The RaiLyri Bible

Artwork drawn by LyricaLive & Lori-hime.
See more on Twitter, Tumblr, or Pixiv!

Comics

This bilingual comic (read right to left) was featured in the Raiko Horikawa Joint Magazine, volume 5!

Other:

Fanfiction

  • Arrange of Drum and Bass ~ (20k words)
    A ghostly musician strikes a chord with a living instrument, as the Prismriver Sisters bond with their charismatic new colleague.  Tabloids, tension, and musical confessions - the beginnings of celebrity romance, told from their alternating perspectives.

  • Quarter Rest ~ (7k words)
    After a practice session for a new lyrical song, the casually dating bandmates spend the night chatting about how they got where they are.  A song is already complete without words, but words can also add a lot to the experience...

  • Easygoing Egoists ~ (13k words)
    Raiko invites several stray tsukumogami to board at the Prismriver mansion.  Unfortunately, this also attracts a disastrous duo of uninvited guests.

  • Sound Bites ~ (4k words)
    A sampling of sketchy, flirty, random dialogues between the musical pair.

  • Tonight's Stars ~ (1k words)
    Lyrica shares her unique hobby - not stargazing, but star-hearing.

  • (General)  Vignettes of Rainbow River ~ (15k words)
    Musical memories record the development over time of the Prismriver band.

  • (General)  Eastern Soul Word Album ~ (18k words)
    In this hard-hitting exclusive, the tengu journalists interview all the popular entertainers... and research the musical tastes of every fan in Gensokyo!

  • (General)  Taiko Task Master ~ (2k words)
    A silly concept for a parody of the game show "Taskmaster."

Music

Memes

Edits compiled by Lori-hime, part of a Touhou meme thread~

Horismriver Day

Are you inspired to create your own art of Prismriver with H, or RaiLyri?
If so, there would be no better date of the year to do so than March 4th!Many Touhou characters and pairings have recognized "holidays" amongst the fan community, often based on goroawase: puns involving the Japanese pronunciation of numbers. Since 2022, we have attempted to propose one for Gensokyo's best band! (Info post on Twitter.)- The Prismriver Ensemble was a group of 3, who became 4 (again).
- "3" and "4" are pronounced "san"/"shi". Sanshimai (三姉妹) means "three sisters." 🎻🎺🎹
- "March 4th" sounds like "march forth"... as in, to the beat of a drum. 🥁Several artists have caught on and contributed to the tag #3月4日はホリズムリバーの日 on Twitter! (Also on Pixiv!)
Use this tag and drum up support!  Thank you for your consideration~

SEE ALSO:   Our RaiLyri tribute blog on Tumblr ~ STARSTRUCK!

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

Artwork commissioned by LyricaLive & Lori-hime.
Click images for full size and artist names!

They say money can't buy happiness... and yet it can buy commissions of your rare OTP. Curious!
Of course, it's more than money; art takes a lot of love as well.  And there's such a special feeling in seeing it done by our favorite artists!If you're a Touhou artist, would you like to draw THEM for us?  We like to buy commissions monthly!
Please send your commission info to @merryreverie on Twitter, or @lyricalive on Bluesky!Some favorite scenarios are:
- bonding over music,
- chilling casually as bandmates,
- Lyrica being stubbornly tsundere for Raiko's over-the-top flirtation. ♥

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

🥁🎹A living instrument and a ghostly musician.
Raiko is flirtatiously forward, while Lyrica is pridefully resistant, but they harmonize perfectly in their musical goals.
Bandmates who channel their passion into fun games of tension-and-release!

Canon

Lyrica Prismriver was introduced in Touhou 7: Perfect Cherry Blossom. Lyrica is a poltergeist musician who performs together with her two sisters: Lunasa, the somber violinist who plays "melancholy notes," and Merlin, the happy trumpetist who plays "manic notes."As the youngest but most technically skilled member of the Prismriver band, Lyrica is the capricious force that balances her sisters' emotional extremes. She specializes in keyboard and percussion, while she can also play any instrument necessary to round out an arrangement. Using her synthesizer's technology, and her special ability to play "illusionary notes," she can even channel sounds from the future, the past, and pure imagination.In her profile, Lyrica is described as clever and sly. The Prismrivers' personalities are further showcased in the print work, Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red: During her interview, Lyrica is confidently self-affirming about her great talent and her musical ideals, repeatedly referring to herself as "amazing".Moreover, the Prismrivers' backstory reveals that they once had a fourth "sister"... Layla, the human who created them as a replacement for her estranged family. After the human died, the poltergeists' artificial spirits inexplicably linger on, channeling their natural noise-making proclivities into a musical career.In Touhou 9: Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Lyrica takes the spotlight in a playable route as she goes out in search of new sound samples to use in her music. She encounters the judge of the afterlife, who warns her (and her tagalong sisters) that they may be in danger of disappearing if they don't clarify their purpose for existence since their original one is gone.Nevertheless, the ending scene sees them thriving as they carry out a concert in the flower garden. The song they play, composed by Lyrica, is an ode to rebirth and second life, and the purpose of their music is to "to inform dim-witted humans that ghosts can even dwell inside of objects." This references the phenomenon of poltergeists (spirits who act upon physical objects), while also evoking the phenomenon of tsukumogami (spirits who are born from physical objects). The two supernatural species seem very compatible...Raiko Horikawa was introduced in Touhou 14: Double Dealing Character - a game that's all about tsukumogami. Raiko is the living spirit of a traditional taiko drum, who seems to have led a low-key existence until getting caught up in the tempest known as the "Reversal Incident." A magical thunderstorm gives a surge of power to lowly tools like her, inspiring a revolution of the weak over the strong.However, Raiko realizes that this power won't last forever, and that it's also at risk of taking over her personality. Wanting to be in control of herself, but also wanting to maintain this newfound strength, she cleverly finds a way to dispel the effects of the possession: by moving her spirit out of the old taiko body and into a new, modern drum kit which channels energy instead from the outside world. For her, this is something like a rebirth.Valuing freedom above all, she has a track record of standing up for tsukumogami rights (through Impossible Spell Card), announcing her intent to usher in a "paradise for tools." As a drum, Raiko enjoyed being played by people, so she isn't resentful of her past like other tsukumogami. At the same time, she likes being in charge, and her special ability to "make anything follow her rhythm" is something she often works to her advantage, literally and figuratively.In Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia, Raiko boldly approaches the Prismriver band. She claims that she's "had her eye on them for a while," and she proposes joining together... effectively declaring herself the band's new leader. There is some resistance, but the agreement is finalized after a few practice sessions go surprisingly well. There's something fateful about the Prismrivers returning once more to a band of four. And for Raiko, there is significance in making a name for herself as a tool who can stand with confidence alongside tool-using musicians.The setting of Touhou 15.5: Antinomy of Common Flowers is a highly-anticipated concert by the unified Prismriver with H, upon a newly-built stage in the nostalgic flower garden. Despite a troublesome incident that hampers the show, the band seems to be doing well, gathering many fans. Notably, the music on the game's title screen, as well as the final boss's theme "Tonight Stars an Easygoing Egoist," features instrumentation by the four iconic instruments of the band! A rare diagetic song in the Touhou series, it's amazing to see the characters tangibly embodied in music. We can truly hear their harmony!

Why are Lyrica and Raiko the best match?

Raiko likens her passionate, thunderous drumming to the sound of a beating heart, the "original instrument" that brings all life into existence. Although there is no explicit romance in the series, music is a theme that’s intrinsically “romantic”, fueled by passion and strong sensory impact. Raiko is the musician character who embodies these qualities best of all: heartbeat, rhythm, soul, sparks of electricity… It's endlessly fun to explore the overlap of the themes of love and music, and it genuinely feels like a meaningful angle from which to appreciate her character. And when it comes to characters who souls are literally made of music, the most romantic match has to be a fellow musician!

  • Lyrica is the only other band member with percussion experience. This would likely make her react the most strongly to Raiko's initial joining, while also giving them a lot to bond over. Is she annoyed to be overstepped? Is she glad to have her job made easier? Are there special ways they can collaborate?

  • Raiko is interested in modern technology, having upgraded her body with modern outside-world equipment. Lyrica, with her synthesized style, shares an affinity for the modern, and for sounds that come from other worlds. They each have unique techniques that the other would be specifically interested in. And they would make the best electronic music duets, with synth and drums being able to form a very complete stylistic soundscape.

  • Raiko is all about music as self-expression. She is also a free spirit who likes spice and variety. She would certainly get along with the serious Lunasa and the cheerful Merlin, but she wouldn't want to be tied down to one extreme. Not too happy or too sad, not too fast or slow, but just right... Raiko and Lyrica both value versatility in a way that doesn't compromise intensity.

  • Lyrica is the physically smallest of her sisters (source: ZUN's emails), while Raiko has been implicitly described as strong/buff (source: Grimoire of Usami). The exaggerated size difference makes for a charming appeal, similar to the appeal of Lyrica's small body being juxtaposed with her own large keyboard. Lyrica clearly has a thing for instruments bigger than her. Perhaps Raiko has a thing for ones that are cute and smaller, like her compact drum pads? Raiko doesn't want to feel constantly overpowered, but would also love the surprise of powerful energy coming in a small package.

  • Merlin and Lunasa, with their opposite emotional themes, serve as direct foils to each other. As a counterpart, focusing on interactions between Lyrica and Raiko then offers a good full balance of framework for exploring the whole band!

  • RaiLyri's boldly popping red-white-black color scheme is very satisfying, especially when Lyrica is portrayed with a ghostly white hue of hair (rather than interpreting its shading as a dark brown). The same colors arranged in different proportions make them fun to draw and look at in proximity.

