kb's kkhta notes and musings, v2.3.514

edit: this covers episodes 1-11.  Will update if I like the new episodes, but even then I'll probably hold off until 14 and maybe 15 are subbed so I can marathon 12-15 and do one sweeping update.  Chances are if this edit is still here as of 2014, then this is never getting updated.  /edit


Spoilers ahead, chucklenuggets.  Foul language, too.

Hardsubbed: http://pooshlmer.com/wakaba/res/527946.html#552548

Author oversight is always a possible explanation, so this won't be mentioned separately in any section below.  However, it's highly likely that everything has been carefully planned.  A somewhat better, always possible explanation is the deus ex machina plot device, but it's unknown to what extent the author intends to use this (or if his mention of it was simply facetious or even a clue).  However, from the point of theorizing, it's moot to consider either oversight or deus ex machina because they're impossible to predict.

Usage note: lunacy/loony/etc relates to the "surge of madness" that started right after Koishi tore down the wall as well as the madness experienced by Cirno and Daiyousei.  Other words are used to describe other/prior insanity.  [I'm being presumptuous in using the same descriptor for the effects of both events, but I haven't fully assumed this in the notes. Also, because Dai and (most likely) Cirno were only crazy for a short time on the 3rd and were sane on the 4th, it's easy to tell apart their conditions from the insanity of the other individuals on the 4th.]

RII is the Reisen that's the pet of the moon bitches (Watatsuki sisters).  Other slanderous/abbreviated/pet names are used for shits and giggles.




Biggest questions
-how is Koakuma absorbing the powers of the deceased?  Which, if any, of the other events has given her this ability?  Does anyone else have this ability?
-what is the descending moonlight ceremony?
-what is the significance behind Koishi tearing down the wall in Chireiden?  There was a "surge of madness" at that time, but why?  Is there any relationship between this and the descending moonlight ceremony?
-what happened on the night of 3 Oct?  That is: what affected Cirno and Daiyousei and what relationship, if any, does this have to the descending moonlight ceremony or to Koishi tearing down the wall?
-who is behind the actions of Koa and RII?  This seems like it would be the owner of the faceless eyes + smile; if that's the case, then who would that be?
-how did Star know to ask Cirno what day is was?  This most likely translates into someone influencing her; if that's the case, then who would that be?
-what are the motives of Koa, of RII, of the individual "behind them still", and of anyone else who has a hand in these events?  This could include Star or whoever is manipulating/influencing her, Sanae and possibly Suwako/Kanako, and even Satori.  And anyone else whose role is either not yet understood or is understood incorrectly.
-what are all the missing characters doing?  Especially the ones who have been mentioned in passing but have not yet played a role, such as Kaguya, Rinnosuke, and the moon bitches.


Koa's powers
-this is largely a placeholder section.  It's too big an issue to ignore, but there are only questions at this point, no answers.
-how is she absorbing powers?  Assuming this isn't an innate ability, what and who is responsible for her attaining this ability?
-what happens (if and) when the deceased are resurrected: does Koa retain the power of the resurrected individual?  Does Koa having the power of an individual prevent the individual from being resurrected?


The Great Hakurei Barrier
-using Yukari's power was apparently the primary escape plan of RII and Koa.  ep11, RII: "Hey... little demon ...open the barrier ...quick... we're getting out of here..."  Koa: "......the barrier?" "I can't do that yet."
-it's unclear if and how this plays a role in the descending moonlight ceremony, but hell, with Yukari's power it would be a cinch to destroy Gensokyo, ceremony or not.


The wall/door in Chireiden
-per the narration in ep11: "The madness began on October fourth, at 4:25pm, when the satori Komeiji Koishi broke out of the dungeons of Chireiden. A surge of madness is confirmed to have appeared in Gensokyo at the moment the wall was broken."
-is this a coincidence?  Was there an outside event that happened at the exact same time that caused all this?  This could have been the uttering of "Moonlight Descent", but there's a good chance that that phrase was said before that time (or simply not at that exact time).
-was it actually something Koishi said immediately prior to tearing down the wall that caused the surge (just as the "secret phrase" "Moonlight Descent" has some sort of power, perhaps there are other such phrases)?  Everything she was saying seemed to be random crazytalk, but maybe those lines should be analyzed.
-was there something else that the wall was containing?  It would have to have been something that couldn't escape through the door, which I suppose is possible since there were magic sealing-thingamajigs on the door (I assumed these were to contain Koishi but they could have been there before Koishi was imprisoned there).
-Koishi was oddly affected by this: "Ever since I got out of that room, my body feel so hot... it's almost like love <3 I can feel the power building up inside..."


