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BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
The updates on the previous page have been corrected. :toot:

EDIT: Okay now they're correct.

BlitzBlast fucked around with this message at 08:02 on Apr 2, 2015

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Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.
You totally skipped the prologue to Reimu's side, which explains why they're fighting Nazrin.

Edit: Also, some of your links are to the wrong things: Nazrin's chat with Shou and the music for Yuyuko's chat.

Here is the correct link for the song, which is a damned good remix of the Ten Desires stage 1 theme, which kinda freaked me out when it played since TD had just been released at the time. Although I guess it also played earlier in the game.

Clarste fucked around with this message at 08:00 on Apr 2, 2015

SyntheticPolygon
Dec 20, 2013

Huh, is it just me or is the narrative they're going for with Alice back in PC-98 kinda strange? She met all 4 playable characters from Mystic Square and apparently got acquainted with them all well enough to actually know them pretty well particularly Marisa and apparently also had Yuuka as a strange fan who was trying to learn magic from her? The Makai part of FMW 4 is certainly going to be pretty interesting at least. And am I right in assuming that Marisa's thing about Mima is the arc she'll deal with this game since Reimu had her whole self-confidence thing in MOF?

Also,

Nazrin posted:

The other girls probably aren't too happy with this, either...

Nazrin, from what I understand about Touhou canon the other girls are stuck in hell so they've probably got more important things to worry about.

(And Yuyuko is not talking entirely in bad metaphors and trolling the hell out of everyone in the vicinity. Has Sanbondo even played a Touhou game?)

SyntheticPolygon fucked around with this message at 10:04 on Apr 21, 2015

Dr Pepper
Feb 4, 2012

Don't like it? well...

Yuyuko didn't really start her trolling career until later.

SyntheticPolygon
Dec 20, 2013

Dr Pepper posted:

Yuyuko didn't really start her trolling career until later.

Yuyuko spends the extra story of PCB shirking her duties, making fun of Youmu and selling out her best friend's first-hand-Woman for shits and giggles. Yuyuko has been Gensokyo's top troll from the beginning.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

SyntheticPolygon posted:

Nazrin, from what I understand about Touhou canon the other girls are stuck in hell so they've probably got more important things to worry about.

It's Former Hell, so it's mostly just a big hole in the ground. With fire and monsters, but hey, they're monsters themselves.

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

I think there's a mistake in this part. Just before Nazrin appears, there's a conversation between Reimu and Sakuya, and in this part...

quote:

I'm impressed. Joining her on a search is a very nice gesture.

Eh, I've been cooped up indoors so much lately, I could use the trip. I figured I could get in some shopping of my own too.

Plus, I'm going to buy some sweets on the way home. Wow, I never knew you had a childish side.

I'm guessing that Rinnosuke is not meant to be there at all, and the first part of his line is Reimu's and the second is Sakuya's.

Apart from that it seems that the amount of Japanese made me miss the voting. Oh well, the fairies got in and that's what truly matters.

Hokuto
Jul 21, 2002


Soiled Meat

Blaze Dragon posted:

I'm guessing that Rinnosuke is not meant to be there at all, and the first part of his line is Reimu's and the second is Sakuya's.

Close. The first part was Reimu and the second part was Rinnosuke.

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
The first part is Reimu's, yeah, but the second part actually is Rinnosuke's. Man, I thought I caught all of this stuff on my proofread. :negative:

SyntheticPolygon posted:

And am I right in assuming that Marisa's thing about Mima is the arc she'll deal with this game since Reimu had her whole self-confidence thing in MOF?

It's Marisa so she's not going to mention it to anybody unless it literally blows up in her face. Like with Nitori.

quote:

(And Yuyuko is not talking entirely in bad metaphors and trolling the hell out of everyone in the vicinity. Has Sanbondo even played a Touhou game?)

Part of Yuyuko's thing in this game as far as I can tell is that she's obsessed with making the Ayakashi bloom. She won't be on her A game until IN, but she's got like 30 boss convos so there's probably something funny somewhere.

quote:

Well, it doesn't feel like I'm living when it's always the same. Though I am dead.

The prologue has some nice stuff I guess.

Alex0080
May 3, 2013

BlitzBlast posted:

I can't name it White Jade Pagoda :(

Yuyuko posted:

The Saigyo Ayakashi, the most distinctive and beautiful cherry tree in all of my gardens. In all of my time in the White Jade Pagoda, I've never once seen it bloom.

Don't worry, we're here to proofread FOR you! :v:

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
The moral of the story is that switching between two different translations makes for a lot of dumb mistakes.

With the first half of the game over, now's a pretty good time to look at the source material. I didn't do this for FMW1 since the differences between that game and Embodiment of Scarlet Devil can be summed up as "there are more people, also everything is more dramatic", but FMW2 does make some pretty noticeable changes with Mountain of Faith and Immaterial and Missing Power.

MoF Prologue

Did you know that every game comes with a prologue? It's inside that omake.txt thing barely anybody ever reads. Anyway, MoF starts off with Sanae (fresh from the outside world) coming to the Hakurei Shrine to demand Reimu close up. Reimu obviously refuses, and Sanae presumably just leaves. Marisa swings by later and the two protagonists chat about it.

Reimu posted:

"But, you know, this is just too suspicious.
Chasing out the shrine's original god and then taking it over is just weird.
That human seemed pretty powerful, but... I've never seen her before.
It must have been a youkai in some kind of disguise, or some sort of evil god!"

And thus Reimu decides to ascend Youkai Mountain. Notably, it's Reimu who decides to do this. You can play as Marisa in MoF, but it's basically just for the sake of it since the whole game only really concerns Reimu.



FMW's change is obvious: Moriya shrine crosses over much sooner. The fact that Reimu is busy dealing with the Scarlet Mist incident also means the Moriyas have time to come to accords with Youkai Mountain.

Instead of charging right over to Reimu, Sanae spends some time scoping out the situation. She's mentioned as helping protect some villagers from the effects of the mist, and grows decidedly unimpressed with Reimu's handling of the situation. Hence the duel in EoSD Stage 2 she wins due to her bullshit power.



