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4/27/2025, 9:43:23 AM
>>49327946
I didn't contradict myself if you're focusing on that part. I think you're angry at me for acknowledging the fortune teller debacle. I'll bite because I anticipated the grimsokyo argument, but one time only, and to clarify my interpretations.
Reimu’s role isn’t just to maintain peace. It’s to maintain the balance between humans and youkai. That balance depends on the belief that humans and youkai are fundamentally distinct. The rule isn't just about keeping humans human for the sake of it. It's about preserving the fundamental distinction between human and youkai. If that line blurs significantly (humans becoming youkai en masse), the entire faith-based system that sustains Gensokyo could collapse. It's a drastic measure to protect the ecosystem's integrity, preventing a metaphysical catastrophe that would harm everyone, youkai included. It is population category control vital for the realm's specific function.
Let's have some examples when this topic is touched upon. For Marisa, she isn't really considered a Human Villager in my opinion. The same goes for cases like Rinnosuke. They had been living outside of the village even before the Spell Card Rules were made. Marisa left long ago and met Reimu before the whole danmaku thing came to be. Kourin also didn't choose to be born half-and-half, while the fortune teller left his humanity behind by his own will while explicitly living inside the village. It’s about origin and intent, specifically for those tied to the Village. The act of a villager willingly becoming youkai is the transgression, and their personal motives after the fact don't change the initial breach. Marisa and Rinnosuke were already outside that specific context when they became what they are. They weren't abandoning the Village's side of the pact because they were never truly part of it in that same way, not by the time their paths diverged.
Lack of malicious intent and retained humanity also warrant mercy. Kosuzu's near-transformation into a youkai was driven entirely by the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons scroll’s power, not by any conscious choice on her part. People even worked together to ensure the youkai fragment could be expelled safely so that Reimu could save Kosuzu rather than slay her.
The core idea remains: Youkai and Gods need human faith/fear to exist. Humans, in turn, live in a world shielded from the Outside World's disbelief and benefit from the unique reality Gensokyo offers (incident resolution, relative peace compared to pre-Barrier times, access to unique goods/services, longer average lifespans due to healers like Unshou and Eientei). It's a managed symbiosis. A zoo implies a one-sided benefit for the keepers; here, while the power dynamic is skewed (as Gensokyo was made initially for youkai and fantasy preservation), both sides derive something essential for their existence.
I somewhat understand this: that loaded sentiment spawned from later works' introduction of darker, more controlling elements is accurate. This doesn't necessarily erase the earlier whimsical tone or reduce the setting only to grimness. It adds layers. Gensokyo can be both a place of playful danmaku battles and a place with harsh, necessary rules for its survival. The "grim" elements aren't there just for edge; they explore the consequences and costs of maintaining a fantasy paradise. How do you preserve belief? How do you manage coexistence between fundamentally different beings? The answers aren't constants, involving controversial choices and strict enforcement. No black and white here.
I didn't contradict myself if you're focusing on that part. I think you're angry at me for acknowledging the fortune teller debacle. I'll bite because I anticipated the grimsokyo argument, but one time only, and to clarify my interpretations.
Reimu’s role isn’t just to maintain peace. It’s to maintain the balance between humans and youkai. That balance depends on the belief that humans and youkai are fundamentally distinct. The rule isn't just about keeping humans human for the sake of it. It's about preserving the fundamental distinction between human and youkai. If that line blurs significantly (humans becoming youkai en masse), the entire faith-based system that sustains Gensokyo could collapse. It's a drastic measure to protect the ecosystem's integrity, preventing a metaphysical catastrophe that would harm everyone, youkai included. It is population category control vital for the realm's specific function.
Let's have some examples when this topic is touched upon. For Marisa, she isn't really considered a Human Villager in my opinion. The same goes for cases like Rinnosuke. They had been living outside of the village even before the Spell Card Rules were made. Marisa left long ago and met Reimu before the whole danmaku thing came to be. Kourin also didn't choose to be born half-and-half, while the fortune teller left his humanity behind by his own will while explicitly living inside the village. It’s about origin and intent, specifically for those tied to the Village. The act of a villager willingly becoming youkai is the transgression, and their personal motives after the fact don't change the initial breach. Marisa and Rinnosuke were already outside that specific context when they became what they are. They weren't abandoning the Village's side of the pact because they were never truly part of it in that same way, not by the time their paths diverged.
Lack of malicious intent and retained humanity also warrant mercy. Kosuzu's near-transformation into a youkai was driven entirely by the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons scroll’s power, not by any conscious choice on her part. People even worked together to ensure the youkai fragment could be expelled safely so that Reimu could save Kosuzu rather than slay her.
The core idea remains: Youkai and Gods need human faith/fear to exist. Humans, in turn, live in a world shielded from the Outside World's disbelief and benefit from the unique reality Gensokyo offers (incident resolution, relative peace compared to pre-Barrier times, access to unique goods/services, longer average lifespans due to healers like Unshou and Eientei). It's a managed symbiosis. A zoo implies a one-sided benefit for the keepers; here, while the power dynamic is skewed (as Gensokyo was made initially for youkai and fantasy preservation), both sides derive something essential for their existence.
I somewhat understand this: that loaded sentiment spawned from later works' introduction of darker, more controlling elements is accurate. This doesn't necessarily erase the earlier whimsical tone or reduce the setting only to grimness. It adds layers. Gensokyo can be both a place of playful danmaku battles and a place with harsh, necessary rules for its survival. The "grim" elements aren't there just for edge; they explore the consequences and costs of maintaining a fantasy paradise. How do you preserve belief? How do you manage coexistence between fundamentally different beings? The answers aren't constants, involving controversial choices and strict enforcement. No black and white here.
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