Meanwhile, in a parallel universe...

[CountVonNumenor]

Recently, I have become increasingly curious about Len'en Project, especially after a brief read about the series on their Touhou wiki equivalent. Then, I found a video from Suwawako just in time with this arising curiosity, which only made me even ore curious about it. So, what have I noticed until now? Probably an interesting story and setting? Check - this is pretty much Gensokyo but under another name, which could, funnily enough, be taken as an alternate universe (roll credits). Interesting looking characters, especially among protagonists? Check - just look at Tsubakura Enraku. Cool hats? CHECK - again, just look at Tsubakura Enraku and her/their? (I am not very sure, is she a girl, or even a human being? I am very confused, since her wiki article constantly uses "they" and no other pronoun; is it just to use a gender-neutral pronoun, or there is more going about the character?) hat with a huge eye in the style of the umbrella tsukumogami we love calling "Kogasa Tatara".





Anyway, how familiar are you with this series, or what do you think about it?

 

[nightsedge561]

im not very familiar, but i do know that none of the characters have canon genders, hence why everyone is reffered to as "they". I would love to try playing it, but have other touhou fangames id rather play first. 

 

[CountVonNumenor]

that none of the characters have canon genders

Oh, so these games are going the unspecified gender route for the characters, or they are basically genderless? I am nt very familiar with the fanart of this series, but I think this is the first thing I found posted in a Discord channel, and looks pretty:

Source: https://twitter.com/vampire_berry/status/1579128290408681472

Gender or not, I still think that is a cool hat. I like cool hats, and I am not even a TF2 player quite ironically. 

 

[nightsedge561]

i agree, the hat is the coolest thing about this game, and that art is very pretty. i also like the design of the main character, although i cant remember her name. gives me koishi esq energy.

 

[Gou the frog]

i also like the design of the main character, although i cant remember her name. gives me koishi esq energy.

Yeah, they are very unique. Must be because one of the main characters got a big hat with eye like shape in it. Tsubaku something. Funnily enough, I just remember her name like some sort of bird. 

Indeed, Len'en is very interesting. Now we have three parallel universes: Touhou, Seihou and Len'en.

 

[CountVonNumenor]

Funnily enough, I just remember her name like some sort of bird. 

Yes, the name of Tsubakura Enraku seems indeed to be connected to birds. More specifically the swallow, whose motifs are alsu used in their design. Also apparently a name reference to the colors black and white. 

 

[CountVonNumenor]

im not very familiar, but i do know that none of the characters have canon genders, hence why everyone is reffered to as "they"

This opens a very interesting door for fanart, as I guess characters can be interpreted as either male or female? In a way, I really like the idea, and some male characters in a Touhou-inspired bullet hell game (and it's fanart -  not gonna search Len'en on Danbooru though at least not yet; I am not ready to see lewd of one more series I am interested in) may be something refreshing. I would stil prefer staring at girls doing cool stuff though, if I am to be completely honest (loneliness, what do you do out of man...). Plus I stil like that girl (it is a girl, right?) interpretation of Tsubakura I have posted

 

[nightsedge561]

i probably will also interpret them as girls. im too used to touhou  :SatoriStare:

 

[Ken Hisuag]

Been following Len'en for a while, now; Book of the Cafe is quietly maintaining a status to rival that of Silksong (except my only interest is the accompanying music). Sometime last year I dedicated a month in Musical Discoveries to the soundtracks; highlights include In This World ~ Monochrome eye (theme of the aforementioned Tsubakura, kinda), Eternal Dance Engine ~ Shall We Dance!!, and my personal favorite, A Name Cast off from the Edge.

 

[CountVonNumenor]

i probably will also interpret them as girls. im too used to touhou  :SatoriStare:

I guess we could call that "the Touhou Effect", caused by ZUN-ification beam.

Been following Len'en for a while, now; Book of the Cafe is quietly maintaining a status to rival that of Silksong (except my only interest is the accompanying music). Sometime last year I dedicated a month in Musical Discoveries to the soundtracks; highlights include In This World ~ Monochrome eye (theme of the aforementioned Tsubakura, kinda), Eternal Dance Engine ~ Shall We Dance!!, and my personal favorite, A Name Cast off from the Edge.

Huh, I have not noticed that songs. To be fair though, I really have not checked that thread in a while either, so there's that. 

 

[Ken Hisuag]

Those posts were before your arrival, specifically in April of 2021. There was an April Fool's stunt focused around repurposing the site as a Len'en fan forum, complete with a short-lived remix tournament; in the aftermath, I figured it was an ideal time to feature the series. As of right now, it's on the tenth page of the Musical Discoveries thread, in case you're interested.

 

[CountVonNumenor]

More Len'en content. I seems like Suwawako might be slowly getting an interest in the series if he keeps covering it.

 

[_.Mevs]

In my personal opinion, a alternate Touhou universe made by fans is amazing! It just makes me imagine, if someone made a whole universe thanks to Touhou universe inspiration, imagine if someone find out about it and make it's own universe too?

It would be like a big expansion of the Touhou community and would create other communities, it would be amazing, at least for me, if more people made their own games based on Touhou universe, as a alternate universe!

Btw, Len'en Project is a gorgeous game, i see potential on it, even without being that familiar with the game itself, i think it can be amazing!

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[CountVonNumenor]

Btw, Len'en Project is a gorgeous game, i see potential on it, even without being that familiar with the game itself, i think it can be amazing!

And yet there are enough people who believe Len'en is trash, and nothing more than just a bad Touhou rip-off that makes itself using through the use of "pronouns" (since no character has a defined gender/they are genderless according to the Len'en wiki)... Personally, I like the idea of this alternate universe. Also, is it wrong that I think Tsubakura is the first genderless character that I actually think is pretty? I don't think I have ever said that before. 

It would be like a big expansion of the Touhou community and would create other communities, it would be amazing, at least for me, if more people made their own games based on Touhou universe, as a alternate universe!

I would sure be curius to see more universes of this kind being created. Perhaps should we consider Seihou be something similar, just that as a "reversed Touhou"?

 

[_.Mevs]

And yet there are enough people who believe Len'en is trash, and nothing more than just a bad Touhou rip-off that makes itself using through the use of "pronouns" (since no character has a defined gender/they are genderless according to the Len'en wiki)... Personally, I like the idea of this alternate universe. Also, is it wrong that I think Tsubakura is the first genderless character that I actually think is pretty? I don't think I have ever said that before. 

I think the problem is how people see everything and how it is presented to them, so, since for me it was a good first impression, i see it as something really nice, like another universe that can even expand everything we know about Touhou into something new, with fans being fans of stuff made by other fans, it sounds really amazing!

But for people that see it as a funny or crappy first impression, well, for them it will be just a copy or something, it is kinda sad to think that some people can't see the true potential of some stuff

I found Tsubakura cute, like all the Len'en stuff, it seems like a darker version of Touhou, but that can still have a lot of charm and beauty into it =D

I would sure be curius to see more universes of this kind being created. Perhaps should we consider Seihou be something similar, just that as a "reversed Touhou"?

I think it can be! Since it's a whole new universe made with another one as it's basis, it sounds like another timeline where everything took different ways! It is really awesome =D