The prologue proper happens during 13R, and is a bit expanded on. Reimu and Sanae come to blows, and since the latter used up most of her faith dodging Fantasy Seal (I love that it took a literal miracle to do that) she gets wrecked. Suwako has to bail her out.

Then EoSD's Extra stage starts up, so Reimu has no time to ponder things. Since she decisively beat Sanae she has no reason to care either.

MoF Stage 1-3







The first three stages of MoF are the protagonist advancing up the mountain, being warned by everyone she runs into that what she's doing is both stupid and dangerous. She doesn't care, and beats the crap out of all of the prospective good samaritans. Touhou characters are kind of assholes like that.



In FMW2, they get stopped after stage 1 by the full force of Youkai Mountain. As previously mentioned, Moriya shrine and the mountain have already formed an alliance, so Sanae uses them to try and scare Reimu into submission. All it does is just force the team to go back and expand their roster. Oh, and I guess it's what causes Reimu to start doubting if she's really doing all that good of a job but that was silly.




The invasion proper has them smash through stage 1 again, then split up. Reimu heads to stage 2, while Marisa heads for stage 3. This is kind of weird since the way the geography works is that stage 1 was the foothills of the mountain, stage 2 was a dense forest covering the bottom portion, while stage 3 was a river valley past that, but eh.

MoF Stage 4



Stage 4 is where the prior three bosses' warnings come to fruition; having heard that the protagonist is invading (for seemingly no reason), the heads of Youkai Mountain panic and send a quick force out to meet her. They also call for Aya, since she met with Reimu and Marisa back in Phantasmagoria of Flower View, to fly over and ask why the hell the protagonist is attacking. Part of the reason they're so jumpy is because at the moment they're still dealing with Moriya Shrine's sudden appearance; Aya mentions in her pre-boss convo that the tengu are considering ousting Kanako themselves. Aya doesn't really want to fight the protagonist, but it'd look really bad if she just let them through so she fights her. And she is a bitch. :argh:

After losing (on purpose), Aya points the way to Moriya shrine.



Meanwhile in this game, Youkai Mountain was expecting the team so they set up a pincer attack. The heroes forge through anyway, and Aya decides to use them to force Moriya shrine into showing their hand.

MoF Stage 5





At this point the two games align. The protagonist storms Moriya shrine and takes Sanae down while the rest of Youkai Mountain is presumably observing the situation from afar.

MoF Stage 6





And in Stage 6 Kanako is encountered, challenged, and subsequently defeated.

Endings

MoF has eight endings, two Bad and six Good. The bad endings are obviously thrown out, but only three of the good endings make it in: Reimu A (Kanako's new belief that faith is the same as sitting and drinking with people), C (Reimu builds a branch shrine at her place), and kind of Marisa A (Kanako's been throwing parties).

Extra Stage



The Extra Stage prologue mentions that the Moriya shrine and Youkai Mountain have hammered out a peaceful coexistence, and now the mountain is prospering. Rumors of another god reach the protagonists' ears though, so one of them checks it out. She beats up Kanako again on the way, and find Suwako. Suwako elaborates on her situation, then challenges the protagonist to a match for fun. Naturally she gets her rear end kicked, but she's satisfied anyway. In fact, the battle is what causes her to decide she really will stay in Gensokyo.



FMW2, on the other hand, has Suwako show up early to help out Sanae. She even forces her way into the Stage 6 fight, and subsequently helps convince Kanako to lighten up. The idea she wasn't too sure about staying in Gensokyo is dropped too.

Immaterial and Missing Power

IaMP's plot is kind of convoluted. It starts off simple at least: for some reason there have been a ton of parties at the Hakurei shrine. At each one, a strange mist appears. An odd aura is building up too. Three days before the next party is set to start, the character of your choice decides to investigate the aura.



Where it gets complicated is the fact that there's a sliding timescale of sorts. Each character, if they decided to investigate, sets off at a different time. Yukari, for instance, figures out what's going on almost immediately while Reimu takes until the very end to do something. And in Suika's own story, six different people (Sakuya, Alice, Youmu, Patchouli, Marisa, Reimu) noticed!

As far as a "canon" route goes, though, it's either Reimu's or Suika's. And I guess Yukari's could have happened too since it's so early but meh. Suika's requires literally everyone she fights to randomly decide not to mention her to anyone else to make sense, and while admittedly I could see that happening with this cast it's still kind of a stretch. So it's probably Reimu. Unlike almost everybody else, who focus on the strange energy, Reimu feels there's something off about the mist. She runs around beating people up looking for clues, but ends up with nothing. On the day of the feast she runs into Yukari, who hints she knows what's going on. So Reimu beats the crap out of her.

If you beat an incredibly bullshit boss posted:

Ow.

So what's going on?

Uhhh. I'm not involved! She's playing with everyone! These feasts starting, Youmu getting drunk and starting to dance... It's all because of her.

Who is "she"?

I have no choice. Look, I'll let you see her.



Then she sends Reimu to... wherever Suika is when she's dispersed as mist, I dunno. The two chat, and Reimu is relieved to hear that her intuition wasn't wrong when it suspected the mist. They have a pretty rad pre-fight convo I wish FMW2 kept.

quote:

I've been watching all of you this whole time. You all responded to my "foregathering ability" without noticing, and came to these feasts. Do you know what this means? It means none of you can defeat me.

But you're just a youkai, aren't you? It's my job to defeat youkai. Defeating you is just a matter of course.

Ohhh. Hahahahahaha! The moment you thought of me as a youkai, you had already lost.

!?!


Things get weird again with the endings. They all happen. See, after getting defeated, Suika reveals herself and joins the party in progress. So even the people who didn't decide to investigate run into Suika. The main ending is Reimu and Suika's, though, which has the latter decide to crash at the Hakurei shrine for a while.



FMW2 keeps some general ideas (Suika uses her power to make the already-in-progress party grow bigger, Yukari reveals Suika, Reimu impresses Suika, Suika joins the party after being defeated) but tosses everything else to make it all fit in one chapter. Oh, and it has it take place before PCB, which actually stops the original events of IaMP from happening; part of the reason Suika did what she did was she was annoyed that the longer-than-usual winter made spring flower viewing impossible.

