The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

Nameless Gatekeeper ~/~ Parts Unknown

A playful scuffle breaks out near the gate to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Daiyousei pulls at Cirno's hair while Cirno flails wildly. Two strong hands gently pull the two apart. A voice scolds them lightly. The two faeries nod and smile at the warm gatekeeper and scamper off to play elsewhere. With a smile, Meiling returns to her gate. She looks up at the bright sky and smiles. She sits at the gate and waits.

Loyal gatekeeper. Benign immigrant. Subservient servant. Hong Meiling.

~It's a lie~

250 years ago, before Meiling took on that name, she was a skilled soldier in the Chinese Youkai Corps. She was called the Crawling Dragon, though she never took a name for herself. For years, she led platoons of youkai in the secret war against the emperor. They demanded that their leader, a young untested dragon, take his 'rightful' spot on the emperor's throne. The corps fought vailiantly, bravely, but their efforts were fruitless. Through the sheer size of the the Chinese army, their numbers were steadily depleted. Once they were weakened, the Imperial Troops chased what was left to the Manchurian Peninsula. Before they were trapped against the coast of China, the dragon dissolved the corps, and the youkai dispersed. Though they would continue to commit individual attacks, it was obvious that the Corps would never be reformed. But, in the years of that rebellion, Meiling became one of the strongest youkai in China.

When the young dragon heard of Gensokyo, the japanese youkai haven, a realm controlled by an older dragon and a powerful miko, he searched for one of his best soldiers. He eventually found Meiling in a monastery, learning from the masters of chi and improving her abilities. He gave her orders to find away around the border, to enter Gensokyo, infiltrate their society. She would find a weakness in one of the controllers and report to the young dragon. The Chinese Youkai Corps would take over this land known as Gensokyo and the young dragon would finally rule.

When, in her travels, she discovered that the Scarlet Devils had a way of entering Gensokyo, she quickly asked them for employment. When she demonstrated her great strength and combat skills, she became their gatekeeper and took on the name "Hong". And so, Meiling entered Gensokyo.

It soon became clear that the plan had no chance of success. Soon after the arrival, the protective shrine maiden casually defeated Meiling and her masters, who were as strong as she was (Meiling took great pains to appear less powerful than the other members of the Mansion, to keep them from becoming fearful or jealous). Then, every year, another scheming mastermind would appear: the the mysterious gap hag, the eternal doctor, the mountain god, the released monk. More troubling, Meiling knew no way out except through her masters' methods or the gap hag, and asking for their assistance would raise suspicion. Most troubling, she became a part of the mansion. The elder mistress considered her faithful. The younger often laughed at her tales of her homeland (all references to the Corps excised, of course). The aloof maid eventually began to respect her. Even the shut-in magician grew fond of her. She still kept a professional distance away from them, her orders still ringing in her ears, but she knew that to follow those orders would tear her away from her unit, her new platoon. She was a soldier, not a mole.

Her allegiance is not to China, nor to Gensokyo. It is lost somewhere in the middle, in parts unknown. The gatekeeper (the soldier) sits (stands) before the gate and waits. What is she waiting for?

---

My original intention in writing this was to see how alternate I could be. Usually, my interpretations are firmly established in canon and don't require too much suspension of belief. Tacitus's description of the "one-sided, covert war" was what I was trying to emulate. Something plausible, but completely out of left field.

As for Meiling herself, I like her as a character. Specifically, I like the view that other tropers brought up earlier, that Meiling's the face of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Still, I'd like to go a bit further. Meiling is the most human element of the Mansion.

Also, the progression of SDM bosses is pretty interesting. The lower stage characters (Meiling and Patchouli) embody more human elements. Patchouli is a quiet loner (which isn't really a youkai thing) and Meiling is open and sociable. The higher stage characters (Sakuya, Remilia, Flandre) and more youkai-like. Flandre embodies the youkai's dangerousness; Remilia embodies its pride; Sakuya it's aloof perception of humans.

edited 21st Jul '11 9:19:04 PM by yarrunmace

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

Umm... Wow. That's... Really alternate. I'm impressed, though now I can't help but wonder if your Meiling's warmth is genuine or a facade. Either way, it's a rather dark turn for such a lighthearted character.

