The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

This isn't really that complicated. No need to look for links or bridges between characters. Just vote who you want next. And then democracy takes its toll. We transitioned from Iku to Meiling with no logic behind it, didn't we?

edited 25th Jul '11 1:24:35 AM by Clarste

Only the crazy touhou memes logic of "iku works for dragon, meiling is totally a dragon. lets do meiling next."

I was just saying... I've already thrown my vote in for the actual mansion.

Have we done Patchouli yet? I kinda want to do Patchouli next. I vote we do Patchouli next. (Even though everyone else is already voting for the mansion.)

Crazy Touhou meme logic is basically what powers the internet.

Scarlet Devil Mansion

Library:
Mansion of Darkness ~ Save the Mind
bgm: Voile, the Magic Library*

Mansion halls:
An Elegant Servant for the Scarlet Moon
bgm: The Maid and the Pocket Watch of Blood*

Roof and clock tower:
Rain of Blood over Elysium
bgm: The Young Descendant of Tepes*

Write-up:
At the edge of the Misty Lake, there lies the Scarlet Devil Mansion, a dark lair that houses some of the most fearsome and cruel beings Gensokyo has known. At the gates, a friendly face with scarlet hair welcomes all visitors. It's not until an unwelcomed guest tries to pass that one has to realize that the gatekeeper is a youkai as well. The weak are not usually permitted to enter, you see. The mistress chooses her playmates carefully. I'm sorry – I meant "guests", of course.

This European-style mansion is owned by a young vampire lady known to some as the Scarlet Devil, to others as Remilia Scarlet. Other inhabitants include her sister, the head maid and a large number of fairy maids, the gatekeeper, as well as permanent guest Patchouli Knowledge. But neither the mansion, nor its inhabitants, appear to originate from Gensokyo itself. How did it come to this place? Did it simply lose its place in the outside world? Or did the inhabitants assume a more proactive role in its relocation?

It is decorated primarily in its namesake color, a color choice that one might consider to be appropriate and menacing lair design, or the paint job of a child's rumpus room. It possesses what is said to be the largest library in Gensokyo – however, the library's occupant doesn't appreciate anyone other than her perusing its books. It is also said that the rest of the basement is a complex and labyrinthine structure. Was it used to lock something in? Or someone, perhaps?

Regardless, the most remarkable fact about the mansion is perhaps that it is in fact larger on the inside than on the outside, thanks to the head maid's manipulation of time. But why would such a small family require so much room? Why are so many maids required to keep the place in order?

The mistress sits atop the mansion's clocktower with a devilish grin and looks upon her blood-red kingdom.

Inhabitants:

• Remilia Scarlet (big boss)
• Flandre Scarlet (little boss)
• Sakuya Izayoi (maid boss)
• Hong Meiling (first boss)
• Patchouli Knowledge (freeloader boss)
• Koakuma (library mid-boss)
• tons of fairy maids (no one's boss)

Alternate Location Interpretations:
For Sale - Elegant Lakeside Property
-by asterism

Vacation
-by Horselesshorseman

The Mansion Calls
-by Otherarrow

The Standard Guest's Tour
-by Pulse

Remilia ~ Immortal+ (Princess)
-by yarrunmace

edited 8th Oct '11 2:02:29 PM by Fawriel

I apologize for the crappiness of this profile.

You forgot to add 'The Centennial Festival for Magical Girls' as one of the mansion's themes. To me, it actually feels more like the mansion's actual theme since it's the only one I don't associate with any character.

EDIT: Remilia as Big Boss. It makes so much sense.

edited 25th Jul '11 9:14:04 AM by asterism

I do wonder, since the mansion didn't originate in Gensoukyou, did anyone miss it? Even if everyone avoided it (because vampires), people would notice if something as big as a mansion were to just go missing.