  • Raiko's character title is "Phantasmal Percussionist" (夢幻), which feels compatible with the phantasmal illusionary notes (幻想) that Lyrica aims to gather. Raiko's position as a magical youkai sound source makes her someone that Lyrica has clear reason to be drawn to.

  • Notably, in turn, Raiko's magic energy is fueled by the passion of outside percussionists. Could Lyrica herself serve as a convenient power source...? Or, would Raiko at least joke tongue-in-cheek about it being a good reason to stick together?

  • Raiko and Lyrica are both smart and self-affirming, with casual attitudes. This allows them to trade plenty of entertaining sass. Their personalities embody the very essence of "easygoing egoists," and it's interesting to use them to explore the nuances of the border between selfishness and selflessness.

  • Some characters are too mature or disaffected that they would not be vulnerable to Raiko's charisma, not letting that major part of her appeal shine. Some characters are too immature, or such fawning fans, that they would fall too quickly with no tension. A bandmate like Lyrica is the type of character who provides the perfect balance of being funnily flusterable while keeping up a strong will as well.

  • There are many reasons it feels fitting to characterize Lyrica with a tsundere trope - stubbornly resistant to affection, but secretly sentimental. Firstly, it represents "a balance of positive and negative emotions," as is Lyrica's role to maintain within the band. Secondly, it covers her most important character traits of sassiness, sneakiness, and pridefulness. Thirdly, she is called out in PCB dialogue for rarely making friends; she seems socially evasive, focused only on her hobby, but clearly cares about working together toward harmony when it comes to that hobby of music. And fourthly, in Whispered Oracle, the wording of her "love fortune" is as tsundere-coded as it could be. In any case, tsundere is exactly the kind of dynamic that would give RaiLyri its mutually enjoyable tension!

  • Lyrica deserves more individual recognition, being the least popular sister of the trio. She is the only Prismriver with a playable game route. Her "illusion"-based ability is the most iconically evocative of Gensokyo's themes. She has the greatest variety of known talents and musical knowledge, described by ZUN as "unreasonably skilled." And she is literally the secret to her band's success, as the dissonance between Merlin and Lunasa's notes would not be safe for human listening without her intervention. I'd like people to be able to see Lyrica as her own entertaining character, rather than one among three.

  • Lyrica's relationship with Raiko works perfectly to frame all of these things - her cleverness, her stubbornness, and her cuteness. In return, it also wonderfully frames Raiko's charisma, confidence, and passion. It's really funny to think that the hottest and most popular celebrity, Raiko, would be drawn to the scrawniest and least popular... I love that funny contrast, while also going on to realize that they are actually very equal!

🎶 Even God needs to vent, even God above.
🎶 One thunderous cry, in the key of love!🎶 So we will play, play, play it from the heart... any whose rhythm feels perfect for the part.
🎶 Make it beat, beat, beat out of your chest... use those beats to orchestrate the rest.

For over a decade, my personal hobby has been writing English lyrics for Touhou music, under the name Lyrica Live. Through this hobby is how I came to meet my partner, Lori-hime. Duetting with this partner brought us very close, serving as the foundation for a greater commitment. Naturally, then, we have some bias toward a story of the talented musician who joined Lyrica's band and swept her off her feet.Not just as a formal pursuit, my partner also happens to have a habit of singing, humming, and keeping beats to improvised tunes around the house on a daily basis... which I appreciate so sincerely as something that makes my life more special and enjoyable.Youkai characters tend to be driven by a focused thematic interest or set of values (in this case, music). I relate to the vibe of Lyrica feeling like a character who was never interested in romance at all until it's coincidentally shown to harmonize with those values.Incidentally, my partner and I are both nonbinary, and there's a great appeal in relating to the characters' gender-nonconforming appearances (Lyrica being rather androgynous, and Raiko presenting very futch). This type of nonconforming is common among musicians and artists in general, and the vibe of it feels like it contributes to their aura of free expression.Together, they strongly represent an ideal of creative freedom and positive selfishness. Their arcs in canon were each complete before they ever met, but that means they were full individuals with a lot to offer each other. I like to see them as role models of people who know themselves well and act accordingly.Beyond the personal reasons, again, I really want others to appreciate the coupling simply because of how well it highlights the best points of two underrated characters. I hope you can feel the music resonate!  Thanks for listening!

If you've read this far, click here to delve further into headcanon! (COMING SOON)

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

Our proud collection of "Prismriver with H" physical merch.Click here for a thorough directory of sources (stores/artists)!

We love goods that feature the whole band, or sets of goods that include both Raiko & the Prismrivers in the same art style. Of course, we also love unique merch of individual characters by artists who love them. We must do our best to balance the collection's representation among the four members!

The itabag lights up in response to sound. ♪  The lights are arranged in a triangle shape to evoke the Prismrivers' spellcard "Concerto Grosso."

Special shout-out to these precious felt plushies from Deathburger (who has many characters available on Booth!).
These tiny maidens can accompany us to relevant destinations... like cosplay conventions, and this beginner's taiko drumming class.

A collection like this could only belong to Prismriver's #1 fan...

Custom Dolls

But wait, that's not all! In addition to proper fan merch, and lacking merch in the form of figures, we decided to make our own...

These are OB-11 Nendoroid dolls, one standard and one tall. By repurposing face plates from existing Nendoroids, and collecting a phantasmagoria of different doll parts and accessories, we can make fun customizations!

Raiko's smug red-eyed faceplate is actually a convenient spare from Mokou's official Nendoroid. Lyrica's cheeky face source is unknown, purchased from a listing on AliExpress, which is also where most of the individual clothing pieces came from.The wigs were the most difficult part. Lyrica's came from AliExpress, and we couldn't believe it was almost too poofy (we think of Lyrica's hair as very poofy!). Raiko's wig base came from Etsy, and was painstakingly styled by Lori.Raiko's drums were stolen from Nijika Ijichi's Nendoroid, while Lyrica's keyboard was stolen from Tsumugi Kotobuki's Figma.Anyway--  Shhhh!  The show is starting...!

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

RaiLyri can even appear in other games... and in the outside world!

Mabinogi

Mabinogi is a Korean MMORPG that offers an exceptional range of character customization. Lori-hime has been on-and-off obsessed with the game and its fashion features since 2008, before we met. When she pulled me into her world, what better thing to do together there than cosplay our OTPs?

There are a lot of music-related activities to do, some music-themed dungeons, and a rhythm mini-game called "freestyle jam" that you can play against others (including Touhou tracks, with the help of user-made score scrolls!). Stumbling across fellow Touhou cosplayers was especially a delight.

Skills and titles that we went out of our way to achieve for thematic purposes:
🎹 "Grandmaster Bard", "Master Instrumentalist", "The Fantastic Chorus Master"
🥁 "Master of March Song", "Master of Enthralling Performance", "The Storm Strider"

IRL

In 2014, I cosplayed Lyrica for the first time at Anime Expo in California.  (Extra photo taken by Jay421501.)
Please forgive the fact that my original cosplay interpreted Lyrica with a skirt. I would later have it specifically remade as shorts, because we're on Team Shorts Lyrica forever now!!!

In 2021, I reprised the costume for a very important purpose:  joining with my partner as Raiko!

At Holiday Matsuri in Florida, we handed out sample CDs of our lyrical music, and felt like a real band.

In 2023, my partner and I were invited as musical guests for the first annual TouhouFest convention in California.We ran a merchandise booth, hosted a panel, and performed a karaoke duet version of Raiko's theme song - all in RaiLyri cosplay!

We appeared again in 2024, and plan to continue attending in future years. I hope we planted the seed of RaiLyri in many people's hearts!

See also:
Other cosplays of RaiLyri and Prismriver with H by LunasaFrandle.

Miitopia

Does this count as cosplay?  I'd say it does...
For a Christmas gift in 2025, our friend TheLittleFire created RaiLyri characters in Miitopia-- and then set them up on adorable dates!!

"Stay in your lane, Raiko."

Check out the highlights!  Some of these are just too canon.

karaoke: raiko
karaoke: lyrica
art critique
geidontei
festival food (inuniku)
ascending currents
danmaku show

See also:
♪ Artist Miyamoto recreates RaiLyri in The Sims 4.
♪ User アキ recreates RaiLyri in Phantasy Star Online 2.

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

Putting the H in "Prismriver with H."Music is passion. Let's make more 'music' together... 💓

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
🔞 Scroll down only if you're comfortable with NSFW content! 🔞
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Commissions

Commission from Chadolbaegi!  See the original post on Bluesky or Twitter.One pose of Lyrica teasing Raiko, and one vice versa. The reversibility is important...

This artist's yuri is peak: soft, wholesome, open-minded, full of personality. Despite being unfamiliar with Touhou, they took care to indulge every headcanon: the incorporation of the drum pads, the use of electricity, and the details of their body type differences!

Comic comission from Nonmikan (のん)!  See the sample post on Skeb, select pages on Pixiv or Twitter.
Textless files and bonus panel variations can also be found on Fanbox by subscription only!The theme requested: "How did the instrument overtake the player?"  Raiko plays Lyrica and brings out her inner song...

日本語版 / JAPANESE DIALOGUE:

An indulgent and immersive progression, just like music! There's an incredible variety of expressions and poses, and a wonderful intimate feeling...
In commentary, the artist muses on how emotion can be conveyed through many mediums, the challenge of incorporating erotic emotions into music performance, and the appeal of using non-erotic items for erotic play. This is exactly what I want to think about!That said, you may notice a running theme of penetration by drumstick.
As a tsukumogami whose drumstick is part of her body, perhaps Raiko can actually feel the insertion too...

