The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

I know it's so very far from the oni we're used to, but they look so adorable in the last panel.

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

Now, now, we can't taint our discussion on Yuugi with something so coarse! Let us have some more wholesome fun instead!

Whoa, didn't expect to see megaphone!Chen again.

Mmm... y'know, I kinda imagined Yuugi would have a slightly rougher voice than that.

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

I'd also expect her not to be shorter than me and weigh about as much as my tiny little mother. One can only assume that the producers of those videos didn't have the means to convey the hugeness of Yuugi appropriately.

Suika is surprisingly skilled at crass humor.

"Surprisingly"?

At least, I can't say I expected the Hiroshima joke.

That thing with Ran and Chen reminds me of something that's been bugging me. According to Akyuu, nobody knows the oni-banishing spells anymore, but it seems to me pretty likely that Ran does; the oni spells are the kind of magic that she uses, and by her tails she's at least 800 years old, so she's been around long enough that she should know the spells.

And if Ran knows them, it's plausible that Chen knows them as well. Chen uses the same magic as Ran, and Ran could've taught them to her.

Just my thoughts. I wasn't here when you guys discussed Ran and Chen.

Megaphone Chen is awesome. Brick Joke at it's finest. Also note that Parsee gave Yuugi 100 points.

edited 14th Jun '11 9:25:02 AM by asterism

Song of the Sirens

Well, there is always the chance that Akyuu doesn't know that Ran knows oni-banishing spells. After all, Akyuu rarely leaves the village (most of her sources are second hand) and Ran presumably lives with Yukari...wherever Yukari lives. (Gap land?)

On Topic-er: Yuugi's skirt is supposedly transparent. Wonder why she'd wear something like that?

Don't PM me. We don't like being PMed.

Yuugi does not need anything as time-consuming as a REASON to do things. She's probably wearing something under that skirt anyway.

Song of the Sirens

Probably because she likes that skirt, rather than intending anything with it. For that matter, oni are probably the kind of folk who'd just go without dressing if they ever felt like it.

According to that source I mentioned earlier, ZUN also said that too. (the wearing something under it part I mean)

Of course, fans might not accept this. Fanservice and all that.

Fits well enough to me!

edited 14th Jun '11 9:39:39 AM by Otherarrow

Don't PM me. We don't like being PMed.

Semi-transparent. You can see her legs through it. That's about it.

ZUN says that there's no real point to the skirt but the dude that was interviewing him said it made Yuugi look like an olde-time gang leader. Take that how you will.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Old time gang leaders wore transparent skirts?

Okay.

"Seriously, don't eat the mermaid. And not just because it's half cannibalism." ~Otherarrow

The pattern and the style is what I think he was getting at because he said it before ZUN mentioned it was semi-transparent, which you can even see on the profile picture. After ZUN said it was semi-transparent, the interviewer applied some ellipses to the conversation. Three sets of ellipses, according to the transcript.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

It could symbolize her candidness

you'll then have a grave in the clouds where you won't lie too cramped

New ship: Yuugi and streaker Ran, the most candid person in all of Gensokyo!

Someone hit me.

Happy to oblige. *Chainsaws Fawriel*

If the old interpretation of Yuugi's power still stood, the rules lawyer in me would say she could dampen Suika's supernatural abilities, but that turned out to be a mistranslation. So going by ZUN convention on younger and/or unassuming characters being the strong ones, I'd say Suika is more powerful just because she's short and scrawny. Makes sense, really - Yuugi being a Deva doesn't seem surprising, but little Suika? She'd have to kick a lot of asses to rise to the top, looking like that.

I like "Flower-Studded Sake Dish" 'cause it starts with the musical equivalent of a yee-haw!, like Yuugi's getting excited at the prospect of scrappin' with a human again. Then it quickly calms down as she remembers she's only a stage three boss, so she has to hold back and pace herself. But as the fight progresses she gets more and more into it, the music builds, she lets out another whoop as she gets carried away, and then the cycle repeats when she calms down again. Here's a fairly faithful cover by dBu, Neutral's remix has an awesome opening, and TAM and and KEIGO KANZAKI did an interesting collaboration of strings and metal. There's plenty more remixes out there (dance mixes and electronica seem popular).

"Walking the Streets" is just as good, though I don't attach a particular narrative to it. It sounds distinctly oriental but also jazzy, a combination of class and energy. So maybe the underground city is sort of like New Orleans, if the population was constantly in a state of bar brawl and were strong enough to juggle mountains, and it snowed during the winter. My favorite remix of it has already been posted (love those drums).

