[ooc] Boundary between Power Seep and Power Creep (Power Explanation post)
Yukari is, in canon, pretty close to having the most broken, munchkin power in all of existence.
"Manipulation of boundaries". There are no restrictions on that, which makes sense as restriction is a boundary. While the most obvious use of this power is best known in-fandom as "gaphax" - which is to say, thinking with portalsgaps - the outer limits of the power are as far as one's imagination can go. Shapeshifting? Boundary between one form and another. Mind-reading? Boundary between inner thoughts and spoken word. Hell, in-canon she is stated as having manipulated the boundary "between truth and falsehoods" in order to travel to the moon - by marching into its reflection on the surface of a lake.
Even at 50% power, Yukari would still be able to effortlessly make Luceti her plaything.
Luckily, there's a way around that. See, Yukari possesses godlike power in her canon for more than one reason. Not only is she a godmoding cheater, but her powers are the very thing that cause the realm of Gensokyo to exist. As of such, it is entirely possible that her powers have been stripped away - given to the next in the Yakumo line, her shikigami Ran - in order for Gensokyo to remain safe in her absence.
As of such, Yukari will have only a smattering of her original powers in Luceti, or, in fact, any other game in the future that requires power nerfing.
GAPHAX - This one is obvious. She will still be able to create gaps - portals in the fabric of space and time - to minor effect. Such teleportation is limited now, though, to a roughly one mile radius or so, and cannot bypass any other magically-created barriers such as the one keeping her within the setting. In addition, while small objects and single people are alright, she won't be able to create a gap large enough to fit an army through or anything.
Boundary between Life and Death - One of her big canon 'manipulations', the border of life and death is incredibly easy to spot for her, and easy to manipulate. However, what she can do with that manipulation is vastly reduced - she can't enter the spirit world or bring the dead back to life, but she can speak to spirits lingering in the world of the living, and she can "strengthen" a person's personal boundary in emergencies - a sort of magical life-support if you will. However, such power does not reduce pain or aid healing, meaning it's mostly an emergency stopgap (heh see what I did there) measure.
Boundary between Light and Darkness - Likewise an easy border to manipulate, but also one that is often incredibly small and, due to youkai being mostly nocturnal, one with very little benefit of playing with in native canon. In a more survival-based setting such as Luceti, however, it offers the benefit of stealth. Meddling with this boundary allows her to effectively 'vanish' in any shadows, though those with working senses of smell and hearing would still be able to detect her, as well as anyone with magic-sight. More importantly, tweaking this boundary on someone's eyes can be used to induce temporary blindness, something akin to a flashbomb that lasts for a few minutes. Not long at all, but certainly long enough to make a getaway if threatened.
Spell cards - Danmaku, that is to say bullet hell, in the Touhou universe is entirely non-lethal and has become the standard way of resolving differences in her canon. Should someone actually agree to a spell card duel with Yukari, it should be noted that her skills in danmaku are unhindered - and she's not exactly a slouch. The only solace that you can take is that usually, she's not really that serious in spellcard duels. Regardless, you have to ask yourself. KING OF HEROES, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH BULLETS?
Personal headcanon says that getting hit by Touhou-styled danmaku is about akin, sensation-wise, to rubber bullets or, in more magical circumstances, getting light burns. It won't kill you, but it sure as hell doesn't feel pleasant.
Youkai strength - Yukari is an inhuman being, and as of such, doesn't quite conform to the human standards of power. She's able to take a lot more physical abuse, and despite her relatively waifish proportions, has physical strength roughly akin to a professional baseball player. The short form of this is that if she smacks you with her parasol, it won't particularly feel good.
Flight - In Touhou canon, EVERYONE flies. ALWAYS. The Luceti wings cancel out the loss of ability from power drain there, leaving it possible for Yukari to move around at low altitudes - she'll be able to clear the tops of houses if she wants to, but not much higher than that.
Hammerspace - In the fighting games, at least, Yukari has shown that she has access to a rather... confusing hyperspace arsenal, composed of street signs, melee weaponry... and trains. She still has limited access to this, but only can access the handheld items she actually had in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody - which means no trains. Likewise, if she procures anything from Luceti's weapon shop, she can, to steal an image from Homestuck, add it to her strife specibus.