BlitzBlast fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Apr 4, 2015

a cartoon duck
Sep 5, 2011

BlitzBlast posted:

Then she sends Reimu to... wherever Suika is when she's dispersed as mist, I dunno. The two chat, and Reimu is relieved to hear that her intuition wasn't wrong when it suspected the mist. They have a pretty rad pre-fight convo I wish FMW2 kept.

Considering Suika is the mist, Suika's location would be "everywhere". In Yuyuko's route she just tells Yukari to put a boundary on the mist, then shrink the boundary, and that's why the protagonist can fight her. So if anything, Yukari sends Suika to where Reimu is.

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
Apparently Sanbondo will be releasing the trial version of FMW4 next Reitaisai (5/10). :toot:

The title is probably going to be 幻想少女大戦花, which is going to be kind of awkward in english since the english title of Touhou 9 is Phantasmagoria of Flower View. Is it gonna be FMW Po?

Actually I guess I'd go for maximum in-joke and name it FMW F(lower). And hey, it's the japanese name too!

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.

BlitzBlast posted:

Apparently Sanbondo will be releasing the trial version of FMW4 next Reitaisai (5/10). :toot:

The title is probably going to be 幻想少女大戦花, which is going to be kind of awkward in english since the english title of Touhou 9 is Phantasmagoria of Flower View. Is it gonna be FMW Po?

Actually I guess I'd go for maximum in-joke and name it FMW F(lower). And hey, it's the japanese name too!

Huh, I wonder what they're going to do with the plot? Yuka didn't vanish for a few years in this timeline, so instead of "What the hell is up with all the flowers and ghosts?" won't the default assumption be "Goddamnit Yukari!"

SyntheticPolygon
Dec 20, 2013

Ardeem posted:

Huh, I wonder what they're going to do with the plot? Yuka didn't vanish for a few years in this timeline, so instead of "What the hell is up with all the flowers and ghosts?" won't the default assumption be "Goddamnit Yukari!"

In Yuka's story that was Reimu's default assumption anyway.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
That is a really sweet new title screen.

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn


I don't care how many times you force her Ryza, I'm not upgrading Kurumi. :argh:



Marisa, Alice and Sakuya all snag a weapon upgrade. Theoretically I should have pumped funds into Hina to help her keep up, but eh. Hina.



The entire MoF crew starts with a pretty big lump of PP. This will keep stacking up with every playthrough, so even if you never use them they'll turn out alright anyway!

A quick equipment shuffle later and I'm ready to go.

------


quote:

Mokou's Home

Full Text

quote:

Hey Mokou, can you give us a hand again?

Sure.


quote:

Hakurei Shrine
Music: Dark Clouds

Full Text

quote:

LET'S GO

------


quote:

Spring Snow

Music: Perfectly Quiet Land

This theme is an arrange of a really old SRW track. It popped up again in 2nd OGs if you want something less chiptuney.

Well, I flew where I felt like flying, and here we are.

This scenery is nuts. There's so much snow, you can't even see where the path is.

I know I'm pointing out the obvious here, but it's been like that everywhere lately.

Yeah. Silent, with no signs of life. It's like Gensokyo's gone from lively to dead.

...

By the way, what brought you this direction?

My intuition.

You've been leading us around on that?

Reimu's intuition is sound. It came in handy during the summer incident, too.

Hey, don't forget Marisa's part in that! It was her idea to go to the lake.

Oh, yeah. I guess all my daily training paid off.

(I'll just leave out the part where that weird dream gave me the idea.)

...

Well, we don't have any other leads to go on. The best we can do right now is keep moving forward.

Yes, stopping just makes us colder.

Wait a moment. Something's coming from up ahead.



Some enemies spawn in.

Fairies. I'm amazed they're out in this weather at all.

They don't seem to notice us.

That makes things easier. Let's beat them up and keep going.

Hey, I object to fairy abuse!

But not enough to be the stage 1 midboss like normal.

We've got no reason to go around 'em. Let's get in a light warmup exercise!


quote:

Victory: Defeat all enemies.
Defeat: All allies are defeated.



Go go team mediocre.

This is a winter version of 4R. Thank god those flowers are dead.




The Akis start this chapter with 50 power. :v:



Anyway this is one of those chapters where you want to finish fast, so I have everyone who can cast Accel do so.

Oh, someone's over there.

Walking around in such cold weather is suspicious!

Okay! I've got some rock-packed snowballs with their names on 'em! Take this!

Ack! They're trying to start a snowball fight!

Stupid fairies. They think that would faze any of us?

Aieee! Snow! Snow is coming!

Minoriko, get digging. I'll lie in the hole.

I'd call that pretty fazed.

No wonder they're not showing much power.

It's working, it's working! Here, join in and throw this!

Uh, sure...

That was kind of quiet. What's wrong?

Dunno. I'm just tired. I haven't felt like myself lately with all this cold.

Looks like one of the fairies is off her game.

Fairies are embodiments of nature. Maybe the unnatural weather has started getting to them.

Getting sick from chilly weather? That sounds like a cold to me. I'm surprised Cirno's not sick, if her fellow fairies are.

Huh? I don't get it.

Something about certain types not catching colds, was it?

Hey! I told you, I'm an ice fairy. Cold doesn't bother me!

I think that's enough witty banter. They're coming this way.



This fairy has a 40% on Marisa. There aren't any crazy accuracy boosts going on like those kedamas in 25R Lunatic either, or any danmaku penalties dropping Marisa's evasion. Hell, Marisa is standing next to Alice so technically she should be seeing a 50%.

Marisa is no Reimu.


Music: Dancing Doll



Meanwhile, Alice has Focus.

why don't you have focus marisa

no, being able to focus doesn't count


Hey, hasn't it been a bit cold for a while now?

Another cutscene plays at the start of the third enemy phase.

Of course it's cold. How slow can you be?

