touhoutivations

[touhoutivations]

"You! Hey, yes you!" "Why aren't you dancing and jumping up and down with glee? Allow yourself some darn whimsy- wiggle your hands, go tippy tappy with your ankles, hum something, anything! You should never be ashamed of how you express joy, no matter how 'cringe' people make you think you are."

"So c'mon! I've got a new solo I wanna test out on this awesome swing piece I've been working on, so vibe and jive~! Now a-one and a-two and a five six seven eight!"

[touhoutivations]

HALT!

"This is the Mountain's checkpoint! You may not stroll past until you have had a glass of water within this hour, gotten up and stretched and checked if you've eaten enough this day."

"A lack of accordance to this order will cause me to detain you with a game of shogi with a side of tea and snacks until you have fulfilled the requirements. Keep on, my friend!"

[touhoutivations]

"Unforgivable, unforgivable, unforgivable."

"Do you truly see yourself in such a way? Truly a pitiful sinner- one of the two greatest sins; believe yourself faultless or believing yourself nothing but fault."

"If you want any hope of salvation, you must be accustomed to change. You wish to know my verdict? A verdict is something only to be dictated upon the end, until then it is only righteous to for me to offer guidance. Whether you're right or wrong at present is entirely irrelevant- a conviction now would only lead to self-assurance that you need not grow."

"Instead, ask yourself- what is the way I can change now? What are the good deeds I can do today? Even if it's but a mere speck, even if it's simply keeping yourself alive- we are more than the sum of our actions and thoughts- but it is actions that sins and virtues are established. Settle your head, steady your hands- and do your best for the coming time."

[touhoutivations]

*rattle rattle*- THUD!

Aw, I missed- I'll have to wait for the next person...hmph, well since you narrowly escaped me, I'll give you a reminder that you should drop in on that thing you haven't gone to in a while. Yeah. You know the one. When we're stressed, we often try to conserve ourselves and isolate, but that's the time when you -most- need to find a body to- ah, I mean, hang out in a community and do something together. I know, why don't you have them meet here? Why? Oh- uh...no reason.

[touhoutivations]

I love this blog, even though I'm isn't that much active in tumblr for multiple reasons. I always checking this blog if is something were wroten in here, it kinda could also calming me down a little since I've getting a bunch of stress recently, due to how awful is community I'm in sometimes and other reasons, but this blog will kinda always live in my memory, I wish for ya good mental health with physical health including, from some previous posts you've made it seems you're really need some health! I've made this little post to make you feel a bit better in this planet we call Earth, and you're really can motivate someone if you keep going with this! Good luck. I'm from Ukraine btw.

I'm so so happy that you've found such joy in my blog! I have a few blogs that I check daily like it's the morning paper, so it warms my heart to see that you feel that way towards mine! I want to try post more, but consistency is not my forte, ahaha- and I want to try not to compromise on my content (which is probably how a lot of my posts get so long winded and specific and long because I just want to try get everything out the exact way I mention it in my head and make it as understandable and comprehensive as I can including this very bracket that I've noticed now has over 50 words despite it intending to be a short aside, ahaha~)

Thank you for the wishes of health, I had your post in my head whilst I was going through a stomach bug actually, so thank you- I'm not going through anything too serious, just trying to investigate some digestive and bladder issues. I ended up neglecting myself so I've been trying to get back on track, eating properly and building up a bit of muscle mass. I want to keep doing my best for myself and the people I care about and the people I could potentially help!

More than anything this year I want to show my love and passion deeply. I started this to try and force myself to rethink and recontextualise issues that I was going through (and some asks had perfect timing, such as the tengu moving one ahaha) and frame it in a way without judgement (and get writing practice in).

Touhou has been the backbone and cornerstone of my life for 10 years now, from Canon to fanon, its has inspired and changed so so many things about me, the way I feel and the way I write- but I always felt odd that I never participated in any fan content, outside of a few memes and short one-shots. So this has been a wonderful opportunity for me, and hearing that it's helped you just as much as it has me is delightful!

Thank you so much for this message, and I hope touhoutivations continues to make you smile, and I wish you nothing but the best! 🙂

-Mod Yuyu

[touhoutivations]

Ringo, if available -

I recently took up a new job and it's been really kicking me. I imagine that's how you felt on the moon to make you come to earth, similarly running from this place to that, answering demands of your superiors. How can I obtain more endless energy our species is oft known for? I'll gladly bend down my antlers for you to stick some dango on.

In a similar vein of thinking to yours, sometimes the moon is a big bright orange pumpkin this early September and I thought I would share some sentiment with moon gazing. Especially after work, it's presence is quite serene. I wish there was a way we could hang out. It would be a nice load-off.