I sure said that!

Yes

edited 21st Jul '11 9:35:22 PM by yarrunmace

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

Pasts

Once upon a time there was a vampire, eternally trapped in the body and mind of a young girl. She was proud and strong-willed, and one day she decided she must have a dragon to guard her lair. Now the great wyrms of the West had been driven to near-extinction by this time, and the survivors were as elusive as they were strong. So the Scarlet Devil traveled East, where folk legends were more important than scientific journals and dragons of all types still lurked in the wilds. She found a dragon to tame, even if it wasn't quite like the ones she'd imagined, and she set about capturing it.

The vampire child was as powerful as she was haughty, and a fierce battle for dominance ensued. She was delighted to find that her target was a formidable opponent, less so when it became clear that this would be no easy fight. But with the help of her allies the Scarlet Devil subdued this dragon, only to be faced with the conundrum of what to do with it.

The dragon was strong enough to be an excellent guardian, but also strong enough to resist the vampire's efforts to control it. So the Scarlet Devil, with the help of her mage companion, bound the creature in the form of a human, damping its power somewhat. The vampire then used her own abilities to manipulate fate to secure her hold, changing both the dragon's name and nature to ensure its loyalty. And so the dragon serves the vampire as a faithful gatekeeper...

Oh, you're right, that does sound unpleasantly coercive.

Once upon a time there was a great Chinese hero. She had perfected the martial arts and achieved such mastery over her own chi that she had transcended humanity, becoming a creature of otherworldly might. She used this power for the good of her people, protecting them from any danger, be it brigands and invaders or magical threats such as zhenniao, yaoguai, or jiang-shi.

One day this guardian, her combat prowess matched only by her beauty, heard talk of a new foe recently arrived in her homeland - a fearsome vampire with a reputation stretching all the way to Europe, the so-called Scarlet Devil. She set off to confront and defeat this vampire, who had the audacity to magically move her residence onto Chinese land. But when the martial artist smashed aside the paltry defenses she found not a bloodthirsty murderer, but a child who, though afflicted with a terrible curse, took care to harm as few as possible to ensure her own survival. She had fled witch hunters and angry mobs for hundreds of years, never knowing peace or safety, and all this time she had been burdened with a younger sister whose childish innocence was coupled with the potential for incredible destruction, with only the Scarlet Devil's influence to keep her from rampaging across the world unchecked.

The guardian woman was moved by the child's plight, "devil" or not. But then the villagers arrived bearing torches and makeshift weapons, determined to put an end to the intruder. The woman stood between them and the vampire, explaining the situation and arguing for a peaceful coexistence. The villagers, her friends and family, did not listen. When a hot-headed youth led the charge, the woman was forced to use violence against her own people for the first time in her long life.

The villagers quickly dispersed, cursing the woman for her betrayal and making impotent threats of retribution. Despite her "victory" the woman was heartbroken, an exile in her own homeland, forever separated from the people that gave her existence meaning. It was then that the Scarlet Devil made her offer - stay with me, she said. Help me control my sister. Protect me from those who only see monsters. Protect would-be intruders from their own curiosity. Let your friendly face be the first thing the world sees, rather than the visage of the Scarlet Devil.

The woman agreed, casting her old life and name aside, and has happily served the Scarlet Devil ever since...

Oh what, that's too sappy? Fine then.

Once upon a time there was a Chinese youkai who lived down to all the Japanese stereotypes about her people's laziness and low-quality labor. One day she opened a newspaper and saw an ad for a gatekeeper position. Sounds easy! she thought. Just stand in one place all day? I'd practically be getting paid to take naps! Of course it wasn't that simple, and she quickly learned why the position was so frequently vacant when she met the vampires whose house she'd be guarding. But her laziness was matched only by her determination, and she struggled on, enduring knives to the forehead and cuddles from a vampire girl able to blow up things with her mind, all to live the dream of being paid to sleep while standing up...