That's not what I meant. It's like it's getting colder and colder.

It is, isn't it?

Could there be some sort of youkai nearby that's making it colder?

That would be the one pulling the strings of this incident, right?


I DUNNO YOU TELL ME posted:

Pulling strings, what fun~

!

She's pretty lightly dressed, for this weather.

And this timing... it's your fault it suddenly got so cold, right?

Yes. My name is Letty Whiterock. The incarnation of winter, a yuki-onna. So who are you people? Going out for a stroll in weather like is maybe a bit too laudable.

A winter youkai, huh? Well that was simple.

The incarnation of winter behind the cold wave?!

...in other words, she's the cause of this long winter.

We'd be enjoying spring by now it it weren't for her!

Here they go again.

Something's strange about this though.

So if we defeat you, winter will end!



Shizuha shoots up to 110 Power.

And it'll go back to autumn!



Same goes for Minoriko.

Poor things, their mental faculties have been done in by the cold.

Well, ignoring all their other nonsense, I agree that we should start by defeating you.

Yeah. When a youkai appears, there's nothing to do but exterminate it!

I see, so you wish to be stranded here in the snow. In that case, I'll help you get to sleep. A deep, peaceful sleep in the midst of this blizzard.

At this point the victory condition changes.

quote:

Victory: Defeat Letty.
Defeat: All allies are defeated.
Bonus: Clear the chapter within three turns of Letty's appearance.



Letty moves if someone's close enough, so turboing straight for her makes getting the bonus easier.

Brrrrr, it's cold. I really wish I was home right now. Then I could drink some of my favorite cocoa.

I see. Personally, I can't drink anything until it's cooled off.

Music: Letty the Cool Lady



Letty isn't much of a threat.



And the bonus is a joke on Normal so I just focus on cleaning up enemies.

You seemed to be wrapped in quite a lot of something sinister .

They're curses, the misfortune I've gathered from humans. Meanwhile you seem to be wrapped in the cold that threatens the humans so.

Must you put it like that? All I've done is gather the cold lying around.



Hina wasn't in range to attack anyone else, so I had her pass along some Bad Fortune.



On the last turn, I realize I've made a mistake.


Minoriko's too far away for me to finish things with the Super Aki Sisters Kick!

quote:

Winter will end once I defeat this youkai!

Fool. If you're supposed to be the god who governs autumn, then you should be able to grasp the full picture.

What?

As the administrator of a season, you should know the extent of your powers. So for something like this to happen mea-

You talk too much!
Oh well, guess I'll just do it on Lunatic.

Ahh, so you're the one? Well then, without delay.

Wait. I may be a youkai, but I'm normal.

It's enough that you're normal. Now hurry and return spring.

Why are you in such a rush?

It's cold, so I want to return home as fast as I can. That means I need to shoot down the mastermind immediately.



Sakuya takes down the first lifebar.

It's gotten pretty hot here. Could you keep things a bit cooler?

Sorry, but that's an impossible request.

We're just getting warmed up!

But she's a tricky opponent. It feels like it's hard to get away from her no matter where you go.

Obviously. I control the cold after all. In other words, the entire atmosphere is your opponent!

What?! The whole thing?

She can control the surrounding sacred ground... this is too much power for one youkai.

stop talking in magical jargon patchy, it's a pain to translate

But if we don't stop her here, winter will never end!

So you're trying to end the winter?

I'd prefer it if the one pulling the strings didn't try to play dumb.

I'm afraid you're all misunderstanding something. I-

You can't talk your way out of this one, the joke's over!

If you aren't going to listen, then I'm out of patience. Be crushed by the power of winter, and frozen along with your five senses!


quote:

Winter Sign "Flower Wither Away"




Flower Wither Away drops everyone's mobility by 40. It's effectively harmless since everyone has Alert anyway.



Or hilariously outranges Letty.

Sorry, but this incident has gotta be resolved. The longer this winter keeps up, the more danger everyone alive's in.

Winter is the season of death. Still, this one is much too dangerous.

If you get that, then get out of the way.



Now I get it. You're a winter youkai, so you must be pulling the strings behind this winter. So that means that since I'm a sun fairy, I should be able to do the same to the sun!

...I think there's been a fundamental misunderstanding somewhere. But I suppose there's no point in correcting you.



S-Combination spam gooooo.

Ugh, it's cold... I feel like I'm getting slower... Wait, I know! If I drop this hot water bottle, I should get lighter right?

...Do whatever you want, I suppose.



Luna did more damage because she was closer.

So you manipulate the cold? You're a lot like Cirno.

And who is that?

That fairy over there. She has the power of ice, so...

...I see. So I'm being compared to a fairy.
Sorry Letty, you're basically going to be the babysitter of these chucklefucks.



And Star wasn't in range for S-Combination at all, so she just did a regular attack.



Letty's gimmick is that she has a high chance of Countering my attacks. Unfortunately for her, she isn't Sakuya and doesn't hit hard enough to make this an issue.



This time around, Marisa's packing Danmaku Power level 2.



It stacks with Valor. :getin:



Though I should probably grab Alice's conversation, so I have her cast Mercy to ensure she doesn't killsteal.

Mercy requires the user to have higher Skill than the opponent to work. Despite being specced to Counter, Letty's Skill is 14 less than Alice's. :v:


Now that I'm taking another look, this scenery really is quite beautiful.

You seem surprised. Do you hate the winter?

I don't dislike it. But this is the first time Gensokyo's had a winter like this. I've been coming to realize how much I miss the warmth of spring.



Okay, now it's Marisa's turn.

I really don't want to be here. I hate the cold.

I love it. It's been going on for so long though that I'm getting sleepy.

Hold on, if you sleep in this cold I'll kill you.


Marisa posted:

Youkai! TURN INTO LIIIIIIIGHT!

Yeah, you can't dodge a giant laser if you're asleep.



While other characters will eventually pick up Valor too, sole possession of Danmaku Power means Marisa will always have the highest numbers.



:toot:

We got her!

Sheesh, how violent.

So... winter should end now, right?

Yes, the snow should be stopping any moment now...



Nope.