The moon on the evening of 3 Oct
-what's the deal?  And why just Cirno and Dai?
-or was it just Cirno and Dai?  Koa: "Well done, then, Hakruei Reimu. But you're too late! You should have been here last night." "Where were you, as everyone fell on each other in madness?"  Unless it somehow and inexplicably because 5 Oct, the only "madness" that occurred the night before (3 Oct) was whatever caused the scuffle between Cirno and Dai.  There were the fights that Koishi had with Meiling and Flandre, but that hardly constitutes "everyone", and Koishi was the only one acting nutty (that is: Koishi was acting like herself).
-the only potential explanation for this occurrence, at least going on what has been mentioned thus far, is the descending moonlight ceremony.


Descending moonlight ceremony
-when did this start?  How long does it take?
-"Their [Koa's and RII's] actions were triggered by the secret phrase 'moonlight descent'."  This was stated by the narrator in ep11.  We still don't know when this phrase was said (or by whom)...  or exactly what the power of that phrase is, whether RII and Koa are pawns, and so on.  More on this in the next section.
-the two possible start times are when the lunacy started to spread across Gensokyo (the "surge of madness" that occurred when Koishi broke down the wall) or at some unknown point in the past (most likely the previous day/evening).  The former is convenient because it relates to the change in outward appearance of Koa, but that change could have been brought about simply by Satori's involvement (and the immediate fallout, which led to an opportunistic chat with Flan, etc).  But the former doesn't make much sense when the events between Cirno and Dai are taken into account; while those could have been due to something unrelated, it seems more likely that they were related to the moonlight ceremony.
-the day/evening of the 3rd seems to be the more likely start time, but then of what significance is knowing that the words "moonlight descent" played a part in this when we don't know anything else that happened on the 3rd (aside from the attacks Koishi made at the Scarlet Devil Mansion)?
-RII: "A tiny tear will grow to swallow the entire fabric. The full moon lake will burst its dam."  Perhaps the ceremony had already begun and those near the lake would feel its effects early on.  And perhaps whatever coincidentally/causationally happened at the same time Koishi broke down the wall acted as an extreme catalyst that promptly brought lunacy to everyone susceptible.
-the obvious, potential connection here is using the lake as a bridge between Gensokyo and the moon, as Yukari did in the invasion of the moon, but this time with whatever the moonlight descent ceremony is.  Again, that's assuming that the ceremony is related to the effects of the moon on the evening of 3rd.
-more from RII during that same scene with Yukari.  "Eclipse, eclipse, under the sky! Shatter into a million shards of light!"  "Soon, the descending moonlight ceremony will be complete."


Moonlight Descent - the larger culprit
-Again: "Their [Koa's and RII's] actions were triggered by the secret phrase 'Moonlight Descent'."
-it's not clear what is meant by "triggered".  while this simply could be a code word known only to the two (a green-light/go code that one somehow communicated to the other so they could start wreaking havoc simultaneously), it seems more likely that this is some sort of tool used by a third party to manipulate the two.  That is: it could be something implanted in their psyche, and when it is uttered (perhaps in a certain way or by a certain individual) then the two are prompted to start some set course of action.  But this is all speculation; its true power/effect and mechanism for use are unknown.
-the only person to have said anything about the descent of the moon, as shown thus far, is RII during the fight with Yukari.  But this was after things had already started.  RII (or Koa) could have uttered this phrase earlier, of course.
-possible suspects (aside from Koa/RII):
--Satori
---but why and how would she have known the phrase?  If Koa knew the phrase, then Satori obviously could have learned it from her.  However, it's possible that Koa either didn't know it or, more plausibly, that it was somehow in Koa's subconscious, unbeknownst to Koa.  In either of these situations, Satori would have needed to learn the phrase from someone else, but the issue then is who that would be.  There isn't any reason to suspect that she encountered RII (who might have known the phrase) at any point, and if there was anyone else who knew the phrase then it would make more sense for that individual to be the culprit, not Satori.
---ep11 confuses the issue.  It seems to point to Satori as the one who uttered the phrase, as an image of Satori is shown while the text "Their actions were triggered by the secret phrase 'Moonlight Descent'" is onscreen, but this was not actually shown in any of the episodes.  It also states that "It is clear that there was yet another behind them still" (with the same image of Satori) and "Whoever they are, hiding in the shadows... what is their goal?" (with the faceless eyes + smile).  Everything could still point to Satori if it weren't for the color of the faceless eyes: Satori's eyes are not green(ish).  This could also be a red herring, though it seems that this is simply the author making things insultingly obvious (thankfully the only occurrence of this thus far) by reinforcing the need to look beyond Satori for the culprit.
---there's also the strange question posed at the end of ep1: "Flandre and Koishi, the two lunatics finally meet each other. And what is Meiling's fate!? what is Satori doing at that moment!?"  Satori has nothing to do with anything at that juncture... unless she has something to do with the moonlight descent or with some larger, yet-unrevealed plot point.  Or the author didn't quite know where things were headed and was (understandably) a bit careless.  Not sure what to make of this.
---see the two later sections on Satori for more on this.
--The owner of the faceless eyes + smile.  But who?  See next section for more on this.
---Sanae.  Very possibly.
---moon bitches.  Very possibly, although - arguably - this is too obvious.
---Rinnosuke.  Another good possibility, although he could be dead.
---Marisa.  Possibly.
---Minamitsu.  Possibly.
---Star.  Doubtful, but she seems to be connected to a larger player.
---Lily, Parsee, Lunasa, and Gengetsu are other possible suspects, but this is only because of their eye color.  None of them seem to be particularly likely candidates.


