn't remember her dreams. The novel even goes out of its way to say that even if she remembered her dreams, nothing big would change. Because dreams are only fabrications of the mind, and being able to confront both reality and the past is more crucial. The things that dreaming Shima think of are important and explore more complicated aspects of their relationship, but they're also a distorted reflection of reality. What awake Shima does with them is far more important than what the specific contents were. And awake Shima's first response upon talking about their date is to have a note of ecstasy in her voice and feel happy that she could fight the real world with someone by her side. And feel vulnerable enough to not want her girlfriend to make fun of her. Even in her mind she calls Adachi her girlfriend.

So basically they've got some issues they need to work through, but their affection for each other is also real and likely growing on Shima's end. Just like any relationship really.

I'm so far from 300 or even 50 rolls lol. Only have 20 so far, including originium conversion. I don't need Broca or Reed, but eh, tempted to just use my rolls on the guaranteed 5* within 10 rolls. But I guess there'll be more rate-ups for 6* so should save for those. Even if I likely won't get Nian.

What's a recommended amount of rolls stored up to get any limited unit? Like more than 50?

Also does annihilation lungmen take less time to clear or chernobog? They take so long so even if I have to spend a bit more sanity for less irl time, I'd prefer that option.

I have to say, if the original work didn't exist, would so many people still think they were doomed to break up? Like I'm genuinely curious. I can't help but think there's confirmation bias going on here.

What a great chapter, 3-3.5 new developments. I'm really looking forward to where this goes. It's getting deeper.

I believe in this author to provide an interesting story, and while it's definitely not YagaKimi levels of trust, I don't think their relationship would end in the flippant or casual way it did in the original. And I think there is a decent chance they will still be together at the end of the series. They haven't raised any real break-up flags for me.

Oh and Rika is wonderful. Confronting Tsuruta so bluntly... maybe his pathetic crush can finally be resolved.

Hmm I wonder when the next book was written if it has been written? Are we up to date with the most recent release or no?

There's a contrast between dreaming Shima and awake Shima, in that awake Shima seems to have less reservations about her relationship with Adachi. But it is heartening to see that in her heart she also wants to preserve her memories with Tarumi. Because whatever they are now, those are precious memories to her that were a light for her and they don't take away from her relationship to Adachi now. That's a complex idea which was beautifully carried out in chapter 6.

Guess Iruma-sensei really does like the idea of them being fated to meet each other. The AUs are a little weird though because it's still not clear how they're meant to fit in to the main story.

I'm happy to see Yashiro again. I knew she would continue being relevant to the main story and be pulling some spooky alien antics.

Yes, the better Nanaka ship indeed.

@Arendell, they do exist, but people ship Hazuki x Nanaka for a reason, not Hazuki x Nanaka x Konoha or Hazuki x Nanaka + Hazuki x Konoha. So it inherently has NTR/cheating vibes.

Another double grind event. This event had to have even more things to grind for too, with the Tsukasa welfare and tickets. And why are the shop prices higher? With reduced event time? I'm not sure I'm going to MLB my event memoria this time.

What do you guys think for how much you'll do for this? Bare minimum maybe? Even for the last event I was too busy to hit the 2000 event currency guidepost.

It also dumbfounds me that one of the supports I've been following has maxed out event unit and limited memoria three events in a row. Including this one, where it's only been a day and event memoria is maxed already. Can't comprehend how many rolls they must have stockpiled or how many rolls they've brought.

Edit: Bare min for me will be the memoria, Tsukasa gem, background, and ticket; story clear; challenge + EX clear; and that's it. 1000 event currency would be bonus if I have the time.

last edited at Jul 15, 2020 5:19PM