Sincerely,

A golden earth jackalope

"ACK- THEY FOUND ME!" [ahem] "Oh, you're from Earth, all good all good."

But man, I totally get it. If you're running about from place to place, especially if you were going along with a particular system- school, a bad relationship, a lack of self-regard- even if you're trying to treat yourself better or help yourself out you can feel MORE exhausted...I wonder if that's Earth's impurity... You're on the right track though! You gotta load up of fuel, not just any ol' food but stuff that'll keep you going, and listen to your body. Turns out sustaining yourself on just dango ain't that great for Earth rabbits, and it's actually the "impure" foods of fermented or pickled stuff that's helpful for fatigue.

Also, whilst it can sound counterintuitive and may even be more exhausting at first, you gotta prep yourself before you wreck yourself. I love me a good nap, but when winter's coming, it might end up counterintuitive to just sleep all the time. You gotta keep those bones limber and moving, we got all that energy from running, and we run cuz we got all that energy! And when you rest...how do I say this without being lame, treasure it? Not in a 'oh you should be grateful you're able to sleep' but paying attention to how nice it makes you feel, seeing a breeze or feeling the warmth of a blanket...really sink your teeth into feeling the positive flow of things. No feeling guilty for how long it's been or how long it takes allowed, you give yourself permission to ~mellow~

I think moon gazing is a great idea, at first I didn't like it because it was kinda sad, but...now I see the moon differently. I see it the way Earthlings do, a presence in the sky that shifts the tides and envelopes nature with its own subtle dark light, a Mythical being...heh, and the idea that seeing the moon that way would piss the Lunar Capital off just makes that bright orange pumpkin all the sweeter~

I'll skewer some dango on, but that's for a takeaway- so have some now and enjoy it, mmkay?

[touhoutivations]

"Muahaha, foolish human...allow me to show you the true nature of misfortune...was that scary enough?"

"Some people think fortune is just based on chance, which has some truth- but I tend to notice that misfortune is something that can pile up, because of a 'positive feedback loop'." "As an example- you're exhausted, you can't exercise or eat or do anything! But because you haven't eaten properly or exercised, you get even more tired- even more unable to eat, and so on. Your misfortune just keeps piling up! So what do you do?"

"The festival humans do for me is special not just because you have all these adorable dolls, but the very act of having a festival to float your misfortune away is something that's getting you out and breaking the cycle. The mentality of 'I have no misfortune now!' is just as crucial to helping yourself as it is to giving me faith that makes me help more! ...H-Huh?! No, I'm not just a placebo God, how impudent!"

"Now I'm not saying 'it's a mindset' thing or that it's your fault, rather I want you to examine yourself and if you're contributing or stuck in a cycle, and how you can take yourself out of that cycle. Having food by your bedside, or trying to do passive stretches, or setting boundaries from toxic relationships. Self-care isn't all bubble baths and treats, it's about doing things that are good for you, even or especially if you don't feel like doing them."

"Buuut, if you do want to try something good that feels nice, would you like to spin around and dance with me?"

[touhoutivations]

backlog and housekeeping questions 6/1

backlog and housekeeping discussion~ however if you are someone that wants to contribute to the design or accessibility of the blog or know how tumblr works, i do have some questions that i'd love answered

backlog: -ringo ask -a very lovely positive ask that i want to honor with answering properly (if you are reading this please know it made my week ;v;) ---------------------------- current/upcoming posts: -hina 7/1 -kasen 8/1 -iku 9/1 -momiji, kisume, yamame 10/1 ------------------------ quickie to do/blog tidy: -delete previous backlogs -implement tagging system outlined in /taglist -fix mobile links in blog description -change resources text to crisis hotlines ------------------------------------------------ larger things to think/implement: -i'm not a fan of the main text font in the theme, especially since i can ramble. try to find text that is easy on the eyes and ask if people like it -is there a way to implement polls that don't have a time limit to see peoples thoughts? maybe a separate page for a suggestion box or for people to contribute their thoughts at any time -icon sizes- do I require consistent icon sizes, and what is the best one for both mobile and laptop visibility? should I put read mores under every post that's a specific length? -implementation of creditted art: should i put hyperlinks to sprite/art sources in every image i use? a small text under or in the alt description? note: spriter's resource appreciates a link to the page the sprite is on, not the image directly. if using game and/or official art, include both the source of the image and the content the image is from. if art, link directly either the link of the OP image post, or if unavailable to the artist themselves. -separate credit page for assets eg theme images. include sources from commonly used sprites like mystia's izakaya, touhou lost word, the official games -future and also just for ease of my access: potential taglist or compilation (or maybe even a separate page for resources) of infographics/posts related to stretching, nutrition, dopamenu, breathing practices, cooking, etc refs -formatting dear GOD i need consistent formatting how do i set that up -optimal posting time and/or other tumblr quirks (11am my time is the commonly talked about 'peak posting time' for most (which is yesterday in the us/other places)- but that is in the afternoon, can't really have reimu day if it's only reimu evening? aknerjdkj) other tumblr quirks like i remember years ago only the first 5 tags got read or find out about other things to keep in mind whilst posting on here nowadays,,,how do i find that stuff??? urghhgh tl;dr of larger things: -main theme font text change- !!! -way for people to chime thoughts in, probably a subpage -icon sizing -credit page- !!! -crediting art not covered by credit page eg pc98ers- !! -read mores for longer posts? -taglist/comp for resources -consistent formatting holy shit- !! (but long :'( -optimal posting/other tumblr quirks to research ---------------------------- secret fun stuff: -post about the upcoming mascot! -com a friend to draw a pfp for the upcoming mascot!