I was reading her dialogue to get a better handle on Yuugi's character, and found it hilarious that at the end of one of Marisa's paths, Nitori shyly invites Yuugi up to the mountain for a drink. And that Aya passes Reimu off as her "disguise" and proceeds to nearly get the miko killed for this deception, but Yuugi's sake "tells" her it's okay to let her pass afterward. And then there's that moment where, as Patchy and Marisa are trying to figure out her vulnerabilities, Yuugi casually mentions fried beans, turning an admission of weakness into a badass boast. SA has a pretty good script.

Arts (with NSFW banner ads that will destroy an unprepared soul):

• Nice sketch
• Trademark grin
• Drinking buddies
• Aftermath
• Swirly
• I snerked
• The throaty roar of a scooter
• Oni trio?
• Kinda creepy
• Childish
• Different style
• An intriguing combination of softness and tear-your-head-off-ness
• Unamused by your warnings of cancer
• Like Nitori here
• Almost too feminine
• Oni on a roof
• Not so much an alternate costume as an elaborated one
• Screams the 80s
• Just walking her dragons
• Looks almost steampunk
• Modern
• The hips threw me until I realized it wasn't form-fitting
• Why in Shinki's name would you give an oni power armor?
• I keep thinking Yu-Gi-Oh villain for some reason
• Unexpectedly feminine
• Transition
• (smack)
• (crack)
• I guess she can do fireballs
• Head's alright, rest is pretty off
• Blazing star
• Fighting Kanako and Hulking out
• Having fun
• Genuinely upset
• Uh oh
• Downright monstrous
• Out-badassed by Reimu in this one
• They fight crime
• She's wanted to be a superhero since she was a kid

Note that there's a dedicated "Fem Yuugi" pool for those who like dresses more than muscles on their wimmin.

Current earworm: "Time of Death"

TARDISES NO! All over the new carpet! Anyway guys, here comes the write-up!

Bowl and Gourd

When analyzing something, you must be ready to except the existance of symbolism where it isn't. In this mindset, an odd truth appears. Sometimes, the strangest things can be more symbolic than you think.

Let's take the sake drinking peripherals of Suika and Yuugi. Suika has a gourd. A gourd is much larger than a bowl and naturally would hold much more sake. It is the container of one who gives into hedonistic desire. This is not an insult. This is what Suika is, free-spirited and focused on simply partying as hard as she can. Her gourd is never ending, constantly giving her more and more of the life she has come to love. She is an oni's description of an oni, for the other oni have it different.

Yuugi does not have an infinite supply of alcohol. The Underground was built as a haven to the oni who decided to leave the surface world, but it came with certain disadvantages. Her device for drinking is a bowl. Though a large bowl could hold a large amount of sake, it can never hold as much as Suika's gourd. The edges a sloped in a way that makes it so that if you drink too quickly, you're going to drop some sake. Yuugi, as you know, isn't one to let their sake drop. So she must sip her sake slower than Suika. Even if she could drink as quickly as Suika, her bowl would have to be refilled. If it could fill itself like Suika's gourd, it would run out faster than it could be filled. This is The Underground. Joy comes bits, a small party, visiting a friend at the bridge, hearing what the strange lady in the large palace has been up to. If you do it all at once, then what do you have to do tomorrow, or the next day? ⑨

Like a with a bowl, you have to take in slowly, appreciate what life gives you.

Do the Oni regret their decision to go Underground. I don't think so. The sake the worms provide is good, and life is interesting. They've adapted to a land that Suika couldn't. They may not all be as strong physically, but Yuugi is definitely stronger in the way of adversity.

---

I like how this turned out. A crazy idea that I managed to grab from the air and string together. It's different from my usual minifics, and I like that about it.

Also, if you clicked on the ⑨, so, so sorry. I couldn't resist.

edited 14th Jun '11 12:59:13 PM by Horselesshorseman

I have no horse, and I must ride. I accomplish unlockments.

Hmm.

It's interesting to note that neither of the oni use standard sake-drinking vessels. According to the other wiki, sake is usually served in boxes (''masu'') or cups (''ochoko''). Dishes (sakazuki) are more ceremonial. It doesn't even mention gourds.

you'll then have a grave in the clouds where you won't lie too cramped

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calabash I think maybe it was based on the drinking gourds? Edit: On further inspection it seems that the Hulu is the symbol of a xian or a immortal being and one of the categories is hermit.

edited 14th Jun '11 12:00:19 PM by totoro

GLUB!

Suika's the only one blunt enough to drink straight out of the bottle.