It's not stopping.

Wait, what? But didn't we beat the youkai of winter?

Apparently it didn't work. The essence of winter didn't diminish at all.

I told you it was a misunderstanding. I don't have anything to do with this incident. I'm only strengthened by the winter, I can't control the seasons themselves.

Then who could?

No clue. I wish I knew.

Well, what she's saying does make sense.

That just figures. I was afraid of that!

Well then, we should start looking for the next mastermind.

Let's keep on going then. Nothing we can do here.





And I got another Sweet Potato too, of course.

------

On Lunatic, there's only one real difference: Letty spawns in a turn early. The game is nice enough to give you an extra turn for the bonus, but this makes getting close enough to Letty to catch her attention more difficult since the grunts will get in the way. If you get Unfocused Movement on everyone and carefully carve your way through (aka Reimu charges headlong in) you should have two turns to wreck Letty. Make sure to finish off only one lifebar each turn, or else Letty will cast Guard and completely screw you over.

------

Mokou, what would you like for tonight's side dish?

It's fine, I don't need anything. It's not like I'll die if I don't have something every night.

That's unacceptable! Stop rolling your eyes and pick out something decent. In the first place, mealtime is an important part of a family's harmon-

Ugh, another long lecture's started. I get it, I get it.

...Wait a minute, a family? Since when were you and I-

Gah!

Well whatever. If you want me to eat dinner, I'll go catch a chick-

N-no, no no it's fine! Don't pay me or anything I said any mind at all! With that said, I'll see you later Mokou!

...? That's weird of her.

BlitzBlast fucked around with this message at 15:54 on May 30, 2015

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn

quote:

Animal Trail

Music: What's the Strategy?

Full Text

quote:

Can I join?

Sure, why not.

------


Letty Whiterock
Personality: Calm (Hit: +2, Kill: +3, Evade: +2, Graze: +1)
Personal Skills: Cold Wave (-10% Evasion rate to all enemies in a six panel radius), Big Chill (-20% Evasion rate to all enemies, one use), Dance of Snow (Mobility increases, HP and Armor decrease)
Spirits: Focus, Guard, Strike, Alert (25)

Letty has a cool gimmick going on where she's essentially two characters. In her default state, she's pretty much Komachi But Better. With Dance of Snow on, though, she morphs into a surprisingly good Real. Her spirit set fits both configurations well enough, so the only thing that really decides what she'll be is what skills you put on her. Definitely one of the better 2.0's.
Why yes, Letty is essentially the same idea as Cirno (Super/Real hybrid). Only she actually pulls it off.

All Attacks
Battle theme: Letty the Cool Lady (Crystallized Silver, Woman the Cool Spy) [yes, the SRW song is actually called that. Atlus changed it to Femme Fatale, but that ruins the pun]
FMW3 battle theme: Thawy Days (Paradise, Destine)

------

Reimu and friends have set out to resolve the incident. They've made new friends, and they're in high spirits.

But after Youmu's long absence, she seems to be hiding a secret. What could be going on?

Now then, please have fun playing Chapter 27 of Fantasy Maiden Wars P: "Yesterday's Enemies and Today's Enemies"!

------

Available cost: 25.0

Available units:
2.5
Reimu
Marisa
Alice
Sakuya
Meiling
Keine
Mokou
Komachi
Patchouli
FA Nitori

2.0
Cirno
Elly
Kurumi
Nitori
Koakuma
Minoriko
Shizuha
Hina
Letty

1.5
Rumia
Daiyousei
Sunny
Luna
Star

You know the drill. You have 23.0 20.0. :downs:

BlitzBlast fucked around with this message at 10:41 on Apr 18, 2015

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Sunny for 21.5

Also poor Letty got beat up for nothin'

Hellioning
Jun 27, 2008

Let's let Letty let....whatever, new character, use her. 19.5

8_Escape
Dec 26, 2013

Pureauthor posted:

Sunny for 21.5

Also poor Letty got beat up for nothin'
Well then let's deploy her.
Letty Whiterock for 19.5

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
I know I said she was basically two characters, but that doesn't actually mean I can deploy her twice. :v:

8_Escape
Dec 26, 2013
Oh dang it. ninja'd.
Okay then in that case.
Cirno for 17.5
Let's see how these two Real/Super hybrids stack up against each other directly.

GodofDiscord
Sep 5, 2013

Not the strongest, but the cutest.
Wait why do we start with 23.0 again?
In any case let's bring in Meiling and now we have 15.0 left.

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
Wait, poo poo, you're right. That should be 20.0. Agh can't believe I forgot to change that number. :downs:

So that would mean there's actually 12.0 left.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.
What, no Marisa force deploy?
9.5

*edit*
The god of the Hakurei Shrine has spoken and says I've voted for Reimu

Ardeem fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Apr 16, 2015

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
...I guess you guys don't know the drill by now, then.

Marisa and Alice are force deployed as always. That's why the available Cost was less than the max.

Also I'm just going to count that as a vote for Reimu because I am actually going to need her next chapter.

Greywords
Oct 17, 2008

Where we're going, we won't need eyes to Select Warp.
Rumia then, bringing it to 8.0

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Sakuya wants to end this fast, so let's have her help. That'd leave 5.5.

AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

Bring Komachi, that'll leave us with 3.0.

mdct
Sep 2, 2011

Tingle tingle kooloo limpah.
These are my magic words.

Don't steal them.
Bring Luna. You're not escaping the Three Fairies. (1.5)

Ryza
Mar 15, 2012

Disco Thunder
If i can't stick you with Kurumi i can give you the next best thing. Sunny leaving 0.

EDIT: loving can't read. Star then

Ryza fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Apr 16, 2015

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.
Letty the Cool Lady is actually surprisingly strong for a stage 1 boss. Too bad you can't use her in games where it's not winter.

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
Yeah, she's size L (I see you, stop snickering), so she gets a flat damage buff against most enemies.

KnoxZone
Jan 27, 2007

If I die before I Wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
Just missed the vote, but the three made it in at the buzzer, so I am content. Never not bring the three.