Faceless eyes + smile
-presumably the deus ex machina (written in Greek instead of Latin [to unknown, if any, significance] onscreen immediately before the faceless eyes + smile is shown)
-green eyes, right?  Green eyes first, then yellow eyes.  Considering yellow eyes because the color isn't too far off and because eye color hasn't been fixed in this series (ex: Sanae's eyes have been both yellow and green).
-characters with green(ish) eyes: Koishi, Hina, Reisen (SWR/Soku only), Minamitsu, Alice (SWR/Soku only; yellow eyes in MS only), Parsee, Lily, Mima, Yuuka (LLS, MS only), Tojiko, characters without official art, Torte.
-did I miss anyone?
--rule out characters without official art and Torte because any of those would be deus ex machina ad absurdum.
--rule out Tojiko because this was released before she was part of Touhou.
--rule out Koishi because she's already been shown to be a bit player in this.
--rule out Alice because her eye color was blue when she appeared with Marisa in rescuing Nitori.  She was also listed under those who "defend normalcy".
--highly unlikely that it's Yuuka because she has already been shown in her Windows garb, and she has red eyes in Windows canon.  She was also listed under those who "defend normalcy".
--unlikely that it's Mima because no other PC-98-only characters have shown.
--Reisen: unlikely because her eye color is red in this series, although she could be maintaining that color as an illusion.  She also helped Reimu.  There would have to be a massive plot twist for her to be a villain.
--Minamitsu: possible.  It's likely that she's gone loony, which would surely mean that she's just a bit player, but it's uncertain if she (and the others) have been affected or are simply going along with Byakuren.  Or, in this case, if Murasa is actually pulling the strings and is just acting like a bit player.  Doesn't seem likely, especially since she's hardly "hiding in the shadows", but it's possible.
--Hina: seems unlikely as she appears to be a bit player who's gone loony.
--Lily: herald of spring.  "Spring" in this case could be a new dawn or the beginning of the end.
--Parsee: jealous of couples.  The occurrences in KKHTA have torn apart many pairs - not just groups - of friends.
-but either Lily or Parsee is a stretch.  They only make sense in the context of deus ex machina (which the author may have been admitting to instead of simply joking about, but that would still make for weak sauce).
-expanding eye color to yellow(ish): Sanae, Star, Marisa, Ran, Shou, Yuyuko (SWR/Soku), Lunasa, Shizuha (yellow-orange), Rinnosuke, Toyohime, Yumeko, Yuki, Luoise, Gengetsu, Mugetsu, Elly, Kurumi, Chiyuri, Kana.
-did I miss anyone?
--Sanae: very possible.  In the series, her eyes range from yellow to green.  She has a motive (her twisted mental state from things done to her and from the killing she did prior to entering Gensokyo) and she likely started her rampage before Koishi tore down the wall, or so the sequence of events would have us believe.  The only problem is that she isn't exactly "hiding in the shadows", unless that has an alternate meaning.  Examples: she's been operating in the shadows of Moriya (its dungeon), in the shadows of two larger gods, in the shadows of her past... it's a bit of a stretch, but an oblique/metaphorical meaning is possible.  Back to the sequence of events: in the scenes immediately after the wall fell, she appeared - bloodstained - in front of Kogasa.  Unless the timeline is being manipulated to confuse the viewer, this meetup occurred within a few minutes of the wall being torn down.  Furthermore, it seems highly unlikely that Kogasa made any detours after that point; she most likely took Kogasa to the dungeon and began torturing her.  This is significant because, at some point, Sanae killed Mystia and disabled Suwako (and possibly killed/disabled Kanako as well, as Kanako is notably absent).  This seems to be too much to do in just a few minutes, especially considering how slow and deliberate Sanae was in speaking to and in torturing Kogasa; there's little reason to think that she did the other things speedily.  