[touhoutivations]

on current events, ooc (discussion and stances, check cws)

Hello everyone, Mod Yuyu/Adrian here. I thought this post would be a good time to discuss my points on current things. I wasn't sure how to go about this, and I want to have a balance between showing up and using this platform for important causes but also wanting to avoid the current culture of always needing to be informed or else you're failing morally. (which is a difficult topic for minutae I have no place to discuss, but ultimately your safety needs to come before helping others) But after the Reimu post, I thought it would be a good idea to put my thoughts here and open up discussion. Again, if anything I said or did with this is upsetting to you in any way and there's a way I can assist or do better, please do not hesitate to tell me.

Under the read more, I will talk about Palestine, genocide, several kinds of bigotry, transphobia laws, abortion, miscarriage, medical topics, menstruation and sexual health. I do not go into detail and depth about atrocities or dispense depressing facts, but I do stress to keep yourself safe, touch on my stances, and provided a list of ways you can help the current american abortion law situation.

Stance on Palestine/War/Conflict: My stance on the currents wars and exploitation will always be such: all people (but especially indigenous communities) should have their rights and agency, and violations of this, from war to systemic oppression to exploitation, will always be condemned. Palestine must be free. Ukraine must be free. Australia, Canada, America, Congo, other African nations and all other entities that have been hurt by colonialism, racism, casteism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of bigotry should regain the right to determine their own livelihoods and the livelihoods of their people. To clarify, the Palestinian conflict is NOT a war- it is the oppression and genocide of Israel that the Palestinians are struggling against. I do not want to argue the semantics of H-m-s, as I have no place to- but 'killing people is bad' and 'peaceful resistance does not work against an oppressive regime and genocide and claiming a moral highground for every unjust death is not helpful' are two sentences that can coexist. Since I'm aware several Jewish users have expressed fears of Antisemitism's rise, I will never tolerate Antisemitism OR Islamophobia. I'm Australian, and whilst I've seen the people around me come to support Palestine, initially several white Australians fell for propaganda traps that appealed to their confirmation biases of Islamophobia. Zionists are not welcome on this blog, nor any other bigot.

======================== On [insert abortion law that got passed]: I chose not to be specific here because unfortunately, the political climate of abortion rights is something that is constantly changing. What is happening is disgusting, and especially if the laws around criminalising miscarriage are going to be passed- uterus-havers can get arrested for practically no reason. Many mothers I know have had more miscarriages than children. It is not something they 'choose' to have. I also want to remind people, especially from more 'liberal' areas to never demean people that live in places where these bills are passed. There are trans kids in Florida. There are women in Idaho that now have to travel 46 miles to get medical care. Mocking these people or gloating about your rights and superiority is not going to help, it is vile. (Though of course, clown on bigots)