Personal Works

  • Fanfiction:  With a Bang ~ (9k words)
    Private sessions. A series of short vignettes, enjoying each other's sounds, switching up the roles of player and tool.

  • Fanfiction:  Strike Twice ~ (9k words)
    More private sessions. The running theme is mixing work and play. Lyrica gets a bit more chance to take the lead.

  • NSFW art blog:  latencylive on twitter.
    Complete compilation of sketches on Pixiv, with informative essay in the description.

THINGS THAT RAILYRI MIGHT BE INTO...



Spanking.


Obviously.


"I wonder what kind of sound the biggest drum pad makes?"



Other BDSM.


The traditional aesthetic of shibari bondage appeals to Raiko's history.
BDSM play, as a whole, has a great vibe that encapsulates a number of relevant interests to people like them, like exploration of sensory extremes, and conscious reversals of power (gekokujo).


"Hm-hm~  My very own little drum..."




Electricity.


An exciting jolt to the senses. Consider how light and voltage could work interestingly on a ghostly body. A feeling of weightlessness, intertwined with a feeling of pressure and intensity...





ASMR.


Poltergeists, and other musical youkai, experience the world through sound. A whisper directly in the ear could have unfathomable effect.





Tummies?


Mythologically... it's a well-known rumor that Raijin, the thunder god, has an appetite for exposed belly buttons.

Raiko is a top-leaning switch, while Lyrica is a bottom-leaning switch.Raiko is a drum who enjoyed being played by people, but she's also a drummer who prides herself on being able to control the rhythm of a situation.
Lyrica is an active and opinionated musician who likes to show off, but she also likes to seek "maximum gain from minimal effort" and leave difficult tasks for others.
Lyrica will probably take the bottom more often, but if they're both in a top mood, it could be fun to see a bit of competition~As entertainers, their nature is very pleasure-seeking. So they give the impression of a sexually active couple.
Luckily, having amazing rhythm means having amazing sex. Let them have it!!

More Works

Solo

Finally, here are a few solo lewd artworks that I recommend, because their vibes mesh well with my personal image of RaiLyri.

      LYRICA SOLO

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

A record of the history of RaiLyri as a coupling.

History

  • 2003, August

    ♪ Perfect Cherry Blossom is released.  The Prismriver Sisters begin to exist.

♪ Often overlooked lore about Lyrica is that she was once in charge of the band's percussion - and anything else that’s needed to fill in the gaps!

♪ Due to this percussion connection, Lyrica is sometimes drawn playing (2008) taiko (2011) drums (2012).  Foreshadowing???

♪ The artwork below was posted just five days before DDC’s release (August 7, 2013)!

  • 2013, August

    ♪ Double Dealing Character is released.  Raiko begins to exist.

♪ The day after release (August 13, 2013), someone posts the first art ever to portray "the percussion combo"!

This exact date also happens to be the very same day that I personally begin my journey as a serious Touhou fan:  when I write and post my first Touhou lyrics, for Lyrica's theme.  
Being a Lyrica main in PoFV, I consider her a high favorite, but I'm still not too well-rounded on all the characters.  I wouldn't play DDC or think too hard about Raiko for a while...

  • 2014, January

    ♪ The first art ever that looks specifically shippy!  What cute expressions...  Too bad the artist never seemed to follow up further.

  • 2014, February

    ♪ This one guy, named Irotsuki, fatefully enters the scene. He’s serious, and it becomes his life’s mission to popularize this pairing. He makes posts on Nicovideo with the tag "RaiLyri" (雷リリ), coining the ship name.

       His previous Twitter account is suspended - how tragic that such records are lost! - and his current Twitter requires an NSFW warning. But it must be known that, to this day, he is tweeting multiple times a month about how his followers should draw RaiLyri, and how more people should know about RaiLyri, and how he wants to find time to draw RaiLyri.

♪ He has relatively few (triple-digit) followers, but he seems to really make that voice heard! The seeds are planted...

  • ~2015-2017

    ♪ Following DDC, a sparse few other drawings crop up of them together... not necessarily shippy, but I love using this artist Yanagitan as an example, because they are a "rarepair artist" to me (I know them best through their Letty x Nemuno!). This work was apparently based on a suggestion from a request box. And Yanagitan’s account is followed by Irotsuki... hmm.

    ♪ I honestly wouldn’t doubt that literally all of it in this period can be traced back to that one guy... because nearly every other example I can find is tagged as gift/request art, specifically for him. Every year on his birthday, we can expect at least one more entry. Bless.

"But now that I think about it more calmly, I really should've added some actual percussion (laugh)."

--ZUN, in a Who’s Who article that was published the same month as Alternative Facts

  • 2017, March

    ♪ Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia releases.  The “Horismriver” band (aka "Prismriver with H") becomes canon.

    ...I can only assume that Mr. Irotsuki is freaking the hell out.  Can you imagine?

I remember what I was doing when I learned the news, myself:  I was actually working to finalize my Raiko lyrics!  I briefly considered reassigning the backup vocals of those lyrics to the Prismrivers instead of the Tsukumos because of it, but decided to keep it contained to DDC.  ...At this point, Lyrica has faded to the background among my favorite characters (in favor of the main ships that my partner and I relate to: Mokou/Kaguya and Renko/Merry), but I'm still using her name, so I feel fondly happy for her getting this development.

  • 2017, May

    ♪ In the space between AFiEU and AoCF, Miyamoto (also known as “the RaiLyri god”) descends to draw their first standalone piece of RaiLyri art. Canon aside, they directly credit their inspiration to Irotsuki. Prior, Miyamoto always specifically liked focusing on Merlin and Lunasa as foils to each other, so when given the suggestion, I think it came naturally to pair Raiko and Lyrica. I agree with that logic too!

  • 2017, December

    ♪ Antinomy of Common Flowers is released, featuring the band's concert as the game's setting. “Prismriver with H” is super-duper-double-canon.

    ♪ Getting very excited about AoCF on Twitter here is 8y, a very devout and prolific Raiko artist.  They lean toward RaiLuna, but are saying how they appreciate the potential for all these great Prismriver/Raiko interactions!

♪ In the next few years, 8y will go on to host the annual "Raiko Horikawa Joint Magazine".  They recruit anyone who loves Raiko (and characters adjacent to her) to submit illustrations to this Raiko-focused book which is sold at a DDC-only fan-gathering.  Irotsuki has contributed RaiLyri comics to that zine for several volumes, which are probably the first RaiLyris to ever exist in hard copy.

  • 2018-2020

    ♪ Here we can see another work by a mutual follower of Irotsuki, citing his influence.  A few more (somewhat risqué) Irotsuki-inspired things continue sparsely. The handful of work that exists otherwise is R-18, largely by artists DGsGear and 奈津みかん, who are also in the same social circle.

      ...He really gets around. This screenshotted request wasn’t actually fulfilled, but it offers a hilarious encapsulation of his vibe.

  • 2020, April

    ♪ After a three-year gap, Miyamoto has started getting into RaiLyri again...  Now there are whole comics?  With lore???

       What a coincidence that he would just so happen to resume this activity right before our own awakening...

  • 2020, August

    ♪ Now, over here on the western front:  My partner Lori and I are running a Discord server for our Touhou lyrics community.  During a discussion of shipping headcanons, friend and member Hourai din București posts the fateful shipping chart.

    Many of these pairing suggestions are just off-the-cuff thoughts, but they have at least some logic behind them:  for example, Narumi x Yuyuko...?  Well, they have interesting opposite powers over life and death.  And Raiko x Lyrica...  This is the first time Lori or I have ever heard this pairing acknowledged, but it does make sense knowing they are bandmates.

♪ Lori comments, in response, that she can imagine Lyrica harboring an “almost tsun” crush on the super-cool Raiko.  This image instantly strikes a chord with me, and I agree that this vibe works really well on Lyrica for a lot of reasons!  “Tsundere” is like a perfect keyword fallen into place:  it captures a sassy and prideful demeanor, and a thematic combination of both negative and positive emotions...  This could open up ways of understanding Lyrica that I've never realized!

  • 2020, October

    ♪ I finish my first fanfiction about RaiLyri, a short flirty one-shot that ends on an ambiguous cliffhanger.

It was supposed to end there.  It was just going to be a fun little exercise.  But...  Now I’m invested!

My mind, racing with the electricity of 100 brainstorms:  This could be an excellent opportunity to properly flesh out Lyrica’s character.  I deserve to pay her back for granting me her identity and keeping me company all these years...  And Raiko-- I realize that all of her thematics revolve around 'heartbeats' and 'passion,' which makes shipping/romance a genuinely meaningful way to explore her character, too... and I’m interested to pursue that, after having so much fun with her lyrics.  I want to relive and immerse in that empowering attitude. The whimsical freedom of these creative artists is something that really resonates with my ideals. And very uniquely to them, over any other adjacent musician character pairings (which I have thoroughly considered), Raiko and Lyrica present the most iconic physical contrasts to each other, while their goals and views toward music feel the most compatible.
“RaiLyri”...  Yes, RaiLyri should be a thing...

♪ I go searching for any existing precedent, and I find Miyamoto’s work in particular.  I’m flabbergasted by how excellent it is.  Insane high quality.  Heavensent.  Also, she’s kinda tsundere???  It’s actually really similar to our interpretation?  This is fate!!!

  • Becoming active on Twitter for the first time, I start posting artwork that goes with my fic, and I quickly get feedback directly from people like Irotsuki, 8y, and Miyamoto!!! These people really know how to find “their people”... I even notice 8y post (in Japanese) about their Raiko zine, and that they are considering opening it up to overseas artists. Lori and I are very excited, vowing to make time for it if this ever comes to fruition.

