Shou Thread
It'd be REALLY bad if you tried to pet this tiger's head.
>>48322767How bad are we talking?
>>48322532Shou is one of Touhou's biggest casualties. At first glance, there's no obvious reason as to why she's as unpopular as she is.I guess she just never had momentum from the get-go, which in turn resulted in less fan content, and she just got progressively obscured by the rest of the cast.Sure, there are other unpopular characters, but those are easier to explain away. Shou forms part of a relatively popular group in the cast, she is closely tied to them, she even is relevant to the story of her game, and she's damned stage 5 boss, arguably the stage responsible for the most consistently popular characters.So in my lack of clear answers, I return to you, /jp/sies. What is the cause of Shou's lack of love?
>>48327851she's not cute.
>>48327851She is a duty focused character who's religion basically revolves around doing nothing fun ever, she's got a god keeping an eye on her, and she's supposed to be the avatar of Bishamonten for the temple, which means she's not really allowed to be away from the place for very long.I think that despite being popular as a group, only Byakuren, Nue, and Kogasa are particularly popular UFOhus individually.If Shou had something more specific to do outside of the context of the temple, she might be more popular
>>48327903I mean, Shou's a drunkard and her only meme for FOREVER has been that she's a clumsy klutz that's bad at her jobShe never shows up, she never took off and the cast of UFO wasn't very popular to begin with, and ZUN's probably forgotten about her.Which is a shame because I really like her design and premise. She was honestly robbedSide note, she probably would've been more popular if she actually had a tail and tiger ears
>>48322532Inside Shou there are 2 tigers.One is irrelevant.The other is irrelevant.Shou is irrelevant.
>>48328295Inside you is a tiger and a mouse.They are both futahus and you are regretting your slander.
>>48327851Shes chronically uncool.Imagine having a spear and just having it for show.Kokoro of all characters took her place as the franchise spear user, KOKORO.Shou simply does nothing, and I mean NOTHING.>>48327903>She is a duty focused character who's religion basically revolves around doing nothing fun ever, she's got a god keeping an eye on her, and she's supposed to be the avatar of Bishamonten for the temple, which means she's not really allowed to be away from the place for very long.I dont think that counts, only Byakuren follows the rules of her own temple*, her cronies drink, eat meat, party, and all that stuff, I dont think thats a good motive as to why Shou is irrelevant.*Only some of them.>>48328022I think that the thing that did the most damage to her was never being playable, to be honest.Being playable would fix some of her issues.
>>48328022>ZUN's probably forgotten about her.She appeared in CDS scolding Nazrin which honestly bullshit because I think the fanon dynamic of her being the incompetent one is cuter, even more so with what UFO gave us originally to work with, with Naz being super straightforward in her speech and actually doing her job in delivering the pagoda, also Shou is the only character that gets this dumb expression in pic rel ever iirc and more importantly took part in the fightfagging against Flan with Byak, which is something.She was also mentioned in Naz's route in UDoALG.She is kind of the only UFO girl ZUN hasnt used for anything in the main games as of now alongside NueBut hey Naz out of all people made it to a fucking vs game even if she was just fodder and actually sucked to play asSo yeah dont lose hope Shoubros.>Side note, she probably would've been more popular if she actually had a tail and tiger earsProbably, but yet again she isnt ACTUALLY a tiger so it makes sense thematically why she doesnt have these animal features I completely encourage it tho tigers are super cute
>>48327851No animal ears
>>48328357>CDSI think I saw a grand total of two artists acknowledging that. She went too long without having any other official content, so I guess the usual interpretation is stuck on too hard.
>>48329579Maybe if she had a whole chapter in LE/whatever new SoL manga ZUN shits out focused on her and Naz the newer depiction would stuck but who knows, fanon is very hard headed about these things.Even with all the new stuff Ran has been getting since her reintroduction in UDoALG some people will never not see her as a dumb pervert
>>48322532Nahhh aint no way they whitewashed shou :joy:
>>48330013Well, that makes me wonder. People have been getting a fair deal of mileage out of Ran's connection with Yuuma. It didn't replace her interpretation, but it gave people more material to work with. So maybe it's that new connections with an established character will be picked up, but information that conflicts with a popularly-depicted dynamic will just be disregarded. Maybe Shou just needs to spend some time with somebody other than Buddhists.
>>48330572Eh, Enoko is connected to Marisa, Biten is connected to Sanae. and Zanmu is connected to a whole bunch of the cast and none of them are popular either. Toutetsu is probably the only exception to this because she got paired with Flan of all people first and the connection to Ran is just a cherry on top
I just think she's neat
As one of the few existing Shou fans in existence. Nothing will ever piss me off as much as Shou not being playable, not being relevant, not event being mentioned in Touhou 13.5 (Shes in the background on Myouren temple atleast) the game about a fucking religious war. But oh well thems the breaks I guess
>>48338081She is very cool honestly.