SyntheticPolygon
Dec 20, 2013

Well this was the definition of a filler chapter. Although it's pretty appropriate that Letty's gimmick is the same as Cirno's but just better.

Also,

BlitzBlast posted:

Now then, please have fun playing Chapter 27 of Fantasy Maiden Wars P: "Yesterday's Enemies, Today's Enemies"!
Shouldn't this be "Yesterday's Friends, Today's Enemies"? Unless i'm missing what exactly it's referencing.

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
No, that's the correct translation. You'll see what it means.

EDIT:Wait, I forgot the and. I guess that is the wrong translation. :negative:

Man I thought I proofread this update better too.

BlitzBlast fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Apr 17, 2015

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
Clarste and Hokuto went into overdrive and translated this chapter in like two days so I followed suit and got this update ready in a night.

It actually looks like two weeks is way too much time for two and a half three translators, so the update schedule is getting bumped to once a week at the least. I dunno, let's see if we can complete this game by the original end date!

------

quote:

BlitzBlast: should I have letty be a real or a super
Ryza: there is something wrong with you if you do not follow canon fatty fat letty
Ryza: boost her health above 10k



Sorry, the max I can get her without WP is 9700. :shobon:



Anyway, I gave Letty the lion's share of the points from last chapter because I felt like it. Feel free to never vote for her again.

------


quote:

Scarlet Devil Mansion
Music: Border of Regular and Irregular Days

Full Text

quote:

So can you do anything by yourself?

Um.


quote:

Animal Trail
Music: Border of Regular and Irregular Days

Full Text

quote:

Follow the cherry points!

------


quote:

Yesterday's Enemies and Today's Enemies
Music: Harmful Mystery

This is another old SRW song reference. Heartful Mechanic, to be precise. It has a higher quality version, and a recent official remix.


Fairy posted:

Brr, another chilly day.

Who wants to be out in this weather? We should go home and play games indoors.

Hey...

Something sparkles nearby.

What's this? A cherry blossom petal?

Ooh! If cherry blossom petals are fluttering around, maybe spring is just around the corner.

Let's go look for our tiny little spring! Maybe we can find some shoots and buds if we dig through the snow.


Youmu posted:

I see there's still some spring lingering around here.

Someone's coming!

It's pretty amazing that they can fly around in this cold.

Fairies, give me all the spring you have. If you don't, I will show no mercy.

Uh, what are you talking about?

Enough talk!

Youmu tries to cut the fairies down in a single charge.

Hey! What's the big idea?!

I told you. I'm taking all the spring that's here, an-

!



Thanks to executive order, I have Reimu again for this chapter. You'll see why I wanted her later.

Looks like this is where the petals are coming from.

Hey, isn't that...?

Reimu? And some friends.

Youmu! Is that you?

You know her? Who is she?

Youmu Konpaku, a gardener living in the underworld. She's a friend who helped us with the summer incident.

Long time no see, Youmu. What're you fighting fairies for?

Well, you see-

She came out of nowhere and rushed us! She was saying something about handing over spring!

We were just looking for little bits of spring!

And she's doing the same, which means...

You're also investigating the incident?

What incident?

Oh, come on. Don't play dumb. The long winter, duh!

!

This is a particularly dangerous incident. Knowing you, I figured you'd be acting on this, too. You'd be welcome to join us, if you like.

...

No. Please leave, all of you.

?!

Wait, what?

You don't need to do anything. This long winter will end soon enough. I'll be returning spring once I achieve my goal.

Wait, what are you talking about?!

You know something about this, don't you?

I only regret that I can't tell you more. Please, back off.

It'll take more than that to convince us to leave this alone.

Then I have no choice. I'll gather the spring here and pull back!


quote:

Victory: Defeat all enemies, or defeat Youmu.
Defeat: All allies are defeated.
Bonus: Defeat 18 enemies.



Continuing the theme, this time the map is a winter version of 5M.

This chapter has a pretty neat gimmick; Youmu is a NPC who's also after the grunts. She'll usually try to killsteal, so it's important to finish enemies off in one turn.




Much more importantly, she has another pair of Tengu's Clogs on. +1 Move is always nice, so I always try to shoot her down instead. The chapter's victory conditions make this a bit tough to do while snagging the bonus though.

Stuff to keep in mind:
1) If Youmu defeats more than two enemies, I fail. There are 21 enemies total, and I need to beat 18 for the bonus. I also need to keep one on the map so I can take out Youmu.
2) Youmu flees at 40% HP.
3) Youmu, being one of the few non-rear end in a top hat characters, won't attack my party except in self-defense. This means she'll always head for enemies, even if they're far away.




4) Youmu's PS, Sword Arm, jacks her Parry rate at 130 Power. So Solid attribute attacks are a no-go.



Sunflower fairies are already bulky as is, but these ones have also landed to take advantage of the terrain. It's set up so you'll try and kill one with just one or two characters, fail, and then get kill stolen by Youmu.



I want to lure Youmu east so I can surround her with my main army.



And the easiest way to do that is to take advantage of the fact that Youmu moves after the enemy phase. If I defend against every enemy attack except one,



oh, uh, you just had to weaken that crow Reimu.



There we go. Now this fairy has the lowest HP on the map,



meaning Youmu goes right for the finish.

Hey! What's your problem?!

I already told you. I'm going to take all the spring you have!

:siren:Music: As Decisive As a Battlefield:siren:

This is probably my second favorite track in the game.



Even Youmu can't finish a landed sunflower fairy with just Reimu's assist. You really need three attacks, or a finisher.



It's also worth noting that Youmu isn't particularly dodgy, so it's entirely possible a fairy's counterattack might drop her low enough to flee.

Looks like she's ignoring us. No way around this, then.

Youmu, why...?



My units can't move fast enough to surround Youmu on turn 2, so I'll have to stall for another turn.



Fun Fact: the game can't display ????? HP for units on the player side of the battle screen. So if an enemy initiates an attacks Youmu, I can see her full HP.

What was her name? Youmu? She doesn't seem to be attacking our side at all.

...