  • 2021, January

    ♪ First solo piece of RaiLyri art by my partner Lori!!

    Despite always liking it herself, I was getting so exclusively obsessed with it that even Lori was weirded out...  We had to talk it out a lot to get on the same page. Important points include their mutually gender-nonconforming vibes, which impacts us both a lot to be able to relate to... And most importantly, the fact that it’s a story of “the super-talented musician who came along and joined my band.”

    ♪ We begin doing collaborations, and also began preparing to cosplay RaiLyri for the convention Holiday Matsuri later this year! We would be very in-character, carrying a bag of Lyrica Live sample CDs and doing “promotion work” much like the pair was doing in the opening scene of my fic.
    Also, the timing was right for both of us to conveniently share in each other’s obsessions.
    Fun fact: RaiLyri and Scaramouche were almost fully contemporaneous.
    - 10/8/2020: finished RaiLyri fic
    - 11/16/2020: Scaramouche's first appearance
    It's funny because Scara is a mitsudomoe-marked tsukumogami... and a shorts-wearing tsundere who was created to replace someone's artificial family member.     (pic: matching emojis)

  • 2021, February

    ♪ Lori, and another server friend Artiphex, buy this adorable commission to surprise me for an early birthday!!! Amazing!

  • 2021, March

    ♪ Ohh, this is big! Kangaeruna Miyo posts an English translation of Miyamoto’s fantastic RaiLyri comic!!!

    IceFairy, the leader of the translation group, is a long-time member of our Discord server. ...We didn’t directly show him, but did the ship perhaps catch his attention through our server? It did, right!? The piece of art he translated was already an old post at this time... My investigation shows that his translation request was sent on February 13th, merely two days after he saw and retweeted the above RaiLyri commission! -Phoenix Wright desk slam-

    In any case, this art is basically THE RaiLyri art ever, and it is completely to KNM's credit that everyone on western Touhou Twitter knows about it and cites it often... It really coincided with the ship’s popularity picking up. The influence of good and well-intentioned translation groups is truly invaluable. I’m so infinitely happy and grateful for their boosting of Japanese artists’ voices and ideas, and integrating the communities ever more deeply-- and I’m extra grateful for this example in particular.

    Since then, there have been several other KNM Miyamoto RaiLyri translations- a few of which Lori and I even helped with!~

  • 2021, April

    ♪ I love this smug portrayal, in this artist Heshiko’s style...  They muse, in the comment section - @ their mutual Irotsuki - that the RaiLyri wave has picked up recently. That guy’s influence is still going strong.

  • 2021, July

    ♪ A commission (or two~) from DarkAAC! Darky was a prime thought for a comm prospect since they draw such a good Raiko...

    ♪ Everyone in our server community, of course, is being inevitably infected over time... (Dee Cubey and Pudding have drawn art in #creativity, and writing from Noppy...)

  • 2021, August

    ♪ Random cute art~ Influence unknown.

  • 2021, September

    ♪ An incredible one-off treasure: a light novel... I bought a physical copy (also available as download), and I want to translate it so bad. This is the only piece of RaiLyri art this person has done, and they don’t seem to be taking note from any other established artist. They are more prominently a Love Live fan, so I like that it probably came to them purely from the root of “gay idols”!

  • 2022, March

    ♪ I try to spread word of an illusionary holiday: “Horismriver Day.” In accordance with the origins of Japanese character-focused days, I have great logic about why 3/4 is a clever day to celebrate the band! Well, it doesn’t spread anywhere this year, but maybe someday...

NOTE: I’m not including general art of the Prismriver with H band in this timeline (although I love it very much and I collect/catalog it as well). Of course, liking the band and liking a ship within the band will overlap a lot. The more people who are aware and increasingly fond of this canon connection will be more likely to ship it.There’s this one Prismriver-loving Touhou lore account with a large number of followers. It’s actually someone who Irotsuki follows and cites the theories of commonly. I don’t think they’re too into shipping, but they talk a lot about Prismriver with H and analyzing the dynamics between them.  Regarding other sources for promotion, Touhou Lost Word has notably done a surprisingly amazing job spotlighting the Prismrivers and acknowledging Raiko as a permanent presence within the band. Why do you think I’m still playing? (lol.) I wonder if any other notable/high-reach fangames do similarly.Adjacently to this train of thought:   There is one major artist, 海野プリン (Kaisen Purin), who ships RaiMerlin since 2020, both drawing and commissioning it. I respect them a lot because they did a doujin with an excellent Raiko portrayal. I would say RaiMerlin is currently the rarest rarepair of the quartet.

The two most prolific artists I know for RaiLuna are アズキ (since 2017) and 椅子 (since 2021). I’ve seen a handful of other eastern and even some western artists do it too. I wouldn’t call it a “common pairing” in the grander scheme, but by default, but I think people who have tried to think of a Prismriver partner for Raiko were historically likely to go for this, largely because Lunasa is the most fan-popular Prismriver in general. But that’s what I want people to look more and see the sisters’ individualities and why Lyrica is the best!!!

  • 2022, April

    ♪ I stumble across an English-language roleplayer portraying Lyrica with, in my opinion, an absolutely perfect tone of voice. They were interacting with a Raiko in a delightfully tsundere way and I was like jsdhfsg oh my god this is FOOD. I sent them praise and blessings for the wonderful content-- and they sent back an extremely wonderful and heartfelt message saying that they were inspired by my stuff. ;;

  • 2022, June

    ♪ From the Touhou Pride Game Jam, “Heart of the Tiger” is a short fangame where Shou offers love advice to 4 different couples... one of them being RaiLyri??? Artist Quarium graciously asked the writer on my behalf, and confirmed... that they derived the characterization (the “manager” thing) from my fanfiction!

    ...Gosh darn it, though! I wanted our fangame to be the first one featuring RaiLyri! We’d better get on it!

  • 2023, February

    ♪ Another very important global rep arrives on the scene:  Myose, a Korean fan who calls herself "Lyrica's mother". She will ship Lyrica with basically anyone for the funsies, but she has drawn a nice good deal of Lyrica/Raiko, and talked about its specific dynamics. She cranks out a breathtaking amount of sketches, amassing a solid following of Prism-likers, and reaches out for a lot of collabs. I think her art has probably had strong influence on said Prism-likers.

  • https://twitter.com/myose_mo/status/1646017239710306304

  • https://x.com/myose_mo/status/1629108171834023937

  • 2023, April

    ♪ Lori and I are invited as guests to the first annual TouhouFest in California. We cosplay RaiLyri the whole time, for our guest Q&A, and to man our merch booth. For the intro of our karaoke panel, we reassigned the lines of Raiko’s lyrics to work as a duet, and performed it together... The performance wasn’t all that big or professional, but I really hope we made a good impression in people’s minds... ;v;

  • 2023, April

    ♪ The first western person to draw standalone art of RaiLyri outside of our server! (They learned after following both us and the Kangaeru translation account~)

    Not just a passing whim, they like it for real!!! They’ve drawn it multiple times since!! Certified “RaiLyri artist”!  (Also on Tumblr!)

  • 2023, April

    ♪ Another person appears who can claim the title of “RaiLyri artist” because they’ve made FOUR pictures!   They like to doodle Raiko in particular -- but if she’s with someone, it’s always Lyrica.

  • 2023, July

    ♪ As stated, 8y used to favor RaiLuna. But, I think they’re being converted by me and Irotsuki...~ (Just kidding, they like them all and it’s not a competition. I feel like a lot of JP community maintains a broad multiship mindset.)

  • 2023, July

    ♪ The wonderful French Touhou yuri artist Bear/Amemenojaku creates a shipping tier list. The included ships were based on the results of the 2021 “Best Partner” Tohovote poll... plus a few arbitrary extra. RaiLyri obviously did not place on that poll - but Bear mutually follows me (an incredible honor) and has reblogged art of it from me before...  Being a thorough classic DDC liker, Bear is one of the strongest proponents I know of Raiko x Benben. Even despite that, the fact that they chose not only to include RaiLyri on the chart but also to rank it as a solid “like” on their own ranking makes me so happy I could cry...
    Oh my god please please please open comms; you're like our final frontier of commission desires....

  • Oh no, the original Twitter post for the chart was deleted... So I can’t obsessively count qrts to get a hard number of how many people officially ship it... (lol) <https://amemenojaku.tumblr.com/post/722950456635244544> But anyway, everyone using the tier list and being first-time exposed to the concept of the ship, I hope it sparks a thought in you...

  • 2023, August

    ♪ Touhoutwt icon AvillionAmillion posts the only fic in the RaiLyri tag (TILL VERY RECENTLY) that isn’t written by me. (They picked it up from me and the translated Miyamotos~)

  • 2024, March

    ♪ This year, “Horismriver Day” is a success... Six whole artists participating...! It sounds small, but I’m so happy!

    ♪ Aaaaand the fourth volume of 8y's Raiko Horikawa Joint Magazine is public! Now there are two RaiLyri contributors to the zine!! My partner and I were proud to be the first overseas participants. I truly feel like part of this inner circle now!! We make this absolute masterpiece, which is now my permanent desktop and phone wallpaper!

  • All the other awesome RaiLyri from varied artists you've been seeing crop up around this time? Like, wow wow wow so many really amazing artists are doing it???

    ...We are [commissioning](#commissions] it. We are in our commission era. My partner and I have commissioned approximately one RaiLyri per month between 2024 and 2026. There is such wonderful art now, some people don't even think it's a rarepair anymore... But I'm writing this timeline to say please don't overlook how much effort is going into it!!! Some commissions are specific situation requests, but it's also fun to give free reign to the artists on Skeb to interpret how they think the characters would interact.