It's possible that she tied up Kogasa, then set about disabling Suwako and killing Mystia, but the former seems like something that one would want to do first as to avoid any interference, and the latter seems strange as it would mean Sanae quickly killed one youkai while slowly torturing another (she's obviously nutty, but the products of her insanity seem deliberate, not random).  Of course, she could have sanely killed Mystia much earlier, but that assumes that Mystia had done something to warrant extermination, which is far-fetched since there has been a canonically peaceful balance between all sides, including the more active youkai like Mystia.  There's also the language that both Sanae and Koa used: both used "exterminate".  Koa: "Your Youkai extermination has gotten me all sort of powers! Thanks for that, mountain miko!".  This implies that Sanae had killed more than just Mystia, and it's incomprehensible that there were multiple youkai who warranted extermination.  Also, the torture chamber was hardly a new addition to Moriya, so whatever had been going on there had been going on for a while.  So, while it's possible that the lunacy might have had some effect on Sanae, there isn't any need for it to have affected her at all; it seems all but certain that she was actively crazy beforehand.
--Star seems a more likely candidate for a pawn than a mastermind, and she's not exactly "hiding in the shadows", but she's still a possibility.
--Toyohime is possible because she's a moon bitch.  And where the fuck is Kaguya?  Reisen states that she can't find her; she says this while talking to Tewi during hammertime, but at least some portion of that was an illusion and she simply could have been lying to try to get Tewi to stop.  Still, Kaggy might have been snatched, and moon bitches (or, more likely, their pawns) are always possible culprits for doing such a thing.  The Watasukis seem a bit too obvious - RII is raising hell so her masters are the masterminds *YAWN* - but it's not out of the question.
--Lunasa: there's the name and the influence that her playing can have on an individual.  But her playing is supposed to make people depressed, not insane.  Merlin's can make people happy, and Lyrica's doesn't do anything.  No indication thus far that any of these three will make an appearance, that their powers are relevant, or that they have any motive to cause the current situation (maybe something to do with Layla, but I don't see the relevance or any possible connection).
--Rinnosuke would be a neat possibility.  Although the only mention of Kourindou is through its sign, which was shown amidst the rubble during the UFO attack, Star likely got her weaponry from there (prior to its destruction).  For plot purposes it seems likely that this was done with Kourin's involvement, but that's speculation since it could have just as easily been theft.  No way of knowing, but there is the possibility of obscure foreshadowing.
--Marisa is still significant enough a character in canon to remain a suspect despite being listed under those who "defend normalcy".  While it's certainly the author's prerogative to make characters as prominent as he wants, it remains suspicious that someone as important as Marisa has had essentially zero role thus far.  She's only been seen twice: once with Alice in saving Nitori, and once in a sort-of-flashback image (with Meiling, Sakuya, Remilia, and Patchouli) when Koa was telling Flan that Flan was a mistake and has always been alone.  Marisa's eyes also appear to be greenish.  Granted, there isn't any particular reason to suspect her, and there hasn't been any foreshadowing (that I've noticed) to suggest her as involved in... anything at all... but she shouldn't be discounted until her full role is understood.
--"'Gengetsu' means 'illusory moon' when the kanji are read separately".  She's also an angel, and Koa refers to angels when talking to Flan.  Possible, but flimsy.  Plus PC-98.
--"The name Mugestu literally means 'dreamy moon'".  That's it though.  Again, PC-98.
--No reason thus far to suspect any of the others (esp. Shou, who was a victim; Ran, who seems to have been affected by the moon; Yuyuko, whose eyes are red in this series; or any of the PC-98 characters, as none of them have appeared yet in this series).