Yes, now I'm messing with you. I've got plenty of these stories, it gives me something to do while I'm out here all day. Which is the true one? ...You must understand, every person in the Scarlet Devil Mansion has a history, their reasons for being here. And there's a reason some of us have taken a different name than the one we were born with. Tragic pasts, silly pasts, the important thing is that we have a place to belong. I'm particularly happy that my place is out in the sunshine.

As for who or what I am - I'm Hong Meiling, the gatekeeper. And don't you forget it.

---

Well that was interesting. I wasn't intending for this to be a mini-fic, but apparently I've caught the "bug" too. Must have been something in that pizza... Personally, my headcanon is the second scenario.

edited 22nd Jul '11 5:01:04 PM by Tacitus

Current earworm: "Awe of the Unknown"

I like it a lot. Meiling's one of those characters whose past doesn't really matter; the most important thing to her is where she is now.

I sure said that!

I like it.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

I guess Meiling's talking to Hatate? Hatate's trollbait, really. Tell her anything and she'll believe it.

Heart of Stone

Or perhaps Meiling honestly doesn't remember. Sometimes she remembers it one way, sometimes another...

@ Tacitus: You raise a good point. The SDM crowd is notably sparse when it comes to backstories, something that Zun retained from his PC-98 days. It's only in PCB and IN that we see actual backstories. Because of this, the SDM bosses can only be characterized by their current appearances.

That said, good write-up!

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

Except Sakuya, whose lack of backstory has become her backstory. PCB was rather sparse on backstory as well. No information on any of the Yakumos' pasts has really been revealed. All Yukari gets is basically 'she's been around a long time, probably'.

edited 22nd Jul '11 9:57:03 AM by asterism

Heart of Stone

Still, at least Yuyuko got a backstory. We don't know anything about where Remilia came from.

edited 22nd Jul '11 9:19:02 AM by yarrunmace

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

True. And IN really starts piling on the backstory. Kaguya's profile is MASSIVE, and contains backstory on herself, Eirin AND Reisen.

We know Remilia comes from Europe, and we can make guesses as to which region. They'll just be guesses, though.

Yeah, I don't really have anything else to say on Meiling. She's Remilia's guard, she's stronger then the fandom gives her credit for, she's got a past as obscure as a highly obscure thing, and she's from China. Woo.

A question: after Meiling are we gonna have another review period? Because it's about 100-110 pages since the last one.

Also, no-one has referred to Meiling as 'China' yet. This pleases me.

edited 22nd Jul '11 1:01:27 PM by asterism

Heart of Stone

I still exist! Seriously!

I don't think we'll be having a refreshy-thing after Meiling. There've been a lot of pages, but not a lot of discussions.

Well that fits nicely. Rumia was a darkness fairy, Yuuka was a flower fairy, and Ichirin... could be interesting.

I guess being so extremely Chinese might well have something to do with it. I'm not an expert on their mindset, but I think that even more so than people in general, they tend to be happy to know their place in the world. Even if it's not the most prestigious one.

I might be completely pulling that out of my rear end, though.

As good a time as any for a funny little thought: I think someone posited in the previous 'Compendium that Remilia went to Japan because she's a big otaku. Maybe she's not just a big fan of Japan...

"Oh man, it's a real Chinese martial artist. ... I want her!"

Ah, yes. I have to admit, I didn't really have anything to say about it the first time, as it just seemed to summarize popular portrayals of Meiling. I'm not sure in how far that's a thing for write-ups to do. I'm not gonna stop you from doing that, but it seems to me that they should be more about what you think yourselves about what a character is like?*

^{Though a lot of them now are more like writing exercises – I doubt that all of the mini-fics we wrote actually portray the characters the way we actually think they are.}

For summaries of a character's use in the fandom, that's kind of what the profile I write is for, though I think my focus has shifted primarily towards making the character sound interesting. And for more stuff, there's Horselesshorseman's Of note things, and then there's the thread itself.

On second glance, there's a bit of personal analysis in there after all. But, can you really say that even lazy Meiling has that burning desire to protect?