Keep it together, Keine. I know you don't want to fight her. But if she knows something about this incident, we have to capture her.

Yeah. No whining, just... Hm?

Music: Brand New Wind


Sanae posted:

I found you, Reimu!

Sanae?!

Nice work, Momiji. Your nose is nothing to sniff at.

Don't treat me like a dog. That was clairvoyance.

Is that the shrine maiden that tried to steal the Hakurei Shrine?

What are all of you doing here?

As the Moriya Shrine's wind priestess, I thought I should try to help investigate this incident. Lady Yasaka is deeply troubled over this. I was hoping I might be able to assist.

First youkai extermination, now incident resolution? You're on fire.

That's right. I was a little worried about it at first, but Lady Moriya gave me the nudge I needed.

"Sanae, Shrine Maiden of the Mountain, Makes Her Incident Resolution Debut!" Yeah, that's a good headline. I should write that one down.

Try to keep it toned down. We're supposed to be here as Lady Kochiya's assigned guards.

I've heard they were overprotective of you. Seeing them sending tengu with you just confirms it.

Fine. If you wanna join up, you'd better keep up.

I'll do just that, thank you!

So, what's with the turbulent atmosphere?

That's the swordswoman who was among the humans over the summer. We met her.

Oh, I guess. Why are you fighting, again?

She seems to know something about this incident, so we're questioning her.

Oh, no! Are you sure you should be fighting among friends?

We can talk about that later, we can't let her get away.

I see you've reconciled with the other shrine maiden and Youkai Mountain.

That's all well and good, but I have my own duties to fulfill!

If you defeat Youmu before Sanae shows up, she'll just pull herself back to together and heal.



Back with gameplay, a particularly stupid fairy attacked Youmu on the enemy phase. This caused her to move away a bit, so now I need to stall another turn.



I also need to wipe out all of the enemies in the surrounding area so Youmu is only drawn to that crow nearby.

Music: Gale Winds! Whirlwind! Shameimaru!
Still can't believe this track isn't an arrange of Cybuster's theme.



And that's something my new characters can help with.



Just like Nitori, Momiji starts with both flavors of support.



Unlike Nitori, Momiji doesn't suck. This was a different enemy, if you're wondering about the MP.



There we go.

Hold it, Youmu!

Please don't interfere!

Nice try. You know something about this incident, don't you?

Why don't you stop keeping secrets and come out with it? It's for your own good.

Gh... If you refuse to back down, then you leave me no choice but to cross swords!



Youmu doesn't have the best of defenses, but she's very accurate. It's very helpful to have Reimu around to completely trump her.

Oh, and Youmu has a danmaku field that pumps her melee damage by 20%. So you really don't want to get hit.




I'll probably be finishing things off with Master Spark + Shanghai Doll. Since I don't have Shizuha around, though, I'll need to mess around with Letty and Luna's fields to boost Marisa's chances.

Reimu, please, don't interfere!

Oh, I'll interfere all I want. My intuition's telling me you're being pretty shady.

Ugh, I shouldn't have stayed here so long!



Doesn't matter what your blade can cut if you can't hit with it.



I have the fairies trigger some support attacks to further weaken Youmu. I'm getting pretty close to the limit,



which is Sakuya and Meiling's cue to get the bonus.



They did so. :toot:

So when exactly did that notorious shrine maiden become part of their group?

I'm kind of lost in this whole thing, actually. Why are you fighting with them? If you're their friend, surely talking should be your first option!

Unfortunately, talking isn't much of an option for me. And it's even less of one when facing an old foe!

I can't deny the past, but it's different now!



I think I can push it just a little more.



Sunny managed a hit, but Cirno wasn't as lucky.



Good thing she cast Grit.

Much like Aya, Youmu was totally redrawn for FMW2. Her new sprite is much spiffier.




Oh drat it, I don't have enough SP for Valor. :negative:

Guess I'll just cross my fingers and hope Alice crits.


Youmu, wait!

I will not! Marisa, please, leave me be!

Man, you're pretty slippery when we're on opposite sides!



This would be a lot easier if I had some WP pumped into Marisa.

Or if I upgraded her weapons instead of buffing Letty.


Youmu!

Ah, Alice. I figured you'd be with Marisa's group.

Something tells me we won't have time for a leisurely chat. What is your goal? And why does it have to involve fighting us?

If you're trying to appeal to my emotions, it won't work!



:sigh:

Tch, just as I expected.

...First things first, let's bind her.

Okay, you better tell us everything you know!

There's a couple different lines here if all enemies were defeated, but I wasn't going for that victory condition.

No matter how many times you ask, I will always refuse. I still haven't gathered nearly enough spring to accomplish my duty!

Your what?

I'll retreat for now. But if you continue to hinder my path... I won't hold back, even for all of you!

Youmu, wait!

Youmu...

There she goes...

I think it's safe to assume that she knows something.

In that case, our only option is to follow her and get it from her.

Um, would you mind explaining a bit to me before you go off anywhere? What is it that makes Youmu seem so suspicious?

Let's talk on the way. We don't have time to stand around explaining things.



------

Lunatic is exactly the same thing, only things are more frustrating. I just blew right through it and ignored both the bonus and the item drop because some things just aren't worth it.

Gameplay-wise, PCB isn't going to get interesting again until chapter 31. So strap in for the long haul of jack poo poo.

I got this on Lunatic posted:

We're both blade users. If we're not careful this could get ugly, you know.

I'm aware, yes. If you're afraid, you're welcome to back down.

Spoken like a real warrior. I'll honor your resolve by going all out.

------

Yukariiii~.

Yes? What do you need so suddenly?

A nickname. You'll make it cute, won't you?

Ah, I see now. For something as important as this, I'll have to think deeply.

Yukaaaari, can't you give me a nice nickname?

Don't rush me.

*shaking in excitement*

...Okay, okay, I get it. Without any further ado... how about Yukko?

...

My, do you want another?

I'm very pleased! Its ordinary atmosphere is quite good if you ask me.

R-really? I suppose I have a good naming sense then?

...And an hour later, the entire subject of nicknames was completely forgotten.