Other possible suspects
-Kaguya: has a connection to the moon.  Her absence is highly curious.  Reisen stated that she couldn't find her, but - again - this was while Tewi was assaulting her (at least from Tewi's perspective), so this might not be reliable information.  Regardless, and most importantly, Kaggy is a despicable bitch and is by far the worst character in Touhou, so it would be wonderful to see her ripped to shreds after being exposed as a villain.  Here's hoping!
-Eirin: moon connection, similar to Kaggy.  Absent aside from offscreen caring for Meiling.
-Kanako/Suwako: unlikely, but a motive could be revenge on the world that would treat Sanae so badly.  There's also the torture chamber in the basement of the shrine, but this could also be Sanae's (with Kanako/Suwako somehow not knowing about it or turning a blind eye to it for whatever reason).


Koa and a possibly faulty timeline
-"Your ceremony to expose the lies takes three nights-- a fool like you won't be able to understand until tomorrow."  Koa says this on the afternoon of the 4th; if this is true, then Reimu won't have any answers until the 5th.
--strangely, this seems to be referring to Koa's previous statement: "Cheers to all the people your truth has killed, then. I can see the true reality hiding between your lies, miko."  But this would mean that Reimu would be exposing her own lies, which is nonsensical, so Koa was probably just talking smack with that first sentence.  Either that or some oblique way of saying that Gensokyo's laws are the cause of the deaths of many, but chances are that's still bullshit and Koa is just mouthing off.
-Reimu sensed that something might go badly when Remi visited her on the afternoon of the 3rd.  So if she started a "ceremony" right then, and if that ceremony were to take three nights, then she wouldn't have results until the morning of the 6th.  Not the 5th.
-this could be reconciled if "nights" actually means 'days', in which case Reimu would have results on the afternoon of the 5th.
-something here is incorrect, lost in translation, or unexplained.


Cirno
-Cirno went fishing on both the 3rd and the 4th.  She was shown fishing with Dai on the 4th as Aya was dropping newspapers/flyers; Chen also brought fish to Ran that afternoon, saying that she caught them with Cirno.  Unless the narrator was lying, the nighttime scuffle between Cirno and Dai occurred on the 3rd (the other possibility is that time had somehow advanced to 5 Oct and the scuffle between Cirno and Dai occurred on the evening of the 4th, but there doesn't seem to be any reason to believe this as most events have happened in an extremely compact timeframe during the afternoon of the 4th).
-precisely what happened between Cirno and Dai is a mystery, but it is probable that Dai attacked Cirno and then Cirno attacked Dai (Cirno saw the moon when it was behind Dai as Dai stood in the doorway ["I hate you. I love you."]).  Cirno might have killed Dai and then Dai respawned (and - speculating here - forgave Cirno knowing that it was lunacy-induced), but it is also possible that she was only possessed by lunacy to the point of violence for a short period of time (similar to Dai's short-lived attack on Cirno).
-it's baffling why Cirno confused the days.  Even if she lost memory of the moments when she was affected by the moon, why would her other memories be affected?  ep11 states: "Indeed, she remembered nothing from before the third" and "what happened at the frozen lake on the night of October third..? Its importance will become clear as the story progresses."


Star
-how the fuck did she know to ask if Cirno knew what day it was?
-if she knew firsthand what happened with Cirno and Dai, then why didn't she attack Cirno then?  Firsthand knowledge seems unlikely; therefore, someone seems to be manipulating Star... at least to the extent of planting knowledge in her mind.
-who would get involved with the three fairies?  Besides Cirno and Dai.  Lily?  Anyone would typically come into contact with Star is potentially playing a large role in all of this.


Satori during/right after SDM sequence
-bottom line: her motives are still unclear.  She could have been trying to avert disaster (and then gave up when she was unable to convince Patchy of Koa's true nature), or she could have been intentionally helping it along (or even masterminding it).  There are a lot of things pointing to Satori, but this could be intentional misdirection on the part of the author.  I think the most that can be said for sure is that she's made some highly questionable decisions.
-it's hard to tell if she knew that her attack against Koa would fail.  She should have been able to read the movements (via thoughts) of everyone in the room, but it could be that she would only know that Remi would stop her a few moments before it happened.  That is: even with slight forewarning, Satori might not be able to adjust her attack on Koa to slip past Remi; after all, Remi is extremely fast and has heightened perceptions as a vampire.
-the bigger issue is why Satori didn't kill Koa the night before.  It's a stretch to say that she didn't read Koa's mind that night, since she'd want to verify the truth of what Koa was saying (and it seems that Satori never turns off this ability [assuming she can turn it off, which doesn't seem to be the case]).  It's possible that she only read deeply enough to understand that Koa's words were true, and then she was too worried about Koishi to do anything but let her mind race on that topic while flying toward the SDM.  It's hard to say how sensible one would be in that circumstance.  And after catching Koishi, even if she read everyone's minds and learned Koa's true nature, she could have thought it more prudent to get Koishi home and deal with Koa the following day.  [While it doesn't change anything, Satori also could have read Koa's mind for the first time while talking to Remi; Satori was obviously being indirect in asking who came the night before, since there isn't any way that she wouldn't have already known who it was by that point.]
-raising a ruckus outside of the SDM seems to implicate Satori as part of a larger plot, as the distraction was surely helpful to Koa, but it also could have been Satori throwing in the towel.  She knew Okuu and Orin well enough to know how they'd react, so this way she could at least have one of them die before witnessing any horror (make that two if Okuu were to happen to die while defending her master/her master's honor).
-of course, she could have been compelling Koa to act (and later assisting her with said ruckus), but the only supports for this are assumptions one could make about Satori's character and motives, and those could just as easily be dead wrong.  That is: she might be perfectly content in living a simple, secluded life underground, away from those who would persecute her and her sister.  And that seems reasonable, since you'd have to be a complete nutjob to risk complete destruction and kill off your pets, and Satori has seemed far more sensible than that.  Disgruntled and bitchy, surely, but not insane.
-probably best to skip these asides.  Not sure why I typed them, but I don't feel like deleting them.
--aside #1: regret in killing Orin could be sincere even if Satori is helping to bring about the destruction of Gensokyo.  Satori appears to care about her sister, and she likely feels badly about the (supposedly) inevitable death of a pure soul and perhaps about misleading Orin (and Okuu) this entire time.  Even if (and assuming that) Satori is unable or unwilling to see the goodness in many of the other denizens of Gensokyo (assuming, again, that she is assisting/masterminding these events), this is very feasibly just a symptom of her madness and is supported by our current understanding of various psychological disorders/defenses.
--aside #2: talking to Sakuya was tantamount to taunting, as she could have read Sakuya's thoughts to know what had happened (and would have been thinking clearly enough at that point to mindread).  It's possible that she didn't read Sakuya's mind or was simply feigning ignorance about what she already knew (and she was instead making simple conversation and alluding to an apology), but this would be out of character for her both within this series and canonically.  Conclusion: she's acting the part of the arrogant bitch from the start.  Doesn't mean she's a villain but damn, what a cunt.
--aside #3: it's likely that she was simply manipulating Remi, knowing what Remi had done with Flan (any parallel between the situations of Remi/Flan and Satori/Koishi could just as easily be coincidental as relevant).