Hire... You know... Do the Scarlets actually have, like, money? They surely don't work, they don't seem to have any rich parents who do (at least not anymore), and without an income, riches expire quickly...

I guess it makes sense if you subscribe to the "Meiling as the face of the mansion" theory.

That was really fun and cute! The "no survivors" joke actually made me burst out in laughter for a moment because it came so unexpectedly.

Hm, that's different, though. Becoming an animal youkai just happens. Becoming a magician is a choice that requires a lot of work. And it's just one option between becoming a hermit or a celestial or something, though those might not count as youkai, strictly speaking.

I don't know. It doesn't seem like a contradiction to me, necessarily. It's not certain how much Meiling is treated like a person of lower rank. It is certain that Remi lends her manga and such, though, which might well be seen as behaviour typical for siblings. But in any case, "honorary family member" seems like a very plausible thing depending on just how much Meiling has protected the Scarlet sisters in the past... Sorry for the messiness of my thoughts. It's late.

She probably doesn't have servants caring for her as Patches does, but that doesn't necessarily mean much. As I learned after being a guest at my friend's Russian grandmother's place, some people practice excellent hospitality partly as a way to show off, which seems just like the kind of thing Remilia would do. Meiling doesn't need servants, she knows she's like a sister/mother/somethingreallyclose to Remilia, but Patchouli, she'd better know that her vampire friend is the best damn host in the world, oh yeah.

Just a thought. *shrugs*

Oh poopers.

I'm looking forward to your contributions in Patchouli's discussion already.

Heh, it's noticeable that you had fun writing it, yeah. That was a pretty interesting format for a write-up. Fun and silly, too.

And this is the part where I'm so tired I can't properly read the remaining minifics anymore. Sorry. Tomorrow.

I approve of this.

And this.

Sir, don't be ridiculous. You can't just pass over a wall in a videogame! That's crazy talk!

Slightly more serious: Maybe Meiling is so in tune with the wall around the mansion that she could infuse it with a security system that runs on her chi. So whenever something sufficiently heavy touches the wall or passes its airspace, she notices.

...

Why is Sakuya called the dog when Meiling is the one guarding the house? Or maybe they're both dogs. Aww. Puppy love.

Oh.

Yeah. Soon.

Meiling is now a wall.

So, if there's no review period, I'm just gonna say right now I vote for Yanako Kasaka (god of the sky, robots, and spoonerisms). I'm just throwing my hat in the ring early, since the Meiling discussion seems to be winding to a close.

ON TOPIC: Meiling's astonishingly suitable name is either a massive coincidence, or a result of Remilia's machinations. Or both...

'Remilia, here's a list of candidates for the gate guard position'

'Hey, this one's called Hong Meiling! IT'S A SIGN! YOU'RE HIRED!'

'...There's no one else here, Remilia...'

'...I knew that'

EDIT: The other person in the conversation is Flandre. Because why not. Or if you think Flandre's a raving lunatic, it's Patchouli.

edited 22nd Jul '11 4:25:35 PM by asterism

Heart of Stone

Its not really winding down, considering how active it was just a short while ago.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Meiling will return in Ten Desires as a fully realized nurikabe.

I looked nurikabe to refresh myself on what it was besides a wall monster. Japanese mythology is weird.

Also, there's a type of puzzle called nurikabe after the beasty.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Come to think of it, someone did a comic like that.

Fluid, you say Meiling is the mansion's wall?

For shame. You missed a perfect opportunity for a 'Great Wall of China' joke.

edited 22nd Jul '11 4:34:36 PM by asterism

Heart of Stone

She calls herself the Great Wall of the Scarlet Devil Mansion in hisoutensoku*

, if I recall correctly.

edited 22nd Jul '11 4:35:57 PM by Bocaj

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

HTSK? Suwako calls the 'bot Hisou Tensoku, so HT might work.

Touhou wiki refer to it as 'Soku for short.

edited 22nd Jul '11 4:39:41 PM by asterism

Heart of Stone

I call it 'Soku for short

Guys, we could call it Guignol Quest and acronymize it GQ.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

somehow it never occurred to me that Whomps were based off of nurikabe