The mention of Meiling's scarlet hair made me realize something: Koakuma has scarlet hair too. And Remilia and the blonde one are of the family Scarlet. The only residents who aren't somehow scarlet are the permanent guest and the maid who is implied to have been fatehaxed at some point. (and the fairies, but they seem to just come and go). Maybe the SDM will only accept "scarlets" as residents? (Explaining why Patchy is the eternal guest and Sakuya is just a servant, but maybe Remilia's fatehax can fool the mansion, even if Sakuya's "new" name has nothing to do with scarlet?)

I dunno why, but I do like the idea of the mansion being at least semi-sentient. Like, more Saigyou Ayakashi levels of sentient.

Can buildings even become youkai?

edited 25th Jul '11 9:13:32 AM by Otherarrow

Any object can, so I don't see why a building couldn't. Remilia's probably taking living tips from Dracula anyway.

When was this implied, exactly?

e: Oh, it's in her Perfect Memento entry. It specifically mentions that being "according to one theory" in-universe, though, which amuses me for several reasons.

edited 25th Jul '11 9:22:13 AM by SuperDimensionman

Tools abandoned for one hundred years can become youkai. Walls can also become youkai.

But the Scarlet Devil Mansion is a western based mansion so the question is are there examples of buildings becoming sentient in western myth?

Well, I believe it is mentioned (Perfect Mememto I think?) that Sakuya isn't her original name, but one that Remilia gave to her. Some (myself included, admittingly) think this somehow relates to Remilia's fatehaxing powers.

Sorry if you disagree/think I'm just being an idiot.

EDIT: Ninja'd....by the post I was replying to. Huh.

edited 25th Jul '11 9:23:15 AM by Otherarrow

Also, we know that some of the things that transition into Gensokyo leave behind a kind of shell in the real world. The Hakurei Shrine and its surrounding environs exist on both sides of the Border. Similarly, when the Moriya Shrine was transported into Gensokyo lake and all, a copy of the Moriya Shrine with different spelling was left behind in the outside world.

So there may be a copy of the Scarlet Devil Mansion in the outside world. Now abandoned and decrepit. Or Remilia might have been in the habit of moving the mansion with her wherever she goes, wearing it like a big scarlet coffin. People who believe that Remilia met Meiling in China sometimes believe she met her there after a move.

If the latter is the case, then wherever Remilia was from probably whispers stories about the devil's mansion that disappeared one day, sharing fears that it may reappear bringing with it monsters.

And that's how the legend of castlevania started. Or vice versa.

Scarlet Devil Mansion, alright.

All signs point to the mansion first existing as a building in the wild woods of central Europe. Perfect Memento is rather superficial on information, describing it as large and mansiony mansion. Also, it's red. The Library (it deserves the capital 'L') is apparently located in the basement, which says something about how fantastically vast the basement it, considering it still has room to contain a Flandre as well as the aforementioned archive.

We know little about the interior decor of the mansion, but I have a suspicion that the colour red is involved. Also given that there are only six residents other then the fairy maids, three of whom live in the basement and one of whom spends her time manning the gate, the mansion has many, many, MANY unused rooms, perhaps some of which Remilia has only seen once and never used:

'And this is the sun terrace'

'Remilia, we're vampires. Why do we have a sun terrace?' *

'Frankly, I have no idea. I don't even remember some of these rooms being here. Like this one...what kind of a room is this?'

'Remilia...this is the kitchen...'

'Whatever. And here is the opera house'

'We have an opera house? I didn't know you liked opera'

'I don't, I just thought owning an opera house would be cool. Ah, the dining room'

'Why is the dining room a mile long? You never let me invite anyone over for dinner, you never invite anyone over for dinner'

'Flandre, we are VAMPIRES! It would not DO for us to not have an enormous and labyrinthine mansion. Ah, here's the swimming pool'

'You can't swim. Neither, for that matter, can I. Patchouli doesn't like water. And none of the servants have any free time.'

