A great undertaking on my part, yes, but now I have named the effort that so many know me for today. Beyond just a love for Touhou PC-98, I say nay, it's my love for the great region of untapped and unused content ZUN has left for fans, yet they haven't taken up what is a golden opportunity that has now, for me, been a dream to see come to the forefront of Touhou's fanbase.

By now, it should be clear who I'm talking about, and these characters I am talking about are listed here in order of appearance:

The tiny wish-granting fairy
Noroiko
Matenshi
Hikariko
Masharin
Ayana
Mika & Senkou
zun005
zun006
zun007
zun008
zun009
zun010
Oekaki girls
DiPP's cover girl
Comiket 62's DiPP shrine maiden
Rin Satsuki
Layla Prismriver
Youki Konpaku
Tenma

As it stands, while many have official designs, with some that don't, many are nameless and all don't really have agreed upon fan-made personalities. Even characters like Layla and Tenma don't have agreed upon designs even though ideas are out there.

Irony is very strong, as technically Daiyousei and Koakuma should be on this list, but don't really require the amount of effort these characters do to be put out there. The names and popularity were products of the right time and place for new fans to speculate and decide on the identity of these two that has been grounded into the Touhou experience.

My question has always been "If Daiyousei and Koakuma are part of the Touhou experience, why do we leave some characters out?" to fellow fans. With the reality that is characters left unnamed and unexplored, my dream is to give to the Touhou community by large the reminder that you haven't explored everything with the series, and, in fact, are missing what's been in plain view since 1997.

Of course, you may argue that I'm leaving out characters like Myouren Hijiri (even though he's dead), Taisui Xingjun (even though they would attempt to destroy Gensokyo), that boss and the many PC-98 midbosses, the stage enemy characters, the-girl-on-the-HRtP-banner-who-may-or-may-not-be-Kikuri, those-two-angel-dudes-who-are-annoying-to-deal-with-already-like-Sariel, or even Jun, but understand that my goal has never been to leave these characters out, no matter how generic, plenty can and should should have a place in terms of usage in fan-made content.

In fact, if I could have my way, these characters would be included as background character art pieces to games and sophisticated art creations so as to not leave them out of good fan art pieces showing the (almost) entire cast of Touhou. There are a number out there today in Japan who have existing knowledge of every character and design in Touhou, so my dream involves a more western signal boost of these obscure characters with substantial enough appearances.

In the past I've said I've loved every character, and I do very much do, but I extended more attention of mine to those that I think need and deserve it. With great irony that my favorites are often times outclassing the listed characters from above, my shtick is to expand this project to the Touhou community at large. I don't honestly want to have made my big post for the decade I've known Touhou to be under the promise that new content is coming, but I already know there is no deadline for this, and I can take as much time to polish this as possible. That said, I spoke with 'we' because already there is art made of these characters that is because I put them out there, and while ultimately I don't ultimately want total creation art to be focused on me, I do want to inspire people to do more with these characters, and I know ultimately I'm working on art that's aimed at being used and posted to more expansive areas, like Pixiv eventually too.

Such things I will aim to create is focused on the medium I can do, pixel art. I'm going to create art that's whole focus is expanding and filling what many Touhou fangames and even official games themselves are missing: obscure Touhou character inclusion. That's indeed why I'm posting new WIP art for the following.

Walfas Customs:
Touhou PC-98 Era-styled Shoot 'em Up styled sprites:



Touhou(mon) Puppet Dance Performance sprites:



Of course, I'm not going to forget characters like the HRtP ending characters, the many shrine maidens and misc characters, and even other underrated named Touhou characters, but since I'm not prolific, I just haven't really gotten to these things yet. In many ways I would love help in creating some things like (especially) Walfas customs and StG sprites, I won't immediately call on people for requests n' stuff though.

I will close my decade's worth of time with Touhou knowing I know how a formally announced a focus, and to break past old self-imposed limits that held me back from posting and giving back to the wonderful people in the Touhou Project community, and to the series that started it all, and of course my hero, ZUN. I hope my the time it's the next decade of me being a Touhou Project fan, which will continue forevermore, that my dream can come true, and that in Touhou's lifetime, no Touhou character is truly left behind.