BlitzBlast fucked around with this message at 17:36 on May 4, 2015

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn

quote:

Animal Trail

Music: What's the Strategy?

Full Text

quote:

I think we should follow Youmu!

I think we should go to Stage 2.

Route split!



Another route split, another option to remove all of the other team's items. There won't be any "other team rejoins midway through a battle" bullshit, so it's still safe to say yes.

------


Sanae Kochiya
Personality: Strong-willed (Hit: +1, Kill: +4, Get Hit: +1, Ally Killed: +1, Graze: +1)
Character Skills: Wind Priestess (Enables Faith gauge and its gimmicks. Also boosts hit/evade in proportion to Faith), Spiritual Barrier (At 20% Faith, gain a -750 damage barrier, costs 10 MP), Shrine Maiden
Personal Skills: Living God (Increase all Faith gains), Fortune Bomb (-20% Damage to +25% Damage to all attacks. Exact change is randomly decided at the beginning of each turn.), Miracle Girl (Miracle's SP cost is reduced to 80), SP Regenerate (Recover 5 SP every turn)
Spirits: Miracle, Focus, Gain, Alert, Fury (35)

Where Youmu and Sakuya were adjusted versions of Marisa and Reimu, Sanae is a true hybrid. Shrine Maiden and the Focus spirit make her dodgier than Marisa but not as dodgy as Reimu, while the Faith system and her overall strong attacks let her hit harder than Reimu but not as hard as Marisa. She's probably one of the most interesting characters from a mechanical perspective, and has a variety of different builds. Unfortunately, no matter which one you pick you'll always end up being pretty unimpressed with her at the beginning of each chapter since she has to build up faith to really do anything. She's also a primarily Reimu route character, so it's like why bother waiting for her to reach 100% when Reimu can be awesome right away? Thankfully, FMW3 added in some ways for her to skip around the whole issue.
Sanae is the developer's favorite character.

All Attacks
Battle theme: Motherly Sea, One with the Wind (Faith is for the Transient People)
Summon Takeminakata theme: Proof of the Wind's Bond (Faith is for the Transient People)
Player theme: Brand New Wind (The Primal Scene of Japan the Girl Saw, Realize)


Momiji Inubashiri
Personality: Strong-willed (Hit: +1, Kill: +4, Get Hit: +1, Ally Killed: +1, Graze: +1)
Character Skills: Shield Defense ([Skill Level/16] chance of automatically defending against an attack), Parry
Personal Skills: Wolf Sword (Shield Defense's activation rate increases the closer the enemy is), Clairvoyance (+30% Evasion rate when attacked from five or more panels away), Telegnosis (At 120+ Power, Snipe's SP cost decreased to 15)
Spirits: Scan, Vigor, Guard, Strike, Snipe (29)

Momiji is probably the overall best new party member in the game, and definitely the best non-protagonist MoF character. She's strong, sturdy, has Shield Defense, and starts with both Support Attack and Support Defense. Her finisher isn't as strong as Keine or Meiling's, but it has more range and benefits from Shotgunning. If Meiling didn't exist she'd probably be the best tank.

quote:

BlitzBlast: I can't think of anything to add for momiji's description
Ryza: she is keine with shield defense and a worse finisher
Ryza: all you need to say
BlitzBlast: I already said that
BlitzBlast: well, kind of
Ryza: say
BlitzBlast: I mean an extra note
Ryza: that her name is really momizi
momizixran OTP.

All Attacks
Battle theme: Observe, White Wolf! (Fall of Fall)
Rabies Bite theme: The Dashing, Falling Fall (Fall of Fall, GunxSword [opening theme])


Aya Shameimaru
Personality: Resolute (Hit: +1, Miss: -1, Kill: +4, Get Hit: +2, Ally Killed: +2, Graze: +1)
Character Skill: Parry
Personal Skills: Wind God Girl (At 120+ Power, Move +1 and +10% Evasion rate), Tailwind (Cast Accel on a chosen unit, limited uses), Supreme Speed (Move +5. The next enemy attack is guaranteed to hit. Limited uses)
Spirits: Scan, Accel, Alert, Fury (25), Valor (38?)

Meanwhile, someone on the FMW2 development team apparently hated Aya with a passion because she sucks. Aya is pretty weak, lacks Focus so she can't really take advantage of her crazy Mobility, and has an insanely expensive Valor (65 SP!) to boot. The best thing you can say about her is that she can cast Accel on other characters, and that's of limited use in PCB. FMW3 had to take a lot of steps to dig Aya out of this hole.
With Accel, two movement boosting items, Unfocused Movement and Supreme Speed, Aya can get the highest move in the game: 20. Too bad Supreme Speed debuffs her for some god forsaken reason.

All Attacks
Boss theme: Black-Winged Wind God (Youkai Mountain, Battle God of Steel)
Battle theme: Gale Winds! Whirlwind! Shameimaru! (Wind God Girl, Endless Battle)

------

One moment they lose sight of Youmu, the next, they reach the entrance to the Underworld.

I can appreciate Marisa's spirit of adventure, but she doesn't seem to know the first thing about the Underworld. I'll have to give her an overview when she gets back.

In any case, let's meet again in Chapter 28 of Fantasy Maiden Wars P: "Fantasy Cave".

---

Sanae, Aya, and Momiji have joined, giving the group many reliable new companions. Lily has also joined up in her search for spring, and the group has grown more lively.

But are those violins I hear? I love music, you know.

Now then, please have fun playing Chapter 28 of Fantasy Maiden Wars P: "Seasonal Transition"!

------

Available cost: 20.0

Available units:
2.5
Alice
Sakuya
Meiling
Komachi
Patchouli
FA Nitori
(Marisa is forced.)

2.0
Elly
Kurumi
Nitori
Koakuma
Hina

1.5
Sunny
Luna
Star

Alice is forced like always. You have 17.5. God I hope I didn't mess up the math this time.

BlitzBlast fucked around with this message at 12:08 on May 14, 2015

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Ryza
Mar 15, 2012

Disco Thunder
Kurumi leaving 15.5

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