Satori at the beginning of ep9
-hard to draw any conclusion from this, but here's a quick documentation of the visuals/dialogue.
-obviously discontent with humanity/youkai-anity/the general state of affairs that she and Koishi have to endure.  Hard to pinpoint this exactly but she's definitely not sunshine and rainbows.
-obviously cares about her sister.
-looks up at the moon.  Implies a relationship with the current lunacy but could also be an attempt to mislead.
-juxtaposed with scenes of a younger Koa.  Implies a connection between Satori and Koa but could also be an attempt to mislead.
-scene of her on her throne shows her with a slightly mentally-twisted expression and with her third eye as one of her eyes.  That is: her left eye is red and the third eye is not shown outside her body.  Red tentacles are also stretching from the throne, possibly similar to how green tentacles came from Koishi (which only happened after Koishi internalized her third eye).  The background of the larger shot is Satori's third eye.  All of this heavily implies that this is where Satori is now and that this is not a flashback (while the other scenes obviously are flashbacks).
--curious to note that Koishi's left eye turned red during Koishi's fight with Yukari (it changed back to green by the time she was pleading for her life).  This was after Koishi internalized her third eye.  The change from green to red is curious because Koishi's third eye is green, not red like Satori's.
--a red eye also appears in the middle of the earth during the intro to ep6.  The green third-eyes stay closed, the red third-eyes open, and the earth opens into an eye with a red iris.  The first time this is shown, all eyes open, and the earth's iris is green.
-ends with the words "deus ex machina" (written in greek instead of latin) followed by the faceless eyes + smile.


Hearts
-a recurring theme largely to do with Koishi but that also seems to extend beyond her.  The latter makes it noteworthy, but it's unknown what part (if any) this plays in the plot.
-Yukari: "A satori who can't even understand her own feelings? What a joke."
-Yukari, during the fight with Koishi: "Shut up and die, you heartless fool."
--Koishi (with a red left eye): "Of course I have a heart! It's been here for a long time, now!" "It's not something you find just lying on the road, even if you go outside and look every day!" "where's your heart, old woman?"
--Yukari: "Far, far in the past, brat." "You don't understand, do you?" "closing off your heart and fleeing from the past..." "You're nothing."
--Koishi (with two green eyes): "I love it..." "I love it!" "I love Gensokyo!" "Please... don't kill me! Don't take away my friends..!" "I love everything so much..." "Why are you doing this to me!?" "Why..."
--Yukari: "And so ends the chain of hatred."
-Yukari, after killing Koishi and noticing that something was wrong: "Where'd everybody's hearts go?"
-Dai: "Cirno, Cirno! There's something wrong with mister moon today..." "When I look at him, it's like he's gouging a hole deep inside my heart..."
-Koishi: "I don't like the girl I was before." "Having a heart is hard."