>>48338081Of course she is, all lesbians are neat.
>>48339460From one Shou fan to another, she'll be playable some day. I just know it.
>>48339460she got to appear on the opening scroll at least
>>48341868oh yeah there she is
>>48351095This picture isn't very flattering for Nazrin...
>>48356247that's just his brother Nirzan filling up for her
>>48351095Shou with big boobs just feels right
>>48364539big boobs for big cat!
>>48327851>So in my lack of clear answers, I return to you, /jp/sies. What is the cause of Shou's lack of love?I've never seen a depiction of Shou in doujinshi I agreed with.Like, there's the "Beast just beneath the skin!" projections in the one where she fights Flan ferociously as a tiger or that one Zounouse one with the garden fertilized by human remains, but those always struck me as wrong. Shou was a rare virtuous Youkai and the Japanese idea of a tiger, which I think was more noble then bestial.Then, on the other hand, there's the "Struggling within her role" instances where she's faced with some conflict in being an idol or serving and being technically above Hijiri at the same time. I don't like these either because I see Shou as being very good at her job(tigers are popular mascots and all) and her relationship with Hijiri as being very high-functioning most of the time.Then there's all the Yuri. Poor Shou lacks so much characterization in the games themselves she gets type-cast because perverts can't let Nuns be pure.I'm trying to write a story, with Shou as a strong secondary character, where a estranged human is saved by an emaciated, abandoned god and becomes it's follower, meanwhile, someone is performing human sacrifices in Gensokyo and the follower is suspect. Shou's role in the story is as a mentor and monitor, teaching the human ways she sees as "proper" for gathering faith while trying to determine if the estranged human is the culprit. The way I see it, Shou will confidently give advice that works at the Myouren temple, but won't understand what it's like to lack the resources to do everything morally, leading the follower to do things that increase her suspicions.I guess this means I see Shou as someone who wants to be helpful, fulfills her role well, but has trouble empathizing with others? The theme of the story is about how sometimes people are too proud and morally obstinate to take good opportunities that they feel are beneath them, so I don't know if I'm just projecting that onto the character.Anyway, when it comes to looks and disposition, Shou is 110% my type.
>>48368232I think there is merit in exploring the "beast hiding under the skin" theme, but it shouldn't be the current day Shou. There is a doujin where Nue takes everyone to the past (somehow) and we get to see a delinquent Shou. The road to her current position is a more interesting concept to many.Current day Shou however is kind of dull I won't lie, but there are some nice doujins like the one where she has to deal with Seija and beat her with kindness.Don't think I ever saw her as typecasted into a yuri role, unless you count the light yuri in Dynamo doujins.Oh and Zounose Shou is one of the weakest depictions we have imo, he kind of doesn't seem to get or agree with what Shou is in canon.>I'm trying to write a story, with ShouI personally think Shou would want to give advice to someone going through basically what she went through becoming an avatar, but she can't be as good as Hijiri so he can't or won't accept her help.I think it's a good premise you are going for.
From what little she gets in Grimoire of Usami what I took away from her three lines was::1. She's a teacher to a mostly unreceptive treasure obsessed Nazrin2. She's dutiful and resilient and puts a high regard to training3. She has somewhat of a wild side to her since she's a beast yokai in the endCDS mostly demonstrates the first and third sparingly while the second remains unexplored more or less
>>48368487>but she can't be as good as Hijiri so he can't or won't accept her help.The way I've been writing the Estranged One is as someone who is, on the outside, hyper rationale. So, when he's evicted from the village because he keeps getting attacked by youkai, he doesn't get upset because he understands why the villagers are exiling him. Similarly, when people come to see him at the emaciated god's shrine and make one-sided demands that they accept their help, he doesn't push back because it's clear the only other choice is to become a culprit.What I want to bring out of Shou with him is both her dutiful side and when that duty becomes obstinance. The Estranged One does many things a proper Buddhist would, like he doesn't hold a grudge against youkai, which she approves of, but he doesn't do that because he's benevolent, he just reasons that it's counter-productive, which makes her uncomfortable. She'll wonder throughout the story whether he's merely a cold, calculating person(reflecting her own ideal as merely an avatar) or if there's something beneath it all. Like he might give her a heartfelt gift of clementines out of thanks for something, but she'll wonder if she received it because he just thought it would be an easy way to placate her. In the end, even if the Estranged One isn't the culprit performing human sacrifices, if Shou finds that he's the kind of person who would do that if it made pragmatic sense, she'll have to take care of him.It's kind of like a timebomb of a love story. The closer the two come to understanding each other, the more dangerous things may become, and at the end, the bomb could go off. I like dangerous romances.
>>48368232>>48370373I have never felt a greater urge to write a het Shou romance fic now.