---

It's been too long since I've made another callback to this date. While I started my Walfasing as a Fifth Year as a Fan of the Touhou Project with old favorites and a simple outlook, and continue into my Sixth Year as a Touhou Project Fan with that year being dedicated to Touhou's stories giving me more to say on the series itself and thanks to the community I've stayed with, and late to create my Seventh Year as a Touhou Project Fan with a broadly expanded outlook and newfound creative passion for a select set of characters, I would see myself on self-imposed hiatus from doing another anniversary picture for three whole years, not only due to two full-time student years in college, but being at the precipice of a contest, and the clean-up of college that stole my time to otherwise do the projects I set out to do in years where I had time to do them, this would lead me to decide to hold off until the date where I truly hit a milestone I could not ignore.

Now, I stand before the world everyday reminded that while I still have much to do, improve, and go forward with, I would not have done this all without the drive and passion the Touhou Project and its creator has bestowed upon me. If we could count this day as an end result, there would be countless examples both personal and factual Touhou allowed changes on. Starting all the way back in Middle School even, I couldn't be more oblivious to the destiny laid out before me that kicked off with something so silly (which itself was a re-upload of a re-upload). Even after finding the video that truly started it all, I wouldn't even know the name of the series, yet find myself grossly, hopelessly addicted to the music by this same uploader who never once spoke on the series name.

The day I saw what the series was called was the day I would unintentionally skip out on homework to search everything I could regarding the series out of the interest brewed into me by the series' music. Ever since then, here I am, happy to have spent that time as it got me to care about living life, so I wouldn't be intentionally skipping any more important duties from then on; Touhou stopped me from giving up back then when I had no drive or motivation. I never would have had the drive or motivation I do now, Touhou not only gave me something to look forwards to every time I would come home from school, but it seriously kicked my sorry butt out of state of mind where I use to think I would never amount to anything, and that there was nothing in this lonely world I could work towards.

Hoo boy, how that all changed.

Nowadays, I can't spend a single waking moment not doing something, or moving forwards with life, and making progress to amount to something and someone who I can be and be happy with. I can't even remember the last time I wasn't just thankful for every day I could wake up to enjoy or do something new and exciting. As cheesy as it may be to say, the world isn't so washed-out and lifeless anymore because Touhou got me to appreciate the bright and colorful world of Earth. I'm endlessly thankful for friends I've been allowed to make when having something like Touhou made me start trying to be a better person in Middle School instead my young, annoying, selfish old self. Now I'm even able to stand up in front of a crowd of people and give a testimony on the new outlooks I have with life, faith, and passion.

Even small things in the grand scheme of things can change a person's life, give comfort and solace from the life that is full of pains and strifes, and provide the backbones and stepping stones to bigger and better things. For me, that has been Touhou which has done all of this and more...

THANKS ETERNALLY TO OTA JUN'YA FOR ALL TEN YEARS OF TOUHOU PROJECT AMAZEMENT, AND TO THE FRIENDS THAT I HAVE TODAY. EVERY ONE OF YOU PUSH ME TO BE A BETTER PERSON EVERY SINGLE DAY I LIVE! I AM SO HAPPY AND THANKFUL FOR YOU ALL MAKING THE SERIES THAT ALREADY CHANGED MY LIFE THAT MUCH MORE PHENOMENAL.

I LOOK FORWARDS TO BEING HERE MORE AND GROWING PASSION, LOVE, CAREER, AND SUCCESS. I HOPE I WAS A FORCE FOR GOOD AND/OR JOY FOR MANY OF YOU AS WELL! 

May life continue go on.

May life continue to be wonderful.

May life give us all knowledge.

May life give reason to love.

May life give no reason to hate.

May life give rise to great changes.

May life bring more learning.

May life bring more fun.

May life bring dreams to completion.

May life bring us more empathy.

May life bring us time to use wisely.

And may God bless us.