Misc
-who says "No." at the end of ep11?  This was in response to Koishi's question "Respect for the past, right?"
-what is Koishi's "true nature" that Yukari threatens to reveal "to all of Gensokyo"?
-significance of the countdown from 12 in ep10?  0 comes during the brief title sequence, which is right after Dai says "I hate you." "I love you."
-who is "?", whose quotes are seen toward the end of ep9?  ?: "I was...all alone." "Above me, around me, inside me, everything clings to me, and eternity spreads onwards..." "Eternity that began before time was born, and will be here after it's long been dead." "All light, life, existence, everything is as ephemeral as a comet's tail in the cold, black, silent, infinite, final night." "May the blessings of the moon be upon you."
-what is the meaning of the flashback-of-sorts (of a kneeling man holding out his arm to a man in the distance) that Byakuren has in the middle of ep9 (right after she muses on whether humans are the failed experiments of the gods or if it's the other way around)?
-who was on the ground not too far from Cirno after Cirno had first been hit by Star's grenades?  Dai?  Whoever it was: why was she there?
-why aren't the fairies respawning?  Does this have to do with Koa absorbing their powers?  If so, then why was Cirno able to respawn after taking a knife to the brain?  Or are Luna and Sunny in some sort of state where they can't respawn?  If so, is Star now in a similar state?  How about Cirno?
-Suwako going to the Sanzu river to bring her back.  "Her" could be Sanae or Kanako (or perhaps even Eiki, in order bring some sort of rule back to the land with Shiki's immense power [via judgement], but the phrasing doesn't quite work for that).  If Kanako is alive, it seems odd that she didn't make an appearance after Sanae was stopped.  Of course, it is possible that Kanako was simply disabled (or, far less likely, was simply absent while all hell was breaking loose) and either doesn't want to bring back Sanae or is leaving it to Suwako (which could explain why she wasn't in the later scene with Suwako).  Koa hasn't demonstrated possession of Kanako's powers, but if Koa is truly clever then she wouldn't show her full hand right from the start (also note that Reisen alludes to this fact during the fight, and Koa states that "[Sanae's] Youkai extermination has gotten me all sort of powers"), so this isn't a good indicator that Kanako is still alive.
-the intro to ep5 has an x over the following characters: Marisa, Eirin, Aya, Sakuya, Satori.  Patch is the only one pictured normally, so the implication is that these are Koa's drawings.  However, there doesn't seem to be a pattern to the xs or to the deformities, so it's unclear if any conclusion can be drawn from these.
-what's the significance behind Satori's words right before fighting Patchy?  "To transmit your thoughts to someone else... It must not be very easy."  The obvious answer is that there isn't any significance and that she's simply lamenting her inability to convince Patch.  That's possible, especially since Satori seems arrogant enough to think she could make it work (even if this sort of thing hasn't worked in the past) despite her intelligence.  Again, it's also possible that at this point she was actually trying to avert full-blown disaster, but her true motives are still uncertain (she could be a willing assistant to or even the mastermind behind the destruction to follow).
-the intro to ep5 implies a backstory to Koishi sealing off her third eye.  Doesn't appear to be useful in predicting the culprit, but here's a summary.  The last two times Koishi is seen, her third eye is sealed; it is open before then.  It's heavily implied that Koishi sealed off her third eye after Satori had been bloodied up (for reasons and by actors unknown).  Koishi is also shown with tentacles coming from her, and Satori is later shown, still bloodied, holding and looking down at Koishi's hat.  While unrelated, the headless Koishi in the last group shot is a nice touch.
-guessing that Medi was indeed running from Yuuka but that this was simply a humorous red herring.  The author was probably presenting Yuuka as fanon-ically insane and ripping apart Medi -just because-.  Which is goddamned hilarious (even from the perspective of someone who hates that fanon portrayal).


Any significance to the references?
-to predicting future events, not just being a tie-in to the current situation.  I doubt there are clues hidden in most (perhaps any) of these, but I figure it couldn't hurt to list them.  For laughs, if nothing else.
-also note that this is surely missing a ton of references (see next section).
-TTGL  (Koishi toward the end of ep5)
-Paprika  (music and Koishi's last line toward the end of ep5)
-the Finnish Touhou 4koma  (Chen bringing a two-kilo whitefish to Ran)
-The Scream  (Sanae at the end of ep6)
-Black Lagoon  (music at the end of ep7)
-Julius Caesar  (Minamitsu's first line at the start of ep8)
-20th Century Boys  (music at the end of ep8)
-ICO  (music, initial art style, and initial wording at the beginning of ep9)
-Umineko  (music when RII appears in ep9)
-The Princess Bride  (Koishi after Yukari cuts off Koishi's arm)
-Macbeth  (RII's last lines with Yukari)


Unknown references
-this list is incomplete.
-random shit Koishi says at the end of ep5.
-random shit Koishi says at other points.
-random shit Star says.
-the various things said by various characters during the lunacy at the end of ep8.
-stuff RII and "?" say before RII (mostly) finishes off Yukari.
-song at the end of ep6.  differently translated lyrics are at http://pastebin.com/dPSXVnEk.