=========================== Here is a list of things you should remind others that live in these areas and ways you can assist that I thought aren't donation links: -Remind people that live in these areas to track periods without the usage of apps that will steal their data. Be very careful about providing information or discussion anything that could help the process of an abortion on the internet, even chatrooms. Floridian officials have been tracking people to incarcerate them for driving out of state. -Share resources especially for disabled, those in poverty and poc. These laws will most affect them, both wrt miscarriages and abortion bans. Miscarriages can happen from stress and starvation. -Share information on sex education and contraceptive methods, if you can in places teens and children can access them privately. Follow laws like teaching and book bans, but knowledge is power. Promote local libraries and request them to have sex ed knowledge, or upload free pdfs/resources on the internet for people to access. Sexual health is obfuscating and inaccessible even for those that live in liberal areas. -For people in Idaho especially, anyone that seeks medical treatment will be on a longer waitlist- as doctors have been leaving the country. Keep an eye on disabled friends and ensure they have a contingency plan. -Encourage intersectionality and unionising. If you're part of a collective or community, encourage teaming up with other collectives such as women, lgbt, environmental, racial or religious minority organisations. This helps spread awareness and solidarity. -If you're someone with financial, governmental or legal literacy/experience on a specific topic or process- share your findings and details in a way that others can understand. Bureaucratic and legal processes use confusing and vague language for the layman intentionally in order to hurt them (for example, the use of 'people that do not conform to their assigned gender' is in a lot of anti-trans bills. this is intentionally vague, opening up oppression not just to trans people and drag performers, but potentially gnc women or women that do not fit conventional beauty standards, or even potentially a woman wearing pants.)

=========== 'But what about 'x' topic?' If you feel anger that people are not discussing something that is important, now is not the time to get angry at other's who can support you, it is the time to inform them. If you wish for me to clarify my stances or platform or inform me about a political subject, I would be happy to help- but I will always prioritise safety and comfort of other's mental health and will always tag things first and foremost. Also, this is a touhou blog- I'm not nor want to be the bastion of political discussion, but I do want to show up for my fellow humans. There are several things I am passionate about but had to gloss over for this post because it was getting excessively long; trans rights, racism, ableism, etc.

[touhoutivations]

reimu's guide to 'when incidents keep happening and the world sucks'

"I've been there, you wake up and go 'not this shit again'."

"Allow yourself to be angry. You have a right to. 'oh but anger isn't productive'- shut up. Anger is your soul telling you that what's happening isn't okay, you don't have to take this shit like a gentle maiden. But, don't let outrage consume you. It's easy to feel self-righteous and haughty and looking for more info, but then you just keep looking at upsetting info and not gaining any knowledge or direction. It's up to you to make sure you're not hurting yourself too, flailing a sword around yelling isn't gonna help anyone in a fight."

"You're panicking. Catatonic and tense. It happens. You know what you need? A bucket of cold water dumped on your head. ...Okay I'm serious, half. I don't know all about it, but there's this thingy called the vagus nerve that controls how your body is responding, especially when you panic. If you can control your breathing with exercises, that helps it- but if you're super frantic, a mild 'shock' to the body like eating something super sour or splashing cold water on the back of your neck can help get you out of your head."

"Don't be afraid to call for backup, and to check in on other people. I'm not saying rock up at someone's house and go 'hi oni that got kicked out of hell, that really sucks and i'm here because that must really suck that you're getting kicked out and i'm here to make you feel better about myself'. Do what you need for each other in the moment- organising, gardening, just flopping on the kotatsu? All good. The best way to remind yourself not everything sucks is to hang out with the things that make it suck less. Or even just neutral people, people that are just okay or even doctors and stuff can help you get out of that mindset of everyone's evil."

"And lastly, not to get all conspiratorial, buuut remember- if you're a bad guy, what's the best thing for you? For all the people that could beat their ass to give up, throw their hands and say 'can't be helped'. I'm not saying you gotta go out there gohei-blazing everyday, but if it helps to think of it, giving up and going all 'nothing matters' is letting them win. It's okay to give up for a day, and it's okay that you feel hopeless- but you gotta promise me that you'll dust yourself up and find that hope again. It's not about being invincible, it's about being getting up again."

"So go out there and stand up! ...Or sit down, you do what you need to right now- but no curling up and withering away, got it?! Or I'm gonna throw a bucket of water on you!"

[touhoutivations]

"'Just because others don't understand it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.' I want you to know that even if other people refuse to accept who you are, that denial doesn't mean anything in your existence. Fufu, after all- it's impossible to prove something doesn't exist."

"You deserve respect, you deserve to have a voice. You matter- or rather, you -are- matter; the product of billions of years and the alignment of the universe and reactions that happened in a particular space in a particular time, a catalogue of inconceiveable and imperceivable events in order to be here. To demean yourself is to demean that plethora of the universe."

"Putting it that way, are you really so strange? Or a wonderfully fitted quirk of our cosmos?"

[touhoutivations]

dear miss ibarakasen,

what do you do when you get sad? i've been feeling the boredom and tiredness start to sink in and i want to do something before i get covered in sludge again. (metaphorically, of course. i am not actually sinking in sludge.)

yours, eientei's favourite kon-consultant

"Discipline is not perseverance alone, it is perseverance when things get difficult. But I'm glad you're starting to pay attention to your body, listening to yourself is always important." "However, knowing when to hear and act regardless is just as important. I know it's counterintuitive, but oftentimes our bodies can get stuck in this feeling- we feel exhausted because we haven't done anything so we rest, then continue hurting ourselves by contributing to that exhaustion."