>>48368232It's a difficult balance. Personally, the one where she was getting trolled by Seija was closest for me, but even then it leans pretty heavily on her being pitiful. Guess it's hard to just pass over that characterization.
One of the top 20 2hus I want to hug.
>>48373735Who are the other 19?
>>48373742Also Shou. I am not that Anon.
>>48373742Any tall or soft hus would make the list I imagine, some short ones like Kosuzu or Marisa would also be fun to hug.
pretty tiger with pretty lasers
>>48375895What happens if I grab her tail?
>>48322532Shit Shou
>>48394041Shit anon bitch fag
>>48393873You don't want to find out
>>48393873Complete tiger submission. Or you die. One of those.
>>48416602I'll take the risk!
>>48327851Her being mild mannered and diligent just isn't as entertaining as more boisterous 2hus.But personally, that down-to-earth personality is what drew me in the first place. She's naturally friendly and doesn't have to put on a face for her avatar job. It's a breath of fresh air when you compare it to typical youkai shenanigans. Also contrasts nicely with Nazrin's ambivalence towards the rest of the temple.>>48368232I don't blame artists trying to spice things up for lack of canon material. At least the beast aspect ties in with her occasional anger, something I wish would be explored more beyond a few CDS panels.
>>48428453Also, tigers are cool.
Just because it's cold doesn't mean you can sleep in!
>>48428989Stop being such a crybaby. Tigers have plenty of fur to keep themselves warm.
>>48429804Shou's beauty rest is an essential step to attracting followers. Imagine how badly it would reflect on the temple if those who came to pray to her found her yawning and sleepy!
Shou is bad with computers.Image resaved as jpg to fit filesize requirements. Original here: https://www.pixiv.net/artworks/125033557
>>48448611bigger.
>>48455702A shou in its natural habitat
smuggggggggg
coolest tiger this side of the barrier!
can you locate Shou?
>>48494772Shou's the easiest one to find, she's next to Yukari and Suwakonow, for the real challenge... find Shizuha, Minoriko, Medicine and Lunasa.
>>48494783yea her hair is pretty easy to spot whoops as for those 4 they are in a row starting from the bottom right of the pic
>>48494799Yep, you got it.The only real "tell" for which one's Shizuha and which one's Minoriko are the boobs. Medicine's easy to miss. Lunasa's got her hat.Hardest one is probably Hecatia if you don't remember that her hair color actually changes.
>>48494819Im guessing the one holding medicine is star sapphire? could be just her holding that fairy thing she carries with her but its weird to see luna and sunny without her. cirno seems to be hidden below CP
>>48498664You can see the one holding medicine has dark hair and wings, so it's 100% Star.
>>48498664>>48500729Yeah, that's her. Honestly it's just as weird having her be there as it would be having her missing.
>>48504053Casual clothes Shou a cute.
>>48508416Oh ABSOLUTELY. Gives her a completely different feel.
>>48510749
the one character that would feel the best to hug
If Byakuren let everyone at Myouren Temple have a motorcycle, they could be Myouren Temple MC. Youkai buddhist biker gang.
>>48322532Shoe
>>48530781Stierhoe
sh oe
Shh... Oh...
>>48543947Serious Shou has a hard time...
wish this was my christmas present
>>48549447Why? I bet she eats a lot.
Big sis Shou is going to take a long nap...
not yet
>>48555377Feeding the tiger is cool.
>>48574687Shou was very wild in her older days, working for miss. Kurokoma and living meal to meal.It's a good thing she straightened up.
It's (not) the year of the tiger ;_;
>>48590009The Shou thread of the year of the tiger was one of the best she ever had
>>48590862Good for Shou nee-sn.
>>48562044okay now
Wake up Shou, it's time to drink!
>>48594164She was hiding under the table from the loud noises.
>>48598385The poor thing! Is she okay?
>>48599229She's still recovering, maybe a slab of meat would help.
>>48602540Oh I'm going to give her some meat alright...
>>48606645That's a nice gesture. Shou can only eat meat that has been donated. Unless that's one of those things Byakuren doesn't actually care about.
>>48610730What about man "meat?
>>48615955Shou couldn't eat man. The damage to Myouren Temple's public image would be irreparable.
>>48538289sh oeshitty hoe
feed the tiger
>>48624845please dont call her that...
>>48630525Feed her cocks.
>>48630525Feed her love and attention
>>48634921Her Kutaka?
>>48643262yes
>>48643262How can Shou be so bad at mahjong?
>>48655689she's just like me...
>>48364539People only draw Shou with big boobs because she'd look like a boy without them. Gotta make sure the audience knows it's a female and you're not actually secretly gay or anything.
>>48659297shou is a cute girl regardless of boob size!
>>48659365She's my cute nee-san~