Any questions, thoughts, complaints on the powers she still has remaining? Feel free to leave them here!
"Manipulation of boundaries". There are no restrictions on that, which makes sense as restriction is a boundary. While the most obvious use of this power is best known in-fandom as "gaphax" - which is to say, thinking with portalsgaps - the outer limits of the power are as far as one's imagination can go. Shapeshifting? Boundary between one form and another. Mind-reading? Boundary between inner thoughts and spoken word. Hell, in-canon she is stated as having manipulated the boundary "between truth and falsehoods" in order to travel to the moon - by marching into its reflection on the surface of a lake.
Even at 50% power, Yukari would still be able to effortlessly make Luceti her plaything.
Luckily, there's a way around that. See, Yukari possesses godlike power in her canon for more than one reason. Not only is she a godmoding cheater, but her powers are the very thing that cause the realm of Gensokyo to exist. As of such, it is entirely possible that her powers have been stripped away - given to the next in the Yakumo line, her shikigami Ran - in order for Gensokyo to remain safe in her absence.
As of such, Yukari will have only a smattering of her original powers in Luceti, or, in fact, any other game in the future that requires power nerfing.
GAPHAX - This one is obvious. She will still be able to create gaps - portals in the fabric of space and time - to minor effect. Such teleportation is limited now, though, to a roughly one mile radius or so, and cannot bypass any other magically-created barriers such as the one keeping her within the setting. In addition, while small objects and single people are alright, she won't be able to create a gap large enough to fit an army through or anything.
Boundary between Life and Death - One of her big canon 'manipulations', the border of life and death is incredibly easy to spot for her, and easy to manipulate. However, what she can do with that manipulation is vastly reduced - she can't enter the spirit world or bring the dead back to life, but she can speak to spirits lingering in the world of the living, and she can "strengthen" a person's personal boundary in emergencies - a sort of magical life-support if you will. However, such power does not reduce pain or aid healing, meaning it's mostly an emergency stopgap (heh see what I did there) measure.
Boundary between Light and Darkness - Likewise an easy border to manipulate, but also one that is often incredibly small and, due to youkai being mostly nocturnal, one with very little benefit of playing with in native canon. In a more survival-based setting such as Luceti, however, it offers the benefit of stealth. Meddling with this boundary allows her to effectively 'vanish' in any shadows, though those with working senses of smell and hearing would still be able to detect her, as well as anyone with magic-sight. More importantly, tweaking this boundary on someone's eyes can be used to induce temporary blindness, something akin to a flashbomb that lasts for a few minutes. Not long at all, but certainly long enough to make a getaway if threatened.
Spell cards - Danmaku, that is to say bullet hell, in the Touhou universe is entirely non-lethal and has become the standard way of resolving differences in her canon. Should someone actually agree to a spell card duel with Yukari, it should be noted that her skills in danmaku are unhindered - and she's not exactly a slouch. The only solace that you can take is that usually, she's not really that serious in spellcard duels. Regardless, you have to ask yourself. KING OF HEROES, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH BULLETS?
Personal headcanon says that getting hit by Touhou-styled danmaku is about akin, sensation-wise, to rubber bullets or, in more magical circumstances, getting light burns. It won't kill you, but it sure as hell doesn't feel pleasant.
Youkai strength - Yukari is an inhuman being, and as of such, doesn't quite conform to the human standards of power. She's able to take a lot more physical abuse, and despite her relatively waifish proportions, has physical strength roughly akin to a professional baseball player. The short form of this is that if she smacks you with her parasol, it won't particularly feel good.
Flight - In Touhou canon, EVERYONE flies. ALWAYS. The Luceti wings cancel out the loss of ability from power drain there, leaving it possible for Yukari to move around at low altitudes - she'll be able to clear the tops of houses if she wants to, but not much higher than that.
Hammerspace - In the fighting games, at least, Yukari has shown that she has access to a rather... confusing hyperspace arsenal, composed of street signs, melee weaponry... and trains. She still has limited access to this, but only can access the handheld items she actually had in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody - which means no trains. Likewise, if she procures anything from Luceti's weapon shop, she can, to steal an image from Homestuck, add it to her strife specibus.
Any questions, thoughts, complaints on the powers she still has remaining? Feel free to leave them here!