Tacitus, that picdump was awesome! Reminded me that I forgot to change my avatar and signature, too, but your pictures provided such great material that I'm actually kinda glad!

... I wonder if you realized that you linked to a picture from a porn series, haha.

To address my own power level question, I think that Suika is more powerful overall, but Yuugi would win in a battle without magic. Because I think far too much about these things, here's an explanation!

The way I see it, a mano-a-mano fight between the two would be comparable to a fight between a skilled human martial artist, and a pretty badass chimp.

Now you may not know this, but a chimp actually has extremely dense muscles. Which makes sense, since you need to be pretty damn strong to swing through the trees like that. A chimp can thus easily become stronger than any human. They are also very athletic, but at the same time, they move somewhat awkwardly on land.

So that's how I see their powers matching up. I think Suika's physically stronger – after all, the size of their muscles is pretty irrelevant, since however large they may be, they can't be large enough for their strength to be sensible. Suika, however, has all the power of an oni concentrated into a small body... and she is the one who controls density. Yuugi's power is great, but to win that battle, she has to use her superior technique and speed to dish out constant damage while avoiding getting torn apart by a bullet train punch to the face.

... And yeah, SA does have a pretty cool script. I love Yuugi's dialogue, and the bit about Nitori in particular. It gets kinda weird to think about how we treat this race of dangerous beasts as basically the best buddies and most awesome bros ever... but I guess it's par for the course that a race of drunkards would hold a special place in ZUN's heart.

Huh, now there's a new one. Interesting thing to run with. I approve!

Yuugi's Spellcards

Oni Sign 'Mysterious Power and Disruptive Spirits': Yuugi's not aiming at Reimu or Marisa. She is so playing with them it'd be insulting if she wasn't an oni. She's testing their mettle here, to see if they freak out at the sight of the bullet chains. 'Cause if they do, they'll get shot down. It's also a sign of how controlled Yuugi is; despite her incredible strength, she can use beautiful and complex bullet patterns.

Shackle Sign 'Shackles a criminal can't remove': Suika and Yuugi both wear shackles. Your guess is as good as mine as to why. Maybe they commited a crime in the past? Anyway, shooting the rings cause them to shrink, and easier to dodge, but shoot them too much and they explode into bullets that chase out feisty heroines down. Another test, but this time Yuugi is testing to see if they have restraint. She's been bored for too long, and she wants a decent sparring partner.

Feat of Strength 'Storm on Mt. Ooe': Yuugi's used her ability to summon fell winds, and with them a crushing avalanche. The winds are swifter the closer they are to Yuugi, and there are more boulders. This is a test of agility and reaction speed. Unlike Yuugi's spellcards thus far, this is raw undirected force.

Four Devas Arcanum 'Knock Out in Three Steps': At the end of a course, one has to face the final exam. Courage, restraint and agility are all required here. Courage not to be intimidated by the waves of bullets that appear with each crushing stomp. Restraint to keep close to Yuugi, stray too far and there's a mire of bullets lurking in wait. Agility, the bullets will start to move after the third stomp, before she unleashes the next salvo. She calls the bullets by stomping on the ground, I'm sure there's a picture of her doing this, since it's an awesome image. If you get full marks on the final exam, then Yuugi will accept your friendship. Courage, restraint of strength, swiftness and power; it's kinda how the oni fight, don'tcha think?

Light Oni 'Adamant Helix': According to Aya, Yuugi is firing beams of energy from her hands (sounds familiar), and by the way it gracefully spins, it's not hard to imagine Yuugi pirouetting whist she does this, still not spilling any of her sake. In this case, she's forcing Aya to fly around her in really fast circles. I think her fighting style is her trying out new stuff to SEE IF SHE CAN DO IT. Such a showoff. In this case, her spinning almost puts Hina to shame.

Oni Sign 'Dreadful Raging Waves': CURVY LASERS!!!! () Everyone's worst nightmare returneth and this time with ridiculous oni swiftness. Yuugi's just having so much fun here, making her opponents squirm. Can Aya dodge the waves of lasers swishing around the screen? Can she pass Professor Hoshiguma's Danmaku Class? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!!

Oni's Voice 'Annihilating Roar': There used to be more mountains in Gensokyo, but they were destroyed when Yuugi said 'Good morning'. Joking aside, Aya claims this attack can flatten all the trees in an unspecified radius. And not even an explosive scream can make her spill her sake. She could fight literally single handedly and win. And she'd look totally epic and badass whilst she was doing it. Because she's Yuugi Hoshiguma. And she's awesome.

edited 4th Oct '11 1:46:28 PM by asterism

Song of the Sirens