"Above all else, I think being active is key. Not just in a physical sense, but an emotional one. It sounds contradictory, but make your rest more active- even if it means closing your eyes and flopping on the floor, assess how it makes you feel- if you're relaxing, if the floor is hard or soft or straining your neck. If you're playing a game, check in with yourself- are you still playing an hour later because you're enjoying yourself, or are you doing it because you feel you must?" "Unfortunately, I can't say that going through the motions or x amount of stretches will fix your mood, and oftentimes it can feel artificial or even that your going against your wants (especially if you're prone to self-doubt), but you have to prioritise your needs, and do what you must to make them palatable."

"Need to take a walk? A walk can be any length. Need to visit somewhere? Examine a nearby place you can get a treat or a garden or library to look through. A walk can be a trudge, or it can be an opportunity- to see a nearby animal, or find a new thought, or get some fresh air."

"Don't worry if you're in the sludge, you can get out- after all, a kuda-gitsune can get themselves out of any tight spots, right?"

[touhoutivations]

Dear Lady Yagokoro,

Earth life is good! Wish you were here! I'm feeling happier now, so... yay! :D As always, your faithful student,

Peaches

"To my faithful student, I hope this finds you well- and you're continuing to enjoy your time. I'm please to hear of your adventures, many on Earth struggle to find joy, so I pray that you continue to experience Earthly delights. This world is so vast and strange compared to the Moon- you can meet one creature and upon meeting another they may be entirely different. I'm glad you're finding your way, even if that means delighting in being directionless. As always, I delight to read your next correspondence."

[touhoutivations]

Congraunntulations~*!

The new year is finally here! Aah, what a nice and fresh start~ Huh? It's been a few days? Well yeah, you gotta give a rest break from all the partying, and sip some amazake.

What are your resolutions for the year? I reckon life should be about adding things, not taking them away- like when I first started at the shrine I was like 'okay this year I'm not allowed to get distracted ever!' but then I kinda realised that playing around with a ball or looking at the beautiful things around me helped me way more! Sooo that's why my resolution is to get lots of pats! A 10% pat increase compared to last year, minimum! Isn't that a smart goal? Hehe, don't just stand there- give me some scritches!

Oh, and don't forget to put in the box what you wanna do this year!

[touhoutivations]

updated theme! backlog

Okay, so I've tried to update the theme! I've also included a taglist and my plans for tagging content- so please check those out! For the New Year, I'm clearing out the backlog except asks, so if there's a character you wanted from there please request them!

backlog asks: eirin, kasen and ringo (I AM SO SORRY) Jan Calendar List (I don't want to put too much pressure on myself again, so this is a guideline). If multiple characters are close together, and I have time issues, I will prioritise the character with the least amount of other days eg Momiji has only one Momiji specific day on Touhou Calendar whilst the rest have 2, so I'll prioritise Momiji

[touhoutivations]

Happy New Year*! (and yes, we're alive)

Merry Holidays everyone!

We have risen from the dead! (by dead I mean more gosh darn kidney problems ;v; I ended up with kidney stones and a probable bladder issue I've been trying to figure out with tests- as well as moving and trying to transition to another job) apologies for the updates, I have absolutely terrible time blindness, and I've just been in Survival ModeTM One of my resolutions is to start this blog back up again, so here we are! I think I've been putting so much of a checklist together that I've overwhelmed myself with this blog instead of starting,,, (I want a much better theme and to set up a tag list, cw list and get a sprite folder going for myself, since most of the sprites I've seen are sheets and not individual ones) So nothing to it but to do it! I'll do my best this year!

[touhoutivations]

"Happy Halloween Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderfully frightful night, fufu~ Eat lots, sing lots and be merry!"

"R-Renko! Did you hear that?! It sounded like a...g-g-g-ghost..."

"Merry? I didn't hear anything, heh- did you do that so you could cling to my arm?"

"Oh, you!"

"It has been some time since we've been here, maybe I'm just losing my touch..."

"We're coming here next week, I'll show you that I was right...in the meantime, hand me some konpeito, we'll never know who will treat or trick us..."

[Mod stuff below]

//And so I'm going to manifest this hiatus' conclusion! I think I got overwhelmed thinking about things and how I should tweak the blog, but I'll do what I can!

I'll skip the calendar girls I missed, but if you want them feel free to pop an ask!