  • One other person who isn't us commissioned RaiLyri from Skeb! ...And, I think they got it from me. (They followed me shortly before this commission came out!) It looks as if they got interested in Lyrica as a character, found me through that, and thus discovered the appeal of RaiLyri. As they should!

  • 2024

    ♪ The artist みんぽ (Minpo) provides one of the few recent examples of art that was NOT commissioned! This person's just a genius who totally gets Lyrica... (even down to her squinted-eye appeal). Genius usually comes from people who fave Lyrica first! https://x.com/kuso800t/status/1822817890116190378 https://x.com/kuso800t/status/1822956309362471331

  • 2025

    ♪ The collaborative pixel-art map "WPlace" becomes popular. Lori, being excellent at pixel art, decides to pixelify this very bible to help spread the word. ...If you're here from this propaganda, hello!!

♪ The bible, as well as Lori's tiny ship pixels, is located on the main island of Hawaii - which has somehow shaped itself into a mecca for Touhou yuri in particular. The sprites above the bible url... are not ours! To our surprise, not only did someone see our message but contributed to it... We love you...

We also find the Horismrivers performing in Las Vegas, and give them an audience.  Most importantly, check out the "Lyrica Live" community headquarters in Asakawa, Japan.

  • The founder Irotsuki frequently comments about the incredible spread of “Global RaiLyri...”

    ...or as machine translation often charmingly renders it, "Thunder Lily."

Testimonials

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

Various headcanon about the characters, their appearance, and their relationships with other characters.

Appearance

Some favorite solo portrayals of Lyrica:~ by Mow:  absolute masterpiece of a Lyri
~ by Miyamoto:  look at these peak proportions
~ by Kaigen:  bringing PoFV beautifully to life- She should be slender and flexible in a way that feels like she can sneakily slip out of your grasp.  She moves and poses in a fluid, floaty way.
- Her light hair fluffs up in a rounded form.  Rather than dark brown, interpreting it as beige or white gives her a more ethereal feel.
- Her big wide shorts and parachuting top should make her legs and torso look even skinnier in juxtaposition!
While her official design is ambiguous between a skirt or shorts, I beg you to pick shorts (or keep it an ambiguous skort).  It's such a nice standout trait in Gensokyo!
- She needs appropriate expressiveness (English translation)... including the key expression of "professional shit-eater."
Her body language may frequently exude a slick know-it-all posture.
- Perpetually squinted eyes is a good optional detail that communicates her sly nature in a charming and iconic shorthand.
It's a clear distinction from the easily-understandable "happy" or "sad" of her sisters' characteristic expressions!
Mildly annoyed/grumpy is also a fun in-between expression for her that communicates her role as the stubborn one, the practical one, and the tsundere.

- She has a funny duality of being "very small," but also "noodle-legged" (as per her portrait in PCB), which makes her look "long."
- I love to see her drawn highly stylized, even slightly cartoony.  Rarely, it's also neat to see some ghostly features, like tips of limbs fading to transparency.
- Her vibe is ageless and androgynous. That said, I'd prefer that her proportions evoke closer to a scrawny adult rather than a child.- Lyrica's hair, colors, and clothing shape are all very ideal in Akatsuki Records' music video STILL HERE.
Note the clear contrast emphasized between the three poltergeists' bottom halves:  Lyrica's shorts, Merlin's flared skirt, and Lunasa's narrower skirt.
Between their hair, too:  Lyrica's hair is a short and bunchy bob, Lunasa's is a bit more separate and stringier, while Merlin's is the wildest and curliest!

Some favorite solo portrayals of Raiko:~ by Toriga_naku:  smug vibes and sturdy body
~ by Kaisen Purin:  get ready for the Blue Lady Show!
~ by KELLYMAE:  a grin full of pure charisma- She should have a tall, stocky, and/or muscular build.  Wide shoulders, torso, and thighs.  Sturdy posture.
Very simply, a drum should be BIG!  And this one is specifically not afraid to take up space.
- I shamefully often neglect it myself, but it's important to include Raiko's ring of drum pads in pictures of her.
After all, this is a core part of her body too-- and it takes up even more space, cultivating even more aura!
- Poses angled downward from atop her bass drum are really good!

- Raiko's "canon face," to me, is the half-lidded cool expression from her DDC portrait.  By default, I imagine her constantly wearing this face.
Her wide-eyed confused portrait never comes up... though this picture funnily juxtaposes them and makes them both work.
- Heavy eyeliner or other makeup is good.  Raiko has a fashionable, modern vibe.
In particular, red markings around the eyes can manage to evoke both stylishly modern and traditional!
- Assuming her plaid undershirt to be sleeveless is more stylish, more comfortable, and more conducive to showing off tattoos when she takes off her coat.
I like to believe that she has tattoos on her arms:  perhaps a whole complex sleeve, or perhaps just a mitsudomoe symbol for simplicity's sake.- Her hair is shoulder-length and wavy.  It curves out buoyantly at the bottom, as if puffed by static electricity.
The loose bang dangling by her face is particularly wavy/squiggly, as per what's probably intended to be a Michael Jackson reference.
- A lightning-shaped ahoge (stray hair) is a nice optional touch, because it mirrors the Prismrivers' hats which display their symbol on top of their head.

Trivia

  • Raiko, with her rocker vibes and her history of body modification, is likely the type to have tattoos.  She gets new tattoos often to represent things that are important to her.  She'll eventually get one to represent her closeness with the Prismriver band.  So what I'm saying is that Lyrica's shooting-star symbol is somewhere on her shoulder close to her heart.

  • Lyrica's music, despite being unique and excellent, is criticized for not directly resonating with the soul. That is, unlike her sisters magically emotional music, it is processed more normally through the ears.  Raiko similarly does not have this direct resonance, but she is known for channeling the soul's full emotion.  Maybe Raiko's passion (or Raiko bringing out passion in her) can help increase Lyrica's appeal.

  • Being born of a high-impact instrument, Raiko's nature would be very physical and sensory. Meanwhile, phantoms are more incorporeal. Poltergeists are able to manifest solidly at will, but Lyrica has probably not taken much advantage of this, since their band's whole aesthetic revolves around not touching things, performing without using their hands or feet. When meeting Raiko, her touchy-feely change of pace is somewhat of an awakening, an angle I find interesting to focus on.

  • The poltergeists were created by Layla using a certain "magic item."  (Relevantly, one theorist suggests the item may even be the Miracle Mallet.)  The same item was apparently what caused the original Prismriver mansion to fall to ruin.  I like to imagine that the disaster took the form of a thunderstorm.  The poltergeists did not witness this ruin, but because they were born from her feelings, they inherited this vague trauma.

    This idea would fall on a nicely balanced border of "deep-seated reason" and "just a natural phobia." My first exposure to a character with thunder phobia in media had no deep reason behind it; simply, after a while of others thinking they were fearless, it just happened to be the one thing that threw off their usually chill demeanor. Similarly, it's an interestingly ironic twist for someone who is usually confident and noisy to have one particular noise they can't handle... especially a noise with symbolic connection to the love interest who has been actively challenging their comfort zone. It could also be interpreted as as an unusual sensory issue. It doesn't have to be despite her usual affinity for audio, but because she is so well-attuned to even the lowest frequencies (phantasmal sounds, below bassline) that extremely loud noise on an atmospheric scale can max out her senses.

    Lyrica therefore has always had a subconscious aversion to the thunder, and has never captured the sound from close-up until a certain event with Raiko as detailed in my fanfic.

  • It's unclear whether the Prismriver poltergeists even remember their sister Layla, or if they lost the memory somehow. I prefer to believe that they remember, because it's interesting to explore their conscious thoughts about the past. But there are also interesting possibilities to explore if they've forgotten. What if Raiko is the one to help her remember - by sensing or communicating with the memories of the objects in the house?

  • "Dream selves" are an interesting thematic phenomenon in Touhou. Each person has a "dream self" that carries repressed thoughts and desires. I tend to think of Raiko as very internally secure-- but notably, her dream self was among many who were running rampant in Violet Detector. I wonder if Raiko has some sort of repressed feelings. The natural tsukumogami abandonment resentment? I find it interesting to try thinking about

  • The Prismrivers' three symbols represent celestial lights: star, sun, and moon. I've seen some portrayals extrapolate the theoretical fourth symbol (Layla) as a planet-- but I think the theme is specifically lights, not celestial bodies. If Layla had a symbol, I think the best choice would be a rainbow, a very fleeting yet unifying type of light, and the output of a prism. Other than that, I literally can't think of a single other unique example of "a light in the sky"... except, of course, for "lightning." Raiko as the fourth member truly was as fateful as could be! With these symbols in mind, I tried designed little logos that represent various arrangements of the band.

  • Here's a handy thread full of GAY Prismriver headcanon!
    ♪ Lunasa: Asexual homoromantic.
    ♪ Merlin: Trans and pan.
    ♪ Lyrica: Passively nonbinary.
    ♪ Raiko: Pan lesbian.

Shippy Stuff

  • Who fell for the other first? Two options...

    ♪ Lyrica falls quickly (captivated by her sound, and feeling an inexplicably strong soul-impact from anything she does), but denies it. Raiko uses the chance to play around with her -- she shallowly likes that she likes her, and is amused by how she resists, thinking it will be an interesting game -- but is slowly swayed into being more serious by the secret sincerity of her feelings that shines through her music.