Characters whose powers Koa has used
-Sanae, Iku, Youmu, Mystia, Cirno, Sunny, Luna


Those who "defend normalcy", aka the good guys(?)
-Reimu, Yukari, Suika, Keine, Sakuya, Suwako, Marisa, Alice, Nitori, Kogasa, Tehshi, Aya, Momiji, Yuuka
-not included in the image: Shou, Nazrin, Remi, Flan, Reisen
--Reisen's exclusion in particular is highly peculiar.
-what do they all have in common?  The answer to that could be what they are missing... phrased differently, this would be: what do all those who have gone loony have in common?
-is this misleading information?


Those who have gone loony and are still alive
-Byakuren, Minamitsu, Ichirin, Nue, Rumia  (on the ship)
--it's unknown if those besides Byakuren are actually loony or are just going along with her, but the former seems much more likely.
-Mokou  (in the human village)
-Tewi  (whereabouts completely unknown)
-Yuyuko  (whereabouts unknown but is likely at/near Hakugyokuou)
-Meiling  (whereabouts unknown but is likely near Eientei; presumably was going to start a fight with Sakuya)


Dead
-Youmu  (eaten by Yuyu.  had not been affected by the lunacy)
-Iku  (cause unknown.  was never seen.  unknown if was affected by the lunacy, but it's very possible that she was since it's likely that she was killed by Tenshi, who was pictured with those who "defend normalcy")
-Mystia  (exterminated by Sanae.  was never seen.  unknown if was affected by the lunacy)
-Sanae  (killed by Kogasa; might be resurrected by Suwako)
-Ran  (blew up.  had been affected by the lunacy)
-Chen  (blew up real good.  had not been affected by the lunacy)


Presumed dead
-Luna  (unable to respawn?  killed by Star)
-Sunny  (unable to respawn?  killed by Star)
-Cirno  (respawning after final attack on Star seems possible since it's probable that she already respawned once after taking a knife to the brain [either that or she's badass beyond biology])
-Star  (unable to respawn?  it was implied that she was killed by Cirno's final attack: "Star sleeps peacefully, between the sun and the moon...")


Possibly dead
-Hina  (had been affected by the lunacy.  possibly blown up by a doll-bomb of Alice.  last seen wherever she was going to burn Nitori, possibly at the base of the Youkai Mountain)
-Medicine  (only seen in one scene: running away with Yuuka behind her immediately after the lunacy began)
-Flan  (last seen in her room at the SDM, being talked at and tortured [via rain] by Koa)
-Kanako  (only seen in Sanae's backstory)


Otherwise at-large (whereabouts/actions unknown)
-Yuuka  (unknown if had been affected by the lunacy.  only seen in one scene: behind Medi as Medi was running away.  also in the image of those who "defend normalcy")
-Satori  (possibly at Chi on her throne; last verified location was a little underground, where Orin had carried her)
-Remi  (last seen at the SDM telling Aya and Momiji to leave)
-Aya  (last seen at the SDM before Remi told her to leave.  also in the image of those who "defend normalcy")
-Momiji  (last seen at the SDM before Remi told her to leave.  also in the image of those who "defend normalcy")
-Tewi  (had been affected by the lunacy.  only seen in one scene: going hammertime on Reisen)
-Yuyuko  (had been affected by the lunacy.  last seen walking from Hakugyokuou)
-Sakuya/Meiling  (Meiling had been affected by the lunacy.  they presumably started fighting; the fight shouldn't have lasted too long, yet we haven't seen them in a while)


Ma'ams not-yet-appearing
-ignoring all PC-98, TD, Seihou, minor non-game, and fan-made characters
-Letty
-Lily
-Prismriver Sisters
-Wriggle
-Eirin  (cared for Meiling between episodes but not yet seen)
-Kaguya
-Komachi
-Eiki
-Aki sisters
-Kisume
-Yamame
-Parsee
-Yuugi
-Tenshi  (in the image of those who "defend normalcy" but not yet seen)
-moon bitch #1
-moon bitch #2
-Rinnosuke  (possibly dead; not yet seen, but since the sign to Kourindou was seen amidst the rubble during the UFO attack)
-Unzan  (heh. [Ichirin has been shown but not Unzan])
-giant catfish  (heh.)
-Maribel and Renko  (hehs.)
-Hatate  (not likely to appear since the series started before DS, which was her first Touhou appearance)
-Kasen  (not likely to appear since the series started before WaHH, which was her first Touhou appearance)