The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

So wait, it's above the Youkai Mountain, yet at the same time above the Netherworld?

My brain.

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

The topography of Gensokyo is a remarkable thing indeed. Probably not even 3-dimensional.

Maybe the gate to the netherworld is above the youkai mountain then? (we know from PCB it's in the sky somewhere)

Youkai Mountain correlates to Mt Fiji or a real world mountain, right? Something about immortality? That might be relevant. Maybe Heaven isn't a place with a set location so much as it can be reached from anywhere sufficiently related. It may even be reachable from Higan but its easier to reach it from a mountain top.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

You mean Mt. Fuji, right? Fiji is an archepelago in the Pacific.

Heart of Stone

Yeah, that's what I meant.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

The gods of Youkai Mountain and Fujiyama are sisters, yes

With 2 obvious exceptions.

In a sense, aren't all mountain gods everywhere sisters?

(Ms. Kosciuszko sends her regards.)

Considering quite a number are likely to be male... no.

(also ,what do you define by moutnain god? if they just have to live on a mountain then that's awesome because Mount Olympus.)

I mean gods who are mountains, which I assume is what Hylarn was talking about. Mountain kami.

edited 9th Jul '11 1:36:28 PM by SuperDimensionman

I'd say that we're getting off topic, but I have no idea what the topic actually is.

Heart of Stone

The topic is Heaven, which is simultaniously above Youkai Mountain and the Netherworld

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

I would assume it doesn't really have a true physical location.

Alright, heaven. So, time to drag out what the characters think of it, then?

Reimu: It sure is quiet above the clouds......

Marisa: Oh, what's this I see? The weather is really good above the clouds.

Sakuya: So this is the heavens...? The land above the clouds where there is no bad weather. Such a luxurious world, escaping from the calamities of the earth....

Suika: It's very pleasant here. It's wide, and the wind feels good.

Suika*

: The heavens sure are wide. It's nothing like what everyone on the ground is used to. Even in the mountains, we don't have anything like this. Heeey, come out! These flowers are nice, but some sake would make this better.

Yuyuko: Heaven is even larger than the Netherworld. It's called Heaven, but they are separated like many different worlds. This must be... the thoughtless heaven?

Yukari: ...Nothing anywhere. The heavens use the lands too luxuriously. They say the heavens is too saturated so Enlightenment is forbidden...What a big lie. They just hate small spaces, that's all. The celestials being people who left their worldliness behind is also a big lie. Heaven is, in fact, the hive for these sly people.

Tenshi: Welcome to the distant heavens. In the heavens song and dance...*

Yukari's interpretation is my favourite.

edited 9th Jul '11 3:03:30 PM by asterism

Heart of Stone

That is interesting indeed. So Yukari sees the Celestials as hypocritical humans who are trying to keep the good stuff to themselves by forbidding any more people from becoming enlightened.

edited 9th Jul '11 3:09:27 PM by Fluid

Old Yukes sure sounds suspicious of those people. And I guess you might as well call her a mouthpiece for ZUN, in a sense. Hmm, hmm.

It would make sense, too...

Being enlightened means becoming one with the world. You lose your self and gain the everything. Every living being is connected, and the self is the thing that gives us the illusion of separation.

So, that's the whole thing with Celestials: They've gained perfect selflessness, but in a sense, it makes them selfish, because they no longer have an agenda, whether for their own sake or someone else's. Whatever happens, happens. The death of a single person makes no difference in the balance of the cosmos.

Heaven is a perfect place that offers the untainted beauty of the world for those who can truly appreciate it... and yet not. Being one with the world, they can become one with the lush green of the heavenly flora, and yet, do they still have the capability to enjoy things?

On the other hand, if they didn't, why would they hide up there, why would they live in such luxury with all the peaches and everything...

Strange. Very, very strange.

On the other hand, I'm finding myself in a similar position to Clarste in the Lunar Capital discussion; demonizing the Celestials all too much strikes me like sour grapes. "I'm only a fallible human, but those who are better than me are actually really horrible in some way."

PS: Thank you again, Duraz.

edited 9th Jul '11 3:18:21 PM by Fawriel

Yukari is a very suspicious woman. In both senses of the word.

Heart of Stone

I should've known better than to add something to my post by editing it to avoid a double-post.

Maybe you're a fallible human, but I'm posting from Bhava-Agra as we speak. The internet here is fantastic. If you think a fibre optic connection is fast, guess again.

edited 9th Jul '11 3:23:00 PM by SuperDimensionman

Hey, there's nothing wrong with hating people who are seemingly better then you! After all, it's not like envy's a sin.

EDIT: DAMN YOU, MIZUHASHIIII!!!!

edited 9th Jul '11 3:25:29 PM by asterism

Heart of Stone

I've noticed people comparing Celestials to Lunarians, but there's a difference between them. The Lunarians believe they're perfect beings, while Celstials who've rightfully achieved their enlightenment are probably about as close to perfect as you can get.

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

Or the Celestials might be really good people, but not quite as perfect as they think.

Yukari seems to think so. Tenshi's certainly nowhere near as perfect as she thinks.

Alice: ...You are simply hilarious [...] In any case, it simply would not do if the living daylights were not beaten out of you now would it?*

Heart of Stone

Yes, but Tenshi isn't exactly a "typical" Celestial. Still, one can wonder I guess. Of course, one could argue that the "true" Celestials are too apathetic and are thus not perfect after all. (Of course, whether you consider the Celestials as having such apathy or if it would even count as an imperfection at all...)

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