    ♪ Raiko falls quickly (straightforwardly finds her adorable and fun), and lays on the flirting incredibly thick. Lyrica, who by nature does not fall in love easily, resists it for a long time, thinking 'this is NOT what I'm here for!! ...right?,' but is slowly swayed by that pure passion that matches her musical ideals perfectly. It's fine that it takes a while; in fact, Raiko prefers to draw it out at this more interesting pace.

  • Age difference? Two options...

    ♪ Raiko's original taiko drum was built in the early 1800s, then gained a soul in the early 1900s. The poltergeists (artificial bodies and souls) were created in the late 1800s. The difference depends on whether you count a tsukumogami's years as an inanimate object. If asked, Lyrica would say she's the elder. Being assigned the role of the youngest, she's always wanted someone to be a senior to. However, if asked, Raiko would consider herself the elder.

  • Reactions from the crew?

    ♪ Lunasa, being pessimistic and protective of her sister, possibly disapproved of the relationship at first. Once she trusts Raiko, she acts more like an overbearing parent who says embarrassingly blunt things about their romance with a straight face.

    ♪ Merlin is absolutely delighted and supportive from the get-go. She's a genuine "shipper-on-deck," rooting wholeheartedly for the happiness of those she loves. However, she is the most likely to accidentally third-wheel their dates because she's so eager to hang out with both of them.

    ♪ Benben may have once had crush-like feelings for Raiko, but now she sees her very much as a family figure and role model. She is passively amused to watch the flirtation between them, perhaps eager to pick up on some of Raiko's valuable lessons in teasing.

    ♪ Yatsuhashi might feel a bitter sting to see Raiko in a relationship with a Prismriver, as it makes her feel like Raiko is closer to that band than to the Tsukumos. Deep down beneath the rivalry, she respects Lyrica and can see why it works.

Other Ships

  • Now that you understand Lyrica x Raiko... May I interest you in these similarly appealing musician pairings?

  • A string player, and a string instrument... Lunasa and Benben are both calm, mature elder sisters with classical tastes. It's a quiet, slow-paced relationship where they explore emotional nuances, evoking a traditional yuri mood and aesthetic.

    Benben's not extraordinarily wise, but she has the image of an effortless sort of graceful. This flusters Lunasa, who finds herself captivated by the sound of her strings.

  • Benben's keyword is "flowing." (Her design is based on the goddess of eloquence, words that flow like water.) Lunasa's keyword is "calm." As per DDC's theme of deceptions and posturing-- I think Benben feels a lot of pressure upkeep her elegant aura. As a being who was brought to life suddenly on borrowed power, she questions her own. If she gets caught up in her head, she'll fail. But with the help of Lunasa's honest and calm aura, it comes more naturally. It flows out of her as it's meant to.

  • Benben is elegant, but somewhat insecure. Her sense of humor is teasing, and her sense of anger would be passive-aggressive. She has a duality of subtle and dramatic, which is something I think is a good match for Lunasa, who is attracted to the feeling of tension.

  • See my art, or read my fanfiction, "Heartstrings".

  • Art by 鯨屋本舗 on Pixiv:  (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

  • Other Art:  (1] (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20)

  • Beautiful commissions from R_cansuke_MS below!

  • Merlin and Yatsuhashi would be the perfect set-completer. Both are high-energy characters, so in sharp contrast to LunaBen, the atmosphere of their relationship is loud and boisterous. The dynamic between them might be a more extreme version of RaiLyri's "forward versus tsundere"... Well, pairing a strong beckoner with a stubborn resister is an intuitive ship formula for a reason. In this case, Merlin is unapologetically open and friendly (not necessarily flirtatious), while the revolutionary-minded Yatsuhashi considers the Prismrivers staunch rivals and feistily fights back. However, the strength of her spunky feelings only makes Merlin like her even more!

  • Merlin has a lot of interesting ship options, and maybe her "spreading happiness" vibes make it feel comfortable for her to be polyamorous-- or just a lot of friends without a very strong border between romantic and platonic.

  • Other friends/partners for Merlin include...
    ♪ Koishi: A canonical fan of the Prismriver Ensemble, which makes sense because it's music you listen to purely with your heart and not the head. I imagine they would have a very similar mentality and sense of humor as neurodivergent characters. They have similar younger-sister experience to bond over, and their shared happy-go-lucky and manic behavior make them easy to imagine having fun together.
    ♪ Kokoro: Bonded by themes of emotion and by tsukumogami compatibility, Merlin would become obsessed with the goal of making her smile (challenge: impossible, yet she would never give up). Merlin is inspired by Kokoro's dancing, and Kokoro by Merlin's playing. Between Kokoro and Koishi, Merlin would make a wonderful middleman to earnestly help them explore their feelings and patch up their tensions after Hopeless Masquerade.
    ♪ Jo'on: Merlin would forgive the Yorigamis' transgression at their concert much faster than the other members, and maybe want to help her rehabilitate. Maybe Jo'on is forced to join as a temporary vocalist for charity concerts or something... Jo'on is all about overindulgence, and perhaps Merlin's good-natured mania can channel that positively.

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

Relationships

Here are some personal relationship headcanons for Raiko and Lyrica individually.


      LYRICAIn between Lunasa's clear introversion and Merlin's clear extroversion, I would consider Lyrica to be something like an ambivert. She isn't shy or reserved, but she is a fairly neutral person who just wants to pursue her own interests. She sticks with family, enjoys the attention of fans, and has familiars of mutual benefit, but doesn't keep a lot of close friends.

  • Of course, the Prismriver family loves each other a lot. Here are some dynamics that stand out:

    ♪  Lyrica -> Merlin:  Lyrica gets along a bit better with Merlin than with Lunasa. Lyrica, who represents the band's balance, knows that Lunasa's guidance (nagging) is important-- but even so, she'd choose having too much fun over too little. Merlin is always up for listening to her randomest new auditory finds, and always gives her performances the highest praise.

    ♪  Merlin -> Lunasa:  In general, being counterparts to each other's mood, Lunasa and Merlin have a uniquely interesting relationship.  Merlin especially loves the kind of person who she can aim to cheer up. It would be a funny and charming surprise for her to say her favorite person is the one most opposite of her. I think she's good at sensing the genuineness/positivity in her sister's actions rather than being turned off by the facade.

    ♪  Lunasa -> Lyrica:  Lunasa sees Lyrica as overflowing with potential. She appreciates her practicality (when she's not being lazy), and she generally feels most in her element as the elder sister when around her.

  • Yuyuko is canonically the Prismrivers' employer. The sisters perform at her flower-blooming banquets on an annual basis. As the netherworld manager, Yuyuko probably knows (or knew) the spirit of Layla. She treats the sisters in a doting, teasing, motherly way that sometimes exasperates Lyrica, but it's a very positive and charming relationship. Even after Raiko joins the band, she probably does not join them for Yuyuko's banquets; Raiko isn't big on the netherworld, preferring more 'lively' places.

  • It's said that Layla used "a certain magic item from Gensokyo" in order to create the poltergeists. In order to foster interesting thematic connections amongst the PCB cast, I'd like to think that Yukari was responsible for planting that magic item, and has been watching the Prismrivers behind the scenes for their entire existence.  The poltergeists might not know as much about her in return, but they know her as Yuyuko's companion and a familiar face. Naturally, she's grown quite fond of the Prismrivers' music (as she suggests in AoCF). She isn't as close with Raiko, who doesn't tend to like people who are so secretive.

  • Yuuka is the flower-keeper who allowed the sisters to perform in her garden-- and later, on the concert stage that was built there.  The flowers enjoy the poltergeists' spiritual music, and so Yuuka approves of them and treats them with gentle civility... though there's always a vaguely threatening air hanging over that pleasantry.

  • Lily is like a funny little cousin to the Prismrivers.  I’d like to take their in-game proximity to inform a charming assumption of closeness.  As a fairy of spring, she is a “voice of nature,” which is something likeable to Lyrica... and she’s also a wholesome childlike presence who will never outgrow the poltergeists.  Lyrica might have a secret weakness for a kid who triggers her latent big-sister energy-- but only when it’s reminiscent of Layla’s sweet sincerity.  She doesn’t want up to babysit brats; if a kid becomes a pain, she hands it off to someone else.

  • Benben is a clearer personality match for Lunasa, but she also seems like she could have a sly, subtle side about her that would get along with Lyrica. Each is the least-straightforward member of their respective groups, in terms of how effusively they express emotions, and this fosters a sense of mild mutual curiosity and amusement. One could compare Lyrica's sense of smug self-promotion to Benben's performative formality as the elegant elder. While the two are most likely to passively observe each other from a distance, there is potential for interesting intellectual exchange.

  • Mystia is still mad because she was turned down as the Prismrivers' vocalist years ago, and now wants her own band to be recognized as the best ever. Their relationship is mostly funny and petty: Lyrica's like "lol, amateur," while Mystia's like "ugh, so not rock!" ...Unlike Mystia, Kyouko does her best to be a good girl outside of punk-rock mode. She can get along with Lyrica when on her own, bonding over the shared techniques of "sampling" and "amplifying." But when she's together with Mystia, she often gets caught up in echoing the haughty insults-- only to shyly apologize later.

  • Alice is a frequent collaborator with the Prismrivers in musical puppet performances. They are all artists with compatible priorities toward putting on a good show. Their shows tell mutually-relatable fairy tales about fragile inanimate beings who are emotionally brought to life.