'Flandre, focus, please...and finally, here is the mirror room'

(implied facepalm)

EDIT: Flandre is getting a tour of her own house. I like to think that the Rule of Funny applies, but Flandre lives in the basement, so she hasn't seen most of the house. The mirror room is meant to be like the Galerie des Glaces in the Palace of Versailles.

edited 25th Jul '11 9:46:19 AM by asterism

'Centennial Festival' is the basement's theme?

Why should that matter? I have to imagine that Japanese mythology doesn't give a toss what those foreigners think. It reckons a Japanese umbrella will become an obake if you leave it in a Japanese forest for a hundred years, and it reckons a European umbrella will become an obake if you leave it in a European forest for a hundred years.

Here's how the wiki translates that part of Akyuu's rambling:

This speculation of hers goes on for a bit longer, but that's the relevant part. The way the word "fate" is used there is certainly rather conspicuous. I thought it might be some upstart wiki editor trying to sneak his own opinion in there, but no, it looks like it's the same in Japanese too.

edited 25th Jul '11 9:51:46 AM by SuperDimensionman

The Scarlet Devil Mansion actually does have a pool. Its in the library though.

Are there any European myths about tools coming to life if left alone? If its a universal constant, there should be some myths or stories or whatnot.

edited 25th Jul '11 9:51:16 AM by Bocaj

I can see Remilia having a huge mansion filled with rooms she'd never use (and may not even fully understand what they would be for) just to brag about how rich and powerful she is. Also, tradition: Don't all vampires have huge, maybe magical mansions?

Now that I think about it, for such a big mansion (even bigger on the inside) there aren't that many people who actually live there. (since the fairies come and go. ...I forgot where I read that, think it was P Mi SS again). There are, what, only six-to-sevenish people who definitely live there? (I think someone mentions that Meiling lives in a shack or something in the garden, and Patchy is the eternal guest).

I still will insist on my idea that the mansion is semi-sentient and will only accept "scarlets" as true residents for some unknown reason. Even if that makes no sense and has no basis in canon whatsoever. Sorry. I got an idea, and it stuck with me.

Six people live in the mansion: Remilia, Flandre, Sakuya, Patchouli, Koakuma and Meiling. Of these six, Flandre lives in the basement, Patchouli and Koakuma live in the Library (also in the basement), and Meiling spends most of her time at the gate.

According to Aya, they throw a lot of parties at the mansion. Least they've got the space for it.

Excuse my derp. Next thing you'll be telling me that Remilia can swim.

edited 25th Jul '11 10:01:12 AM by asterism

Are there any European myths about tools coming to life if left alone? If its a universal constant, there should be some myths or stories or whatnot.

Whether or not there are any European myths about it is irrelevant. There are Japanese myths about it, and there's no reason to assume that Japanese myths aren't supposed to hold true outside Japan.

Persephone's abduction didn't cause a winter that only affected Greece. (I'm agreeing with you, btw).

The mansion can have two swimming pools, it's not like there's not enough space. One in the library, and one that adjoins the dining room.

edited 25th Jul '11 10:10:10 AM by asterism

Well, if Japanese myths do hold true universally, everyone who ever buried a time capsule is a foolish, short-sighted person. And I don't even want to think of the youkai populations of the average junk yard or city dump.

edited 25th Jul '11 10:11:10 AM by Bocaj

I'd like to think that all the myths in the Touhou universe work are regional. The same things happen all over the world, but they're caused by something different in every region. In Japan, it's Amaterasu that controls the sun; in the West, it's caused by Helios. Likewise, in Japan, a house with a mind of its own would be a tsukumogami. In the West, it would probably be possessed by ghosts or poltergeists. It's the same object; it just has a different origin depending on where it is.

As for the actual idea of the SDM being alive, it's kind of plausible. But, it would be odd if it was a tsukumogami, since the mansion would have been damaged after 100 years. Also, why would it only accept Scarlets? Was it owned by Remilia's father or something?