  • Marisa has a funny conversation with Lyrica in PCB wherein they jokingly pretend to be 'friends'. Merlin notes that, if it were true, this would be a very rare occasion. This conversation gives me the impression Lyrica doesn’t keep a lot of serious close friends that she socializes with consistently. However, perhaps if their mutual lighthearted snark were to become a running gag whenever they meet again, it would serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy that makes them indeed something like friends, people who enjoy joking around with each other without getting mad. ...Sadly, Marisa called Lyrica boring in her grimoire report. Lyrica has the vibes of a “prodigy” over one who puts in effort, so (while mentally comparing her to Reimu) perhaps Marisa was harsh on her for that. I’d like to think she’s listened enough to change her opinion by now! Marisa seems like the type to enjoy music and concerts in general!

  • Nazrin searches for treasure around Muenzuka, where Lyrica searches for sounds.  Despite neither of them being very social, they might be able to trade info and find interest in each other's pursuits.  They both have personalities that are highly clever, and generally irreverent, but genuinely passionate about what they do.  Also, they are both short people whose tall partners would embarrass them by picking them up with one arm.  Shortie solidarity.

  • Nitori is a very likely business partner for the band. She's sly like Lyrica, but in a way where their common interest lets them get along and make good deals. As in the casual examples above, they would share an irreverent tone and sense of humor. Nitori's techy specialties may overlap with Lyrica's instrument maintenance, and her "geek" nature in general lines up with the pattern of "irreverent but passionate in her own field."

  • Mokou is a superfan who attends every concert. This is suggested directly in AoCF, though I'd like to think she's been a fan ever since their inspiring song about death and rebirth from the ending of PoFV. Lyrica enjoys having flattering fans, in a shallow way that would stay distinct from friends... while at the same time, I think a really deep fan - someone who makes it easy by liking her in advance and who also genuinely understands her art - has the chance to cross the line into real friendship.

  • Akyuu is known to enjoy "FM synthesis music," a very rare mutual interest with Lyrica... and Akyuu's untouched scores are literally the forgotten sounds of the PC-98 era. Did Lyrica somehow help capture them? It would be very interesting to consider a connection between Akyuu, Lyrica, Lyrica's synthesizer (which is said to have "belonged to a famous musician whose work faded to obscurity"), and the illusionary band "Yougakudan" (*which is the source of Akyuu's/PC-98's music, essentially ZUN himself).

  • A celebrity's biggest enemy is the paparazzi, as embodied by Aya: a nosy and shameless sensationalist who conducts interviews while caring more about her own scoop than about the musician's art. Hatate, on the other hand, might be specifically the type of press that Lyrica would prefer to work with. Hatate has a compatible personality to Lyrica when it comes to mild 'laziness' (if you assume that from being a former shut-in), and she seems to have a lot of interesting technology inside her mountain hideout. Also, her ability has to do with capturing spiritual information from the past. I think Hatate, having more of a trendy and lighthearted air than Aya, would genuinely enjoy the band's music, and they would comfortably vibe.

  • “Interest, but not personal” means “I want to gather your sound” or “I want to know how your ability works,” but the personalities wouldn’t mesh.

    ♪ What do you mean Miko can hear 10 sounds at once? Seems like she'd make a pretty good musical conductor.

    ♪ At first I thought Sagume, who refuses to speak, would be particularly boring to Lyrica; I almost put her in a negative tier. But, technically, that just means her sounds are illusionary, so there might be some vague interest.

    ♪ Just like Yoshika, are poltergeists not also a product of strange magic intended to raise the dead (if only metaphorically)? When Merlin brings her home from the graveyard one day, I think Lyrica would be very curious what the zombie's deal is. Perhaps Lyrica can extract Yoshika’s old poetry from her lost memories... to the point that I almost put her in an even more positive tier, considering she might understand her on a unique level.

  • Many characters are just neutral/ignorable if their interests don't coincide. For instance, people like Nemuno who are unhip and out-of-touch with the music scene get overlooked. ...But what about actually bad blood?

    ♪ Although Lyrica can get along with plenty of frickers and low-key scammers (like Nitori), the line is drawn at people like Tsukasa and Seija. Their alignment goes more into "evil" territory (that is, specifically wanting to mess others up), rather than just neutrally "selfish" (where it’s easier to handshake and work out a fair deal). Tsukasa uses "lies whispered in the ear," which are kind of like "fantasy sounds," but for nefarious purposes. I don't think Lyrica would want to be associated.

    ♪ Megumu... because you know what else crosses the line into "evil" from the perspective of an indie artist? Big business! Here's a theoretical scenario that my partner and I brainstormed as an article for the next Touhou print work:  The Prismriver Sisters - aka the (Niji)kawa (Sanshi)mai - get signed by publicity CEO Megumu to do a trendy new high-tech type of performance. The program is branded NIJISANSHI. Unfortunately, working conditions are awful. They are treated terribly, have their setlist limited, lose their profits. Raiko would be the first to reject this lack of freedom and quit. But, while probably still planning with them behind the scenes, she comes back and saves them in the end by starting a new indie label that encourages everyone to boycott the other program into the ground. (/end of hallucination)

    ♪ Medicine hates the Prismrivers (and most everyone else) for being tool-users. She hangs around the band being chummy with only Raiko and sticking her tongue out at the rest.

    ♪ Remilia is an annoying lakeside neighbor and an even more annoying client when she commissions their services-- her very own septette perhaps being a commissioned piece. She only likes the orchestral and organized angle of the ensemble's appeal. With a groan, Lyrica will cooperate with Remilia’s extravagant requests and at least sometimes it turns out surprisingly good.

  • The rivals at the bottom have the potential to wrap around to being “actually very close.” Yatsuhashi is Lyrica’s worst-best friend. On top of generally having a grudge against tool-users, and a brash inferiority complex, Yatsuhashi holds a personal grudge over the Prismrivers taking away Raiko's attention. As a result, Yatsuhashi is the most competitive tsukumogami, while Lyrica is the most prideful poltergeist. Lyrica is not often eager to argue back, preferring to rest smugly on her laurels... but when Yatsuhashi is able to hit a nerve, there is a potential for some interesting genuine rivalry. In the process of each showing off the superiority of their own band, they come to know each other and respect each other's work quite a bit. It starts to look more like one of Lyrica's snarky casual friendships, but elevated even more with a real unspoken trust behind the stubborn front.

  • I love riffing on the plot point that the Yorigami Sisters "stole" the theme song that the Prismrivers wrote (Egoistic Flowers). After ruining their concert and taking criminal advantage of their music's effects, the two families should obviously be enemies for life. ...But what if they didn't steal the song, and actually paid ridiculous money for it? What if it just proves that they like the music a whole lot? Depending on the emphasis you put on Lyrica's "minimal effort, maximum gain" attitude, a rich commissioner (-> English translation of this delightful comic) is specifically a good and funny juxtaposition for her. It may not even be necessary for her to forgo her artistic integrity; that is, unlike with Remilia, Lyrica gets to write what she was going to write anyway and make money at the same time. Jo'on and Lyrica is an especially amusing exchange to think about; after all, Lyrica does have the sly personality to be a fellow swindler... but perhaps they can use this general compatibility to get on each other's good side but not actually do anything worse. Perhaps Jo'on's new rehabilitation plan is to become a temporary idol singer for the band and have concerts for charity. ...Alternatively, rather than openly expressing her love with her wallet: Maybe Jo'on secretly likes the music but, after getting off on the wrong foot with Lyrica, doesn't want to admit it. It's another amusing double-tsundere relationship (as well as another "fellow younger sister" relationship) like with Yatsuhashi.


      RAIKORaiko is very social and charismatic. Though not all of her friendships are the deepest, she has many more and would use the word friend far more liberally than Lyrica. If it's a deeper connection, as between fellow tools, she would think of them on a level like family.

  • Raiko is a sturdy, beloved role model to the Tsukumo Sisters. Ever since Raiko joined another band, they aren’t joined at the hip-- but, I think the vibe is like a family member who moved out to college, but keeps in touch and always picks up on the same friendly note. The DDC trio cares about each other strongly through the indelible bond of their revolutionary experience and their promise to achieve a "tool's paradise". I think this angle toward commitment and bonds is a good theme for the tsukumogami species!

    ♪ Benben may once have had crush-like feelings for Raiko (who hasn't?), but now sees her firmly like a mentor and extended family. Benben hopes to be a pillar for Yatsuhashi, in a similar way that Raiko feels like a pillar to her. Raiko is also the resident romantic expert, easily picking up on the hints of Benben’s new crush on Lunasa, and is willing to teach some of her flirtation tactics. Their platonic interaction is warm and wholehearted, guided by Raiko’s straightforward rhythm.

    ♪ Yatsuhashi upholds Raiko as an ideal image in a more brashly straightforward way. She has seriously taken to heart all of her words and ideas about revolution, and has never forgotten that important "promise." She doesn't understand (or perhaps she does, deep down) why Raiko has decided to fraternize with the enemy, but she herself continues challenging her perceived opponents at any chance she gets.

  • Raiko extends big-sister energy to all young struggling tsukumogami, including Kogasa and Kokoro. She gives them advice and motivational speeches in a flamboyant yet sincere manner, based on what she would have liked to hear as a younger tsukumogami herself. Kogasa is an especially cute matchup, with her aesthetic of rain in comparison to Raiko's thunder (and the Prismrivers' rainbows).

  • Mystia and Kyouko both think highly of Raiko as a “real rocker.” They're constantly pleading with her to collaborate with their punk band Choujuu Gigaku-- which she does, whenever she has time. The Prismrivers, on the other hand, have a less explicitly "cool" aura, so they get dissed instead.

  • Hecatia and Raiko have compatible senses of modern and individualistic fashion expression, and similar values of freedom. As redhead EX boss buddies, I'm sure Hecatia would love catching concerts and hanging out whenever she drops by Gensokyo!

  • Mamizou claims that tanuki have high compatibility with tsukumogami, and tanuki are even more specifically known for the skill of "belly drumming." Unfortunately, Mamizou expressed disinterest in the band's music in AoCF, and she generally seems too old-fashioned to run in the same circles as Raiko. Still, they've probably met while drinking at some point and had an interesting exchange.

  • Iku and Tojiko are commonly portrayed in fanwork as a set with Raiko due to their lightning-related powers. I can imagine a greater chance of friendship with Iku in particular: Atmosphere-reading and rhythm-setting are similar social skills, and at least their dream selves have met as of Violet Detector. Extrapolating from her disco-esque poses, perhaps an interest in music can be a hobby for Iku to pursue to unwind while off-duty.

  • Anyone who gives Raiko "good vibes" and has interacted with her on equal ground would probably also be called a friend by default. There is great potential for friendship amongst people who are honest, self-respecting, clever, passionate, and/or generally interesting. It's easy to imagine her exercising with Meiling, or engaging excitedly with Sumireko about outside-world rhythm games.

  • As a celebrity, Raiko is a fangirl magnet. While the relationships wouldn't run deep (wouldn't parasocially cross into friendship), Raiko loves treating her supporters well with fanservicey winks and shouts-outs. Sanae (who took it upon herself to notice Raiko's muscular physique in Grimoire of Usami) is an iconic fangirl; she gives the impression of a disaster lesbian with a crush on literally every pretty woman in Gensokyo, so there's no doubt she has one on Raiko. Kosuzu is another easy to imagine as a giddy fangirl, representing the hoardes of fans from the human village. Cirno doesn't have a crush, but she just loves the strong and fun sound of drums and can't get enough. The mild-mannered Wakasagihime unexpectedly loves to rock, concerts being one of her favorite date activities with Kagerou... The list goes on.

  • "Curiosity" from Raiko may manifest as a feeling like, "can I help you?"

    ♪ Rinnosuke has the ability to read the memories of objects. Raiko, as a tsukumogami, can communicate with fellow objects too. I think she frequents Rinnosuke's antique shop to buy the freedom of objects that call to her, and the two may have had some interesting exchanges about what it means to really understand an object spirit.

    ♪ Mayumi is a sculpture and a tool, who may or may not yet have gained a soul. Does she need freeing, or do her powers of loyalty prove that she is happy with her master?

    ♪ And how about that taiko drum that Okina always carries? Does she play it? Does she take care of it right?

  • Negative vibes are more rare, but they may exist toward people she perceives as disingenuous (like Tsukasa), cruel (like Yachie), or restricting freedom (like Eiki). Also, Remilia fails because she's the type of fancy art snob who doesn't understand passionate indie music culture.

  • Raiko is very positive toward Shinmyoumaru as the one who supplied the energy to empower tsukumogami. However, she's extremely opposed to Seija for taking advantage of that energy. Their scene together in Impossible Spell Card really emphasized Raiko's sense of passionate justice and leadership for tsukumogami rights. Seija is such an iconic character to use as a "villain," while Raiko really suits being seen as a "hero." Expanding that scene into a full long-term rivalry with Seija would be very interesting, with lots of nuance to explore and lots of good fanwork supporting it!

Gensokyo is full of creative artists.  What if they all mixed their styles together…?
I want to see Prismriver with H collaborate with everyone! 🥁🎹🎺🎻Check out this thorough theoretical chart of Gensokyo Musician Collaborations!  (Twitter post)
Let's think about how they'd all get along and what kind of music they would play.

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

This illusionary album cover art was a collaboration between me and my partner. The music does not actually exist, but we brainstormed the vibes of a bunch of songs that the band members would perform in various combinations!

  • Phantom Beat - 🥁🎻🎺🎹
    A mix of their themes, “Phantom Ensemble” + “Pristine Beat.” The idea of a phantom beat, a nearly-indiscernible note that yet adds to the overall rhythm, sounds like some derivation of a “ghost note.”

  • Spectral Night - 🎻🎺🎹
    The Prismriver Sisters’ trio performance. Spectral can refer to a spectrum of colors (as a prism breaks up white light into visible “spectral colors”), or it can refer to the ethereal nature of “specters” and ghosts. Layla’s name derives from the Arabic word for “night,” so other considered titles included the very simple yet meaningful “Light of Night.”

  • Flash to Bang -雷- - 🥁
    This phrase refers to the time that you can count between a flash of lightning and its corresponding crack of thunder. Rhythmic, stormy, and very aesthetically cool the ear, it’s appropriate for Raiko in all possible ways! The subtitle means “thunder,” the first kanji in Raiko’s name. Without the subtitle to mark her solo version, I think this could also be a great RaiLyri duet (with Lyrica being the flash, the trick of light, and Raiko being the bang~).

  • calm と storm - 🥁🎻
    Raiko’s song titles frequently include Japanese characters to reflect her traditional roots alongside her modern twist. Lunasa’s low tones bring out a gentler side of Raiko’s storm.

  • ホリズム Heartbeat - 🥁🎹
    ホリズム is the “horism” of “Horismriver,” while it may also evoke “holism”… or (with some heavy stylistic fudging) “whole-rhythm”… referring to Lyrica’s role of bringing together dissonant sounds into a bigger picture. This is also Raiko’s concern as the resident rhythm-keeper; she describes the drums as providing the unifying “heartbeat” of the performance. Through the theme of unification, there might also be some shippiness evoked between these two cornerstones of the band. ...In my RaiLyri fanfiction, Lyrica writes a passionate song which speaks louder than her words and inadvertently exposes her feelings. I might suggest that “ホリズム Heartbeat” was that song. It was originally composed with parts for the whole band, but her sisters probably nudged her and said, “hey, maybe you ought to arrange this as a duet~”

  • EL•EC•CEN•TRIC - 🥁🎺
    Raiko is electric; Merlin is eccentric. This song combines those compatible energies into a truly shocking experience!

  • moonwake waltz - 🎻
    Lunasa prefers to title her songs in lowercase. Waltz is a classical genre befitting her temperament. The moon, like the symbol on her hat, helps set a dim and melancholy mood. “Moonwake” refers to the reflection of the moon on water.

  • cloud line - 🎻🎹
    Lyrica’s backup helps soften Lunasa’s purely sad tone, sort of like a subtle silver lining on a dark cloud. It’s an artistic-sounding piece that might evoke a particular image of the sky, the border where the clouds meet the horizon.

  • MeLaNcHoLuNaTiC - 🎻🎺
    Merlin prefers to title her songs in uppercase… So this is what happens when she and Lunasa collab. Just the sight of the chaotic title accurately evokes the mood of a song where two extremes collide without any balancing. Interestingly, the word “melancholy” describes Lunasa’s depressive music but sounds more similar to Merlin’s name (メルラン meruran), while “lunatic” describes Merlin’s manic music but sounds more similar to Lunasa’s name.

  • Paracusia Pop - 🎹
    “Paracusia” refers to the phenomenon of auditory hallucinations, relevant to Lyrica’s specialty with “illusionary sounds.” Pop is a fittingly upbeat genre of music, while it also evokes a loud sound that comes suddenly out of nowhere.

  • AUDIO☆SYNCRASY - 🎺🎹
    This is my favorite pun in the history of ever, full credit to Lori. Audio + idiosyncrasy, evoking the state of being musically in sync even with very quirky and unusual sounds. The centerpiece (Lyrica’s symbol, the star) is just a cute idol-like visual touch, because sort of “idol-like” is the vibe I expect from a Merlin song enhanced by Lyrica.

  • SUN SHINE SOUL - 🎺
    Soul is a genre of music, while also referring to a ghostly spirit, and also evoking something emotionally heartfelt. The sun, like the symbol on Merlin’s hat, represents her bright attitude.

  • Rainbow Rumble!!!! - 🥁🎻🎺🎹
    “Prismriver” has the precedent of being loosely translated into Japanese as “Nijikawa,” or “Rainbow River,” due to the colorful light-refracting nature of a prism. (I also love the “kawa”/“river” connection to Raiko Horikawa’s name, and wish I could have referenced it somehow… considered something like “Rhythm River Rush!!!!”) “Rumble” refers to Raiko’s thunder, along with the related sounds and feelings of excitement. The rainbow usually only comes after the storm, but this time, let’s mix it all up at once! Four exclamation marks stand for the four band members. ...An alternate cut title for a full-group song was “Dead-Beats Live!!!!”, with “dead beats” being a clever pun for a collaboration of drums and ghosts, and “live” referencing their not-actually-dead (and live-on-stage) nature. “Dead beats” additionally feels like a good descriptor of Lyrica’s illusionary sounds, musical samples that were once lost to the past before she brought them back to life.

  • 嵐の泥棒 ～ Steal Your Thunder - 🥁+ Tsukumo Sisters
    This bonus track features Benben and Yatsuhashi as special guests! Following traditional Touhou song name convention, the initial kanji literally means “thief of the storm,” while the second half more loosely reiterates this in English. The idiom “stolen thunder” refers to seizing another’s spotlight or attention. Surely it’s no coincidence that Raiko is associated with thunder… Are the Tsukumos throwing shade at the Prismrivers for hogging their friend/role model, and trying to steal her back? There is a sassy but friendly sense of competition here, while Raiko herself is probably most concerned with the general message of seizing personal opportunities. This is an experience that she and the Tsukumos share through reinventing themselves as independent performers in DDC, a game about shifting the spotlight from the powerful to the powerless.

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

🥁 堀川雷鼓 × リリカ・プリズムリバー 🎹
Raiko Horikawa × Lyrica Prismriver

The RaiLyri Bible

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